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Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine |
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Director's Message--A Springtime Shift | |
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“There is always in February some one day, at least, when one smells the yet distant, but surely coming, summer.” —Gertrude Jekyll
With the coming of spring we see a shift at OLLI toward more in-person classes. While our Zoom roster is still strong, an increasing number of instructors wish to resume face-to-face experiences. All in-person classes will be on Fridays, both in the Wishcamper Center and Luther Bonney Hall. In addition, we have many walking tours exploring history and nature that will be held off-campus, with specifics listed in the spring catalog. You have many choices this spring, with 38 new classes to consider, and repeat classes to join if you haven’t been able to take them before.
Please pay special attention to the location of your class or workshop so you can be sure that you are comfortable with the location—Zoom courses are on Monday through Thursday; SAGE lectures are webinars on Tuesday morning; in-person classes are on Fridays; and Saturdays include both Zoom and in-person workshops.
Dates to remember:
· February 6—Pre-registration period opens for
faculty, gift certificates, and scholarship
requests.
· February 15—Spring registration opens
beginning at midnight.
· February 27—Registration opens for Maine
Senior College Network members.
· March 13—Spring session begins.
—Donna Anderson, Director
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In this edition . . .
- Director's Message (above)
- Share Your Passion--Teach an OLLI Course! (below)
- Update from the OLLI Advisory Board Chair
- Helpful Hints for Spring Registration
- Foodie Pop-Ups
- SAGE this Spring
- The Camden Conference 2023
- Trivia Column
- SAVE THE DATE: April 19 Lecture by Professor Lenny Shedletsky
- Submit your creative entry to Reflections 2023
- Trivia Column Answers
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Share Your Passion at OLLI this Summer
OLLI instructors are volunteers who share a passion about a subject or activity. Want to share ideas or facilitate a discussion about something meaningful to you? You can talk about it by calling Donna Anderson at 207-228-8181 or emailing her at donna.anderson@maine.edu. We ask that our instructors take at least one OLLI course to understand our participants and the pace of our courses and workshops.
Our members are asking for more courses about Maine history and culture, art and art history, movement of all kinds, and outdoor tours of our region.
When you are ready, you can submit a proposal by going to this link: https://usm.maine.edu/osher-lifelong-learning-institute/olli-faculty/
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Helpful Hints for Spring Registration
Remember that our membership year is July 1 through June 30. So if you renewed your membership in the summer or fall, it’s still good now and you don’t need to renew to register for winter session classes and workshops.
The delivery of our spring session catalogs has been delayed by the Post Office because of staff challenges. So be sure to look at our catalog online to choose classes you may want to take this spring.
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Foodie Pop-Ups in February | |
Look at what you missed.
In January OLLI had two wonderful conversations occur in all things foodie. On January 11th we chatted with special guest Chef Joe Robbins. Yes, the chef featured in the January Down East magazine. The topic was indigenous foods, like wild Maine rice, which exists. Then on January 25th we chatted with Portland Food Map’s editor Anestes Fotiades about the Portland food scene, if you are not familiar with the resource please check them out on their website: https://www.portlandfoodmap.com.
Don’t miss out on the opportunities in February. We will have two more conversations with special guests.
On February 9th, the chef and owners of the 555 (no longer in Portland) and Petite Jaqueline restaurants will join us to chat about the love experienced through grandma’s recipes.
On February 23rd, we will visit with Catherine Wiersema, the Chocolatier and owner of Chocolats Passion, and winner of the best chocolatier in Portland in 2022. Please join us for the pop-up discussion all about chocolate: hot, cold, sweet, or savory. CHOCOLATE: EAT YOUR BEANS AND HAVE IT YOUR WAY! You can see Chocolats Passion here: https://chocolatspassion.com.
Please join us. Bring your stories, experiences, and recipes.
Thank you,
Star Pelsue
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SAGE THIS SPRING
Several days ago, all OLLI members received the brochure for the Spring series of SAGE programs. This spring again will be a virtual Webinar, which means that our eight lectures will be seen only via Zoom, as is the case with most OLLI classes. We hope that this is the last time when SAGE will be offered only on Zoom rather than in person.
Watching a SAGE Webinar is different from a regular Zoom class, where you see all of your classmates along with their names. In a Webinar you see only the speaker, and he or she cannot see you. This means that on Tuesday mornings you can get up close to the 9:30 start time and fix breakfast still in your PJs while watching a program.
1. You can still ask questions of the Webinar speaker and either sign your name to the question or leave it blank.
2. There is absolutely no preparation such as a book or articles to read for each lecture.
3. SAGE speakers offer an eclectic selection of topics of interest in contrast to the specific focus of an individual’s class. For example, one week you might hear a presentation about who owns your personal health data, and the next a program about renovating and possibly living in a Maine lifehouse. Or perhaps another week you’ll hear about how the Good Shepherd Food Bank works to eliminate hunger in our state, while another presentation will concern Maine’s response to the problems created by PFAS.
4. You can choose to purchase the entire eight-program series or just individual programs, which cost $10 each. The entire series is $50, and you register for the series or individual programs just as you would for an OLLI class. You do need to think carefully about that option, since the cost of five individual programs ($50) is the same as the $50 for the entire series.
The SAGE committee has again developed a varied and topical set of programs for OLLI members. The Tuesday morning series does not conflict with any OLLI classes, so the committee hopes that all OLLI members will give serious consideration to attending our spring 2023 series.
Here’s the list of spring SAGE speakers.
March 14–Noël Bonam, AARP Maine State Director
March 21–Kristen Maile, President, Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine
March 28–Curtis C. Bohlen, Director, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Catherine Cutler Institute, University of Southern Maine
April 4–Robert Shetterly, American Artist Living in Brooksville, Maine
April 11–Matt Lewis, President & CEO of Hospitality Maine
April 18–Suzanne Miller, Director, Eastern Maine Regional Office at Maine DEPA
April 25–Jon Glaudemans, Director of the Sepsis Innovation Collaborative, and NORC Senior Fellow for Health Care Strategy
May 2–Ford Reiche, Historical Preservation Enthusiast
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Two OLLI Teachers to Talk on Immigration and Trade Leading Up to Camden Conference
Longtime OLLI instructors John and Kathleen Sutherland are set to present consecutive lectures on the history of immigration to the United States at local libraries this winter.
These talks form part of a series of a free community events leading up to the February 17–19, 2023 Camden Conference on “Global Trade and Politics: Managing Turbulence,” to be produced live in Camden and live-streamed to Hannaford Hall at USM as well as to venues in Rockland and Belfast. See camdenconference.org/conference 2023 for details and to register to attend in person at one of the venues or virtually.
John Sutherland spoke on Monday, January 30, at Kennebunk Free Library on “Immigration to America during the Industrial Age, 1800–1924.” Kathleen will follow on Monday, February 6, at 6:30 p.m. at Kennebunk Free Library on “21st-Century Human Migration and Global Trade.” Details on these and all Camden Conference community events can be found at camdenconference.org/events.
The Sutherlands delivered the same lectures from Prince Memorial Library in Cumberland in mid-January on Zoom.
The research for these talks formed the basis for companion courses that were offered at USM’s OLLI recently.
John is Professor of History Emeritus and former Director of the Institute of Local History at Manchester Community College in Connecticut. He co-authored with Bruce Stave of UCONN From the Old Country: An Oral History of European Migration to America.
Kathleen, who was born in Cairo, Egypt and spent 35 years there in different eras, is Associate Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Women’s Studies at Bowling Green University in Ohio. She was President of the World Affairs Council of Maine from 2016 to 2019. The Sutherlands live in Portland.
—Vee Sheehan, Co-Chair, Camden Conference Southern Maine Initiative Committee
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By Faye Gmeiner
As you will see below, we are off to a fascinating start in 2023. The topics of each Trivia pop-up session range from the ridiculous to the sublime and across broad content areas. In January we explored stories we had never heard before and facts we had somehow overlooked until now.
If you are curious and enjoy being playful with knowledge whether you know the answers or not, we hope you will consider joining us at a Monday evening pop-up and help us explore all kinds of trivia (some of which is not trivial).
Our next Zoom gathering is on February 6. You can sign up on the OLLI website under Special Events.
1. Who is the only U.S. President who served two non-consecutive terms? What is the first name that he did not use?
2. What is the coating called that artists use to cover a canvas before painting?
3. Why do ostriches bury their heads in the sand?
4. In a typical deck of playing cards, which King is often thought of as suicidal because it looks like the knife he is holding has gone through his head?
5. Did Beethoven ever meet Mozart? If so, where?
6. Where is the driest place on earth?
See the answers below!
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SAVE THE DATE
Professor Lenny Shedletsky Shares His Research with OLLI on April 19, 2023
Four years ago Professor Shedletsky ran a study with OLLI students as participants. Participants were asked to decide as quickly as they could if a statement was “Bullshit” or “Not Bullshit.” In addition, they filled out a survey that measured their belief in four ideologies. This gave us data to determine if people can make the decision to “call bullshit” at high speeds without conscious deliberation and if their decisions are related to their ideologies. The results turned out to suggest that we can make decisions before we are aware of what we think.
Professor Shedletsky’s research was featured in Newsweek; read about it here: https://www.newsweek.com/internal-monologue-controlling-you-1766027
Join us for a special program on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, from 3:00 to 4:30, when Professor Shedletsky updates OLLI members about his research on intrapersonal communication. Professor Jo Temach Gabrielski from NY is the co-author of the publication of the study and will join the presentation. Save the date and we’ll share details in the future.
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Reflections 2023 Submissions Now Open
Have you ever thought you’d like to write a poem, or maybe share one you’ve already written but have been reluctant to share? What about a story from your rich life that would be interesting for others to know about? Maybe you’re a phone photographer with hundreds of shots just sitting there in storage away from the eyes of appreciative viewers? Perhaps you dabble in pencil sketches that would inspire someone else to try their hand at it? So many possibilities: who knows what joy or insight something you’ve created might bring to others? Be brave. Take a chance. It’s free to try, and you’ve really got nothing to lose but the time it takes to offer your artistic effort.
And that time of year has arrived! Any member of OLLI is encouraged to submit poetry, prose, paintings, photographs, or other types of visual art to Reflections, OLLI’s annual journal of art and literature. Whether you submit every year or are considering doing it for the first time, the rules are simple. The important thing is to follow them so that we have a truly blind review process. Each work is considered by a selections committee and rated for appropriateness for publication. In that way, everyone has a fair chance of having his or her work included. Each person may submit up to two items in each of four categories. Your work must be both original and not previously published. Please see submission instructions HERE (scroll down). You may see that the instructions are for 2022, but they haven’t changed. Submissions will close April 1, 2023.
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Reminder: Our next Zoom gathering is on February 6. You can sign up on the OLLI website under Special Events.
1. Who is the only U.S. President who served two non-consecutive terms? What is the first name that he did not use?
Answer: Stephen Grover Cleveland (1837–1908). Cleveland was the first and only President to serve two non-consecutive terms (1885–1889 & 1893–1897), also the first and only President to be married in the White House (1886). His wife, Frances Folsom, age 21 when married, was the youngest First Lady in history. Did you know that Cleveland’s youngest granddaughter, Margaret Folsom Cleveland (1956–2021), lived in Portland, Maine? She was the youngest child of Richard Folsom Cleveland (1897–1974), the fourth child and first son of Grover and Frances Cleveland. Margaret worked at Martin’s Point and was a facilitator at USM. Some of our Trivia participants knew her!
2. What is the coating called that artists use to cover a canvas before painting?
Answer: Gesso. Rabbit’s skin glue (containing collagen) was used in an early type of gesso. We wonder who discovered this use for rabbit skin and if buyers of paintings were told it was part of what they were going to display on their walls? In modern times, gesso is a preparation of plaster of Paris and glue--much easier!
3. Why do ostriches bury their heads in the sand?
Answer: To dig holes in the sand to serve as nests for their eggs. The ostrich uses its beak to turn the eggs in the next several times a day, creating the illusion of burying its head in the sand.
4. In a typical deck of playing cards, which King is often seen as suicidal because it looks like the knife he is holding has gone through his head?
Answer: The King of Hearts. We were surprised that, despite having seen the King of Hearts card many times over many years, we never noticed the knife/sword. The Kings are well-armed! The King of Diamonds' weapon is a hatchet. Check out the other royals!
5. Did Beethoven ever meet Mozart? If so, where?
Answer: Maybe, in Vienna. In 1787, 17-year-old Beethoven took a leave of absence from his position at the court orchestra in Bonn and traveled to Vienna. Scholars disagree about whether he met Mozart, and there is no evidence to support either answer. There is consensus, however, that Mozart had a substantial influence on variations Beethoven composed based on section of Mozart's "The Magic Flute," "Don Giovanni," and "The Marriage of Figaro."
6. Where is the driest place on earth?
Answer: Antarctica. The 4,800 square kilometers of this region have had no rain for two million years!!!
According to NASA: The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of valleys west of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, so named because of their extremely low humidity and lack of snow and ice cover. Photosynthetic bacteria have been found living in the relatively moist interior of rocks. Scientists consider the Dry Valleys to be the closest of any terrestrial environment to Mars.
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Are you considering submitting an article to the OLLI Newsletter? Get in contact with us! | |
Email ollinews@maine.edu
to submit your piece.
Phone:207-780-4406
Tim Baehr, Editor
Don King, Editor Emeritus
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Deadline for the next issue is February 15. |
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Maine Senior College Network | | |
OLLI National Resource Center | | |
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Non-discrimination Notice
The University of Maine, including USM, is an EEO/AA employer and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).
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