Newsletter Archives Summarizing Subjects Presented and Discussed in 2013

Note: Only those events with different, defined subjects each session are listed.

Group Date Description

ART EXPLORATION 02/25/13

A video presentation on the life and work of Italian painter,

Caravaggio, followed by discussion.

03/25/13

Art Exploration Group will meet in the library to continue the

BBC series “The Power of Art.” Featured artist this month:

Rembrandt.

04/22/13

For all who have an interest in art, this group offers an

opportunity to view study and discuss the works of artists through

the ages and around the world. This month we continue with the

BBC series “The Power of Art.”

05/20/13

Dr. Robert Lemon will give a talk which will tie together the work

of Caravaggio, Rembrant, and Turner. We'll view slides of their

paintings to highlight the painters' similarities and differences.

09/23/13

- We begin the fall season with a very special program. Susan

Rosoff, art historian, teacher of undergraduate and graduate

courses at UCF, and former Curator of Education at the Orlando

Museum of Art, will speak on the topic of “Strategies for Looking

at Paintings.”

11/25/13

“Art That Makes You Think: (Re)discover the Cornell Fine Arts

Museum” - Did you know that the Cornell is the only museum in

our area to have an encyclopedia art collection? In one visit, one

can admire an ancient Roman sarcophagus, paintings from the

Italian Renaissance, South-Western pottery, and works from the

21st century - all for free.

BOOK DISCUSSION -

EVENING CLASSICS 03/04/13

Join this newly formed group of enthusiastic readers to select,

read, and discuss books from the Great Books of the Western

World list. Our March selection is The Meditations by Marcus

Aurelius, the last emperor of Rome.

04/08/13

Join this newly formed group of enthusiastic readers to select,

read, and discuss books from the Great Book series. In April, we

will discuss The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli.

05/06/13Please join us as we set our reading list for the spring.

07/08/13

The July book is Advancement of Learning by Francis Bacon.

Bacon's 1605 argument in favor of natural philosophy and

inductive reasoning is still vigorous, relevant, and congent today.

08/05/13

Join this group of enthusiastic readers to select, read, and discuss

works from the Great Books series. The August book is The Great

Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The supreme achievement of Fitzgerald’s

career, The Great Gatsby is widely considered to be a literary classic and

a contender for the title Great American Novel.

09/09/13

The September book is Animal Farm by George Orwell. It is a

classic tale of humanity awash in totalitarianism.

BOOK DISCUSSION—FICTION 01/10/13

To be read and discussed: The Columbus Affair (2012) by Steve

Berry. This is the story of a wrongly disgraced, world-famous

reporter who is at the end of his rope when he discovers that his

daughter has been kidnapped and he must help the kidnappers or

she will be killed.

02/14/13

To be read and discussed: The Tiger’s Wife (2011) by Tea Obreht.

This story, which takes place in a Balkan country mending from

war, deals with a young woman doctor who, in searching for clues

for the reasons behind her grandfather’s mysterious death,

discovers the legend of the tiger’s wife.

04/11/13

To be read and discussed: The Story of Lucy Gault (2003) by

William Trevor. Set in Ireland in the early 1920s, this novel

recounts the tale of a nine-year-old girl, Lucy, whose wealthy

Protestant Anglo-Irish landowning family is driven from its rural

Irish home by terrorist activity

05/09/13To be read and discussed: Interpreter of Maladies (1999) by

Jhumpa Lahiri, winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

06/13/13

To be read and discussed: Out Stealing Horses (2005) by Per

Petterson. Originally published in Norwegian in 2003, this novel

deals with the reflections of a 71-year-old man, living in self-

imposed exile in a primitive cabin on the eastern edge of Norway,

on fateful events when he was a teenager in 1948 and on his

father’s wartime activities during WW II.

07/11/13

To be read and discussed: The Buddha in the Attic (2011) by Julie

Otsuka. The story of a group of young women brought over from

Japan to San Francisco as picture brides nearly a century ago.

08/08/13

To be read and discussed: The Silence and the Roar (2004) by the

Syrian author Nihad Sirees. Describes a day in the life of a banned

author in a repressive Middle Eastern society led by an autocrat

who demands constant adulation.

09/12/13

To be read and discussed: The Calligrapher’s Daughter (2009)

by Eugenia Kim. This novel, spanning thirty years during the

early twentieth century, tells of a young woman growing up in

Korea who experiences the violent end of the Korean dynastic

monarchy and the Japanese occupation before and during World

War II.

10/10/13

To be read and discussed: Gilead (2004) by Marilynne Robinson.

This novel is told in the voice of Rev. John Ames, a 77-year-old

preacher in a small Iowa town in 1956, and is in the form of a

letter to his young son to be read when he is grown.

11/14/13

To be read and discussed: Anil’s Ghost (2001) by Michael

Ondaatje. This novel, which takes place in Sri Lanka, concerns a

young forensic anthropologist, born in Sri Lanka but educated in

England and America, who is sent by an international human

rights group to discover the source of the organized campaigns of

murder engulfing that island nation.

BOOK DISCUSSION—NONFICTION 01/28/13

Catherine the Great by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert

Massie (2011) 609 p. A masterpiece of narrative biography, this

superbly told extraordinary story of an obscure young German

princess who traveled to Russia at fourteen and rose to become

one of the most remarkable, powerful, and captivating women in

history.

02/25/13

Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman (2009) 416 p. More than two

thousand years after his death, Julius Caesar remains one of the

great figures of history.

03/25/13

The Liar’s Club by Mary Karr (1995), 352 p. Karr’s comic

childhood in an east Texas oil town brings us darkly hilarious

characters: a hard-drinking daddy, a sister who can talk down the

sheriff at age twelve, and an oft-married mother whose

accumulated secrets threaten to destroy them all.

04/22/13

The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and

Fairer Health Ca re by T.R. Reid (2009). This New York Times

bestselling author visits France, Britain, Germany, Japan, and

beyond to provide a revelatory tour of successful, affordable

universal health care systems.

05/20/13Living to Tell the Tale by Gabriel Marquez the Colombian-born

Novelist.

06/24/13

Lost in Shangri-La : A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the

Most Incredible Rescue Mission of WWII, by Mitchell Zukoff.

(2011) 448 pgs.

09/23/13

At Home, A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson (2010)

452 pgs. The award-winning author of A Short History of Nearly

Everything explores the ways in which homes reflect history,

from a bathroom’s revelations about medicine and hygiene to a

kitchen’s exposure of the stories of trade and nutrition.

10/28/13

Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking

by Susan Cain (2012), 333 pgs. Passionately argued, impressively

researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet

shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much

we lose in doing so.

11/25/13

Uncommon Carriers by John McPhee (2006) 248 pgs. - Both the

NY Times and the Christian Science Monitor’s “ Best Books of

2006.” Uncommon Carriers is a classic work by McPhee. It is the

sketchbook of his journeys from Atlanta to Tacoma; he goes up

the Illinois River on a “towboat” pushing a triple string of barges,

the overall vessel being “a good deal longer than the Titanic.”

BOOK REVIEW 01/03/13

Join us for Club member Barbara Buchele’s review of Catherine

the Great by Richard Massie. The author gives us a well-

researched and accessible biography of one of the most

remarkable and powerful of Russian monarchs whose progressive

ideas opened the door to the west and exposed her barbaric

country to western civilization.

01/17/13

Join us for Club member Judy Beck’s timely review of Isaac’s

Storm , author Erik Larson’s look at the history-making hurricane

that hit Galveston in 1900. Given Monster Storm Sandy that

created such destruction on the east coast in October 2012, this

timely review begs the question, how much more prepared are we

for these gigantic catastrophes today than we were back then?

02/07/13

Join us for Club member Linda Macdonald’s review of A History

of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor. The author is a

well-known curator and art critic, who sits on the Board of the

National Gallery and is presently the director of the British

Museum. He has taken a BBC Radio project that consisted of a

hundred 15-minute episodes based on objects from the museum’s

collection and adapted it into this fascinating and entertaining

book that is appreciated by those who love art, and those who love

history, or both.

02/21/13

Author Terry Griffin will review his action-packed novel,

Collateral Damage . The novel is set in Longboat Key and the

author’s love of place as well as the novel’s spellbinding plot line

result in a mystery thriller that’s not to be missed.

03/07/13

Join us for Club member Richard Cohen’s review of Grand

Pursuit, The Story of Economic Genius by Sylvia Nasar, the

widely acclaimed author of A Beautiful Mind . Nasar, in Grand

Pursuit , writes a sweeping history of the evolution of modern

economics as seen through the lens of the discipline’s most

famous scholars and theorists.

03/21/13

Join us for Club member Jack Schott’s review of A First Rate

Madness by noted psychiatrist and expert on mood disorders, Dr.

S. Nassir Ghaemi. The author examines the link between

leadership and mental illness by first describing specific

psychiatric diagnoses, followed by examples of historical leaders,

including Lincoln, JFK, Gandhi, FDR, and Hitler, who exhibited

symptoms that fit these diagnoses.

04/04/13

Club member Florence Bacas Snow will review Joseph Anton: A

Memoir by Salman Rushdie. On February 14, 1989, Salman

Rushdie, former President of American PEN and Booker Prize-

winning novelist, was “sentenced to death” by the Ayatollah

Khomeini. His crime was writing a novel, The Satanic Verses ,

that was accused of being “against Islam, the Prophet, and the

Quran.”

04/18/13

Club member Tom Polgar will review My Beloved World by

Sonia Sotomayor. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor gives a

personal and emotional account of her life in New York in a

broken home, coping with juvenile diabetes and a failed marriage,

and also of personal success as a honor student, a lawyer, a

Federal Appeals Court Judge, and ultimately an appointment as

Justice of the Supreme Court.

05/16/13

Join us for the last installment of Linda Dunlap and Martha

Williamson’s Tolstoy series, The Trouble with Tolstoy?

09/19/13

Join us for Jeff Ashton’s review of Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting

Casey Anthony , the riveting behind-the-scene’s account of the

murder case that kept the country mesmerized for months in 2011.

Ashton, as author of the book and prosecuting attorney on the

case, brings a unique perspective to the tragic death of three-year-

old Caylee Anthony.

10/03/13

Intact: A First-Hand Account of the D-Day Invasion from a

Fifth Rangers Company Commander is the story of Major

General John C. Raaen Jr.'s experiences during the D-Day

landings. Join us for this rare opportujity to hear a war hero relate

his own experiences during World War II.

10/17/13

Join us for Club member Joe Rizzo’s review of Claude Debussy

by Paul Roberts. This recent Debussy biography documents the

revolutionary 20th Century composer who, with flair and style,

transformed much of later classical music.

11/07/13

Join us for author Kenneth Murray’s review of his book, The

Second Creation , a science fiction novel that portrays a classic

confrontation between good and evil.

11/21/13

Join us for author Stuart Omans’ review of his book, Ol’ Man on

a Mountain . The book, a funny and entertaining memoir,

chronicles the adventures of Stu, a college professor and creator

of the Orlando Shakespeare Festival, and his artist wife Jan, both

Jewish city dwellers from Chicago, and their hilarious anecdotes

at adjusting to life among the mountain folk of North Carolina.

CINEMA ESSENTIALS 01/15/13

Rashomon (1951) - A riveting psychological thriller that

investigates the nature of truth and the meaning of justice.

Rashomon is widely considered one of the greatest films ever

made. Four people give different accounts of a man’s murder and

the rape of his wife, which director Akira Kurosawa presents with

striking imagery and an ingenious use of flashbacks. This eloquent

masterwork and international sensation revolutionized film

language and introduced Japanese cinema—and a commanding

new star by the name of Toshiro Mifune—to the Western world.

Best Foreign Film, Academy Award 1952.

02/19/13

Yojimbo is a 1961 Japanese dark comedy film. Directed by the

legendary Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune. In a

terror-stricken village of corruption, drifting samurai Sanjuro

turns a range war between two evil clans to his own advantage. He

survives on his wits and his ability to outrun his own bad luck.

This film, inspired by the American Western genre, presents an

entertaining tale with humor and much visual excitement.

Members and guests invited.

04/02/13

German Director Series: Florian von Donnersmarck - The Lives of

Others is a critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning movie (2006) as

Best Foreign Film. Before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, East

German population was closely monitored by the State Secret

Police (Stasi) and only a few citizens above suspicion were

permitted to lead private lives.

05/07/13

Good Bye, Lenin (2003) is a German tragicomedy film with a

subtle and delicately delivered humor. The main premise, that a

son must pretend that the Berlin Wall is still up so that his mother,

fresh out of a nine-month coma, isn’t shocked into a relapse, is

one that had to be deftly handled, and deftly handled it is.

09/10/13

There are some directors, but not many, who can legitimately be

said to have inspired their own genre of movie; Manhattan moves

gracefully between comedy, romance, and drama. Manhattan is a

film of many distinctions: its glorious all-Gershwin score, its

breathtaking and sumptuous black-and-white wide-screen

photography, its witty screenplay that marked a new level of

Woody Allen’s maturity.

10/01/13

Annie Hall , a 1977 film, is thought to contain more intellectual

wit and cultural references than any other movie ever to win the

Oscar for Best Picture. It marked the beginning of Woody Allen

as an important director.

11/05/13

The Shop Around the Corner (1940) is an American Romantic

Comedy Film, produced and beautifully directed by Ernst

Lubitsch, and starring James Stewart in a terrific performance and

Margaret Sullavan with her legendary acting skills

CLASSICAL MUSIC 01/16/13

“From Two Sticks to One” - Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra

Maestro Michael Garasi will present an informative program with

audiovisuals on the art of conducting a large symphony orchestra.

Garasi celebrates his seventh season as the orchestra’s Music

Director/Conductor and his first as Principal Conductor of the

newly formed New Score Chamber Orchestra, which performs

music of living composers.

02/20/13

For both diehard classical music lovers and newcomers, Pianist

Tom Conyers provides melodic music like you’ve never heard

before, enhanced by his rare gift for improvisation.

03/20/13

Pianist Karl Richter, a talented composer and musician, has

widely performed his original compositions and a broad repertoire

of music for more than thirty years. His program will include light

classical and Broadway music, including movements from

Dvorack’s 9th Symphony , Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake , as well as

Debussy’s “Clair de Lune".

04/17/13

Orlando Brass Quintet, featuring two trumpets, French horn,

trombone, and tuba, will perform music of Gershwin, Gabrielli,

and other classical selections, as well as Leonard Bernstein’s

West Side Story music—including “Maria,” “Tonight,” and

“America.”

05/15/13

Works of Mendelssohn, Mozart, and Schubert—legendary

prodigies who died young—will be performed by world-renowned

violinist Mati Braun and pianist Holly Small.

06/19/13

Noted pianist and Steinway artist Michael Rickman will perform

works by Chopin and Debussy. Receiving critical acclaim on three

continents, Stetson music professor Dr. Rickman has performed at

top cultural centers around the world.

08/21/13

Hear Orlando Philharmonic clarinetist Patrick Graham, Moscow-

born pianist Polina Gubnitskaia, and Central Florida soprano

Danielle Kristen Smith perform works of Mozart, Schuert,

Berlioz, Messiaen, and Mendelssohn. Patrick has performed solo

and chamber recitals throughout the United States and Canada.

09/18/13

Arnold Breman, a retired impresario who last September

performed for us a marvelous Classical Music Laughter in the

Wings program, returns with his Laughter with the Classical

Giants of Jazz .

10/16/13

36-year New York Philharmonic violinist Mati Braun and

acclaimed Steinway artist Dr. Gary Wolf return to perform works

of Mozart, Brahams, and Grieg.

11/20/13

Renowned harpist Jan Jennings, a noted performer and teacher of

classical and other genres of music, returns with her amazing

ability to take multiple requests and immediately turn them into a

medley.

DINNER PROGRAM 01/18/13

Popular hits from favorite Broadway Musicals performed by

soprano Natalie Cordone, baritone Shawn Kilgore, pianist Bill

Kent, bass player Rick Richolson, and percussionist Barry Smith.

01/25/13

Come experience an American Jazz and Blues Retrospect

performed by Sergei Kossenko, with blues and jazz singer Joliene

Felice. Music will include I Got Rhythm , written by George

Gershwin for solo Piano in 1930,and Take Five , popularized by

Dave Brubeck's hit performance.

03/15/13

The girls with the bouncing curls and the boys with the

whirling feet are back to entertain us. Ramrod straight in the

mode of traditional Irish dance, these colorful students of Tir

na Greine School of Irish Dance surely seem as magical as

the “little people” of Irish lore.

03/22/13 We will enjoy Jaaqueline Jones, first lady of jazz and blues.

04/05/13

Join us to enjoy a dinner program enlivened by a variety of

music with renowned harpist Jan Jennings, a performer and

teacher of both classical and popular music with an extensive

repertoire that includes more than nine hours of music from

memory in many genres—including pop, country, jazz, show

tunes, movie themes, swing, rock, and classical.

04/26/13

Accompanied by computer magis, you will hear world-

renoowned sols violinist Ayako Yonetani perform

Beethhoven's Violin Concerto. This technological feat is

made possible by Dr. Kimi Sugaya, who provides computer-

generated orchestra music.

05/27/13

Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, icons of American

musical theater, will be spotlighted during our May dinner

program as Central Florida theatrical professionals bring the

musical genius of the 1940s and 1950s Broadway stage to

our Park Avenue dining room.

06/29/13

"You’re a Grand Ol’ Flag" An evening of Americana and

patriotic music celebrating, in advance, the 237th anniversary

of the signing of our

Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

08/24/13 Mireya and Miriachi Charros of Mexico.

09/27/13

OCTOBERFEST CELEBRATION - Dan Witucki, who will

entertain us on this festive occasion, is known throughout

the country as one of the finest concertina players and is

recognized in the Concertina Hall of Fame.

10/18/13

ITALIAN NIGHT - FLORIDA OPERA COMPANY A trio

of outstanding performers from the Florida Opera Company

will celebrate Italian music.

10/26/13

HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY Join your fellow Club

members in costume for our always-popular Halloween

Party, with dancing to the music of Bob Glendon's Trio.

11/08/13

BUBBLY NIGHT IN VIENNA You are invited to join us

when our supremely talented Club member, the renowned

violinist Mati Braun and Holly Small, pianist, will dazzle

you with their performance of classical pieces reminiscent of

old Vienna.

DOCUMENTARY CINEMA 01/28/13

Queen of Versailles follows how the recent economic downturn

affected the lives of multibillionaire David Siegel, his wife Jackie,

and their family, all while building the largest home in America

(in Orlando).

02/19/13

For those who were unable to attend the January presentation,

there will be a special showing of Queen of Versailles . The film

follows how the recent economic downturn affected the lives of

multibillionaire David Siegel, his wife Jackie, and their family, all

while building the largest home in America (in Orlando).

02/25/13

That’s Entertainment , the original, theatrical documentary about

Hollywood’s (mostly MGM’s) development and success in

motion picture entertainment.

03/25/13

Winged Migration is a 2003, academy award-winning

documentary featuring the incredible world of migrating birds.

Unconventional photography was used to make close-up scenes of

birds in flight and often in danger.

04/22/13

Kon-Tiki - It was the raft used by Norwegian explorer and writer

Thor Heyerdahl in his 1947 expedition across the Pacific Ocean

from South America to the Polynesian islands. The film Kon-Tiki

earned the Academy Award for a documentary film.

09/23/13

Two short films of Pare Lorentz: The Plow That Broke the Plains

(1936) and The River (1938). These two works by Lorentz won

artistic awards but also political criticism. Uncontrollable floods

of the Mississippi and the dust storms of the Great Plains are the

subjects

10/28/13

Kon-Tiki (2013) - This recent dramatic film shows the adventure

and how the 1950 Oscar-winning documentary was conceived,

planned, and filmed by researchers who happened to be amateur

filmmakers.

11/25/13

Bolero is a 1973 Academy Award-winning short film showing the

preparation and performance of Ravel’s classical work, The

Bolero .

FILM NIGHT 01/17/13

Chinatown (1974) is a film based on William Mulholland’s

greatest story: the construction of the Owen Valley Aqueduct,

which provided Los Angeles with a steady source of drinking

water and controversy. Gripping mystery excels in virtually every

aspect, with outstanding performances from Jack Nicholson as the

detective, Faye Dunaway as the flawed heroine, and John Huston

as the arch villain. Directed by Roman Polanski, it received the

1974 Academy Award as Best Original Screenplay and ten Oscar

nominations.

02/21/13

Four Weddings and a Funeral Is an acclaimed 1994 British

comedy, centering on the romance between a charming

Englishman (Hugh Grant) and a beautiful American woman

(Andie McDowell), who seem to always run into each other at

weddings.

03/21/13

Twelve Angry Men is a 1957 American film directed by Sidney

Lumet. It is a gripping and penetrating examination of a jury of

twelve “angry men” who are uncomfortably brought together and

entrusted with the power to send an uneducated teenaged boy to

the electric chair for killing his father. With Lee J. Cobb, E. G.

Marshall, Jack Klugman, Jack Warden, and Henry Fonda. Brown-

bag dinner.

04/18/13

In The Last Picture Show , film critic-turned director Peter

Bogdanovich’s 1971 film, pays homage to Hollywood’s classical

age as it chronicles generational rites of passage in a fictional one-

horse Texas town. Hailed as one of the Best Films by a young

director since Citizen Kane, it was nominated for eight Academy

Awards.

05/16/13

Charade (1963), is a deliciously dark comedy thriller in which

Audrey Hepburn plays a young woman in Paris, whose husband is

murdered. Cary Grant comes to her aid.

07/18/13

Cinema Paradiso was shot in Director Giuseppe Tomatore's

hometown in Sicily. The film intertwines sentimentality with

comedy and nostalgia with pragmatism.

08/06/13

The Leopard (II Gattopardo). A 1963 film based on the

masterpiece novel by an eccentric Sicilian aristocrat, Giuseppe di

Lampedusa. He chronicles the changes in Sicilian life and society

during Garibaldi’s invasion of Sicily, the end of feudalism, and

the unification of Italy (Risorgimento). It has been called “the

Italian Gone With the Wind .”

09/19/13

In Fargo , the wildly inventive Coen brothers concoct a fiendishly

clever kidnap caper that is simultaneously a comedy of errors, a

Midwestern satire, a suspense thriller, and a tale of criminal

misfortune.

10/10/13

On the Waterfront , (1954) is an American drama about union

violence and corruption among longshoremen.

11/14/13

The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 film about a banker

accused of a double murder in the 1940s. Based on a novel by

Stephen King, it stars Tim Robbins in one of his best

performances, as a convict sent to Shawshank prison where he

meets another prisoner, brilliantly played by Morgan Freeman.

FLORIDA WRITERS ASSOCIATION 01/02/13

"Capitalize on Your Writing Strategies for Recognition and

Making Money" - Many people weant to write and be known for

their work, but only a small percentage of those succeed. Bob

Lucas, a published author of more than thirty books will share his

thoughts and experiences about getting published and creating

residual income streams.

02/06/13 Blogging and Social Media Tools to Build Your Book

03/06/13

“Point of View: Head-hopping Is So Passe” - According to

author/newspaper editor Susan Bryant, “You can’t play God.

There are limits in fiction writing, believe it or not” (with regard

to Point of View).

04/03/13

“Let’s Talk About the Movies” - Jennie Jarvis, script analyst and

former development assistant, has designed a workshop to take

away some of the mysteries of the film industry in order to help

your epic idea get turned into a movie. You will learn the

difference between film and novel writing in the correct format

for writing for film.

05/01/13

Larry Leech, author, ghostwriter, editor, and speaker will show

you how to develop effective query letters and present your book

topic to editors and agents.

06/05/13

Ben Hale, author and speaker, will show you how to develop

Kindle books to publish on Amazon.

07/10/13

“Use the Dr. Seuss/List Method to Build a Full Story” - A. J.

Robinson, author, speaker, and Regional Director for the FWA

will show us a simiple yet effective tool to help in building a

book.

08/07/13

“How Writing Movies Made Me a Better Novelist” - Jennie

Jarvis, a YA novelist, will demonstrate the key elements in writing

books that she learned as a film writer.

09/04/13“A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words (or Dollars?)” The

importance of illustrations and graphics will be discussed.

10/02/13

“Perfecting Your Pitch”- Saritza Hernandez, a traditional and

ebook literary agent, will show you how to improve your "pitch".

11/06/13 “Tips from the Pros on Media Coverage for Authors”

FOREIGN AFFAIRS 01/24/13

How did the 2008 global recession contribute to the development

of the euro crisis? The health of the euro affects and is affected by

the state of the global economy. How can European Union leaders

prevent the collapse of the common currency?

02/28/13

Egypt by Bruce Rutherford. The popular revolution that ousted

President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 ushered in the promise of

radical change. Two years later, what is the state of Egyptian

democracy? How will the military and the civilian government

balance power?

03/28/13NATO by Mark Webber - How has NATO’s agenda evolved since

its inception during the cold war?

04/25/13

Myanmar and Southeast Asia by Barbara Crossette - The West

has welcomed unprecedented democratic reforms made by

Myanmar’s government. What challenges must Myanmar

(formerly Burma) overcome before it can fully join the

international community? What role can it play in Southeast Asia?

05/23/13

“Myanmar and Southeast Asia.” The West has welcomed

unprecedented democratic reforms made by Myanmar’s

government. What challenges must Myanmar overcome before it

can fully join the international community?

06/27/13

Chapter 6 of the Foreign Decisions syllabus: Iran by John

Limbert. Suspicion and a troubled history have blighted U.S.-

Iranian relations for three decades. How can the United States and

Iran move forward?

09/26/13

The 7th chapter of our syllabus, China in Africa - by David Shinn.

What interests govern China’s engagement in Africa? Should

China’s growing emphasis on political ties and natural resource

extraction inform U.S. relations with African nations?

10/24/13

The eighth chapter of the 2013 syllabus, titled “Threat

Assessment” by Gregory Treverton. How can the United States

address the challenges of a weak economy, homegrown terrorism,

and nuclear proliferation?

HEALTH AND WELLNESS 01/08/13

Club member Dr. Perry Dworkin will speak on “Cancer: the

Dreaded Disease.” How does it start? Where does it go? Who

does it involve? What can we do about it? Chair: Dr. Perry

Dworkin

02/12/13“You Won’t Exercise, So Try These Habits to Maintain a Safe

and Relatively Pain-Free Lifestyle.” Chair: Dr. Perry Dworkin

03/12/13Dr. Al Turri, Hearing Specialist, will be discussing what you need

to know about a hearing aid, what you need to buy, what you

don’t need to buy, and what the appropriate cost should be.

04/11/13“Stretching As Exercise and Improved Mobility” - Tips on

moving safely sitting, standing, and walking.

05/09/13“Galen” - How did one man dominate medical thinking for five

hundred years?

09/12/13

“The Heart, Its Anatomy and Function as a Basis for

Understanding the Common Diseases Including Cardiovascular

Disease and Stroke” presented by Club member and Chair, Dr.

Perry Dworkin.

10/10/13

The October Health and Wellness lecture will be given by Tim

Millard of the Winter Park Emergency and Fire Rescue Service.

His topic is Cardiac Resuscitation. He has lectured to the

University Club members for the last three years.

11/14/13 As we age, our documents don’t, laws change, and so do opinions.

Therefore it is borderline imperative to periodically reexamine

those documents in the light of our current position. To that end I

have asked Randy Bryan, of Hoyt and Bryan, LLC to speak with

us regarding eldercare law and estate planning.

HISTORY 01/07/13

“American Political Sexual Scandals, from General Washington

to General Petraeus” by Robert Smither, Ph.D. The presentation

focuses on Americans’ changing attitudes toward political sexual

scandals from the time of the American Revolution to the present.

Dr. Robert Smither is Professor of Psychology and Dean of Arts

and Sciences at Rollins College in Winter Park.

01/21/13

“The Search for the Historical Jesus” by Robert Barry Levis,

Ph.D. Since the mid-nineteenth century, biblical scholars and

historians have attempted to reconstruct the life of Jesus as an

historical figure in first-century Palestine as opposed to the

religious figure of the Christian tradition. They examined the

historical texts and evidence from archeology and anthropology to

draw what they believed was a more accurate portrait of the man

from Galilee than had been the conventional portrayal.

02/04/13

Joan of Arc: “I Hear Voices” - Club member John Snow will tell

us the story of Joan of Arc, who led the army of France to victory,

was tried as a heretic, condemned, and burned at the stake. She

claimed everything she did was at the direction of her “voices.”

This talk will outline her life and will suggest the answer to the

key question: Was she insane?

03/04/13

“What Really Happened at Ellis Island” will be presented by

Gladys Friedman Paulin, Certified GenealogistSM. Gladys will

show how immigrants were inspected, provided meals, treated for

medical problems, and admitted to the Land of Promise.

03/18/13

“General Washington, the Continental Congress and the

Newburgh Conspiracy” will be presented by UCF Professor of

History, Tom D. Greenhaw. If General Washington had only to

deal with His Majesty’s troops, the General would have had a

much easier time; unfortunately, he had in many ways a much

bigger distraction.

04/01/13

“The Story of How Percussion Was Added to the Orchestra” -

Jeffrey M. Moore is Professor of Music (Percussion) and Chair of

the UCF Music Department. Mr. Moore is an internationally

recognized percussion expert, lecturer, and soloist. Join us for an

informative and fascinating lecture that will include musical and

video examples about the origins of the most common orchestral

percussion instruments (timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals,

tambourine, triangle, and xylophone) and their early use in

Western Art symphonic music.

04/15/13

“Great Rivalries in the World of Music” - We are privileged once

again to have Dr. James Drake, recently retired President Emeritus

of Brevard Community College and author of many books, share

with us his knowledge of the world of music. He will delight us

with stories about great rivalries among well-known musicians,

singers, and instrumentalists, from the friendly to the not-so-

friendly.

05/06/13

“The Emperor and the Arabs: Who was Frederick II?” will be

presented by Dr. Jerry Schiffhorst, Professor Emeritus at UCF,

who specializes in Medieval and Renaissance studies.

05/20/13

“Peter the Great,” presented by Dr. Joel Rubin, a Club member,

who began the study of Russian History in the mid-1950s with a

particular interest in the Romanov’s Dynasty. He holds a master’s

degree and a Ph.D. in American Literature and a master’s degree

in Russian Literature.

06/03/13

“Pope John XXIII, Peacemaker for the World” - In his brief five-

year pontificate, Pope John XIII (1881-1963) forged surprising

relationships with many leaders previously considered opponents

of the Vatican (including Khrushchev), which helped the Pope

play a role in resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis. Speaker Lynn

Schiffhorst has lectured for more than twenty years in the

International Road Scholar (formerly Elderhostel) program and

has also been a UCF instructor in English and Humanities.

06/17/13

“Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust” presented by Holly

Mandelkern, a University Club member, who first studied the

resistance on a teachers’ trip to Poland and Israel in 1991. She has

since lectured each year at the Teacher’s Institute at the Holocaust

Resource Center in Maitland.

07/15/13

“Another Opening, Another Show”-- Broadway’s Greatest

Musicals 1868-1970—Retired Impresario and Club Member

Arnold Breman takes his audience on a historical tour of

American Musical Theater.

08/05/13

“Ayn Rand: Paragon or Pariah?” - Retired psychotherapist and

Club librarian Martha Williamson analyzes Rand’s controversial

life and philosophy. During our recent financial recession Rand’s

name resurfaced in politics.

08/19/13

“The Bible as Politics” - Ken Hanson, Associate professor in the

University of Central Florida Judaic Studies Program, will give a

fresh and unique look at the intersection of the Bible with political

theory. It probes the extent to which America’s founders looked to

Holy Writ in attempting to avoid the pitfalls in which budding

republics invariably fall prey.

09/16/13

“Lyndon Johnson and the Use and Abuse of Power” will be

presented by Attorney James C. Houser. He will talk about the

Johnson years in the White House, his desperate need for power,

and but for Viet Nam, he could have been one of the greatest

presidents.

10/07/13

Cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons.

Using Stacy Schiff’s masterly book based on classical sources,

Club member Dot Cline will recreate the queen and separate fact

from fiction.

10/21/13

“Agincourt” will be presented by ex-marine, Viet Nam vet, Coast

Guard vet, and much enjoyed previous History group speaker,

Walter Jensen.

11/04/13

“The 1958 Hungarian Revolution—A Personal View” - Dr. Paul

Vilmos, after surviving Nazi deportation in his native Hungary,

escaped the horrific death camps and lived through the tumultuous

Hungarian Revolution.

11/18/13

“The Dark Forest” (Murder and Mayhem in Florida’s National

Forest) will be presented by Joel Dick, Club member, Club

President Emeritus, and former District Attorney in both Georgia

and Florida.

HUMANITIES 02/12/13

It’s time we discussed the preexisting conditions that women have

been subjected to. It’s time to pay attention. We’ve come a long

way but if the Supreme Court has its way we may be back to

where we were. You’d be surprised at what things we have

survived! This will be an open discussion.

04/09/13

Was the Supreme Court supreme when it decided Roe vs.

Wade —or are twenty-six states supreme when they say you

cannot get an abortion at all? Hear the views on April 9.

05/14/13Dr. Maurice O’Sullivan, Professor of English at Rollins College,

will tell us all about when the French were in Florida.

06/18/13

If we survived the end of the world back in December—because it

didn’t happen—then what’s happening with our world right now?

Have we gone to hell and just don’t know it?

08/13/13“Suicides, Posttraumatic Stress, and Other Calamities” - What you

can and cannot do in such a crisis. A psychologist’s view.

09/10/13

Pulitzer Prize winner John Bersia, director of the Global

Perspectives Office and professor at UCF, is frequently on PBS as

an authority on World Affairs. With today’s world affairs in

chaos, he will be able to address the problems.

11/11/13

If people could tell who we are by the colors we wear, we

wouldn’t believe it. But Trig Johnson, UCF Professor of Art and

Philosophy, can tell a lot about the colors we like and don’t like. It

would be fun to know how people see you, and this is a great

opportunity

INVESTMENT DISCUSSION 11/19/13

An informal discussion of ideas and strategies for investing. We

welcome novices and experts, and encourage people to come to

share experiences or just to listen.

LECTURE SERIES 04/16/13

Barbara Klein, Shakespeare Scholar, will explain the play Titus

Andronicus , which is appearing at the Shakespeare Theater

during April

05/21/13A special presentation by Dr. Barbara Jenkins, superintendent of

Orange County Public Schools.

06/18/13

Guest speaker Bill Kahn will speak on the characteristics of

“Scams, Frauds, and Cons” along with how to identify and avoid

them.

10/15/13

Guest lecturer Thomas McAllister of Indianapolis will present his

talk “Avoid Sabotaging Yourself When Investing.”

11/11/13

“Water and Land Legacy” talk given by Pat Grierson, Orange

County Volunteer Coordinator for Florida Water and Land

Legacy Campaign. State funds allocated to protecting and

restoring conservation and restoration efforts will run dry unless

voters pass the Water and Land Legacy Amendment.

11/19/13

Guest lecturer Dr. Jonathan Matusitz, Associate Professor of

Communication at UCF, will present his talk, “The Islamic Threat

to America,” which is local, academic, and political because Islam

is not just a religion but a political system and global movement.

LUNCH AND LEARN

01/11/13 Steve Gillette and Cincy Mangsen present the very best in

contemporary and traditional folk music.

05/17/13

Our season debut of the Lunch & Learn program kicks off with an

international music maker, a dynamic and riveting multimedia

presentation, and a subject matter so groovy, upbeat, and svelte

that its very creation soothed the anxieties of a troubled nation.

Jazz and Swing: American Phenomenon will be brought to

UCWP members and guests by Jeff Rupert, a multitalented

musician, UCF Professor and Director of Jazz Studies, musical

entrepreneur, and a man Mel Torme called “dynamic,” whose

own jazz CD is currently #7 on the Jazz Week charts.

07/28/13

Join us for our premier Sunday Luncheon Concert, when the

dynamic and versatile Myaka String Quartet, which specializes in

classical as well as popular repertory, will perform a program of

beautiful pieces from their popular music repertory.

09/20/13

Join us at our second Lunch and Learn program when we present

Professor Emeritius Richard Tucker of the University of Central

Florida, who will discuss "Brain Wellness: Effect of Aging".

10/11/13

Judaism and Christianity: What's the Difference? Kenneth L.

Hanson, associate professor in the University of Central Florida

Judaic Studies Program and a favorite lecturer at the University

Club, will return at our third Lunch & Learn program to present a

talk on the difference between two of the world’s largest religions.

11/15/13

Egypt: a New Face in the Middle East--Join us when David

Dumke, Director of the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd

Program for Strategic Research and Studies at the University

of Central Florida will present his view of the continuing

crisis in Egypt, the country that inspired the 2011 “Arab

Spring.”

OPERA APPRECIATION 01/03/13

Enjoy two of the three one-act Puccini operas: II Trittico , II

Tabarro , and Gianni Schicchi . Tragedy and comedy are provided

in one night.

04/04/13

Renee Fleming, Thomas Hampson, and the Metropolitan Opera

Company are featured in this recent production of Thaïs by Jules

Massenet.

05/02/13

Bellini’s La Sonnambula features two of today’s hottest stars of

opera. Natelie Dessay and Juan Diego Florez in this recent

production by the Metropolitan Opera.

06/06/13

The Pearl Fishers (Les pêcheurs de perles ) by Georges Bizet. Set

in ancient times on the island of Ceylon, the opera is a story of

how the brotherly friendship of two men is threatened by their

love of the same woman.

07/11/13

La Boheme by Puccini. Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon star

in this most popular of romantic operas in the 2008 production.

08/01/13

Don Quichotte by Jules Massenet is this month’s opera. It is

based on the familiar story by Miguel de Cervantes with the

characters Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, and Dulcinea, featuring

Jose Van Dam in the title role.

09/05/13

The Battle of Legnano, by Verdi. Verdi wrote this most patriotic

opera during the turbulent events of the 1848 revolution.

10/03/13

Our Verdi festival continues with the exciting La Forza Del

Destino (The Force of Destiny ). Donna Leonora, on the verge of

eloping with her lover, is party to the accidental shooting of her

father—and so the drama begins.

11/07/13

Oberto - Oberto seeks vengeance for the mistreatment of his

daughter in Verdi’s first opera. It was such an immediate success,

he went on to become Italy’s premier composer. This rarely

performed work of love, betrayal, and vengeance showed the

opera world what to expect from Verdi.

PHILOSOPHICAL DISCUSSION 01/22/13

“Why Evil Exists” - By popular request we will continue to view

and discuss the Great Courses DVD lectures of Charles

Mathewes, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of

Virginia. Today’s lectures focus on Self-Deception in Evil -

Scholasticism as conceived by Anselm of Lyon and Thomas

Aquinas; and Dante - Hell and the Abandonment of Hope .

01/29/13

“Why Evil Exists”- We continue with the Great Courses DVD

lecture series featuring award-winning Professor Charles

Mathewes, an expert in theology and the philosophy of religion at

the University of Virginia. We will view and discuss Professor

Mathewes’ lectures on the thinking of Martin Luther and Jean

Calvin in The Reformation - The Power of Evil Within; and

Thomas Hobbes on Evil as a Social Construct .

02/05/13

“Why Evil Exists” - By popular demand we will continue to view

and discuss the Great Courses DVD lectures of Charles

Mathewes, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of

Virginia. Today’s lectures focus on Self-Deception in Evil -

Scholasticism as conceived by Anselm of Lyon and Thomas

Aquinas; and Dante—Hell and the Abandonment of Hope .

02/26/13

“Ancient Egypt: The Great Sphinx of Giza” - What is the origin of

the 4500-year-old statue at the foot of Egypt’s Great Pyramids and

how does it relate to Egypt’s political history and religious

philosophy?

03/05/13

Let’s have a further look at the Criminal Justice System. Any

improvement necessary? Is there really anything wrong with

vengeance?

03/26/13

"Why Evil Exists” - We continue to review and discuss the Great

Courses DVD lecture series about the nature of evil, which

features award-winning Professor Charles Mathewes, expert in

theology and the philosophy of religion at the University of

Virginia.

04/02/13

“Goodbye to All That” - Aiming for a better year! What is the

greatest need we can address? You have a unique perspective

shaped by your life experiences, your own personality, and your

intellect. Let’s get your ideas out on the table and work out their

various aspects.

04/30/13

“The Idea of Magic in Egyptian Hieroglyphs and Texts”—We

will view and discuss a History Channel Classic DVD about

ancient Egypt that describes the origin and nature of hieroglyphs

and written text within the religious and cultural life of this

ancient civilization.

05/07/13

By multiple requests, our topic for May is Health Care. There is a

great deal of misinformation going around. Our members can

bring their views to the table for discussion and analysis by all

attendees.

05/28/13

We will review and discuss University of Virginia Professor

Charles Mathewes’ concluding lecture on evil from his Great

Course DVD series on this subject: The Unnaming of Evil and

Where Can Hope Be Found?

06/04/13

What does it mean to be free? Can you be really free if you cannot

secede from an oppressive government? Whom do you trust to

make the rules for you?

06/25/13

“Great Philosophical Debates: Free Will and Determinism” - Are

the decisions we make that govern our actions based on our free

will or are our choices really determined by factors that are part of

our larger world?

07/02/13

Let’s have a further look at the Criminal Justice System. Any

improvement necessary? Is there really anything wrong with

vengeance?

07/23/13

“Great Philosophical Debates: Free Will and Determinism.” We

will continue to view and discuss the Great Course DVD lectures

on this subject as presented by award winning Professor Shaun

Nichols, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Arizona.

08/06/13

Just Thinking: As government “does more,” it grows ever larger,

ever more costly, more intrusive, more inefficient, and less

responsive to those who pay the bills. Is there any obstacle to the

unending growth of government?

08/27/13

The Wisdom of History - In his Great Course DVD under this

title, J. Rufus Fears, Professor of Classics at the University of

Oklahoma, explores questions about our ability to use lessons of

history for making decisions in the present and to plan for the

future.

09/03/13

Just Thinking: Who gets to define justice when it is you or your

loved one who is abducted and held captive for ten years?

09/24/13 The Wisdom of History”- Continuing the discussion.

10/01/13 Just Thinking: Racial Profiling” - Grandmothers getting patted

down (some would say felt up) in airport security.

11/05/13

- “Just Thinking: Entitlements - Getting Your Fair Share?” -

When government is ever expanding the sense of entitlement, and

when the money has to come from somewhere, the inevitable

result is conflict between the haves and the have-nots.

11/26/13

The Wisdom of History” - In his Great Course DVD under this

title, J. Rufus Fears, Professor of Classics at the University of

Oklahoma, explores questions about our ability to use lessons of

history for making decisions in the present and to plan for the

future. We will view and discuss another of his lectures that

define and attempt to answer historical questions relative to our

world today: “Ancient Greece and the Middle East.”

SCIENCE & MORE 01/24/13

“What the Frack?” With world oil reserves declining and

consumption increasing, hydraulic frackturning has been touted as

a solution to the energy crisis. But opponents contend the process

is fraught with environmental and safety issue problems.

02/28/13Climate Change Update

04/25/13

“Science Shorts” - Chair Jeannie Schiff will briefly describe

interesting new research results in the scientific fields of human

development, science and society, archeology, evolution, life

sciences, and astronomy.

05/23/13

“The Tipping Points of Climate Change” - Dr. Joseph Siry,

Professor of Environmental Science and the History of Science

and Technology at Rollins College, will discuss the science

behind the climate-change tipping points that could forever alter

the earth’s climate.

07/25/13

“A Different Kind of Smart: What Animals Know.” When

animals appear to be capable of logical action such as tool use or

counting tasks, we have a tendency to anthropomorphize their

reasoning abilities. But are animals really capable of human-like

thought processes?

09/26/13

“Did God Create the Universe?” The Science & More Group will

view the first episode of Morgan Freeman’s award-winning show

Through the Wormhole , in which he looks to science to illuminate

the question of whether the universe was created by a God or by

chance.

10/24/13

“Update: What We Can Do with Adult Stem Cells” - Guest

speaker Dr. Kiminobu Sugaya received rave reviews for his last

talk on the medical potential of stem cells.

SPECIAL EVENTS 02/03/13 Super Bowl at the Club -- pot luck party

05/04/13Kentucky Derby at the Club--fund raising dinner party

SPORTS TALK 03/03/13

“Orlando Solar Bears” - Bob Ohrablo of the Solar Bears will

present a jarring action-packed video with facts and faces of some

Solar Bears players. This is the first of a series of monthly sports

presentations to be provided at the club.

04/10/13

Jeff Hoblick who brought back football to Rollins College after 62

years off campus will relate how this, the third season, will play

out.

05/08/13

How not only to avoid sports injuries—but everyday injuries as

well—will be the topic addressed by Dr. Stephanie Duberke,

DPT, COMT, a Jewett Physical Therapist since 2006.

10/09/13

Jason Siegel, managing partner of the Orlando Solar Bears hockey

team, will provide an inside view in bringing one of the most

exciting sports happenings to Central Florida.

11/13/13

SOCCER - You will get a kick out of hearing how soccer is

coming to town in a big way. A new soccer stadium is on the

drawing board and a national franchise is just around the corner.