Want a great travel bargain? Try a "repositioning cruise"....that's when they want to move the ship to a new location. Peggy has found a repositioning trip that starts in Barcelona, Spain and ends in Galveston, Texas. Click on the link below to view more details. A few people have already committed....you may want to sign up as well since you would be traveling with friends from the ALL group. For more information, call Peggy at 281-304-7127.
Scotty Moore kept us enthralled with the description of his adventures as a "Bone Detective" with Discovery Channel. Archaeology is the systematic study of past human life and culture by the recovery and examination of remaining material evidence, such as graves, buildings, tools, and pottery. Scotty has been on several exhibitions and made some significant finds. Click on the following links for more info.http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/bone-detectives/bio/bio.html
http://www.archaeology.org/0803/trenches/detectives.html
Video – Maya Lost Skull - http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/13658-bone-detectives-missing-skull-video.htm
Video – Bone Detectives, The Underworld - http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/13657-bone-detectives-the-underworld-video.htm
Gail Marxhausen showed class members how to "find" poetry in unusual sources.....such as magazines, letters, etc. Instead of struggling with a blank page, pull out a magazine or letter and search for interesting words....words that appeal to you. Then use these words to "build" a poem or a story. Feel free to rearrange the words until they suit you. One fun website where you can play with arrangement of words is www.wordle.net . Check it out and have fun !!
There has been great attendance at the Travel Classes this semester. That indicates that many of us are ready to hit the road and see something new. Following are information sheets that give you some great tips for traveling. If you are interested in traveling with the ALL group, contact Peggy at 281-304-7127
Mary Southwick from Houston BBB Foundation visited with us and shared the latest info on Medicare Fraud. Please click the link below to review their cautions and tips.
The Advisory Committee for ALL Academy for Lifelong Learning met on Wednesday, February 16, 2011. Much of the time was spent discussing the issue of "changing rooms" for the ALL classes. These room changes are difficult for our members and we continue to address this with the college administrators. We will continue to post the room changes on the ALL blog. For more notes on the meeting, click here.
Dr. David Erani, Medical Director of the Joslin Diabetes Center at Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital, presented a very informative program. Diabetes affects a large number of people in the US and can lead to significant compromising health conditions. Dr. Erani stressed the need to "manage" blood glucose levels through both lifestyle changes and medications. Review the attached items to learn more.
Mary Ellen Walsh returned this semester to share her love for the art of Inkle Weaving. It is one of the most popular forms of weaving today. Inkle Weaving is suited for making narrow width items (4"or less) such as belts, straps, and bookmarks. Have fun exploring this form of weaving.
What a FUN class we had with Diane Knox. Each participant received two "blank cupcakes", a box with supplies, and information on how to decorate with flair. One trick that we learned was to apply the first layer of icing, let it air dry a few minutes, then you use a paper towel to smooth and flatten the icing to a nice base where other decorations can be added. There were some budding cake artists among us, but we all looked forward to sharing and eating our creations. Use your favorite cake recipe (even if it is from a box). Then dress up the cupcakes using a butter cream icing....see recipe attached. But perhaps the easiest way to present great cakes and other baked goods is to contact Diane at 713-501-3879 and have her cater your event.
Ken Lambert, an independent funeral consultant, helps families decide what to do. Most families are ignorant of the options and costs related to a funeral. Many times they are subjected to sales manipulation and pressure to up-grade the funeral and cemetery items. Don't be caught off guard ... when the time comes, Ken can negotiate the price of funeral items and services.
Jim Lower shared his book-writing journey regarding his recently released historical fiction book titled Donegal Irish Justice. His presentation shows us the steps from the formative idea to the actual publishing and sales of his novel. If you are a budding author, be sure to review his steps in the attachment.
Olga Marko gave us great information on how to care for aging skin. She shared the latest research and showed us how to look for specific ingredients when shopping for skin care products. You don't have to pay hundreds of dollars to get quality creams. In fact, Olga's two favorite product lines were Lancome and Olay. Review the following handouts to learn more.
Join Linda Gabrielson in a project to make Valentine Day cards for the patients and family in Memorial Hermann Hospice on Feb. 7, Monday at 3:30p.m. in MOD 2 Room 101.
Adrian Zangirolami presented a three-part program on ways to "preserve" and "increase" your retirement funds. Those of us who are retired are always concerned about outliving our money. We learned about different aspects of investing your money in stocks, bonds and other tools such as, life insurance and annuities. Review the attached material to learn more about The Benefits of an Equity Index Annuity - Click Here.
Rick Sallinger presented an informative program to the ALL group on January 31st. He walked us through the different parts of Medicare and also gave us information about the Medicare Advantage Plans and the Medicare Supplement Plans offered within Texas. Check out the attachments to learn more.
The water heater....we take it for granted that all you have to do is install it and you get hot water. Stephen Ruback reminded us that every water heater should be maintained properly otherwise you have a BOMB that could explode at any time. Read the attached article to learn more about it.