OLLI Outlook
The Monthly Newsletter of OLLI @Berkeley
October 2012
Contents
Speaker Series
Homecoming Lecture
Peder Sather Symposium
Election Night with OLLI @Berkeley and KALW
Fourth Age Salons
Faculty Profile: Alex Saragoza
NEW: Volunteer Profile: Nikki Masiasz
Of Interest
OLLI Faculty News
On Campus and Around Town
The Lunch Bunch
Member Benefits and Partner News
2012-13 Academic Calendar
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

  

Classroom Coordinator 
Gerard Alcantara 

  

Research Assistant
Sandra von Doetinchem

  

Student Staff

Nika Allahverdi, Stephen Frianeza, Alex Lee, Sabrina Liu, BriAnne Lynn, Alexis Nya, Tina Savong, Vickie Tran My Duong, Julie Xiao, Wei Zhuo

  

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
Director's Report

Hi, Everyone.

 

Welcome back to the classroom for the 720 members who are joining us this fall. If you have not had a chance to register as a member, don't be deterred, you can still register online. Registered members get in free to all speaker series events and, this term, to the Election Night Live! event at Freight and Salvage. We also will have an incredible line-up of Interest Circles that will meet from November 13, 2012, to January 25, 2013--all free to members.

 

One of the most exciting aspects of the fall term is our collaboration with Bay Area cultural "flagship" institutions such Cal Performances, Berkeley Symphony, and SF Opera, and smaller organizations like Shotgun Players and Poetry Flash. I heard Paul Dresher's thrilling performance with the Berkeley Symphony and will see Shotgun Players' Assassins. There will be discussions with these artists in the OLLI classroom in the coming weeks.

 

We've had a perios of reflection, assessment, and planning over the summer. Please take a look at the summary of the strategic plan for this coming year. The plan was developed by dozens of our members, faculty, and University colleagues.

 

There is also an annual report featuring the highlights from last year along with financial information.

 

We are very excited about the coming year and look forward to having you as a part of the OLLI community.

 

Sincerely,

 

Susan Hoffman, Director

 

Speaker Series

Wednesdays, 12:15-1:30 pm

Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse (2020 Addison St, Berkeley)

Free to OLLI members; $10 general admission

More info | RSVP online 

 

Inside the Music of Paul Dresher

Composer Paul Dresher in conversation with dramaturg Philippa Kelly

October 10

See a video of Paul Dresher discussing his recent world premiere with Berkeley Symphony 

 

What's Going on at the U.S. Supreme Court?

Civil liberties attorney Marshall Krause in conversation with labor attorney Bill Sokol

October 17

 

Six Lines of Flight: Shifting Geographies in Contemporary Art, with curator and author Apsara DiQuinzio (coincides with SFMOMA exhibit)

October 24

 

Paradox Island: A Reporter's Season in the Changing Cuba, with UCB School of Journalism Professor and journalist Cynthia Gorney

October 31

 

Homecoming Lecture ~ Oct 6

Each year, OLLI @Berkeley sponsors a Homecoming lecture which is open to registered Homecoming attendees and current OLLI @Berkeley members with membership card.

 

The Embodied Mind

Amelia Barili

Saturday, October 6, 1:30-2:30 pm

Sibley Auditorium, Bechtel Engineering Center

UC Berkeley campus

More info | Map 

 

Peder Sather Symposium, co-sponsored by OLLI ~ Oct 25
Peder Sather Symposium: Reflections of Nobel Laureates on Science in an Age of International Collaboration
October 25th, 5:00 pm
Berdahl Auditorium, Stanley Hall, UC Berkeley
More info | Map

This symposium will feature introductory remarks by George Breslauer, the UC Berkeley provost. Following these introductory remarks there will be a brief speech by Nyamko Sabuni, the Swedish Minister for Gender Equality and Deputy Minister for Education. Afterwards, Saul Perlmutter and George Smoot, two UC Berkeley faculty and Nobel Laureates, will discuss the past and future of international collaborations in the sciences.

 

Co-Sponsored by the Consulate of Norway, the Consulate of Sweden, the Institute of International Studies, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

Election Night Live! with OLLI @Berkeley and KALW ~ Nov 6

Join OLLI @Berkeley, KALW, and Freight and Salvage for live radio coverage of the election returns with KALW host Rose Aguilar, KALW news room director Holly Kernan, and OLLI @Berkeley instructor Larry Bensky

 

Tuesday, November 6, 6:00-11:00 pm

Doors open at 5:00 pm

Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse (2020 Addison St, Berkeley)

Free to OLLI @Berkeley members, and UCB students, staff, and faculty (with ID) 

$5 donation general admission at the door

More info 

 

Fourth Age Salons

Are you an OLLI member 80 years of age or older? The Fourth Age Salon is an opportunity for OLLI to better understand your learning needs and interests. All participants are Annual members. If you haven't registered yet for the year, call 510.642.9934 or register online.

 

Resilience and Mindfulness

Guest Speaker: Lauren Vanett, SF State University   

Monday, October 8, 3:00-4:30 pm

Details and location  

 

A Garden of Social (Media) Delights 

Guest Speaker: Professor Ken Goldberg, UC Berkeley's College of Engineering and School of Information

Monday, November 5, 3:00-4:30 pm

Details and location   

 

Faculty Interview: Alex Saragoza

by Don Queen  

 

This winter, Associate Professor Alex Saragoza of UC Berkeley will return to OLLI @Berkeley to teach a course describing the economic and social aspects of post-Castro Cuba and their impacts on both Cuba and the United States.

 

Dr. Saragoza says: "What we will be doing in this course is basically raising the questions: What are the reasons? What are the consequences? What are the implications of the relationship between Cuba and the United States? Why do we still have an embargo despite the fact that we have diplomatic and economic relations with many countries with authoritarian regimes?"

 

Besides his University and OLLI classes, Professor Saragoza has led a group tour to the island with OLLI. He was a main consultant to Paradigm Productions for a two-hour documentary for PBS on the Mexican Revolution and has been a panelist on ABC News. He is a member of the system-wide UC-Cuba Initiative and of Berkeley's Cuba Working Group. Dr. Saragoza is researching the tourist industry in Mexico and Cuba and coediting a volume on tourism.

 

Professor Saragoza says that he grew up in a migrant worker family and graduated from Fresno State College. "I was inspired by the Sidney Poitier movie To Sir with Love and that idealism brought me to the Graduate School of Education at Harvard and my Master's paper was on the impact of the Mexican revolution on the educational system in the Caribbean islands. Then I went back to my undergraduate major, which was history, and went to study under a great Mexican historian, Ramon Ruiz at the University of California, San Diego." It was there that he obtained his Ph.D. in Latin American History with a specialty in Mexico and Cuba.

 

The course will begin with a thorough discussion of the 1959 revolution in its historical context. The class will then study the tremendous changes in Cuba today and what they will mean for Cuban society and culture. Of particular interest is the government's change in economic policy, a concerted effort to privatize the economy, such as by seeking to reduce the proportion of governmental workers from upwards of eighty percent to less than sixty percent. He states that a major source of private employment will obviously be a growing tourist industry where many Cubans are going to develop independent entrepreneurial opportunities, businesses and enterprises generating money to be spent in the private sector where ownership of private property will now be allowed.

 

The course will pay a great deal of attention to questions of racism in Cuba which is still a factor in social life which the Government has tried to eliminate since the revolution. The class will discuss the cultural implication of the government attempts to develop a "Cultural Project" to redefine notions of what it was to be Cuban, or "Cubanidad," consisting of radio, TV, music, and dance and to what extent it has been successful. Also Regionalism, as there are areas where despite its small size, there are economic variants as well as differences in the situation of women on the island.

 

Another aspect of the course will be Cuban music and dance including the resurgence of the famous Buena Vista Social Club and its music in Havana which promises to be an intriguing aspect of the class.

 

Alex Saragoza will be teaching "Contemporary Cuba" at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center on Thursdays from 10:00 am-12:00 noon from January 31-March 7.

 

Volunteer Profile: Nikki Masiasz

Nikki Maziasz I was born in Lodi, California--I am a California native! I joined OLLI eight years ago when it was part of UC Extension. I have been a member of the new OLLI since its beginning. When I'm not with my 5 grandchildren, I spend my time volunteering and traveling. I am on the board of a small liberal arts college and also chair an annual dinner to raise scholarship money for underserved students.

 

I've taken so many fabulous OLLI courses I can't really identify one favorite class. I have taken many of Michael Fox's film classes which are great!     

 

As an OLLI volunteer I've done many things. For the past several years I've worked with volunteers at the Open House at Freight and Salvage. I've been a Class Assistant for numerous classes, helped with social events and outreach. Basically, I try to help out where there is a need. Also, I sit on several committees; Annual Fund, Membership, and Lafayette Library Planning. There are many interesting volunteer activities going on at OLLI all the time.

 

By being an OLLI volunteer, I meet so many interesting, intelligent, and engaged people: OLLI staff, instructors, and members. There is always something new to learn.

 

Of Interest

Article by SharpBrains discusses benefit of the new Medicare annual wellness visit: Will Medicare's Annual Wellness Visit enhance physical & cognitive health? Probably--if people go  

 

OLLI Faculty News

Lynne Kaufman's new play is premiering at The Marsh in Berkeley. Acid Test is a one-person show about the life and times of Richard Alpert, aka Ram Dass, running from October 18-November 24, with previews beginning on October 4. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.themarsh.org/.

 

Kathryn Roszak is preparing to debut a new dance theater work for her company Danse Lumiere this fall based on the poetry of Nobel Prize-winning poet Tomas Transtr�mer. An open rehearsal and benefit will be held on Sunday, October 28 at 2:00 pm at the Osher Studio in the Arpeggio Building (2055 Center St, Berkeley). There will be a reception with artists following the program. For more information and reservations call 510.233.5550 or visit http://www.dlkdance.com 

 

On Friday, October 12, 10:00 pm PDT, on National Public Radio affiliate KALW-FM (91.7 FM, whistler and music critic Jason Victor Serinus will be the guest on Chloe Veltman's VoiceBox. The entire radio show will be devoted to the art of whistling. The show will be streamed live on KALW's website throughout the week, then available as at http://info.voicebox-media.org/search/label/podcasts.

 

On Campus and Around Town

FREE DOCENT-LED TOURS AT THE BERKELEY ART MUSEUM

The Berkeley Art Museum offers free docent-led tours on the Berry McGee exhibit on Thursdays (12:15 pm) and Sundays (2:00 pm) between September 27 and December 9. For more information, visit: http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/events/education 

 

EXPLORE THE WORLD OF SCIENCE AT BERKELEY LAB ~ OCT 13 

Open House 2012: October 13, 10:00 am-3:00 pm
From the icy South Pole, the tundra of Alaska, and sub-zero Siberia, to the Amazon rain forest, tropical Samoa, and the coral reefs of Puerto Rico, Berkeley Lab scientists explore the world around us seeking solutions to humankind's most pressing challenges. And the exploration continues in the lab, as researchers investigate ways to create new materials and biofuels, make our buildings more energy efficient, model climate change, or stem human diseases. Families, community members, and science enthusiasts are invited to join our team of explorers at Berkeley Lab's Open House and make discoveries of their own. More info at http://www.lbl.gov/openhouse.

 

BERKELEY SYMPHONY

Known as Bay Area's most adventurous orchestra, Berkeley Symphony and Music Director Joana Carneiro bring you their most Defiantly Original season yet in 2012-13 as the orchestra explores the innovators, rebels, illuminators, and idealists of the symphonic world. Each Zellerbach Hall concert will feature a new work by one of the most compelling composers of our time, uniquely paired with great masterpieces.

 

We invite you to join us and experience these one-of-a-kind symphonic concerts right here in Berkeley. OLLI members receive $5 off single tickets for the 2012-13 season. For more information, please visit http://berkeleysymphony.org/about/community/#olli.  

 

The Lunch Bunch

by Lucille Poskanzer

 

Ichiban Japanese and Chinese Restaurant

2017 Shattuck Ave, between Addison St and University Ave

Berkeley, CA 94704

510.848.2228 or 510.848.2200

www.ichibanberkeley.com

 

This restaurant, close to the OLLI classrooms, offers both a Chinese and Japanese menu, but most diners choose from the Japanese offerings.  The choices are many, with a large menu of all the standards--nothing very innovative or too expensive. The moderately-priced bento boxes are very popular for lunch. They include miso soup and salad, as well as rice and tea. The cooking is not spectacular, but the setting is blissfully quiet, and the space can accommodate a large group.

 

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 Bay Area residents. Come for lunch or just for the talk. For upcoming programs, visit: http://www.citycommonsclub.org/UpcomingPrograms.html 

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Berkeley Symphony offers $5 discount to OLLI members

OLLI members for the 2012-2013 year can receive a $5 discount on single tickets at the Berkeley Symphony for advance tickets (not at the door). Use the discount code olli2013. More info

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Berkeley Arts and Letters: 50% Discount

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

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Jazz Cafe: 10% Discount
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.

 

2012-13 Academic Calendar
FALL 2012
Open House: September 11
Term: October 1-November 9

WINTER 2013
Open House: January 8
Term: January 28-March 11
Holiday: February 18

SPRING 2013
Open House: March 12
Term: April 1-May 10

SUMMER 2012
Courses: June 3-28

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

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.