Beware "Mold"

Stephen Ruback gave us the bad news - Mold Kills Houses ! The best way to prevent mold growth indoors is to control moisture in the house. Look around your house to identify small problems and fix them before they turn into big problems. Things to look for include: high indoor humidity, leaky water pipes, flooding, musty odors, leaky roof, water stains, peeling paint, blocked gutters, warped wood, black growth on bathroom tiles, clothes dryer vent, poor ventilation. Stephen gave the class members three informative articles.
Water Kill'r - Click Here
Mold - Click Here
Fungi Farm - Click Here
Stephen's Card - Click Here

Economics - WAKE UP AMERICA

Economics Professor Rick Pretzsch showed us an intriguing movie called I.O.U.S.A. This movie outlines how the National Debt has mushroomed over the years through many Administrations. America must mend its spendthrift ways or face an economic disaster of epic proportions. The original movie was released in 2008. Now there is a sequel called I.O.U.S.A. Solutions. It addresses five key areas: 1) Fiscal Overview, 2) Budget Reform, 3) Defense & Other Spending Reform, 4) Health Care Reform, 5) Tax Reform. There are also Citizen's Guides for each movie. Also check out the link to The Concord Coalition....they are dedicated to educating the public about the causes and consequences of federal budget deficits.

I.O.U.S.A. 2008 Movie http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=270867650600562607#

I.O.U.S.A. Solutions (2010 follow up movie) http://www.pgpf.org/single-rail/iousa-solutions.aspx

The Concord Coalition http://www.concordcoalition.org/

Citizens Guide 2009 - Click Here

Citizens Guide 2010 - Click Here

Evil and Others

What is Evil? Professor Mark Thorsby presented an intriguing topic on Evil and how we preceive it. Mark feels that values on what is evil are circumstantial. There was much discussion on inter-subjective communities. In an argument, each side feels that his point of view is "good" and the other side's view is "bad". The question as to whether or not something is wrong, seriously wrong, or evil is not a matter of diminishment of being or reality, it is a matter of negation of inter-subjective community and the transgression of those dispositional norms an adopted perspective assumes. Mark's presentation is below.....he ask that you forgive the spelling errors.....he typed it following a sleepless night dealing with his son.
Presentation - Click Here
You might also seek out writings by David Hume, Bertrand Russell, and Bernard Williams.

Massage Therapy for Pain

Tim Janak Jr, Licensed Massage Therapist, explained that we don't have to live in pain. Many of us just live with tension and pain in our muscles, but this will simply lead to more pain and perhaps distorted body movement. There are several different types of massage from mild Swedish massage to Deep Tissue or Neuromuscular massage. Remember to keep an open dialogue with your massage therapist....you need to tell them where it hurts, and how you are feeling throughout the massage. Contact Tim at Paths in Healing, or at Texas Yoga Center where he also teaches a class in Core Strength.

http://www.pathsinhealing.com/

http://www.texasyogacenter.com/index.html

If you are not squeamish, you might want to watch the following video called The Fuzz Speech. This shows the body's inner tissue and what happens if you don't MOVE. Movement is essential for humans, otherwise this "fuzz" solidifies and then inhibits movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FtSP-tkSug

Bird Migration

Professor Tim Sebesta kept us enthralled with information on bird migration. He covered reasons for migration, migration routes, and how we can attract the birds to our own yards. Review the attached items to learn more.
Presentation - Click Here
Bird Websites - Click Here

GLORIA by Vivaldi

What a TREAT !! Professor Huzhuang Qian gave us insight into the upcoming student performance of Gloria by Vivaldi. He illustrated how each movement of the piece varies and how these variations draw you into the heart of the music. Be sure to mark your calendar to attend this one time performance of Gloria on April 8th at 7:30. Click on the attachments for more information on the program and on the composer.
Poster - Click Here
Info on Movements - Click Here
Info on Vivaldi - Click Here

Long Term Care

Have you thought about Long Term Care? Who will help you when you can't help yourself. Heidi New-Crockford and Regina W. Davis gave us great information about options related to LTC. Can you self-insure or would you rather pass that expense to a third party insurance company? Review the LTC info below and learn about options to consider.
Presentation - Click Here
Are You Prepared - Click Here
Dignity for Life - Click Here
Business Cards - Click Here
Medicare & LTC - http://www.medicare.gov/LongTermCare/Static/Home.asp
Remember, Medicare doesn't pay for "custodial" care.....so you need to plan.

Wright Abshire Attorneys

Wesley Wright of Wright Abshire Attorneys presented an excellent program on March 10, 2011. He reviewed the following issues and addresses questions of concern.
Estate Planning - Wills and Non-Probate Assets including Life Insurance Policies, Annuities, Trusts, Bank Accounts, 401k plans, and IRA.
Ancillary Documents - Durable Power of Attorney for Property, Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, Living Will-Directive to Physician, Declaration of Guardianship and HIPPA Document.
Click on the following links for more info about the firm.
Info about the Firm and Practice Areas - Click Here
Wesley Wright's Business Card - Click Here

Cork Stopper Creations

Save those wine corks !! Linda Gabrielson showed us how to create beautiful and useful items using wine corks. Her creations included earrings, Christmas decorations, trivets, place markers and of course cork boards. So now you can enjoy your wine knowing that you can later have fun creating with corks.
Pictures from class - Click Here

Woodwind Instruments

Dr. John Wolfskill, Associate Professor of Music at the college really gave us a treat when he showed the class more than 20 woodwind instruments including flutes, oboes, bassoons, saxophones, and clarinets. Many of these instruments were made in the 1800's. He and students Cindy Tanner and Jason Pope demonstrated the sound of each instrument by playing short tunes. The college will present a program called Music & Company on Thursday night at 7:30 in the Arts Main Stage Theater. Be sure to attend !!

Food & Nutrients for Health

Olga Marko gave us lots of great information about the nutrients in healthy foods. We learned which foods have certain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids and their functions in our bodies. Click on the following link to see her presentation. Click Here

Home Health Care

Robin O'Neal presented information about how Medicare covers Home Health Care. This is a great benefit, but you must know about the process. HHC must be ordered by a doctor and is certified for a period of 60 days. If the need still exists, then the doctor can recertify for another 60 day period. HHC is covered at 100%. Hospice is covered at 100% and is considered palliative rather than curative....it is about living comfortably and having the support of a team of professionals.
Medicare 2011 Premiums & Deductibles - Click Here
Medicare & You Booklet - Click Here
Home Health Benefits - Click Here

Web Pages & Blogs

OK, as "seniors" we may not be on the leading edge of web technology....but
Professor Idolina Hernandez tried to teach us how to create our own web page and blog on the computer. These web pages can be used to communicate with your family and share info, pictures, videos, etc. Also, if you are industrious, you can use web pages to set up a small business retail site. Some of the applications we checked out were -

Google Sites - https://sites.google.com/?pli=1
Weebly - http://www.weebly.com/
GoDaddy - http://www.godaddy.com/search/domains.aspx?isc=goaf2101ad
Mycroburst - http://www.mycroburst.com/
Legal Zoom - http://www.legalzoom.com/