Petanque is an international sport from France, with opposing teams rolling or throwing metal balls at a smaller wooden target-ball. Related to Italian Bocce ball, Petanque has an ancient, fascinating history, provides many mental and physical benefits, and is quick and easy to learn. It is gentle on the body--requiring finesse, cooperative team strategizing, and brains, not brawn. It is a game of concentration, coordination, camaraderie, and FUN. Come learn to play this quintessential sport, part of French and world culture, and discover the OLLI@UGA Petanque SIG. To learn more about Petanque, please watch the videos on our SIG website: http://athenspetanqueclub.wixsite.com/play.

Though they have changed much over the years, the s Though they have changed greatly over the years, the streets and neighborhoods of Athens, Georgia, hold centuries of history in just their names alone. While digging out tidbits from numerous publications and his own vast collection of materials, Doster found more than 3,000 streets mentioned by various names. He narrowed down the scope and dealt with only 240. The first primary source he used in his most recent book came from the report of a street-naming committee appointed by the Athens City Council in 1859. In this class he will share with us his insights into the community, making use of maps and mentioning neighborhoods unknown today.

In 1935 Albin Michel published Invasion 14, French novelist Maxence Van der Meersch’s semi-autobiographical account of the German occupation of northern France during World War I. It fell one vote shy of winning the Prix Goncourt. This session will explore the factors contributing to Invasion 14’s initial acclaim; the novel’s subsequent fall from the pantheon of classic war novels like Henri Barbusse’s Under Fire; and the new appreciation it is garnering today. Shaping each of these trends is a complex interplay between experience and memory. The presenter will also discuss the path that brought a historian to the endeavor of translation.

This is a PowerPoint illustrated exploration of American medicines from colonial times to the present. It includes a live reenactment of an old-time medicine show pitchman's act like the ones that toured small-town America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It also exposes the quacks and criminals that freely duped an eager, paying audience, the appeal that made these health promoters successful, and the growth of government regulations to inspire a level of trust in the medicines available today. (This program is offered in conjunction with a public Einstein Chautauqua program presented the night before.)