Trips Feature War History and Entertainment
Visitors to the Commemorative Air Force Museum can walk among vintage, wartime aircraft, such as this Cobra AH1F, which was used in Afghanistan and Iraq during the Desert Storm era and modified by the U.S. Army.
Patricia Ingalls
Two of Lifelong Learning’s three January bus trips still had openings at press time. One trip immerses participants in actual Air Force military planes and historical artifacts at an airfield. The other trip provides an afternoon of family-style dining and live entertainment in a theater.
For full details and to register, go to www.lifelonglearningatpc.org.
The tour of Falcon Field and nearby Commemorative Air Force Museum in Mesa, on Wednesday, Jan. 17, allows participants to experience the airport’s history as a combat-training center for pilots during World War II. A guide will show how the airport operates and explain its aviation businesses and services, including its fire station and police-aviation unit.
At the nearby museum, an edu-venture through history awaits, as docents reveal how aircraft evolved as a heroic partner to ground and sea operations from WW I to the present. Visitors can climb aboard bombers and other rare aircraft and walk through a working hangar amid restoration activities. The visit includes a lunch break at Vito’s Pizza and Italian Ristorante.
The second tour, to Barleens Variety Spectacular Musical Show and Lunch, on Wednesday, Jan. 24, in Apache Junction, features family-friendly performances in a variety of musical styles, from country to boogie woogie to gospel, and more. A full meal, including main courses of roast beef, chicken tenders, and pork ribs (as well as vegetarian and gluten-free options), precedes the energetic show.
Since 1987, Barleen family members have continued to run all aspects of the business, from the entertainment to the kitchen.
Classes Cover Multiple Topics
Patricia Ingalls
This January, Lifelong Learning offers four classes, all providing opportunities to expand participants’ knowledge and/or skills on a variety of topics.
For full details and to register, go to www.lifelonglearningatpc.org.
Arizona Weather—Its Arid Climate: On Thursday, Jan. 4, PebbleCreek resident Kevin Hillstrom will take attendees through an annual tour of weather changes in Maricopa County, including an explanation of the dynamics that cause Arizona’s monsoon storms. Trained by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hillstrom is a weather spotter and self-proclaimed “weather hawk.” The agency, which extends its reach through science from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor, works to keep the public informed of the changing environment around them.
Wizardry and Magic: On Tuesday, Jan. 9, magician-mentalist Bruce Kundin returns with new tricks and illusions to share with fellow enthusiasts. Magic uses sleight of hand, misdirection, and theatrical trickery to create visual illusions that cause the audience to believe one thing, while something else is happening. A slightly different concept—mentalism—expands and manipulates a viewers’ sense of reality using psychology, suggestion, and influence.
A master of both, Kundin has performed at the Hat and Hare Pub, the Cellar Theater of the Hollywood Magic Castle, the Spellbound Magic Show in Ventura, Calif., and the House of Magic Foundation for the Arts, among others. He is a member of the Society of American Magicians, Arizona Assembly 248; the Phoenix Ring 55 of the International Brotherhood of Magicians; and the Elders, a southern California group of mentalists. He has received the Order of Merlin from the Society of American Magicians.
The Great Black Migration: On Thursday, Jan. 18, Mary Thomas returns to explore the great Black population migration. In the half century between about 1917 to about 1970, approximately 6 million African-Americans left the South and migrated to cities in the Midwest, Northeast, and West. The impact on the migrants, the homes they left, and the cities that received them had repercussions for social life and economic activity.
She’ll uncover the migration’s historic significance, its impact on U.S. society and on the development and legacy of government policies.
Thomas, a PebbleCreek resident and a retired social worker, is a senior lecturer for the Social Work Department of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has researched the history and social dynamics of the Great Black Migration and the social policies that developed as a reaction.
Making Baguettes: Tuesday, Jan. 23. Gene Fioretti’s class is full. Register online for waitlist.
Premier Speakers Explain Newest Technologies
Patricia Ingalls
Both of Lifelong Learning’s January premier speakers address new research and technological advances that have potential to alter future life in many ways.
For full details and to register, go to www.lifelonglearningatpc.org.
“Artificial Intelligence—The Future’s Fortune or Folly”: On Jan. 12 at 7 p.m., Gary Marchant, Ph.D., will discuss the history and future of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is rapidly being integrated into many parts of life, accelerated by generative AI platforms, such as ChatGPT. He will explain what AI is and why it is so useful and powerful, and will describe some of its key applications. Marchant also will explain why AI presents some significant risks, and what safeguards could and should be employed to maximize its benefits, while minimizing its dangers.
“The Future of Precision Medicine”: On Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. Dr. Joshua LaBaer will explain current research that creates the foundation for precise medical diagnostics and treatment. It includes how scientists and physicians can use the body’s immune system and the antibodies it produces to track abnormal proteins that are biomarkers for chronic diseases, like diabetes, autoimmune disorders and various types of cancer. Dr. LaBaer will show how those new diagnostic approaches soon may lead to basing an individual’s healthcare plan on sequencing the DNA in his or her genome, and identifying biomarkers related to disease and dysfunction.
Weekday Speakers Discuss Geological History, Dementia Travel
Patricia Ingalls
The weekday lectures that LifeLong Learning has planned for January cover two diverse topics. The first lecture explores Arizona’s geological history; the second lecture offers tips on how to manage traveling with a person in cognitive decline.
Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. in the lobby of the Renaissance Theater and are $5 at the door. Lectures begin at 10 a.m. No registration is required. For full details, go to www.lifelonglearningatpc.org.
The Deep History of Arizona Rocks and Landscape: On Monday, Jan. 8, Geologist Steve Semkin, Ph.D., explores highlights of Arizona’s two-billion-year geological history by examining layers of deposits left in the state’s varied, dramatic landscapes.
Semken teaches ASU courses in field geology of the Southwest, and has been recognized with the highest awards for undergraduate science teaching by the ASU College of Liberal Arts, Diné College, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also has received rave reviews from PebbleCreek audiences in his past presentations.
Travel Well with Dementia: On Monday, Jan. 22, Jan Dougherty, who is author of the book Travel Well with Dementia, Essential Tips to Enjoy the Journey, leads an enlightening discussion, including practical advice on how to plan a safe, enjoyable trip. Open communication and trust among everyone traveling together are essential in order to be ready to face any unexpected difficulties. Her presentation will provide examples of how to cope with a variety of behaviors.
Dougherty has more than 30 years of clinical and leadership experience in helping people with dementia and their families. She also founded TravALZ, which provides training for the travel industry on how to better serve people with dementia.
Educators Embrace AI as Learning Tool
Bill Nee
Most of us make New Year’s resolutions to exercise more, lose weight, get better organized, or spend more time with family and friends. We also may want to learn a new skill, hobby, or become smarter in a certain field.
This month’s TED Talk will bring out a fascinating opportunity to let artificial intelligence (AI) assist in that educational New Year’s resolution. First, let me share an experience that my wife and I had when we recently traveled to Portugal and Spain this fall with our our son and his girlfriend, who use ChatGPT-4 in their work. Our son utilized that AI tool to enhance our travel experience by having it assist in our understanding of historic towns that we were about to visit, by sharing the culture, history, and specific sites to visit.
He asked questions to the AI tool and requested a verbal response, which we played over the car radio for each upcoming city or area. Sometimes he would ask ChatGPT to restate the narrative in a style more like how Rick Steves would present that information. It was a blast. The AI incorporation advanced our cultural understanding far beyond travel books.
In this month’s TED Talk, American educator, Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, describes an educational program that the academy aspires to adapt, enhancing learning by utilizing AI. Khan started tutoring a cousin in mathematics in 2004 and kept adding content, eventually expanding to a nonprofit educational organization in 2008, creating a set of online tools to educate students. The academy now has more than 8,000 videos, where people can learn for free about math, art, computer programming, economics, chemistry, biology, medicine, history, and more. They now provide a world-class education for anyone anywhere. Their AI text messaging chatbot interface called Khanmigo is currently in beta testing.
Khan’s latest vision is to have every student equipped with a personal computer that uses AI to provide a one-on-one trainer. What a marvelous concept to expand learning of any subject. This could be applicable for all ages, a true lifelong-learning experience.
To watch this 15.5-minute Sal Kahn TED Talk, go to TED.com, then in the upper left corner, click the three-horizontal-bar menu button, and under the category watch, click “TED Talks” then in “Search talks” input “How AI could save (not destroy) education,” scroll a little lower, and click on the talk you selected.
Make a New Year’s resolution for 2024 to utilize AI to enhance your learning.