TABLE OF CONTENTS

UWC Events in February

President’s Message

UWC Notes

• Membership
• Recap – January Lecture Luncheon
• Lecture Luncheons for February and March
• Happy Hour/Tea Time Conversations
  
• Elect Officers – Meet the Candidates

Scholarships

• Message from the Chair
• Support for UWC Through Shopping
• Donations

Did You Know?

Nominations Sought

• Margaret Willard Award

Looking Ahead

• Opera Brunch
• Scholarship Luncheon

Member Acknowledgements

Interest Groups

• News
• Information

Executive Board

Calendar for 2024

Upcoming UWC Events in February

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Hi UWC Members!

I have always said that you can find research for anything. Under that heading, I discovered that there was research done on the popularity of each month. Really. Some grantors paid money to determine the popularity of each month. Even more interesting is that February is the least liked month of the twelve. There were several hypotheses given for why that is so, but to find out for sure would require even more research.

I personally really like the month of February! First, February is the month we celebrate Valentine’s Day, and depending on what Punxsutawney Phil says to us on February 2, winter may have run its course. That seems to be the prevailing wish: an end to winter. Growing up with snowmen, sledding, ice skating, and snowball fights, as well as raising my children on skis, I really like winter and don’t mind if it blends into March.

One holiday we don’t hear about often occurs on February 17 which turns out to be International Acts of Kindness Day. I know I’m preaching to the choir as I talk about acts of kindness. The women in this group engage in acts of kindness that I get to witness every time I meet up with each of you. It’s one of the reasons that I like this group of women so much. Being gratefully on the mend from recent knee replacement surgery, I have had the opportunity to be the recipient of numerous acts of kindness. I’m convinced each kind gesture has helped speed up my healing.

If you’re one of those people who experience winter blues or just need something different this February, we have wonderful events scheduled for the second part of our program year. Our February Lecture Luncheon features the husband of our own President-Elect, Anne Hudson. Dr. Hudson will be talking to us about what is happening today in Ukraine and throughout Eastern Europe. It should be very interesting. We have our annual Opera Brunch with a fabulous speaker in March. This year our presentation is less of an opera and more of a musical which should be quite fun! In April we have our very popular Scholarship Luncheon at the Boulder Country Club and following in May, the Honors Reception featuring the Margaret Willard Award recipient and a buffet of sweet and savory treats. Our Interest Groups are always popular, fun, and ever expanding. Not sure what you want to do? Contact Betty Barnes and get into our Meet-up Group and invite another UWC member to join you on an outing of your choice.

For more information on what is available to you, visit https://boulderuwc.org or continue reading MESSAGES to discover more detail about each of our upcoming events. And on February 17, add one little act of kindness to your day. I promise it will come back to you several times over.

So, in closing, Will You Be My Valentine?

Until next time,

Andie
Andie Kutinsky, 2023-2024 UWC President

UWC NOTES

Membership

February is a great month for membership! We are past the busy times of the fall, when returning members pay their dues and sign up for events, and when new members find out about UWC and join for the year. But that does not mean we are past times to celebrate! As of this writing, UWC has 337 members, with a handful continuing to join each month. You should be receiving your updated Members Directory in your email inbox soon where you can find acquaintances’ emails and phone numbers, and identify those who are new to UWC by the special star by their names.

This is also a great month to think about whom you know in the Boulder area who might like to join UWC. You might invite them to a lecture luncheon, or take them with you to an interest group meeting, or bring them to the Opera Brunch as a way of getting a feel for what UWC does and who UWC members are!

This year we have a leap day in February – lets make it “get a friend to join UWC day!!” – just send them HERE to sign up and to begin a wonderful UWC journey.

Merry Bullock
UWC Membership Chair

Followup to the January Lecture Luncheon – 

As an exercise following our stimulating lecture on artificial intelligence, I asked AI Chat to summarize the pros and cons of using artificial intelligence. The following analysis was generated exclusively through AI Chat.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly advanced in recent years, revolutionizing various industries and transforming the way we live and work. It offers numerous benefits, but it is not without its drawbacks. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of using AI.

Pros of Using Artificial Intelligence:

1. 1. Efficiency and Automation: AI streamlines and automates processes, reducing human error and improving efficiency. Computers can analyze and process vast amounts of data much faster than humans, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions and optimize productivity.
   2. Improved Accuracy: AI algorithms possess remarkable accuracy in tasks such as data analysis, pattern recognition, and image interpretation. This can be particularly valuable in fields like healthcare, finance, and cybersecurity, where precise results are crucial.
   3. Personalization and Enhanced User Experience: AI can personalize user experiences by adapting to individual preferences and behavior patterns.

 The drawbacks of using artificial intelligence:
While artificial intelligence (AI) offers numerous benefits, it is important to be aware of its drawbacks. Let’s discuss some of the key drawbacks of using AI.

1. 1. Job Displacement: One significant concern is the potential displacement of human workers by AI-enabled automation. As AI becomes more capable of performing tasks traditionally done by humans, certain jobs may become obsolete, leading to job losses and the need for workforce retraining and transition.
   2. Ethical Implications: AI raises complex ethical questions that need careful consideration. Issues such as privacy, data security, algorithmic bias, and potential misuse of AI technology can have serious societal consequences. Ensuring transparency, fairness, and accountability in AI systems is crucial to address these ethical challenges.
   3. Lack of Human Judgment and Intuition: AI algorithms excel in processing and analyzing vast amounts of data, but they may lack the nuanced judgement to make important decisions. 

Lecture Luncheons

There are two Lecture Luncheons left for this program year!

Happy Hour/Tea Time Conversations via ZOOM

SCHOLARSHIPS

Message from the Scholarship Chair

Support Scholarships Through Your Grocery Shopping!

Donations to the Scholarship Fund

Scholarship Donations (November-December, 2023)

Dana Albright
Lois Anderson
Carmen Caver
Tina Facteau
Judith Feuer-Walden
Anne Hudson
Sandy Johnson

Susan Katz
Lois  Linsky
Cindy Meyer
Sandra Reynolds
Marge Riddle
Jean Rohrschneider
Annie Russell

Kathleen Salzberg
Phyllis Schwartz
Boyce Sher
Tamera Van Spriell
Cynthia Warshaw
Helen Williams
Sherry Woodruff

In preparation for seeing Titanic, The Musical, to be presented by CU’s College of Music in March, I thought it would be interesting to include several facts about a ship that was considered to be ‘unsinkable’ and a crew who trusted the hype. This information was taken from National Geographic’s Titanic, Exploring the Discovery of a Lifetime.

“The Titanic, the world’s largest and most opulent oceangoing vessel of its day, departed from Southhampton, England on the morning of April 11, 1912, and after stopping first in Cherbourg, France and Queenstown, Ireland to board additional passengers, the Titanic steamed westward on its maiden voyage. About 2,200 passengers enjoyed the luxury of their passage until striking an iceberg about 1,000 miles east of Boston and disappearing into the icy depths within 2 hours and 40 minutes. More than 1,500 passengers and crew died that night.”

One Ship, Many Stories

• There was an inadequate number of lifeboats aboard, only enough for 1,178 people.
• The Titanic’s only safety drill was rudimentary at best – two lifeboats lowered on sailing day without instruction on how to respond in an emergency.
• By 7:30 p.m. on April 14, the Titanic had received five radio messages from nearby ships warning of ice. The Marconi wireless operator took down detailed ship’s messages pinpointing the location of ‘heavy pack ice and bergs,’ but didn’t show it to any officer because he was busy sending passengers’ personal messages instead.
• At 10:55 p.m., the Californian radioed to say it had come to a full stop amid dense field ice. The operator was not in the mood for interruptions and didn’t show the message to the captain. The Titanic surged onward.
• At 11:40 p.m., a ‘lookout’ noticed ‘something blacker than the sea’ and notified the First Officer, who yanked the handle of the engine room telegraph to ‘stop,’ but it was too late. Chunks of an iceberg fell on the ship’s deck, and water flooded into the first five forward compartments. Subsequently, the weight of each flooded compartment pulled the ship downward.
• The already inadequate number of lifeboats were lowered, but because of the lack of preparation, lifeboats left the Titanic with more than 400 empty seats. The First Officer boarded as many women and children as were available, then gave the remaining seats to men. Nearly 700 passengers survived in lifeboats and were picked up by the Cunard liner Carpathia responding to the Titanic’s distress calls.
• By 2:20 a.m. on April 15, the Titanic disappeared into the icy depths. All who had failed to find a lifeboat seat went into the frigid water. A life jacket did virtually no good and hundreds of men, women and children drowned or froze to death.

One wonders how the slightest change in decisions made by the Marconi wireless operator who was too busy sending personal messages to be bothered to ‘see’ the potential emergency ahead or the Titanic’s Captain who determined that training for a possible emergency was not needed might have altered the course of history. We will never know.

Margaret Willard Award

Membership Courtesy

INTEREST GROUPS

Interest Group News

Parlez vous Français?

The Intermediate French Interest Group is seeking additional members. The group welcomes all speaking levels. Many of us had French long ago and would like to revive and improve our language skills. The group chooses topics and those who wish prepare a few sentences or a short paragraph on that topic or on another topic of interest. These are conversation starters, and we help each other improve our French.

We meet twice a month, the second and fourth Mondays at Panera 29th Street Boulder at 2:30 p.m. for an hour submersed in French. Folks are welcome to stay longer. If you are interested, please send Zdenka an email: Zdenka dot smith at gmail dot com.

Photo courtesy of Michelle Henderson on Unsplash

Let’s Go See a Play Together!

Scenes from Interest Group meetings

Interest Groups Information

Bicycling – Meets weekly on Thursdays from May through October. Chairs: Gail Smith 303-960-5004; Susan Lee 303-974-8969. We start with a couple of shorter rides and work up to around 20+ miles each ride. We have a couple of levels of riders, but faster riders will wait until all riders catch up. Electric bikes are welcome.
Bicycling – Easy Riders – Meets sporadically on Tuesdays.  Contact chair for details.  Chair: Dorothy Coltrin 720-527-4704.
Book Group – Afternoon – Fourth Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at members’ homes or on ZOOM.  Vaccinations required. Chairs: Mary Clough 303-522-8692; Lois Linsky 303-499-2689.
Book Group – Biographies – Third Friday at 3:00 p.m., in person. Chair: Eunice Wilkinson, 303-956-9675.
Book Group – The Original Book Group – Formerly Evening – Second Thursday at 2:45 p.m. Meetings may be held outside when weather permits. Up-to-date vaccinations are required for indoor meetings, masks are optional. Chairs: Kathleen Salzberg 303-499-3128; Ellen Gille 720-836-2365. This group has been meeting continuously since the 1950s.
Bridge Group – Chair:  Karen Neff 303-494-0467; also seeking beginner players to start a new Beginners’ Group.
French Conversation – All Speaking Levels – Dates and times to be determined. Chair: Zdenka Smith 303-330-2856.
French Conversation Group 1 – Every Wednesday year round at 1:30 pm. Includes 8 sessions per semester with a paid native speaker. Limited openings. Contact chair for details. Chair: Dot Thompson, thompsondot at hotmail dot com.
Garden Group –  Third Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. Chairs: Jyotsna Raj  303-447-8831; Jean Rohrschneider 720-542-9788.
Golfing – For the Casual Golfer –will resume in the spring –  1:00 p.m. every Thursday at various golf courses, new members welcome. Chair: Susan Planck 303-499-3916.
Hiking and Strolling – Every Friday 9:00 a.m. September – May; 8:30 a.m. June – August. Our meeting place has changed. Meet at the far NE corner of the Free Parking underground garage at 29th Street Mall, close to the old Macy’s. Check the weekly email for details.  – Chairs: Joan (Joanie) Cardone 303-263-7823; Frieda Holley 303-499-3733.
Italian Conversation – Wednesday, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. on Zoom.  Chair: Maxene Wilson 303-530-4619.
Music – Second Monday afternoon of most months in members’ homes, providing a venue for musical performers to meet and share their love of music in an intimate setting.  Chairs:  Judy Owens 720-562-8064; Carol Green 802-363-1868.
Needlecraft – Third Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. Chair: Ginnie Ross. 
On the Road Again – Occasional in person road trips. Chair: Kathy Randall 303-746-4528.
Out to Lunch – Usually Fourth Wednesday, at noon at various local restaurants. Chairs: Jean Rohrschneider 720-542-9788; Jyotsna Raj 303-447-8831.
Readers’ Theater 2 – Third Monday 4:00 p.m. at the main Boulder Library. Chairs: Patty Ludke 303-817-1020; Kathy Randall 303-746-4528.
Spanish Conversation Advanced – Contact chair for details.  Chair: Diana King  303-530-1860.
Sunday Afternoon at the Movies – Usually second Sunday,  to see movies at a theater in Boulder or nearby theater. Chairs: Sharon Nehls 303-494-5778; Carmen Caver 803-606-5619.
Theater Goers – Boulder Ensemble Theater Company matinees.  More to come. Acting Chair, Cindy Meyer 713-256-9185.

Groups that are on hiatus 

• Easy Riders – New Chair needed. The Easy Riders have met 3 to 4 times per month in the past. The ride is primarily on flat surfaces and the distance is about 8 to 10 miles. If interested in chairing this group, contact Linda Nordberg, Interest Group Coordinator at 978-314-9987.

Groups that are at capacity

• Book Group – The Bookies – Kathy Randall 303-746-4528.
• Book Group Small – Fiction and Non-Fiction, Joyce Bograd.
• Book Group – Second Monday, Janet Evans.
• Book Group – Mysteries, Betty Barnes.
• Bridge Group Intermediate level – First Wednesday Chair:  Karen Neff
• Games Group – It’s Anyone’s Game –  Second Wednesday Chair: Kathleen Newton 

To start a new interest group requires at least five members including a chairperson.
If you are interested in starting a new group please contact the Interest Group Coordinator for more information: Linda Nordberg Interest Group Coordinator, 978-314-9987.
To form a new book group, contact Kathy Randall, 303-746-4528.

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Officers
President – Andie Kutinsky
President Elect – Anne Hudson
Past President – Norma Portnoy
Secretary – Kathleen Salzberg
Secretary Elect – Sharon Nehls
Treasurer & Treasurer Elect – Frieda Holley

Board Members
Acknowledgments Co-Chairs

For Tax Purposes – Merry Bullock (all donations); Frieda Holley (large donations)
For Personal Notes – Sharon Nehls

Advisory/Parliamentarian – Frieda Holley
Archives Chair – Karen Neff
Email/Communications – Berry Todd
Honors Reception – Anne Hudson
Interest Groups Chair – Linda Nordberg
Margaret Willard Award Chair – Andie Kutinsky
Membership Chair – Merry Bullock
Membership Coffee – Lynne Barnett

MESSAGES Co-Chairs

Compilation of Content – Tam Van Spriell
Copy Edit Review – Kathleen Salzberg
Technical Wizardry – Merry Bullock

New Members Chair – Anne Hudson
Nominating Committee – Andie Kutinsky, Anne Hudson, Janet Brewer
Opera Brunch – Sandy Johnson
Photography – Anne Hudson
Programs

Chair – Sharon Nehls
UMC Liaison – Tam Van Spriell
Registration – Lynne Barnett

Scholarship Committee Chair – Marge Riddle
Scholarship Luncheon – Jonette Lucia
Website – Joyce Spencer
Zoom Master – Merry Bullock, Lynne Barnett
Non-Board Positions
Document Repository – Frieda Holley
Zoom Scheduler – Kathy Randall

CALENDAR

UWC Calendar 2024 Spring