Learning in Retirement Association (LIRA) Winter 2025 Intersession Class Schedule

All programs will be available via Zoom. For classes listed as hybrid, the presenter will be in person in room 106 University Suites (map of University Suites) (pdf) and the class will also be on Zoom. For classes labeled Zoom only, the presenter will also be remote. Please check your email for the weekly LIRA announcements for any changes or additions.

Presenters and coordinators with an * denote a LIRA member.

LIRA Winter 2025 Intersession Course Descriptions

Wednesday

Maritime Music and Songs of the Sea

Wednesday January 8: 10 a.m. to Noon. (Zoom Only)
Presenter: Chris Koldewey.

Folk singer and multi-instrumentalist Chris Koldewey will present an informative concert of traditional Shanties (sailor's work songs) and Forebitters (Ballads) from our maritime past. We will journey, virtually, out to sea as our forbearers did in the 19th and early 20th centuries. We'll hear the shanties and see the shipboard jobs for which they were used, as well as the stories and lore of our connection to the sea. Short journeys for fishing, or 2 to 5 years on a whaler or merchant ship, all had their songs, and Chris will give us a taste of what that might have sounded like on deck, and below. He primarily performs US and British traditional music, and the approach to many of those songs includes their historical and social perspectives and background. The songs may range from the ?sublime to the ridiculous, and everything in between, and may be accompanied by a variety of acoustic instruments.

Coordinator: Lisa Hertel*.


Waste Management Recycling Center Tour

Wednesday January 15: 10 a.m. to Noon (Trip)
Location: Billerica, Massachusetts.

Have you ever wondered if the stuff you put into recycling really gets recycled? Well, it does, and now you can see how, right nearby in a former Boston Globe distribution plant, in Billerica. Waste Management's plant processes roughly 180 million pounds of recyclable material every month. It comes into the plant mixed together and leaves the plant sorted and sellable. Don't wear your best clothes, watch your step, and prepare to be awed by humans and machinery working together to turn your recycled trash into a sorted treasure.

Tour size is limited to 9 people for safety reasons, and reservations are required. Contact Chris Geggis (email: lira@geggis.com) to be signed up for the tour.

Coordinator Chris Geggis*.


All About Taxes

Wednesday January 22: 10 a.m. to Noon (Hybrid)
Presenter: David Penfield*.

Death and taxes. Both are certain, but most people probably dread each of them. This presentation will cover the basics of taxes, including their historical roots, types, and purposes. Then we'll talk about today's tax landscape with an emphasis on topics relevant to LIRA members. What are all the taxes you currently pay? How are they collected? How can you pay less? Where to go to get help filing your income taxes. And at some point, you'll see what happened to some famous people who didn't pay their taxes. And you'll find out who first said that death and taxes are the only certainties. Spoiler alert - it wasn't Benjamin Franklin.

Coordinator: Jim Rutter*.


A Short History of Opera...Abridged

Wednesday January 29: 10 a.m. to Noon (Hybrid)
Presenter: Martha Warren.

400 years ago in Italy, some composers and lyricists decided that sung music could tell stories other than the Latin mass. There could be drama, comedy, or history presented with singers, orchestra, sets, lights, costumes and not just for royalty! This course will explore the evolution of opera through the centuries, from Monteverdi to Mozart to Puccini, and all the way up to the beginnings of modern musical theater, a true descendant of the genre. There will be video and audio examples, tributes to great singers of the 20th and 21st centuries, and as a treat, the presenter will sing an aria live, to explore the vocal training of opera singers.

Coordinator: Bev Rudeen*.


UMass Lowell (UML) Library Tour

Wednesday February 5: 10 a.m. to noon (trip)
Presenters: UML Library Staff

Join us for a tour of O'Leary library and an introduction to UMass Lowell library resources. Learn about our rich historical holdings at the Center for Lowell History, how to use our academic databases on campus, and which resources are also available from home.

Coordinator: Bev Rudeen*.


Rewilding Your Yard With Beneficial Native Plants

Wednesday February 12: 10 a.m. - noon (hybrid)
Presenter: Meaghan Sinclair.

You can create a thriving ecosystem! Learn how to rewild your yard with native flora and fauna. This lecture will delve into the world of native plant gardening and its many benefits to our communities.

Did you know that native plants attract an array of creatures that provide natural pest control? And that native plants survive much better than non-native species in harsh conditions like deluge or drought? Discover which native plants host beneficial insects including butterflies and moths.

We will review which native plant species perform best in sun, shade, and in-between, as well as discover when to plant and where to purchase plants or forage seeds. Different methods of gardening, including winter sowing and no-till practices, will be discussed and demonstrated. Meaghan will also provide tips on how to maintain and sustain our mini- and macro-ecosystems as the planet warms due to climate change.

Coordinator: Suzanne Gamache*.


Wednesday February 19: 10 a.m. - noon (Zoom only).

Presenter: Immigration Attorney Valerie Napier, New England Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON)

What do you know about the legal rights and responsibilities of immigrants? How does U.S. immigration law distinguish between "legal" vs. "Illegal", "documented" vs. "undocumented" immigrants, and asylum seekers vs. refugees? Do all immigrants qualify for work permits, a license to drive, public education, housing, and the right to a court hearing and citizenship? Attorney Napier will provide us with an understanding of the complex legal issues that involve asylum, Temporary Protective Status (TPS), unaccompanied minors, "green" cards, and the overall immigration process.

As an affiliate of the national Immigration & Justice Network, New England JFON provides expert legal aid to low- and no-income immigrants, specializing in humanitarian-based cases. Attorney Napier joins New England JFON as the Legal Director of the new "Pathways to Hope" program for unaccompanied minors.

Coordinator: David Troughton*.


Scuba Diving In Honduras

Wednesday February 26: 10 a.m. - noon (hybrid)

Presenter: Jesse Heines*.

Jesse Heines has been scuba diving for 38 years and has done over 600 dives. In this talk, he will focus on his recent trip to Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras, where the reefs are in good condition and the sea life is abundant. As he always does in his LIRA talks, Jesse will treat us to a cornucopia of photographs, but this time taken mostly with his iPhone rather than his Nikon. He will show us the watertight housing in which he takes his iPhone underwater and demonstrate how he enhances iPhone pictures using Adobe Lightroom. This talk will appeal equally well to people curious about life in the medium that covers over 70% of our planet's surface, those interested in photographic techniques, and those who simply enjoy treating their eyes to dazzling images.

Coordinator: Jim Rutter*.