LLL Center November hours – Gift Certificates make a great gift
The LLL Center will be open weekdays from November 1-16, except for November 5 and November 12, when there are Monday Morning Lectures. Center hours are 9:00 a.m. to noon. The center will be closed the last two weeks in November.
Volunteers will be available to assist you in registering for Premier Lectures, classes, trips and special events. Holiday gift certificates will be available for sale; they make gift giving easy and educational, all at the same time. They are available in any denomination you want. Volunteers will also be happy to answer any questions you may have.
It’s easy to support LLL
Thanks to the generosity of corporations you probably frequent, you can raise money for LifeLong Learning without spending a dime! If you shop at Fry’s or Amazon, you have an opportunity to help support LifeLong Learning’s programs.
Do you have a Fry’s VIP card? If you do, Fry’s Community Rewards program distributes money to non-profit organizations, based on the number of people who sign up for the Rewards program. Over the past two years LLL has received over $1,000 from Fry’s, thanks to the participation of less than 100 registered cards.
Join in helping LifeLong Learning receive donations from Fry’s by registering your VIP card. Go to www.lifelonglearningatpc.org/donate or go to the LLL Center for assistance. If you don’t have a VIP card, you can download the Fry’s app or go to the customer service desk in Fry’s.
Amazon also distributes funds to non-profits through its Smile.Amazon program. You can support LLL by going to www.smile.amazon.com and following the prompts to connect your account to LLL. Once connected, Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to LLL. It’s a small amount, but every dollar LLL receives helps to make our programs better every year.
You can also support LLL with a direct donation. LLL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your donation is tax deductible. A donation can be made on the LLL website, www.lifelonglearningatpc.org/donate, or by check mailed or delivered to the LLL Center, 3645 Clubhouse Drive, Goodyear, AZ 85395.
What’s happening at LLL?
Premier Lectures are held in the Renaissance Theater at 7:00 p.m. while Monday Morning Lectures start at 10:00 a.m. TED Talks are held in the Palm Room while PC Reads meets in the LLL Center. Both TED Talks and PC Reads are free but registration is required as space is limited.
Thursday, November 1: 5:00 p.m. PC Reads: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Monday, November 5: MML: A Supreme Court Update
Tuesday, November 6: 10:00 a.m., Class: Baguettes
Thursday, November 8: 2:00 p.m., TED Talks
Friday, November 9: Premier Lecture: Flying the Fastest Spy Jet Ever Built
Monday, November 12: MML: The West Valley’s Future
Tuesday, November 13: 10:00 a.m., Class: Baguettes
Thursday, November 15: 10:00 a.m., Cinema Society
Thursday December 6: Trip: Luke Air Force Base
Thursday December 6: 5:00 p.m., PC Reads: The Other Einstein: A Novel by Marie Benedict
Tuesday, December 11: Trip: Holiday at the Mansions
Thursday, December 13: 10:00 a.m., Cinema Society
Thursday, December 13: 2:00 p.m., TED Talks
Friday, December 14: Trip: Arizona Culinary Institute
Saturday, December 29: Trip: Arizona National Livestock Show
TED talks spread great ideas
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. The organization, created in 1984, strives to make great ideas accessible and spark conversation through a variety of means, including TED Talks, videos, conferences.
You can be part of TED by attending a LifeLong Learning TED Talk, in which you will see two or three TED produced videos, carefully selected by the LLL TED team, and have a stimulating discussion about what you’ve watched. Videos are short talks (less than 18 minutes) by people who have ideas to share. Topics run from science to business to global issues; from serious to quirky to intellectually challenging.
The first TED Talk session is Thursday, November 8 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in Eagle’s Nest Palm Room. To see the list of the previous three seasons of TED Talks, visit www.lifelonglearningatpc.org/specialprograms. There is no charge but space is limited and registration is required. This is a great opportunity to learn and share with others. To learn more visit www.TED.com.
Brian Shul with a Blackbird spy plane
Flying the fastest spy jet
Only 93 people in history have flown the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, the fastest manned jet ever built. Brian Shul is one of them and he flew covert missions in the Blackbird for four years. He was the pilot who provided President Reagan with detailed photos of Libyan terrorist camps in 1986. Shul shares his amazing story in the most unforgettable, one-of-a-kind presentation that both inspires and educates.
At 7:00 p.m. Friday, November 9, Shul will share his compelling story of living fearlessly and embracing opportunities. He was shot down over Cambodia after 212 combat missions during the Vietnam War and was severely burned. He endured a year in hospitals and 15 surgeries and believed his flying days were over. Amazingly, after painful physical therapy, he became an air-show demonstration pilot and an instructor at the Air Force’s “Top Gun” school. He culminated his 20-year Air Force career by flying the Blackbird.
Retiring from the Air Force in 1990 after 5,000 hours in fighter jets, Shul went on to pursue his writing and photographic interests. In addition to running his own photo studio in northern California, he has authored five books on flying, for which he did all the writing and photography.
Shul was the first pilot to write a book about flying the Blackbird and it was completely illustrated using his own photography. The book, Sled Driver, is today’s most popular book about that plane, worldwide. He is a Spirit of Freedom Award winner and was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame. He currently lives in Marysville, California and owns Gallery One, where his acclaimed nature photography is on display.
Tickets to all Premier Lectures are $15 per person and may be purchased online, at the LLL Center, or prior to any LLL lecture.
The future of the West Valley
There is only one way for metro Phoenix to grow and that way is west. The West Valley stretches from Gila Bend to Wickenburg in the west and to Phoenix city boundaries in the east. It is an area of 3,000 square miles, 1.6 million people and lots of room to grow.
At 10:00 a.m. Monday, November 12, we will learn what we might expect in the coming decades. Sintra Hoffman is president and chief executive officer of WESTMARC (the Western Maricopa Coalition). It is a public-private partnership of the 15 governmental units, the business community and the educational sector in the West Valley. Hoffman will describe how the collaboration and partnerships of this public-private organization are making plans to develop the region.
Maricopa County is the fourth largest county in the nation. Economic forecasts and growth projections show that the economic opportunity for the future of Arizona lies within Western Maricopa County. Over the next 25 years, 49.5% of the growth in the county will occur in the West Valley. WESTMARC is working hard to make sure the West Valley is ready to meet the associated demands of this growth.
We will learn about planned initiatives and projects that will affect growth, business attraction and quality of life in the West Valley. This will be an opportunity to have your questions answered as Hoffman will be joined by other West Valley business development specialists.
Experience a western tradition
The 70th annual Arizona National Livestock Show is the largest livestock show in the Southwest, with exhibitors from 25 states who bring almost 1,700 of the best cattle, horses, sheep, goats and swine for competition. Experience the remnants of the Western way of life at the Arizona fairgrounds and be reminded of our roots.
The trip will be on Saturday, December 29 and begins at 9:00 a.m. with a young 4-H livestock competitor explaining the competitions, the judging and the jargon you will need to understand. At the show you can visit the Cowboy Classics Western Art Show and Sale, which showcases the unique life of a cowboy and the state’s long ranching history and agricultural roots. You will tour the exhibits and competitions that interest you and lunch will be on your own from the food vendors on site.