Tuesdays Treasures

On Tuesday's we are going to take a trip down memory lane with some "remember when" photos and stories submitted by our students. It could be photos from a high school prom; a nostalgic look at a 1950's TV program or a collage of photos that were just taken last week. If you have memories, old or new, you would like to share, send them to me at mxw8110@yahoo.com

Traveling Partners

I met Jane Kennedy and Linda Baker several years ago in a class I was teaching. They are two of the finest examples I know of lifelong learning. Their keen interest in the world around them makes them good company and quick learners.

They met in a piano (keyboard) class they took after they retired. They started talking about a fellow student's trip to Machu Picchu and discovered they both had wanted to go there for years but couldn't find a travel companion that wanted to go. So, they made plans to go to Peru and Bolivia in September 2001.

Their trip was canceled because of 911 travel restrictions but they finally made it in June, 2002. They struggled with the high altitude in Bolivia and a transportation strike in Peru, but it was a great adventure.

They discovered they were great travel companions and had a lot in common. Since then, Jane and Linda have been to China, South Africa, Zambia, Egypt, Jordan, Croatia, Russia and the Balkan states.

This colorful, creative collage contains photos that Jane and Linda took on their trip to South Africa and Zambia in 2004.



Jane says, “We started taking classes at Richland College in Dallas, Texas where we discovered Photoshop. It provided us with a venue for editing and preserving our travel photos as well as restoring old family photos. This has turned into a hobby and given us the skills to impress our computer savvy grandchildren. (If you have teenage grandchildren, you know how difficult that is!)”

Mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Capture the Moment Mondays

Dave Berry, Director of the Photography Department at Computer School for Seniors will be sharing his insightful Photo Tips with you every Monday for Capture the Moment Mondays.

I-Phone Photography

Since we started our Blog you are learning a lot about some of my favorite toys that I can't live without. One I would like to share with you is the all purpose I-Phone that goes with me wherever I go. To be honest with you it is ALWAYS with me.

I love the phrase, "The Best Camera is the one that's with you."

That couldn't be more true than when I have my best friend with me everyday. The beauty of the I-Phone among other things is that is has a great camera built into it. When I first bought it I was surprised to find that it took outstanding pictures. I take between 1 and 50 I-Phone images every day and share at least one online with the world via Twitter and Facebook for my family and friends. As you have heard me say in the past

"Sometimes I get to places just when God's ready to have someone click the shutter."

Thank God I always have my I-Phone with me to capture that Kodak moment! Here are some of my most recent:

Dave Berry shares his Photography Tips at Computer School for Seniors (http://www.cs4seniors.com/).

Bill Witcher, co-founder of Computer School for Seniors will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you each Sunday.

“Learn to Deal with Stress”

Pick up the newspaper, turn on your TV, look at the Internet and the news you see is terrible. Foreclosures are up. Stock prices are down. Layoffs are up. Investments are down. It is certainly understandable why more people are stressed-out now than ever before. Stress can kill you.

So how do you handle it? A friend sent me an article that contained some good suggestions.

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued,

"And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.

As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.''

So, my friend, put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Bill Witcher is co-founder of Computer School for Seniors (http://www.cs4seniors.com/

Our students are doing a lot of exciting things and we're looking forward to featuring their impresssive accomplishments every Saturday in our Star Spotlight.

This week our Saturday Star Spotlight falls on Betty Levy

I first saw one of these fascinating paintings on a computer screen at the junior college where I teach classes to seniors and boomers. As I walked by Betty’s computer, I asked her where she had found the image I saw there and she told me she had painted it!

Betty Levy was born in Argentina and exhibited a very creative nature at an early age. She told me, "I like to paint for the joy of it." And we all benefit from her riveting talent. (When she was in Greece she went to a pottery workshop taught by the man you see in this image.)

As a young person living in the Miami Beach area of Florida she had two notable accomplishments -- wining first place in the Canada Art Show 1984 and winning first place in the same year at a show at the Surfside Recreation Department. While in Miami she was an understudy to a remarkable painter -- Juan Manuel Segovia.

With two sons to bring up, her ambition of creative art was, for a time, placed on hold. Homemaking and motherhood created a little lapse in her career as an artist. She started taking classes again at Brookhaven College and most recently at Richland College in Dallas, Texas. She is currently exhibiting in the Brazos art gallery at Richland College.

I told her that I would love to share one of her images on our Computersavvyseniors blog, and she generously offered the paintings you see below. Betty has traveled extensively and she takes pictures wherever she goes. These pictures inspire her painting. The paintings you see below came from pictures she took in Prague.

Tour guide for Prague trip:

A base player on one of Prague's streets:

Prague fisherman:

Special thanks to Betty Levy for sharing her talent with all of us.

"Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sun-dial in the shade?" ~Benjamin Franklin

Internet Magic Friday

Jane Booras is the Editor of numerous newsletters including our Campus Times. She will be sharing how you can find whatever you need - photos, clipart, information, maps, phone numbers - on the Internet.

What’s on your mind? That’s the prompt you get when you go to your Facebook page on the Internet. Surely you’ve heard of Facebook. It’s the social networking site your kids, grandkids and friends talk about.

I intended to post this week about Facebook, but I got sidetracked with that question – “What’s on your mind?’ So I think I’ll just ramble with that.

When I started working in offices 52 years ago, state-of-the-art equipment was a manual typewriter. You know, the kind that if you type too fast, the keys got stuck in a clump right in the middle of the page. And obviously, you got in the habit of hitting the “return” bar at the end of every line!

The next innovation I remember was to the electric typewriter. Specifically, the IBM Executive® where space values for each letter were different. (This only makes sense if you were a secretary in those days. “M”s for instance were about three spaces, but the small “i” was just one). The finished product really looked professional, but if you made a mistake, and had three carbons to correct, you had to backspace according to the value of the letter to correct it. What? Carbons? You don’t remember carbon paper? Well, then, you’re too young. Carbon paper went out with hoop skirts, didn’t it? But that’s another story.

After the electric typewriter, I remember the IBM Mag Card®. You could “record” your letter or message or letter on a magnetic card. Then the machine (about the side of R2D2 in StarWars) would retype the message or letter (a personal original) to each recipient.

The IBM Selectric® (remember the little whirling ball?) was a great innovation. In fact I wish I had one today. You changed fonts (type face) by changing “balls”. You could adjust it from 10 pt. to 12 pt. type with a simple lever. It was magic.

Then came the word processor. This was a machine about the side of four bread boxes with a screen about 6” x 6”. You could correct your work on the screen by deleting or adding text or data and print it only when it was just the way you wanted it to look. Oh, by the way, it cost an arm and a leg. Not for home use for sure.

Eventually the computer changed all this. It was like a wedding between the computer (for processing data) and the typewriter (for processing text) and the children were prodigies. When the Internet came along, the whole world changed again.

Can you believe we’ve been through all this in just a few short years – well, 50 or so?

I wish I had that old Underwood typewriter that I started typing on in the Office of the Director of Admissions at Morningside College in 1956. I always say, “I never really appreciated antiques until I became one.”

Next week – Facebook. Really.

Jane Booras is Editor of the Campus Times Newsletter for Computer School for Seniors (www.cs4seniors.com)

Computer Tips Wednesday

Mimi Witcher, College Instructor, Teacher of the Year and co-founder of Computer School for Seniors will be sharing her user friendly computer tips on Wednesdays.

Change Your Internet Home Page

When you activate the Internet, the first page that appears is your "Home" page. It is really easy to change your home page to whatever you want it to be.

Decide what webpage you want to be your home page. Type that address in your Address Bar and go to that webpage. Right above the webpage you have gone to is the Command Toolbar:

2. Look on the right side of this toolbar and you will see the Home button. Click the dropdown arrow next to this button to get the following menu:

3. Click on Add or Change Home Page and a dialog box will appear:

4. Click in the radio button (next to the red checkmark above) called "Use this webpage as your only home page" and the Yes button will become active. Click the Yes button to close the dialog box and set your chosen site as the home page.

Now every time you open the Internet you will go to your new home page. If you decide you want to change your home page, you can quickly and easily make the change by following the four steps above.

Enjoy!

Mimi

www.cs4seniors.com

Tuesdays Treasures

On Tuesday's we are going to take a trip down memory lane with some "remember when" photos and stories submitted by our students. It could be photos from a high school prom; a nostalgic look at a 1950's TV program or a collage of photos that were just taken last week. If you have memories, old or new, you would like to share, send them to me at mxw8110@yahoo.com

Six Generations

This is one of my own images. It is my mother when she was two or three years old. The other women are her mother, her grandmother, and her great grandmother. Looking at this image, I can feel their presence across the generations.

In this picture my mother is 83. The other women are with my sister, my daughters and me.

Put them together and there are 6 generations of us in one image!

George Bernard Shaw said, “Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it onto future generations.”

Have a great day! 

Mimi

www.cs4seniors.com

Photo Tips Monday

Dave Berry, Director of the Photography Department at Computer School for Seniors will be sharing his insightful Photo Tips with you every Monday for Capture the Moment Mondays.


If you are planning to visit Washington D.C. this spring or summer you must put the NEWSEUM on your itinerary.

This is definitely a photography opportunity you don't want to miss. Believe it or not there is a Kodak moment at every turn. The Newseum opened last year and you will go down memory lane seeing exhibits from years past. As you approach the Newseum from the outside you will see a display of newspaper front pages from all 50 states that greet patrons and passers-by each morning.

The Newseum, which bills itself as "the world's most interactive museum", features more than 125 interactive game and simulation kiosks, 15 theatres and two television studios. The exhibits in the Newseum are some of the best I have seen.

Some of my favorites, are the gallery of News over the past 100 years, the 9/11 gallery chronicling the attack on America, the Berlin Wall gallery featuring a 12 foot tall section of the Berlin Wall on display along with one of the 300 guard towers that stood along the 27 mile barrier between East and West Berlin, and the Internet, TV and Radio gallery. However, my most favorite gallery was the Pulitzer Prize Photographs gallery...This gallery features the most comprehensive collection of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs ever assembled as well as interviews with many of the photographers. After a four hour visit and 300+ photographs it was a photographic experience I can't wait to go back and do again--Hope I will see you there !!!!!!

Until next week thanks for dropping by...Meanwhile go out and have FUN WITH YOU CAMERA!!!!!

Dave Berry shares his Photography Tips at Computer School for Seniors (www.cs4seniors.com).

Inspirational Sunday

Bill Witcher, co-founder of Computer School for Seniors will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you each Sunday.

One of the great rewards of helping our senior students learn about the benefits of using their computers and the Internet as lifelong learning tools is that you start receiving emails from them. They comment on how much they appreciate what they have learned. They share stories about their families and they also forward many inspirational stories, photos and poems. Just this past week, one of our students sent me a poem that was written by a terminally ill young lady with cancer in a New York hospital. Her Doctor was so touched by it; he started forwarding it to his friends. It is beautiful and poignant.

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round? Or listened to the rain…

Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight? Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.

Don't dance so fast. Time is short.The music won't last.

Do you run through each day…on the fly? When you ask “How are you?”

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores

Running through your head?

You'd better slow down

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow? And in your haste,

Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die…because you never had time

To call and say, “Hi”

You'd better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere, you miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....

Thrown away.

Life is not a race.

Do take it slower

Hear the music

Before the song is over.

Bill Witcher is co-founder of Computer School for Seniors (http://www.cs4seniors.com

Saturday Star Spotlight

Our students are doing a lot of exciting things and we're looking forward to featuring their impresssive accomplishments every Saturday in our Star Spotlight.

This week our Saturday Star Spotlight falls on

James N. Whiddon CFP®, MSFS, Founder/CEO & Advisor for the JWA Financial Group

Jim, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ earned his Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University and masters’ degree in financial planning from The American College in Philadelphia. He is author of Wealth Without Worry and The Investing Revolutionaries and a frequent speaker and writer on financial topics. He is the host of “The Investing Revolution,” a daily economic and investment talk show on CNN1190am.

Jim, recently honored as one of the top 100 Aggie Business Leaders for 2006, was twice selected as one of “Dallas’ Best Financial Planners” by D Magazine and the firm was named a “Wealth Master” by Bloomberg Wealth Management Magazine four years in a row. In addition, Jim has been interviewed by various media outlets, including CNBC Power Lunch, Good Morning Texas, Investment News, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Dallas Morning News, Financial Advisor, Dallas Business Journal, CNN Money, Chuck Jaffe’s Your Money Radio, Dentist’s Money Digest, Dental Practice Report, Physicians Money Digest and Registered Rep for his expertise in the areas of financial planning and investment management.

Jim has two sons, Jonathan and Daniel. He is involved in many church activities and also coaches youth sports through the YMCA and Spring Valley Athletic Association.
When asked about some good advice for these unusual times, Jim said,

“The best advice at any time is to try to keep your head, weathering each storm with smarts and a sense of calm. As a member of the Computer School for Seniors faculty, I appreciate the opportunity to share some information on campus with our senior students to help them navigate the sometimes confusing issues concerning financial planning and retirement.” 

You can visit the JWA Financial Group Website by clicking here:

Jim is also the Faculty Advisor for the Computer School for Seniors Financial Services Center at www.cs4seniors.com

Jane Booras is the Editor of numerous newsletters including our Campus Times. She will be sharing how you can find whatever you need - photos, clipart, information, maps, phone numbers - on the Internet.


Sooner or later, most seniors probably get to the AARP website for one thing or another.

I find it a great resource for lots of interesting things other than health care and medication. Check it out at www.aarp.org, and just look at all the options! You’ll find articles, resources and links to almost every subject aimed at those of us over the age of 55, including:

• Travel
• Saving money
• Budgeting
• Reverse mortgages
• Volunteer opportunities
• Job searches
• Retirement destinations
• Public benefit programs
• Caregiving
• Grandparenting
• Love & relationships
• Video games
• …and more

In fact, AARP also hosts an “online community” of folks all over the country. It’s easy and FREE to sign up, and you’ll “meet” interesting people (again, over the age of 55) with whom you can exchange ideas and information. In short, their website is an easily readable fountain of information and fun.

Speaking of AARP, have you heard about their Silver Sneakers® program? If you own an AARP supplemental insurance plan, you can join the FREE Silver Sneakers fitness program. That’s right, a free gym membership. When my husband and I got the brochure in the mail, we could hardly believe it!

We went to www.silversneakers.com, and entered our ZIP code. A map appeared that showed all the participating gyms and athletic clubs in our area. We chose a YMCA within a mile of where we live, signed up and are able to use all the services and equipment in the facility for free! We were treated like royalty (well, like paying members), and given a thorough evaluation and orientation, trained on how to use the equipment, and shown how to use their computerized exercise tracking system. They also conduct special exercise and aquacise classes for Silver Sneakers members. Recently, they added Curves® (a fitness facility created especially for women) to their list of participating facilities.

Hey, there are lots of ways to “amuse and abuse” yourself out there – starting with exercise!

Jane Booras is Editor of the Campus Times Newsletter for Computer School for Seniors (www.cs4seniors.com)

Computer Tips Wednesday

Mimi Witcher, College Instructor, Teacher of the Year and co-founder of Computer School for Seniors will be sharing her user friendly computer tips on Wednesdays.



We have changed our commenting page to make it as easy as possible for you to share with us.

Our students, blog contributors, and photographers would love to hear from you when you see something you like on the blog.

At the bottom of each post, you will see the line below where you can click on “comments”.

You will be taken to the page where you can add your message. Just follow the instructions below. If you don’t want to deal with Google or any of the other identity options, just click on “Anonymous.” You can sign your name at the end of the post if you want to let folks know who is sending the message.

When you are done, click “Publish Your Comment” and we’ll get your message!

Enjoy!


Mimi
http://www.cs4seniors.com/

Capture the Moment Mondays

Dave Berry, Director of the Photography Department at Computer School for Seniors will be sharing his insightful Photo Tips with you every Monday for Capture the Moment Mondays.

It’s March Madness Week!!!!!!!!

This is more than “Capture the Moment Monday.” 

This is “Capture the One Shining Moment Monday.”

If you are a sports photographer or just interested in sports, this is an exciting time…the start of March Madness with a wealth of some of the greatest sports action photos you will ever see. Players flying through the air slamming the ball through the hoop. Cheerleaders launched like they were just shot out of a cannon. Coaches, players and fans screaming their heads off or holding their heads in their hands in utter frustration.

All season long, die-hard basketball fans and even once a year March Madness fans wait for the start of this big event. If you are lucky enough to be one of the photographers assigned to cover one of the 64 teams in the tournament, this is your idea of heaven. When I look at some of the action photos shared in the newspapers, magazines and on the Internet, it brings back many fond memories of when I was a sports photographer and was on the sidelines of the USC football games in the late ‘70’s and ‘80’s.

In the Photography Studio on the Computer School for Seniors campus, I recommend a lot of fabulous phtography sites. If you recall, last Monday I shared the Moose Peterson website with you. Moose has a passion for wildlife photography. This week with the start of March Madness, I felt it was appropriate to share another exciting website with you, “Sports Shooter.” It’s primarily an online community and resource for sports photographers and other working photojournalists. But Sporters Shooter also serves as an informative and inspiring site for anyone who wants to be on the sidelines or under the basket capturing great moments at your favorite sporting venue which may be your grandson’s little league game. It’s just a fun site to look at and dream. Particularly during March Madness. Take a look at www.sportsshooter.com

Have fun. What a tournament. I’m already humming…”One Shining Moment.”

SportsShooter.com is an online community and resource for sports photographers and other working photojournalists.

Dave Berry shares his Photography Tips at Computer School for Seniors (www.cs4seniors.com).

Inspirational Sunday

Bill Witcher, co-founder of Computer School for Seniors will be sharing words of encouragement, inspiration and hope with you each Sunday.

“A Miracle on the Hudson”

The news has been terrilble this year. One bank failure after another. A record number of bankruptcies, job layoffs and business closings. You cannot pick up a newspaper, turn on the TV or check the Internet without being bombarded with bad news. It’s been that kind of a year. Downright depressing.

Then, during the middle of January, we hear a news bulletin about a plane crash in New York. A US Airways jetliner with 150 passengers and 5 crewmembers on board goes down after taking off from LaGuardia. That’s just what we need…more bad news…a plane crash in New York in a heavily populated area where millions of people live. But wait. This is not bad news, this is good news. Everyone survived.


In what New York’s governor called “a miracle on the Hudson,” a veteran pilot, Chesley Burnett “Sully” Sullenberger glided a US Airways jetliner with two dead engines onto the river’s fridgid surface so smoothly that all of the passengers and crew escaped serious injury. Some didn’t even get their feet wet. Unbelievable. It was “a miracle on the Hudson.” And I don’t know about you, but I followed that story and rejoiced and praised our Lord. I couldn’t read enough about it. I couldn’t watch enough interviews. Thank you Lord. We needed a miracle. With all the doom and gloom, we needed a bright spot, some rays of hope. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “This is a story of heroes, something straight out of a movie script…it was too good to be true.”

Well, let me tell you this “feel good” story continues on. Just last week, I received some photos from a friend who lives in New Jersey. They had to bring in a giant crane and a barge to help pull the plane from the waterway. Once they pulled it out of the Hudson, they had to move it back to LaGuardia by detouring through East Rutherford NJ. Obviously their roads were not made to accommodate airliners. Take a look at these great photos he shot as they delicately moved the plane through the narrow streets. The miracle continues.

Bill Witcher is co-founder of Computer School for Seniors (http://www.cs4seniors.com/)