OLLI Observer
September 23, 2018    
ATTENTION:  When the newsletter is full of news and is longer, it automatically truncates at the bottom.  To see the entire newsletter, click on the link at the bottom of the newsletter that reads- [Message clipped]   View entire message
In This Issue
Mark Watman
          
I love teaching at OLLI because it is so intellectually challenging.          
 
Mark teaches "Psychology 101 for Seniors" and "How the Brain Works and What Happens When It Doesn't."

 
  OLLI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

 
VOLUNTEER NOW ... 
Make a difference

Asheville City Schools
Give Your Time and Make a Difference!  

The Asheville Terraces Apartments Food Pantry
On-Site Food Pantry Support

Energy Savers Network (ESN)
Help Homeowners Reduce Energy Loss
Email for more information: 
Meditation 
Special Interest Group
Monday, September 24, 4:15 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 120

Sacred Sounds of Sanskrit  Meditation Practice with Linda Go

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 Meditation SIG programs.  
For more information, contact: Sally Ekaireb [email protected]
Hiking Special Interest Group
Monday, September 24, 4:15 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 206

We will present some data for the past four months, and share a few things that are new. The bulk of the meeting will be devoted to hike leaders or those who think they may want to lead a hike. We will be looking for feedback on what is working well, what could be improved, should the structure be tweaked, how could we get more hikes posted, and at what level.  
 
Please bring your thoughts, suggestions an ideas.  See you then.  Happy Hiking!

All OLLI members are invited to attend this meeting.

STEM Lecture
Wednesday, September 26, 4:30 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 206
 
Data, Science and Simulation

by Dr. Kevin Sanft, UNC Asheville Computer Science Department Faculty

Kevin Sanft
 
Following on the theme,  "STEM Activities on Campus,"  the next lecture   will be on Wednesday, September 26th, at 4:30, in the Reuter Center (room 206).  Please note that all of the Fall STEM lectures will be in room 206.
 
This event is free and open to everyone. 
The Autumn Players
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 1940's radio play that inspired the film " All About Eve"  and the musical " Applause ," 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. 
Performed as a part of The Autumn Players' Readers Theatre Showcase Series. Tickets are $7 at the door.

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 local spectacular scenic beauty by a local author of numerous books.
 
For more information contact Judy Mattox 828.683.2716 [email protected]

This meeting is free and open to everyone.
Symphony Talk
Friday, October 12, 3 pm.
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  
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.

Legacies of Engagement: 
Civil Rights Movements and Angela Davis
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.

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.
Dear OLLI Members,

We hope you will join us Wednesday, September 26, 3:30-5:30 p.m. to celebrate the career of Leanna Preston as she prepares to retire.  This is a drop-in event with ice cream (including vegan options) from The Hop.  We hope you will come to let Leanna know how much we have valued her work, how much we will miss her and how satisfying retirement can be.

This week we offer some very exciting programs, including an appearance by Frank X Walker, one of the founders of the Affrilachian literature movement, a STEM lecture by UNC Asheville faculty member Kevin Sanft and a performance next Sunday by The Autumn Players. We will also host the Black Mountain College Conference on Friday, so our last program of the day will be the Fab Friday talk on prescription drugs.

October will be another full month of programming, including programs from the World Affairs Council, the Astronomy Club of Asheville, The Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society, NC Stage Behind the Scenes and the Asheville Symphony. We will host a reading by OLLI member and author Chris Highland, a lecture on the legacy of Angela Davis by Dr. Sharon Lynette Jones and an appearance (co-sponsored by the Friends of the Weaverville Library) by nationally recognized storyteller Adam Booth. Don't forget the Member Social on October 10, 5 p.m. in the lower level of the Reuter Center or our Advance Care Planning Workshop on October 18. 

We are looking forward to seeing you at all of these events created by and for our community of teachers and learners. 
Catherine Frank
Executive Director


 Check the links here to see OLLI and UNC Asheville current events:
 
calendar
Founding Member  of the Affrilachian Poets
Frank X Walker
Tuesday, September 25, 7 p.m., Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Frank X Walker
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.
Reasons to Ride the Bus to Campus

OLLI member Jeff Jones asks 
Why would I want to ride the city bus to and from OLLI?

and offers at least five reasons:

  1. You can avoid driving around looking for a parking space.
  2. It is good for the environment.
  3. Save money.Try riding the bus a few times this year and next year you may decide to save the $125 UNC Asheville's yearly parking fee.
  4. You will be supporting a system that is important for those who have fewer resources.
  5. You can experience a wonderfully diverse group of people.

Ice Cream Social to Celebrate Leanna Preston's Retirement
Wednesday, September 26, 3:30-5:30 p.m., Reuter Center Atrium
 
On Wednesday, September 26, 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the atrium on the lower level of the Reuter Center, we will gather for an ice cream social to celebrate and congratulate Leanna Preston on her retirement. We hope you will be able to attend. Please follow this link to RSVP and also to add a message to thank Leanna and wish her well.  
Fab Friday Lecture
Friday, September 28, 11:30 a.m., Reuter Center Manheimer Room
 
Why are U.S. Prescription Drugs More Expensive Than in Other Countries?  Can That be Changed?   

In recent years U.S. prescription drug expenditure has increased faster than other sectors of the U.S. health care market and the Consumer Price Index.  In addition, U.S. prescription drug prices are generally higher than in other industrialized countries.  Why are prices higher in the U.S.  and can it be changed?  How do other industrialized countries control prescription drug expenditure and prices?  Alternative prescription pricing methods and related questions will be discussed.  Michael Dickson holds the Bachelor's of Pharmacy and doctoral degrees in pharmacy and is a professor emeritus.  He has taught and done research in pharmacy outcomes and pharmacoeconomics for 30+ years.  This lecture is a part of the Health Education Series.
 
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.
 
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: Chuck Fink at 
 


R E-VI EWING Black Mountain College 10 Conference
Exploring the history and legacy of Black Mountain College

September 28-30, 2018 at the Reuter Center
1946 Black Mountain College faculty 
   
Complete schedule of conference events at  
www.blackmountaincollege.org
. Reduced admission fee for OLLI members. 
 
 
Thematic Focus: Black Mountain College Summer Art + Music Institutes

*   Keynote address:  "The World of Jacob Lawrence" by  Dr. Leslie King Hammond,  artist, curator, art historian, and Founding Director of the Center for Race and Culture at  Maryland Institute College of Art.
 
*  In conjunction with the conference, Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center will open its new location at 120 College St. in downtown Asheville on Pack Square Park with the  exhibition  Between Form + Content: Perspectives on Jacob Lawrence and Black Mountain College  (Sept. 28, 2018 - January 12, 2019), co-curated by Dr. Julie Levin Caro, Professor of Art History at Warren Wilson College and Jeff Arnal, Executive Director of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. Opening Reception: 6-8pm Friday, Sept. 28th. Free.
 
Organized and hosted by Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center and UNC Asheville.

The Forum Special Interest Group
Friday, September 28, 2018, 1 p.m.
(This meeting will be held at the Earthfare store in the Westgate Shopping Center)
   
Meeting Topic:  "Current Events"  

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, [email protected]
World Affairs Council World 
Tuesday  , October 2, 7:30 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Mexico and the U.S.: A View of Their Economic Intertwining
by Remedios Gomez Arnau

Remedios Gomez Arnau, Consul General of the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh, 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. relationshi p.

 World Affairs Council (WAC) lectures and discussions aim to advance international awareness and foster Western North Carolina's global ties. Meetings offer a lively line up of topics and compelling presenters. OLLI members receive a discount on WAC annual membership fee. Lectures are free to WAC members and UNC Asheville undergraduate students. All others are $10 at the door. For more details about programs,
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)

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

 
On the Web at: www.nchearingloss.org/asheville.htm
For more information, please call Ann Karson. 828-665-8699, [email protected]

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
 
Stephen Van Vuuren 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 mosaic.  
"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.
 


Behind the Scenes at NC Stage 
Frost/Nixon
Friday, October 5, 1:30 p.m. / Reuter Center Manheimer Room
 
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.
"Structured as a prize fight between two starkly ambitious men in professional crisis, FROST/NIXON makes it clear that the competitor who controls the camera reaps the spoils." -NY Times.

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! 

Behind the Scenes with NC Stage is 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????
moneybag_graphic.jpg  
Individual Bonds or Bond Funds?
Treasuries, Corporate, Municipal, High-Yield, TIPS ?
What is the proper allocation of stocks vs. bonds ??
What are the risks in bonds? How and where should 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 [email protected] or 828-231-7710.
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
Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society Meeting
Hikin g the Range of Light: Exploring the John Muir Trail
Presented by Rachel Muir
Tuesday October 16, 7 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

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."

The mission of the Elisha Mitchell chapter of the National Audubon Society (EMAS) is to protect birds and their habitats and to promote an awareness and appreciation of nature. EMAS schedules educational programs at the Reuter Center. Programs are free and open to the public. Find out more about EMAS talks and free bird walks at www.emasnc.org. 
Advance Care Planning Workshop
Thursday, October 18, 7 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

The workshop will feature a panel whose members are experienced in addressing end-of-life issues. Discussion will include communicating your treatment wishes to loved ones and to medical personnel, ethical and legal issues, and the uses of advance directives.  Ample time will be reserved for questions. Assistance will be provided for anyone wishing to complete a legally valid advance directive, including the notarization required in North Carolina, using the NC ACP "Short Form". 
Preparation for you to do before the workshop:  Talk to your possible "power of attorney for healthcare," the person who would make health care decisions if you are unable.  If you have internet-access and a printer, click here to access a copy of the ACP Short form.  Please print the form, study it, and bring it to the workshop along with any questions you might have for the panel. 
If you have never been admitted to Mission Hospital, but want your advanced directives added into the Mission Medical Record, click here for an Advance Directive Permission form to fill out. Also, if you have existing advance directives, you may mail the "Permission Form" along with a copy of your existing Advance Directive to Mission for addition to the Mission medical record (or you can get help doing this at the next ACP workshop).
This workshop is free and open to everyone, adults of all ages.   

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