Winter 2019

Sunday, January 27
2:00 pm

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Annual Meeting followed by Influenza: It's Going Viral
Professor Bruce Phillips, Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Influenza, a highly communicative viral disease, has had an enormous impact on human civilization. In the epidemic of 1918-1919, an estimated 100 million people died worldwide. There were approximately 600,000 fatalities in the United States at a time when its population was 106 million: about 28% of the U.S. population got sick. Last year, 85,000 American died of the flu.
            Professor Phillips will present the latest efforts for battling this disease. What does the future portend for how we deal with the influenza virus?  What are the challenges?  How to stay healthy (Good luck)?
Sunday, February 24
2:00 pm

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The Middle-East Ensemble, UCSB
         Founded in 1989 by UCSB ethnomusicology professor Scott Marcus, the Middle-East Ensemble performs music and dance from Arab, Turkish, Persian, Armenian, Greek, Jewish, Kurdish, and Assyrian cultures. Performance items range from classical pieces to religious, folk, popular, and children’s songs and dances. Scott Marcus will introduce music and dances from many diverse Middle-Eastern cultures, played on traditional instruments such as the ‘ud´(short-necked lute), the nay (reed flute), the qanun (dulcimer), and a variety of Middle Eastern drums.
Sunday, March 17
2:00 pm
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 Gods, Demons, and Lawyers:
The Binding Contract in Hindu Mythology
Professor William Elison, Department of Religious Studies, UCSB
          The Trivikrama myth, or "Story of the Three Steps," can be traced all the way back to the Rig Veda (c. 1200 BCE). It tells of how the god Vishnu asserted his supremacy by taking three steps: the first spanning the Earth, the second the heavens, and the third planted on the head of the demon king Bali who had challenged the god's dominion. Most Hindus know the story, but there has been some difference of opinion--over thousands of years--over what lesson you should draw from it. In fact, people from different parts of India even disagree on the identities of the hero and villain.
                In this talk, William Elison will introduce a family of stories: the classical Trivikrama myth, its historical and modern retellings, and related stories from India and farther afield. Whom you favor in the story turns out to have a lot to do with how you feel about the law, the standing of lawyers to interpret the law, and the power embodied in the written word.
All programs take place in the multi-purpose room of the Goleta Valley Library.
They are free of charge and open to all. Space is limited.
Donations welcomed!
Please park in the upper lot of the Church of Christian Science, next door to the library. No RVs please.