NEW MSCN HEADER (With border)
Issue No. 47
March 2014
The MSCN Newsletter
Welcome to Your March Newsletter!
 
Has anyone see their crocus peeking through the snow yet? Well - probably not, but there's always hope!

The flowers may not be blooming yet but senior college classes and activities are thriving everywhere! This month you can read about music, art, health and wellness and travel and much more.  The snow and cold weather is not damping the senior college spirit! 

Sincerely,
 

 

Kali Lightfoot

Executive Director

Maine Senior College Network    

 

 Penobscot Valley Explores the "History of Recorded Music"

Thomas Edison's recording of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" began it all. On January 17, beginning with an account of Edison's recitation of the children's poem using a tin foil voice recorder, Bill Osborne guided more than 80 Penobscot Valley Senior College members and guests through the "History of Recorded Music." An avid collector and noted local authority on recorded music, Osborne drew from his collection of approximately 20,000 disks and numerous other artifacts to present an audiovisual program about the recording industry from the 1880s to the mid-20th Century. 

Complementing his remarks with a display of many record disks and cylinders, Osborne described the evolution of recording equipment and processes. He noted that competition among inventors and manufacturers was fierce. Edison led the field of inventors early, and intended to corner the market with devices to play "wave" recordings. However, competing companies developed other equipment to play "groove" recordings from the Victor, Brunswick, and Columbia, resulting in Edison's downfall in the industry.

Osborne entertained attendees with tales about early recording artists, including Harry MacDonough, who recorded for Edison in 1898 and later became an executive with Victrola and Columbia, and John Phillip Sousa, who hated "canned" music despite his popularity. Photographs and audio selections included a few with Maine/Maritime connections: St. Stephen native Henry Burr, who had more than 5,000 recordings; Hannibal Hamlin's great-granddaughter Sally Hamlin, who recorded children's stories and poems; and Rudy Vallee, well known for his "Stein Song" recording, who grew up in Westbrook.
 
submitted by - Judy Hanscom & Helen Genco,  Penobscot Valley Senior College 
Call to Artists! 
 
Senior College 12th Annual Festival of Art
May 15-18, 2014
Animal Clown Watercolor by James Pollack
Senior College at Belfast is pleased to invite all Maine artists, 50 years of age and older, amateur and professional, to participate in this year's Festival of Art event. For the past eleven years, this five day exhibit has included work from new artists who have never shown before, well- known accomplished artists whose work continues to astound, those artists who are striving to build their reputations, as well as those who only wish to share their work with an appreciative audience. There have been up to 180 artists participating in this event, and it does offer an opportunity for the artist to sell his/her work. The types of art vary extensively and include paintings, sculptures, woodcarvings, jewelry, fabric arts, pottery, and photography as a few examples. 

The registration period for artists is March 1 through March 31.  Registration materials and information may be requested by email or by phone:
Phone:  Juliane Dow at 857-719-6733.

We urge you to participate in this ongoing annual event of Senior College, and to encourage friends and acquaintances to share their talents with the one thousand-plus attendees who come to enjoy the exhibit each year. Senior college sponsors this Festival, with all volunteer support, as a "thank-you" to the communities it serves and to help recognize the extraordinary artistic talent that resides in this area of Maine. 
 
submitted by - Sara Shute, Senior College at Belfast

To Your Health: Fat Facts About Your Blood Chemistry and What You Can Do About It

       

How much do you really know about cholesterol and the many ways it affects your body?  How can you effectively lower your levels to achieve a healthier lifestyle?  Dr. Daniel vanBuren answered these and many other questions at the latest To Your Health offering.  

Dr. van Buren, Director of Medicine at  the New England Heart Institute

Dr. vanBuren, Director of Cardiovascular Medicine at the New England Heart Institute, presented a highly informative program, explaining how our bodies produce cholesterol and its detrimental effect on our health.  He explained the differences between HDL and LDL - good versus bad.  High LDL levels raise the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other related heart problems.

 

There are many ways we can lower our risk factors for heart disease due to high cholesterol.  Medication is often prescribed by doctors, as well as dietary changes.  Avoiding foods high in saturated fat such as butter, fried foods, and cheese and replacing them with healthier choices goes a long way towards improving our levels.  Exercise, smoking cessation, stress reduction, and weight control are also highly recommended.

 

Dr. vanBuren discussed the many different types of statin drugs that are prescribed by physicians to reduce your risk factors.  He also touched on the various supplements that are often touted as helpful in reducing cholesterol and whether they are indeed effective.

         

All in all, the attendees left with a wealth of knowledge and maybe a little better understanding of how their bodies work.

 

submitted by - Barbara Dion, Western Mountains Senior College
Sunrise and Friends' Excellent Adventure to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos
Sunrise and Friends enjoy their adventure!

Karen Mabus of Cherryfield worried about the weather: on January 13 her long driveway was about to become a downhill ice slope. So, her bags packed for over a month, she climbed into her trusty Mitsubishi four-wheeler and made her way to Machias to stay the night with her friend, Barbara Anthony. The next morning a friend drove them to the Bangor airport-slowly and carefully-where they caught a plane to Philadelphia, and from there, circuitously to Lima, Peru.

 

Gail and Wayne Peters of Roque Bluffs were in New Hampshire, tending to their daughter, who'd had major knee surgery and major young children needing supervising. They nurtured, cooked and froze meals for the family and then headed to Gail's sister in Miami, Florida, to hook up with friends all headed for Lima.

 

Dixie Dahmen of Sorrento, discovered Etta Abrahams of Jonesport, Maine and Okemos, Michigan, and Jenifer Banks of Okemos, Michigan in the Miami airport. The three had to wait about five hours before their plane took off for Lima along with Gail and Wayne. Rendle and Pat Jones of Camden, with Betty Rinehart of Caribou made it earlier; so did Kay Larson of Bethel. Michigander Madeline Masterson arrived in Lima in the middle of the night; Californians Sara Chandler and spouse, George Titensor, arrived, as did Sara's sister, Kathy Guins, who flew in from Maryland.

 

So there we were, a strange group of senior folks, some old friends, some relatives, some frequent travelers, some strangers: 15 of us from four states, all brought together in Lima, Peru, thanks to the good will of Sunrise Senior College, as well the Maine Senior College Network, and networking friends.

 

Here's how it began:Click here to read more about their excellent adventure!

 

submitted by -  Etta Abrahams, Sunrise Senior College

Snow-Loving Gold LEAF President Comes to Town
Gold LEAF's President, Mary Viruleg, may be the
ultimate "snowbird".
Gold LEAF President Mary Viruleg picked a magic hiatus between snow storms to swing up from Alabama (where she and her husband Andy spend their winters). By some miracle, the weather was clear, (of course, that was only after a two day delay -- no surprise there). While in Farmington, she was able to spend time with various members, attend the final session of the Happiness: Lessons from Bhutan class, help out at the office, and enjoy dinners and lunches with small groups of members.

During her visit, Mary commented many times on her personal preference for the lovely white snow of Maine and for New England's winter weather (shhh! Don't tell Andy). Her sense of appreciation may have been dampened slightly by the shelf of ice in front of their camp door, and by the cliffs of snow along what had been the camp roads. During a stop at the Gold LEAF office, she had an opportunity to meet a brand new work study student on the day of her interview.

Mary reviewed the Spring Term booklet which has just come out, and she checked about classes that she and Andy are teaching during late Spring and Summer this year. Andy is to focus on a Chemistry series he teaches and a class on Opera that is coming up. Mary often leads Book discussion groups and our 'Maine Books and Places' series.

You might ask how Mary manages to balance her work as President even though she travels south for some of the year. Her success in doing this is probably helped by some of these strategies. First, her time in Alabama is cut short as she shaves off weeks at both ends of the winter, thereby lengthening her time in Maine. Secondly, Mary is a pro at using the internet, and communicates with Board members, committee chairs and the office via email. Lastly, she is quite consistent in checking Farmington's online news service, The Daily Bulldog.

In truth, she checks the Bulldog far more often than do many of us who are right here in the neighboring towns. She even alerted some of us to a recent story posted about Gold LEAF, publicity that is already reaching prospective members. So the bottom line is that senior colleges should never discount their snowbird members, for they can easily become year-round active contributors. Kudos to Mary, and let's all throw a snowball in her direction. Or..... shall we just ship her a couple of truckloads?

submitted by - Eileen Kreutz, Gold LEAF Institute
News From Here and There

Do you attend meetings that drive you mad?  Read Paul Kando's (Coastal) take in his article,  "Its More Than Spelling".

Did you sing in your high school or college choir but haven't really sung much in a group since? Do you love to sing in the shower and wish you had a group to share your talents? Do you love to sing and would be interested in performing for others in the community? Do you love to have fun?A new chorus being formed in Yarmouth may be just for you! 

 

Are you looking for a yoga class that caters to people 50 and older?  Jade Intergated Health has started a class just for you.  Click here for all the details!

 

Like MSCN on Facebook

Facebook logo Now you can "like" Maine Senior College Network on Facebook. We've created an MSCN page on Facebook, so please visit it to share experiences, ideas, photos, and information about upcoming Maine Senior College happenings. We'll also post links to articles about lifelong learning and other topics relevant to senior college members.

 

Animal Clown Watercolor by James Pollack - Wikicommons
Crocus - Deutsch: Krokusbl�ten im Neuschnee, fotografiert in Heidelberg (Baden-W�rttemberg, Deutschland) - Wikicommons 
In This Issue
Penobscot Valley Explores the "History of Recorded Music"
Call to Artists!...Senior College 12th Annual Festival of Art
To Your Health
Sunrise and Friends' Excellent Adventure
Snow-Loving Gold LEAF President Comes to Town
News From Here and There
Like MSCN on Facebook!
Don't forget to go to the Maine Senior College Network website to find out what is happening around the state!

Maine Senior College Network
Maine Senior College Network
Links

Acadia Senior College

Augusta Senior College
 
Coastal Senior College

Downeast Senior College

Gold LEAF Institute

South Coast Senior College

Midcoast Senior College

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Penobscot Valley Senior College

SAGE at UMPI

Senior College at Belfast


St. John Valley Senior College

Sunrise Senior College 
 
Western Mountains Senior College

York County Senior College
The Maine Senior College Network Display Boards are available to any senior college that would like to borrow them. For more information, check out the link below.

    
Maine Senior Guide is a comprehensive web resource about all things senior that provides "one stop shopping" for Maine's seniors at the link below: 

    
About Us
Maine Senior College Network 
P.O. Box 9300 
Portland, Maine 04104-9300 
(207)228-8256 
(207)780-4317 (fax)
 
Kali Lightfoot
Executive Director
 
Anne Cardale
Director of Communication 
Director of Conferences
[email protected]

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Submissions
Please submit your articles and photographs to Fran Myers at  

Deadline:  Third week of each month for the following month's edition