Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

ENews4-15

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: 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 January 30, 2015
Print a condensed .pdf copy of this newsletter, two web pages per sheet of paper.
George Mason University Hired Removal of Large Tree Threatening
Main Building and Classroom Foundation at Tallwood, January 22, 2015

January 30, 2015


Editor of the Week: Paul Van Hemel
Table of Contents

Alerts & Notices

  • Members will be notified if there is a make-up scheduled for a class/event canceled because of weather.
  • OLLI Valentine Party is scheduled for Fri, Feb 20, 1:00 - 3:00 at the Church of the Good Shepherd; attendance limited to 180. Sign up at any local OLLI office.

Back to Top of Page

New Registration System



By Jennifer Disano, Executive Director


The New Registration system is almost ready to “go live!” OLLI volunteers and office staff have been busy putting the finishing touches to the system. In particular, Irene Osterman, Ernestine Meyer and Bill Morris have put in countless hours customizing features, designing borders and programming specialized graphics to ease the user experience and create high-level functionality of the site. OLLI members will definitely enjoy the fresh new look! Thank you to Irene, Ernestine and Bill!

Next week, I will be sending out a link to the new registration system with instructions for OLLI members to go online and check it out! Watch the E-News and email blasts for more information.

Back to Top of Page
OLLI Valentine Party


By Sally Burdick, Valentine Party Coordinator


The OLLI Valentine Party is Feb 20 from 1 - 3, at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 9350 Braddock Road, Burke. Attendance is limited to 180. Come one, come all; lots fun in store for you. Deadline to sign up is Feb 13.

If you are interested in trying out for the talent show, auditions will be in the Annex 9 - 11 Tue, Feb 3, Thu, Feb 5, Tue, Feb 10, and Thu, Feb 12. Manny Pablo is in charge: fredpablo@i.cloud.com.

Looking forward to the party! If you have questions, you can contact me, Sally Burdick, at abird68@verizon.

Back to Top of Page

Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (PATACS) Donates to FOLLI


By Paul Howard, Computer Club Coordinator and Treasurer, PATACS


OLLI President Glenn Kamber and Development Chair Lesley Bubenhofer receive a $250 check for the Friends of OLLI (FOLLI), presented by Paul Howard, Treasurer of the Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (PATACS) on January 17. The Society, which meets with the OLLI Computer Club on the third Saturday of the month, has made four previous donations of the same amount to FOLLI, and donated three flat-panel computer monitors for use at personal computer clinics.

Back to Top of Page
History Club


By Beth Lambert, History Club Coordinator


There will be a meeting of the History Club on Wednesday, February 4 at 2:15  in TA 1.
 
Dave Heymsfeld will give a presentation on "LBJ's Leadership Roles in the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1964." As Dave will tell us, LBJ was senate majority leader for the 1957 Act, and a new president for the 1964 Act, and the roles he played in each were very different. The movie Selma, which focuses on the Voting Rights Act of 1965, will not be part of his presentation. 
 
Let’s hope the snow will not be a factor in our getting to Tallwood that day. All History Club members are welcome to bring a guest, and if you don’t know a History Club member and want to find out what we are about (always an interesting group) please join us on Feb 4 at 2:15.

Back to Top of Page
Mason Professor's Award-Winning Show Comes to Campus


By Gordon Canyock, OLLI Member


OLLI members who attended Special Event 964 in February 2012, The Story of Mother Jones, will be glad to hear that Professor Kaiulani Lee is teaching again this semester and will be performing her one-woman show A Sense of Wonder, the true story of Rachel Carson. Many of you likely read the 1962 best-seller Silent Spring by Carson, a marine biologist, zoologist and poet. 
 
The performance is on February 6 at 8:00 at Harris Theatre. Tickets are $15 for seniors. OLLI members are invited to a free post-performance reception to be held on stage to meet the artist. (See Arts & Music at George Mason, At the Fairfax Campus Venues, below.)

Back to Top of Page
Ask Uncle Olli



By Uncle Olli, Driver Safety Consultant 



Uncle Olli has lived in Northern Virginia most of his lifetime, and has encountered every traffic problem. But sometimes the little problems seem so trivial you are embarrassed to admit them. Easy. Ask Uncle Olli at ollienewseditor@gmail.com. He is embarrassed by nothing!

WE HAVE TWO CARS. THE GAS FILL CAPS ARE NOT ON THE SAME SIDE. I'M ALWAYS DRIVING UP TO THE PUMP ON THE WRONG SIDE. HELP ME!

On all but the oldest cars, the gas tank gauge has a little triangle next to the gas pump symbol. It points to the side with the filler cap. But many cars also have an inside release to expose that cap. You'll need to look in the owners' manual to find where that is hidden. Or just make sure you are not driving when it is time to fill up!

Back to Top of Page
Poet's Corner
Courtesy of the Poetry Workshop

The Family Tree
 
Even in broad daylight,
while children laugh and play
on the new tire swing,
granddaddy won't go near
 
                  that gnarled old southern oak.  
 
He says it just ain't right
for respectable folks
to let children play there.
 
But for these kids it’s just
a tree, and when they swing
now, they swing free.
 
 … Mark Becker

Back to Top of Page

Ms. Ollie Ettakit

Answers to your pressing questions about OLLI etiquette

 By Ms. Ollie Ettakit, 
 OLLI E-News Manners Expert


Ms. Ollie Ettakit,

During this last week, in one class I sat next to a man, in the front row, who played games on his tablet/IPad during the entire class. Two days later I sat next to a man who spent the first 25 minutes of class texting. He then took his glasses off, slid down in his seat, and shut his eyes. In the very next class, a woman pulled out her book (not related to the class) as soon as she sat down, and read the book throughout the entire class. Is there anything I can/should say to these people - other than asking them why they're in class? Thank you!
     --Kathy Miller

My Dear Kathy,

Ms. Ettakit thanks you for your letter and is grateful for the opportunity to offer a reminder about classroom etiquette. Such reminders can be useful for new members, as well as for those who may not recall prior periodic occasions on which she has addressed sleeping in class, in September 2012 and four years before that. She is always ready to add some thoughts on technologies both new (electronic games and texting) and old (a book!) that can divert ones attention.
 
Ms. Ettakit shares your struggle to understand why a person would bother to attend class if so drawn by these diversions that they allow them to take over their attention almost exclusively. Of course, sleeping may be unintentional, but it is also a breach of good manners. Our instructors are all volunteers; the least we can do is give them our full attention and certainly not be so rude as to fall asleep right in front of their eyes, or so obviously (in the front row) to focus on another diversion. Having a smart phone does not make it smart to give it precedence. Ms. Ettakit might not urge you to express that thought directly to an offender, but she would understand your saying something, perhaps after class, about their behavior at least distracting you, if not reflecting disrespect to the instructor. It might be better, perhaps, to take a less confrontational approach, such as speaking after class to the class liaison about emphasizing in the next meeting's announcements the importance of turning off devices once class starts.
 
Regardless, Ms. Ettakit hopes that those members who feel compelled during class to attend to something other than the instructor, or who may fall asleep (most who have that tendency are likely aware of the problem), will realize how noticeable they are. She is also hopeful that those members will, as you might suggest, choose to sit in the rear of the class where they are less visible ... and less easily heard, if they might sleep and also have a tendency to snore.

Back to Top of Page
Arts & Music at George Mason

Performances, next ten days

By Shelly Gersten, OLLI E-News Staff Writer

For tickets for either 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

State Symphony Orchestra of México
Sat, Jan 31, 8:00
Granados: Three Spanish Dances
J. Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
M. Ponce: Piano Concerto “Romantic”
M. de Falla: Noches en los Jardines de España
Pre-Performance Discussion: Member of the company
Concert Hall
Admission: $50, $43, $30

Walnut Street Theatre: A Life in the Theatre
Fri, Feb 6, 8:00
A play by David Mamet
Pre-Performance Discussion: Member of the company
Concert Hall
Admission: $44, $37, $26
 
A Sense of Wonder
Fri, Feb 6, 8:00
Based on the life and works of Rachel Carson
Written and performed by Kaiulani Lee
Post-performance reception on stage to meet the artist, free to OLLI members
Harris Theatre
Admission: Adults, $25; seniors, $15
 
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Sat, Feb 7, 8:00
Dvorák: Symphony No. 8
Bodorová: Symphony No. 1 (U.S. Premiere)
Concert Hall
Admission: $50, $40, $25
 
Todd Ellison and Friends: The Romance of Broadway
Sun, Feb 8, 4:00
Pre-Performance Discussion: Todd Ellison
Concert Hall
Admission: $46, $39, $28

Back to Top of Page
Mason Student & Faculty Performances
(see music.gmu.edu for additional student recitals)

Faculty Artist Series - Woodwind Area
Sat, Jan 24, 8:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free

Vocal Departmental I
Wed, Feb 4, 12:30
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free
 
Anna Balakerskaia and Friends
Sun, February 8, 7:00
Schubert Fantasia
Schumann Trio
Schubert “Trout” Quintet
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free.

Back to Top of Page
At the Hylton Center

Altered Terrain Today
Rosemary Luckett, artist
Through Feb 1
The Buchanan Partners Art Gallery is open to the public Tue-Sat, 10:00 - 6:00, Thu, 10:00 - 8:00 and two hours before performances. For more information about the current exhibit, visit HyltonCenter.org/gallery. For reception RSVP to Hylton@gmu.edu.
Admission: Free

Hylton in the Highlands: A Festival of Scotland
Sat, Jan 24, 10:00 to 6:00
Spend the day celebrating the rich culture and history of Scotland with performances, exhibits, and interactive experiences for all ages. For full schedule:
http://hyltoncenter.org/scottish/schedule.html
Admission to Festival: Adults, $20; children, $5; family 4-pack (2 adult and 2 children) $40
Full Tea (11:00 or 2:00): $45 (includes festival ticket)
Scotch Whisky Master Class (11:30 or 2:00): $50 (includes festival ticket)
Burns Supper Evening (6:30): $99.

Valentine's Day Music You Love, Lecture
Presenters: Anthony Maiello and Bryan Kidd
Mon, Feb 2, 10:30 am
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: Free

PWCS Exhibit: Making Connections Through Art
Feb 2 - Mar 8
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery is open to the public Tue-Sat, 10:00 - 6:00, Thu, 10:00 - 8:00 and two hours before performances. Gallery Reception: Sat, Feb 28 from 12:30 to 1:45. For more information about the current exhibit, visit HyltonCenter.org/gallery. For reception, RSVP to Hylton@gmu.edu.
Admission: Free
 
Menopause, The Musical
Wed, Feb 4, and Thu, Feb 5, 8:00
Presented by GFour Productions
Merchant Hall
Admission: $59.50 (Rows A & B), $49.50, $44
 
Arlo Guthrie: Alice's Restaurant 50th Anniversary Tour
Fri, Feb 6, 8:00
Pre-Performance Discussion: Dr. Greg Robinson, Assistant Professor of Music.
Merchant Hall
Admission: $50, $43, $30
 
Creative and Performing Arts Center (CPAC): Locomotion
Sat, Feb 7 and Sun Feb 8, 3:00
Sun, Feb 7, 7:00
Gregory Family Theater
Tickets: Adults, $15 ($17 at the door); children, $10 ($12 at the door)

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

Back to Top of Page
Mason Highlights

Other Mason events, next two weeks

By Helen Ackerman, OLLI E-News Staff Writer

Lecture: Solar Storms and Space Weather: 2000 Years of Human Calamity. Sten Odenwald, National Institute of Aerospace and Heliophysics Division,  Goddard Spaceflight Center, discusses the effect of space weather on human activity. He takes a look at some of the more spectacular storms of the last few centuries and how they caused various levels of calamity and mayhem, and how technological advance has been largely powerless to insulate itself from the strongest events.
Mon, Feb 2, 4:30 - 5:30
Exploratory Hall, Room 3301
Admission: Free

Movie: Dear White People. Winner of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival's Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent, the movie is a provocative satire of race relations in the age of Obama. Writer and director Justin Simien follows a group of African American students as they navigate campus life and racial politics at a predominantly white college in a sharp and funny feature film debut that earned him a spot on Variety's 2014 list of "10 Directors to Watch." Join the conversation afterwards with Gayle Wald, professor of English and American Studies at George Washington University, and Mark Hopson, Associate Professor of Intercultural/Interracial Communication & Rhetoric at George Mason University.
Thu, Feb 5, 8:00 - 10:30
Johnson Center, Cinema
Admission: Free

Back to Top of Page

Meetings & Clubs


The following list covering the next two weeks is extracted for your convenience from the master online calendar maintained by the office, with direct web links added when available. The list is accurate as of mid-week but 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 Jan 31 10:30am Tai Chi Club­­–TA-3
Tue Feb 3 10:00am Knitting and Needlework Club­­–Panera, Herndon
Wed Feb 4  1:30pm
 1:45pm
 1:45pm
 1:45pm
 2:15pm		 Mah Jongg Club–TA-2
Bridge Club–TA-3
Loudoun Bridge Club
Special Events Committee Meeting–Annex
History Club–TA-1
Fri Feb 6  9:00am
10:00am
10:00am
10:00am
11:00am
11:00am		 Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation–Cottage
Program Planning Committee–TA-1
iPad Users Group–UCP 113/114
Classic Literature Club–TA-2
Homer etc–Annex
Sat Feb 7 10:30am Tai Chi Club­­–TA-3
Tue Feb 10 10:00am Knitting and Needlework Club­­–Panera, Herndon
Wed Feb 11  1:30pm
 1:45pm
 1:45pm		 Book Club–TA-2
Bridge Club–TA-3
Loudoun Bridge Club
Fri Feb 13  9:00am
 9:30pm
10:00am
11:00am
11:00am		 Recorder Consort–TA-3
Photography Club–TA-1
Craft and Conversation–Cottage
Classic Literature Club–TA-2
Homer etc–Annex

Back to Top of Page

OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE
AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

4210 Roberts Rd. Fairfax, VA 22032-1028
Phone: (703) 503-3384
Email: olli@gmu.edu

Copyright ©2025 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. All Rights Reserved.

Website designed and developed by Earthcare Technologies Inc.

OLLI Mason is a nonprofit, equal opportunity 501(c)(3) organization
and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national/ethnic origin.