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OLLI
E-News #5-08 of February 8, 2008
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Issue 5-08 of Feb 8, 2008
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KEEPING MENTALLY
SHARP
From the executive director
 By Thom Clement,
Executive Director
I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS DISCUSSIONS WITH
FOLKS about their attraction to OLLI. Of course, most
OLLI members would say that they enjoy "pure learning" – just for the
joy of it. However, one of the key factors that seems to motivate older
adults to pursue lifelong learning is the desire to keep mentally
sharp. I’ve spoken with OLLI members as well as outside representatives
of companies who have a burning interest in the relatively new concept
of "brain exercise."
Imagine my reaction when I picked up this
week’s issue of U.S. News &
World Report and saw that the cover story was entitled "Keeping
Your Brain Fit." The gist of the story is about the new scientific
findings that support the benefits of systematic activities that
stimulate growth of new brain cells and slow down the normal shrinking
of the brain with age. Activities such as a healthful diet, crossword
puzzles, and high-tech brain games seem to have a positive effect.
According to the article, "Recent studies of both animal and human
subjects have found that several factors go hand in hand with better
mental performance, including education, professional success, and
intellectual, social, and physical activities."
If this doesn’t support the mission of OLLI, I
don’t know what does!
THE OLLI--VOL.
Looking for volunteers
 By Elizabeth Crawford, OLLI E-News
staff writer
 ONCE UPON A TIME, a
small boy noticed his grandmother's name tag and asked, "What is an
OLLI--VOL.?" She replied:
"Long ago, in the land of the Virgin Queen, some farsighted inhabitants
joined together to form the magical society of OLLI. As this society
grew, there was more and more work to be done. From the OLLI members, a
select group arose, dedicating themselves to this service. They became
known as the OLLI-- VOL.'s. In their work, they used
primitive tools such
as the rake and hoe or advanced tools such as the projector and
computer. They proclaimed the wonder of OLLI to the outside world. They
fed the OLLI members at frequent kingdom gatherings. They planned
opportunities for learning and excursions for play. They introduced
sages who were invited to the kingdom to share their wisdom. They
recorded important OLLI events for the edification of the populace.
Today's OLLI-- VOL.'s are a joyous lot. They
use
their talents for
the good of all and enjoy the fellowship of shared labor. The OLLI-- VOL.
scroll now records 150 names, but spaces remain for those who
understand the importance of maintaining the magic."
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"We
make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
--
Winston Churchill
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ABOUT VOLUNTEERING AT OLLI:
• To
volunteer, contact Debbie
Halverson, Membership Committee chair.
• For
more information, see our Website's Volunteer page.
• See
"Volunteer Opportunity" article in this issue.
LANDSCAPING
BUDGET INCREASED
Improvements possible because of a
donation to Friends of OLLI
 By Gordon Canyock, Treasurer
THANKS TO AN ANONYMOUS DONOR
to
Friends of OLLI, the landscaping budget for 2008 has been tripled from
$750 to $2,250. Although Friends funds are generally intended for
unspecified capital equipment purchases, this donation of $1,500 (part
of an overall $4,000 gift) was specifically earmarked by the donor for
landscaping improvements at Tallwood.
John Woods, Development
Committee chair, was thrilled by the member’s largesse. Valerie
Braybrooke,
Landscaping Committee chair, commented, "While the necessary
reduction in our original landscaping budget for 2008 allowed for not
much more than maintenance of our current gardens, the recent donation
is another compliment for what has become a popular outdoor classroom.
The additional funds will stir the creative juices among all the Dirty
Knee Clubbers and enable us to design and install a new bed in the
OLLIwood Gardens for all to enjoy."
| NOTICE. OLLI is planning other
projects to improve our program and facilities. Donations to Friends of
OLLI can help to fund such projects, so members are encouraged to
donate at any time by sending a check to the office. For more
information, see the Friends of OLLI
Stewardship Report for 2007. |
BEVERLY COSHAM TO GIVE VALENTINE CONCERT
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 OLLI INSTRUCTOR AND SINGER/ACTRESS BEVERLY
COSHAM will sing in a "Love on the Rocks" concert at the Alden
Theater at the McLean Community Center on Sat, Feb 9, at 7:30. Senior
tickets are $20 for this Valentine Concert by the McLean Symphony,
featuring Beverly and her trio. Call the box office at 703-790-9223. A
Champagne and Chocolate Reception immediately follows the concert.
Beverly will be teaching her popular "Great
Ladies of Song" course at Tallwood this spring, along with a new
course, "The Gentlemen Songsters," at Reston. She concludes each
session with her own rendition of an old favorite.
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Submitted
by Carol
Henderson
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OLLI MILITARY OUTREACH
UPDATE
Donations still solicited
 By
Helen Goff, OLLI
liaison to the
Mason
Military Outreach Committee
AT THE NOVEMBER MEETING of
the Mason Military Outreach the plan was to have a meeting in January
to package donated items for the troops. I contacted the Mason
coordinator and learned that they have decided to delay the meeting
until March. I will update you when a new date is established.
A couple of members have asked me why the
Department of Defense does not accept packages addressed to "Any
Soldier." The reason is that there is concern that a mentally unstable
person or a person opposed to the war would send harmful materials such
as anthrax to our soldiers.
I have emptied the contents of the collection
box in the
social room once and have the donations stored for the March meeting;
in addition to donations of items, OLLI members have donated $24 in
cash towards
postage required to mail packages to our service members. A big
thank-you to all who are helping with the program. Please continue to
support this worthy cause. In deciding what to
donate, please avoid items that are religious in nature as we do not
know
the religion of the recipient of the items donated.
Again, thank you
for your donations and support of this program.
Specifics.
See the previous Military
Outreach article
for information on desired items for donations.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
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 HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU come to or phoned the
office for answers ... and the smiling face or friendly voice of
another OLLI
member helped you?
More Smiling Faces, Friendly Voices Needed!
No Special Talents Required!
As you know, in an effort to keep down the
cost of your membership the reception desk is only manned by
volunteers. These volunteers perform a great service for the
organization and have fun doing it without a major time commitment.
The advantages to being an OLLI office
volunteer are many. While helping out the OLLI staff by covering the
office during times when they are busy setting up classrooms, working
on programming, catalogs, registration or refilling the coffee and
cookies, you get to know the workings of the organization from the
inside out. You get to meet and share with many members you may never
have met otherwise and of course, there is the marvelous staff, to boot!
Typical duties include answering phones,
greeting and assisting visitors to the office, mailing out catalogs,
and calling members about class changes or cancellations. The time
involved is three hours, from 9:00 to noon, or the occasional afternoon
shift. Typically, our office volunteers serve no more than once a month
(more frequently if they wish).
Give it a try once, and see how you like it.
Call one of us, or just go in the OLLI office and sign up on the
calendar, which is posted to the left as you walk in. We would love to
have you on the occasional special project list, such as mass mailings:
please let us know if you can help with stuffing, stamping, and sealing!
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Office
volunteer coordinators:
Mona Smith and Elizabeth Osborn.
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HOW TO EXPRESS YOUR VIEWS ABOUT OLLI
Questions/Comments/Suggestions
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PUBLICLY:
Email
your "Letter
to the Editor" (see recent sample)
or "Letter to
Ms. Ollie Ettakit" (see sample below) to the editor. Anonymous
submissions are
acceptable if you provide contact information so we can verify that you
are an OLLI member. Whenever an official response to a letter to
the editor is
clearly appropriate, the editor will obtain and publish the OLLI
response in the same issue so members will have more complete
information and a balanced picture of the matter. |
PRIVATELY:
• Contact any Board member,
committee or
resource group chair, or the executive
director;
• Send an email
to the entire
Board
(email the editor or the office to have your
message forwarded to all members of the Board);
• Submit a
suggestion online
or in the box in the Tallwood social room; or
• Contact the
office by email
or phone (703-503-3384). |
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 WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT
TAXES
 OLLI IS PLEASED TO OPEN
the Tue, Feb 12, session of the winter-term course "Tax Preparation
Simplified" to all OLLI members who would like to hear Linda de
Marlor‘s presentation, "What You Have Always Wanted to Know About Taxes
But Were Afraid to Ask."
Linda will give a short PowerPoint
presentation and then field questions on real estate, legal and
financial issues. She has appeared on hundreds of national television
and radio shows, teaches tax law to educational institutions, speaks
four languages and can do taxes in six languages. She is an annual
presenter to the Widowed Persons Service of Northern Virginia.
Don’t miss this chance to ask questions of a
nationally recognized expert.
The class runs from 9:30–11:00 in TA-3.
MS. OLLIE
ETTAKIT
Answers to your pressing questions about
OLLI etiquette
 By
Ms. Ollie Ettakit, OLLI
E-News
staff manners expert
Gentle Readers:
Ms.
Ettakit is gratified
by the letters she has received in response to the suggestion last
week from a member about repeated liaison announcements (nametags, trash,
electronic devices and signing in). The
letters are
shown below --
including one from a member who used such cute graphics that Ms.
Ettakit simply could not resist including the letter in its
original format.
Ms.
Ettakit knows that there can be no
solution that will please
everyone but she likes Executive Director
Thom
Clement's new format for communicating with liaisons (see
snippet above). The document
includes the following advice, "After the
first class, you may use your judgment if you
see a need to remind class participants of one or more of [these
announcements]."
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Members
respond to last week's suggestion
We
would be more sympathetic
with the complaint about repetitive announcements if they did not lead
to turning off cell phones in almost every class immediately following
the announcement, groans over forgotten nametags, and several members
trooping up to check the sign-in sheet. When I am a class liaison, I
try to inject a little humor into the announcement and find that, like
a "spoonful of sugar," it helps the medicine go down.
-- Palmer McGrew, OLLI member
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I
so agree with last week's writer about the durned announcements! I've
tried to be clever with the announcements, but it really does insult
people's intelligence (and we are an intelligent lot, aren't we?) to
have a daily reminder of how not to be a clod. The first class session
for an auditory reminder should suffice!
Whew,
that felt good! 
 Bateman
[OLLI
member] |
I
disagree with Anonymous [last week's writer]. Simply having a sign, no
matter how
attractive, will not serve as well as announcements about turning off
cell phones, putting trash in basket, etc. Witness the small flurry of
activity when the cell phone announcement is made: people are checking
their cell phones to be sure they're off. Although those of us who take
many classes may tire of the announcements, nevertheless we DO need
brief verbal reminders.
-- Roxanne Cramer, OLLI member |
I
am sure Ms. Ettakit is mortified that the editor missed a common
oversight in her column of last Friday. She wrote that class
attendees would probably prefer that liaisons quickly "turn the class over" to the
instructors. Of course she meant to say, "turn control of the class" or even
"yield
control of the
class" because turning over the class would be rather memorably
disruptive.
Please pass on to her that we empathize with
her distress and totally understand how the pressures of a deadline can
lead any of us, even the most punctilious, astray.
-- Manny Pablo, OLLI member (and an astute follower of Ms. Ettakit's
example)
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| Email
your OLLI
etiquette questions to Ms.
Ollie Ettakit (who is distraught that she cannot reply personally) via OLLI E-News editor Rod Zumbro or Communications
Committee chair Gordon
Canyock. |
 CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Arts and music events at Mason, Feb 8-17
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.
Studio Series #3
After
Ashley |
Metropolitan
Jazz Orchestra
Jim Carroll, artistic director
Byron Stripling, trumpet |
State
Symphony of Mexico
Maestro Enrique Bátiz, conductor
Leonel Morales, piano |
Young
Artists Musicale |
Fri,
Feb 8, at 8:00
Sat, Feb 9, at 2:00 and 8:00
Sun, Feb 10, at 2:00
Admission: $3 seniors/students, $6 other adults
Black Box Theater
(Lower
level of
the Performing Arts building, adjacent to the Concert Hall. From Level
2 of Parking Deck take the bridge. Enter first door on the left and
follow hallway, go through gray doors and downstairs). |
This outstanding group of metro area jazz
musicians welcomes Stripling, who for many years was lead trumpeter in
the Count Basie Orchestra, and has played and recorded extensively with
the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman and Dave Brubeck.
Fri, Feb 8, at 8:00
Admission: $38, $30, $19
Family friendly: Children 12 and under, half price with an adult
Concert Hall
Come early at 7:15 for a free artistic discussion in the Grand Tier
Lobby. |
The
program will include Buxtehude’s Chacona in E-minor, Mendelssohn’s
Symphony No. 5 in D-Major ("Reformation") and Rachmaninoff’s Piano
Concerto No. 3 in D-minor, Opus 30.
Sat, Feb 9, at 8:00
Admission: $50, $42, $25
Family friendly: Children 12 and under, half price with an adult
Concert Hall
Come early at 7:15 for a free artistic discussion in the Grand Tier
Lobby. |
Sun, Feb 10, at 6:00
Concert Hall Lobby |
Keyboard
Conversations
with Jeffrey Siegel
Russia – Rebels
on the Red Carpet! |
Mark
Morris Dance Group
Dido
and Aeneas
music by Henry Purcell |
American
Youth Philharmonic |
GMU Symphony & Chamber
Orchestra Concert |
Mr. Siegel will present works of
Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff.
Sun, Feb 10, at 7:00
Admission: $38, $30, $19
Family friendly: Children 12 and under, half price with an adult
Concert Hall |
Purcell’s full-length opera tells the
tragic love story of Virgil’s Aeneid. Morris conducts a chamber
orchestra, chorus and vocal soloists which combine to enhance the rich
choreography and the expressive technique of the dancers.
Fri, Feb 15, at 8:00
Sat, Feb 16, at 8:00
Admission: $50, $42, $25
Concert Hall
Come early at 7:15 for a free artistic discussion in the Grand Tier
Lobby.
|
Sun,
Feb 17, at 1:00
Admission: $14, $10
Concert Hall
|
Sun, Feb 17, at 7:00
Admission: $10 seniors/students, $15 other adults
Concert Hall
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Back to top
MASON HIGHLIGHTS
Other events at Mason
 By Barbara Kyriakakis, OLLI
E-News staff writer
• Student
Recital – Corinne Salada, clarinet. Sun, Feb 10, 1:00, Grand
Tier III, Concert Hall.
•
Krasnow Monday Seminar
– "Bringing Consciousness to Neuroscience: A Computational
Perspective," presented by Alexei Samsonovich, Krasnow Institute, Mon,
Feb 11, 4:00 to 5:00, 229 Krasnow Bldg.
•
College
of Science Seminar – Arieh Ben-Naim, "Entropy of mixing and
entropy of assimilation, an information theoretical view." Mon, Feb 11,
4:30, 301 Research I.
•
Vision Speaker Series
– "This Old Chinese House: Traditional Village Architecture and Its
Fate Through Revolution and Reform," presented by Carma Hinton,
Robinson Professor. Mon, Feb 11, 8:00, Concert Hall. Free but tickets
required. Reception follows.
•
Introduction
to
Library Research – Basic elements of the research process and
introduction to the Mason library system, including electronic
resources, and how to organize and evaluate information. Tue, Feb 12,
3:00 to 4:30, 228 JC Library Room.
•
Public
Choice Seminar – "Groupthink
in Academia: Majoritarian Departmental Politics and the
Professional Pyramid,” presented by Daniel Klein, Mason Department of
Economics. Wed, Feb 13, 4:00 to 5:15, Carow Hall.
•
Workshop
in Philosophy, Politics & Economics – "Printing
& Interest Restrictions [pdf] in Islam & Christianity,"
presented by Jared Rubin, California State University at Fullerton.
Thu, Feb 14, 1:00 to 2:00, 318 Enterprise Hall.
•
Cinema
Series – Across the Universe, Thu, Feb
14; Bee Movie, Fri and Sat, Feb 15
and 16, 6:00 and 9:00. $1 with Mason ID.
•
Drop-In Musicology [pdf] –
"Wonderful World of Facsimiles: Next-Best Thing to Being There,"
presented by Steve Gerber. Fri, Feb 15, 1:30, 228 Johnson Center.
•
Men's
Basketball - Homecoming Game – Mason v. UNC Wilmington, Fri,
Feb 15, 6:00, Patriot Center. Tickets: $14; $8;
$6.
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COMING
ATTRACTIONS
Non-class events at OLLI for the next two
weeks
The following
list covering the
next two weeks is extracted for your
convenience from the master calendar maintained by the office (see the Forecast
of Non-Class Events for more details, including active links to
more
information on certain events, and to view the
actual 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).
Friday
Feb 8 9:30am Drama Club - TA-3
10am Italian Club - TA-Annex
10am Recorder Group - TA-2
10:30am 956-#3 Holocaust
Museum - D.C.-Smithsonian Metro
1:30pm Homer, etc. - TA
Annex
Monday
Feb 11 1pm LA Bridge Club -
Lake Anne
Wednesday
Feb 13 10am Book Club at
Tallwood - TA-2
1:30pm Bridge Club - TA-3
1:30pm (Revised
time, class ends 3:00) 957- Presidential Lying
- TA-1
Friday
Feb 15 WINTER TERM Ends
10am Italian Club - TA-Annex
10am Recorder Group - TA-2
10am
Board of Directors Mtg
- TA-1
10:30am 958-#4 Holocaust
Museum - D.C.-Smithsonian Metro
1:30pm Homer, etc. - TA
Annex
Wednesday
Feb 20 10am Science, Tech
& Health Resource Group Mtg - Annex
10am Investment Forum - TA1
or TA 2
10am Genealogy Club - TA-2
10am Bridge Club - TA-3
Friday
Feb 22 9:30am Drama Club -
TA-3
9:30am Photography Club -
TA-1
10am Italian Club - TA-Annex
10am Recorder Group - TA-2
1:30pm Homer, etc. - TA
Annex
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Back
to top
Barbara Block, former OLLI member
 BARBARA BLOCK was a member of OLLI
from Sep 2004 through Sep 2007. The following death notice appeared in
The Washington Post.
BARBARA
ANN BLOCK (Age 69) — Passed away peacefully
on Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at her residence in Lake Suzy, FL. Mrs. Block is
preceded in death by her first husband, George J. Latturner, and a
brother, William J. Hubbard. Mrs. Block is survived by her devoted
husband, Thomas R. Block; loving children, Sharon M. (Gary) Hallman and
Susan E. Latturner; one adoring grandchild, Kyle R. Hallman; brother
Robert J. Hubbard. Friends may call at the EVERLY FUNERAL HOME, 10565
Main St., Fairfax, VA on Thu, Feb 7, 2008 from 6 to 8 p.m. A Mass of
Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Fri, Feb 8 at St.
Marys of Sorrows Catholic Church, 5222 Sideburn Rd., Fairfax, VA 22032.
Inurnment will be held on Tue, Feb 12, 2008 at
10 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family
request memorial contributions be made to The American Cancer Society,
124 Park St., SE , Vienna, VA 22180.
|
|
Rod
Zumbro
Editor
Karen
Hamilton
Deputy
Editor
|
About OLLI
E-News. OLLI
E-News, OLLI's weekly newsletter, is emailed to OLLI
members with email addresses on Fridays. When classes are in
session, printed copies of this newsletter are distributed in
classrooms, primarily for members without email. Comments,
suggestions or complaints? Please contact the OLLI
E-News editor or the Communications Committee chair, Gordon
Canyock.
| Submissions. We encourage members
to submit news items, articles and photos for this newsletter; deadline
to
the editor is 7:00 PM Wed (Mon for letters to the editor for which an
OLLI response is appropriate) for that
week's issue. Please limit
articles to about 250 words. Submit material to editor Rod Zumbro
(email rzumbro@gmu.edu, phone
703-569-2750); email strongly preferred. |
Note
about HTML graphics. If
you do NOT see
photos and
clickable links in this message, you might want to ask a teenaged
grandchild or a neighborhood teenager or college student to fix things
for you. Or you could change your
email settings yourself. Here's how to view html-formatted messages
like this newsletter in five popular email systems:
•
Microsoft Outlook
Express and Windows Mail.
Click Tools; select Options; in the Read tab, uncheck "Read all
messages in plain text."
• Mozilla Thunderbird.
Click Tools; select Options and click the Privacy icon; click the
General tab. Uncheck "Block loading of remote images" and uncheck
"Block Javascript." Click OK. Now click View; select "Message Body As
... Original HTML" (not Plain Text). Also in View, select "Display
Attachments Inline" so that selection is checked.
• Yahoo Mail.
Click Mail Options/General Preferences; under Security, uncheck "Block
HTML graphics in email messages from being downloaded."
•
AOL. Upgrade,
if possible, to an AOL version above 5.0.
| Read the Latest
Issue Before Email Distribution. Eager to read the latest news
from
OLLI? The
new weekly issue of OLLI E-News
is
usually posted to the OLLI Website some time Thursday evening. So
Thursday night or first
thing Friday morning, just go to http://www.olli.gmu.edu/pubs.htm#enews,
where you will find a list of the last 12
issues, and click the issue with Friday's date. |
GMU Webmail.
If OLLI E-News is being sent
to your gmu.edu email address, we recommend against
using GMU Webmail
(i.e., iPlanet "Messenger Express") to read this newsletter unless
you are using Firefox as your browser; in Firefox, just click
the text/html
link to view the newsletter. This does not normally work with Internet
Explorer (although you may be able to make it work by clicking Open
after clicking the text/html link and then selecting Internet Explorer
as the program to use to view the link).
• You
could forward the
newsletter to your alternate Web-based email account such as Yahoo Mail
or
Hotmail and read it there ... or read it online at
the OLLI
Website each Friday.
• Perhaps
the easiest solution for those of you with GMU email accounts
is to configure your desktop email system such
as Microsoft Outlook Express, Microsoft Windows Mail or Mozilla
Thunderbird to retrieve mail
sent to your gmu.edu address. To do this, see these
instructions.
|
OLLI
E-News Editorial Staff
Database
Manager
Barbara Kyriakakis
Photo Editor
Michael Coyne |
|
Updated:
February 8, 2008
Copyright © 2008 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. |
|
