THE OBSERVER
April 25, 2022
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Editor: Susan Rauch
Associate Editors: Micky Josephs
Ariana Caragliano
Contributing Editor: Irene Sax
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General Membership
Meeting
ON ZOOM
April 29th at 2:00PM
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This GMM will include participation by LP2 members in breakout groups led by Board members, organized in a mini town-hall format, to get member feedback on the past year and identification of issues to be considered at the Advisory Board retreat on May 3rd.
Your presence is important. We need your input for future planning. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO BE HEARD!
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Dear friends,
Although study groups are winding down, we are really finishing out the semester with a bang. I look forward to seeing you at the Spring General Membership Meeting (GMM) on Friday, April 29th at 2PM. It’s important that you join us to discuss the most critical issues of the program at this time. The agenda includes breakout rooms in which an Advisory Board representative will lead a conversation and take your questions and concerns into the Board retreat the following week. This is your opportunity to be heard! We will also preview plans for the Fall (and summer) including study group grids. Summer registration will open in the week following the GMM. There are a number of activities and talks coming up in May and through the summer to remain connected – intellectually and socially – to your peers.
We had a wonderful Fridays@1 event last week to conclude the Spring series of three. I am so impressed by our members who organized the talks and in addition to the committee members, those who led conversations and with our esteemed speakers. In the most recent, Ellen Zweibel spoke passionately about the cutting-edge astrophysics research on magnetic fields she is involved in and the inspirational women in science she calls colleagues. In her words, the talk was a beautiful way to honor her mother Norma Grossman, a former member who I know has a special place in many of your hearts and memories. Thank you to John Gillespie for his thoughtful introduction and for leading the Q&A.
This past week, members participated in two library orientations organized by Joanna and led by our wonderful librarians at the Graduate Center. We will be updating the member handbook and the library guides customized for LP2 members with new information about access. As you come to campus more frequently, I hope you will make good use of the study spaces, research opportunities, and the circulating collection at the GC. You can also access the research databases remotely, from home or away. We are happy to offer additional tours in the Fall to those interested. See some pictures from this tour in MEMBER FORUM, below.
On a personal note, and many of you may already know, I am pregnant and expecting a baby boy on June 19 (we’ll see if he is as punctual as you all!). I plan to take parental leave from delivery through the Fall term. I have been working closely with our team to prepare for this transition and rest assured, you will be in good hands. I will detail the workflow and who to reach out with what kind of questions in the next Observer, but when in doubt, you can always email [email protected] as that inbox is checked regularly and messages are redirected to the appropriate staff from there.
See you on Friday and take good care,
Mariel Villere
212-817-2474
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New ArtSIG Event
Venue: Claude Samton's Loft/Studio
Address: 84 Mercer Street #2 (between Broome and Spring Streets)
Thursday April 28 @ 4PM
Join us at architect/artist Claude Samton's cavernous Mercer Street studio in Soho for an afternoon of socializing and learning. We will visit nearby studios of sculptor Zigi Ben Haim and artist Michelle Doner as well as Claude's work (photomosaics, photographs, book illustrations and writings).
There is limited capacity for this event, so RSVP ASAP to:
Transportation:
Subways
# 6 to Spring Street
R,W to Prince Street.
E,C to Spring Street
B,D,F to Broadway Lafayette Street
Bus # 55 to Spring Street
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Back by Popular Demand!
Update Your Profile! A Workshop on Making Yourself Findable
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What do you read? What are your interests? Where do you live? LP2 members want to know! Make yourself findable and make new friends. Learn how to update your Profile Photo, Cover Photo, Bio, Interests, Skills, Neighborhood, Contact info and more in the new LP2 Member Directory. In this half-hour Zoom Workshop Denise Waxman will give a full tour of the new Member Directory, show you how you can search in ways you couldn’t do before, find out more about members you have met in Study Groups and other ways to contact them. Most important you can learn how to make yourself more findable by updating your photo and sharing what you want others to know about you. There will be an opportunity to get your questions answered and one-on-one help. You might even learn another computer trick or two. Write to [email protected] to sign up.
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LP2 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Friday, April 29th @ 2:00PM (For details, see above.)
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Venue: Studio of Beowulf Sheehan
Address: 64 East 3rd Street, 2nd Floor
Transportation:
Subway: F to 2nd Ave.
Bus: M15 (via 2nd Ave.) to E. 3rd St.
Tuesday, May 3rd @ 10AM & 11AM
Beowulf Sheehan is considered to be his generation's foremost literary portrait photographer, having made portraits of the literary luminaries of our time across the globe, from Karl Ove Knausgaard to Zadie Smith. His book, AUTHOR: The Portraits of Beowulf Sheehan(2018) is a collection of portraits of 200 writers from 35 countries, with a foreword by Salman Rushdie. You can see some of his work here: https://www.beowulfsheehan.com.
He’s also a great storyteller. Beowulf will host our visit to his studio and then we’ll have lunch in a place nearby his Lower East Side location. Because his studio is small, groups are limited to 12 people. There are a few places available for nonmembers of the PhotoSIG in the 10AM group, and perhaps, in the 11AM group.
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Science Seminar Series
Eleanore T. Wurtzel, Vitamin A Deficiency, Synthetic Biology and the Coming Green Revolution
Monday May 9, 2022 @ 4PM
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The world population is expected to increase by as many as 3 billion come 2050. The question is how to feed those growing numbers. For reasons having to do with climate change, the shrinkage of arable lands and a host of other confounding elements, traditional agriculture won’t cut it. A major part of the solution is expected to lie with synthetic biology, a relatively new-to-the-scene multidisciplinary pursuit aimed at substantially increasing plant productivity in an environmentally sustainable fashion. Among those at the forefront of that effort is Dr. Eleanore Wurtzel, Professor of Biology at CUNY’s Lehman College and the CUNY Graduate Center Biochemistry and Biology Programs, whose research centers on crop-enhancement strategies designed to combat Vitamin A deficiency, the underlying cause of blindness and increased mortality currently affecting 250 million children world-wide. On May 9th, she will join us for a wide-ranging discussion of how we can meet current and future food resource needs.
Dr. Wurtzel has a PhD in molecular biology from Stony Brook University and has undertaken postdoctoral fellowships in plant biology at Brookhaven National Laboratory and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
This Webinar event is open to members only. For more
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Tuesdays at 4PM: May 10th, 17th, 24th
Go Set a Watchman, Mockingbird, the search for Atticus Finch with Arlynn Brody and Steve Kalinsky
We’ll spend most of our time examining Harper Lee's second and final published novel, Go Set a Watchman, which somewhat mirrors the To Kill a Mockingbird story but is updated by 20+ years. Published in 2015, it is Harper Lee's last published novel and is set before "Mockingbird" and presents a very different view of the "Atticus Finch" that we all know and appreciate. We look at race relations in the American South in the 1930s to 1950s.
Required reading: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee.
Optional reading: To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee and Atticus Finch, The Biography by Joseph Crespino.
You’ll receive a Zoom invite before the first session.
Monday Afternoons En Plein Air with Carol Borelli
LIVE: Gardens in NYC
Mondays from 2PM to 4PM:
May 16th and May 23rd
Bring your materials and spend a Monday afternoon or two, sketching or painting in one of NYC's beautiful gardens. Our locations will be determined by the size of the group.
The Abraham Accords: A New Development in the Middle East
Thursday, May 19th, 4PM
Bill Siegel, an LP2 member, invites Benjamin Rogers, the American Jewish Committee Director of Middle East Initiatives, to discuss the impact of the Abraham Accords on the future of Middle East engagement.
Stories Aloud with Sharon Girard
Mondays at 3PM: July 18th, August 1st, 15th and 29th)
Welcome to the pleasures of stories read aloud by volunteers from our group. The stories are emailed in advance. During pauses, we enjoy general comments and questions, not to mention one-liners and insights wise and dumb. Readers change from session to session - giving an opportunity to read to all who wish to do so.
Each Monday, we’ll Zoom for about an hour and a half. This summer, we're considering stories by Grace Paley, Felisberto Hernandéz, Kate Chopin, Zora Neale Hurston, Deborah Eisenberg, Nikolai Gogol, Nicole Krauss, Eudora Welty, Italo Calvino. We welcome your suggestions.
Please email Sharon at [email protected] for the Zoom link; also, indicate if you would like to be a reader.
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Call for Break Activities between Semesters
The Community Building Initiative seeks volunteers to lead activities during either or both of the two breaks from May 16th - 27th and July 12th - August 31st.
Your activity can meet once or multiple times. Whether it’s a book or movie or current events discussion, a travel adventure, art presentation, an encore from a prior study group or something different, LP2 members will appreciate your efforts. Tech help is available to set up and assist you run the Zoom session. You’ll receive a Zoom link to send to participants. To propose your activity, contact Jane Case Einbender at [email protected].
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ONLINE ART SHOW
From: Robin Glasser Sacknoff
Title: Snapseed
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Robin says: I avoid cute pet photos, but I like to think that this photography elevates Snapseed to a different level
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Calling All Painters, Sculptors, Photographers, Block Printers, Ceramicists and Textile Artists!
Display the creative work you have been doing this summer in the Online Art Show. Send a photograph of your work with a title and a brief statement about it to Carol Millsom at [email protected]. Art works appear in The Observer in the order in which they are received.
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MISSING LINKS DIRECTORY
Linkedin Learning (formerly known as Lynda)
What links would you like to see included? You don’t have to know the actual link, just what you’d like to be able to link to without cleaning out your desk to find the paper you wrote it down on.
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REMINDERS
From Carol Groneman: Are you interested in learning how to sight read music? If so, consider taking this class. Carol has been part of the choral group, led by Bernadette Hoke, a professional choral conductor and pianist, and will be taking the course.
MUSIC SIGHT READING CLASS
4 weeks, 1 hour and 15-minute classes
Wednesdays @ 1PM
May 18th, 25th
June 1st, 8th
Cost $40 for 4 weeks
OPEN JAR STUDIOS
48th and Broadway
The class will cover reading the notes in treble and bass clefs, note values and time signatures, musical terms, and ear training/sight-singing.
For more information and registration please contact
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Library Tour Photos (from the Phone of Mariel) |
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Ground Floor Study Area with Macs & PCs |
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GC-CUNY Campus Covid Protocols
For those who are coming to campus:
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Masks are no longer required in all campus spaces.
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The rest of the Covid-19 policies remain in place. If you do not have a Cleared4 Pass, email [email protected] a week before your intended visit. Cleared4 Pass (or “Blue Pass”) system automatically renews passes on their expiration date, If you lose your pass, email [email protected] to manually extend it.
- Bring GC-CUNY ID or other official ID.
Additional Campus Operations Info: Reporting positive cases and contact tracing:
- If you are feeling sick, DO NOT come to class.
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If you come into close contact (within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes total, even if in segments) with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, please be sure to wear a close-fitting mask around others and test at least five days after exposure (regardless of symptoms). You do not need to stay home unless you develop symptoms.
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If you test positive for COVID-19, do not come to class and isolate for 5 days before testing. Take precautions until day 10 including wearing a well-fitting mask when around others. Please email me at [email protected] so that I can manage contact tracing while maintaining your privacy and give further guidance per CUNY’s policy, following CDC guidance.
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Unfortunately, the COVID-19 testing centers on CUNY campuses are not available for use by LP2 members at this time. I will update you if this changes. NYC offers free COVID-19 testing and all New Yorkers can receive a free COVID-19 virus PCR test. Diagnostic tests are available through NYC COVID Express sites or through other public and private sites (search via the COVID-19 Test Site Finder). Further information on free testing can be accessed by calling 311 or the NYC Health and Hospitals website.
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The Women’s Group meets at 3:45PM on Thursdays. Contact Arlyne LeSchack at [email protected].
The Men’s Group meets at 3:45PM on Wednesdays. Contact Jay Fleishman at [email protected].
Stitch Away Stress meets at 4PM Tuesdays. Members share skills and enjoy the meditative benefits of handwork. Contact Michelle Harris at [email protected].
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Schedule for submitting articles for The Observer and Website
Members wishing to submit information for publication in The Observer or listing on the Website have a new deadline: the Wednesday before the Monday publication date. In addition, we urge you to send us your material as early as possible so that it can be entered onto the LP2 calendar, which is managed by the Graduate Center. If you have an event to publicize, please notify Micky Joseph at [email protected] at least one month in advance to ensure that the event receives maximum publicity.
Online Art Show Submissions: Send Online Art Show entries and suggestions for tours to Carol Millsom at [email protected].
Member Forum Submissions: If you have something to share with the LP2 community, e.g., a photo, an article, a book or a web site that you’ve discovered and think would be interesting to members, send it to Micky Josephs at [email protected] for inclusion in the Member Forum.
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