Tuesday, June 3: Stan Crock
Why The Media Get It Wrong
Stan Crock, a 30-year veteran of the journalism wars in Washington, takes you behind the scenes of some of the biggest stories in the post-Watergate era of journalism. He covered Whitewater, the Ford Explorer-Bridgestone flap, wars (stateside) in Afghanistan and Iraq, China, and the defense-industrial complex. On almost all of these topics, Crock’s articles bucked the conventional wisdom. He’ll explain why most of the media missed the story and how he managed to play it differently. Stan Crock is the Senior Editorial Director for Accenture, a global leader in business consulting, systems integration and outsourcing. Prior to that he was Business Week’s chief diplomatic correspondent covering the State Department, Pentagon, National Security Council and defense companies.
Wednesday, June 4: OLLI World War II Memories
Will Blacklow will moderate a discussion group among some of our World War II veterans. Join us to hear history and memories from our OLLI neighbors and friends, including: Warren Baum, Larry Berlin, John Carr, Seymour Goodman, Robert Hartland, Bob Kemelhor, Norman Lord, Bob Page, Lewis Schneider, and Harold Sharlin.
Thursday, June 5: Ed Goldin
Einstein and God
Born to secular, Jewish parents, Einstein responded positively to religious exposure in his youth. As a teenager, he discovered science and moved away from religious dogma. In the public spotlight in his thirties, he expressed quasi-deistic ideas about religion which drew strong reactions from some conservative religious quarters. Representatives of the faiths either condemned him or reinterpreted his beliefs to suit their own purposes. Einstein learned to be more careful about statements regarding religion, while holding true to his respect for Spinoza’s God and his own personal concepts of a cosmic religion. He died, as he had lived, with the same respect and awe for the natural order of the universe that he possessed throughout his adult life. Edwin Goldin is a physicist and author of the book, Waves and Photons, dealing with light and Einstein’s quanta. Ed holds a Ph.D. from Polytechnic University, and earned an A.A. in Fine Arts from Cooper Union. He presently teaches conceptual physics and astronomy at OLLI.
Tuesday, June 10: Dave Palmeter
John Rawls: A Quest for Global Justice
In The Law of Peoples, philosopher John Rawls sought to apply to global society the principles of justice he developed for a single society in A Theory of Justice. The result is an imaginative attempt to envisage global society as a “realistic utopia” that, in Rousseau’s words, takes people “as they are” and views “laws as they might be.” This lecture will describe Rawls’s approach and will evaluate the criticisms that have been leveled against it. OLLI member David Palmeter practiced international law in Washington for 40 years.
Wed., June 11: Lynn J. Brantley & Reuben L. Gist
Why Hunger is so Widespread in our Affluent Area
Did you know that hunger is steadily increasing in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area? For over 28 years the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) has served as the largest public, nonprofit food and nutrition education resource in our community. Last year, the CAFB distributed 20 million pounds of food, including 6 million pounds of fresh produce, to over 700 partner agencies that, in turn, deal directly with recipients. Lynn J. Brantley, President and CEO, and Reuben L. Gist, Director of Community Outreach, will explain CAFB’s role in the struggle to end hunger.
Thursday, June 12: Bob Coe
Lincoln’s Depression, Fatalism and Religion
Abraham Lincoln was severely depressed during his late 20s and early 30s when, on two occasions, friends feared he would commit suicide. Why did he suffer from depression and how did he alleviate the problem in middle age? Lincoln’s religious views, which were controversial for some of his contemporaries, developed in unexpected ways during the Civil War. Bob Coe spent most of his career in the U.S. Foreign Service, primarily as an economist in developing countries. He has taught numerous courses at OLLI.
Tuesday, June 17: Robert E. Pierre
Anacostia: It Feels Like Home, Faults and All
Robert E. Pierre, Washington Post Staff Writer, recently moved to Anacostia, one of the parts of the city that many visitors never see. Originally from Louisiana, Pierre writes about some of the issues facing those who have the least in this gentrifying city. He will talk about the changes in Anacostia and other communities east of the Anacostia River, as well as other exciting changes in the District of Columbia. Robert E. Pierre has reported for the Post for 15 years.
Wednesday, June 18: Paul West
A Report from the Campaign
It’s being called the most exciting election in a generation: the wide-open contests in both major parties, which produced unusually intense voter interest and are guaranteed to yield a change at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue next January. But what sort of change? West will look at how the major party nominees match up, what issues will be key in the fall, and how the next president will change Washington, the country and America’s future place in the world. Paul West is Washington bureau chief of The Baltimore Sun and the paper’s national political correspondent. In addition to newspapers, his writings have appeared in The New Republic, Rolling Stone and Washingtonian magazines and he’s appeared on NBC, PBS, C-SPAN, MSNBC, Fox News and other networks.
Thursday, June 19: David Wessel
An Update on Today’s Economy
The US economy appears to be in recession as it struggles with the bursting of a housing bubble. What just happened? What next? What is the Fed up to? How are the presidential candidates responding? Pulitzer Prize winner David Wessel, is Economics Editor of The Wall Street Journal, and writes the “Capital” column, a weekly look at the economy and forces shaping living standards around the world. He also appears frequently on CNBC and National Public Radio.
Tuesday, June 24: Mark Stein
How the States Were Divided
The map of the United States has become so familiar to us that its state borders seem as much a part of nature as the mountains and rivers. But in fact these lines reflect the designs of people. They are, in effect, valuable reminders of the struggles that shaped this nation. Through the lens of state borders, Mark Stein will discuss how the American map is an extraordinary mural of how we came to be who we are today. Mark Stein’s plays have been performed off-Broadway and at regional theaters throughout the U.S., in Canada and Europe. He wrote the screenplay for the film, Housesitter, as well the scripts for TV movies on CBS and NBC. He has taught playwriting and screenwriting and made his first foray into non-fiction with his recently published book, How the States Got Their Shapes.
Wednesday, June 25: Dorothy Schoeneman
It’s Not Too Late to Join the Peace Corps
Hear about Dorothy Schoeneman’s experience as a 64-year-old health educator in the Peace Corps from 1999 to 2001. Schoeneman taught health and sanitation at an elementary school and worked with women to improve nutrition in Mali, West Africa. She is now the 50+ recruiter for the Peace Corps Mid-Atlantic Regional Office.
Thursday, June 26: David Patterson
World War I and The Roots of Peace Activism
The roots of peace activism in the modern world developed from World War I. Among its far-reaching political and social consequences, Patterson describes the rise of a broad-based, transatlantic movement of private citizens, who protested the escalating European struggle and advanced proposals for neutral governments’ mediation and for postwar reform. While men were involved, women led every phase of the movement. Patterson explores the various motivations pushing the American and European women toward peace activism. David S. Patterson has taught at Rice, Colgate, University of Maryland, and American University and was also a historian at the US Department of State. |
