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OLLI
E-News #2-10 of January 15, 2010
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Issue #2-10 of Jan 15, 2010
OLLI
AND YOUR BRAIN
From the executive
director
Your brain
may differ from the
typical one diagrammed above (humor by the editor).
The bottom-line answer to these questions is
YES. Research shows that we become better at recognizing the central
idea, the "big picture," and making important connections as our brains
age. Sure, we may forget why we went to the kitchen or have difficulty
recalling the name of someone we've known for years, but that
information has not vanished ... it is just residing in another part of
the brain.
"The brain is plastic and continues to change,
not in getting bigger but allowing for greater complexity and deeper
understanding," according to Prof. Kathleen Taylor. Although it is
still important to learn factual information, we need to move beyond
basic information and challenge our thinking with ideas that challenge
our perceptions and assumptions.
For OLLI members, the message is clear. Try
taking a course that is different from your normal preference.
Participate in lively discussion about controversial topics, and not
just during class time. You will learn best if you confront what the
article calls "disorienting dilemmas" that force you to think
critically.
Read the entire article online at this
Web page.
Back to top
CLOSED WINTER COURSES
Most courses are still open
YOU
SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED YOUR EMAIL CONFIRMATION showing the
courses in which you have
been enrolled. Most courses are not
full, and it's not too late to sign up ... preferably online (see note
below) or otherwise by filling in a Change of Schedule
Request form in the office or by emailing
the
office with your request. Loudoun-only members may register for
available courses with the "L" prefix.
Here is the
list of closed
courses and events for the winter term. All other
courses are still available
for you to sign up.
CLOSED WINTER COURSES AND EVENTS
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Tallwood
F203 Estate and Financial Planning
F308 Fallacies of Early Virginia History
F603 Three Rabbis and A Teacher
F702 The Afghan War
F704 What’s in the Daily News?
F901 Contemporary Bridge
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Loudoun
L904 Introduction to the Alexander Technique
Reston
R410 Literary Roundtable
Special
Event
963 Terra Cotta Warriors
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CHANGES TO COURSES
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F101
Celebrating American Dance - bus
waiver
required.
F301 History Potpourri - location changed to Church of the Good
Shepherd. [map]
F302 National Park Ranger Potpourri II - location changed to Church of
the Good Shepherd. [map]
R505 Conversational Spanish - new course added on Dec 9; details
here.
959 Afternoon Tea with Hands-on History Tour - location changed to
Claude Moore Park, 21668 Heritage Farm Lane.
NOTE:
OLLI
will
be in session on the following days when county public
schools are closed for non-weather reasons:
Fairfax
County: Jan
29, Feb 1 and Feb
15; Loudoun County: Feb 1 and Feb 15.
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Adding and withdrawing: We encourage
you
to add or
withdraw from courses using the online registration system at the Member
Portal.
- To add a
course:
after
logging in, click the Courses menu and select Register/Add Course; on
the OLLI Registration Page, select the desired course(s), and click
Submit.
- To
withdraw from a course:
after logging in, click the Courses menu and select Drop a Course; on
the Withdraw page, select the course or special event from which you
want to withdraw, and then click the Withdraw button at the bottom (see
sample image below):
Remember that you
may also
update your personal info such as postal address, phone number, email
address and license tag through
the system (click Membership/Edit Personal Info).
You must
first create a user account before attempting
changes. Follow the instructions on the Member Portal or on page
33 of the winter catalog. Please
contact the staff by email
or phone (703-503-3384) if you need assistance in setting up your
user account.
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to top
CONFIRMATION EMAILS
 Re-sent this week; see email suggestions
MANY MEMBERS DID NOT RECEIVE their
winter-term confirmation emails that were sent out on Monday, January
11, so we re-sent the confirmation emails yesterday, January 14. If you
did not receive either email message, check your spam or junk-mail
folder (one tech-savvy Board member found his confirmation email in his
spam folder).
Please note that members with a user account
on the Member Portal can log
in and go to Courses/My Schedule to view their schedule of requested
courses, with confirmation status, at any time.
Also, all members
with an email address should add the office email address, olli@gmu.edu, to their address book or
list of contacts. Doing this should help preclude emails from
the office, such as confirmation emails, from being put into a spam or
junk-mail folder.
Submitted
by OLLI Registrar Maria Buczek.
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Selected by the OLLI Photography Club
Snow
Everywhere, by Rita
Leake.
in its original size
and
other sizes at this
Web page. To see other photos by
members of the OLLI Photography Club, visit the club's Web site.
OLLI PHOTOGRAPHY
CLUB
Meets Fri, Jan 22: presentation by
National Geographic photographer
THE OLLI PHOTOGRAPHY
CLUB WILL MEET
at 9:30 on Friday, January 22. Mr. O. Louis Mazzatenta, a National
Geographic photographer and editor, will speak to the club about
the
great Terra Cotta Army of China. A portion of the army is now on
exhibition at National
Geographic headquarters in downtown Washington,
D.C. until mid March.
A resident of Clifton, Virginia, Lou
photographed two stories for National
Geographic that brought the army to the world's attention. He will
relate his personal experiences photographing the army and present both
published and unpublished photos.
For more background on Lou see this
Web site.
Contributed
by Photography Club Coordinator Dan Feighery.
 OLLI
SPIRITWEAR
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DEPARTMENTS
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KEY CONTACT
INFORMATION
How to contact OLLI
HERE
IS A READY REFERENCE on how to contact OLLI. For email
addresses and phone numbers not listed below, please consult the online
Membership Directory (log in to Member
Portal).
- President:
Emmett Fenlon
- Executive
Director: Thom
Clement, phone 703-503-7866
- OLLI Office, phone
703-503-3384
- Tallwood
Administrator/OLLI Registrar: Maria
Buczek, phone 703-503-3384
- Board
members: See Organization page
(Note: To send an email to the
entire Board, send it to the office
or the OLLI
E-News editor, and your
message will be forwarded to all members of the Board)
- Committee
chairs, resource-group chairs: See Organization
page
- Suggestions: Online
suggestion box
- Letters to
the editor or letters to Ms. Ollie Ettakit
(etiquette
matters): OLLI
E-News Editor Rod Zumbro,
phone
703-569-2750
MASON ARTS AND
MUSIC
Upcoming Mason performances, Jan 15-24
By Jan Bohall, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
FOR
TICKETS, call
1-888-945-2468 (phone orders are handled by tickets.com)
or visit the Center for the Arts Box Office, Tue-Sat, 10:00-6:00. More
info on tickets at the CFA tickets page.
33rd Annual International Saxophone
Symposium
U.S.
Navy Band
Fri, Jan 15, 8:00
Featured soloists will be Philippe Geiss, Timothy McAllister, Jonathan
Helton and Senior Chief Musician Timothy Roberts.
Admission: Free, no tickets required
Concert Hall
U.S. Navy Band Commodores Jazz Ensemble
Sat, Jan 16, 8:00
The
special guest soloist will be Seamus Blake.
Admission: Free, no tickets required
Concert Hall
Come at 7:15 for a community saxophone choir in the lobby of the Center
for the Arts.
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Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Augustin
Hadelich, violin
Christopher
Zimmerman,
conductor
Sat, Jan 23, 8:00
Maestro Zimmerman will lead the orchestra in performing Franz Josef
Haydn’s Symphony No. 92 in G Major, the Oxford; Samuel Barber’s Violin
Concerto, op. 14; and Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, op. 39.
Admission: $55, $45, $35, $25
Concert Hall
Come early for a free, pre-concert lecture at 7:00.
Faculty Artist Series
Sat, Jan 23, 8:00
Performances by Mason faculty of the School of Music will feature
Stanley Curtis on trumpet, soprano Tia Wortham and Ben Keseley on piano.
Admission: Free, no tickets required
Harris Theater
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Band of the Irish Guards
with the
Pipes and Drums
of
the
Royal
Regiment of Scotland
Sun, Jan 24, 2:00 and 7:00
The Band of the Irish Guards brings all of the pomp and grandeur of the
British Empire to
the stage; it was formed in 1900 to inspire an esprit de corps among the troops,
and toured extensively throughout both World Wars to give
morale-boosting performances. Now world-renown, these regiments uplift
spirits with
rousing marches, sailor ballads and folk songs.
Admission: $48, $40, $24
Family friendly: Youth grade 12 and under, half-price with an adult. (Note change from "age 12 and under" last
season.)
Concert Hall
Come 45 minutes early to each performance for a free artistic
discussion on Grand Tier III.
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Back
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Other Mason events
 By Helen Ackerman, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
Vision
Speaker Series.
Mason Assoc. Prof. Edward Gero presents "Myths, Archetypes, Campbell
and Jung: An Actor's Tools in Creating the Arc of Character."
Recognized Shakespearean actor Ed Gero has played many roles at the
Shakespeare Theater and received glowing reviews for his recent
performance as Scrooge in A
Christmas Carol at Ford's Theater.
Prof. Gero explores an approach to
interpreting and creating character inspired by Jungian archetypes and
mythical storytelling patterns identified by Joseph Campbell in his
seminal work The Hero with a
Thousand Faces. Tracing his process in his performances in King
Lear and portraying The Bastard in Shakespeare's King John, as well as his current
preparations for the title role of Sweeney
Todd, Prof. Gero will discuss his personal approach to mining,
identifying and incorporating mythical and archetypal patterns from the
text that speak to audiences in both conscious and unconscious ways.
Mon, Jan 25, 7:00. Concert Hall. Free but
tickets required, available at box office on the evening of the event
or online.
Lecture followed by an informal reception with the speaker.
Read more
about Ed Gero in this
recent article in The Washington
Post.
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COMING
ATTRACTIONS
Upcoming non-class events at OLLI
THE FOLLOWING LIST
covering
the
next two weeks is extracted for your
convenience from the master calendar maintained by the office, with
direct Web links added when available. See Upcoming
Non-Class Events to view the real-time OLLI online calendar used by
the office. Note: Board,
committee, resource-group and 'membership-type' meetings/events below
are highlighted
in bold. OLLI members are
welcome at all Board, committee and resource-group meetings (except
during executive sessions).
Fri Jan
15 10am
Recorder
Consort - TA-2
10am
Board of Directors Meeting - TA-1
Sat
Jan
16 12:30pm
OLLI
Personal Computer User Group (OPCUG) - TA-1
Mon
Jan
18 OLLI OFFICE CLOSED
10am Membership
Committee Meeting - Annex
Tue
Jan 19
10:30am
Knitting and Needlework
Club - Lake Anne Coffee Shop
2pm Task Force - Organization - TA-1
Wed
Jan
20 10am
Investment Forum - TA-1
10am Bridge Club - TA-3
10:30am
Loudoun Open House - Loudoun
12pm Special
Event
- L951, Lunch
to
Launch OLLI Loudoun Clubs - Loudoun
Thu
Jan
21 10am
Task Force - Programs - TA-1
11am Fiction Writers' Club - OL-TBA
12pm
Communications Committee Meeting - Annex
Fri
Jan
22 9:30am Photography Club - TA-1
10am Recorder Consort - TA-2
Mon
Jan
25 Winter Term Begins
12:30pm Special
Event - 952,
Real
Estate Taxes - Loudoun Campus
Tue
Jan 26
11am
Knitting and Needlework
Club - Lake Anne Church
1pm Special
Event - 953,
Unlocking
the Tomb of the Cid - Loudoun Campus
Wed
Jan 27
10am Special
Event - 954,
Tax
Seminar for Seniors - Lake Anne
1:45pm
Bridge Club - TA-3
2pm Special
Event - 955,
The
Public Library: Then and Now - Tallwood
Fri Jan 29
10am
New Member Coffee - TA-1
10am
Drama Club - TA-3
10am
Recorder Consort - TA-2
10:30am
Loudoun Classic Fiction Book Club - Cascades Library
1pm Special
Event - 956,
Cooking
for One or Two - Tallwood
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About OLLI E-News and the
member/volunteers who
produce it
Rod
Zumbro
Editor |
John West
Deputy
Editor |
Barbara Kyriakakis
Associate
Editor |
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Review Team: Gordon Canyock,
Michael Coyne, Barbara Kyriakakis, John West, Susanne Zumbro
Database
Manager: Barbara
Kyriakakis; Photo
Editor: Michael Coyne
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- About
this newsletter. OLLI's
weekly newsletter, OLLI E-News,
is emailed to current
OLLI
members with email addresses on Fridays. When classes are in
session, printed copies of this newsletter are distributed in
classrooms. Comments,
suggestions or complaints? Please contact Editor Rod
Zumbro or Communications Committee Chair Gordon
Canyock.
- Submissions. We
encourage members
to submit news items, articles and photos for this newsletter. The deadline
to
the editor is 7:00 pm Wed (7:00 pm Mon for letters to the editor
for which an
OLLI response is appropriate) for that
week's issue; submissions earlier in
the week are strongly encouraged and greatly appreciated. Please
limit
articles to about 250 words. Submit material via email to Editor Rod
Zumbro
(email rzumbro@gmu.edu).
- Read the latest
issue early. The
new weekly issue of OLLI E-News
is posted to the OLLI Web site Thursday evening. Read it by visiting http://www.olli.gmu.edu/pubs.htm#enews,
where you will find a list of the last 12
issues; click the latest issue listed.
- Viewing or searching past
issues. Your options for finding items in past issues of OLLI E-News include viewing the last 12
issues; searching the content of
ALL issues for any word or words; and searching our
archive of all past issues by date or issue number.
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Updated: January 15, 2010
Copyright © 2010 Osher
Lifelong Learning Institute at
George Mason University. Materials in this publication subject to
OLLI-Mason copyright may be reproduced for noncommercial educational
purposes as long as credit is given to OLLI-Mason.
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George
Mason University, 4210 Roberts Rd., Fairfax, VA 22032-1028
Phone: (703) 503-3384; Email: olli@gmu.edu;
Fax: (703) 503-2832
Original site design and construction by OLLI-Mason member Rod Zumbro. |
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