A member of our community has written a highly personal memoir of her life, from her childhood as a refugee from the Third Reich to her imprisonment after a protest at a nuclear facility. Marion Wolff is a holocaust survivor, social activist, writer, wife, mother, and grandmother. Her book is an emotionally charged memoir that is tinged with humor, optimism, and candid self-disclosure.
Marion will share her stories with you. Listen as she sets the stage of events leading up to her journey on the ‘kindertransport’, with historical facts as well as personal experiences. She will use her book as a springboard and resource for a lively Q & A, and for a discussion on life’s odds and ends, intimated throughout the book. You’ll know some of the events that shaped Marion’s life; what has shaped your life?
Note: It is recommended that participants read “Shedding Skins” prior to class ($12.00).
Faculty: Marion Wolff is the author of Shedding Skins, a non-chronological collection of autobiographical vignettes and poems covering much of her life from an 8-year-old child’s flight from Vienna, Austria, to recent events here on the central coast.
091-2264
Congregation Beth David
Fridays, April 3, 10
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
2 sessions
Maximum Class Size: 25
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Mission SLO - Tour the Out of Order Mission
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is an important factor in the life of the city of San Luis Obispo, which proudly calls itself “The City with a Mission.” The mission continues to serve as a modern Parish church for the many Catholics in the area. The original padres’ residence has been turned into an extraordinary mission museum which contains an extensive collection of early photographs and other items, which present a vivid picture of the way of life in California before the turn of the century.
Join one of our members, Jan Potter, a dedicated Mission docent, on a personal tour of the mission. Jan will provide you with information on the background of the “mission system,” the reasons that missions along the California coastline were desired by the Spanish crown, and what effect the missions had upon the local Chumash population. You will also learn about Fr. Junipero Serra, and hear about mission art and architecture.
Faculty: Jan Potter became interested in the California Missions because of the sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, one of the early religious orders brought to California from Spain. She formerly headed the education program for Santa Barbara Historical Society docents. In SLO she served as educational director for the South SLO County Historical Society. She is now a docent at the Mission, and also presents in-classroom local and state historical programs.
091-2088
Mission San Luis Obispo
Friday, April 3
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
1 Session
Maximum Class Size: 25
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If you have always wanted to see the Point San Luis Lighthouse, but not been able to do the hike, then this outing is for you!
First, you will be driven by van to the Point San Luis Light Station where you will be given a tour of the Lighthouse by the Lighthouse Keepers themselves where you will be able to view first hand their restoration efforts of the past several years.
After the Lighthouse tour, you will start an easy 3.5 mile round trip Rattlesnake Canyon interpretive hike, where you will hike a seldom-visited part of the Pecho Coast Trail known as Rattlesnake Canyon. The trail parallels an old pipeline used to supply water to the Lighthouse in the early 1900s. Along the way you will view pristine sandy beaches, coastal terraces, harbor seal and otter haul out areas.
At Rattlesnake Canyon, the midpoint of the hike, you will see where a Mammoth tooth was found. There we will stop to eat lunch and enjoy the area.
Note: Restroom facilities are available at the Lighthouse and a primitive toilet is available at Rattlesnake Canyon. There are rattlesnakes, ticks and poison oak in the area. Hiking shoes should be worn. Windbreaker, hat, and walking stick are recommended. Bring water and a sack lunch.
Van and driver service to the Lighthouse and back is being provided by the Point San Luis Lighthouse Keepers. You are required to sign a PG&E waiver for this activity.
Faculty: Lead docent Paul O’Connor, former Cal Fire Captain, is an experienced outdoorsman, Pecho Coast Trail Docent, Buchon Point Trail docent, San Luis Light House Keeper/Docent and OLLI leader of local area hikes.
Barton Dennen is an active local docent who regularly leads hikes in San Luis Obispo County, giving special emphasis to the native plants, geology and history of the surroundings. He is part of the team that leads the Coon Creek hike, Montana de Oro Bluff walk, Point Buchon walk, Point San Luis Lighthouse hike, and Reservoir Canyon hike.
091-2240
Monday, April 6
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
1 Session
Maximum Class Size: 14
Fee: $22 per person for the van.
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The Maya people of Yucatan and Central America left extensive hieroglyphics that proved to be undecipherable to the best minds for many years. The breaking of the code or deciphering these writings is a fascinating story that reveals itself over the course of 40-50 years.
You will begin this course by watching an hour-long film based on Michael Coe’s book, “Breaking the Maya Code”. Following the film you will join the other participants in a discussion of this subject.
Note: This fascinating book, “Breaking the Maya Code”, is recommended for those who want to dig deeper but is not required. The internet is also a good source of additional information.
Faculty: Jim Avila has taught introductory geography courses at Sacramento City College. His specializes in the U.S. Southwest and Mesoamerica. He attained a B.A. from UC Irvine and an M.A. from UC Davis. He retired from Caltrans in 2002.
091-2321
SLO Veterans’ Hall Lounge
Tuesday, April 7
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
1 Session
Maximum Class Size: 36
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The Great Decisions program encourages debate and discussion of the important global issues of our time, using study materials from the Foreign Policy Association (independent and non-partisan) to help you reach informed opinions on the foreign policy issues facing our country.
This course is very participatory: each week a participant will select an issue on which to lead the discussion in a subsequent week. There will be eight sessions corresponding to each of the issues in the Great Decisions 2009 book: U.S. and the rising powers, Afghanistan/Pakistan, energy and the global economy, the Arctic, Egypt, global food supply, Cuba after Castro, and human rights.
You will be asked to read the applicable sections of the Great Decisions 2009 book, and if a computer is available, research the topic on the internet.
Faculty: Florence M. Jones has facilitated twelve previous Great Decisions classes for Osher. She is a retired attorney with a deep interest in foreign policy.
091-1177-1
Pismo Beach Veterans’ Hall
Tuesdays, April 7, 14, 21, 28
May 5, 12, 19, 26
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
8 Sessions
Maximum Class Size: 30
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In this class you will discuss how current economic theories represent only part of the real economy and lead to socially and ecologically destructive policies. By placing value only on transactions in the marketplace and by ignoring the real costs of production, we trade short term wealth for long term national decline. Caring Economics places human capital as the core economic value.
You will also discuss how the labor of women- unpaid or underpaid- is the unacknowledged underpinning of the world-wide economic system, both locally and internationally. You will gain an awareness of the exploitation of women and some strategies for correcting injustices in the areas of equal pay, child care, family leave, health care, and divorce.
Note: The Real Wealth of Nations by Riane Eisler is recommended reading prior to class.
Faculty: Dawn E. Williams was a member of the Women’s Committee of United Teachers of Los Angeles and has 30 years’ experience in public school teaching. She has been a facilitator or participant in various conferences regarding women’s issues and is a retired member of the County Commission on the Status of Women and of the Women’s Community Center.
Vic Lewis studied Sociology at UCLA and Management at the Harvard Business School. He retired from careers as Air Force officer, Information Systems professional and has been an adjunct professor of management at several colleges and universities.
091-2319
San Luis Adult School, Room H3
Wednesdays, April 8, 22, 29, May 6
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
4 Sessions
Maximum Class Size: 40
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We live in one of the most dynamic, active, geologic areas of North America. Our county was once located where San Diego is today (28 million years ago) and will eventually end up near San Francisco (15-20 million years from now). In this course you will learn more about what makes the county so geologically special.
The first session, an introductory lecture, will give you a general geological overview. In the second session you will embark on a geological bus tour of the county, stopping in Avila, San Luis Obispo and the San Andreas Fault in Parkfield.
Note: You will have lunch at the Parkfield Inn.
Faculty: Alan Stevens is active, dynamic and a fountain of information. His training was in geological engineering and geophysics. His work in oil exploration took him all over the world.
091-2027
CANCELLED
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Peter will start with an introduction: How to Read Any Well-Crafted Film. Then he will present a close, informed look at two of Hollywood’s great film-styles from the “Fabulous Forties”: The Musical and Film Noir, focusing on six classics.
Bring to class your unbridled enthusiasm to grasp Peter’s three Quintessential Concepts:
Well-Crafted Movies Move Us
Great Film Is a Major Art Form, Deserving of Close Analysis
Major Films Are NOT Throw-Away, Disposable, Consumer Items
With lively, open, participant-centered discussions there will be NO BORING LECTURING with this exciting film series!
Series 1
April 13: Easter Parade. Director: Charles Walters. Stars Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Ann Miller & Peter Lawford.
April 20: Mildred Pierce. Director: Michael Curtiz. Stars Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott & Eve Arden.
April 27: Moon Over Miami. Director: Walter Lang. Stars Betty Grable, Don Ameche & Robert Cummings.
Text: The Hollywood Story, 3rd. ed., Joel Finler, London/N.Y.: Wallflower, 2003 is highly recommended.
Faculty: Peter Raleigh, Ph.D. has greatly enjoyed teaching Film Studies, Shakespeare, Literature and Foreign Languages for 40+ years at major Colleges and Universities in England, Germany, Wisconsin and California. The essence of his approach is quite simple: “I make our students the focus of each meeting: We all, at once, become a community of equal learners.” Dr. Raleigh holds the B.A. from The Honours School, University of Birmingham, England (German & French Literatures); the M.A. in German Literature and the Ph.D. in German Literature—Emphasis in Theatre—both from University of California, Santa Barbara. He also holds the M. A. in Film Studies from University of the Pacific. Founder-Director of The Shakespeare Academy, Dr. Raleigh’s latest brainchild is his founding of “The Cambria Shakespeare & Film Festival.”
091-2314
CANCELLED
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The San Andreas Fault is one of the best known and most studied geological structures in the world. The portion of the fault that is easiest to see runs through the “back yard” of the Central Coast, yet many people are unaware of exactly where it is and what to look for. This course will show you how to find it, where to get the information necessary to drive it, and what indicators to look for. You will learn what forces created the fault, what geological features are associated with it, and how these features were formed.
The first session will answer questions you may have about the fault in a classroom setting, as well as explain how to drive and recognize the Fault on your own. The second session will put what you have learned in the classroom into practice as you will tour a portion of the fault, identify its features and trace it across the California backcountry.
Faculty: Lyle Yager is a docent for the Pecho Coast Trail and the San Luis Lighthouse. He teaches the OLLI Lighthouse Hike Course, Reservoir Canyon and the Coon Creek hikes. Lyle has developed a special interest in the geology of the Central Coast, and has studied the Pismo Beach site many times as a member of geology courses he has taken.
091-2339
Lecture: Cal Poly Campus, Kennedy Library, Room 202
Wednesday, April 15
9:30 am - 12:00 pm
Bus tour: Tuesday, April 28
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
2 Sessions
Maximum Class Size: 23
Bus Fee: TBA
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Walk the Bluff Trail at Montana de Oro State Park with experienced docent interpreters. A panoramic, rugged shoreline, rocky inlets and Coastal Scrub, provide a seasonally changing experience of diverse plant and animal life in addition to dramatic and dynamic geology.
Observe numerous bird and plant species along with land and marine animals. Human history includes the Chumash, early ranching on the “Pecho”, the search for black gold and the development of a unique State Park. This is a moderately easy round trip walk approximately four miles, on mostly level ground, with a stop for lunch and beach exploration at Corallina Cove.
Note: Bring a lunch and water. Layered clothing and sturdy shoes are advised. Binoculars are recommended and you’ll have many opportunities for photography.
Faculty: Lead docent Randy Bello is a third generation native of the area and is a trained interpretive docent with California State Parks and the Natural History Association in Morro Bay, Pacific Gas and Electric Company Pecho Coast and Buchon Trails Docent, and Cal Poly OLLI program leader.
Paul O’Connor, former Cal Fire Captain, is an experienced outdoorsman, Pecho Coast Trail Docent, Buchon Point Trail docent, San Luis Light House Keeper/Docent and OLLI leader of local area hikes.
091-2219
Montana de Oro State Park
Thursday, April 16
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
1 Session
Maximum Class Size: 20
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If you attended the “Demystifying Your Computer” course, then you will really want to attend this course!
The Internet or Web can be a valuable tool and resource for everyone.
In this course you will learn the basics of the Internet so you can look up a reference, read the news headlines, read the day’s weather forecast of a place on the other side of the globe, book a plane ticket, make hotel reservations, pay bills online, or learn how to do almost anything!
You will learn how to easily spread your wisdom and document your knowledge with blogs and genealogy sites and meet new friends from around the world through social networking sites. Make the internet work for you and your lifelong learning goals!
The course will cover using browsers, the World Wide Web, and surfing and searching the net. Internet safety and basic common trouble spots will be discussed as well as a brief overview of the history, technology, and structure of the Internet.
Faculty: Josh Ruiz is a self-admitted computer geek and has over 20 years of experience working on computers. He is currently the administrative assistant to the Dean of Cal Poly Continuing Education.
091-2330
SLO Vet's Hall, lounge room
Friday, April 17
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
1 Session
Maximum Class Size: 30
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Exploring Your Financial Future
Are you retired or soon will be contemplating retirement? Some of us will live more years in retirement than we did working, and a lot of things can happen over the next 10-30 years that may have a significant impact on your financial future. If you’re not retired, how much will you need to save before you can retire on your own terms? If you are already retired, how much can you spend each year from your retirement nest egg? Will Social Security be enough to address your cost-of-living needs? Should you start taking Social Security at age 62 or wait and receive more each year when you are older? What are IRAs? At what age should you start saving? These questions and many more will be addressed during this lecture with time for questions and discussion.
Faculty: Ron Workman is a financial advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER(tm) professional with Wachovia Securities, LLC. He has previously taught Introduction and Intermediate courses for Microsoft Excel, and Exploring Your Financial Future, through OSHER. Prior to entering the financial industry, he has had many years of experience working with and developing software products. He has been an author and a guest lecturer at several international computer industry conferences. He has held executive management positions in marketing and sales of infrastructure software, operating systems, development tools and other runtime software IP products and services. He is a 1977 graduate of Cal Poly.
091-2244
Cal Poly Campus, Kennedy Library, Room 202
RESCHEDULED to Saturday, APRIL 25th
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
1 session
Maximum Class Size: 30
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Touring the Octagon Barn: Icon of the Land Conservancy of San
Luis Obispo County
This course will explore the local conservation history of San Luis Obispo County by focusing on a cultural, historical, and agricultural icon—The Octagon Barn—that embodies the mission of the Land Conservancy.
You will learn about the history of the Octagon Barn including its past usage, unique shape, and other defining characteristics. Through a hands-on tour, photo display and demonstrations, you will also learn the process & methods undertaken to restore the structure and what the plans are for its future use. Instructors will then present information on how the Octagon Barn symbolizes the greater vision and mission of the Land Conservancy, describing the critical conservation that has been accomplished since The Land Conservancy’s conception twenty-three years ago. Finally, the course will conclude with a brief outlook of SLO County’s conservation future.
Note: Please wear comfortable shoes suitable for walking on uneven surfaces.
Faculty: Ed Carson,Ph.D., served in the Air Force, obtained his BS, MS and PhD in Agricultural Economics, and was a Farm Management Extension Specialist for Purdue University before moving here in 1984. He’s served on the Land Conservancy Board of Trustees and as Treasurer on the Land Conservancy Board of Trustees and of Heritage Shared. As a leader in the Barn Committee he has donated hundreds of hours advocating restoration of the historic Octagon Barn.
Brian Stark became a Land Conservancy volunteer in 1994. He has worked on Rural Settlement Pattern Strategy Reports and the San Luis Obispo Greenbelt Plan. In 1997 he created the San Luis Obispo Creek Watershed Enhancement Project and has since focused primarily on managing restoration projects on local creeks and doing conservation on behalf of steelhead trout. In 2001 he became Deputy Director at the Land Conservancy and in 2005 he was promoted to Executive Director.
091-2160
Octagon Barn, South Higuera St., SLO
Tuesday, April 21
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
1 Session
Maximum Class Size: 25
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Exploring the Guadalupe/Nipomo Dunes
The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes is the largest remaining dune system south of San Francisco and the second largest in the state of California. The dune complex is home to a unique ecosystem as well as several endangered and threatened species of plants and animals. To protect the dunes environment, much of the complex has been set aside for conservation. You will tour three different areas and see three different aspects of the Dunes, all on the same day. You will be asked challenging questions regarding stewardship of natural and cultural resources of the dunes ecosystem. Participants will meet at the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center. Following a tour there, you will caravan first to the Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve, and then to Oso Flaco Lake Natural Area. Among the subjects that will be covered are the history of the Guadalupe oil spill, the cultural history of the dunes, natural history of the dunes, biodiversity of the dunes complex, watershed and water quality, current land management, and the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Collaborative.
Note: You must be able to walk 1 ½ miles round-trip along an easy, level pathway to the beach. Carpooling recommended: Limited parking. There may be a parking fee collected at the Dunes Center. Please wear walking shoes, bring sunscreen, a hat, a windbreaker, binoculars (for bird watching), notebook and a brown bag lunch.
Faculty: Kathie Matsuyama is the Watershed and Natural Resources Manager for the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, a non-profit environmental education and outreach organization. She was chairman of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Collaborative in 2005 and 2006. Kathie is also on the Board of Directors of the Coastal San Luis Resource Conservation District.
091-2174
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center
Thursday, April 23
9:00 am -12:30 pm
1 Session
Maximum Class Size: 40
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Brain Exercise is a series of simple and fun physical exercises and movements that eliminate stress. These exercises help your brain to integrate the attention, emotional, and information areas, allowing your brain and body to work together better. As your brain integrates, its functions will be enhanced for optimal performance in concentration, memory, creativity and communication. You will be able to organize better, think more rationally, move toward your goals, stay relaxed, and react appropriately to emotional situations. You will overcome blocks in living and learning. Brain exercise helps older people enhance and restore physical and mental skills.
This is a learn-by-doing course. In just two hours, you will be on your way to realizing the benefits. You will learn several exercises and movements that are simple; fun; and easily done by most people of all ages, including children and seniors.
Note: Please wear loose-fitting clothes and comfortable shoes.
Faculty: Nisa King is an IT Project Manager and has worked for industry leaders such as Philips, Sema, IBM, EDS and Satyam. She also has remarkable skills in coaching and healing as a Wellness Medical Qigong Practitioner. She uses various techniques including Qigong, Energy Healing, SMILE Techniques, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), and Intuitive Counseling. She also holds Qigong classes and conducts various workshops.
091-2277
SLO Veterans’ Hall Lounge
Friday, April 24
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
1 Session
Maximum Class Size: 30
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Part 1 – Humanity from the Cosmos (Russ Genet)
In Part 1 you will learn the scientific story of how we came to be, starting with the Big Bang and ending with modern humanity. At this moment in the history of the universe, humanity, born from stardust more than 13 billion years after the Big Bang, is now able to trace its origins, both in the universe and on the tiny island of life in a vast and largely empty cosmos. It is our evolutionary history in a nutshell.
Part 2 – The Cosmos in Humanity (Cheryl Genet)
Part 2 will consider the cosmological stories of the world’s major faith traditions, and the rise and development of the cosmological story of science, that was told in the first session. It will trace the origins of the three monotheistic religions and follow the path of science and faith through Western history and into present day America, where the debate over our origins still captures the imagination of a nation and shapes our view of the future.
Part 3 – Humanity in the Cosmos (Russ Genet)
The final session will explore humanity’s evolutionary path into the future. We humans and our domesticated plants and animals now dominate Earth. Is this a sustainable relationship in the long run? Will ice ages return? As our sun gets brighter, will Earth become too hot for humanity? Is there life elsewhere in the universe? What is the status of our search for other life? Will we humans be able to travel to other stars? What is the long term fate of the universe? What, in a nutshell, is our latest scientific understanding of our universe, its future, and humanity’s place within it?
Note: While this is a series, you are invited to attend any one, or all of the sessions.
Faculty: Cheryl Genet,Ph.D., holds a doctoral degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Science and Theology. She is director of the Orion Institute’s Science and the Human Spirit program, the Managing Editor of the Collins Foundation Press, co-editor of the “Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories, and Critiques” and “The Evolutionary Epic: Science’s Story and Humanity’s Response” and an adjunct professor of philosophy at Cuesta College.
Russ Genet was Director of the first robotic observatory and President of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Currently he is the Director of the Orion Observatory, located near Santa Margarita Lake. Russ’ synthesis of physical, biological, and cultural evolution was published as the book “The Chimpanzees Who Would Be Ants: The Evolutionary Epic of Humanity.” He is a Research Scholar in Residence at Cal Poly and an adjunct professor at Cuesta College.
091-2332
San Luis Obispo Library, Community Room
Part 1: Friday, April 24, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Part 2: Saturday, April 25, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Part 3: Saturday, April 25, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
3 Sessions
Maximum Class Size: 25
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How can we come to terms with conflicting ideas about Beauty and the meaning of Art in our multicultural society? As I have seen in my 20 years of experience as an art history professor, art critic and artist, this question comes up over and over again, and it cuts to the heart of being a thinking, engaged and socially active person alive today. Related to this are questions such as “How can I lead a more artful life?”, “Why is that art?”, and “How can my art reach a wider audience?”
Come and participate in an illustrated lecture and deep conversation about the importance of art and beauty in a just and creative society. The only requirements are a willingness to consider new points of view, an inquisitive nature and past experience viewing art in person, whether as an artist, in a gallery or ideally in various museums. You will learn how to trust your own judgment about art, how to discuss the deeper issues behind works of art of any style or period, and to just generally see and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us every day.
Note: Prior to class, it would be helpful to review a book such as “Sister Wendy’s 1000 Masterpieces” or something similar.
Faculty: Tobey Crockett, Ph.D. received her doctorate in Visual Studies from UC Irvine, and was honored with a prestigious New York Foundation for the Arts grant for her virtual world “Tobey Crockett’s Wild Frontier” (TCWF). With over 100 articles, reviews and essays published on the arts and technology, she is a frequent lecturer and guest speaker. A former New Yorker with stints in L.A. and Europe, she now lives in Los Osos. See www.tobeycrockett.com.
091-2316
Morro Bay Community Center
Wednesday, April 29
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
1 Session
Maximum Class Size: 15
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Have you ever wondered where your electricity comes from? This course will explain traditional and renewable sources of the electricity that is delivered to your household and the pros and cons (costs, reliability, feasibility and environmental impact) for each source. It will also look into the future of electrical power generation. The newest source of renewable energy is ocean waves. Last term John Lindsey of PG&E explained how a wave is formed and once formed, how it can have an impact on our lives. He described how ocean waves are forecasted and measured and how these cascading walls of water moving across the Pacific are a potential type of clean, renewable energy—helping reduce our carbon footprint. John discussed the great potential energy contained in waves along our coastline and the science behind current proposals to capture wave energy offshore at Montana de Oro. This term, John will recap the principles of wave energy conversion and compare several different methods of converting wave energy to electric power. You’ll come away with a greater knowledge of traditional and renewable energy sources.
Faculty: John Lindsey is a corporate relations representative for PG&E at the Diablo Canyon power plant. He has forecasted weather and oceanographic conditions along the Central Coast of California for over 17 years. Before that he was a marine meteorologist with Tenera Environmental and served in the U.S. Navy for over 24 years. He holds a degree from Santa Rosa Junior College, California and has completed the U.S. Navy aviation meteorology and oceanography program at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
091-2245
PG&E Community Center
Thursday, April 30
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
1 meeting
Maximum Class Size: 70
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