PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Our first General Meeting this fall is September 17, 2007, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in GERO 224.  Lynn Williams, our Program Chair, is busy planning our program and Jeanne and Bob Church, Hospitality Chairs, will arrange our lunch.  Look for more details a bit later.

NEW ADDRESS:  The SRA is changing from a P.O. Box to a USC address.  All regular mail, including dues checks should be sent to:

Note:  The Board decided at the July meeting to issue pins to new members, but no longer give out membership cards.  Continuing members will no longer receive the "year" stickers.  You will, however, receive confirmation of your dues renewal.

Save The Dates:

September 19:  "Collaborative Approaches of Reducing Elder Abuse"
Professor Kathleen Wilber (Gerontology) will discuss current types of elder abuse and ways to avoid being a victim.
10:00 a.m. GERO Auditorium.

October 9:  "Ten (or more) Tips of Living an Informed Financial Life"
Emerita Professsor and Attorney Dagmar Halamka will present a program discussing a variety of "money" issues—how to avoid pitfalls and make the most of what you have.
11:00 a.m. GERO Auditorium.
Lunch after program.

November 3:  HOMECOMING, USC vs. Oregon State
Sally Emerson would like some help with the SRA/RFA booth.  Please let us know if you could spend sometime greeting our retirees when they stop by for a cup of coffee, a sandwich, and a cookie.

Dick Martin is arranging a tour of the Natural History Museum, hopefully in October.  Watch for details.

Finally, we are still working out the details of a "Trojan Recalled to Service" program where retirees would fill in for short-term or part-time assignments.  Some paid, some volunteer.  Please let me know if you are interested in receiving more information on this project.

Hope to see you on September 17th!

Carole Gustin
cgustin@usc.edu


AH, FOOTBALL IS COMING SOON!

With practice having started on Monday, August 6th, the next season is not very far away.  Indeed, our first game is at the Coliseum on Saturday, September 1st, at 7:15 p.m.  And broadcast on radio 710 AM ESPN and television on FSN.

Our opponent is the Idaho Spuds (whoops, really the Vandals).  They will be facing a USC team that has just been voted in the Coaches' Poll (by USA Today) as No. 1 with 45 out of a possible 60 first-place votes.  Second place is LSU with four first-place votes.

USC boasts a series of fives: 5 consecutive AP top 4 finishes; 5 consecutive BCS Bowls; 5 consecutive PAC-10 titles; and 5 consecutive 11-win seasons.

Go Trojans!


HOW THIEVES STEAL CARRY-ON BAGS

They stage a scene to distract people's attention away from their belongings.  They work in pairs—one asks for help or offers to help while the other steals a bag or wallet.  They sometimes spill something on a passenger so that they can get close and offer to help with cleanup—and then make the theft.

Self-defense: Keep your carry-on bag completely zipped or fastened closed and in front of you, not at the side or on your back, and not on a cart.  If you think that you are being targeted, and there are no security officers nearby, draw attention to yourself so people around you will what is going on.  (From Bottom Line/Retirement, August 2007)


WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THIS?

If you've got a new pair of glasses, be careful—you may be a bit off balance.  Researchers observed 616 people over 70 who received either an eye exam and subsequent treatment (e.g., new glasses, glaucoma treatment, cataract surgery) or no exam or therapy.

Sixty-five percent of treated patients reported falling at least once over the next year, compared with 50 percent of the untreated group.  Researchers theorize that vision changes—even improvements—take time to get use to.  Better vision might also allow more activity, thus raising the risk of falling.  (From The Johns Hopkins Medical Letter/Health After 50, August 2007)


PLACES WORTH SURFING ON THE INTERNET

Home Energy Saver.  "The first web-based do-it-yourself energy audit tool." Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy: <http://hes.lbl.gov/">.

EyeCare America is a public service program of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.  "Our mission is to preserve sight by raising awareness about eye disease and providing access to medical eye care."  This site is rich with information about your vision: <http://www.eyecareamerica.org/>.

Almost everyone who uses the Internet knows about or uses Google as their search engine.  However, Google has many more services, like free e-mail accounts and the like.  One of the newest (still in beta) is Google Alerts.  The alerts are e-mail updates of the latest relevant Google results (Web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.  Some handy uses of Google Alerts include: monitoring a developing news story, getting the latest on a celebrity, or even keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams.  You'll think of your own uses: <http://www.google.com/alerts?f=0&hl=en>.


THE MONTHLY SOME CALL IT HUMOR SECTION

Professor Kingsley was delivering a lecture to his philosophy class in Mudd Hall of Philosophy.  He picked up a fairly large jar, filled it with golf balls, and asked the students if they thought the jar was full.  They agreed that is was.

Then he picked up two handfuls of pebbles and poured them into the jar.  As he shook the jar, the pebbles dropped between the gaps between the golf balls.  He then asked the students if they thought the jar was full.  They said that it was.

Next he picked up a container of sand and poured that into the jar.  Once again he asked the students if they thought the jar was full.  The agreed that it was.

Dr. Kingsley thereupon picked up two cans of beer and poured them into the jar.

"So," he said.  "I want you to appreciate that the contents of this jar represent your life.  The golf balls represent the essential things: your family, your health, your friends.  If everything else were lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."

"The pebbles represent the other important things, such as your house and your job.  The sand represents everything else; the minutiae of everyday life, things about which we sometimes worry too much.  If you put the sand into the jar first, there's no room for the pebbles or the golf balls."

"But, finally, remember no matter how full your life might seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

*******

Little Johnny was called over by the lifeguard at the swimming pool.

"You are not allowed to pee in the pool," said the lifeguard.  "You're going to have to leave."

"But everyone pees in the pool," protested Johnny.

"Maybe," said the lifeguard.  "But not from the diving board."

*******

Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day.

But teach him how to fish and you can sell him lots of equipment.

*******

A young fellow and his girl are parked in a lover's lane that runs along a river.  The guy wants to make love, but the girl is afraid somebody will come along and see them.

They decide to go under his Dodge 4 X 4 pickup with oversized tires and lots of room underneath.

A few minutes later, a county deputy pulls up and says, "Hey, what the devil you all doing down there?"

The young fellow doesn't even look up, but manages to say, "I'm fixing my muffler."

The deputy says, "Well, son, you shoulda been fixin' your parking brake, 'cause your truck just rolled into the river."


_______________________________________

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