OLLI Observer
September 2, 2018    
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In This Issue
Mark Your Calendar

OLLI and the Reuter Center will be closed on Monday, September 3 in observation of Labor Day.
We will reopen Tuesday, September 4, 8 a.m.

Thank you.

TODAY
The Autumn Players Readers Theatre
Sunday, September 2, 2:30 p.m.
Manheimer Room

God's Favorite by Neil Simon, 
directed by Jim Reid
There will be a Talk Back immediately following the performance with the director and cast.

The Book of Job as a comedy? Joe Benjamin is a God-fearing tycoon with a Long Island mansion and a prodigal son and two kooky twins among other family members. After Joe is visited by Sidney Lipton - God's messenger (and Joe's tempter) - his life is never the same.  
 
The Autumn Players (affiliated with Asheville Community Theatre) is a troupe of seasoned actors dedicated to taking the theatre experience into the community. Their words jump from the page with conviction and emotion, and these actors make their stories come to life. Scheduled in the Reuter Center's Manheimer Room, tickets are $7 at the door.

Susan Trammell        
 
"I love volunteering at OLLI because, new to Asheville as I am, I've found my 'tribe' of like-minded people in this marvelous teaching and learning environment."   
 
Susan teaches classes in the Personal Development and Life Transitions areas and chairs the Religion and Philosophy Curriculum Committee.


  OLLI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Asheville City Schools
Give your time and make a difference
 
The Asheville Terrace Appartments Food Pantry
On-site food pantry support

Veteran Restoration Quarters' (VRQ) Cooking Team
Restoring the lives of homeless vets
 
VOLUNTEER NOW ... 
Make a difference

Email for more information: 
Putting Out The Welcome Mat!  
Come Join Us   
 
Welcome First Impressions are often lasting ones, and the Hospitality Committee is committed to helping generate a warm and welcoming atmosphere as we greet new members this fall.   
 
Join us for a planning meeting on  Thursday, September 6,
 2 - 4 p.m.
 in Reuter Center Room 207.  
We invite you to join our "positive energy" Hospitality Team!  Paula Massey, Hospitality Chair  

The Astronomy Club of Asheville
Thursday, September 6, 7 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

"The Lambda Boötis Stars: 
A 75-Year-Old Mystery" 
presented by Richard Gray
Appalachian State University 

 
Dr. Richard Gray
 
The Lambda Boötis stars (Lambda Boo for short) were discovered 75 years ago by W.W. Morgan, one of the founders of the MK Spectral classification system (the system that astronomers use for classifying stars by their spectra). Compared with other stars of the same temperature and age, the Lambda Boötis stars, at least in Morgan's photographic record, showed no signs of metals or any  other element other than  hydrogen.
Modern digital spectra show that metals and other elements are present in the spectra of Lambda Boötis stars, but at very low levels. Come learn more about this  75-year-old mystery and its importance in understanding the formation of planets.
 

Sierra Club Meeting
Thursday, September 6 , 7 p.m. 
(Note the Thursday date)
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 
1 Edwin Place, corner of Charlotte  and Edwin.  
 
   " Protecting Our Environment --
Who We Elect Matters"
 
Come hear what you can do to help elect an environmental majority to the NC State House & Buncombe Ct Commission.
For more information, contact Judy Mattox, 828.683.2186  [email protected]     Free and open to everyone. 
Free Electric Car Show
Sunday, September 9 
(Rain Date: Sept 16)
Noon - 4 p.m.
Asheville Outlets 800 Brevard Road
Asheville, NC 28806

The Blue Ridge Electric Vehicle Club invites you to the 5th annual FREE Electric Car Show at the Asheville Outlets (I-26 exit 33). Owners and dealers will be showing more than 15 models of plug-in electric cars (over 40 cars total). Come see the longer electric range Tesla Model 3, 2018 Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Bolt EV and the new Honda Clarity plug-in hybrid. Some dealers and owners will also be providing rides. 

Many modern cars have self-driving and vehicle-aware technologies. See what owners think about the usability and value. 

This is co-sponsored by the Asheville Outlets, Land-Of-Sky Clean Vehicle Coalition and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.  More at www.drivelectricweek.org
Tuesday September 11, 7:30 p.m.
Reuter Center's Manheimer Room

"Crisis in Venezuela" 
presented by Russell Crandall

Russell Crandall, a Davidson College Latin American specialist who has published several books on the politics of the region, has served as principal director for the western hemisphere at the Defense Department, director for Andean affairs & security aide at the NSC. He's been a special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and has consulted for the World Bank, where he's a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Come to the Reuter Center for these fascinating lectures and discussions that aim to advance international awareness and foster Western North Carolina's global ties. OLLI members receive a discount on WAC annual membership fee.  The World Affairs Council meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Reuter Center's Manheimer Room and offer a lively line up of topics and compelling presenters:  All lectures are free to WAC members and students, all others $10 at the door.  For more details about programs, consult the WAC website.
Behind the Scenes at NC Stage
Friday, September 14, 12:30 p.m. 
Reuter Center Manheimer Room
 
  DAR HE: The Storry of Emmett Till
 
Performed and created by award winning actor a nd playwright  Mike Wiley .
"I'd like my work to not only enlighten minds but to inspire hearts."- Mike Wiley
In 1955, a 14-year-old black Chicago youth traveled to the Mississippi Delta with country kinfolk and southern cooking on his mind. He walked off the train and into a world he could never understand - a world of thick color lines, of hard-held class systems and unspeakable taboos. Young Emmett crossed that line and stepped into his gruesome fate by whistling at a white woman. Through conversations with a  Look magazine journalist, Emmett's mother and others caught up in the events that led to Till's devastating fate, this riveting play chronicles the murder, trial and unbelievable confessions of the men accused of Till's murder.

Go behind the scenes of professional theatre with NC Stage Artistic Director and co-founder Charlie Flynn-McIver. Explore the themes of this season's plays, talk with the actors, directors and designers about design concepts and the rehearsal process and experience a scene or two performed live. Join us for an insider's view of how theatre happens!
   
History Book Lovers 
Special Interest Group Meeting 
Friday, September 21, 1 p.m., 
Reuter Cente, Room 206
  
David Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon: 
The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

Grann's book has been on the New York Times bestseller list for over 57 weeks, so it should provide tons of material for conversation.
 
For more information, please contact Mike Wang at   [email protected]  
 
Meditation Special Interest Group
Monday, September 24, 4:15 p.m., 
Reuter Center, Room 120

Sacred Sounds of Sanskrit  Meditation Practice with Linda Go, RYT

Yoga teacher and Sanskrit instructor Linda Go, introduces you to Sanskrit Sound Meditation, the ancient language of yoga   with guided breath, visualization of spanda  
and with recitation of Sanskrit sounds and simple melodic mantras.   Sanskrit is a living technology of sacred sound for awakening higher states of consciousness. 
The ancient Vedas used sound to move energy and distract the mind from the world of form.  According  to an article recently published in  Scientific American,the repetition of certain mantras in Sanskrit   creates new neuro - pathways, activates our DNA to heightened states of consciousness and brings balance to brain hemispheres.
 
Come experience how the precise pronunciation of the Sanskrit alphabet cultivates the nervous system in preparation for profound meditation.   All OLLI members are welcome at our programs.  Meditation SIG Contact: Sally Ekaireb   [email protected]
Founding Member 
of the Affrilachian Poets
Frank X Walker
Tuesday, September 25, 7 p.m., 
Reuter Center Manheimer Room


Frank X  Walker coined the term "Affrilachian" after he learned that he didn't exist-he had read in Webster's dictionary that "Appalachian" referred only to "white residents from the mountains." 
Walker is the editor of  America! What's My Name? The "Other" Poets Unfurl the Flag (Wind Publications, 2007) and  Eclipsing a Nappy New Millennium and the author of poetry collections:  When Winter Come: the Ascension of York (University Press of Kentucky, 2008);  Black Box (Old Cove Press, 2005);  Buffalo Dance: the Journey of York (University Press of Kentucky, 2003), winner of the 35th Annual Lillian Smith Book Award; and  Affrilachia (Old Cove Press, 2000), a Kentucky Public Librarians' Choice Award nominee.

UNC Asheville professor of creative writing and NY Times best-selling author Wiley Cash says of Walker,  "He's a star. He's magnetic, smart, interesting-it's a big deal to have him on campus."

This event sponsored by UNC Asheville's Department of English
 is free and open to everyone.
Work for the Buncombe County 
Board of Elections
  • Completely non-partisan position
  • Short-term commitment: Training, set up and Election Day
  • One day of training, one day of work and a lifetime of experiences
  • Paid positions from $175 to $260
  • You must be a registered voter in Buncombe County
  • Team effort with lots of support from experienced people
Apply at buncombecounty,org/vote
Call 828.250.4200 or [email protected]
Dear OLLI Members,

We hope you are enjoying this "last weekend of summer" and remember that the OLLI office will be closed for Labor Day on Monday, September 3. As the air gets a little crisper and the days get a little shorter, we  are all getting excited that our classes will begin soon.  Please be aware, however, that we have many interesting lectures and events coming up at the Reuter Center and on campus including Michael Twitty's lecture on culinary justice, a lecture sponsored by the Astronomy Club of Asheville, and Midday Music with Pan Harmonia, along with our rich array of special interest groups, many open to all OLLI members.

Members of UNC Asheville's Department of Transportation and Parking will be available Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, September 4, 5 and 6, 9-11 a.m. to help OLLI members register through the online parking system.  Remember that decals will be mailed to you.

Also remember that we still have openings in College for Seniors Fall courses, including two newly opened courses.

Enjoy the end of summer in our beautiful mountains in Western North Carrolina,
Catherine Frank
Executive Director


 Check the links here to see OLLI and UNC Asheville current events:
 
calendar
unca
Upcoming Athletic Events

Sunday, September 2, 2 p.m., Women's Soccer,   UNC Asheville vs. Citadel
Greenwood Soccer Field
Friday, September 7, 6 p.m., Women's Soccer, UNC Asheville vs. VMI
Greenwood Soccer Field


Go Bulldogs!
    

 
College for Seniors Fall Courses
 
Register for two newly opened courses with available space:

Keeping Your Mind Sharp with Logic Puzzles-Sec. 2 
 with Bruce Jones (on Mondays 9-11 a.m.)

 

The Art and Science of Handling Tough Conversations

 with Esther Pittman (Wednesdays, 2-5 p.m.)

Help with Parking Registration
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
September 4 - 6, 9-11 a.m.
Reuter Center Room 207
UNC Asheville's Department of Parking and Transportation Services will be available at the Reuter Center to help OLLI members with online parking registration this week.

Please take advantage of this opportunity to get help.

Remember that once you have successfully registered your vehicle or vehicles that you will receive an email that contains a temporary parking pass. Your permanent decal will be mailed to the address you provide.
Neither the OLLI office nor the Department of Parking and Transportation Services provides decals.

Remember that members of the same household are eligible to receive a second decal for $30.  The person who purchases the first decal must go back into the system to purchase the second decal at a fee of $30.


Hearing Loss Association Meeting
Wednesday, September 5, 2018, 10:15 am
Seymour Auditorium, Care Partners Campus, Top of the Hill, 
(Building 22, at the Covered Walkway), 68 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville

Peter Dallos

How the Ear's Machinery Works: The Intricate Mechanisms of the Inner Ear and How They Can Affect Hearing and Hearing Loss

The Hearing Loss Association invites you to learn more about living with hearing loss from
Dr. Peter Dallos, Emeritus Professor of Neuroscience and Audiology,
Northwestern University

 
 For more information, contact Ann Karson. 828-665-8699, [email protected]

Free Public Lecture by Michael Twitty
Culinary Justice: 
Defining a Theory of Gastronomic Sovereignity
Thursday, September 6, 7 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Lipinsky Auditorium
 
Michael Twitty is a culinary historian, living history interpreter and Judaica teacher from the Washington, D.C. area. He is the creator of  Afroculinaria, the first blog devoted to African American historic foodways and their legacy. Twitty's 2017 book, The Cooking Gene, was recently honored with two James Beard Foundation awards for writing and for book of the year. 

UNC Asheville departmental sponsors for Twitty's visit: Student Environmental Center, the Office of Outreach and Engagement, OLLI, the Office of Sustainability, Chartwells/UNC Asheville Dining Services, the Healthy Campus Initiative, Study Abroad, the Center for Jewish Studies and Multicultural Affairs

"I dare to believe that all Southerners are a family. We are not merely Native, European, and African. We are Middle Eastern and South Asian and East Asian and Latin American, now. We are a dysfunctional family, but we are a family. We are unwitting inheritors of a story with many sins that bears the fruit of the possibility of ten times the redemption. One way is through reconnection with the culinary culture of the enslaved, our common ancestors, and restoring their names on the roots of the Southern tree and the table those roots support." 
- Michael Twitty,   The Cooking Gene
Click here for more information about Michael Twitty's appearance at UNC Asheville.
The Forum Special Interest Group
Friday, September 7, 1-3 p.m., Reuter Center Room 205   
 
  Meeting Topic: "How Does Our Ideology Imprison Us?" 

   The Forum encourages a free-flowing dialogue designed to enrich and expand participants' thinking on topics ranging from changing demographics of retirees to  nuclear disarmament.

SIG contact: Beth Johnson, [email protected]
Midday Music with Pan Harmonia
Friday, September 7, 1:30 p.m., Reuter Center Manheimer Room
 
"It Doesn't Fit in a Box!" 
 
Pan Harmonia
The members of Pan Harmonia
Explore Pan Harmonia's 19th season of chamber concerts of contemporary, Celtic and Baroque music with flutist Kate Steinbeck, Baroque master Barbara Weiss and Celtic bagpiper and bassoonist Rosalind Buda
 
Now in its 19th season, Asheville's Pan Harmonia enjoys taking its music out of the concert hall and into unlikely spaces all around our community. Learn about the music and meet the musicians in informal conversation. Feel free to bring friends and your lunch. To learn more, visit panharmonia.org
.
   
 
Special Interest Group Meeting
Financial Strategies in Retirement
Friday, September 7, 1:30 p.m., Room 205
 
Topic: "Asheville On The Cheap - Highlights"  
Guest speaker: College for Seniors Instructor Linda Orowitz.
    
Linda, whose OLLI class, "Asheville on the Cheap" has been a long-time favorite, is a volunteer in the Asheville Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center. She also leads walking tours of the River Arts District and Asheville's Historic Downtown. Her goals are to do everything that she wishes and leave money to her sons and grandchildren.
There are many ways to do things for free or almost in Asheville, and she loves telling people about them, so don't miss this informative session which will improve your bottom line!
 
The meeting is open to all OLLI members.  Email/call Kate Beatty for further information at [email protected] or 828-231-7710.     
 
Whole Foods/Plant Based Living Special Interest Group 
Friday, September 7, 3:15 p.m., Reuter Center Room 206
 
Amy Lanou
Speaker, Amy Lanou, 
Chair of UNC Asheville's Department of Health and Wellness and 
Executive Director for the 
NC Center for Health and Wellness 
and plant-based author.   


 

The Whole Foods/Plant-Based Living Special Interest Group (SIG) meets varied Fridays, at 3 p.m.  Members of the group and guest speakers provide information and support for anyone interested in following a more plant based diet along the lines of Dean Ornish, Caldwell Esselstyn, Joel Fuhrman, Neal Barnard, John McDougall, Michael Greger, etc. and T. Colin Campbell. Contact Bonnie Wheeler, 330.321.1360, [email protected] 

    
STEM Lecture
Monday, September 10, 5 p.m., Reuter Center Room 206
 
  Shedding Light on the Invisible Properties of Galaxies
by Dr. Britt Lundgren, UNC Asheville's Department of Physics 
 
Britt Lundgren 
  
F ollowing on the theme, "STEM Activities on Campus," the next lecture  will be on Monday, September 10, 5 p.m., in the Reuter Center (Room 206) by Dr. Britt Lundgren.  She will focus on invisible properties of the galaxies.   
 
When we observe distant galaxies, the starlight we see from billions of stars is only the tip of the iceberg. Vast invisible halos of gas, dust, and dark matter are now known to surround galaxies to great distances. Light from distant quasars can backlight the dark halos around foreground galaxies, enabling us to study their properties and better understand what role they play in how galaxies grow and evolve over time. This talk will describe the ongoing efforts by Dr. Lundgren and her research group at UNC Asheville to connect the dark and luminous properties of galaxies, which reveal exciting details about the processes that have shaped galaxies over the past 10 billion years of cosmic history. 
 
Please note that the Fall STEM lectures will be in room 206.  In addition, this lecture will begin at 5 p.m.instead of the usual 4:30 p.m..  All others will be at 4:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted.
 
UNC Asheville students want to change the world!
... and you can help!
Thursday, September  13, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Manheimer Room 
UNCA Students  
Join  Ideas to Action  student teams as they share their ideas with you, seek your feedback and welcome you as team advisers.  Their ideas will still be in the early stages, but they have the passion to make them happen... as the song goes, with a little help from their friends.
 
UNC Asheville professor, Dr. Mary Lynn Manns will introduce you to the student teams who will then pitch their ideas.  There will be time for discussion after each pitch and time after the presentations to meet the students.
   
New Member Welcome
Friday, September 14, 10 a.m., Reuter Center Manheimer Room
   
New member welcome Are you new to OLLI at UNC Asheville and the Reuter Center? Are you returning after being gone awhile? Come to the New Member Welcome to learn about all that OLLI has to offer and about ways to get involved. Meet other members and find out how to get the most out of your OLLI experience. 
 
For more information contact us at 828.251.6188 or [email protected]
   
Symphony Talk
Friday, September 14, 3 p.m.,Reuter Center Manheimer Room
ASO's new conductor and music director Darko Butorac  
 
Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Prelude and "Liebestod," 
Liszt's Piano Concert No. 1, 
Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, with George Li, piano soloist  
 
 
Symphony Talks are an entertaining and educational way to hear about the music to be performed at upcoming Asheville Symphony Orchestra (ASO) Masterworks Concerts. The program begins with a presentation by Chip Kaufmann, who talks about the life and times of the featured composers. ASO has just selected Darko Butorac as music director, and at Symphony Talks he will appear with the soloist for upcoming concerts to talk about how the orchestra prepares and to offer ways to listen to the performance. For more information about the Asheville Symphony Orchestra or to find out how to purchase tickets for performances at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, visit ashevillesymphony.org 
 
 
Travel Special Interest Group
Friday, September 21, 2 p.m. Reuter Center Room 102A
 
In the first presentation Sylvie Delaunay, French native and owner of Provence Detours, will introduce five little known destinations worth visiting to experience the depth and breadth of French culture and landscapes.
 
During the second presentation Madan Joshi, a native of India, will  talk about the historical and cultural sites in Delhi/New Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. These three cities are also referred to as the "Golden Triangle" and are popular travel destinations in North India.
 
Following each presentation there will be opportunity for Q&A.
 
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute | 828-251-6140 | [email protected] | http://www.olliasheville.com
Reuter Center, CPO #5000
UNC Asheville
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804