By Sandi Page, Member, FAU LLI Jupiter Marketing Committee member

Michael Tougias

Michael Tougias is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author and has written or co-authored 26 books on a variety of subjects:  true survival stories, history, humor and the outdoors, inspiration, and Young Adult/Middle Reader versions of some of his books.  He will be back at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Jupiter on Tuesday, February 20, 2018 for a presentation on the war between the Colonists and Native Americans in 1675-1676.   Mr. Tougias has written two books on the subject:  “Until I Have No Country (a novel of King Philip’s War)” and co-authored, with Eric Schultz, “King Philip’s War: The History and Legacy of America’s Forgotten Conflict.”  A book-signing will follow his lecture.

Michael Tougias, who was “King Philip” and where did this little-referenced war take place?

King Philip was a Wampanoag leader whose Native American name was Metacom.  He was the son of Massasoit.   During a peaceful period before the war, the English bestowed upon Metacom the English name of Philip and called him a king instead of sachem (native for leader). The War was fought in New England.

How did you become interested in the subject and why did you write not one, but two, books on it?

When I first researched the war, I was surprised to learn that not only was this the first major war in America, but it also had the highest casualty rate of any war involving America – a higher casualty rate per capita than even the Civil War.  I realized that many people were not aware of this event and I first decided to tell the story through my historical novel Until I Have No Country.  Then, I joined forces with author Eric Schultz for our history of the war, a book titled King Philip’s War.  Eric is a superb researcher and writer, and this book covers every significant event during the war and also the reasons why this war happened.

One of the books is a fictionalized account of the war and the other is non-fiction.  Which is more difficult to write, fiction or non-fiction?  Why?

I think that depends on the author.  On the one hand, if an author really tries to stay true to the facts as I did during the writing of the historical novel, it can be difficult because the research is almost as daunting as the non-fiction version, and then you need to develop compelling characters.  I’ve written and co-written 26 books and Until I Have No Country is my only work of fiction, but my plan is to write more historical fiction in the future.  I think historical fiction can sometimes bring in a wider audience to a subject that the author is passionate about.

In 2014, you also collaborated on a memoir, this time with your daughter Kristin, titled The Cringe Chronicles: Mortifying Misadventures with my Dad.  What special challenges did that project present?    Which one of you had the final say in any “artistic” differences? How did you handle her remembrances of events that you had previously considered anodyne?

The Cringe Chronicles was a joy to co-author with my daughter.  She was the lead writer, focusing on her teenage years growing up with an eccentric Dad (me!) and all the strange trouble we got ourselves into.  Kristin came up with the concept that at the end of each chapter, she would give me a page or two for my rebuttal and different point of view on the same incident.  I was comfortable writing humor because I had written a book about my cabin in Vermont titled There’s A Porcupine In My Outhouse: The Misadventures of a Mountain-man Wannabe.  That won the best nature book of the year in 2003 from the Independent Publishers Association.  So when Kristin wanted to write The Cringe Chronicles,  I jumped at the opportunity.

The reviews on your books are uniformly excellent but there must be an unhappy reader comment or book review from time to time.   I personally find truly bad reviews to be a high art form and a wonderful source of entertainment, not to be taken seriously.  (Dorothy Parker’s witty quotes on some writers’ works have always amused me).  What one terrible, but ultimately funny, review of your work stands out?  How do reviews in general, good or bad, affect you?

I remember when I wrote my very first book, which included natural history, The Boston Globe reviewer said I wasn’t as good as Thoreau.  I thought to myself “Who is, when it comes to nature?”  Since then, I’ve never let a bad review bother me.  When I’m writing, my mantra is “Keep it fast paced.”  I love books that pull me in and don’t let me go, and that’s what I try to write.

One of your books, The Finest Hours, about a heroic rescue of 30 stranded sailors by the U.S. Coast Guard off the coast of Cape Cod, was turned into a major motion picture in 2016 by Walt Disney Pictures.  It starred Chris Pine, Eric Bana and Casey Affleck. Were you actively involved in the screen adaptation and film-making process?  How closely did the film version stick to the events as related in your book? What would you negotiate differently for any future film projects?

 Having a book made into a movie is a real blessing.  I had a small role in writing a bit of the screenplay, but after that, it was in the hands of Disney.  I would estimate about 70% of the movie matched what really happened and the other 30% was fictionalized for a better visual experience.  For any future film projects, I would ask to be more involved in the actual shooting of the movie and not just the screenplay.

As you mentioned earlier, you also wrote a book humorously titled There’s a Porcupine in My Outhouse: Misadventures of a Mountain Man.  Could you share with us how that book came about?

When I was 22 years old, I bought a cabin on a remote hilltop overlooking a lake in Vermont. My plan was to maybe hone my skills so that I could live off the land and quit my day job.  It didn’t work out that way – in fact, I had so much to learn about living in the woods, it was one misadventure after another.  The book is similar to Bill Bryson’s A Walk In The Woods. Mr. Bryson read an early draft of the book and wrote to me that he loved it, so that was a big boost.  I wrote the book when I was about 40 years old, so I had perspective looking back at the younger me!

What is your writing process? Do you isolate yourself from your usual lifestyle?  What percentage of your time in bringing a book to fruition is spent in research and what percentage in actual writing?

Unlike most writers, I do not set aside certain hours in the day to write.  I might go a month without writing a thing, then go on a burst and write for hours every day.  Because most of my books are non-fiction, I would estimate 40% is research and 60% is writing and editing.

You write on a wide variety of subjects. Do you have the same editors and publishers for all of your different types of books? If so, this must present them with a real challenge in marketing you and your work. How do they deal with that?

Of my seven survival and rescue books, six were published by Simon and Schuster.  But for my other books, it has been a variety of publishers.  My long-time agent, who recently passed away, would have preferred that I stick with the survival and rescue themes, but he also understood that I like to mix things up.  There are many writers more gifted than me, but I believe I’m one of the more versatile writers out there.

Have you always been a writer?

I was in business management for many years and was moonlighting as a writer.  It was extremely difficult but I have a theory that if you have a goal, and try to take one little step toward it each day, you will eventually arrive.

What is your next writing project?

I have co-written a book with Casey Sherman about the U-2 Spy Plane pilots who discovered the missiles in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.  The title is Above & Beyond: John F. Kennedy and America’s Most Dangerous Cold War Spy Mission. The book is in its final phase of copy-editing.  It is already available on-line and will be released April 17 of this year.  The research was brutal, and it might be the toughest project I’ve done, but I’m so glad I stayed with it because I love the finished product.  I’m especially proud because the book draws attention to the sacrifice made by Major Rudolf “Rudy” Anderson, Jr., USAF, who was shot down on October 27, 1962 by the Soviets during his mission over Cuba.

One day in the faraway future, what would you like your epitaph to be on your tombstone?

That’s a tough one because I’ll probably have my ashes spread on my Vermont mountaintop.  But if I did have a tombstone and it mentioned writing, I’d say something like “Here lies a writer.  He wrote on war, rescue, humor, and nature.  His only guiding principals were to write with passion, keep it fast paced, and don’t take yourself too seriously.”

Michael Tougias

America’s First Major War – King Philip’s Indian War and the Shaping of America
Osher Lifelong Learning Complex, FAU Jupiter Campus
Tuesday, February 20, 2018, 11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.; Book-signing: 12:45 – 1:15 p.m.

To register, click here.

By Kami Barrett-Batchelder Associate Director

John Feinstein

On Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at 7 p.m., John Feinstein will present his second lecture at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Jupiter, “An Evening with John Feinstein – Backfield Boys: A Football Mystery in Black and White.”  This evening lecture is being generously sponsored by Ken and Felice Hassan.  A book-signing event will follow the lecture at 8:30 p.m. John Feinstein’s first lecture with Osher LLI was in the winter of 2016. It was received enthusiastically by our members who enjoyed the presentation on sports. We welcome Mr. Feinstein back this semester and would like to share a few snippets of information about him that you may not have known.

Did you know that…

John Feinstein was born in New York City. His father, Martin Feinstein, was heavily involved in the arts having been the General Manager of the Washington National Opera from 1980 to 1995 and the first Executive Director of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. from 1972 to 1980.

John Feinstein is the author of 35 books, including two #1 New York Times Bestsellers: A Season on the Brink (1986) and A Good Walk Spoiled (1995).

A Season on the Brink was adapted to film with an ESPN production of the same title in 2002. It starred Brian Dennehy in the role of Bob Knight.

Mr. Feinstein is also the author of 10 young readers mysteries. His first young adult mystery, Last Shot: Mystery at the Final Four won the Edgar Allen Poe Award in 2006.

Feinstein’s book Caddy for Life: The Bruce Edwards Story, released in 2004, is about the life and final days of Tom Watson’s caddy, Bruce Edwards, who was diagnosed with ALS. Feinstein and long-time friend Terry Hanson engaged the William Morris Agency and commissioned a screenplay in conjunction with Matt Damon’s and Ben Affleck’s production company, LivePlanet. In 2010, Caddy for Life was produced in documentary format for the Golf Channel.

He currently works as a columnist for The Washington Post, Golf Digest and Golf World. He is a regular contributor to Golf Channel and hosts a college basketball show and a golf show for SiriusXM.

His latest book, Backfield Boys: A Football Mystery in Black and White (2017), which will be discussed during his Osher LLI lecture, follows freshman footballers Jason Roddin and Tom Jefferson. Jason is a blazing-fast wide receiver, while his best friend Tom has all the skills a standout quarterback needs. After summer football camp at an elite sports-focused boarding school, the boys are thrilled to be invited back with full-ride scholarships. But on day one of practice, they’re shocked when the team’s coaching staff makes Tom, a black kid, a receiver and Jason, a white kid, a quarterback.

His next book, to be published next February, is The Legends Club, a chronicle of the rivalries and friendships among Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Valvano.

An Evening with John Feinstein – Backfield Boys: A Football Mystery in Black and White
Generously sponsored by Felice and Ken Hassan
Tuesday, February 20, 2018, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.; Book-signing: 8:30 – 9:00 p.m.

To register, click here.

By Sandi Page, Member, FAU LLI Jupiter Marketing Committee member

Homer famously said in The Odyssey, “Wine can of their wits the wise beguile, make the sage frolic, and the serious smile.” The same can be said of our 68-page LLI Jupiter Spring/Summer 2018 Course Catalog which has just been mailed to you! Embark on your own odyssey as you browse through it and then read the course and lecture anecdotes/descriptions below that several of our instructors have written just for you. You will find some of your old favorites and a number of new offerings, all ready to beguile and enchant you.

Some Spring/Summer 2018 Courses

Dr. Kurt F. Stone, D.D.
“Triple Threat” Cinema: Films Written & Directed by Their Stars
Mondays, March 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 2018; 7 – 9 p.m. (Full 6 weeks or First 4 weeks option)

The Best Ten Dollars Jack Warner Ever Spent
For decades, the Hollywood “law of the land” was that (with the sole exception of Charlie Chaplin), screen writers wrote, directors directed and stars acted. Period. That began changing in early 1940 when the already celebrated screenwriter John Huston decided that he wanted to direct his next screenplay. Approaching his boss, Jack Warner, the producer extraordinaire said precisely 2 words: “NO WAY!” Taking a page from his colleague, screenwriter Preston Sturges, who had just directed his own screenplay – The Great McGinty – Huston made Warner the following offer: “I’ll sell you the screenplay for a measly ten bucks if you let me direct.” “And what if I give you a small filming budget?” Warner asked. “I’d do it for nothing!” the 34-year-old Huston enthusiastically replied. “Don’t tempt me,” Warner chuckled. “What picture do you want to do?” he asked. “I really want to do the third – and very best – version of Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon.

Giving the matter a bit of thought, Warner said “OK, what do I have to lose? Go ahead . . . but remember, if it’s a flop, you’re gonna be looking for a new job . . . fershtay?” Overjoyed, Huston signed the cheapest contract of his career, and proceeded to film Hammett’s classic crime drama in a scant 8 weeks . . . earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay for himself, and a reputation as a man who could do it all. And, of course, The Maltese Falcon became one of the greatest films of all time. Huston would go on to write, direct and frequently star in another 4 dozen major pictures over the next 47 years and, perhaps most importantly, opened the door for Hollywood’s second “Triple Threat”: the 25-year-old Orson Welles who, the very next year, would write, direct and star in perhaps the greatest motion picture of all time: Citizen Kane.
Indeed, it certainly was the best ten bucks Jack Warner ever spent . . .

Wesley Borucki, Ph.D.
Sports Culture in the South and South Florida
Tuesdays, March 20, 27, April 3, 10, 2018; 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.

There once was a kid in a northern suburb of Detroit who, in the early 1980s, dreamed of becoming a sportswriter for a major newspaper — sort of like the character of Ray Barone in “Everybody Loves Raymond.” But then, when completing an assigned research paper in high school on the career each student was considering, the kid discovered the starting salaries for journalists were really, really low. So, when he thought about his career plans and changed them shortly afterward, he logically chose a profession that was so incredibly remunerative: why, teaching, of course! Okay, even if it isn’t the highest-paying job in the world, that kid, now Wes Borucki, Ph.D., enjoys what he does immensely every day and wouldn’t do anything else, and he still gets to write about sports as a historian. Sports history has been a growing field for a couple of decades now, for changes in sports often illustrate wider changes in society. So, please join him as he shares his research with you on a variety of sports topics related to the South.

Taylor Hagood, Ph.D.
The Fireside Poets
Tuesdays, March 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17, 24, 2018; 12 – 1:30 p.m.
(Full 6 weeks or First 4 weeks option)

“Come, read to me some poem,
Some simple and heartfelt lay,
That shall soothe this restless feeling,
And banish the thoughts of day.”

Thus wrote Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his poem “The Day is Done.” It is a perfect description of what a group of 19th century American poets were trying to accomplish: write poems that brought calm, quiet, and enjoyment. These poets, known as the “Fireside Poets,” were not the tormented-soul type poets who write edgy, politically-driven, obscure poetry that leaves you wondering if it is even poetry at all. Instead, these writers crafted musical poems that adhered to the rules of prosody and that pondered the common concerns of life, death, love, happiness, and sadness that all individuals experience. Mostly forgotten, these poets dominated the late 1800s literary scene in this country. My hope is to bring back some of their magic by telling about their lives and poetry.

Byron R. McCane, Ph.D.
More Than Once Upon a Time: Stories We Can’t Stop Telling
Wednesdays, April 18, 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23, 2018; 3 – 4:30 p.m.
(Full 6 weeks or First 4 weeks option)

From Adam and Eve to David and Goliath, stories from the Bible have a surprising influence in American culture. The highly-acclaimed film Mudbound, for example, is a riveting retelling of Adam and Eve’s banishment from the garden. And, if by chance you are thinking of running for public office, make sure your campaign evokes the Exodus narrative. It wins every time. In this course, we will explore five biblical tales which recur in television, film, politics, and media. In addition to the two stories mentioned above, we will also look at Cain and Abel, Abraham and Isaac, and David and Bathsheba.

Irving Labovitz, J.D.
OBJECTION! Current, Contentious and Confusing Legal Battles
Thursdays, March 22, 29, April 5, 12, 19, 26, 2018; 12 – 1:30 p.m.
(Full 6 weeks or First 4 weeks option)

LLI professors are often requested to laud the value of his/her class. I am not so bold. Rather, I submit that simply listing some of the varied topics discussed in depth last semester in our interactive classes may be somewhat more instructive, as follows:
The Emoluments Clause of the Constitution and its legal relevance to business machinations related to the President; impeachment or 25th Amendment removal of a sitting President; the 3 iterations of the travel ban issued by the Executive Branch; The Masterpiece Cake shop case recently heard by the Supreme Court; net neutrality; legal exposures of Mssrs. Manafort, Kushner, Trump Sr. and Jr.; the future of Michael Flynn and grants of immunity; and the power of the President to unilaterally start an armed conflict today.
What else could happen next semester?

Stephanie Flint, Ph.D. student in FAU’s Comparative Studies program
Classic Monsters and the Supernatural in Popular Media and Culture: Histories and Interpretations of Monsters from Antiquity to Today
Thursdays, March 22, 29, April 5, 12, 2018; 2:15 – 3:45 p.m.

Exactly 200 years ago this January, Mary Shelley published her wildly famous novel Frankenstein and changed the representation of monsters in popular culture forever. You don’t have to be a horror movie buff to know that monsters are everywhere. Whether you’re watching the next big horror flick or a children’s cartoon, monsters and the supernatural dominate American popular culture. But where do they come from? And why are they so ubiquitous? We will explore these questions alongside the history, theories, and representations of classic supernatural monsters in this four-week course. We will seek to answer deep questions like what constitutes monstrosity, alongside musings about how “Frankenstein” came to be the name of the monster (rather than its creator), and why it is that vampires sparkle now. We will focus our attention on classic Hollywood monsters (including Frankensteins, werewolves, zombies, and vampires), explore potential origins and meanings, all while tracing their representation in popular culture along the way. It’s sure to be a scream!

Terryl Lawrence, Ed.D.
A Potpourri of Summer Delights – Art for Everyone: Part I
Fridays, March 23, 30, April 6, 13, 20, 27, 2018; 12 – 1:30 p.m.
(Full 6 weeks or First 4 weeks option)

A Potpourri of Summer Delights – Join Me in Paris: Part II
Tuesdays, May 15, 22, 29, June 5, 12, 19, 2018; 1 – 2:30 p.m.

Spring and summer are metaphors for richly woven baskets ready to be filled with extravagant experiences and fragrant bouquets of exotica. It is the time when we leave the winter behind and fulfill our dreams with moments of pure pleasure and joy, a time when we can actualize our dreams of travel, study, and delightful experiences.

I have always embraced these seasons for the freedom allowed. Pressures of work slow, and the air engulfs us with welcome warmth and enthusiasm as a daily greeting. I can close my eyes and relive the late afternoon swims with my dad in the tepid Atlantic Ocean in Brooklyn or the aroma of the pine trees as I walked through the forests collecting pinecones that decorated the carpet around Lake George.

This is a time for rebirth, rejoicing, and reveling in living with all of its constant surprises.
It is a time to create new memories, and to embroider them into our mind’s tableau of remembrances.

The talks I am offering this spring and summer address a mélange of unique and inspirational moments in the History of Art. The artists and art that I have chosen to share with you are diverse and optimistic; and, I believe, will help to adorn your season with enjoyable personal encounters, fun, beauty, love, and adventure.

Benito Rakower, Ed.D.
Six Unusual Films
Fridays, March 23, 30, April 6, 13, 20, 27, 2018; 2 – 4:30 p.m.; Film Discussion: 4:30 – 5:00 p.m.
(Full 6 weeks or First 4 weeks option)

One Day – 2011 (British/American)
British films depicting “University” graduates (Oxford, Cambridge, and Edinburgh) share one quality. The young men and women speak English in an educated manner. If, on their graduation night, they continue to wear black cap and gown, while swilling Champagne by a fountain, they still look and sound educated.
In this unusual romantic comedy, two young people meet on their graduation night and spend an unexpectedly chaste night together. What neither of them recognizes is that their souls have meshed totally on the deepest level.
The boy is upper-class and charming, but somewhat irresponsible. The girl is middle-class, determined, highly intelligent, and driven by sustained self-confidence.
The film records the subsequent trajectories of their lives on the same yearly date, June 15. Occasionally, their paths intersect, but they marry other people. Eventually, the force of destiny exposed on their first night together cannot be resisted. They are married. And then, Fate strikes with senseless tragedy. That is not the end of the story.
Few films have ever gone this far in portraying the magic of romantic attraction in collision with the unforgiving contingencies of life.

Katie Muldoon
Bending Fate: International Films with Tales of How Ordinary People Try to Control Their Destiny
Wednesdays, July 11, 18, 25, August 1, 8, 15, 2018; 1 – 3:30 p.m. (1 – 4 p.m. on July 25);
Film discussion: 3:30 – 4:00 p.m.

Award-Winning International Films That Sparkle With Intelligence and Humanity
Sometimes you are lucky enough to stumble upon a film or two that sparkles with intelligence.
I was lucky enough to unearth six and am now even more fortunate as I have the opportunity to share these gems with those of you who join me for my summer class. What makes these films unique is the richness of feeling and emotions that surface as each character in each situation approaches the particular challenge in their story. Yes, every character and every film will face a challenge of a sort, but their stories aren’t harsh or depressing. On the contrary, we are reassured of the goodness of humans, their honesty, honor, morality and their delightful humor.

We’ll understand: the deepest desire of a youthful Italian beekeeper, what real honor is for an Estonian farmer, how miracles might happen for a middle-aged Welsh barmaid, the impossible choice of a Talmud scholar, and how differently a French middle-aged professor and a set of Hong Kong youngsters positively deal with different forms of loss. Prior to each class, background will be provided. After each film, we will discuss what we have seen.

Benito Rakower, Ed.D.
Tuscany and Provence: The Reinvention of Cinema
Thursdays, May 17, 24, 31, June 7, 14, 21, 2018; 1 – 3:30 p.m., Film Discussion: 3:30 – 4:00 p.m.

The two-part Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring are recognized to be the summit of French film making and a national treasure. Though the first part, Jean de Florette, can be shown alone, the greatness of the story requires the revelations supplied by Manon of the Spring. This summer film course provides an opportunity to view both parts sequentially. We are all familiar with the concept of “Greek Tragedy.” But its tremendous and devastating force can only be conveyed fully in art. No other films have ever caught the slow and relentless horror of tragic irony with the magnificence of these two films.
The legendary beauty of Provence and the stolid nature of its inhabitants provide the setting. Yves Montand gives a towering performance depicting a great character caught in the web of a flaw – rustic cleverness. The film compels us to reflect on what in this world cannot be forgiven and how guile, deception, and cunning have an outcome the exact opposite of what we desire.

Some Spring 2018 Lectures

Bert Diament, Ph.D.
Is it a Quirk or a Personality Disorder?
Tuesday, March 20, 2018; 7 – 8:30 p.m.

We are constantly assessing other people and often form over-generalized impressions about them. We do this automatically and assign them to various categories. If someone behaves in a way that does not conform to our expectations of how people should behave, we are quick to make an attribution as to why this person behaves that way. Some of us are arm-chair psychologists, and may even diagnose that person with some psychological label. For example, if our spouses do not conform to our expectations of “neatness,” if we are angry at them for this and other reasons, we may accuse them of being “passive-aggressive” or having “attention deficit disorder.” The same lack of neatness, if we have a more accepting relationship, is labeled as “forgetful,” a much more charitable attribute.
Whether you view another person’s behavior as “a minor quirk,” “unusual,” “unique,” “bizarre,” “crazy,” “off the charts,” or indicative of emotional problems, is probably more a reflection of your idiosyncrasies, and how much you like and appreciate this person, than this person’s objective “real” essence. People who are more accepting and less governed by narrow “shoulds” tend to be less judgmental and more charitable in their assessment of others.

Gary Wiren, Ph.D.
Golf: From the Roman Legions to Arnold’s Army – The Greatest Game
Monday, April 23, 2018; 12 – 1:30 p.m.

The title of “A Royal and Ancient Game” given to golf is quite accurate and will be shown to be so during my April lecture. What will be presented are examples first of golf-like games like Chui Wan that developed during the Song dynasty in China, 960-1279. Other stick and ball games from this example appeared later in Belgium, Italy, France, South America, Holland, and the U.K. with names like Kolf, Chole, Pall Mall, and others. We will take a look at the first Country Club in the Americas in Montreal, Canada and the early appearance of golf in South Carolina as well as meet “The Father of American Golf.” We’ll see early equipment used in these games and follow its evolution up to what we use today. You will hear stories that may surprise and amuse you as well as tragic tales of some short-lived champions.
Learn of our golfing American Presidents, who was, who wasn’t, and how they played. Hear of the reasons why the game is, for some, so compelling but, for others, is not. Even if you thought you knew a lot about the game of golf beforehand, you will leave knowing much more. It will be Educational, Motivational, and Enjoyable.

James B. Bruce, Ph.D.
Secrecy and Transparency in Government
Monday, March 19, 2018; 2:15 – 3:45 p.m.

Government secrets—what do they hide? And why? Are there too many of them? Do we really need all that secrecy?
The new movie, The Post, celebrates the Top-Secret leak of the “Pentagon Papers.” Edward Snowden’s and Private Manning’s massive internet leaks caused a furor, along with policy changes to better protect individual privacy.
Yet U.S. intelligence failed to warn against al-Qaida’s terrorist attacks on September 11th partly because press leaks gave away a secret collection capability to intercept Osama bin Laden’s telephone calls. Intelligence against other threats like North Korean nuclear missiles has been weakened by public disclosures in the media.
Many allies and foreign partners are reluctant to share intelligence with the United States because they increasingly think the U.S. government cannot keep the sensitive secrets they give us. Many American businesses feel the same way. Previous intelligence partnerships with the private sector as well as with foreign governments are frayed or broken because these vital sources no longer trust the government to protect their discreet assistance.
Transparency and secrecy in conflict? This lecture explores these daunting questions and seeks answers to a significant 21st century issue in U.S. national security.

Robert P. Watson, Ph.D.
Incivility and Dysfunction in American Politics
Thursday, March 29, 2018; 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

You don’t have to be a political scientist to realize that our politics have taken a turn for the worse in terms of widespread dysfunction seemingly at all levels of government and the collapse of civility and common decency and decorum. It is difficult to even have a discussion about politics today, much less one that is civil and based in fact. I believe that this dilemma constitutes the most pressing threat to our political system today. As such, I plan to assess the root causes of these issues, examine the disturbingly long history of dysfunction and incivility for clues as to how we got to this point, and explore the consequences to our political system of these problems. That said, I also plan to do so with a dose of humor and a commitment to civility!

The Honorable Molly Williamson
Global Energy, Environment and Economy: Policy Nightmares
Tuesday, April 17, 2018; 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.

Aaaargh: no energy crisis anymore? But wait, a fossil fuel crisis: we have so much, we have an environmental crisis? But wait, abundant traditional energy is making alternative and renewable sources MORE expensive? But wait, the global economic recovery is fragile at best, and there is growing concern about income and wealth disparities? How do policy makers navigate these murky political waters? But wait, there’s more: nobody agrees on the problem(s) or how to fix them. No, no, wait, there’s more: The international community doesn’t agree, no, it DOES agree, under U.S. leadership. No, no, wait, the U.S. just walked away. No, wait……

Ronald Feinman, Ph.D.
Six American Presidents and the Civil War Crisis
Thursday, April 19, 2018; 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.

When the Civil War began in 1861, for the first time, we had six living Presidents – Abraham Lincoln and five former Presidents of the United States, an event which would not occur again until 1993.
Two of the former Presidents died in the second year of the Civil War (1862), with John Tyler having sworn his loyalty to the Confederate States of America, rather than the United States; and Martin Van Buren, the oldest former President taking the opposite view, strongly supportive of the Union, after having been the Presidential nominee of the Free Soil Party of 1848.
Millard Fillmore denounced secession of the South, and agreed that the Union must be maintained by force, if necessary, but was critical of the war policies of Abraham Lincoln.
Franklin Pierce was a strong critic of the Lincoln policies in the Civil War, had tried to prevent the outbreak of war, and saw the war as cruel, heartless, and unnecessary, and, thus, was seen as a Southern sympathizer, causing public opposition to him during the war.
James Buchanan, the President immediately before Lincoln, was blamed for taking no action against secession, and was under constant criticism for the outbreak of the war, but he supported the U.S. government during the war, and saw the attack at Fort Sumter as justification for military action against the South.

Tom Poulson, Ph.D.
Wine and Wisdom: “Restoring” Florida’s Everglades
Thursday, April 19, 2018; 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

The video of These Glades are Your Glades that I helped produce is overly optimistic about the future of our Everglades. There is still controversy about the Restoration Mantra of how to get the water right with Quantity, Quality, Distribution, and Timing (Q, Q, D, T). Too few pay attention to the wise old owl who sat in an oak, the more he saw the less he spoke, the less he spoke, the more he heard.

For Q, Q, D, and T, there is misinformation, misunderstanding, and misconception. Where is the Everglades? What causes harmful algal blooms? What causes seagrass die-off in fishing meccas? What causes cattail monocultures with little biodiversity?

We cannot revitalize our Everglades with the prevalence of unscientific Americans. I blame educators, scientists, government agencies, economists, politicians, businesses, and the media. There are goats and saints among individuals and organizations.

We need to listen to Pogo who observed, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” We must think globally and act locally, individually, and collectively. When we demonstrate, advocate, and educate, let’s talk about poisons, diseases, slime, and shit. When legislation fails, let’s litigate: Sue the bastards! And be passionate: I’m bustin’ my ass to save the river of grass!

Barbara A. Falletta, Ed.D.
The Art of Ornament : Jewelry as a Record of History
Tuesday, April 24, 2018; 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.

There’s a lot of truth to the statement: You are what you wear!
Throughout history, jewelry has revealed a vast amount of information about the people who wore it, their status in society, the culture and time period in which they lived, their values, and even their personal lives. From the Crown Jewels of England to a simple locket worn as a remembrance of a loved one, jewelry tells a story. This presentation will reveal two fascinating stories where jewelry has served a most valuable historical function in our world.

Christopher Strain, Ph.D.
Understanding the Debate over Confederate Monuments
Thursday, April 26, 2018; 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.

Protests, rallies, showdowns, vandalism, midnight topplings… Why all the fuss over Confederate monuments and memorials? Across the South in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, statues of Confederate heroes and soldiers were erected in public squares and on courthouse lawns; there are seven hundred between Tampa, Florida and Charlottesville, Virginia. In Atlanta, likenesses of General Robert E. Lee, General Stonewall Jackson, and President Jefferson Davis were carved into the face of Stone Mountain, a kind of Confederate Mt. Rushmore. In recent months, these monuments have elicited demonstrations and counter-demonstrations—but why? And why now? What is the history of these monuments and why do they generate controversy today? We’ll delve into the past and present of the American South’s equestrian elegies in an attempt to understand the debate.

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By Kurt F. Stone, D.D.

The first live theatre I recall attending was a performance of “The World of Sholem Aleichem,” nearly 65 years ago.  I was absolutely mesmerized by what was transpiring on stage, and fell in love with both his characters and the actors – especially Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford, Sam Levene and Lee Grant – who brought his “world” to life. I remember returning home and heading straight for our library, only to discover that -Eureka! – we actually had a copy of the book upon which the play was based.

Over the years, I read just about everything Sholem Aleichem (Solomon Rabinowitz) had written, and eventually began developing a one-man show in which I portrayed “the Jewish Mark Twain” to the best of my tragicomic ability.  Before too long, I found myself performing a couple of times a month, always tweaking and (hopefully) improving my one-man show.

By the early 1980s, I had appeared as Sholem Aleichem a couple of hundred times everywhere from California and Mississippi to Sydney, Tel Aviv and London.  Then, one day, shortly after relocating to South Florida, I appeared in Plantation.  After the show, an elegant, wonderfully turned-out woman of about 75 came up to me and told me how much she had enjoyed the performance.  I smiled, thanked her, and started to return to the green room.

“How long have you been performing as Sholem Aleichem?” she asked.

“Oh, about 12 or 13 years,” I answered.

“And how many performances would you say you’ve done in all that time?” she queried.

“Ah!” I thought, “perhaps she wants to hire me.”  I was about to hand her my agent’s card when she then asked, “And, on average, how much do you get for a performance – minus travel expenses?”

Doing a quick bit of mental math, I came up with a figure that even impressed me ever so slightly.  I awaited her next question, which I assumed would be about future availability.

Boy, was I ever wrong.  For what she said next almost caused me to drop dead on the spot from myocardial infarction:

“It seems to me that you owe me (and here she named a price well beyond my means) for use of the name and image of Sholem Aleichem.”  She looked serious. I felt a pounding in my chest.

“How is that possible?” I asked weakly.

“You never asked my permission!”

Then, it dawned on me: the women I was talking to had to be Sholem Aleichem’s sole surviving heir, the writer Bel Kaufman.  She must have read my mind and recognized when I figured out who she was, because at precisely that moment, she got an elfin twinkle in her eye.

“Ms. Kaufman, I presume?”

“Indeed!” she said.  “I really had you going, didn’t I?”

“You almost killed me,” I said.

“How would you like to help spend zayde’s gelt (Yiddish for “grandpa’s money”)?

“I thought he was broke when he died,” I responded.

“He was,” Bel said.  “But in the more than 60 years since his death, he’s become a millionaire due to royalties.  Would you like to join the advisory board of the Sholem Aleichem Foundation and help spend it?”

I couldn’t answer “Of Course!” quickly enough. Bel and I went out to lunch . . . then dinner . . . then lunch the next day.  And when she got back to New York, she had the Foundation stationary remade . . . it now included my name.

Bel died a mere three years ago . . . at age 103.  She was the last person who actually knew Sholem Aleichem in life . . . and saved me – her father’s imitator – from suffering a severe cardiac event.

Oh, how I miss Bel . . .

Kurt F. Stone, D.D.
An Evening with Sholem Aleichem: A One-Man Performance
Tuesday, January 16, 2018, 7 – 9 p.m.
To register, click here.

By Sandi Page, FAU LLI Jupiter Marketing Committee member

Well, hello there!  Welcome back!  We hope you’ve had an interesting and relaxing summer and are ready to come back to school.  We’ve got a cornucopia of lectures and courses to entice you so read on to discover some of them.  What is your fancy this fall?

Some Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at FAU Jupiter Fall 2017 Lectures

Robert P. Watson, Ph.D.
Hamilton: Man, Myth, Musical
Thursday, October 19, 2017, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

There appear to be only two types of people – Those who have spent a lot of money on tickets to see Hamilton and those who are still trying to get tickets! Happily, I am in the former category. Although I nearly had to mortgage my house to buy tickets for my family, it was worth it. In the lecture on the life and influence of the extraordinary Founding Father, I will devote some time to the hit Broadway musical – fact-checking it, explaining the lyrics and scenes, and perhaps even rapping a few lines!

Mark Tomass, Ph.D.
Assessing the War on Terror – Western and Middle Eastern Perspectives
Tuesday, October 24, 2017, 9:30-11:00 a.m.

After summarizing the rationale for US policy makers’ reaction to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and outlining scholarly assessments of that policy’s efficacy on its 15^th year anniversary, my October 24 lecture will present my understanding of the reasons for the proliferation of terrorist activities in the Middle East and in the West and suggest short and long-term means to defeat the groups perpetrating them. Based on my life experience as a Syrian native, I urge policy makers not to focus on the actions of terrorists, but on the prevailing ideology behind these actions – the religious basis of terror. The fundamental parallels between the terrorist groups’ deadly campaigns are embedded within their religious dogmas and cultural identity. Contrary to what is commonly claimed by sympathizers with those groups, that the terror groups emerged as a reaction to the US invasion of Iraq, I show that their victims are, first and foremost, women, non-Muslim natives of the Middle East, and fellow Muslims whom they demonize and spill their blood on the charge of apostasy. I will present contemporary and historical evidence to show that the expansion of al-Qaida and its daughter ISIS was not born in a vacuum; it only boldly enforced widely accepted beliefs in the Arab and Muslim world.

Mark C. Schug, Ph.D.
The Economy of President Trump One Year after the Election –
Economists Analyze the Ups and Downs of President Trump’s First Year
Thursday, November 2, 2017, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Remember January 2017?  It looked like the economy was finally going to emerge from the doldrums.  The stock market was booming.  Expectations were high that health care would be changed, infrastructure spending would soar, regulatory burdens would be eased, taxes would be reformed, the wall would be started, and NAFTA would be abandoned. Fast forward to the fall of 2017 and things look different.  While some regulatory changes have been made, the health care debate delayed action on most other economic changes.  And, of course, the breathless media reporting on President Trump and Russia, including the appointment of a special counsel, have distracted people from the economic policy changes that have taken place.

Will President Trump finally get his feet under him and begin to move his reform agenda through Congress?  Will he give up the tweets to concentrate on governing? And, just as important, will his economic reforms help or hurt the American economy?

Want to get all the latest economic analysis on President Trump’s economic policy?  Then come and see our all-star, FAU panel of economists on Thursday, November 2, beginning at 4:30 p.m.  The latest economic policies and controversies will be the focus of the panelists.

Myrna Goldberger
Origin and Early Rise of the Department Store
Saturday, November 4, 2017, 1:00-2:30 p.m.

Department Store Tycoons
Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, 1:00-2:30 p.m.

This summer, I have been busy preparing for the upcoming season and thinking of ideas that are gender friendly, age friendly and, for a change of emotions, non-controversial.  It all began when I researched the advent of the credit card and, in thinking about where it is used, my community informal survey suggested restaurants and malls. Anyone who knows me knows I am not a “foodie” so that left the rest of the shopping world. I have learned that the founder of Macy’s was part of the whaling community in Nantucket. I have learned that the Gimbel stores were born because the patriarch had seven sons and needed a way to feed all of them. I have learned that Alfred Bloomingdale had a shrewd, calculating mistress and I have learned that Nordstrom’s birth place was 60 miles from the Arctic Circle. Finally, what clinched my interest was the discovery that department stores sprouted up because of a single invention. Without it, we may never have had any of the stores we can so easily name. I challenge you to supply the name of the invention! E-mail me at mgoldbe699@aol.com. Let’s see how many correct responses I receive. For those of you who make the effort, I will grade A+ for the course. You all will receive an A just for showing up and hearing the saga of America’s favorite pastime.

Robert P. Watson, Ph.D.
The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn
Monday, November 13, 2017, 3:00-4:30 p.m.; Book-signing: 4:30-5:30 p.m.

It took me several days, but when I found Captain Thomas Dring’s two century-old diary and read the ghastly details recorded by the author, I could hardly contain my excitement. And shock. But the most intriguing entries in the old manuscript were not those chronicling an unknown and unspeakable chapter in American history, but a list of names and details about a few other sailors who managed to escape the dreaded “ghost ship.” My hope was that they too lived to tell their tales, that they recorded their adventures, and that their words, though long forgotten, had also survived history.  They did! One of them was a young boy named Christopher Hawkins…

Ralph Nurnberger, Ph.D.
The Dutch Golden Age, Tulip Mania and the Jews of Amsterdam
Thursday, November 16, 2017, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

As the wealthiest city in Europe in the 17th century, Amsterdam transformed itself into a thriving center for great artists, scientists, writers, and scholars, as well as a hub of banking and finance. Once the city rid itself of Spanish rule and set up a society based on capitalism and world trade, it also became a metropolis that was philosophically enlightened and religiously tolerant.
It encouraged art (Rembrandt and others); philosophy (Descartes); religion (Spinoza); science (Leeuwenhoek); new universities; publishing (Hobbes and Locke could not publish in England, so they published in Amsterdam); and the beginnings of international law (Grotius); and the first stock markets.
This presentation explores the many facets of this 17th-century hub, including “Tulip Mania”, when Dutch investors were willing to pay the equivalent of $100,000 for one tulip bulb in the hope that the price would continue to increase. This became the basis for capitalism’s first “bubble.”
Finally, there will be a discussion of how the city’s religious tolerance enabled Dutch Jews to practice their religion openly, thus setting the stage for Judaism to develop from a medieval to a modern religion. This enhanced the ability of all citizens of Amsterdam, including Jews, to engage in trade in Europe and the New World.

Casey Klofstad, Ph.D.
How Biology and Society Influence Our Politics
Monday, November 20, 2017, 2:30-4:00 p.m.

Why are some societies free while others are not? Why are some societies paralyzed by violence while others are peaceful? Why is the gap between the rich and the poor astronomical in some societies, but less so in others? The answers to these fundamental questions are tied
directly to how we select our leaders. In this lecture, we will examine the influence of human voice pitch, a biologically determined characteristic, on this selection process. While we commonly think of voting in terms of partisanship, the state of the economy, and foreign
relations, research shows that voters are also influenced by the tone of candidate’s voices.

Stephen Engle, Ph.D.
Andrew Jackson and the Rise of the Democratic Party
Monday, December 4, 2017, 2:30-4:00 p.m.

Legend has it that Americans who brought Jackson to power were tobacco spitters, drunkards, gamblers, and just plain vulgar. Yet, Jackson’s emergence on the presidential stage coincided with the emergence of an American middle class that cultivated respectability and indulged in material goods. Despite social and cultural disparities, the Jacksonian voter was a force to be reckoned with at the polls, like him or not. Universally known as Old Hickory, Andrew Jackson’s popularity and election was the product of electoral changes and voter mobilization that transformed American politics. Once in power, Jackson defied established procedures, ignored congressional opinion, and contended with the national bank. Yet, his aggressive leadership style set off shock waves that brought together his opponents, who ultimately toppled the Democrats. For all the talk about the Jacksonian Presidency being the triumph of the common man, scholars still debate the merits of his achievements in helping the Democrats who put him in office. The two-party system as we know it today was beautifully balanced by the end of his second term, but the rank-and-file Democrat, the primary spokesman of his revolution, appeared to benefit the least from his presidency.

Matt Klauza, Ph.D.
Truman Capote: The Making and Breaking of a Celebrity
Wednesday, December 6, 2017, 3:00-4:30 p.m.

 In my literature studies, I wasn’t introduced to Truman Capote until late in the game.  However, when I did finally read him, I fell in love with his writing style.  The famous author Norman Mailer called him the greatest writer of his generation, and I had to agree.  There was a certain rhythm in his writing that made it simultaneously easy to read and profoundly emotional.  From his short stories like “Miriam” and “A Christmas Memory” to his novels In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, I loved the way he captured characters and moments in his plots with such precision.  But even then, I studied his work in a vacuum, without any biographical context; it wasn’t until several years later that I began to learn about his complicated, high-profile, and tragic life.  And from that point forward, given how much of his own emotions shape his work, he has been so easy and fun to teach through a biographical lens.

Ronald Feinman, Ph.D.
The Impact of Chief Justice Earl Warren on The Supreme Court
Thursday, December 7, 2017, 9:00-10:30 a.m.; Book-signing: 10:30-11:30 a.m.

• Chief Justice Earl Warren is regarded by most scholars as the second greatest Chief Justice in American history, just behind Chief Justice John Marshall (1801-1835).
• Earl Warren is regarded as one of the top Governors in California history (1943-1953).
• Earl Warren was the Vice Presidential running mate of Republican Thomas E. Dewey in 1948, an election Dewey was supposed to win easily over President Harry Truman, who staged a shocking upset victory.
• Earl Warren united the Supreme Court with his personality, and was able to bring about a unanimous Supreme Court decision in the most significant and path-breaking Supreme Court decision of the 20th century, the school integration case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in May 1954.
• Earl Warren became the leading advocate of civil rights and civil liberties on the Supreme Court, after having earlier, in 1942, as California Attorney General, promoted the internment of Japanese Americans after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, an action he later apologized for as ethically and morally wrong.
• Earl Warren headed the Warren Commission which investigated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963, and came out with an extensive report in September 1964. Future President Gerald Ford, a Michigan Congressman, was a member of that committee.

Mark C. Schug, Ph.D.
Why is Israel an Economic Success?
An Economic Analysis of Israel and Some of Its Neighbors Including Egypt
Monday, December 11, 2017, 9:30-11:00 a.m.

Last fall, my wife and I visited Israel for the first time.  We had wanted to go for a long time but we really didn’t know what to expect.  As we toured the country, about the size of New Jersey, several points jumped out at us:

• Haifa, the busy port, signaled strong international connections.  Cut diamonds, high-technology equipment, and pharmaceuticals are among Israel’s leading exports. Its major imports include crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment.
• We saw some surprising agricultural developments.  Who knew about the advanced irrigation systems for growing dates in the desert?
• Jerusalem was calm, safe, and filled with tourists from all over the world. It also has a growing reputation for attracting high tech companies bringing thousands of new jobs.
• Tel Aviv is a leading financial center and is a hub of business and scientific research.

This is not the way things started out.  In 1948, the Israeli economy was dominated by strong socialist policies.   Clearly, Israel has abandoned much of its socialist past and replaced it with a technologically advanced free market economy.

Our visit inspired me to put together a lecture to help explain why Israel is an economic success story.  This is especially remarkable when you consider its less well-developed resource-rich neighbors.  My lecture will trace the development of the Israeli economy from 1948 to today.

Some Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at FAU Jupiter Fall 2017 Courses

Stephen Kowel, Ph.D.
Electrified! Electricity is Fascinating and Scary; Essential and Mysterious
Mondays, October 16, 23, 30, November 6, 2017, 12-1:30 p.m.

Electrified! Two Anecdotes

Electricity has transformed our energy, commerce, and communication systems. But it promises even more profound impacts in the near future. Artificial intelligence is the computing frontier. Science recently described an extensive study in which computers capable of teaching themselves can perform even better than standard medical guidelines, significantly increasing prediction rates of cardiovascular disease while lowering false alarms. This certainly is ‘heartening’ news.

Florida is the lightning capital of the US. That’s scary enough.
But Facebook’s plan is to build non-implanted devices to read thoughts. And to tamp down on the inevitable fear this research will inspire, Facebook claims “This isn’t about decoding random thoughts. This is about decoding the words you’ve already decided to share by sending them to the speech center of your brain.” Sounds simple enough. How reassuring!

Lynn Hankes, M.D., FASAM
Addiction
Mondays, October 16, 23, 30; November 6, 2017, 2:30-4:00 p.m.

The opioid crisis is in your own back yard! In the first six months of this year, fentanyl and heroin have killed 2,664 people in Florida! In Palm Beach County alone, fatal overdoses spiked to 311 in the first five months of this year!! What has provoked this current crisis?

You may want to know the answers to these questions:

What is addiction? What causes it? Nature or nurture? How does it impact the family? How can the family help? Do interventions work? Is treatment effective?  Is an addict and an alcoholic the same? Why can’t they “just say no” and stay stopped? What does treatment entail? Are the 12-step programs necessary?

I will provide a comprehensive review of addiction, review its underlying science, and discuss family dynamics, treatment, and the mutual-help groups.

Kurt F. Stone, D.D.
Making Heroes Out of Humans…and Humans Out of Heroes
Mondays, October 16, 23, 30; November 6, 13, 20, 27; December 4, 2017, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
(Full 8 weeks or Last 4 weeks option available)

Looking back on the Great Depression from his billet in Uijeongbu, South Korea, M*A*S*H surgeon Hawkeye Pierce took comfort in a bit of jocular nostalgia:
❖ That FDR was always the President of the United States;
❖ That Fiorello La Guardia was always Mayor of New York;
❖ That Joe Louis was always Heavyweight Champ;
❖ That Joseph McCarthy’s Yankees were always in the World Series, and
❖ That Paul Muni played everyone.
The first four are unquestionably true; the latter, pretty darn close.  For during Hollywood’s Golden Age, most of the era’s great bioflicks starred either the incomparable Yiddish actor Paul Muni (The Story of Louis Pasteur, The Life of Emile Zola, Juárez) or the now lamentably forgotten English thespian George Arliss (Disraeli, Alexander Hamilton, Voltaire, The House of Rothschild).  The biggest difference between the two is that Muni “disappeared” into whatever character he portrayed as to be unrecognizable, while all of Arliss’s characters looked exactly alike except for details of costume. Indeed, all of Arliss’s characters were crafty but benevolent old gentlemen who spent most of their time uniting unhappy young lovers.
While one can see a Paul Muni bioflick at least once a month on cable, the only place you’ll be able to view the Academy-Award winning George Arliss is at Lifelong Learning Jupiter this fall.

Wesley Borucki, Ph.D.
Doors Swinging Open – Women and Their Significant Roles in the Civil War
Tuesdays, October 31; November 7, 14, 21, 2017, 9:30-11:00 a.m.

In late 1863, the 52nd Ohio Infantry regiment was located near Chattanooga, Tennessee, when Dr. Mary Edwards Walker arrived there as a volunteer surgeon, sent by General George H. Thomas, Union commander of the Cumberland. Those to whom her services were offered were outraged. The director of General Thomas’ medical staff, a Dr. Perin, considered the idea of a female surgeon a “medical monstrosity,” and called for a review by an army medical board of Walker’s qualifications. The board itself doubted “whether she has pursued the study of medicine” and concluded that her medical knowledge in areas other than obstetrics was “not much greater than most housewives.” According to regimental historian Rev. Nixon B. Stewart, the men of the 52nd Ohio not only worried about the new doctor’s skills, but also suspected that her frequent excursions from camp to care for nearby residents might be a cover for her activities as a spy.  She was captured by a Confederate sentry in April 1864 on one such excursion. She was held for four months as a prisoner of war until she was exchanged for one male Confederate surgeon.  In January 1866, she was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, presented to her by President Andrew Johnson, becoming the first woman so honored.  Even if not all women received medals during the Civil War, many were heroines, and we shall explore their service on and behind the front lines.

Irving Labovitz, J.D.
OBJECTION! Current, Contentious and Confusing Legal Battles
Tuesdays, October 10, 17, 24, 31; November 7, 14, 21, 28, 2017, 12-1:30 p.m.
(Full 8 weeks or Last 4 weeks option available)

QUERY: How does one describe an LLS course without any set format; having no announced topical lecture presentations; avoiding usual Q and A colloquies; and encouraging student interjections and dialogue throughout each lecture?

Chaotic? Disruptive? Unstructured?  Or possibly a mutually enervating learning experience between teacher and motivated students seeking to understand highly contentious legal issues directly affecting their lives, that of their families, and perhaps the very future of our Democracy?

Let me attempt to answer this multifaceted conundrum by posing a further series of questions, all of which consider the impact of our Constitution, implicated statutes, judicial precedents, and a labyrinth of agency regulations, upon the following illustrative issues.

• Is it legally possible for the President of the United States to even colorably be accused of ‘treason’?
• When, if at all, is a ’thing of value’received by a high U.S. government official considered to be a forbidden ‘emolument’?
• Will an anxious, gentle Syrian grandmother seeking to visit her daughter and family in Jupiter this week enjoy entry into the United States under the existing travel constraints issued by Presidential Executive Order?
• Is the fabled ‘Shangri-La’ the only true ‘sanctuary city’, or do we have lawful clones here at home?
• What’s the legal difference between ‘collusion’ and ‘conspiracy’ by those threatened with having violated U.S. law?
• Did the Russian government seeking gifts unlawfully “go to Jared”?
• Does Special Counsel Robert Mueller have ‘job security’?

Just a few of the subjects to be addressed this fall in my class. I welcome those daring to question, to disagree, and even to teach fellow students and me, as well as learn.

Terryl Lawrence, Ed.D.
Art in the U.S.A.
Fridays, October 13, 20, 27; November 3, 17; December 1, 8, 15 (No class on Nov. 10, 24, 2017),
11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m. (Full 8 weeks or Last 4 weeks option available)

Generally speaking, most first courses in Art History center around the achievements of European Art. Our American artistic heritage is rarely discussed. In my Senior year at college, I enrolled in an “American Art” class that I found eye-opening, inspirational, and fascinating. After that, I began traveling around the United States visiting sites and museums to learn about the arts of each region. It became clear that American Art involved earlier artists’ struggles to join the mainstream of creativity and to establish a legitimate art to speak to the pioneering spirit found here.
After its auspicious beginnings, American Art branched out into glorious landscape paintings, theatrical and dance performances, unique architecture, gallery and museum exhibitions, recognition of individual achievers, and historical and momentous images in keeping with the times in which they were created.
Artists are the visual historians of their time. In my lectures, I will tell of the many aspects of inspiration and revolt that have occurred since the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts and how and why the United States became a most important center for the world of art. Our heritage is rich, diverse, and full of stories and pleasure.

Benito Rakower, Ed.D.
Film Masterpieces – Eight of the Most Ambitious American and European Films
Fridays, October 13, 20, 27; November 3, 17; December 1, 8, 15 (No class on Nov. 10, 24, 2017),
1:30-4:00 p.m.; Film discussion: 4:00-4:30 p.m. (Full 8 weeks or Last 4 weeks option available)

Each of these films has a woman character that determines a man’s destiny.   In Red River, a young pioneer woman pleads with John Wayne to take her with him on his journey west to make a new home in the wilderness.   She lists all the things a woman brings to a man’s life that sustains and enriches it.   Obdurate and cautious, John Wayne refuses and leaves her behind with the wagon train.  She is killed in an attack, and the John Wayne character is changed forever by the loss.

Years later, an older and wiser man, John Wayne is on the verge of losing all he has worked to achieve, through another act of obduracy.   This time, however, another young woman brings him to his senses.

Seeing the film when I was twelve years old, that situation had a powerful effect on my imagination.  I decided never to get into a test of will with the superior wisdom of a resolute woman.

By Mark Tomass, Ph.D.

“By God, we will eradicate it” were the last words uttered by a captured Syrian soldier seconds before an ISIS Holy Warrior sprayed him with a hail of bullets; it was the soldier’s determined response to the latter commanding him to say “The Islamic State is staying.”[1] This brief exchange between the two was made public on August 25, 2014, while the ISIS hordes were expanding their hold on territories in the Mesopotamian regions of Syria and Iraq. They released an execution video of two soldiers on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs as part of their strategy to demoralize the Syrian Army, but they didn’t pay attention to what the soldier had said. The two executed conscripts were Yahya Shughari, a Sunni Muslim from Lattakia and Tareq Shammas, a Greek Orthodox from the Valley of the Christians. It was Yahya (Arabic for John) who vowed that ISIS would be eradicated after seeing his comrade shot. Despite the Syrian Army’s retreat on multiple fronts, the video had the opposite effect to what ISIS intended. Instead, the fallen soldiers became a symbol of the resistance to the Salafi-Wahhabi onslaught by the multi-religious, multi-sectarian, and multi-ethnic inhabitants of Syria and Iraq.

The Trump administration’s resolve to cooperate with anti-ISIS forces, including Russia, has produced effective results on the ground. As of today, the ISIS Caliphate is on its way to being eradicated as it loses control of real estate and territories. However, its underground networks, its value system, and the states promoting it will continue to produce similar groups under different appellations.

Indeed, on June 9, 2017, President Trump addressed the world by stating “The nation of Qatar unfortunately has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level… We have to stop the funding of terrorism, stop teaching people to kill other people, stop teaching hate and intolerance. I won’t name other countries [i.e. Saudi Arabia and Turkey], but we are not done solving the problem, but we will solve that problem.”[2]

However, short-term financial expediency has again taken precedence over long-term security concerns. In return for hundreds of billions of dollars of arms sales,[3] both the terror-producing Saudi-Wahhabi alliance and Qatar were forgiven and it was back to business as usual with them. As the previous administration’s alchemists promised us that their magic would turn the religious fundamentalists of the Middle East into Jeffersonian freedom fighters, our new administration’s alchemists promise to provide enhanced security by selling the two terror-sponsoring states more weapons.

Granted, those sales of weapons generate jobs to American labor and profits to the military industries employing them, which in turn get recycled back into the U.S. economy. Yet, those sales do not have to be of weapons. The Gulf States are not purchasing U.S. weapons voluntarily. They are doing so in return for U.S. protection of their regimes, as witnessed in Qatar. After President Trump’s aforementioned June 9th speech, Qatar swiftly sent its defense minister to the United States where he signed a $12 billion weapons purchase on June 14th.[4]

But, ironically, why should we be dependent on weapons sales to promote security or employment? Instead of selling weapons, couldn’t we exchange our protection services for university education, medicine, automobiles, software, and many other non-lethal technologies that will push those societies to recover from the medieval mentality in which they are trapped?

Too much blood has been spilled in the Middle East under false pretenses. It is time to start tackling the root causes of religiously inspired violence. Weaponizing Islam must stop. Religiously inspired intra-Muslim hate and inter-religious hate can be eradicated by education, not by more weapons sales. In remembrance of Yahya: “By God, we will eradicate it.”

[1] https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=816_1409008754

[2] http://www.nbcnews.com/video/trump-the-time-has-come-to-confront-qatar-s-terror-ties-964053571661

[3] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-saudi-arabia-arms-deal-sale-arab-nato-gulf-states-a7741836.html

[4] https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-qatar-move-toward-arms-deal-estimated-at-12-billion-1497484240

Mark Tomass, Ph.D., will teach a one-time lecture, “Assessing the War on Terror: Western and Middle Eastern Perspectives,” on Tuesday, October 24, 2017, at 9:30 a.m. To register, click here.

Recent Books:
The Religious Roots of the Syrian Conflict: The Remaking of the Fertile Crescent (2016)
https://tinyurl.com/Religious-Roots-of-Syrian-Conf

A link to the complete text of: Assessing the War on Terror (2017) with Charles Webel
https://tinyurl.com/Assessing-the-War-on-Terror

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