Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Enews26-15

About OLLI E-News

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

Editorial Staff Chief Editor/Technical Editor: Irene Osterman Associate Editor: Weekly Editorial Team: Pat Bangs, John Nash, Paul Van Hemel, Sheri Siesseger, Leslie Vandivere

Proofreaders: John West, Gordon Canyock, Susan Van Hemel Backup Chief Editor: Sheri Siesseger Submissions. Members are encouraged to submit letters to the editor, letters to Ms. Ollie Ettakit (on etiquette matters), OLLI-related news items, articles and photos. Submit material to: ollienewseditor@gmail.com.

Deadline – 6:00 pm Tuesday for that week's issue (6:00 pm Monday for letters to the editor); early submissions are greatly appreciated. Please limit articles to about 250 words. Note: You can view past issues of OLLI E-News on the DocStore. To search the content of issues, use Search Our Site or put your search term in Google followed by "site:ollidev2.earthcare.com/" without the quotes.

OLLI E-News September 4, 2015
Print a condensed .pdf copy of this newsletter, two web pages per sheet of paper.
Photography Club Member Edward Marion Speaks to the Club about His Summer 2015 Trip to Sicily
 
 

September 4, 2015


Editor of the Week: Pat Bangs
Table of Contents

Alerts & Notices

New Committee Chairs: Bill Taylor is now University Liaison and Larry Cereghino will chair the Paul Howard A/V Support Committee.

The speaker at the Sep 11 photography club meeting will be Henry Ng, an internationally recognized photographer.

We will not publish next week. We will resume weekly publication on Sep 18.

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Fall 2015 Catalog Changes
The following information in the Fall 2015 catalog has changed since it has been published and mailed. Updated: 9-3-15
Change Pg Course ID Course Name Details
Venue 1 F102 Understanding Opera (Part 1) Church of the Good Shepherd
Venue 5 F202 Selling Your Home, A Guide for the Mature Sellers and Their Family Members Fairfax Lord Of Life Lutheran Church
Venue 7 F301 Russia and the “Lands Between” Church of the Good Shepherd
Venue 7 F304 Winston Spencer Churchill: Faithful But Unfortunate Church of the Good Shepherd
Venue 8 F307 Travelogue on Virginia Fairfax Lord Of Life
Venue 8 F308 A History of American Politics Clifton Lord of Life Lutheran Church
Venue 9 F309 Irish History: Fintan the Wise to Fianna Fáil Church of the Good Shepherd
Venue 12 F408 A Tour of Hardy’s Wessex Tallwood, TA-3
CANCELLED 15 L420 Buddy Movies  
CANCELLED 27 R806 Our Human Origins and Evolution  
Venue 23 F702 Challenges and Opportunities Facing US Foreign Policy? Church of the Good Shepherd
Venue 26 F802 Magnificent Aircraft That Have and Will Impact America’s National Security Policy Tallwood, TA-2
DATE 33 971 More I Cannot Wish You: The Songs of frank Loesser Oct. 31
Venue 34 972 An Afternoon (Wasted) with Tom Lehrer Cascades Library
Venue 34 977 The B-29: The Plane That Ended World War II TBA
 

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Beware of Tax Scams



By Jennifer Disano, Executive Director

 

I was recently asked to share this information on IRS scams with OLLI members:
 
Though the tax season is over, tax scammers work year-round. The IRS advises you to stay alert to protect yourself against new ways that criminals pose as the IRS to trick you out of your money or personal information. These scams first tried to sting older Americans, newly arrived immigrants, and those who speak English as a second language. The crooks have expanded their net, and now try to swindle virtually anyone. Here are several tips from the IRS to help you avoid being a victim of these scams:
 
•        Scams use scare tactics. These aggressive and sophisticated scams try to scare people into making a false tax payment that ends up with the criminal. Many phone scams use threats to try to intimidate you so you will pay them your money. They often threaten arrest or deportation, or that they will revoke your license if you don't pay. They may also leave "urgent" callback requests, sometimes through "robo-calls," via phone or email. The emails will often contain a fake IRS document with a phone number or an email address for you to reply.
 
•        Scams use caller ID spoofing. Scammers often alter caller IDs to make it look like the IRS or another agency is calling. The callers use IRS titles and fake badge numbers to appear legit. They may use online resources to get your name, address and other details about your life to make the call sound official.
 
•        Scams use phishing email and regular mail. Scammers copy official IRS letterhead to use in email or regular mail they send to victims. In another new variation, schemers provide an actual IRS address where they tell the victim to mail a receipt for the payment they make. All in an attempt to make the scheme look official.
 
•        Scams cost victims over $20 million. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, or TIGTA, has received reports of about 600,000 contacts since October 2013. TIGTA is also aware of nearly 4,000 victims who have collectively reported over $20 million in financial losses as a result of tax scams.
 
The real IRS will not:
•        Call you to demand immediate payment. The IRS will not call you if you owe taxes without first sending you a bill in the mail.
•        Demand that you pay taxes and not allow you to question or appeal the amount that you owe.
•        Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For instance, require that you pay with a prepaid debit card.
•        Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
•        Threaten to bring in police or other agencies to arrest you for not paying.
 
If you don't owe taxes or have no reason to think that you do:
•        Do not provide any information to the caller. Hang up immediately.
•        Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Use TIGTA's "IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting" web page to report the incident.
•        You should also report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the "FTC Complaint Assistant" on FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" in the notes.
 


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Fun Facts to Celebrate OLLI’s 25th Anniversary
 


By Ray Beery, Member, Board of Directors

 
April 8 was the opening date for LRI’s (OLLI’s former name) first term in spring 1991, when 13 classes and three forums (the early name for special events) were offered to 96 members who paid annual dues of $200.
 
OLLI will celebrate its 25th year of classes for seniors in 2016. We’ll be publishing fun facts and interesting milestones about the Institute each week that OLLI E-News is published from now through the end of the fall term, 2016.

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Friends of OLLI Bake Sale Needs Volunteers

Share your pastry skills! Volunteer bakers are needed for the:
 
FANTABULOUS FRIENDS OF OLLI FUNDRAISER BAKE SALE
Thursday, Sept. 17, 11:00-1:30
Tallwood Social Room & Annex
 
Friends of OLLI needs you. Help support our programs and projects at our fundraiser bake sale as part of the September 17 Open House at Tallwood, which features Dr. Beth Cabrera’s discussion of her book, Beyond Happy: Women, Work and Well-Being.
                                                                                           
Please join us for fun, socializing and incredible homemade treats and more.

The bake sale will be held before and after Dr. Beth Cabrera's book discussion. Please contact Development Committee Chair Lesley Bubenhofer at (labubenhofer@verizon.net) if you can help.

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Fall Term is Just Around the Corner.  Pay Now to Complete Your Course Registrations!
 

By Alice Slayton Clark, Registrar



Fall Term is the busiest at OLLI with nearly 1,200 members requesting classes to date! Members should have received confirmation emails yesterday listing the courses in which you are successfully enrolled, those that are waitlisted and those that require payments. 
 
PLEASE NOTE: Members eligible for classes with fees must make payment now in order to complete enrollment.
 
It is simple and quick to pay for classes with a fee. Members comfortable with computers need only sign into the member portal (olligmu.augusoft.net), click the “prioritize/finalize” option (found on the green toolbar at the left of the computer screen), and then click “pay now” for the class. Payment can be made with a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover credit card. Members who no longer wish to enroll in a class with a fee can click “remove” instead of “pay now,” and your slot will be given to a waitlisted OLLI member. 
 
Members uncomfortable paying through the member portal should contact the OLLI office with credit card payment or drop off a check. The OLLI office would like to finalize class rosters as soon as possible, so please act quickly to pay your fees.  
 
Feel free to contact me with any questions about finalizing your course registrations: aclark24@gmu.edu or 703-503-3384.  Have a wonderful fall term!

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Lost and Found and Donations




By Jim Dunphy with thanks to Manny Pablo




OLLI has instituted a program to remove lost and found items at the end of each term.  However, in removing these items, it is apparent that some OLLI members are donating books, glasses or the like to OLLI. 
 
There is not enough storage area for these materials, so OLLI would ask that you donate them yourselves without going through OLLI.  For your information, these are the organizations OLLI uses:
 
1) Books – we recommend that you donate books either to the local branch of the Fairfax County Library or a local hospital.  If you have children’s books, you may consider donating the books to your local school.
 
Please make sure that any books you donate are serviceable – throw out and do not donate books missing covers or pages, or which are torn or otherwise not usable.
 
Please do not bring books in bulk to Tallwood as donations - there is not adequate space to accept large scale book donations.  The shelves there are a “Bring One/Take One” convenience. 
 
2) Eyeglasses – As a convenience, Member Services provides a donation box for eyeglasses in the Social Room.  As an alternative, we recommend that you donate eye glasses to the Lions Club.  If you go to the Fairfax County Library in Fairfax City and bring them to the front desk, the librarians there will put them in a box for the Lions Club.
 
3) Phones – There is a donation box for phones in the Social Room.  In addition, phones may be brought to the local police station, where they will be given to victims of abuse so that they can contact the police or other assistance.  There is a police station on Rolling Road, just north of Old Keene Mill Road.  The police would prefer it if you remove the SIM card from your phone before donating it for the protection of your privacy.  (If you have any questions in this regard, probably best to ask one of your grandchildren!)
 
Normally, materials will be picked up from the lost and found the last week of the term.  We will provide reminders in the ENews and announcements made by the class liaisons as the semester comes to a close. 

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Computer Club




By Paul Howard, Program Chair PATCS

THE COMPUTER CLUB (OLLI Personal Computer User Group, or OPCUG) will meet with its partner, the Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (PATACS), twice this month – Saturday, September 12 and Saturday, September 19th at Tallwood. Join us at 12:30 for soft drinks and socializing in the social room. Presentations will begin at 1:00. This month's offerings will include the following:

Sept 12th - 2nd Saturday - Picasa and Google Photos: Presented by Chris and Jim Guld
What to do with all those pictures? “Do you have a process for handling all your pictures? We use the free tools from Google (Picasa on the computer, Google Photos on the Web and on our mobile devices, and Web Albums) to show you how to organize, edit, and share your pictures.”
 
Chris and Jim Guld are the acclaimed Geeks on Tour, who travel the country in their RV, giving technology talks to groups, and producing webcasts on a variety of topics. Jim and Chris will be visit us 'live – in person’ -- as they pause in their journey down the East Coast.
 
Sept 19th - 3rd Saturday – Small Changes, Big Impact: Change Your Patterns, Change Your Life: Presented by Jennifer Katt
 
This session is designed to help people address the challenges of eating right and getting (and staying) fit for life. Jen raises relatable “problem” issues, exposes common myths, discusses technology trends, and provides nutrition and exercise guidance to help participants transform unhealthy patterns into healthy ones.
 
Participants will:
 
  • Learn things they didn’t know and unlearn popular notions (no, you don’t have to diet, join a gym, or buy special food!);
  • Hear more about the various technologies available now for tracking and monitoring fitness and nutrition goals;
  • Understand the growing “exercise is medicine” approach to lifelong health;
  • Take part in select in-place exercises (learning proper form) that can increase lean body mass and help with range of motion;
  • Get answers to commonly asked questions (“why can’t I lose weight and keep it off?”);
  • Learn how to work around obstacles (“I have no time!”); and
  • Walk away with fresh ideas they can implement immediately.
 
Jennifer Katt is a certified personal trainer and weight management specialist, and worked for many years at the National Institutes of Health. As the proprietor of Surround Fitness, she provides in-home fitness and nutrition training, discerning first a person’s fitness and nutrition goals and then designing a program tailored to meet them.
 
Learn 30:  Apps for iOS and Android: Presented by Stan Schretter
 
“This will be the first of an intermittent series on apps for mobile devices. My presentation will look at my quandary at deciding which device, Apple or Android, to take on a trip for the review of photos taken with a DSLR. We will explore the paradox of some Google apps working better on iOS than Android, and the built-in dangers of apps that may automatically delete the photos from your camera's SD card without warning.”
 
Stan Schretter is an OLLI member and has been avidly exploring technology since attaching ham radio antennas to his parents’ house roof at age 13.

See full details on these meetings by clicking here.  For information on the Computer Club, see the OPCUG website.  OPCUG dues of $5 for 2015 will be collected at this meeting.
 
Can't make one of the meetings in person?  Dues-paid club members may attend via Zoom's cloud meeting service, beginning at 12:45.  Send a message to webinarhosts@patacs.org if you plan to attend in this way.  Join from PC, Mac, iOS or Android: 9/12 -  https://zoom.us/j/851564439
9/19 - https://zoom.us/j/630108151.
 
 

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Homer, etc.


By Jan Bohall


No, we’re not still reading Homer—that was a long time ago. We’ve moved on to other traditional and contemporary classic literature. Join us as we start our next book on September 11, Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence. We have a free copy for the first OLLI member who emails the coordinator at jbohall@verizon.net. We meet on Friday mornings at 11:00 and read aloud to each other. A recent choice was Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
OLLI Book Club


By Ceda McGrew



The OLLI Book Club will meet on Wednesday, September 9 at 10:00 at Tallwood. The book for discussion is A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. Set in rural Louisiana in the 1940s it is the story of two men, one sentenced to death and the other a teacher from his hometown who worked with him while he awaited execution. 
 
All OLLI members are welcome.
 
The book is this year's all-freshman Mason Reads. The author will be speaking at the Eagle Bank Arena on Monday,  September 28 at 7:30. On Wednesday, September 30 from  2:15-3:30, he will be discussing the book with Mason professor Keith Clark at Fairfax Lord of Life. Both events are part of Fall for the Book and listed in the OLLI Fall Catalog (page 29) as Special Events 953 and 954.
 
The author will be awarded Fall for the Book's Fairfax Prize on Saturday, October 3 at 6:30 in the Harris Theater on George Mason University's Fairfax campus.
 

Inside
OLLI-Mason: Spotlight on Our Tallwood Office Volunteers


By Sheri Siesseger, E-News Editorial Team Member


 
If you have visited the Tallwood office, even just to pick up your name tag, you have met one of our volunteer office helpers. They are receptionists at the OLLI desk, and they strive to help everyone who walks through the door. Among the frequent questions they field are how to become a member, how to register for classes, and how to find a class location. If they don't have the answer, they ask the staff for help. New volunteers train by shadowing someone with experience. Sue Reinhard, a long-time volunteer, received no training when she started, but she gained knowledge on the job.
This friendly group helps our staff with any task that needs doing. They answer the phone, respond to voice mail messages, and photocopy materials for instructors. They prepare mailings including OLLI catalogs and new member packets. If you have been wait-listed for a class in which space becomes available, a volunteer will phone offering you the opportunity to attend that class.
 
The office volunteers also serve as OLLI boosters. According to volunteer Lavona Poe, “One of the things I enjoy most is telling prospective members how great OLLI is.”  
Some of the 24 volunteers work every week, while others are there less often. When classes are in session, Toni Acton, chair of the Office Volunteers Subcommittee schedules around the volunteers’ classes.  During busy weeks—right before classes begin and the first week of each term—Toni tries to have two people working each 9:00-noon shift.
 
Working in the office is fun. Sue Reinhard says, “The staff are super nice and make you feel welcome. It's a chance to meet new people and fun to hear their woes, which usually match your own.” Rita Way, a recent volunteer says, “Aside from allowing me to learn more about how OLLI functions, I have gotten to meet so many members. The OLLI staff is terrific, and I love helping them out.” Rita sums up by noting, “By volunteering, I feel that this is my chance to say ‘thank you’ to OLLI for making my life fuller and more enriching.”
 

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Flu Shots Available Sept. 25

Annual flu shots will be offered by Inova nurses on Friday, Sept. 25,
9:30-11:30 in the Tallwood Annex. Both the regular and extra-strength shots recommended for seniors will be offered.  Shots are free with your Medicare card. Otherwise the fee is $35. Sign-up sheets are available in the Tallwood office.

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Obituary

We have just learned of the passing of Esther Daniels this past June and more recently her husband Stanley Zimmerman. Esther was an OLLI member from August 2003 until September 2014. Esther taught repeat courses on the American Musical and the Oral Interpretation of Literature. Stanley was a member from August 2008 until September 2014.

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Poet's Corner
Courtesy of the Poetry Workshop

The Boats of Hen Cove
 
The bells on the boats of Hen Cove
chime summer sounds in a gentle breeze,
swaying over the smallest of waves
stayed by anchors they cannot free.
 
Winter cold sends the boats with their bells
to dry docks in alien dry land.
Not till spring when the sun warms the Earth
can the boats with their bells make music again.
 
Then at times they are loosed from their bonds
to roam unfettered all day close-in seas,
come home to Hen Cove when the sun is low,
once more sing their songs in the soft-scented breeze.
 
                                            — Betty Smith
 

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Arts & Music at George Mason

Performances, next ten days

By Shelly Gersten, OLLI E-News Staff Writer

For tickets for either Center for the Arts (CFA) or Hylton, call 1-888-945-2468, buy tickets online through the event calendar (see links below), or visit the venue's box office. For more information see the CFA ticket page or the Hylton ticket purchase page.
At the Fairfax Campus Venues
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Sat, Sep 19, 8:00
Beethoven:  “Coriolanus” Overture
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 “Emperor”
      -Alon Goldstein, piano
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
Concert Hall
Admission: $58, $46, $34.
 
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel: Music of Joyous Celebration!
Sun, Sep 20, 7:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $40, $34, $24.
 

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Mason Student & Faculty Performances
(see music.gmu.edu for additional student recitals)

Megan Neal, Doctoral Flute Recital
Sat, Sep 19, 3:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free
 
Adam Rothenberg, Doctoral Composition Recital
Sat, Sep 19, 7:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free
 
Grand Piano Celebration
Sun, Sep 20, 3:00
Featuring Dr. Linda Apple Monson and Dr. Anna Balakerskaia, duo-pianists; Phil Snedecor, trumpet; and faculty and student colleagues.
Concert Hall
Admission: Adults, $20; seniors, $15.

 

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At the Hylton Center

The Story of E.A.T. (Experiments in Art and Technology)
Aug 17 - Oct 4
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
The Gallery is open to the public Tue-Sat, 10:00 - 6:00, Thur., 10:00 - 8:00 and two hours before performances. Gallery Reception: Thurs, Sept 17 from 6:00-8:00. RSVP to jconnor8@gmu.edu.
Admission: Free.
 
Swing Machine Big Band
Sun, Sep 13, 3:00
Sounds of Sinatra and the Great American "Soul" Book.
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: Adults, $30; seniors, $20.
 
The Midtown Men
Sat, Sep 19, 8:00
Featuring the original Broadway cast of the The Jersey Boys.
Merchant Hall
Admission: $54, $46, $32.
 
Kevin Johnson: ventriloquist
Sun, Sep 20, 2:00 and 4:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults, $15; children, $5.

 

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

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Meetings & Clubs


The following list covering the next two weeks is extracted for your convenience from the master online calendar maintained by the office, with direct web links added when available. The list is accurate as of mid-week but to check anytime for the latest information, please view the latest forecast of upcoming events on our website (News/OLLI Calendar). Note: All OLLI members are welcome at, and encouraged to attend, meetings of the Board of Directors, committees and resource groups, kickoff coffees, etc. (bolded below).
Sat Sep 5 10:30am Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Tue Sep 8  9:30am
10:00am		 Cottage Art–Cottage
Knitting and Needlework–Panera, Herndon
Wed Sep 9 10:00am
10:00am
10:30am		 Bridge Club–TA-3
Book Club–TA-2
Tom Crooker Investment Forum–TA-1
Thu Sep 10  1:30pm Liaison Meeting–Cottage
Fri Sep 11  9:00am
 9:30am
10:00am
11:00am
11:30am		 Recorder Consort–TA-3
Photography Club–TA-1
Craft and Conversation–Cottage
Homer, etc–Annex
Cooking Club–Cottage
Sat Sep 12 10:30am
11:00am		 Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Personal Computer User Group Special Event–TA-1
Mon Sep 14 10:00am What’s in the Daily News–TA-1
Tue Sep 15   9:30am
10:00am		 Cottage Art–Cottage
Knitting and Needlework Club–Panera, Herndon
Wed Sep 16 10:00am
10:00am
10:30am
12:45pm		 Bridge Club–TA-3
Mah Jongg Club–TA-2
Tom Crooker Investment Forum–TA-1
Paul Howard A/V Committee–TA-1
Fri  Sep 18  9:00am
10:00am
10:00am
11:00am		 Recorder Consort–TA-3
Board of Directors Meeting–TA-1
Craft and Conversation–Cottage
Homer, etc–Annex

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AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

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