OLLI at DU-West   

In this class we will explore the profound world of animated cinema with rich narratives and mature storytelling in animated features beyond traditional children's entertainment. Through films like "Grave of the Fireflies," a poignant exploration of wartime suffering; "Mary and Max," a touching tale of friendship and mental health; "The Fantastic Mr. Fox," a witty and visually stunning adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic; and "The Little Prince" (2015), a heartfelt reimagining of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's timeless story, and four other films, we look at how animation tackles deep, complex themes. Class discussions will focus on thematic elements, artistic techniques, and the impact of these films on the audience, demonstrating the power of animation to convey intricate human experiences and emotions. This course invites you to look beyond the surface and appreciate the depth and artistry of animated storytelling. We will show each film in its entirety with English subtitles for the hearing impaired (if available).

Bridge is a wonderful game for us seniors. It keeps our minds active, and it keeps us computing, deciphering, and using logic and deduction. It is also a very social game. All very good for us seniors. Also, perhaps the most important thing, it is a fun game. This is the first beginning bridge class “Bridge Basics I.” This course is for individuals new to bridge or those who have been absent from bridge for a while.

Recommended Book: Bidding in the 21st Century. The American Contract League (ACBL) will provide the book for the participants. There is a $20.00 non-negotiable or refundable fee for this class. The fee goes to offset the app fees so students can play bridge online and postage to mail the book to the students. The fee is paid to the facilitator Michael Holmes, via check, to 313 Clisby Austin Rd. Tunnel Hill, GA 30755 or Zelle. Your book will be mailed upon receipt of the course fee. Please send the fee by the second-class session.

According to experts at the 2024 Conference on World Affairs, the top 3 threats to humanity over the next 10 years are (in no particular order) pandemics, global warming, and nuclear weapons. And the underlying causes of our current global conflicts are natural resources, the rise of multi-powers, and that old stand-by, the human quest for power. Sheesh! How’s a person to sleep at night?! Join Paula Staffeldt for a hopeful look at our current reality. No rose-colored glasses or “pollyanna” tropes. But no doom and gloom filters, either. In 4 interactive sessions, consider how our individual thoughts and feelings might either support or hinder a more peaceful, sustainable future. And how the inspiration that comes from a mind that is “at ease with what is” could guide us in making more insightful decisions and taking wiser actions toward creating a more enlightened world.

When the word “God” is mentioned, most people in the West automatically assume a particular concept of God. The Asian religions challenge that concept. In this class we will look at the Hindu concept of Brahman, the Buddhist concept of Nirvana, the Taoist concept of Nature, and the Confucian idea of how our actions relate to the “Way of the Gods.” But the class will not be just about the concept of God. We will cover other central ideas like the nature of knowledge and what it means to be human. It is also inevitable, especially in the East, that many practices of the religions are connected to their philosophical ideas, e.g., their rituals and lifestyles, Moreover, the ethical perspective of each religion will be central as well as the concept of an afterlife in each one. This will primarily be a philosophy course about the ideas involved in the Asian religions. Personally, I have found the Asian religions a rich challenge to the beliefs with which I grew up and they have opened the door to other ways of seeing the world.

Some directors have an identifiable brash style that we can all appreciate; some strive to be invisible - if you can see their efforts, they feel they have usurped the story. Whichever way, the great directors with long, successful lists of films to their credit are, in reality, supreme artists of film that can get you to laugh through tears and surprise you with unexpected story twists. How do they do that? What techniques, what film grammar do they know and use on you to tell their stories in compelling ways? Take this course and see how they do it – Quentin Tarantino, Francis Ford Coppola, Sidney Lumet, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Joel and Ethan Coen, Sidney Pollack. We’ll see excerpts of their work, biographic info and Interviews with them, and detailed commentaries on their techniques via YouTube videos.

Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Matisse and Picasso - we'll explore the work and the worlds of these five amazing artists, their impact upon Modern Art and the joy and wonder they continue to prompt. Class will be a combination of lecture, discussion and video. At the end of each class Bob will do a brief demonstration exploring the painters' techniques, using inexpensive materials like crayons, colored pencils and a beginners watercolor set and work towards simulating a few of their innovative methods of application. All are invited to play along - participation is optional of course and simply observing will be of value.

Improving Your Bridge Judgement is for anyone who has some experience with the game of Bridge. Participants in this course will learn how to be better bidders and responders. Strategies to improve your decision making will be discussed, demonstrated, and practiced. Students will learn strategies when bidding in first and second position. Strategies for bidding in third and fourth seat will also be discussed and practiced. How to handle preemptive bidding and slam bidding will be demonstrated and discussed. Bidding and responding to strong hands will be demonstrated and discussed.

Course Type: Lecture, discussion, on-line play of bridge

Books/Materials. There is a $20.00 non-negotiable or refundable fee for this course. There is not a textbook for this class and the fee goes to offset the app fees so students can play bridge online. Failure to pay the fee by the second class will result in the student being dropped from the class. Students will either pay for the instruction via check or Zelle. Address: 313 Clisby Austin Rd, Tunnel Hill, GA 30755. Zelle Michael Holmes 303 928-9187.

Haqiqa Kathleen Ochs has spent over four decades in two traditional Muslim Sufi Orders: the Indian Chisti Order and an American branch of the Turkish Jerrahi Order. Her experiences have been in the United States, Canada, Turkey, India, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Syria, from the early 1970s to the present. Dr. Ochs’ professional training is in the history of technology and science, which she taught for over a quarter century. She also taught Islam and Sufism at Naropa (Boulder). Her interests include the new ways of thinking and practicing appropriate for contemporary Muslims and Sufis while remaining deeply rooted in Muslim Sufi traditions. The course benefits from the combination of the Islamic and Sufi oral cultures, practices, and wide reading in scholarly and popular sources. She is currently completing an Introduction to Islam and Sufism using these sources.

Whether you are eager to travel again and want some ideas about future trips or you're an armchair traveler who enjoys seeing the beauty of the world, you'll enjoy this class.

Come, travel with us...To the Baltic countries. Cuba, Morocco, Mexico's Yucatan (with OLLI), Scandinavia, Colombia, Israel, and a session of potpourri destinations - short videos of some of Barbara's favorite places!

Classes will consist of viewing videos of various destinations, and class participation about different kinds of travel and discussion of your favorite destinations and bucket lists. We encourage you to "talk travel"!

Too many Americans are suffering from debilitating but preventable chronic health conditions. We will review current scientific research and connect that with day-to-day ways to implement lifestyle changes that will reduce our likelihood for chronic pain and chronic illness in later life. These conditions can be improved with lifestyle changes that make it possible to reduce the possibility of suffering from age-related diseases such as dementia, diabetes, chronic heart conditions, etc. In this class we will look at how aging impacts each of the 10 systems of the body and the conditions that lead to chronic illness and the self-care needed to avoid illness. It is important to work on our health to avoid chronic illness resulting in increased use of medications, surgeries and injections. Small decisions today can have large impacts tomorrow. It’s never too late to make improvements in your health. Even if you are currently being challenged with a chronic illness, lifestyle improvements can reverse or at least help to maintain current conditions. This class is for anyone who desires to take charge of their own wellness and would like motivation and inspiration to make wise choices. Imagine a world where you can age with vitality, purpose and self-acceptance!

This course provides participants with a way of seeing, feeling, and understanding the world, themselves, and the connections that exist in the world through the energy that the world is made of. Following a non-technical introduction to energy, resonating, and frequencies the course shows how energy defines the form and behavior of individuals, couples/groups, society, business, and other entities in the world. As important as these entities themselves are the energy-connections between all entities and how they interact. Characteristics of energy such as authentic vs. forced energy have important implications for us and the world around us and will be described in the course, as will other characteristics of a Resonating~World such as what we perceive of as death. The course is highly focused on exploring the meaning and results of energy in our lives rather than a scientific/physics aspects of energy. Wally’s website is https://www.itsaresonatingworld.com/contact which will give more insight into the class.