Friday Courses   

The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) might be just what you have been looking for, if you appreciate looking very closely at images and sharing them with others. IIIF, a set of open standards for delivering high-quality, attributed digital objects online at scale, has been adopted by hundreds of institutions. From photos of cell structures in the Wellcome Collection to details of manuscripts in the British Library, IIIF can provide excellent zoomable images, facilitate sharing and annotating details while preserving connections to the original images. Students will explore how to access the vast variety of images accessible in IIIF, share them with viewers like Mirador, annotate them and include the results in presentations (like teaching at OLLI).

NOTE: All the materials used in the course are available at no cost online.

Who will control the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in the last two years of President Trump’s administration? That will be the major topic of this course. We’ll also discuss some major state governor races, certainly including Oregon and California. Election laws, campaign spending and developing issues will also be topics for classes. All viewpoints will be welcome. No background information is essential for participants, only an interest in our country.

If you can hold a pencil, you can do this. Zentangle comes from the words “Zen” and “tangle” (entangled, interwoven) and combines creativity with meditation. Zentangle is an easy method to learn because it consists of structured patterns. Stroke by stroke, simple lines are repeated onto paper. With every line, you can dive further into the world of tangles. In a short time, tangles turn into amazing 3D, graphic, elaborate and beautiful tiles. They are unplanned, abstract, black and white. Zentangle calms, relaxes, and is fun. 

NOTE: Students should be prepared with pens, other drawing supplies and Zentangle tiles. A complete materials list will be sent to registered students. Depending on personal preferences and supplies already owned, the cost could range from $20 to $45. 

Students will be introduced to the art of juggling two, three or more balls. Everyone is welcome; whether you have never touched a juggling ball or you can juggle already, you will make progress on your juggling journey. We will start each class with warm-up activities to prepare our bodies and minds for learning, progress to instructor’s demonstrations of new skills and spend lots of time on coached practice. Skills will be scaffolded as appropriate, with various activities to help your learning. If you wish to make quicker progress, suggestions for outside practice will be given. Students will actively participate during class, which includes bending over to retrieve dropped balls. Tables will be available to juggle over to reduce the effort of picking up.

NOTE: Equipment will be provided for use during class. Students are encouraged to bring their own juggling balls, if they have them. If you would like to take home one of the sets we use in class, they will be $15-$20. Recommended: 120- to 135-gram, 65-70 mm thuds or beanbags, from a quality company like Renegade or Firetoys. Signed liability waiver required to participate.

Northern Spain is a geologic wonderland that is easily explored because of its accessible coastline and mountain exposures. This course will focus on three areas, how they formed and how to visit them: 1) Los Picos de Europa, a National Park in Cantabria Province, where limestone peaks were formed during the Paleozoic Era and uplifted during the collision between Africa and Europe that also created the Alps. This province also contains an abundance of Paleolithic rock art. 2) The Dinosaur Coast in Asturias Province, where many types of dinosaurs roamed during the Jurassic Period. 3) The Basque Geopark in the Basque Country, where 60 million years of geologic history, including the end-of-Cretaceous mass extinction, are exposed along 20 km of spectacular coastline. 

Northern Spain is a geologic wonderland that is easily explored because of its accessible coastline and mountain exposures. This course will focus on three areas, how they formed and how to visit them: 1) Los Picos de Europa, a National Park in Cantabria Province, where limestone peaks were formed during the Paleozoic Era and uplifted during the collision between Africa and Europe that also created the Alps. This province also contains an abundance of Paleolithic rock art. 2) The Dinosaur Coast in Asturias Province, where many types of dinosaurs roamed during the Jurassic Period. 3) The Basque Geopark in the Basque Country, where 60 million years of geologic history, including the end-of-Cretaceous mass extinction, are exposed along 20 km of spectacular coastline.