SENIOR STUFF: 2010-09-12

Vol. III, Issue 7 September, 2010

Labor Day: A Special Day

Monday, September 6, is Labor Day and, while 9.6% of the work force will find little to celebrate and many of us will spend most of our “energy” trying to decide which color of the rainbow we are going to slide down on that eventful day, it is still Labor Day.

Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor, declared: Labor day differs in every essential from the other holidays of the year….It is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race or nation.

Labor Day, the first Monday of September since 1894 — is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the achievements and contributions of American workers. Think about that when you’re trying to figure out your favorite color of the day.

Get A Plan!

Past hurricane bears down on Gulf

As I write this there are three storms out in the Atlantic that wish to become famous by pounding into our continent, Earl, Fiona, and a not-yet-named gem (Igor). There will be more. For sure!

Get thee to www.floridadisaster.org, the official website for stuff like this and follow their easy instructions to GET A PLAN!

What A Bummer!

It was something like a courtroom. Alzheimer’s Disease was on trial. A jury of 15 medical scientists with no vested interest in

Alzheimer’s research was being asked if there was anything out there that could prevent this disease. They would examine the evidence and judge what the evidence showed. The New York Times writer, Gina Kolata recorded the event a couple of days ago. The “trial,” sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, produced researchers presenting their cases, scientists from Duke University who had studied the body of evidence, and the jury members had read the papers (several hundred).

The studies included nearly everything proposed to prevent the disease: diet, mental stimulation, exercise, social engagement,nutrients, and drugs of all kinds, even marital status, education, and personality traits.
The verdict? “Currently no evidence of even moderate quality exists to support the association of any modifiable factor with reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease.”

The Alzheimer’s Association, while agreeing with the findings, still encourages mental exercise healthy dieting, and social interactions. It says, “They can only help.”

Phooey!

September Stuff

September is National Senior Center Month

The Wayne Sanborn Senior Activities Center is a major hub of activity for area seniors. This is evident by the block of activities published here in Stuff each month. Now, through some very casual playing around on the computer, up pops something we didn’t know existed: National Senior Center Month. And it is this month!
Nationally, senior centers are all over this event. Hopefully, we will be too, next year. Meanwhile, The Sanborn is providing all sorts of events, like it normally does. Get over there!

Some Labor Day Thoughts

Lynde Ward woodcut from God's Man

Last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (how’s that for a source?) 7.2% of private sector workers were union members. That was the lowest number since 1900! Taking into account public employees, the overall union rate is 12.3%.

The above numbers reveal something deeper. Regardless of the merits of unionization, the impact of “labor,” in the sense of its Labor Day founders, has significantly diminished over the past several decades.

Labor’s last gasp seems to be built around gaining legislative support for the “Employee Free Choice Act,” a tool which would make it possible for the 60 million workers who say they would join a union if they could, to do so.

Look to hear some talk about this around Labor Day.

News from the Senior Journal

Some articles in the August issue of http://seniorjournal.com of significance to seniors are highlighted below. You are urged to check these out:

More than 1 million of the 4 million $250 “donut hole” checks have been sent out.
Seniors Most likely to forget Who They Told What, Reluctant to Admit Mistakes
(I told someone this the other day. I can’t remember whom, but she said I was mistaken. But I told him I hardly ever make mustakes)
Social Networking Among Internet Users Has Doubled for Seniors This Year
Counseling for Smokers Now Available Under Medicare
As Inflation Went Down to 0%, Drug Prices Went Up 8.3%
Free Online Workshops for People with Chronic Conditions Offered by COA
Clinical Trial of Seniors Confirms Success of Simple, Cheap, Appetite Control Method
High Blood Pressure Drug Helps Seniors Grow Muscles Like 30-Year-Olds
Average Medicare Drug Plan To Cost About $ 1 More in 2011
Chocolate Is Good—In the Aristotelian Sense

Work isn’t to make money; you work to
justify life—Marc Chagall

Without labor nothing prospers—Sophocles

The end of labor is to gain leisure—Aristotle

A mind always employed is always happy:
The true secret, the grand recipe, for
felicity—Thomas Jefferson

...More September Stuff

The Joy of Living a Value Added Life!

Have you ever noticed the “paid program ads” on TV lately? Each time an offer is made for you to purchase something; they always “throw” in something else, something free to add value to the deal. Are you a value adder or a minimizer?

Imagine what your day will look like and feel like if you add value to everything you do!

What can I do to add value to their day?

As a schoolteacher, I would ask myself that question when one of my students misbehaved. By asking that question, most of the time, I was able to change my perception of the misbehavior and use corrective language to get the student back on track. Or, I would ask myself, what happened in my life today for me to let this behavior annoy me. I found that by asking the questions, I was able to stop misbehavior in my class without sending the child to the principal. By handling the issues in my classroom, value was added for the student, others, and me.

Think of ways you can add value in your life and in your family. Before going to sleep tonight, reflect on your day. Check in with your thoughts, did you add value today and how do you feel about it. Any or all of the feelings are okay. Concentrate on this new way of being and find delight in living a value added life.

Inez Bracy, BS, MS, CNLP, CGC
Lifestyle Transitions Coach, Speaker, Author
(Ms. Bracy will be on Lifetime TV, The Balancing Act, Sept. 15 at 7AM. She is having a viewing party at Half Full Coffee House, 1431 Orange Camp Rd.)

National Day of Service
September 11

Last year the Serve America Act was established, and each year September 11 is the day set aside to honor those who volunteer their services to their communities. It is also a day when Americans are asked to make a decision to volunteer.

Studies abound indicating seniors wish to volunteer. Studies also show, too few do. Put your wishes to work and volunteer.

—Alzheimer’s Support Group
Alzheimer Support Group meets September 6th at 2 pm and September 21st at 6:30 pm at Woodland Towers, 738-2700.
—Rotary Patriots flag project
Noon Rotary club displays flags on Woodland Blvd. in DeLand to commemorate Labor Day on Saturday Sept 9 and again on Sept 11 to honor souls who were lost in the World Trade Center tragedy.
—Book Sale
The super monthly book sale at the Library will be held September 10 and 11, 9:30-4; 50 cents is the top price. $2 dollars a bag on Saturday afternoon!
—Rivertown Craft Show & Bazaar
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM Sept. 25-26, 2010 Artists and Crafters from all over the state will display and sell their handmade items. Downtown DeLand. Musical entertainment, demonstrations by crafters, children’s activities and more!
—International Beer & Food Tasting
4:00 PM - 8:00 PM Sep 25, 2010 Enjoy 11 different beers and food tastings in Downtown DeLand. Tickets are $15 and include a souvenir mug. (I’ll be there!) Sponsored by MainStreet DeLand Association.

Coming in November

The DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts.For more information go to their website at www.delandfallfestival.com or the blog at http://fallfestivalofthearts.blogspot.com

At The Athens
Live entertainment:
(That the ticket price is $55 should suggest this is a major event for the City of DeLand. It is!)
Film:
3—Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
(Take a year-long ride with this 76-year old)
4 & 11—Coco and Igor
(a brief love affair between two giants)
10 & 25—Winnebago Man
(Story of Jack Rebney, the most famous man you’ve never heard of , an RV salesman with a very foul mouth)
11—Leonard Cohen: Songs from the Road
(Music from the master on his just completed year-long tour)
24-25—Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(If you have to ask, don’t bother)
30—Nora’s Will

(Sometimes the greatest love stories are hidden in the smallest places)
Box Office: 736-1500, or better yet, go to: www.athenstheatre.org For more information regarding these films,

“Maria Stuarda” premiered at La Scala in 1835. The opera is famous for the real-life power struggles that took place on stage during the rehearsals, and on opening night, between the two prima donnas. No such drama in this La Scala production, where the luminous Mariella Devia as Maria Stuarda and Anna Caterina Antonacci as Elisabetta came together in wonderful harmony.

—Opera
2 & 12—Mary Stuart (Donazetti)
16 & 26—Rigoletto (Verdi)
Call the box office at 736-1500, W-F
noon-4, or day of performance, or go online at: www.athenstheatre.org

Events at The Sanborn
M— Shuffleboard-1:30, Monday Dance 2-4,
Square Dance-6:00 (closed Labor Day)
T—Chorus Practice-2:30, Pinochle-
6:30, Ballroom Dance Lessons-6:30
W—Tai-Chi-8:30, It’s All About Art-9:45,
Charley Baker Bridge-12, Chess Club-12
Scrabble-12. Mexican Train-12:45,
T—Quilters-8:30, Canasta-11, Ballroom
Dance Lessons-2:30
F—West Volusia Artists-9, Shuffleboard
Open Play-1:30
(For more details on any of these activities, check out www.deland.org and click on the Senior Services Calendar)

The City of DeLand Senior Council is responsible for generating this thing on a monthly basis. Council members include:

Deborah Tolan, Chair
Vivien Powis, Vice Chair
Jack Allen
Virginia Comella
George Sherman
Nan Smith
Ron Burgher ex officio member
Michael Pleus, City of DeLand representative
(There are a couple more but I haven’t met them yet.)

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Articles and news for the blog are welcome. Email to Nan Smith at carfitsafetyexpo@gmail.com or call my cell at 386-747-1082.

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