FEBRUARY 2021 CLASSES
Week of February 1
Monday Feb. 1 10am-Noon
Title : Poetry Reading Fun!
Facilitator : Trina Gaynon, SSI member
Description :
Know a lot about poetry? Know nothing about poetry? Somewhere in-between?
There’s a place for you in this very popular class led by Trina Gaynon. We read from a
variety of published works. Really FUN!
——————————————————————————————————————--
Tuesday Feb. 2 1-3 pm
Title : Japanese Militarism in China 1931-1941
Presenter : Art Wheeler, CSC
Description :
From the Japanese occupation of Manchuria in 1931 to the great expansion of the war
with the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. An exploration of the geo-political balance of
power in China, considering the Japanese expansionists, the European imperialists, the
Soviet Union, Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese nationalists, Mao and the Chinese
Communists, and the United States. The impact of those years on the current
Chinese-American rivalry.
———————————————————————————————--
Wednesday Feb. 3 10am-Noon
Title : Byzantium: The Forgotten Empire of the Middle Ages, Pt. 4 of 4
Presenter : Sean Munger
Description :
While Western Europe suffered through the Dark Ages, the Byzantine Empire, also
known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the center of Christianity, culture, learning,
wealth and power for over 1100 years.
Founded by Constantine in 330 and lasting until its fall to the Ottoman Turks in 1453,
this fascinating society is often overlooked in histories of western civilization. This class
will illuminate the darkness and explore the splendor of Byzantium and its major
contributions to world history.
———————————————————————————————--
Thursday Feb. 4 10am-Noon
Title : Armenia/Azerbaijan Conflict Explained
Presenter : Aram Mahshigian
Description :
Mr. Mahshigian will explain everything you need to know about the Geopolitical
War/Conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Why the two countries are fighting and
how it will affect the stability of many countries.
———————————————————————————————--
Week of February 8
Monday Feb. 8 10am-Noon
Title : Mavis! The Story of Mavis Staples of the Staples Singers
Presenter : Kathy Jackson, SSI member
Description :
An award-winning documentary on gospel/soul singer legend and civil rights icon Mavis
Staples and her family group, the Staples Singers. From the freedom songs of the ‘60’s
and hits like “I’ll Take You There” in the ‘70’s, to funked-up collaborations with Prince
and her recent albums with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Mavis has stayed true to her roots,
kept her family close, and inspired millions along the way.
——————————————————————————————————————--
Tuesday Feb. 9 1-3 pm
Title : Zora Neale Hurston and the Zombie Phenomena
Presenter : James Harrison
Description :
This two-part presentation explores the life and times of Black Renaissance writer Zora
Neale Hurston, her most famous novella ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ and how her
early anthropological work intersects with the spectacle of Zombies, which is currently
on TV and in the movies
———————————————————————————————--
Wednesday Feb. 10 10am-Noon
Title : Nabokov on Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis'
Presenter : George Davidson, SSI member
Description :
Produced by WQED in Pittsburgh, this half-hour video features Christopher Plummer in
the role of Vladimir Nabokov teaching at Cornell University. Plummer briefly introduces
the video and assumes the Russian novelist’s persona as he walks into the classroom.
This is a profound and entertaining performance that will change the way you
experience both Kafka and Nabokov.
Optional, some of you may wish to read the short, around 80 pages, novella. Think
about how your family and friends would respond to you if you were transformed into a
beetle, or perhaps, woke up one morning with a severe case of Covid 19.
———————————————————————————————--
Thursday Feb. 11 10am-Noon
Title : The Question of Genocide and Native Americans in U.S. History
Presenter : Jeffrey Ostler, PhD
Description :
Jeffrey Ostler is Beekman Professor of Northwest and Pacific History at the University
of Oregon. He is the author of four books, including The Lakotas and the Black Hills:
The Struggle for Sacred Ground (Viking, 2010) and Surviving Genocide: Native Nations
and the United States From the American Revolution to Bleeding Kansas (Yale
University Press, 2019).
———————————————————————————————--
Week of February 15
Monday Feb. 15 10am-Noon
Title : Poetry Reading Fun!
Facilitator : Trina Gaynon, SSI member
Description :
Know a lot about poetry? Know nothing about poetry? Somewhere in-between?
There’s a place for you in this very popular class led by Trina Gaynon. We read from a
variety of published works. Really FUN!
——————————————————————————————————————--
Tuesday Feb. 16 1-3 pm
Title : Native Peoples of Northwestern Oregon
Presenter : David G. Lewis PhD, Anthropologist, Ethnohistorian, Archivist, Educator,
Member: Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
Description :
A presentation about the histories and cultures of the tribes of the region including
Kalapuyans, Chinookans, Tillamookans, and Clatskanies. We will look at the ways
these tribal peoples lived before colonization, their environment and ways of managing
resources and how everything changed when explorers, fur traders, and settlers took
their lands and changed their cultures forever.
———————————————————————————————--
Wednesday Feb. 17 10am-Noon
Title : Voltaire and the Triumph of the Enlightenment
Presenter : George Davidson, SSI member
Description :
Leading intellectual historian Alan Charles Kors shares with you his view of Voltaire as
one of the most intriguing, influential, and elusive thinkers of the modern world.
Focusing on the deepest, most enduring aspects of Voltaire's work and thought, but
never losing sight of the colorful, fascinating man himself, Professor Kors sketches for
you a vibrant, thought-provoking vision of Voltaire as "the father of the Enlightenment"
and one of the great literary personalities of all time.
What was his world like? Who and what influenced him? What questions and dilemmas
did he ponder? What evils did he struggle against? What reforms did he advocate?
What made him laugh and cry, or write a book like Candide, which is at once so funny
and so sad? And what is his place in the history of the Western mind?
Optional: Read the short novella, about 80 pages, Candide.
———————————————————————————————--
Thursday Feb. 18 10am-Noon
Title : Realm of Freshwater Environments: Watersheds
Presenter : David Lonsdale
Description :
Do You Live in a Watershed? Many respond to this question with a resounding no!!!
Their closest body of water is perceived to be distant. This program introduces the
workings and connections between the various bodies of surface freshwater— rivers,
lakes and wetlands and their wildlife. Included in these explanations are clues to why
we all live in a watershed!
———————————————————————————————--
Week of February 22
Monday Feb. 22 10am-Noon
Title : Get Your Kicks on Route 66
Presenters : John and Susan Schenk, SSI members
Description :
More than a catchy tune, the lure of the open road after WWII helped America
rediscover itself. Called the Mother Road by John Steinbeck, this iconic yet fading
highway still calls for pilgrimages. Join John and Susan Schenk for a revisit travel
adventure from Chicago to LA with a guided Road Scholar group. Can you name the
towns in the song? We will visit them all.
——————————————————————————————————————--
Tuesday Feb. 23 1-3 pm
Title : Laughter - Truly the Best Medicine!
Presenter : Andrea Crisp
Description :
Children are born with the innate ability to tap into joy. Unfortunately, as we age, joy is
often lost to inhibitions and self-consciousness. In Laughter Yoga, we believe that joy
can be found again through the concept of motion creating emotion; by choosing
intentional laughter and playfulness we allow our body and mind the opportunity to
rewire its responses. The body and brain are a powerful duo; the more you do
something the easier it becomes. How exciting that joy can be rewired!
Laughter Yoga is a unique physical activity capitalizing on the proven benefits of
laughter and the ability of the human body and brain to continue learning regardless of
age. Through group activity and childlike playfulness we use laughter, clapping,
chanting and deep breathing to rewire our stress response and cultivate joyfulness. No
yoga experience, special clothing or props required, simply an open mind. If you are
healthy enough to laugh and breathe, you can do Laughter Yoga, a combination of
laughter and deep breathing.
Join Laughter Yoga Teacher, Andrea Crisp, to learn more about the benefits of laughter
and experience the power of intentional laughter through Laughter Yoga. By
encouraging playfulness and relearning to embody joy we can begin to translate it into
our daily lives.
———————————————————————————————--
Wednesday Feb. 24 10am-Noon
Title : Climbing Everest - and Beyond!
Presenter : Duane Ray, SSI member
Description :
We start with the variety of people who have summited Mt Everest – and the way some
have descended. We then expand to mountaineering around the world and finally end
with our local mountaineering club the Mazamas founded on the top of Mt Hood. People
do amazing things!
———————————————————————————————--
Thursday Feb. 25 10am-Noon
Title : Patterns in Nature: The Fibonacci Effect
Presenter : Marilyn Ellis, OMN, CIG, Oregon Master Naturalist, Certified Interpretive
Guide
Description :
What do pinecones, a sunflower, and a honeycomb have in common? We often assume
that most of the beauty in nature is random and without design. Actually, nature is very
orderly.
Fixed designs and patterns are in us, on us, and all around us. Leonardo da Vinci
realized these patterns in his Vitruvian man while studying the human body. Leonardo
Fibonacci realized it in his mathematical sequence discovery while studying patterns in
nature.
In this fun and explorative presentation, we will look at:
Da Vinci's concept of beauty in the human body. How "Fibonacci's sequence" describes
the patterns that nature creates.
Come, learn, and gain a new sense of wonder in your world as we examine images and
samples of patterns throughout nature.
Week of February 1
Monday Feb. 1 10am-Noon
Title : Poetry Reading Fun!
Facilitator : Trina Gaynon, SSI member
Description :
Know a lot about poetry? Know nothing about poetry? Somewhere in-between?
There’s a place for you in this very popular class led by Trina Gaynon. We read from a
variety of published works. Really FUN!
——————————————————————————————————————--
Tuesday Feb. 2 1-3 pm
Title : Japanese Militarism in China 1931-1941
Presenter : Art Wheeler, CSC
Description :
From the Japanese occupation of Manchuria in 1931 to the great expansion of the war
with the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. An exploration of the geo-political balance of
power in China, considering the Japanese expansionists, the European imperialists, the
Soviet Union, Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese nationalists, Mao and the Chinese
Communists, and the United States. The impact of those years on the current
Chinese-American rivalry.
———————————————————————————————--
Wednesday Feb. 3 10am-Noon
Title : Byzantium: The Forgotten Empire of the Middle Ages, Pt. 4 of 4
Presenter : Sean Munger
Description :
While Western Europe suffered through the Dark Ages, the Byzantine Empire, also
known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the center of Christianity, culture, learning,
wealth and power for over 1100 years.
Founded by Constantine in 330 and lasting until its fall to the Ottoman Turks in 1453,
this fascinating society is often overlooked in histories of western civilization. This class
will illuminate the darkness and explore the splendor of Byzantium and its major
contributions to world history.
———————————————————————————————--
Thursday Feb. 4 10am-Noon
Title : Armenia/Azerbaijan Conflict Explained
Presenter : Aram Mahshigian
Description :
Mr. Mahshigian will explain everything you need to know about the Geopolitical
War/Conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Why the two countries are fighting and
how it will affect the stability of many countries.
———————————————————————————————--
Week of February 8
Monday Feb. 8 10am-Noon
Title : Mavis! The Story of Mavis Staples of the Staples Singers
Presenter : Kathy Jackson, SSI member
Description :
An award-winning documentary on gospel/soul singer legend and civil rights icon Mavis
Staples and her family group, the Staples Singers. From the freedom songs of the ‘60’s
and hits like “I’ll Take You There” in the ‘70’s, to funked-up collaborations with Prince
and her recent albums with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Mavis has stayed true to her roots,
kept her family close, and inspired millions along the way.
——————————————————————————————————————--
Tuesday Feb. 9 1-3 pm
Title : Zora Neale Hurston and the Zombie Phenomena
Presenter : James Harrison
Description :
This two-part presentation explores the life and times of Black Renaissance writer Zora
Neale Hurston, her most famous novella ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ and how her
early anthropological work intersects with the spectacle of Zombies, which is currently
on TV and in the movies
———————————————————————————————--
Wednesday Feb. 10 10am-Noon
Title : Nabokov on Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis'
Presenter : George Davidson, SSI member
Description :
Produced by WQED in Pittsburgh, this half-hour video features Christopher Plummer in
the role of Vladimir Nabokov teaching at Cornell University. Plummer briefly introduces
the video and assumes the Russian novelist’s persona as he walks into the classroom.
This is a profound and entertaining performance that will change the way you
experience both Kafka and Nabokov.
Optional, some of you may wish to read the short, around 80 pages, novella. Think
about how your family and friends would respond to you if you were transformed into a
beetle, or perhaps, woke up one morning with a severe case of Covid 19.
———————————————————————————————--
Thursday Feb. 11 10am-Noon
Title : The Question of Genocide and Native Americans in U.S. History
Presenter : Jeffrey Ostler, PhD
Description :
Jeffrey Ostler is Beekman Professor of Northwest and Pacific History at the University
of Oregon. He is the author of four books, including The Lakotas and the Black Hills:
The Struggle for Sacred Ground (Viking, 2010) and Surviving Genocide: Native Nations
and the United States From the American Revolution to Bleeding Kansas (Yale
University Press, 2019).
———————————————————————————————--
Week of February 15
Monday Feb. 15 10am-Noon
Title : Poetry Reading Fun!
Facilitator : Trina Gaynon, SSI member
Description :
Know a lot about poetry? Know nothing about poetry? Somewhere in-between?
There’s a place for you in this very popular class led by Trina Gaynon. We read from a
variety of published works. Really FUN!
——————————————————————————————————————--
Tuesday Feb. 16 1-3 pm
Title : Native Peoples of Northwestern Oregon
Presenter : David G. Lewis PhD, Anthropologist, Ethnohistorian, Archivist, Educator,
Member: Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
Description :
A presentation about the histories and cultures of the tribes of the region including
Kalapuyans, Chinookans, Tillamookans, and Clatskanies. We will look at the ways
these tribal peoples lived before colonization, their environment and ways of managing
resources and how everything changed when explorers, fur traders, and settlers took
their lands and changed their cultures forever.
———————————————————————————————--
Wednesday Feb. 17 10am-Noon
Title : Voltaire and the Triumph of the Enlightenment
Presenter : George Davidson, SSI member
Description :
Leading intellectual historian Alan Charles Kors shares with you his view of Voltaire as
one of the most intriguing, influential, and elusive thinkers of the modern world.
Focusing on the deepest, most enduring aspects of Voltaire's work and thought, but
never losing sight of the colorful, fascinating man himself, Professor Kors sketches for
you a vibrant, thought-provoking vision of Voltaire as "the father of the Enlightenment"
and one of the great literary personalities of all time.
What was his world like? Who and what influenced him? What questions and dilemmas
did he ponder? What evils did he struggle against? What reforms did he advocate?
What made him laugh and cry, or write a book like Candide, which is at once so funny
and so sad? And what is his place in the history of the Western mind?
Optional: Read the short novella, about 80 pages, Candide.
———————————————————————————————--
Thursday Feb. 18 10am-Noon
Title : Realm of Freshwater Environments: Watersheds
Presenter : David Lonsdale
Description :
Do You Live in a Watershed? Many respond to this question with a resounding no!!!
Their closest body of water is perceived to be distant. This program introduces the
workings and connections between the various bodies of surface freshwater— rivers,
lakes and wetlands and their wildlife. Included in these explanations are clues to why
we all live in a watershed!
———————————————————————————————--
Week of February 22
Monday Feb. 22 10am-Noon
Title : Get Your Kicks on Route 66
Presenters : John and Susan Schenk, SSI members
Description :
More than a catchy tune, the lure of the open road after WWII helped America
rediscover itself. Called the Mother Road by John Steinbeck, this iconic yet fading
highway still calls for pilgrimages. Join John and Susan Schenk for a revisit travel
adventure from Chicago to LA with a guided Road Scholar group. Can you name the
towns in the song? We will visit them all.
——————————————————————————————————————--
Tuesday Feb. 23 1-3 pm
Title : Laughter - Truly the Best Medicine!
Presenter : Andrea Crisp
Description :
Children are born with the innate ability to tap into joy. Unfortunately, as we age, joy is
often lost to inhibitions and self-consciousness. In Laughter Yoga, we believe that joy
can be found again through the concept of motion creating emotion; by choosing
intentional laughter and playfulness we allow our body and mind the opportunity to
rewire its responses. The body and brain are a powerful duo; the more you do
something the easier it becomes. How exciting that joy can be rewired!
Laughter Yoga is a unique physical activity capitalizing on the proven benefits of
laughter and the ability of the human body and brain to continue learning regardless of
age. Through group activity and childlike playfulness we use laughter, clapping,
chanting and deep breathing to rewire our stress response and cultivate joyfulness. No
yoga experience, special clothing or props required, simply an open mind. If you are
healthy enough to laugh and breathe, you can do Laughter Yoga, a combination of
laughter and deep breathing.
Join Laughter Yoga Teacher, Andrea Crisp, to learn more about the benefits of laughter
and experience the power of intentional laughter through Laughter Yoga. By
encouraging playfulness and relearning to embody joy we can begin to translate it into
our daily lives.
———————————————————————————————--
Wednesday Feb. 24 10am-Noon
Title : Climbing Everest - and Beyond!
Presenter : Duane Ray, SSI member
Description :
We start with the variety of people who have summited Mt Everest – and the way some
have descended. We then expand to mountaineering around the world and finally end
with our local mountaineering club the Mazamas founded on the top of Mt Hood. People
do amazing things!
———————————————————————————————--
Thursday Feb. 25 10am-Noon
Title : Patterns in Nature: The Fibonacci Effect
Presenter : Marilyn Ellis, OMN, CIG, Oregon Master Naturalist, Certified Interpretive
Guide
Description :
What do pinecones, a sunflower, and a honeycomb have in common? We often assume
that most of the beauty in nature is random and without design. Actually, nature is very
orderly.
Fixed designs and patterns are in us, on us, and all around us. Leonardo da Vinci
realized these patterns in his Vitruvian man while studying the human body. Leonardo
Fibonacci realized it in his mathematical sequence discovery while studying patterns in
nature.
In this fun and explorative presentation, we will look at:
Da Vinci's concept of beauty in the human body. How "Fibonacci's sequence" describes
the patterns that nature creates.
Come, learn, and gain a new sense of wonder in your world as we examine images and
samples of patterns throughout nature.