Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Alzheimer's Disease and Diabetes...What's the Connection?
Presenter: Dr. Laura Baker
Location: Lakewood Library/6300 Wildaire Rd. SW/582-6040
Time: 10:00--Noon
Class Fee: FREE
Class Coordinator: Lynn Gracey, lynnden62@aol.com
Last year Dr. Baker presented two classes on Aging and Memory and this class is a follow-up on the recent research being done regarding Alzheimer's and diabetes. Many LIFE members have had contact with people who face both of these medical issues. This class will give you a better understanding of each of the diseases and the relationship between the two.
Dr. Laura Baker is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UW Medical Center. In 1955 Laura completed her graduate training at UW where she received a doctorate in experimental psychology with a cognitive neuroscience emphasis. She also holds a master’s degree in clinical neuropschology from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. Over the past 10 years she has been working closely with several scientists with expertise regarding endocrine effect on cognition and cognition---altering diseases such as Alzheimer's and type II diabetes. She is also a collaborator on several projects conducted by the UW and the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Seattle and Tacoma.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Rodeo Cowboys in the North American Imagination
Presenter: Michael Allen/UW/Tacoma History Professor
Location: Garfield Book Co./Community Room
Corner of Garfield St. and Pacific Ave./Parkland
Time: 10:30—Noon
Class Fee: $10.00
Class Coordinator: Gene Giannobile, 253-531-9037; dgg2504@comcast.net
Rodeo is a rare American sport because it is actually based on a historic era. Today’s rodeo cowboys use some of the same skills that 19th century Great Plains cowboys used on the “Cattle Frontier” of 1865-1885. Thus a rodeo fan sits in the arena and watches cowboys literally reenact American history. No other American sport possesses this kind of mythic power. This class not only examines the history and components of professional rodeo it will also highlight rodeo’s mythic real--how rodeo has been portrayed in art, literature, music and movies. Music, movie, and television footage will be included in the class presentation.
Michael Allen is a professor of History and American Studies at the University of Washington/Tacoma since 1990. When he was a little kid growing up in eastern Washington, one of his favorite toys was a jigsaw puzzle of the United States. He was born and raised in Ellensburg. After serving in the U. S. Marines in Vietnam he worked for three years on a towboat deckhand and cook on the Mississippi River. He earned his BA, MA, and PhD in American history from Central Washington U., University of Montana, and University of Washington. He is President of the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame. He has published five books and one of them is Rodeo Cowboys in the North American Imagination (1998).