Holiday Concerts This Weekend

Please come out to enjoy the two concerts this weekend by CyFair's Music Department, Friday and Saturday nights at 7.30pm. There is no charge for the concerts, we are only asking for non-perishable food donations for the college's Food for Thought Food Pantry or gently used business attire for the Empowerment Center.

Holiday Party

A is for Atom, B is for BikiniI

Immediately after WWII, the U.S. decided it needed to test what the atomic bomb would do to its naval fleet; ships and personnel. According to Bob Hope, "We located the one spot on earth that hadn't been touched by war and blew it to hell". Cheryl LeJune, ALL member, discussed the lead-up to the testing, the events that transpired in the first Bikini testing, Operation Crossroads, and the ongoing issues from that period of our history.

You can view the presentation here.

Orange Marmalade Chicken

Donna Smith, ALL member, shared one of her simple go-tos with us this morning. Easy peasy and tastey, too.

You can find her recipe here.

Online Registration Help Session

We are being asked to try out the revised Online Registration System for our Spring 2020 ALL classes. Please join me any time during the following Help Session:

Friday, November 22, 2019

12.30-3pm

HSC2 Room 135

This session will be held in a computer lab, so you will be able to log on to your student account (My.Lonestar.edu) and try to register for classes. If you need assistance in logging on, we will help you do so, but try to have your Username and Password prior to coming to Help Session.

We plan to have some assistance from the Implementation Team to answer questions and to receive feedback from those attending.

I hope to see you at the session.
             Cheryl LeJune, Chair - LSC-CyFair ALL Advisory Committee

Spring 2020 Registration Available ONLINE!

For those of you willing to try and register online, the "new" system is available as of today. Go to My.LoneStar.edu and sign in to start the process. You must have your Username and Password.

You can see an overview tutorial on how to register online, click here.

You can add classes to the Shopping Cart and then checkout instead of Enrolling one at a time. See what works best for you.

At this time, the Cooking classes have been closed; you can sign up for them at our Open House on Friday, January 10, 2020.

Barbecue Apocalypse and Playwright Workshop

LSC-CyFair presents Barbecue Apocalypse for its next theatrical production. The play will be held in the Black Box Theate over two weekends beginning Nov 14. Please note, the play is recommended for mature audiences, ages 13+.

In addition to the production, the playwright, Matt Lyle, will also host a writing workshop on Comic Premise for those interested. The workshop will be held Sunday, November 17 at 12pm in ART 102, Recital Hall. Bring something to write with or a laptop.

The Longoria Affair

In observance of Veteran's Day, Dr. Sandra Harvey and the LSC-CyFair History Department invites ALL to attend a private screening of the 52-minute PBS documentary with producer John J. Valadez. Q&A session to follow.

Monday, November 11, 2019

6.30pm

Conference Center, CENT 151

Free

Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

Lou Master demonstrated how to prepare his delicious Italian Sausage, Bean and Kale Soup. He also provided us with some of his moist Creamed Corn Bread. The class enjoyed it so much that everyone had at least two samples of each. Some three.

The soup recipe is here and the cornbread recipe here.

Enjoy!

Pollo en Mole Poblano

We were treated to a special cooking class by Maria Rupe with assistance from Lou Master to show us how to make a beautiful Mole Poblano. The recipe shared by Maria originates from the Mexican state of Puebla. The sights and smells were wonderful for this delicious dish.

You can view Maria's recipe here.

Hearne Had a POW Camp?

During WWII, Europe ran out of room to hold all the Axis troops that were surrendering, especially after the Africa campaign. As a result, about 500,000 POWs were sent to small town America. Cheryl LeJune shared the story of just one located in Hearne, Texas, about 100 miles away.

You can view her presentation here.

Fall Festivals on Campus

It's Fall, so it's time for some fall festivals. LSC-CyFair and the Cy-Fair Fire Department have a couple of festivals coming to campus soon. The CyFair community is invited to attend both festivals with lots of activities going on for everyone. Bring the whole family!

Fire Fest

Saturday, October 12, 2019

10am-2pm

Station 11

18132 West Rd (just west of campus)

More information here.

CyFit - Exercise is Medicine

Saturday, Oct 19, 2019

10am-1pm

LSC-CyFair Campus

More information here.

Pizzaiolo

Lou and Sue Master showed us how to make a beautiful and aromatic dish called Pizzaiolo. The dish is made of stir fried steak, onions, peppers, tomatoes, black olives, vinegar and seasonings over spiral pasta. The smell was delicious!

You can view Lou's recipe here.
An authentic Pizzaiolo description and recipe can be found here.

Houston Museum of Natural Science

We were taken on a paleontology tour of the Houston Museum of Natural Science with our favorite geology professors Nathalie and Paul Brandes. We covered the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras to learn about the development of various forms of plant and animal life on Earth and ended with the appearance of humans in the Cenozoic era. Nathalie's presentation was great and we all learned something new. Lunch at the Black Labrador wasn't too bad either. Here are some pics.

                               

Cutting the Cord

Richard Gillespie presented his updated research on what is involved in making the decision to finally "cut the cord" from your current cable or satellite system. First, he talked about all the working parts and then set up options that we need to think about before making the final decision. There was a lot of good discussion on what experiences have been so far to "cut" or "not cut".

You can look at Richard's blog here for additional information. His class presentation can be seen here.

Texas in the Civil War

Monte Parks, Asst. Superintendent Harris County Pct 4 Parks, was back again sharing some interesting history on Texas during the Civil War. Monte discussed some of the military, political and civilian issues that affected Texas during this period.

You can view Monte's presentation here.

Our Wild Neighbors

Cathie Coudert of Friends of Texas Wildlife discussed the effect of urban sprawl on our Texas  wildlife neighbors. Many animals are brought in to the wildlife center and we learned what a wildlife rehabber does to prepare the animal's release back into the wild, if possible. Cathie also brought a beautiful American Kestrel.

Fauna and Flora of New Zealand

In this class presented by the Morleys and Rugaards, ALL members, we learned of the unique place New Zealand has in the world with regard to its geography, geology, and plant and animal life. The beautiful flora and fauna were on full display during their trip there. We also discussed the geology of the area and the effects of modern agriculture.

You can view their presentation here.

Fire and Life Safety for Seniors

We welcomed Sr. Inspector Tom Petty and his dog Cinder of the Harris County Fire Marshalls Office to share with us some very important safety tips. We learned about several things to look for around the house to prevent falls, to do our fire escape planning, and in general making conscious decisions to do everyday tasks safely. Tom answered our questions and provided great insights.

One takeaway was if you have a fire extinguisher in your house, learn how to use it by actually using it; take a class somewhere. If not, call 911. You need to answer Yes to each one of these questions before trying to put out a fire yourself with an extinguisher:

1. Is it the right type of extinguisher?
2. Has '911' been called?
3. Are people leaving the building?
4. Is extinguisher charged and in good working order?
5. Are you confident in fighting the fire?
6. Is fire small enough to use the extinguisher?
7. Do you have an exit behind you to get out?

Meet Tom Petty and Cinder.

Sweet & Spicy Baked Shrimp Tacos

Donna Smith and Larry Hill shared one of their favorite recipes with us, Sweet & Spicy Baked Shrimp Tacos. This recipe is quick and easy and you can dress it any way you like.

You can see the recipe here.

A Drone for ALL Ages

Buck Buchanan, Geography Professor at CyFair, shared with us how we can program and use a very small and affordable drone that is rich in features. Buck discussed with us some of the ways he is using drones in student projects around the world; mangrove destruction in Belize, 3-D imaging of villas in Italy, and mapping cemeteries for a UNESCO project.

We learned about the Tello drone, about $100, you can control with your smart phone or tablet. It is designed to fly indoors. Program using Scratch/Python or through Droneblocks App. Great for learning how to program for yourself and the grandkids.

Tello Drone Review here.

Milk Money: From Cow to Classroom

After learning some background information about Heifer International, Joyce Sarahan, volunteer with Heifer, talked about the Milk program and how the value chain is being set up in the country of Tanzania. From the cow, to the milk, to the dairy, on to trucks to the cities or schools, the milk program is providing jobs and nutrition to the community.

You can view Joyce's presentation here.

Also, below, are some videos we saw in class:
From Farm to Market: The Dairy Hub
Tanzania Milk Program
Heifer International: 12 Stones

Android 101

Lee Swords presented some great information for all of that own or are thinking about owning an Android device. Lee talked about apps, battery life, alarms, etc. So what do you want to do with your phone?

You can view Lee's presentation here.

Human Trafficking 101

United Against Human Trafficking is an organization based in Houston. Sarah Koransky from UAHT discussed what is human trafficking, the various forms it takes and how it affects men, women and children. Based on some real-world examples, we learned that we could not tell the trafficker from the victim just by looking. Sarah also made us aware of red flags to look for.

"We believe that no human life should be for sale. Children and teenagers, men and women are exploited for sex and labor in our city every day. We exist to change that."

Please look at their website to learn more; UAHT

Intro to ALL

Welcome new and returning members of ALL. Cheryl LeJune, ALL Advisory Committee Chairman, gave an overview of the CyFair Campus including many of the things to do here as well as volunteer opportunities. We also talked about what ALL offers its members including classes, bus trips, parties, Open Houses and various college student opportunities.

You can view Cheryl's presentation here.

Disc Golf - 1st Session

Five seriously committed ALLers braved the heat to attend the first Disc Golf session at Zube Park.  We were able to keep most of the instruction in the shade but we are all looking forward for an Oct class with less heat. Sign up or come on out October 10th at 1pm if you are interested in learning about this sport. 

 

Open House Coming Soon!

Mark your calendars for our CyFair Fall 2019 Open House. 

Friday, August 16, 2019

10am-Noon

Conference Center

You can come by the office now to register for classes (except AARP Driver Safety and Kroger Tasting for the Holidays which will be available at Open House). 

The catalogs are late this semester. Please open the link here to look at our draft catalog to see our great classes being offered this semester. Also, the Class-by-Date listing is available here.

The bus trip information is being finalized right now. There will be 4 trips; September to Steamboat House, October to Museum of Natural History with Geologist Nathalie Brandes, November to Quilt Show at George R. Brown, and December to the Houston Zoo lights.

We look forward to seeing all of you at the Open House!

End of Semester Party - Cancelled

All Lone Star Campuses are closed today due to weather. 

Our party has been cancelled.

Please bring your favorite finger food, savory or sweet, to share with fellow members. Drinks will be provided.

We hope to see you Friday!

Mosaics

What a fun class and how much stuff did Linda really bring for us to use? We all created a unique stepping stone for our gardens using vintage china. Linda Gabrielson once again brought the inspiration to us would-be crafters to create something beautiful. Here are a few examples:

Concerts from CyFair's Center for the Arts

It's a Puzzle

What a fun class with Brian Taranto. He did the hard part of cutting out our puzzles, but we put together and painted some beautiful puzzle animals. You can look at some of our work below:

Marching Home - Guest Speaker Dr. Brian Jordan

Dr.

Dr. Jordan has a doctorate in history from Yale University and began his college career at Gettysburg College. On Wednesday, April 24 at 7pm, he will be discussing his book, “Marching Home — Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War”, a ground-breaking investigation which examines the fate of Union veterans who won the war but 
couldn't bear the peace. Although he is discussing Civil War veterans, his topic is relevant today and covers the struggles that veterans face as they readjust to home.

Brian Jordan, Sam Houston State University History Department

Wednesday, 24 April 2019

7:00 pm 

Main Stage Theater (ARTS Building)

Wine Tasting at Kroger

The class at our neighborhood Kroger was lots of fun. We learned from Denise Casto, wine manager, what the best selling products are in her department. Some of them were a real surprise to many of us; wine cocktails made with agave wine/nectar? We had some great cheeses to snack on provided by Kroger's cheese manager. We all learned something new in this class.

Building with Cardboard

Jay Gavitt from the Cypress Historical Society spent a couple of classes with us showing how we can re-use/re-purpose everyday items to make buildings. The class was very educational and creative. Jay shared some information about the history of the Cypress area as he showed us some of the historical structures he made.