Senior Women Web

Author: SeniorWomenWeb

  • Marcia Schonberg

    MarciaMarcia Schonberg is the author of travel books, Ohio Travel Smart and Quick Escapes: Cleveland. She’s written more than 15 nonfiction children’s books, including her ever popular B is for Buckeye: An Ohio Alphabet and I Is for Idea: An Inventions Alphabet. She also writes feature and travel articles for national and regional print and web publications.

    Her work and research lead her to exciting and interesting destinations, which she enjoys sharing with readers. By relating her fun-filled multi-generational travel experiences (traveling with her grandsons) she inspires others to discover the joy and fulfillment in making memories with family.

    You can reach her at Marcia @ marciaschonberg.com.

    Articles

    Autos: Driving on Thin Ice

    Beauty: Reckoning With Sun Worship: Is It Too Late?

    World’s Largest Garage Sale

    Manitou, a B&B on Lake Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay

    Snowbirds: Berea’s just the place to rest your wings

     

  • Elaine Soloway’s Widow Series: The Handyman

     

    “We’ll have to scrape off the old paint,” the handyman says. “Won’t look good if we just put another layer on top of the old.”

    He looks up at me, likely wishing there was a man of the house who would better understand his diagnosis. Doubt if he appreciates this woman who seems to be counting dollars as he talks.

    Yes, I’m counting costs, but my faraway look is also linked to memories on this porch. I see me sitting on the top stair, my golden retriever, Buddy, tucked tight next to me. I see Tommy rounding the corner on his Schwinn. The dog barks in joy; I smile with relief that my impaired husband has made it home safely.

    Once the handyman has finished inspecting the front porch, I’ll lead him to the back deck, which will need new staining. Nothing to strip here, just another layer to bring the wood back to a healthy shine. Again, images will interfere with his chatter. The glass-topped table is now stored in the basement along with the wrapped umbrella. Four chairs with rattan arms peeling off and rain-stained seat cushions are the table’s companions.

    When Tommy was healthy, we’d host pre-Labor day parties year after year. Some 60 friends and neighbors would claim spots at the outdoor table, or at the green bench in the yard, or scatter themselves in the kitchen. “No, no more parties,” I told guests who were wondering at the absence of e-mail invitations this year. They didn’t ask for explanations, already privy to Tommy’s aphasia that made him unable to join in on conversations and enjoy social situations.

    The basement floor is the last area that needs the handyman’s review and estimate. The space still holds a treadmill, but the workman’s bench my husband used in the early days of our 12 years here, is cleared of all tools. Two golf bags have already been donated to Goodwill, and I will gift the scores of balls Tommy couldn’t resist buying.

    Against all advice typically doled out to recent widows — such as don’t make a major move for a year following a husband’s death – I have already decided to sell our house. There are rational reasons: a three-bedroom home is too large for just me. There is no longer a dog, so the fenced-in backyard and proximity to the park, are not necessities. There is no gardener husband, so the vegetable plots that were only tended by him will lie fallow. The upkeep is more than my limited budget can handle.

    While some may think my reasoning is limp, and I am rushing into things, in truth, this decision has been simmering for several years. “When Tommy can’t take care of the house any longer,” I’d tell family members who worried over the burden. “Then, we’ll consider a move to an apartment.”

    At times, I’d pose the idea to my husband: “Wouldn’t it be lovely to be in a high rise overlooking the lake with someone else handling upkeep?”

    “Feet first,” Tommy would reply, confirming his desire to never move from this house.

    So, without his vote, I’m eyeing one-bedroom rentals in downtown Chicago, with maintenance included in the rent. My new home should have a doorman, a balcony, a washer and drier in the unit, be near public transportation so I can turn in my costly leased car, and be walking distance to attractions. A health club in the building and an outdoor pool would be lovely, too.

    While the handyman does his part in prepping the house for a Spring sale. I will go through closets, shelves and files and decide what must be transported to a very downsized apartment. I will continue donating Tommy’s clothing and sporting equipment to Goodwill. On Wednesday mornings, before the trash trucks arrive, I’ll dump clutter and old files into the bins at the curb.

    When the realtor brings prospective buyers to my house, I will leave the premises. While I’d be happy to see a young family as the new owners, with children occupying the bedrooms, with a dog who frolics in the yard, with a handyman husband who’ll fill the workbench with new tools, I’d rather not be in earshot.

    Moving forward, independent, that’s where my thoughts must travel now: New year, new chapter, with Tommy’s spirit as my dear roommate. I’m sure he’ll adjust.

     
    ©2013 – 2014 Elaine Soloway for SeniorWomen.com

  • Why Physicians and Nurses Ask (or Don’t) About Partner Violence: Women are not likely to disclose abuse unless directly asked

    Editor’s Note: When we had a recent procedure, I was asked not once, but twice, in the hospital outpatient area before and after the procedure by different nurses, if I had any problems at home with abuse, explaining that in the state of California they were mandated to ask that question.

    Why physicians and nurses ask (or don’t) about partner violence: a qualitative analysis

    Here are links we’ve found that might be helpful in domestic violence from a United States government site:

    National Abuse Hotline

    Help Someone in an Unhealthy Relationship: Quick tips
    Take Steps to Protect Yourself from Relationship Violence
    Talk with Your Teen about Healthy Relationships

    Reasons for Screening in Health Care Settings; Domestic violence is prevalent among women

    According to the 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS),  more than one in three women have experienced physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner, including a range of behaviors from slapping, pushing or shoving to severe acts such as being beaten, burned, or choked.  An estimated 3.6 percent of women reported experiencing these behaviors in the 12 months prior to taking the survey.  Roughly one in four women (24.3%) have experienced severe physical violence, which includes having been slammed against something, having been hit with something hard, or having been beaten.  Additionally, nearly one in ten women in the United States (9.4%) have been raped by an intimate partner in her lifetime. 

    Intimate partner violence is associated with life-threatening injuries as well as other physical and mental health problems of both an immediate and long-term nature.  In its most severe form, physical IPV can result in death or major injuries.  According to the CDC’s National Violent Death Reporting System, in 2003, 20 percent of homicides were directly associated with intimate partner conflict.  For victims aged 40 to 44 years old, intimate partner violence was the most common form of violence resulting in death (Centers for Disease Control, 2006).

    Physical violence can also result in less severe injuries, including bruises, black eyes, cuts, scratches, or swelling.  These types of physical injuries are commonly associated with abuse and may trigger clinicians to ask their patients about IPV.  Sexual abuse can result in injuries or infections, such as vaginal and anal tearing, bladder or vaginal infections, and sexually transmitted infections.  These types of injuries may also cause a clinician to ask about abuse . 

    IPV is also associated with a number of long-term health impacts that may be more difficult for a health care provider to identify as resulting from abuse.  Sustained exposure to violence is linked with central nervous system problems, including back pain, headaches, and seizures, as well as gastrointestinal problems.  Sexual abuse is associated with higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, either through forced unprotected sex or through the increased likelihood of risky sexual behavior. 

    The severe and prolonged stress caused by IPV can be detrimental to mental health as well.  IPV is a major risk factor for depression, deliberate self-harm, and suicide .  One study found that women who had experienced domestic violence were over twice as likely to suffer from depression than women who had never experienced abuse.  IPV is also correlated with alcohol and drug abuse.  One study found that survivors of IPV were over nine times more likely to be dependent on alcohol than women who had not experienced abuse, and eight times more likely to have used illicit drugs in the past 12 months . 

     Research indicates that the relationship between IPV and alcohol and drug abuse by the victim is complicated.  Abuse may be more likely to occur when the victim is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  However, survivors often “self-medicate” to cope with abuse, suggesting that identifying abuse as a root cause for alcohol and drug abuse may be useful in providing treatment.  

    In addition to the direct linkage between IPV and physical and mental health problems, IPV can affect health outcomes in indirect ways.  For example, the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey reports that nearly 30 percent of women who have experienced any kind of violence, including physical violence, stalking, and/or rape, reported at least one major detrimental impact related to these experiences, such as being fearful or missing at least one day of work.  The debilitative impact of abuse can potentially inhibit a woman’s ability to attend medical appointments, adhere to medical treatment plans, or overcome other adverse behaviors such as smoking, substance abuse, or overeating.  

    Furthermore, abuse can have intergenerational health effects. IPV can result in unintended pregnancies either through forced unprotected sex, risky sexual behavior associated with abuse, or through reproductive coercion, which occurs when one partner interferes with the other’s method of birth control. IPV that occurs during pregnancy is associated with preterm birth, low birth weight, and lower gestational age.  These health consequences may have negative effects on the cognitive and motor skill development of newborns. Moreover, children who witness domestic violence are at increased risk of experiencing emotional, physical, and sexual abuse themselves.  Witnessing IPV in childhood is one of 10 adverse childhood experiences linked to negative health outcomes across the life course, including depression, alcoholism, adolescent pregnancy, and suicide attempts (CDC, 2012).  The numerous direct and indirect effects that IPV can have on short and long-term physical and mental health are frequently cited as justification for regular screening.

    Editor’s Note: We have removed citations for these recent studies but they can be seen in full at the ASPE POLICY BRIEF: Screening for Domestic Violence in Health Care Settings

  • OptoGenetics: Using Light to Control the Activity of the Brain

    Optogenetic-Probing-and-Manipulation-of-the-Calyx-Type-Presynaptic-Terminal-in-the-Embryonic-Chick-pone.0059179.s004.ogv

    Optogenetics earns Stanford professor Karl Deisseroth Keio Prize in Medicine

    An idea that started as a long shot – using light to control the activity of the brain — has earned Karl Deisseroth the Keio prize in medicine. The technique, called optogenetics, is now widely used at Stanford and worldwide to understand the brain’s wiring and to unravel behavior. Many researchers expect it will lead to medical discoveries.

    By Amy Adams

    Today optogenetics is a widely accepted technology for probing the inner workings of the brain, but a decade ago it was the source of some anxiety for then assistant professor of bioengineering Karl Deisseroth.

    Deisseroth had sunk most of the funds he’d been given to start his lab at Stanford into a crazy idea — that with a little help from proteins found in pond scum he could turn neurons on and off in living animals, using light. If it didn’t work he’d be out of funds with no published research, and likely looking for a new job.

    Luckily, it worked, and has just earned Deisseroth, now the D. H. Chen Professor of bioengineering and of psychiatry and behavioral science, the 2014 Keio Medical Science Prize. Thousands of labs around the world are now using optogenetics to understand and develop treatments for diseases of the brain and mental health conditions and to better understand the complex wiring of our brains.

    Deisseroth described the first step of his success in a seminal paper in 2005, but it was many years and many more academic papers before he could breathe easy. “There was a period of several years when not everyone who tried optogenetics got it working,” Deisseroth said. “There were some people who were skeptical about how useful it would be, and rightly so because there were a number of problems we still had to solve.”

    Scientists worldwide have now used optogenetics to probe addiction, depression, Parkinson’s disease, autism, pain, stroke and myriad other conditions.

    “Optogenetics has revolutionized neuroscience,” says Rob Malenka, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Malenka is Deisseroth’s former postdoctoral advisor and is now a frequent collaborator. “It has allowed neuroscientists to manipulate neural activity in a rigorous and sophisticated way and in a manner that was unimaginable 15-20 years ago.”

    Deisseroth adds, “I thought it would work but wasn’t sure it would quite reach this point.”

    Many years before Deisseroth began tinkering with optogenetics, Francis Crick — the Nobel Prize winner who co-identified the structure of DNA — had argued that neuroscience needed a tool to control one type of cell in the brain while leaving the others unaltered. Such a tool, he said, would give neuroscientists a way of turning particular groups of neurons on and off to learn more about how the brain functions.

    Decades later, scientists around the world were still discussing possible ways of carrying out that vision, including some approaches using light. Deisseroth decided to build his lab’s approach around proteins called microbial opsins that are found in single-celled organisms. He began with an opsin from green algae (aka pond scum) called channelrhodopsin, discovered by the German scientist Peter Hegemann.

  • Sexuality and Quality of Life in Aging from the Journal for Nurse Practioners

    Editor’s Note: Although this article is the full text of the Journal for Nurse Practioners: JNP (with exceptions noted below), we felt that readers would not find it too technical. We do note that although we’ve removed the footnotes and sources as well as a paragraph or two about supplements, the original’s link can be found at the end of the edited article.Renoir La Promenade
     
    Authors: Terry Mahan Buttaro, PhD, APRN, Rebecca Koeniger-Donohue, PhD, APRN, Joellen Hawkins, PhD, RNC (see below for affiliations)

    The importance of sexuality for men and women as a component of emotional and physical intimacy is evident in the literature on quality of life for healthy aging but remains a topic that is uncomfortable to discuss for both patients and health care professionals. The majority of authors in the nursing literature discussed the problem of sexuality in nursing homes — the scenario of the older male patient entering the room of a female patient. The focus of these articles is on how nurses can manage this problem, but no single article addresses discussing sexuality with older adults who are essentially healthy, able to live independently, and seek health and wellness care in ambulatory care settings.

    In the recent medical literature, a number of authors reported on surveys of sexual desire, attitudes, behaviors, and function in older women and men. Only 2 articles addressed how seniors can continue to enjoy a healthy sex life, and none of the published authors are nurse practitioners (NPs). The purpose of this article is to discuss prescriptive and herbal therapies that older patients may be using to augment sexual health, as well as potential barriers to conversations about sexuality in aging.

    La Promenade, Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1869; Wikimedia Commons

    Lindau et al, in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, reported on a survey of 3005 respondents ages 57-85 who were queried as to prevalence of sexual activity, behaviors, and problems. The prevalence of sexual activity in this sample was 74.8%. Reported sexual activity declined with age; it was 73% for 57- to 64-year-olds, 53% for those 65-74 years old, and 26% for those 75-85 years old. Women were much less likely to report being sexually active than men. Half of the women and half of the men reported at least 1 bothersome sexual problem and were concerned about the impact of aging changes on sexuality. After the age of 50, 38% of the men and 22% of the women had discussed sex with a physician. Women’s most prevalent problems were a lack of desire, difficulty with vaginal lubrication, and inability to experience orgasm. Older men’s sexual concerns were focused primarily on erectile difficulties. Those elders in poor health were less likely to be sexually active and more likely to experience sexual problems.

    DeLamater and Moorman reported on the Modern Maturity Sexuality Survey conducted by the American Association of Retired Persons in 1999. In 2013, Northrup et alrepeated the survey. Among the survey respondents, all 50 years or older, 59% of men and 56% of women reported that their partners were not fulfilling their needs. More than a quarter of the men said they are not having enough sex, and a quarter of the women reported not having the lifestyle they had hoped for. Thirty-one percent of couples have sex several times a week, 28% a couple times a month, 8% once a month, and 33% rarely or never. The happiest couples say “I love you” at least once a week. Interestingly, 90% of men and only 58% of women regularly say “I love you” to their partners.

    A number of authors have reported on surveys of sexual desire, attitudes, behaviors, and function in older women and men. Ginsberg et al studied a sample of 166 lower-income older adults living in subsidized independent living facilities. Most of the 166 participants had physical sexual experiences, such as touching, kissing, holding hands, and hugging, ranging from daily to once a month. The majority did not want to engage in sexual experiences, such as masturbating, stroking, and intercourse, attributing their avoidance to lack of a partner, age, and lack of interest.

    Gott and Hinchliff elicited data on attitudes toward and the value of sex in later life from men and women  ages 50-92 using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Importance Scale and semistructured interviews. These investigators reported that elders with a current partner rated sex as having at least some importance in their lives, whereas those without a partner rated sex as having no importance. Barriers to being sexually active meant placing less importance on sex.

    For most people, age-related changes begin in midlife (around age 45) and increase over time. The physiological changes are multifactorial and can be related to diminished blood flow and hormonal and neurologic changes. In men, testosterone and estrogen levels start to decrease just about the same time that women experience menopause and a concomitant decrease in circulating androgens and estrogen.This decrease in hormones affects muscle strength, integument, bone mass, and inflammatory processes, as well as sexual functioning for both men and women. Thus, men may begin to experience erectile dysfunction, and women may experience urogenital atrophy. However, other factors also impact sexual health as individuals age. In both men and women, obesity, lack of exercise, hypertension, diabetes, atherosclerosis, incontinence, alcohol, drugs, smoking, and psychological issues are risk factors for sexual dysfunction.

    Sexual Health Inquiry in Primary Care

    Health care practitioners are mandated to obtain a complete health history from patients — both yearly and when a new patient presents to the practice. The health history includes a thorough review of systems, including a comprehensive sexual and reproductive history. Younger women are most likely to be asked about safer sex practices, menstrual cycles, last normal menstrual period, dysfunctional vaginal bleeding, abnormal discharge, number of sexual partners/preferences, obstetrical history, family history, social history, and habits. Young men are also asked about risky behaviors, penile discharge, lesions, sexual history, and partners.

  • Fearing Nothing: Dreadnoughtus schrani, A Gigantic, Exceptionally Complete Sauropod Dinosaur

    Kenneth Lacovara

    Kenneth Lacovara, PhD

    Dr. Kenneth Lacovara, Drexel University

    Scientists have discovered and described a new supermassive dinosaur species with the most complete skeleton ever found of its type. At 85 feet (26 m) long and weighing about 65 tons (59,300 kg) in life, Dreadnoughtus schrani is the largest land animal for which a body mass can be accurately calculated. Its skeleton is exceptionally complete, with over 70 percent of the bones, excluding the head, represented. Because all previously discovered super-massive dinosaurs are known only from relatively fragmentary remains, Dreadnoughtus offers an unprecedented window into the anatomy and biomechanics of the largest animals to ever walk the Earth.

    “Dreadnoughtus schrani was astoundingly huge,” said Kenneth Lacovara, PhD, an associate professor in Drexel University’s College of Arts and Sciences, who discovered the Dreadnoughtus fossil skeleton in southern Patagonia in Argentina and led the excavation and analysis. “It weighed as much as a dozen African elephants or more than seven T. rex. Shockingly, skeletal evidence shows that when this 65-ton specimen died, it was not yet full grown. It is by far the best example we have of any of the most giant creatures to ever walk the planet.”

    Lacovara and colleagues published the detailed description of their discovery, defining the genus and species Dreadnoughtus schrani, in the journal Scientific Reports from the Nature Publishing Group today. The new dinosaur belongs to a group of large plant eaters known as titanosaurs. The fossil was unearthed over four field seasons from 2005 through 2009 by Lacovara and a team including Lucio M. Ibiricu, PhD, of the Centro Nacional Patagonico in Chubut, Argentina, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Matthew Lamanna, PhD, and Jason Poole of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, as well as many current and former Drexel students and other collaborators.

    Over 100 elements of the Dreadnoughtus skeleton are represented from the type specimen, including most of the vertebrae from the 30-foot-long tail, a neck vertebra with a diameter of over a yard, scapula, numerous ribs, toes, a claw, a small section of jaw and a single tooth, and, most notably for calculating the animal’s mass, nearly all the bones from both forelimbs and hindlimbs including a femur over 6 feet tall and a humerus. A smaller individual with a less-complete skeleton was also unearthed at the site.

  • Three By Ferida Wolff: Rose Hips and Acadia, Hibiscus Potential and Coneflower/Echinacea

     Rose Hips

    Rose Hips and Acadia

    I was walking along a path in Acadia National Park at Bar Harbor, Maine, enjoying being out in nature when I heard someone say, “Are those tomatoes?”  I looked to where she was pointing and smiled.  
     
    She was referring to the rose hips, which are the seeds of roses. They are red and have a slightly flattened roundness that could be mistaken for hefty cherry tomatoes. They are abundant at this time of the season, ripening as autumn approaches.
     
    Rose hips have a long history of usage, from birds and animals to humans. They are edible, though we humans cannot comfortably digest the seeds;  they can be easily removed. They are rich in Vitamin C and other vitamins and antioxidants. Fall is a particularly good time to harvest them as they become sweeter after the first frost. They can be used topically to heal skin problems.
     
    But I didn’t let my focus on rose hips distract me from the splendor of Acadia. It is magnificent. The mountain views and seascapes are meditative. Many people, myself included, sat on the rocks just looking outward. Time seems irrelevant in such a setting. It is a place of renewal, something necessary in today’s frenetic world. If you can’t get to Acadia, take a few minutes in your day just to close your eyes and breathe deeply. It really makes a difference.
     
    This is the official Acadia website but Google other sites as well for some additional great photos:
     
    A brief review of rose hips with some recipes:

    Editor’s Note: We found these cautions, however: Don’t use rose hips from plants that have been treated with a pesticide that is not labeled for use on edibles. About’ Home Cooking Guide advises not using aluminum pans or utensils that could discolor the hips. Aluminum also destroys their vitamin C. Stainless steel is fine.

    In addition, we  found a set of instructions from reliable sources about developing a plant from rose hips: 

    Growing and Enjoying Roses; The American Rose Society and Mississippi State University Extension Service

    1. Remove seed from hips. Stratify seed in moisture in cooler before planting. One source said 4-5 weeks, another 4 months.
    2. Store the seed in moist, not wet, paper towel, in a plastic bag. Do not store in a refrigerator with fruit or vegetable as the ethylene released could kill the seed.
    3. Watch for root emergence from the seed.
     Hibiscus

    Hibiscus Potential

    The hibiscus flowers have been delighting us all summer. They are big, exuberant, brilliant red blossoms that cause comments by anyone who comes to our house. One plant greets visitors at our front door with a gracious floral welcome that is so prominent, it cannot be ignored.
     
    There are seasons for everything, however, and even as buds are still developing, many have already flowered and gone leaving behind the empty leaves that held their glory. There are no more buds forming this season but they were prolific and the promise of each was extraordinary.

  • An Undocumented Childhood and Bad Hair Days at the Annual School Picture

    By Rose Madeline Mula

    It occurred to me recently that I really don’t have an accurate idea of what I looked like as a child.  The only pictures of  little Rosie that exist are the very rare formal poses taken in a photographer’s studio — as a toddler, with my parents … in my First Communion dress … my high school graduation portrait.  Unlike today’s average kid, whose every move is documented and posted on Facebook daily, there are no candids of me emerging from my mother’s womb (thankfully), sleeping in my crib, splashing in my bath, crawling on the living room floor, playing with my teddy bear …

    Come to think of it, I never had a teddy bear — or any kind of stuffed animal.  Today, when kids can’t find their beds because they’re buried under mountains of colorful critters, not having a single one would trigger a visit from Child Protective Services; but way back then, I guess it wasn’t unusual because I don’t recall feeling deprived.  I had my dolls, after all.  No, not a cache of Cabbage Patch Kids or a bevy of Barbies, but a beautiful Shirley Temple doll and a Betsy Wetsy, who drank from a bottle and wet her diaper (a marvel for that technologically unsophisticated era).  

    Not only do no candid shots of my infancy-through-teen years exist, I also have no pictures of  my early houses or places I may have visited.  When I say ‘places’ I mean mostly relatives’ homes down the block and occasionally a carousel when a visiting carnival came to town.  No Disney World.  No water parks.  No mini-golf courses.  No ski resorts.  No anywhere.  The first time I left my native Massachusetts was when I was eighteen and a friend borrowed his father’s car (a rare luxury) to take me for a ride to neighboring New Hampshire.  Though I’m embarrassed to admit it, I was surprised when we crossed the state border to see that it looked just like Massachusetts.  I actually expected to see an immediate dramatic demarcation.  And I was supposed to be smart — an all ‘A’ student  through school!  

    When I said the only pictures of my childhood were the few formal portraits taken in a photographer’s studio, I forgot the annual school picture day ritual.  Maybe I was subconsciously repressing the memory because mine were always a disaster, documenting my bad hair days (every day), my self-conscious half-smile, and my ungainly posture. Talk about that awkward stage!  I’m hoping to outgrow it soon.

    I also often wonder about the kind of clothes I had as a child.  I know I never wore jeans because no one did, except maybe for kids who lived on farms and did ‘chores.’  (I always wondered what ‘chores’ were.)  But did I ever wear slacks or shorts?  Certainly not in any of my formal photos, and certainly not to school, at least on picture days.  So since no evidence exists to the contrary, I can only assume that I wore ladylike dresses all the time, even when jumping rope or hiding and seeking.  As for  other play, I remember sledding in the winter and running through the sprinkler on hot, summer days; but I have no pictures of any of those activities.  I also remember flying a kite with my daddy one breezy autumn afternoon … walks to the library with my mom for my weekly allotment of beloved books … pigging out on lasagna at family holiday feasts…  How I wish we had captured those precious times on film.  

    I also regret that I don’t have even one picture of Trixie, my adorable Spitz puppy, a seventh birthday gift from my big Uncle Al (I also had a little Uncle Al).  Trixie was my constant companion for ten years until she went to doggy heaven, but I don’t have a single snapshot of her — or either of my Uncle Als.  

    Maybe that explains my latter-day obsession with cameras.  Some people never leave home without their American Express card.  I never leave home without a camera.  Digitized pictures of the twenty-five countries and forty-plus states of America that I’ve visited since my first tour of exotic New Hampshire constantly flash on my computer monitors and digital frames throughout my home, helping me relive the magic every day.  The galleries on my tablet, iPod, and phone teem with images of everything and everyone I love. I was never blessed with children myself, but none of my relatives’ kids are safe from my lens.  They groan when they see me coming. They dive under beds and dash behind doors, providing some great action shots and videos.  There’s no way to recapture my lost childhood, but I’ll be damned if I will allow theirs to disappear!

    Meanwhile, I’m making sure that my second childhood is well recorded.  So if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to take another ‘Selfie’!

    ©2014 Rose Madeline Mula for SeniorWomen.com

    Editor’s Note: Rose Mula’s most recent book,  Grandmother Goose: Rhymes for a Second Childhood is now available as an e-book on Amazon for $2.99 and in paperback for $9.95. Her books of humorous essays, The Beautiful People and Other Aggravations, and If These Are Laugh Lines, I’m Having Way Too Much Fun can also be ordered at Amazon.com or through Pelican Publishing (800-843-1724).

  • A Perfect Weekend Diversion: New Sites From the Scout Report Including A Brief History of the Hashtag and Cyberbullying

     Katsushika Hokusai

    The Great Wave at Kanagawa , Edo period ca. 1831–33. Katsushika Hokusai;  Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art

    The Arts in Every Classroom Video Library: Teaching Dance

    http://www.learner.org/libraries/artsineveryclassroom/video3.html

    Many teachers would love to incorporate dance into their classrooms. But how? This valuable site from Annenberg Learner answers exactly this question. It features the methods of two very different educators, one from Brooklyn and the other from New Orleans, who have found various ways to integrate dance into their lesson plans. The site is clearly organized, with sections such as People and Schools, which provides biographies of and interviews with the showcased teachers, and Who Should Watch, a brief overview of the target audience. Additionally, educators will want to peruse Activities and Discussion and Additional Resources for thought-provoking questions and helpful links to other Annenberg Learner sites and resources around the web. [CNH]

    ChemSpider

    ·http://www.chemspider.com/

    This astonishingly powerful, award-winning database from The Royal Society of Chemistry provides fast access to over 30 million chemical structures and properties, as well as nearly unlimited links and related information. For a quick introduction, go to the About page and watch the ten-minute introductory video. Then start searching! Simple searches expedite your exploration when you enter the trade name, synonym, or systematic name of the compound you wish to find. Conversely, you can input by Structure, with an innovative Edit Molecule function. Lastly, Advanced searches allow you to combine methods. In addition, the ChemSpider blog boasts frequent entries about the site and the field at large. [CNH]

          The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning

    ·http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/index

    Many experts believe distance learning will constitute a substantial slice of the higher education pie in the near future. Still, comparatively little research has been published on the topic. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance learning, a freely accessible e-journal based in Alberta, Canada, seeks to disseminate original research, theory, and best practice in open and distance learning worldwide. Special issues have covered such topics as “Open Education Resources: Opening Access to Knowledge” and “Towards a European Perspective on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS): The Past, the Present and the Future.” Featuring dozens of accessible, empirical articles, this academic journal is a welcome resource for anyone interested in online learning. [CNH]


    Technology Integration

    ·http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration

    Technology has transformed education, yet questions about how to best integrate it into the classroom persist. This comprehensive site from Edutopia seeks to answer a number of perennial quandaries. For instance, which tools are most helpful to students? How should those tools be used? What limits should be placed on access? Educators will want to begin with the site’s Overview, which includes a well-produced five-minute introductory video. Next, the History section explores the last fifty years of integrating technology into the classroom, beginning with MIT professor, Seymour Papert. The Experts link features almost a dozen short articles by noted researchers in the field, and the Why section highlights reasons to integrate technology into your curriculum. Lastly, the Research link will take you to empirical studies from around the web. [CNH]


    Omaha Indian Music

    ·http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/omaha-indian-music/

    This Library of Congress website houses the digitized Omaha Indian Music collection. Featuring a pithy Collection Overview and links to contextualizing elements, such as Historical Eras and Related Collections and Exhibits, the site makes accessible an important cultural tradition. Of course, the exhibit itself really shines. The multiformat ethnographic field collection contains dozens of wax cylinder recordings from the 1890s, as well as modern recordings of pow-wows and performances. Additionally, black and white photographs and contemporary films exhibit dances and celebrations, while interviews with tribal members elucidate the various cultural practices. [CNH]

  • The Feynman Lectures: “For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled”

    Richard Feynman Badge

    Richard Feynman’s Los Alamos Laboratory Badge

    I first became truly aware of Richard Feynman when he testified in front of the Rogers Commission as to the possible cause of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. I had witnessed the explosion on television while a News Desk Editor at Time magazine; no other televised incident had to that point, and now after it, affected me with that level of sadness.

    What follows is quoted from James Glieck’s biography of Feynman, Genius, The Life and Science of Richard Feynman:

    “Tuesday morning he rose early and hailed a taxcab. He circled official Washington in seach of a hardware store and finally managed to buy a small C-clamp and pliers. As the heariing began, he called for ice water, and an aide returned with cups and a pitcher for the entire commission. As a life-size cross section of the joint was passed along for the commissioners to examine, Kutyna saw Feynman take the clamp and pliers froom his pocket and pull a piece of the O-ring rubber from the model. He knew what Feynman meant to do. When Feynman reached for the  red button on his microphone, Kuyna held him back — the television cameras were focused elsewhere. Rogers called a short break and, in the men’s room, standing next to Neil Armstrong, he was overheard saying, ‘Feynman is becoming a real pain in the ass.’ When the hearing resumed, the moment had finally arrived.

    “Chairman Rogers: Dr. Feynman has one or two comments he would like to make. Dr. Feynman.

    “Dr. Feynman: This is a comment for Mr. Mulloy. I took this stuff that I got out of your seal and I put it in ice water, and I discovered that when you put some pressure on it for a while and then undo it it doesn’t stretch back. It stays the same dimension. In other words, for a few seconds at least and more seconds than that, there is no resilience in this particular material when it is at a temperature of 32 degrees.

    “I believe that has some significance for our problem.”

    “Freeman Dyson said later, ‘The public saw with their own eyes how science is done, how a great scientist thinks with his hands, how nature gives a clear answer when a scientist asks her a clear question.’ “

    A few years later, I ‘borrowed’ a copy of Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman, from my son-in-law, Ross, and a fascination with this scientist continued. I also recorded the movie Infinity, starring Matthew Broderick as Feynman, a movie he also directed.

    Report of the Presidential  Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident; Volume 2: Appendix F – Personal Observations on Reliability of Shuttle  by R. P. Feynman: “For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.”

    “Caltech and The Feynman Lectures Website are pleased to present this online edition of The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Now, anyone with internet access and a web browser can enjoy reading a high quality up-to-date copy of Feynman’s legendary lectures. However, we want to be clear that this edition is only free to read online, and this posting does not transfer any right to download all or any portion of The Feynman Lectures on Physics for any purpose.”This edition has been designed for ease of reading on devices of any size or shape; text, figures and equations can all be zoomed without degradation.

    Volume I, mainly mechanics, radiation and heat

    Volume II, mainly electromagnetism and matter

    Volume III, quantum mechanics