Palos Verdes homes owners have an opportunity to learn more about interesting topics at the May 2012 lectures sponsored by the Peninsula Seniors.  It’s also a good time to meet and socialize with other local residents.  These lectures take place at Hesse Park, located at 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes, in the Fireside Room on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

May 2nd speaker will be Mr. Harrison “Scotty” Scott who will be describing the famous GRAPEVINE PASS and going into its history, from recalling water bags along the roadside, to the current Ridge Route as it is called today.

May 9th lecture will be featuring a former B-17 Bombardier who is now a published Author, Charles “Norm” Stevens.  Mr. Stevens has a new book out regarding his WWII experiences, and will be discussing his appearance this month at the Zamparini Field in Torrance.

May 16th lecture will be an interesting topic – as Bob Visser, VP of the Peninsula Seniors’ Board of Directors, will discuss an offshore pipeline replacement project that will use new technology to run these pipelines and connect to two offshore platforms.

May 23rd speaker will be Rolling Hills Estates resident Akrevoe Emmanouilides who will speak on “Being Present at the Birth of the Information Age”.  She will discuss her time working on the ENIAC, the first computer built at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering.  This machine was called the “The Machine That Changed The World” and Mrs. Emmanouilides will have books on it as well as a subsequent von Neumann computer.

May 30 lecture will be an exceptional presentation by Aida Director of Elder Education, Carol Hahn, who is a registered nurse and will be talking about High Blood Pressure. It is often called the ”Silent Killer” many  do not understand what to look for until it is too late.  Come find out what you can do to make lifestyle choices that may help you decrease these numbers.

Photo courtesy of Palos Verdes Peninsula Seniors

March lectures sponsored by the Peninsula Seniors give Palos Verdes homes owners an opportunity to learn more about interesting topics, and allow them to meet other local residents. These lectures take place at Hesse Park, located at 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes, in the Fireside Room on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

On March 7, Jack Newman and the C-Nile Sound, a ch0rus group from the South Bay Coastliners, will entertain  with old time barber shop quartet music with their Capella male voices.  You will get first class entertainment and learn about their upcoming concert.

On March 14, Jim Jones who served aboard U.S. submarines as an engineering officer, will present his “THE FIRST FIVE” which will cover the time period from the launch of Sputnik in 1957 to today’s silent and invisible submarine counter force.

On March 21, the PV Seniors will reenact history by doing a historical impersonation of Madam Golda Meir, former Prime Minister of the State of Israel.  They will talk about her extraordinary strength and leadership as she led her nation’s victory in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

On March 28, Dr Richard Reznichek, MHA, FACS from LA BioMed at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, will be giving a presentation entitled “The Prostate:  Everything You Wish You Didn’t Have To Know.

Photo courtesy of the Peninsula Seniors

Palos Verdes homes owners who are looking for free assistance with their tax filings, are able to make appointments at the Peninsula Seniors Center for free help with tax preparation.  This AARP Tax-Aide Program has one-hour appointments that can be scheduled on the hour from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays only.

In order to take advantage of this program, you must have all your tax documents for 2011 in hand before making your appointment. They also require that you bring copies of your 2010 Federal and State income tax returns. You do not have to be a senior in order to take advantage of this great opportunity.  It is open to all ages, but remember that space will be limited.

To make an appointment contact the Peninsula Seniors Center, Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For further information and to make an appointment call (310) 377-3003, or go to seniors@pvseniors.org.

Peninsula Seniors is located at 30928 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes 90275.

There are many different reasons you may consider renting out a room in your Palos Verdes home – children have moved out, financial consideration, companionship or just helping out a friend.  You may not be aware that there has been a test case regarding who may you select to rent out a room in your home.  Holly Thomas, General Counsel for RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty and RE/MAX Execs has given us the following information which will be helpful for anyone considering a roommate:

A ruling was made in the Ninth Circuit (federal court) three weeks ago regarding roommate selection and whether it falls under the laws protecting against discrimination. The scenario in this case was that Roommate.com requires certain criteria be inputted by the person putting themselves/their property into the system and allows for those searching to select based on those same criteria, including race, sex, sexual preference, number of children, etc. The Fair Housing Council of San Fernando Valley brought suit against Roommate.com claiming that it was discriminatory for Roommate.com to require users to disclose certain preferences as that is discriminatory and that it is a violation of the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) and California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). The 9th Circuit ruled against the Fair Housing Council stating that a shared living situation does not fall within the definition of “dwelling” for either the FHA or FEHA and further that the 1st Amendment protects people’s freedom of association regarding a choice of roommate.  This is good news for those who share or wish to share their living space but only under certain circumstances or with certain types/classes of people.

Although this does not generally affect your buyers/sellers, the amount of leasing going on in our area has definitely increased and people who have never had a roommate before may be leery to have one without knowing that they can control who comes into their living space.

For further information, see Fair Housing Council of San Fernando Valley v. Roommate.com __ F.3d __ , 2012 WL 310849, at p. 1 (9th Cir. 2012).

February lectures sponsored by the Peninsula Seniors give Palos Verdes homes owners an opportunity to learn more about different interesting topics, and allow them to meet other local residents. These lectures take place at Hesse Park, located at 29301 Hawthorne Blvd, Rancho Palos Verdes, in the Fireside Room on Wednesday’s from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

On February 8, 2012, the community will learn about the development of the Peninsula from two women who wrote a book about the early days.  Written by Betty Lukas, and edited by Marjeanne Blinn, “Peninsula Past: the Complicated Birth of Paradise” debuted December 8, and consists of 31 essays and archived photos which had appeared in the Palos Verdes Peninsula News.  As many of you know Betty is a docent in the Local History Room at the Peninsula Center Library, and Marjeanne is an adult services librarian there.  They will be bringing books for sale for local history buffs.

On February 15, the speaker will be Ms. Dina Aryan-Zahler who is a staff engineer for the Port of Los Angeles.  She will talk about development ideas and the plans that will create a world class harbor and an active community attraction here in our own backyard.  Some of these plans for the Port will include U.S.S. IOWA, an artist and craftsman center, an international marine research and technology center, Ports’O'Call Village, and a downtown water attraction.

On February 22, Coleen Sass and volunteer Alan Cook will talk about the Community Helpline and how it has been providing support and crisis intervention services to the Peninsula for the last 40 years. They will talk about the six week training course that is involved for all the volunteers, and how the Helpline became became such a benefit to our community. This should be an interesting topic for those who are not aware of some of the services our Peninsula offers residents.

On February 29, Don Nose, president of the Go For Broke National Education Center in Torrance, and Directors Ken Akune and James Ogawa, will talk about how in WWII, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was the most highly decorated unity in the history of the United States.  It was made up of 442nd and 100th Battalions that were entirely Japanese-American volunteers, whose families had been sent to relocation camps at the start of the war. There will be a presentation showing detailing how this famous combat unit fought in two wars.

Photo courtesy of the Peninsula Seniors

On Saturday, February 4, 2012, the Peninsula Seniors will sponsor Coffee & Cars at the Peninsula Shopping Center (off Silver Spur Road and Hawthorne Boulevard in Rolling Hills Estates).  A group of car enthusiasts will bring their Hot Rod, Custom, Muscle Car, Sports Car, Antique, and other special interest vehicles, to the Peninsula Shopping Center parking lot where you can admire the cars, meet the owners and ask them questions.

This free event gives Palos Verdes homes owners an opportunity to meet and socialize with Peninsula Seniors members, their guests, and other South Bay area car lovers.  If you are not over 55 and would like to bring your favorite car to show, you can get an honorary car or a “senior-in-training” badge to cover you for the event.

Coffee & Cars is held the first Saturday of every month in the parking area near Starbucks and Rite Aid in the Peninsula Shopping Center. Each month, a different type of car is features and for the month of February, Italian Cars will be shown.  For a fun morning activity put on your comfortable shoes and enjoy the outdoors with other car buffs.

For more information contact Peninsula Seniors at (310) 377-3003.

Photo courtesy of Arvin Design

The Peninsula Seniors Lecture Series is once again giving Palos Verdes homes owners an excellent opportunity to hear special speakers lecture on current topics.  The lectures are held this month at Point Vicente Interpretive Center because remodeling projects are underway at Hesse Park.  The Point Vicente Interpretive Center is located at 31501 Palos Verdes Drive West, in Rancho Palos Verdes.  The series are always held on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

On January 19th, 2012, Nadine Bobit, named as “The Healthiest Person I Know” in an article in PULSE magazine from the Torrance Memorial Foundation, will be talking about the lessons she’s learned and how mental toughness, diet, preparation and training are keys to success and fulfillment.  She is a credentialed K-12 educator, a Pilates instructor, a community activist and hard core mountain climber.  She has climbed Mt. Illimani in Bolivia, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Elbrus in Russia, and Mt. Whitney.  This should be an interesting lecture and will take place in the Sunset Room of PVIC.

On January 25, 2012, Rafael Capiro, from Truth Fitness and Health located in the Peninsula Center area, will talk about fitness for the older adult.  This should be an informative program regarding exercise and its effect on aging, and the type of exercise that is appropriate for seniors.  As it is important to take precautions to minimize risk of injury, knowing the variables which changes with age, strength and capacity are important to help improve one’s quality of life.  This will be held in the Sunset Room of PVIC.

Photo courtesy of Peninsula Seniors

The Peninsula Seniors Lecture Series is once again giving Palos Verdes homes owners an excellent opportunity to hear special speakers lecture on different interesting topics.  These lectures  are held at Hesse Park in the Fireside Room, at 29301 Hawthorne Blvd, in Rancho Palos Verdes.  The series are all held on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

On November 2nd…. The Department of Fish and Game will be discussing the many wild animals we have here on the Peninsula.  Lt. Ken Smirl will be discussing coyotes, skunks, raccoons and other critters in our area and will let us know  how to keep our homes and these animals safe.  He will be giving simple and smart ideas on dealing with the local wildlife.

On November 9th… Beverly Knudson the local author of “The Linden Tree Legacy”, will be discussing her novel which was inspired by her own parent’s stories.  Her story is a fictionalized version of her family’s history from the lives of her aging parents.

November 16th… This lecture will be about some of the history of the Lomita Railroad museum brought to you by Ms. Faith Bilyeu, the museum’s curator.  She will bring you back into the early 1900′s and will be discussing the beautiful collection of railroad memorabilia.

November 30th… Buzz Elliot and his wife Jan will be talking about their flying adventure in their 1940 Wavo UPF-7 open cockpit vintage bi-plane. They will discuss the scenery from 1500 feet altitude throughout the Southwest. This should be a thrilling discussion of the way it used to be.

Photo courtesy of The Peninsula Seniors

Once again, Palos Verdes homes owners have another excellent opportunity.  Marymount College has offered the membership of Peninsula Seniors the opportunity to attend the college tuition free for the spring semester 2012.

This is the first time that such a great opportunity has been offered to our residents.  Up to 99 Peninsula Senior members will have the ability to audit courses at Marymount College’s two campuses in Rancho Palos Verdes and San Pedro.  Some of the classes being offered are global studies, psychology, history and others.  Since recently gaining the status of a four year college, Marymount wants to share with local residents the ability to return to college to enrich their knowledge.

The Marymount College course information and registration will be available at the Peninsula Seniors office after November 1, 2011.  The office is located at 30928 Hawthorne Blvd, in Rancho Palos Verdes.  For more information about Marymount visit www.Marymountpv.edu, or for the Peninsula Seniors, visit www.pvseniors.org.

Photo courtesy of Marymount College

The 6th Annual Senior Awareness/Health Fair will be held on Friday, October 21, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Neighborhood Church. The Neighborhood Church is located at 415 Paseo Del Mar.  This event is offered by PVE-CARES (Community Assistance and Resources for the Elderly and Seniors).

Palos Verdes homes owners will once again be able to get free flu shots for seniors and other medical screenings.  There will be music by Chaussee’s Big Band, and lunch will be served for the participants. This is a great time also to bring all of your outdated or unused prescriptions to be destroyed properly.  I took advantage of this service last year for a senior friend who needed to dispose of an entire bag of old medications.

As an extra service this year, they will  have a truck from Shred-It to dispose (by shredding documents) of documents that you need to destroy.  There will be a limit of ten banker size (record retention size) boxes per person.  In order to use this service you must bring your boxes by 12:00 noon.

This is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of these great services, and also to have a relaxing visit at one of our most beautiful, historic locations on the Peninsula.

For more information contact PVE-CARES Coordinator, at (310)378-4211 ext. 2131.