Worth skipping?

Unhappy people don’t skip. I have had this theory for a while. You really can’t imagine seeing a sad sack skipping in an open field, can you? Skipping is an activity brimming with joy. If you are skipping, you are happy. But does it work the other way around? If you’re feeling glum can a good skip lift you out of your misery? I think so! I think that a good skip or two can raise your spirits, provided your knees and hips are sturdy. If you want to try the low-impact version of this theory, just envision yourself skipping. Even just imagining a jaunty skip makes me smile. Go ahead, try it.*

Stay safe and healthy,

Tracy Jacobs

*Always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program, metaphorical or otherwise.

BTU and TU Office of Inclusion & Institutional Equity presents

Black Butterfly: A Conversation with Dr. Lawrence Brown
Community engagement, strengthening Black neighborhoods, and the role of higher education

Tuesday, May 4 at 12–1:30 p.m.

Join Towson University for a unique conversation with Dr. Lawrence Brown, author of "The Black Butterfly," to explore racial equity in Baltimore City and to understand the role everyone has to play in making a real difference and strengthening Black neighborhoods. Everyone is invited to attend. Together we will explore how community engagement needs to transition to center and integrate racial equity.

The Return of Brood X: The Mysterious Magicicada

Jane Wolfson, Ph.D.

Periodical Cicadas, Magicicada spp, remain a mystery to biologists. The public becomes aware of their existence only when vast numbers emerge from the ground synchronously, every 13 or 17 years. While their presence is hard to ignore when they are out and about, what they are doing the rest of their lives and why they are doing it is only partially understood. Emerging broods consist of more than one species and different broods are emerging in different regions of North American almost every year. Discover what we know about Periodical Cicadas, their development, how they sing, their impact on wildlife, and the threats that they face so that you will better be able to appreciate Brood X when it appears in May.

Related links mentioned in the lecture:

• Use your smartphone and join Cicada Safari to help map the 2021 emergence of the periodical cicada Brood X.
• Looking for a culinary adventure? Check out CICADA-LICIOUS: Cooking and Enjoying Periodical Cicadas

Towson University Department of Occupational Therapy & Occupational Science presents

Learn about resources for older drivers

April 30, 2021 at 10–10:30 a.m.

Learn about safety, improving driving confidence, car fit clinics, and more. This presentation is led by TU Occupational Therapy doctoral students.

Osher members are invited to watch this recorded lecture through May 2.

The Klan Whisperer: Daryl Davis

Music is his profession, but bettering race relations is his obsession. In between gigs, Daryl Davis has spent 37 years intentionally meeting with Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi and Alt Right leaders and members. He has become the impetus for over 200 White supremacists to renounce that ideology. Not an easy feat for a White person, let alone someone who is Black. Davis will share the stories of his encounters with those who have hated him and his successful methods that have turned some into his friends and supporters.