March 2013

CLIR VOICE www.clirsf.org

President’s Message

March, 2013

DATES TO REMEMBER

CLIR =Educational, Cultural, Social Programs & Community: that's our reality, and one we share with all those 50+ in The Bay Area.

March 1 General Meeting & Social Hour

At CLIR we're always developing both unique and relevant learning opportunities.

March 2

March's CLIRSights program will provide us with a timely chance to help us understand the very real, common problem of hunger among Seniors in The Bay Area. The panelists providing us with information and insight include Kevin Winge from Project Open Hand, Barbara Lin from the San Francisco Food Bank, and Bruce McKinney from Glide Memorial. Topics include the extent and causes of the problem and volunteer opportunities. On April 10, we will have an in-house, in-depth learning exercise of significant importance to CLIR's evolution. On that date, we will hold a Special Meeting to brainstorm CLIR's future. This is planned to be from 10:00am until 3:00pm. Lunch will be provided. Bonnie Martz, our Long Term Planning Chair, will be assisted by other CLIR members in directing the day's activities. As those of you who attend the monthly General Meetings know, I've recently had bi-lateral Total Knee Replacement surgery. But I stubbornly hope that I'll be able to attend both of these two special programs. I'll certainly be up and out and joining in CLIR's annual Asilomar adventure in May. While I've been away, Sid Rosenberg has most ably been leading. Thank you Sid! —Robby Kiley

Reception CLIR Art Show Through March 31 March 22 Next CLIR Tour April 10 CLIR Special Meeting May 22-24 Asilomar June 28 CLIR Annual Luncheon

———————

The CLIR Office is open Tuesdays & Fridays It’s a great resource for member phone numbers & email addresses.

2

Class Updates BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP— Ann White Tuesday, March 26, 10:30am Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel (Man Booker Prize, 2012) This is Part Two of her Cromwell Trilogy: The action, as seen by Cromwell, is primarily on the three weeks during which Anne Boleyn is tried and executed for treason. The tension builds as her death approaches.

Current Activities

Amazon

HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES—Tania Yates Tuesday, March 5 —10:30am: Lecture 55: Religion in Victorian America. Lecture 56: The Populists Tuesday, March 19—10:30am: Lecture 57: The New Immigration. Lecture 58; City Life NEW COURSE FROM THE TEACHING COMPANY UTOPIA & TERROR IN THE 20TH CENTURY—Tania Yates Tuesday, March 5—1:00pm Lecture 1: Definition of and outline of the course. Lecture 2: The Legacy of Revolutions

Tuesday, March 19—1:00pm Lecture 3: Omens of Conflict. Lecture 4: World War One.

COURSE SUMMARY Why was the 20th century so violent? Scholars estimate that wars cost 40 million lives, while governmentsponsored persecutions, mass murder and genocide accounted for 170 million victims. This course examines the ideologies that promised utopias and total solutions to social problems (Fascism, Nazism, Communism, and others) . It poses the question of the future of terror, assessing the role of terrorism and what lessons have been learned by the experience of this century. The lectures also point out individuals who resisted these inhuman trends. Their examples represent a hopeful conclusion. Professor Vejas Gabriel Liulevivius is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Tennessee. He received the University of Tennessee's Excellence in Teaching award. He earned his B.A. at the University of Chicago and his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.

ART ON THE GO — Fran Hasher Thursday, March 21 Mission Meander: Pizza, Art & Chocolate 11:30am: Pizzeria Delfina (see below) 1:30pm: City Art Gallery 828 Valencia Street—between 19th& 20th Sts. 2:30pm: Dandelion Chocolate Co. Cafe 740 Valencia Street—between 18th & 19th Sts. We collaborate this month with Dining & Discussion to bring you a full day of food and art. We’ll start at Delfina for upscale pizza. See next item for details on that. Then on to City Art, a 200-member cooperative gallery owned and operated by local artists. These artists like the idea of making their artwork accessible and affordable. Leading us will be artist Johnny Robert. Dandelion Chocolate Co., a bean-to-bar chocolate factory and café, is next. The owners began by growing small cacao plants in their apartments and pan roasting beans in the oven. Currently in their small factory they roast, crack, sort, winnow, grind, conch and temper small batches of beans and then mold and package each bar by hand. By sourcing high quality beans and carefully crafting tiny batches, they try to bring out the individual flavors and nuances of each bean. Join us in the café, for a hot chocolate, mocha, or other chocolate treat There we can see the work going on in the factory. Trans: Walking distance from BART 16th St. station, Muni J Church streetcar, Muni bus #22 Fillmore and buses on Mission St. DINING AND DISCUSSION – Karla Jones Pizzeria Delfina—3611-18th St near Guerrero pizzeriadelfina.com Thursday, March 21, 11:30am The food at Pizzeria Delfina is inspired by Chef Craig Stoll's memories of New York-style pies from his youth and pizza from the best pizzerias of Naples. The menu features six Neapolitan inspired, thin crust pizzas and two dailychanging special pies and a "piatto del giorno" from the oven. The food is Italian in spirit, using local, seasonal ingredients. An array of antipasti tempt diners from their glass case along a dining counter: glistening fresh-cured anchovies, eggplant caponata, fresh-stretched mozzarella, and artisanal salami. Desserts include a seasonal fruit crostata and Bellwether Farms ricotta cannoli. This month instead of discussion we will begin our art walk. Call Karla Jones at 673-1508 to make a reservation. Remember to bring cash. Current Activities continued on page 4

CLIR CALENDAR, MARCH 2013

4

Current Activities ART ON THE STAY —IN MARCH Wednesday, March 20, 10:30am A docent from the Fine Arts Museum will visit CLIR to talk about the upcoming exhibition of The Girl with a Pearl Earring, and other Dutch paintings from the Mauritshuis in The Hague. RELIGION SERIES: Christian Science: A Prayer-Based Approach to Health and Healing, Wednesday, March 6 & 13, 10:30am This is another in the on-going series exploring American-originated religions. It will be the topic of a two lecture presentation. The lecturer will be Ann Kneeland, C.S. TOUR—(W)RIGHT IN MARIN

Friday, March 22 Bus leaves at 9.30am from 50-1st.Street Barbara Farrenkopf, Marianne McCall, Tom Rothgiesser We travel to the Frank Lloyd Wright Civic Center, where we will have a docent led tour of this architectural masterpiece. Then it is lunch at Chateau Basque, and from there to the Marin Historic Museum on the Boyd Estate. Cost (includes lunch) $60 Interested? Some space still available.

LET’S EXPLORE MOOCs, Part One—John Lavelle

MOOCs are Massive Open Online Courses... Traditional online courses charge tuition, carry credit and limit enrollment to a few dozen to ensure interaction with instructors. The MOOC, on the other hand, is usually free, credit-less and, well, massive. Because anyone with an Internet connection can enroll, faculty can’t possibly respond to students individually. So the course design — how material is presented and the interactivity — counts for a lot. As do fellow students. Classmates may lean on one another in study groups organized in their towns, in online forums or for grading work. The evolving form knits together education, entertainment (think gaming) and social networking. Unlike its antecedent, open courseware — usually written materials or videotapes of lectures that make you feel as if you’re spying on a class from the back of the room — the MOOC is a full course made with you in mind.

VICARIOUS TRAVELER – Nick Maffei Iceland, Martin Gumbel Friday, March 8, Noon The Scandinavians settled Iceland over 1,000 years ago. The population of Iceland is 300,000 and since 2000 the annual number of visitors has exceeded the total resident population. The Atlantic ridge runs through the middle of Iceland causing geysers, lava fields, waterfalls and hot springs. All of this energy is put to good use, so if you want a steam bath, you know where to go. WALK – Richard Magary Tuesday, March 12, 10:30am – rain cancels Divisadero Street Corridor and NOPA “Comix, a Chihuahua, Cookin’ & more” Explore one of the City’s historic neighborhood shopping and residential areas that’s retaining its legacy and a village feel while transforming to an exciting new era. Discover unique shops worth visiting on your next gift search or just for browsing. Check out the fresh streetscape, two SF food market icons, restaurants new and familiar, and (as in any SF neighborhood) some architectural gems. After our walk, optional “Dutch” lunch. Trans: MUNI advised. All on-street parking is meters or 2 hour “S” permits. MUNI lines 6, 71, 71L on Haight; or 24 Divisadero. Meet at NE corner of Haight & Divisadero Streets. I took these courses when they first started as an experiment. The usual number of students is 50,000 or more from all over the world. The class bulletin board keeps everyone together and offers help from other students as well as the people administering the course. Sections include video lectures, problem sets, and even tests. But the beauty of them is you can do as much as you want. Just watching the lectures gives you a good overview, and the more you get into the course the bigger the reward in knowledge. These are courses from the leading universities in the world with the best professors. All you need is Internet access and a curious mind. But you definitely need to be a diligent student and persevere with the material. A lot of the courses are technical, but the Humanities are making a strong entry into the field. More next month. Including how this might relate to CLIR—Did I remember to say “This is free?”

5

Coming Attractions ART ON THE STAY—IN APRIL Wednesday, April 17, 10:30am Tom Rothgiesser A docent from the Asian Arts Museum will visit CLIR to do a presentation on China's Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor’s Legacy. This is in conjunction with their exhibition, opening in late February. There will be no charge for this docent-led discussion at CLIR.

CLIR ANNUAL ART SHOW March 2-31 ARTISTS’ RECEPTION SATURDAY, MARCH 2 NOON-5:00PM AWE Gallery—678 Portola Dr. San Francisco Come and admire the work of our talented member artists.

CLIRsights— Sid Rosenberg March 8, 1:30pm Panel on Hunger Among Seniors. Moderated by our Sid Rosenberg, This ©RiverCityFoodBank panel discussion is designed to help us understand the problem of poverty and hunger among seniors in our community. Participating in the panel will be representatives of the San Francisco Food Bank, Project Open Hand and Glide Memorial Church.

Your guests are welcome at any CLIRSights meeting.

And artists, remember to send in your titles, descriptions and $5 fees By February 22!

ASILOMAR 2013 VisitAsilomar.com

Wednesday, May 22 (4:00pm check-in) thru Friday, May 24 (11:00am check-out) Sign up NOW for CLIR’s very popular annual trip to Asilomar in Pacific Grove on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula. We enjoy nutritious meals together in the nearby Dining Hall, preceded each evening by CLIR’s exclusive Happy Hour in our historic Lodge building designed by Julia Morgan. All other time is on your own to relax, read, nap, explore Asilomar’s beautiful beach and 107 acre grounds, or to visit local sights (Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, etc.). There always are optional games and puzzles and informal conversation in front of the warming fire in our Living Room.

Rates include two nights in a historic room with modern private bath, six Dining Hall meals; two CLIR wine & cheese Happy Hours, guided Ranger Tour. Single in room (single or double bed) - $490 Two in room (2 single or double bed) - $332 Three in room (single beds) - $301 Ask about supplements for view, in-room fireplace Sign up now! Space is limited - $100 deposit (due by March 8) secures your reservation, balance due April 3. Non-CLIR-Member friends welcome. Please arrange your own roommate and car-sharing transportation. Full details are behind the signup sheet in CLIR’s Club Room. Questions? Contact Richard Magary. “Asilomar dunes arise with grace O’ nature lover, it’s a wonderful place!”

6

CLIR Special Event

APRIL 10 10:00am-3:00pm SPECIAL MEETING CLIR faces the need to change our location. We must also make some financial decisions. This gathering will be an opportunity for us to examine where and how to move our organization into its next phase. Your opinions and ideas are needed. Delicious FREE lunch provided. Full details in the April newsletter.

CENTER FOR LEARNING IN RETIREMENT SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA 50 FIRST STREET, SUITE 300 SAN FRANCISCO CA 94105 Telephone: (415) 543-3965 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.clirsf.org

The Abbey Theatre's Greats: Augusta, Lady Gregory and William Butler Yeats Speech Arts Association Saturday, March 2, 2:00 pm St. Luke's Episcopal Church 1755 Clay Street between Van Ness and Polk Enter through the portal marked: Church Office and Dade Hall

Our Patricia O'Connor will present a one-woman program devoted to the Irish National Theatre Movement. Her program includes a reading from Lady Gregory's delightful one act comedy, Spreading the News as well as famous poetry of W.B. Yeats and biographical and historical material pertaining to both authors. Free admission and delectable refreshments, of course.

Office Hours 10:00am to 2:30pm Tuesday & Friday

Council:

President: Robby (Robertamarie) Kiley First Vice President: Sid Rosenberg Second Vice President: Karla Jones Secretary: Tania Yates / Anne White Treasurer: Annette Berger

Members at Large:

Barbara Farrenkopf Evelyn Forsman Roger Kalen Barbara Patinkin Susan Schneider

Voice: Editorial Staff: John Lavelle and Alice Steele: [email protected] Distribution Staff: Ros Goldstein & Friends

DEADLINE FOR THE APRIL ISSUE March 8, 2012

March 2013 Issue