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Open Enrollment Ends November 6th
In mid-October, Endowed Retirees on Aetna retiree health plans received a purple Open Enrollment (OE) Guide mailed directly from Aetna. Please review your health plan options and – if necessary -- make any contribution changes (which will become effective 1/1/2021).

Reminder: NO ACTION IS NEEDED if you want to maintain your current health coverage; your 2020 coverage will automatically carry over into 2021.
 
Questions? Visit the Cornell Retirees web page or contact the Aetna Retiree Service Center at 1-800-338-4533 (TTY: 711), 8:00 am to 6:00 pm ET, Monday – Friday.
Cornell Activities
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Vote Now! Cornell Recreation Connection Costume Contest
CRC's Halloween Happenings Costume Contest has been a fan favorite for many years, held annually in the Cornell Cinema. While the event cannot be held in person this year, we still need your help determining the best of the best!

The costume contest features categories including funniest, scariest, and most original. New this year -- a carving category where folks showcase their skills on a pumpkin or other fruit/veggie/object. There is also a pet category highlighting the creative ways furry, feathered, scaled, and other friends celebrate Halloween.

Photos entered into the contest are posted on the CRC website for viewing and voting purposes. Winners will be announced October 30th.
Measuring Impact of Online Communications and Disinformation in Campaigns
Wednesday, November 11, 2020 4:00 pm

The Roper Center will be hosting a panel that will highlight the role of disinformation and online attacks on the 2020 election. It will be focusing on who and what most moved the vote, and how we know this. Speakers will highlight the role of foreign vs. domestic bad actors, campaigns targeting the voter vs. the vote, the role of the social media companies, the tactics that worked and the most meaningful interventions. For more information, visit the event web page. Free and open to the public.
2020 Election Polling: A Postmortem
Friday, November 13, 2020, 4:00 pm

We don’t know if the election will be decided by the time of our postmortem, but we do know that we will have plenty to talk about. Join us at the Roper Center as we dissect the 2020 election results, the plethora of polls and the effects of race, gender and generation on their accuracy. There will also be plenty of time to hear from the many pollsters in attendance. Free and open to the public.
Virtual Wine Tasting and Geological Lesson
Experience wine of the Finger Lakes region from the comfort of your home. Join Damiani Wine Cellars and the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) for a virtual wine tasting and geological lesson presented by Glenn Allen and Dr. Warren Allmon, Hunter R Rawlings III Professor of Paleontology.

This wine tasting event will take place on November 12, from 5–6 pm via Zoom. Attendees can purchase a Red Kit or White Kit (two bottles of wine, an informational booklet on the geological history of wine in the Finger Lakes, and a sample of shale) prior to the event here. Proceeds will benefit PRI.
Behind the Scenes at NYC Museums with Cornell Alumni
Have you ever wondered what goes into curating and designing an exhibition? Learn how New York City museum specialists have adapted their work during the pandemic and what their work will entail when the museums re-open. 

Join moderator Jessica Levin Martinez, the Richard J. Schwartz Director of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell and expert Cornell alumni from The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Whitney Museum of American Art for this exclusive behind the scenes discussion.
Literary Offerings
Tompkins County Public Library Events
Tompkins County Public Library presents these upcoming events for adults:

  • The Bluest Eye Discussion: Tompkins County Public Library and Cornell University will host a virtual book discussion of The Bluest Eye, as part of the university’s year-long celebration of author Toni Morrison, on Wednesday, October 28 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. The Bluest Eye was Morrison’s first novel and tells the story of Pecola, a young African-American girl growing up during the years following the Great Depression. Register here and the Zoom link and password will be sent prior to the event. Limited copies of the book are available at TCPL. Find more information here.

  • Virtual Panel by Panel Graphic Novel Book Club: Monday, November 9, 2020, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Adults are invited to celebrate their love of this diverse and subversive medium, and can sign up to receive a Binge Bundle containing three surprise graphic memoirs and/or biography titles. During the meeting, participants will discuss the books they received, what they liked or disliked about them, which they would recommend, and share other personal recommendations. For more information contact Sophia McKissick. Register


  • Virtual 4 Seasons Book Club: Thursday, November 12, 2020, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Participants will read and discuss The Light Between Oceans, an acclaimed work of Australian historical fiction by M.L. Stedman. Register here to receive updates and the Zoom meeting link. Please send questions to Joyce Wheatley.
Johnson Museum Book Club: The Princess of Mantua
Wednesday, October 28, 2020, 4:00 pm
 
Come away and join us on a series of book reads that will examine the influence Italy has had on our imaginations, from art to food and wine, led by Museum educator Maryterese Pasquale-Brown and curator Nancy Green.

Join the museum in exploring the second book in the series The Princess of Mantua by Marie Ferranti. This intriguing story explores the complex life of Barbara von Brandenburg. At the age of ten, she left her native Germany to marry Ludovico Gonzaga, the prince of Mantua, and found herself at the center of one of the most refined courts in Europe. Intertwined with her tale is Andrea Mantegna’s masterpiece, The Gonzaga Family.
 
Registration is required to attend this free, virtual event.
 
Save the date for our third and final fall session on Wednesday, December 2nd at 4:00 pm (book to be announced).
Free Enterprise: An American History
Wednesday, October 28, 2020, 5:00 pm

What’s the definition of “free enterprise”? It depends on the era.
Lawrence B. Glickman, the Stephen and Evalyn Milman Professor of American Studies in the Department of History, traces the evolution of the phrase, from the 19th century through its conservative reformulation against Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal in the 1930s, and on to today in his book Free Enterprise: An American History (Yale University Press, 2019).

In a live Chats in the Stacks webinar Glickman provides a glimpse into how the concept of free enterprise has been used to shape contemporary American politics in opposition to taxation, government programs, and regulation.
A live, moderated question and answer session will follow the talk. The audience is encouraged to submit questions via the Q&A window in the webinar.
Fine Arts Activities
Cornell Cinema Offers Virtual Screenings
This fall, through November 19th, Cornell Cinema is presenting free, virtual screenings of all films. Reservations are required, the number of free views available for distribution is limited. 
 
Films available to view, October 30 - November 5th (click title to make a reservation):

  • Ghost Tropic: Belgian filmmaker Bas Devos’ third feature is a “delicate miniature that’s magnificently humanist, occasionally amusing and shot in a palette of rich, saturated nighttime hues…”  It focuses entirely on Khadija, a 58-year-old Muslim immigrant in Brussels employed as a cleaning lady working after dark. When Khadija accidentally dozes off on the last métro, she finds herself on the other end of town at night with no direct route home… Khadija isn’t a woman who likes to dawdle, so she immediately sets out into the night. The film’s setup couldn’t be more straightforward and yet it is surprisingly effective, as Devos, who also wrote the screenplay, involves his protagonist in a series of vignettes in which she meets with, accompanies or spies on different creatures of the night.

  • Victor and Victoria: Produced in the final days of the Weimar Republic, this dazzling, gender-bending musical romance about a female singer posing as a man performing in drag received limited exposure in the United States, and is today best known by Blake Edwards’s 1982 remake and the 1995 Broadway production. Viewers will be delighted to discover that the original is every bit as charming and outrageous, reminiscent of the sly sex comedies of Ernst Lubitsch and Billy Wilder.
Free Virtual Streaming of a New Play Dear Hope 
Sunday, November 1st, 7:30 pm; Pre-show chat at 7:15 pm

On her way to the Women’s March in Washington, DC, Hope meets Jim, a conservative attending the Presidential Inauguration. Alternating between live interactions and email exchanges, Dear Hope is the story of two good people from opposite sides of the political spectrum who will stop at nothing to find common ground. A play about the challenges and rewards of coming together during divided times. 


Thanks to the support of a generous donor, this event is free and open to the public.  
Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Music & Art Event
Wednesday, November 11, 2020, 4:00 pm

This virtual event will be led by Max Michael Jacob, principal bassist of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (CCO). While Max performs a few short works, attendees are invited to tap into their artistic sides and write or draw whatever the music inspires them to create. Participants will have an opportunity to share their creations, followed by a question and answer session with Max.

All ages are welcome, but the program is created with an adult and teen audience in mind. This special event will be offered via Zoom. Patrons can register to receive updates and the Zoom link for participation here.
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“The I’s Have It” Writing Workshop
Saturday, November 14, 2020, 10:00 am

“The I’s Have It,” a virtual writing workshop for adults led by writer Sarah Freligh, will examine the various ways writers of both prose and poetry have employed the first-person narrator/speaker and how that might translate to participants’ own poems, stories and memoirs. Writers of poetry and prose at all levels of experience are welcome.
 
This free writing workshop will be held via Zoom.
 
Please contact Joyce Wheatley at jwheatley@tcpl.org with any questions. 
Cornell Wellness Classes
Gateway to Gut Health Mini-Course
Monday, November 9th - Friday, November 13th

If you are wondering how to build resilience for the winter months ahead, go with your gut -- the gateway to health. Did you know that it acts like a second brain or that a large part of your immune system lies in the gut? 

Join Cornell Wellness’ Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Erin Harner and Nutrition & General Health Outreach Educator Jeremy Stewart for this 5 day mini course to improve the health of your gut. You will gain an understanding of what the gut is and how it works, what to look for to know if it's functioning well, and what foods are beneficial/how to incorporate them into your diet.

Contact Jeremy for more information on participating in this mini-course. 
Let's Meditate
Thursdays, 9:00-9:30 am through November 19th

Join these 30 minute weekly guided mindfulness meditation sessions facilitated by Cornell Wellness staff, live via Zoom. Sit with your eyes closed in a comfortable space while you are led through a meditation designed to enhance your mindfulness through focusing on the breath and bringing calmness to the distracted mind.

These sessions are perfect for the beginner to the advanced. See a full listing of all virtual meditations on Cornell Health's Let's Meditate website
Balance Booster with Cathryn
Thursdays, 10:45 - 11:45 am
This class is perfect for those who want to work on balance and stability. Join Cathryn for exercises designed to improve function, strengthen posture, and prevent falls. No specialty equipment needed. A 1-year Wellness Recreation Membership is required to access this class. For more information visit the Healthy Living Program web page.
Caring for Others
Cornell Caregiver Support & Education Network
You are warmly invited to attend virtual meetings of the Caregiver Support & Education Network. We connect monthly to share the challenges and joys of caregiving, exchange resources, and occasionally listen to speakers on topics of interest to caregivers

Our caregiving meetings, workshops and webinars are made available through Zoom so you can join us from the privacy of your own office or home. Registration is required. Email sdb39@cornell.edu and a Zoom link will be sent prior to the meeting. 

The next meeting will take place on Thursday, November 19th.
Miscellaneous Articles
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