Life Long Learning presentations occur on the second Wednesday of each month in Room 1, nominally from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, including a question period. Topics of general interest to the congregation are presented by UU members or by guest speakers.

Zoom Access :

ZOOM LINK https://zoom.us/j/5203271236?pwd=YVdVWEFFajhodVpRelJWMIE1MjF0dz09

ZOOM LOGIN – Meeting ID: 520 327 1236       Passcode: iti376

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Upcoming

November 13: Jim Zaenglein, ““Beyond the moon: A conversational, common sense understanding of the tides”.

PREVIOUS:

May 22, 2024 – Dan Gribbin – “Birding with a Camera in Florida and Bermuda.” 

Dan Gribbin will take us to out-of-the-way sites in Florida and Bermuda, sharing some of his favorite photos of exotic birds he has captured on film as a professional photographer.  He will also give us tips on how to photograph birds in the wild.  Dan’s photos and memories should be especially interesting, not only to intrepid hikers and birders, but also to armchair enthusiasts who would like to enjoy their excursion via Zoom.

Dan began taking pictures as a boy back in Toledo, using a Kodak box camera.  His photography of birds began back in 2009, when a pair of Black Skimmers nested on the beach near his and Martha’s home in Daytona Beach Shores.  Over the past decade or so, he has had the pleasure of supplying friends and other clients with calendars and boxed note cards featuring shore birds and song birds.  His favorite place on earth is the south shore of Bermuda, where he can stand on the cliffs overlooking the sea and photograph the Longtails (White-tailed Tropicbirds) by the hour.  Dan will also share some tips about photography, design, and printing with us.”

May 11, 2024 – Rev. Speck (Special Presentation) – “Maintaining a healthy UU Church”

Rev. Speck will be our speaker for the Sunday May 12 service at 10:00 in Room 1.  He has kindly agreed to give an out-of-sequence LLL-like workshop for us on Saturday May 11.  The theme for the workshop is “Anxiety and Healthy Leadership”. Please note the time: 10:00 AM

May 8, 2024 – Video – “Religion and Violence against Women”

In this lecture, we investigate the gendering of religious language and the treatment of women’s bodies in religious practices like menstrual seclusion and self-sacrifice. Also, we study the anxiety around women that occurred during the Salem witch trials, as well as competing interpretations of women’s freedoms and constraints in Islam.

Past Events:

April 24, 2024 – Dr Mario Fusco, UUCOB – “The Crime of Galileo”

The story of Galileo’s confrontation with the Catholic Church in the 17th century was a watershed event which marked the birth of modern science.  It is told here in fascinating detail against the rich historical background of late Renaissance Italy and of the wider European religious and cultural  ferment of the time.  And it shows how, half a millenium later and 5000 miles away, some of the controversial issues therein raised are still very much with us today.

April 10, 2024 – Dr Mira Pahlic, UUCOB – “Some thoughts on Science, Religion and New Atheism“

Dr. Pahlic will present an overview of scientific discoveries that challenge the traditional view of God/gods as known in the Western religions. The physical laws of Chemistry and Biology derive from the fundamental Laws of Physics. Dr. Fusco will expand on the recent discoveries in Physics and how they alter our ideas about reality. Some ideas from the New Atheist will also be mentioned. A group discussion will follow.

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March 27, 2024 – No LLL presentation scheduled on this date. Watch a documentary instead

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March 13, 2024 – Dagmar Jaunzems, MLIS, “Techniques used by artists”

This lecture will deal with that elusive component in a painting: the technique used by the artist. Elements such as color, line, composition, perspective, texture, shading, will be explored to see how they contribute to the overall effect. The works studied will be traditional paintings by such artists as VanGogh, Raphael, Wyeth.

Dagmar is a student and teacher of art history. For many years she has also painted, sculpted and worked in ceramics.  She has had a successful career at various art schools and institutions teaching art history.  After receiving her MLIS Dagmar worked for The J. Paul Getty Trust producing an art library publication, Art and Architecture Thesaurus. She was also the director of the Canton Free Library in Canton, NY. When retired she volunteered as a docent at the Frederic Remington Museum of Art.

February 28, 2024, “Violence and Religion” – Video presented by Dr Mario Fusco

The persistence of religious violence in the modern world is one of the greatest conceptual and practical challenges our societies face. This presentation explores some of the factors involved in these challenges by looking to the history of religious violence, its multiple manifestations, its scriptural justifications, and how its perpetrators perceive the world.

February 14, 2024 – Daria Laycock – Rank My Vote Florida, “The benefits of ranked-choice Voting”

Daria Laycock is a statewide organizer for Rank My Vote Florida. She will make a 20 minute presentation about Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV)  for our congregation. RMVFL is a non profit organization focused on educating voters about electoral reform. In the past they have had great success working with Unitarian Universalist churches to educate members about the benefits of Ranked Choice Voting.

PLEASE NOTE: this is a technical, non-political, non-partisan presentation.  No party will be privileged, no candidate will be endorsed.  This is about counting votes in any context, not just in political elections.

January 24, 2024: Dr. Mario Fusco, “A leisurely stroll through our UU website“

Our website, uuormond.info, offers a wealth of information about UUCOB activities, past, present, and future. From the site you can obtain other members’ contact information, consult the calendar for upcoming events, learn about our Service, Discussion Group and Life Long Learning topics, access past issues of the Jotter and the Weekly News, and much more. Dr. Fusco will conduct a gentle tour through the site’s features, focusing on those aspects that are most likely to be useful to the typical UU member.

January 10, 2024: Prof. Bryan Watson, “What is AI and what will it do for the human race?”

Prof. Bryan Watson obtained his B.S. in Systems Engineering at the United States Naval Academy in 2009. After a highly successful career in the Nuclear Navy Prof. Watson earned his PhD from Georgia Tech and embarked on an equally successful career in Systems Sustainability and Maintenance. He is currently at ERAU, and his interests include Artificial Intelligence technology, about which he will enlighten us.

December 13, 2023: Dan Gribbin will present “A Romantics Sampler” 

“A Romantics Sampler”  Dan Gribbin will offer samples of the poetry (and perhaps prose) of various writers associated with the Romantic movement.  Please bring a piece of work from one of your favorite writers of the period to share with the group.  We’ll check its Romantic credentials.  The leading lights in England were Byron, Shelley, Keats, Coleridge, and Wordsworth; Americans include Emerson, Thoreau, and, of course, Edgar Allan Poe.

November 29, 2023: Jenny Nazak and others, “Aging in Place”

Given the choice, many of us would prefer to grow old peacefully in our homes and the familiar surroundings of our communities, rather than spending our last days in a facility or an unfamiliar community.  

           However, people in our society face many obstacles to aging in place, including financial constraints, lack of affordably priced housing options, lack of safe transportation alternatives, and the socially alienating aspects of our streets and subdivisions.  Our society is in denial about aging and death, so much so that too many of us still shy away from advanced planning for them. 

          Panel members will include several ordinary citizens who are experiencing concerns about being able to age in place. They will share some of their own experiences, and an open discussion will follow, allowing plenty of time for attendees to express their thoughts on this multi-faceted topic. 

          Jenny Nazak will facilitate the discussion.  Jenny is a sustainability educator and community activist in Daytona Beach.  She is also in training to be an eldercare doula, a professional who offers emotional, spiritual, and logistical support to people who wish to navigate their old age and end-of-life in joy and peace. 

November 8, 2023: Cliff Jackson, “Aphantasia, Hyperphantasia and You”

Aphantasia— a condition also referred to as “Mind’s Eye Blind”—was first described in 1880, but cases were ignored until “rediscovered” in 2015.  Cliff Jackson will also be describing mental imagery’s other extreme, Hyperphantasia. 

Everyone falls somewhere on the continuum from Aphantasia to Hyperphantasia, including the other four senses.  Testing can determine where each individual is on that bell curve.  Cliff has modified the visual test for each of the other four senses, and participants are welcome to try them, with a question-and-answer period to follow.

October 25, 2023: “What is Aging, and do we have to?“ Joint presentation by Mira Pahlic and Steve Estabrook

As a species, humans have always realized that we are born, we live, and then we die. But why do we die and what are the physical events that lead to our demise? Can we squeeze out a few more enjoyable years? Finally, do we really have to die, or more realistically, can we add 30, 40 or more years of healthy living through the benefits of scientific breakthroughs that are on our doorstep.  The lecture is free and there are no age restrictions.

October 11, 2023 “What Does Spirituality Mean to You?“ Presenter: Dan Kennedy

May 11, 2022 “The US public school accountability movement” Presenter: Dan Kennedy

May 25, 2022 “Expert Witnesses: Clash of Science/Educator and Law” Presenter: Vivian Lord

October 12, 2022 “Jamestown: the first permanent British settlement on the north American continent” Presenter: Rita Scheeler

October 26, 2022 “Alzheimer’s: risk factors and prevention” Presenter: Mira Pahlic

November 16, 2022 “The effects of climate change on the oceans” Presenter: Steve Estabrooks

November 30, 2022 “Medicare: the alphabet soup“, Presenter: Jenifer Irion

December 14, 2022 “Ellen Nielsen’s Poetry”, Presenter: Ellen Nielsen POSTPONED

December 28, 2022 “Human Evolution: How Neanderthal Are We”, Presenter: Mira Pahlic. POSTPONED

January 11, 2023 “Our expanded and streamlined website“, Presenter: Mario Fusco

January 25, 2023 “Stories That Speak to Us“, Presenter: Susan Garrison. POSTPONED

February 8, 2023 “Ellen Nielsen’s Poetry“, Presenter: Ellen Nielsen

February 22, 2023 “Human Evolution: How Neanderthal Are We“, Presenter: Mira Pahlic

March 8, 2023 “Stories that speak to us“, Presenter: Susan Garrison

March 22, 2023 “The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover: How the FBI Aided and Abetted the Rise of White Christian Nationalism“, Presenter: Ludy Goodson

April 12, 2023 “Bismarck“, Presenter: Kyra von Brokoph

April 26, 2023 “Degrowth and a Steady-State Economy“, Presenter: Jennifer Nazak

May 24, 2023 “Understanding Wilkerson’s CASTE“, Presenter: Rita Scheeler

MAY 27, 2023 “The Problem of Evil and Suffering“, special presentation by Dr. Telfair Mashburn

May 31, 2023 “Healthy Aging and the Role that Clinical Trials Can Play to Help“, Presenter: Dr David Billmeier

SUMMER BREAK – BACK IN OCTOBER