OLLI Outlook
The Monthly Newsletter of OLLI @Berkeley
April 2012
Contents
Spring 2012 Lecture Series
High Five Celebration
Summer 2012 Term
Summer Interest Circles
Faculty Interview: Martha Saavedra
Seminar: Hearing Health
Seminar: Financing the New Retirement
Social Activities
Events of Interest
Volunteering
Member Benefits and Partner News
2011-12 Academic Calendar
The Lunch Bunch
Gift Certificates
Join Our Mailing List!
Links
Donate to OLLI

Find OLLI on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter


OLLI @Berkeley Staff
Director
Susan Hoffman

  

Program Coordinator
Aileen Kim

  

Communications Coordinator
Satya Levine

  

Program Assistant 
Gerard Alcantara 

  

Research Assistant
Sandra von Doetinchem

  

Student Staff
Nika Allahverdi, Camille Enriquez, Ramare Hopkins, Justin Jackson, Sabrina Liu, Tina Savong, Katherine Van Zalen, Suna Wilkerson

  

OLLI @Berkeley
University of California
1925 Walnut St #1570
Berkeley, CA 94720-1570
tel. 510.642.9934
fax. 510.642.2202
berkeley_olli@berkeley.edu
Three exciting lectures on diverse topics remain in the Spring 2012 lecture series. Lectures are free to OLLI members and $10 for general admission. This is a great way to introduce a friend to OLLI.

Lectures are on Wednesdays from 12-1:30 pm at Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse. Click to read full descriptions or RSVP online.

April 11: "Democracy Is Not a Spectator Sport," with Arthur Blaustein
April 18: "Toxic Flame Retardants: A Global Concern," with Arlene Blum
April 25: "The Tea Party and Angry White Women," with Ruth Rosen


High Five Celebration
Wednesday, April 25, 2012, from 1:30-4:00 pm at Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse
This will be OLLI @Berkeley's celebration of its fifth anniversary, which will include food and wine, live music, a display of OLLI member talent, and a drawing for five special prizes. Let us know if you plan to join the party.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
If you are interested in helping with the High Five Celebration on the day of celebration, contact Nikki Maziasz at olli.volunteer@gmail.com with "Celebration" in the subject line.

CALL FOR ARTISTS
Are you a photographer, painter, singer, or other type of artist? Perhaps a writer? Share your art at the High Five Celebration. Contact Jane Neilson (jane_neilson@prodigy.net) or Allyn Saroyan (alllynsar@comcast.net) for more information.

 
The Summer term will feature Interest Circles, OLLI courses, and summer sessions auditing. There will be five OLLI courses running from June 5-28. Course descriptions and registration information will be available in mid-April.

An Info Session will be held on Monday, April 30, from 3:15-4:30 pm in Room 150 University Hall (2199 Addison St). This will be an opportunity to ask questions about the OLLI courses and Summer Sessions auditing, register, and sign-up for Interest Circles (see below).

Interest Circles are your chance to meet like-minded classmates in a casual setting. They are member-run groups which meet between class terms for discussion of topics of mutual interest. Topics can be an extension of a class, something of current interest, book reading, lunch adventures, etc. The group can meet on a schedule of its choosing between July and September, e.g., weekly, every two weeks, once a month, etc.

 

A call for summer Interest Circle topics will be made in an upcoming OLLI Updates email. Topic proposals and an opportunity to express interest in a topic will be taken through a website. The responses will be shared before the Info Session on April 30, when members can meet up with those with similar topic interests. Meeting rooms and times for Interest Circles will also be provided at the meeting. In addition, experiences with prior Interest Circles and questions about Interest Circle procedures are encouraged during the Spring term's Brown Bag lunch gatherings. For more information about Interest Circles, click here

 

OLLI provides two ways to stimulate your mind: Classes and social activities such as Interest Circles. I hope you will consider participation either this summer or between the Fall and Winter terms. 

 

Allyn Saroyan

Interest Circles Coordinator

OLLI @Berkeley Membership Committee

allynsar@comcast.net

Faculty Interview: Martha Saavedra 

By Sasha Futran

 

Martha Saavedra didn't plan researching or teaching anything in the world of sports. She was working at Saint Mary's College when a colleague challenged her over lunch to teach a course in the politics of sports as she passionately discussed a civil rights case involving Title IX. She was using the case as part of a public administration class she was teaching at the time.

 

Saavedra was not a newcomer to Title IX or sports--her parents organized sports activities and teams in their neighborhood and she played soccer as a child. In college, Saavedra was able to play in a club rather than a team. "We couldn't touch the main soccer field but had to use a field on a sloop with crooked lines," she recalls. "So some of us organized, used Title IX, and we were able to achieve varsity status."

 

Saavedra did go on to create a course and we have the benefit of that now at OLLI and the chance to explore and understand the ways in which sports can be a tool for good and bad as a political and economic force locally, regionally, or internationally.

 

The passion is still there as Saavedra rattles off examples. "Look at what just happened in Egypt when there was a clash where supporters of the revolution confronted the old guard through soccer," she said, referring to the recent fight that broke out after a soccer match in which many died or were injured as the military police blocked exits. Although the battle started between sports fans, according to the The Nation, the government's response"acted as a defibrillator, bringing a revolutionary impatience back to life."

 

"One can also look at the International Olympics Committee and analyze how they can come in and suspend laws, establish new laws, and manipulate politics," continues Saavedra, "or at China and Taiwan and how their organizations exert influence and determine who gets the right to represent the country."

 

Saavedra is the associate director of the Center for African Studies at UC Berkeley and has gotten involved with helping a Kenyan group called Moving the Goal Posts. It's an organization for girls and women with the motto: We can do it. In a society where females keep their heads down and don't make direct eye contact, these girls organize soccer leagues, arrange to use fields, do the accounting and scheduling of practice and games.

 

"This puts them in a very different role," says Saavedra who works with the group. "They have to go and talk with tough headmasters and make arrangements. They learn a variety of skills. The accolades really build their self-esteem and they are also seen as more worthwhile."

 

Some claim that sports helps developing countries or that it can curb drug use and delinquency, that it is a tool for empowerment, peace and well-being. Others cite rampant commercialism, violence, homophobia, doping, and corruption. "The Global Politics of Sports" (offered this term) will explore it all and offers an interesting review and insight into global politics and major political events through the prism of sports.

 

Martha Saavedra's areas of research and expertise include agrarian politics, gender, sport and development in Africa and ethnic conflict in Sudan. Along with the Center for African Studies, she is currently also teaching at UC Berkeley's Journalism school training students for reporting on Africa. She's the mother of two and coaches her son's soccer team.

 

 

Seminar in Hearing Health: The Hard Tech and Soft Tech Approaches to Hearing Loss
Lawrence Lustig, MD and Peggy Kelly, PhD of the UCSF Cochlear Implant Center
April 16, 2012, 10:00 am-12:00 noon

The workshop will provide an overview of the current technology provided by cochlear implants for older adults with severe to profound hearing loss. Issues to be covered include the benefits of cochlear implants vs hearing aids, candidate eligibility and evaluation, and surgical and follow-up processes. The the workshop will also address the psychological aspects of coping with hearing loss, including adaptation to technology. There will be time for Q&A.

 

Room 41B University Hall, 2199 Addison St
FREE, reservation required due to limited space
For OLLI @Berkeley members only 

More information | RSVP online 

 

Seminar: Financing the New Retirement ~ April 27
Financing the New Retirement
Valerie Coleman Morris, former business anchor for CNN, with Mary Beth Franklin, former senior editor for Kiplinger's
Friday, April 27, 2012
10:00 am-4:00 pm

Creating financial well-being in this recession and in retirement is the focus of this workshop, which will take place at the Charles Schwab offices, 1995 University Ave, Ste 100, Berkeley. Space is limited. Click for details and registration information.

Social Activities

BROWN BAG LUNCHING

During the Spring 2012 term, Brown Bag Lunching will be held on Tuesdays in the Freight and Salvage Lobby from 12:00-1:00 pm. There will also be lunches on Wednesdays, May 2 and May 9. OLLI faculty will join the lunches on select dates (see below). 

 

LUNCHING WITH FACULTY

OLLI faculty will join the members at the brown bag lunches on the following days: Tuesdays, April 17, 24, and May 1, and Wednesdays, May 2 and May 9. Note: the faculty have changed for May 2 and 9. See the events calendar for details. 

 

FOURTH AGE SALONS 

Fourth Age Salons are an opportunity for OLLI to better understand the learning needs and interests of members over 80. Upcoming Fourth Age Salons are scheduled to take place on the following Mondays in Room 41C University Hall (2199 Addison St):

  • April 23, 3:00-4:30 pm

Each salon will have a specific topic with a guest speaker. Please contact research assistant Sandra von Doetinchem for more information at sandra.doetinchem@berkeley.edu.

 

MONTHLY DISCUSSION GROUP: NEW YORKER MAGAZINE

An OLLI member is starting a monthly gathering for people who would like to discuss articles from The New Yorker, or occasionally from the New York Review of Books or on-line sources. (This will be like a book group, but you don't have to read a whole book!) Gatherings will take place on the last Thursday of the month from 10:45 am to 12:30 pm. The tentative location is Nelly's Java in Montclair Village, Oakland. If the group turns out to be large, the location will be moved to a bigger spot in Montclair or Rockridge. If you're interested, please contact Susan S at suzeoak@gmail.com.

 

HAPPY HOUR

Twenty-six OLLI members came to the first ever OLLI Happy Hour, which was a totally enjoyable event, and an easy, informal way to get to know one another. Drinks were ordered at the no-host bar and the happy hour prices were great--the $6 Margarita was terrific! We gathered around a large, central table, which lent itself to easy conversation as well as moving from group to group. A waitperson checked in with us so we could order food to share or refresh our drinks. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly.

 

Because this was such fun, we plan to do this again in April. RSVP to Lucille Poskanzer, LBPoskanzer@LBL.gov, or just come.

 

NEXT OLLI Happy Hour: Wednesday, April 11, 4:00-6:00 pm

Sportivo, 2132 Center St, between Shattuck Ave and Oxford St 

510.705.1801


VOLUNTEERING

OLLI is recruiting new volunteers for next year's Open Houses. If you are interested, please contact Nikki Maziasz at olli.volunteer@gmail.com with "Open House" in the subject line. Note: The volunteer email address has been corrected from previous versions.

 

Faculty Events

ZACK ROGOW READING FROM NEW BOOK ~ APRIL 15 and 29 

Zack Rogow will be reading from his new book of poems, My Mother and the Ceiling Dancers, on two upcoming Sundays: Sunday, April 15, from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm, at Madrone Art Bar, 500 Divisidero (at Fell St), San Francisco, and Sunday, April 29, from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm at Mythos Fine Art & Artifacts, 1747 Solano Ave (at Ensenada Ave), Berkeley.   

 

My Mother and the Ceiling Dancers, Zack Rogow's seventh collection of poetry, published by Kattywompus Press, is now available at an early-bird discount, directly from the author. Email zrogow@berkeley.edu.  

 

KPFA PRESENTS AN EVENING WITH RICHARD LICHTMAN ~ MAY 11 

"Cry the Corrupted Country: Reflections on the Psychopathology of Capitalism"

Hosted by C.S. Soong

Friday, May 11, 7:30 pm

The Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley

More information and tickets 

 

Volunteering

Interested in volunteering your time to important and interesting causes? OLLI's "Volunteer" Interest Circle identifies local opportunities. Do you have new ideas for volunteering or want to know more about what the interest circle has found? If so, contact Barbara Malina at barbaramalina@comcast.net.

 

Health Care Guides for the World

Hesperian Health Guides provides information and educational tools to help people throughout the world to take control over their health. Their products, including the renowned Where There is No Doctor, have helped millions of people in 221 countries and territories to prevent and cure disease and challenge the social injustices that cause poor health.

 

Hesperian seeks volunteers to work for a variety of projects, ranging from researching topics for new books to packing up materials for shipment. They are conveniently located at 1919 Addison St, between Milvia and Martin Luther King. Volunteers should plan on 2-4 hours per week. For more information, visit http://hesperian.org/ or email jobsearch@hesperian.org.

 

Meals on Wheels

Meals on Wheels has called itself "the largest volunteer army in the nation." It first provided food to British servicemen during WWII. In the 1950s, it began to deliver meals to millions of people in need in the U.S. Meals on Wheels has provided home-delivered meals to housebound seniors in Berkeley, Albany, and Emeryville for more than 35 years.

 

Meals on Wheels is located at 1900 6th Street, at Hearst. They seek volunteers to pack meals from 9:15-10:30am or to deliver from 11am-1pm. For more information, call Dena at 981-5250 or visit http://www.mowaa.org/volunteer.

 

Member Benefits and Partner News

BERKELEY CITY COMMONS FRIDAY LUNCH TALKS

City Commons Club of Berkeley meets every Friday from 11:45 am to 1:30 pm at the Berkeley City Club (2315 Durant Ave, Berkeley) to promote the lively discussion of topics of interest to San Francisco Bay Area residents. Come for lunch or just for the talk.  


50% DISCOUNT AT BERKELEY ARTS AND LETTERS  

Berkeley Arts and Letters offers a 50% student discount to OLLI members. Visit http://berkeleyarts.org for more information.  

 

JAZZ CAFE: 10% DISCOUNT FOR OLLI MEMBERS

Ongoing through the Spring term, show your OLLI student card and get 10% off on food and non-alcoholic beverages. The Jazz Cafe is located at 2087 Addison Street, just across the street from Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse.

 

2011-12 Academic Calendar
SPRING 2012
Open House: Tuesday, March 20
Term dates: April 2-May 11

SUMMER 2012
Term dates: June 5-28

Term dates through the 2012-13 academic year are available at: http://olli.berkeley.edu/calendar/academicCalendar.html.

The Lunch Bunch

by Lucille Poskanzer

 

Green Earth Café and Bakery

2124 Center St, between Shattuck Ave and Oxford St 

Berkeley, CA 94704

510.981.8404

greenearthandbakery.com 

 

Do something really healthy for yourself and have lunch at this small and quiet place near the OLLI classrooms. The food is local, organic, vegan, ethical, sustainable, and "macrobiotique." It's also surprisingly delicious! There are soups, salads, sandwiches, and wraps as well as rice and noodle bowls, personal pizzas, and special macrobiotic meals. The baked goods are particularly good. Portions are not large and the prices a little high, but it's worth a try for something special. There are a few outdoor tables for the sunny days yet to come.

 

Gift Certificates
Share the sweetness of lifelong learning with a friend or loved one. Take a course together, or explore different interests and discuss what you've learned over lunch after class. Gift certificates are available for OLLI memberships, courses, and workshops. Download an order form or contact the OLLI office (510.642.9934) to purchase a gift certificate.