OLLI Observer
September 30, 2018    
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In This Issue
TODAY
  The Autumn Players 
Readers Theatre
Sunday, September 30, 2:30 p.m.Reuter Center Manheimer Room 

The Wisdom of Eve
by Mary Orr, directed by Wendy Strauss

Based on a story and 1940s radio play that inspired the film All About Eve and the musical 
, this intriguing tale focuses on a stage actress at the height of her fame and prowess who hires a seemingly mild-mannered and helpful young woman to be her secretary. The results turn into a power struggle and a figurative fight to the death.
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. 
Tickets are $7 at the door
Jenny Wilker

I love volunteering at OLLI because teaching here is stimulating, challenging and well-supported, plus I have made some great friends with shared interests.   
 
Jenny taught two courses on "The History of Naturalists/Explorers in the South."
 

 

Volunteer Opportunity
UNC Asheville 
Events and Conferences Office

The UNC Asheville Events & Conferences Office is seeking volunteer ushers for the Cultural Events Series. This series is an integral part of our campus community, allowing our students to build upon their liberal arts education by engaging directly with musicians, speakers, artists and writers from around the world. The series also allows community members to experience these same rich events at an affordable price.
 
In volunteering as an usher at a Cultural Events, you will be asked to assist with ticket scanning, greeting, seating and handing out programs. In exchange for your service as an usher, we can offer you two complimentary tickets to the event. Occasionally there are events which require no tickets; for these events, we can offer you two complimentary tickets to a future event.

To volunteer as an usher, please sign up using  this form. And if you have any questions about ushering at an event, please call 828-251-6853.

Sierra Club Meeting
Thursday, October 4, 7 pm.
Unitarian Universalist 
Congregation of Asheville, 
One Edwin Place 
(corner of Charlotte & Edwin)  
" Cultural & Human History of the Pisgah & Nantahala Forests"
presented by author Marci Spencer

Hear stories behind our spectacular local scenic beauty.
 
For more information contact Judy Mattox 828.683.2716 judymattox@sbcglobal.net

This meeting is free and open to everyone.
The Forum Special Interest Group
Friday, October 5, 2018, 1 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 207
   
Meeting Topic:  "Current Events and Topics for October"  
 
At the Forum meetings, enjoy a free-flowing dialogue designed to enrich and expand participants' thinking on topics ranging from changing  demographics of retirees to nuclear disarmament.  For more information contact, Beth Johnson, johnson1ea@earthlink.net
 
Whole Foods/
Plant Based Living 
Special Interest Group 
Friday, October 5, 3:15pm
Reuter Center Room 206
 
In this group we provide information/support for anyone interested in following a more plant based diet along the lines of Drs. Dean Ornish, Caldwell Esselstyn, Joel Fuhrman, Neal Barnard, John McDougall, Michael Greger, etc. and T. Colin Campbell, PhD.  
 
More information, contact Bonnie Wheeler, 330.321.1360,  bonniewhee@gmail.com   
 
  OLLI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
 
HEARING LOSS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
Hear the difference your time can make!

ASHEVILLE CITY SCHOOLS
Give your time and make a difference!  

MANNA FOODBANK TEAM
Providing Tens of Thousands of Meals a Day to Hungry People

VOLUNTEER NOW ...
Make A Difference!

Email for more information: 
Men's Wisdom Works, 
An OLLI Special Interest Group,
Wants You
Each of MWW's 15 groups is comprised of 8-12 men.
All groups meet at various times and places twice a month for two hours.
Groups socialize over breakfast, lunch, happy hour and group activities
Men on the waiting list will either be added to existing groups, or we will form a new group.
To learn more or to sign up on our wait list contact: 
Patrick Irwin,  jobshoppat@aol.com.

Book Talk with Chris Highland 
Sunday, October 14, 4 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Chris Highland
Chris Highland, OLLI instructor and author of ten books, will be reading from his new book,"A Freethinker's Gospel: Essays for a Sacred Secular World." Published by Pisgah Press, the book is a collection of his weekly "Highland Views" columns in the Asheville Citizen-Times. Books will be available to purchase. Refreshments and booksigning to follow. 
This event is free and open to everyone.

Navigating a Dementia Diagnosis
Part 1: Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia 
Monday, October 15, 2-4 p.m.
Reuter Center 102B

Alzheimer's disease is not a normal part of aging. Join representatives of the Alzheimer's Association of WNC to learn about the impact of Alzheimer's, the difference between Alzheimer's and dementia, stages and risk factors,current research and treatments available for some symptoms, and Alzheimer's Association resources.

Sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association of WNC (www.alz.org/northcarolina), this series of lectures will offer insight into this illness. Denise Young, regional manager of the Alzheimer's Association of Western Carolina, will present, along with area experts. 
This lecture is part of a series, with other lectures planned for
 Mondays, October 22 and 29.

Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society Meeting 
Tuesday, October 16, 7 p.m. 
Reuter Center Manheimer Room
 
 Hiking the Range of Light: Exploring the John Muir Trail presented by by Rachel Muir 

 
Rachel Muir

Remote, challenging and so remarkably beautiful that its poetic namesake often found himself at a loss for words, the John Muir Trail is considered among the great hikes in North America. Extending 224 miles from Yosemite National Park southward to the lower 48's highest peak, Mount Whitney, the trail crosses through towering mountain passes and through rich alpine valleys filled with a diverse array of wildflowers, uncounted montane lakes and streams, glaciers and complex geology and landforms. Rachel Muir will take us through the heart of this landscape, into the iconic Evolution Valley, up Muir Pass and will explore other landmarks, as well as the ecology of the High Sierras and the history of the John Muir Trail.
 
Rachel Muir is a scientist emeritus with the United States Department of the Interior.  An environmental scientist and ecologist by training, Rachel worked for a variety of Federal agencies and private firms over her 40-year career, including the EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She focused primarily on aquatic ecology, wetlands ecology, conservation of imperiled species and impact of environmental contaminants on wildlife and human health. Rachel resides in Arden and is an avid outdoors woman, hiker, triathlete and gardener.  She is currently working on her second book, Across the Heartland; in the Footsteps of John Muir.

New to Medicare Class 
Friday, October 26, 2-4 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 206
Social Security representatives available beginning at noon at the Information Table on the Reuter Center upper level.

Are you new to Medicare? Are you confused by the many choices? Unbiased and accurate information is available from trained volunteers from the North Carolina Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program. The class will provide important information to assist you in understanding how Medicare works and what you need to do to obtain benefits and save money. Spaces are limited, so reserve your space by registering online at www.coabc.org. In addition, beginning at noon, representatives from the Social Security Administration will be available to answer questions about Social Security benefits and Medicare enrollment. They will also provide detailed instructions for using the Agency's online services at www.socialsecurity.gov. 
Storytelling by Adam Booth
Friday, October 26, 7 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

OLLI is delighted to partner with Friends of the Weaverville Library to offer a festive storytelling event featuring well-known storyteller Adam Booth.  Adam Booth's original stories blend traditional mountain folklore, music, and awareness of contemporary Appalachia. He will present a program from his Appalachian 20th Century Series, a cycle of original neo-traditional stories about "our people and their situations." 
This event is free and open to everyone.
Safe Driving Program 
Tuesday, October 30, 11:45 a.m.-4 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 205
aarp Safe Drving
AARP will offer a driver safety refresher course designed to help mature drivers remain safely on today's faster highways with a myriad of challenges. The four-hour course teaches valuable defensive driving techniques, highlights hazards particular to seniors and provides a refresher about the rules of the road and tips for avoiding crashes. The course is offered as a nationwide effort to keep drivers behind the wheel safely. The cost of the course is $15 for AARP members and $20 for non-members. To register, contact instructor Celeste Selwyn, 828.708.7404 or email csel@mindspring.com

Dear OLLI Members,

We hope that you will take some time to read Jim Lenburg's article on the ways he prepares to teach a class and Judy  LaM ée's article about our Advance Care Planning workshop planned for Thursday, October 18, 7 p.m. Many thanks to the Communications Committee for supplying us with insights into the many activities of our community.

Please mark your calendars to attend the Member Social on Wednesday, October 10, 5 p.m. (please note that this is a time change from the information in the fall catalog). 
 
We are anticipating another week of great activites from community partners like The Autumn Players, the World Affairs Council and the Astronomy Club of Asheville. We also have wonderful SIG presentations that are open to all OLLI members and our Fab Fridays this fall offer varied learning opportunities, this week particularly to explore how one local group is examining the conflict between Palestine and Israel. 

In addition to the rich volunteer opportunities at OLLI and through our Civic Engagement Committee, there are calls from UNC Asheville's Cultural Events office looking for OLLI volulnteers and from the Asheville chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America.  We also will be hosting a food drive to benefit students and staff at UNC Asheville who are food insecure.  

Finally, we hope that as we begin a new cold and flu season that you will take care of yourselves.  If you are not feeling well, particularly if you are coughing and sneezing, please stay home to protect the health of your fellow participants.  Wash your hands frequently with warm, soapy water and take advantage of the hand sanitizer we keep at various places around the center.  Good health practices are one way to support the OLLI community.
 
Catherine Frank
Executive Director


 Check the links here to see OLLI and UNC Asheville current events:
 
calendar
 UNC Asheville Athletics

Women's Soccer vs. Gardner-Webb 
Wednesday, October 3, 6 p.m.,  Greenwood Soccer Field
  
Volleyball vs. Gardner-Webb
Friday, October 5,  6 p.m., Justice Gym
   
Volleyball vs. Winthrop
 Saturday, October 6,  2 p.m., Justice Gym
  
Men's Soccer vs. Winthrop
                       Saturday, October 6, 5 p.m., Greenwood Soccer Field
 
Women's Soccer vs. Winthrop
Wednesday, October 10. 6 p.m.,  Greenwood Soccer Field

Swimming and Diving vs. Campbell
Saturday, October 13,  10:30 a.m. Justice Pool (Swimming Competition Only)
   
Women's Soccer vs. Hampton 
Saturday, October 13, 2 p.m., Greenwood Soccer Field
    UNCA Bulldog
Teaching at OLLI:  Prep 101

All of our OLLI instructors bring passion and preparation to the classes they teach.  Many of them make the job look easy, but that is only because they put in so many hours to know the material and polish their presentations.  Jim Lenburg shares here how he puts together a course.  If you are an instructor or considering teaching, we hope you will find inspiration and helpful hints.  If you are a participant in courses, we hope you will gain a clear understanding of the dedication our instructors (mostly volunteers!) bring to the work that they do



"Mexico and the U.S.: A view of Their Economic Intertwining" 
presented by Remedios Gomez Arnau, 
Consul General of the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh.

Gómez Arnau previously headed consulates in Atlanta and San Diego.  Prior to her consular service, she was the Academic Secretary and Associate Researcher at the Center for Research on North America from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.  Her research focused on U.S. foreign policy and the Mexico-U.S. relationship.

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. 
Lectures are $10.  World Affairs Council members and undergraduate students attend at no cost.  OLLI members receive a discount on WAC membership.

Hearing Loss Association Meeting
Wednesday, October 3, 2018, 10:15 a.m.
Location: Seymour Auditorium, Care Partners Campus
Top of the Hill, (Building 22, at the Covered Walkway)
 
We invite you to join us as we learn more about living with hearing loss

Understanding Captioning for People with Hearing Loss
(Captioning for Telephone, TV,Movies, and Live Performances)
presented by
Kim Calabretta, Account Manager - CapTel NC at Sprint

 
For more information, please call Ann Karson. 828-665-8699, Akarson57@gmail.com
Astronomy Club of Asheville
Thursday, October 4, 7 p.m.,Reuter Center Manheimer Room
 
"In Saturn's Rings"
presented by  Stephen van Vuuren , Filmmaker, SV2 Studios
 
The filmmaker will focus on the "what and how" of the ambitious task to create a flythrough of the universe using 5.5 million images from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey,  combined with a dozen massive Hubble galactic mosaics.  
 
"In Saturn's Rings" is a groundbreaking giant-screen adventure that takes audiences on a journey of the mind, heart and spirit, from the Big Bang to the awe-inspiring rings of Saturn. Over 7.5 million mostly unseen real images from the Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn (which ended in dramatic fashion in September 2017), the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Hubble Space Telescope Milky Way time lapses and more were used to make the film.
 
"In Saturn's Rings" is unique as it uses no computer-generated images. Instead, the film painstakingly employs multiplane photo animation created entirely in Adobe After Effects with image processing by over fifty volunteers in Adobe Photoshop, GIMP and custom Java/ImageJ programming tools.
 
"In Saturn's Rings" is now playing at select locations in the US and Canada, with many more theaters to be added in the near future.
 
 
Fab Friday Lecture
Friday, October 5, 11:30 a.m., Reuter Center Manheimer Room
 
Is There Hope for Palestine and Israel?  
Presented by Charles Itzkovitz, Cindy Osborne and Said Abdallah, 
Members of the Palestinian and Jewish Egalitarian Team (PAJET)
 
This presentation will examine the factors underlying the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and consider the prospects for peace. PAJET has met monthly since 2016 and consists of Palestinians, Jews and supportive, interested others, sharing perspectives, concerns, hopes and dreams to understand and support each other.  The relationships formed have been deep; the ability to hear the pain and suffering of all was honest and sincere; this presentation is an outgrowth of that experience.

Members and guests are invited to enjoy stimulating presentations and dynamic question and answer sessions.  Purchase lunch from the Reuter Cafe or bring your own brown bag.  Programs are free and open to everyone.
 
Financial Strategies in Retirement Special Interest Group
Friday, October 5, 1:30 p.m., Room 205
 
INVESTMENT ROUNDTABLE
  Topic: BONDS: YES or NO? 

Individual Bonds or Bond Funds?
moneybag_graphic.jpg
Treasuries, Corporate, Municipal, High-Yield, TIPS (Treasure Inflation Protected Securities)?
What is the proper allocation of stocks v. bonds?
What are the risks in bonds? How and where do you buy bonds? Short or long-term? Bond ladders??
 
These and other bond-related issues will be discussed by our well-informed membership. Bring your questions, ideas and answers!
 
The meeting is open to all OLLI members.  Email/call Kate Beatty for further information at kkbmom@yahoo.com or 828-231-7710.

The Food Equity Initiative of UNC Asheville
Food Drive
October 9-November 9, 2018
Reuter Center Upper Lobby

 UNC Asheville's Food Equity Initiative will be collecting food at OLLI from October 9 to November 9.
 All non-perishable food items are welcome, but staples like flour and sugar, and protein-rich items like peanut butter, c anned tuna and beans are especially welcome. 
Nutrient fortified-cereals and granola bars are also handy for college students on the go.
Please bring donations
to the Reuter Center and place in the barrel that will be located in the upper lobby. All food that is collected will be distributed via pop-up pantries located on campus, in an effort to alleviate the strong presence of food insecurity on the UNCA campus. The mission of the Food Equity Initiative is to deliver healthy food to students, faculty, and staff who are food insecure.
STEM Lecture
Wednesday, October 10, 4:30 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 206
Enrico Fermi

The Fermi Plague: 
Why Haven't We Detected Extraterrestrial Civilizations?
 Should We Care?
Stanley Schmidt

OLLI Fall Membership Social
Wednesday, October 10, 5 p.m.
Reuter Center Lower Level


 Join your OLLI friends for our Fall Member Social. Take this opportunity to socialize, enjoy great food and celebrate the autumn season. We will have casual cookout fare, including vegan options.

Free and open to all OLLI members
Behind the Scenes with NC Stage 
Friday, October 12, 1:30 p.m., Reuter Center Manheimer Room
PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE:  FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1:30-2:30PM 
 
British talk-show host David Frost has become a lowbrow laughingstock. Richard M. Nixon has just resigned the United States presidency in total disgrace over Vietnam and the Watergate scandal. Determined to resurrect his career, Frost risks everything on a series of in-depth interviews in order to extract an apology from Nixon. The cagey Nixon, however, is equally bent on redeeming himself in his nation's eyes. In the television age, image is king, and both men are desperate to out-talk and upstage each other as the cameras roll. The result is the interview that sealed a president's legacy.

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!  Free and open to the public, this series is scheduled in the Manheimer Room For more information on NC Stage, click here to visit their website. 
Symphony Talk
Friday, October 12, 3 p.m., Reuter Center Manheimer Room

 
MasterWorks Concert 2 features Beethoven's  Egmont Overture, Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 ("Turkish) with violinist Adele Anthony 
and Schumann's Symphony No. .4.

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 music director Darko Butorac 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   

Poetry Lovers #2 Special Interest Group Organizational Meeting
Tuesday, October 16, 4:15 p.m., Room 205
poetry 2 
A second  
Poetry Lover's SIG   is starting to accommodate all the poets who want to share a poem and get constructive feedback from the group. This SIG will also meet monthly on a separate day and time   than the current Friday group.
 
If you would like to help pick the day/time for the second SIG, or just want to check out what we do, please attend our organizational meeting and help us get figure out how and when we will do this second SIG.   
  
Any questions email Jim Carillon at jimcarillon@gmail.com
 
 
Legacies of Engagement: 
Civil Rights Movements and Angela Davis  
Dr. Sharon Lynette Jones
Wednesday, October 17, 7 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Angela Davis
Dr. Sharon Lynette Jones, Professor, Department of English Language and Literatures, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, will offer a presentation that will explore the life of Angela Davis in connection with social movements in the twentieth century and the twenty-first century in the United States and abroad. The time period covered will include 1940s -2018.  Topics explored will include the childhood/adolescence of Angela Davis, Angela Davis's years as an undergraduate and graduate student, Angela Davis's role as a participant in civil rights organizations, the "Free Angela Davis" movements  and Angela Davis's  influence as a scholar/professor. The presentation will draw upon a variety of source materials and research relevant to the past and to the present to provide a context for understanding  the legacies of Angela Davis. 

This  presentation will include  an interdisciplinary approach to evaluating and assessing the life of Angela Davis and the connections between Angela Davis and civil rights movements from earlier and more recent times. 
 This event is free and open to everyone.
 
Advance Care Planning Workshop  
Thursday, October 18, 7-9 p.m., Reuter Center Manheimer Room
by Judy LaMée
 
David Mouw 
OLLI's Advance Care Planning (ACP)
Amy Davison 
workshops have an impressive history of helping local people, OLLI members and others, in making informed decisions about end-of-life medical care and in formalizing those decisions through notarized documents. On Thursday, October 18, 2018, from 7-9 p.m., a panel of elder care professionals will answer questions about end-of-life medical issues, including ethical and legal matters, the uses of advance directives, and how to communicate treatment wishes to family and medical personnel. Coordinators David Mouw and Amy Davison cite that 20 workshops in the program's seven-year history have attracted 980 participants, 375 of whom completed and notarized Advance Care Documents.
 
 Click here to read the rest of the story 

Travel Special Interest Group (SIG)   
Travel Apps by Wiley and Lulia Loughran
Friday, October 19, 2-3 p.m.
Croatia by Susan Stewart
Friday, October 19, 2-3 p.m.

Italy by Mark Smith
Friday, November 16, 2-3 p.m.
Namibia by Woody Eisenberg
Friday, November 16, 3-4 p.m.

OLLI's Travel SIG meets the third Friday of the month, 2-4 p.m.  

SIG contact: Madan Joshi, 302.528.2697, 

The aim of this group is to share and solicit information on travel; to share past experiences of travel; to assist individual members' efforts in planning for independent travel, joining a tour group or using the services of a travel agent. Also, the group hopes to reach out for travel companions and to discuss pros and cons of traveling alone or with a companion.

OLLI Authors Reading   
Thursday, October 25, 5 p.m., Reuter Center Manheimer Room
 
Mark your calendar to attend the next reading in the OLLI Authors series as Ann Karson and Joan Weiner will read from their works.
 OLLI Authors is a quarterly reading
Joan Weiner's Bio 
featuring two poets or prose authors. The purpose of OLLI Authors is to provide a forum for OLLI member and community writers to showcase their creative efforts. It's also an opportunity for OLLI and community members to hear, appreciate and purchase readers' published work.  Readings are usually in January, April, June and October.
OLLI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR
Asheville Chapter of Hearing Loss Association of America
 
Hear the difference your time can make
 

Why It Matters: OLLI members who have a hearing loss, or who have loved ones with such losses, can help to educate others about treatments, products and coping with their losses.

 

When:  Monthly meetings presenting educational programs about hearing loss

            Bi-monthly p lanning committee arranging programs
 

Volunteer Roles:  Assist sound/computer tech at monthly meetings...2hours per month

                                 Plan and help organize monthly programs...2-4 hours per month
                                 Help with set up at monthly meetings...2-4 hours per month
                                 Assist with fund raising...2 hours per month
 

Qualifications:  An interest in helping others learn about hearing loss and treatments available

 

Contact: Volunteerolliwnc@gmail.com     For additional information: akarson57@gmail.com


 
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute | 828-251-6140 | olli@unca.edu | http://www.olliasheville.com
Reuter Center, CPO #5000
UNC Asheville
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804