Lifelong Learner

 

I like to learn. September is all about learning, with kids going to school or homeschooling. We all want to learn, even when we are older. I love to learn! I just finished a course, a free course, with Alison Courses. 

 

All their classes seem to be free, but it costs money to get an actual, physical certificate for completing a course. But you can download a free PDF, every time you get done with one! These are neat, you can include them with resumes, if you want to show your learning. I'll admit this course I just did was pretty easy. I enjoy more of a challenge, usually, but I needed something to do, and it was timely--about current events, so it really fit the bill! This one was about the novel coronavirus. Not a lot of fun! And I wish I had finished earlier, because they ADDED to this course! Alright, but there was at least one mistake in the course, like they would vacillate between, "there is no vaccine" to "there is one vaccine." But I did it! I finished it already. Here is what I got for doing it:

Whoo! Whoo! I did it ALL! What did I learn? What new thing? Not anything! I'll be honest, I've been studying this thing voraciously since it came out. But not everyone has, I'll give them that. That's true. They give out awards, for studying:

You can't beat that! Well, you can and I'm going for the Silver Medal now. ha ha!

The other course that I'm doing now is 'Declutter Your Life', which is really useful to learn how to do. I'll let you know how it goes. This one is a little different than the other one, this has a lot of videos to watch, and the one about the virus just had stuff to read and a quiz at the end. If anyone wants to check them out, here's the link for them:

Alison Courses

 

blood upon the snow

 

Blood Upon the Snow is a classic work of literature in the mystery-horror genre. Written by Hilda Lawrence, it has the detective Mark East in it. It was first printed in 1944, but it's pretty timeless. These are mountain people, so it's like they don't have internet up there. But other than that, it's like everywhere now. They have to use their phones. And it's hard for them to research there! Because, up in the mountains... They really are. Some places at high elevations, or where it's more remote, are like that.

"Evil finds a rich ground here. There's so few folks about it gets a chance to grow." _Mrs. Lacey

I like this detective, he's funny! He yells at his employer when he gets there, because he was hired as a secretary, and he thinks that something is up. And something is! And we have to read on to find out what this is all about. The book plays on the themes of Good Versus Evil, as well as Appearances Can Be Deceiving. I was surprised when I found out what was really happening, because it was so original! Really groundbreaking! I would never have thought in a million years, if I was separated from the last of the novel and didn't get to read it, I would never guess!

The author did a lot to make a creepy setting. We're in a remote area, up on a mountain, and we have one window in the library, where you could fall to your death in the valley below. It's been bolted shut, from the outside, so people can't fall out there, accidentally. Where the servants live, the owner has refused to give them modern amenities, except for indoor plumbing. There is no electricity, and they have to use candles in their rooms or kerosene lamps, and they have little fireplaces. The stairs down to their stone cellar area are very old and decrepit as well, being quite dangerous! So the servants aren't treated well enough at all, in that respect, and that adds to the overall mystery. And it's winter and snow is on the ground and there is a lot of snowfall, throughout the book. Mother Nature does her best to add to the creepy effect of everything else.

Our guy, Mark East, who is normally a detective back in New York, took the case, because I guess he had nothing better to do. He was curious. He thought that the guy DID know he was a detective and was pretending to not know that, when he wrote the letter asking for him to come be employed by him to help him write a book. See, the employer is an archeologist, and he wants to get all of his notes down into book form. He's old, and says this must happen soon, while he can still read his own writing. I had to laugh at that! He might not be able to read it in a while, ha ha! Oh, wow!

I thought it was sad about the kids. They aren't allowed to eat with the grown-ups, unless it is a special occasion or something. They eat with a servant, who is their governess. She also does other odd jobs about the house, especially after the head cook left, she has to pitch in more. The kids are treated strangely by everyone, but I like how Mark East talks with them, like they are old friends. He acts like he is their uncle and it is really nice! I like that about him.

I would read this again. And I want to read the rest in the series. I was surprised to learn today that you can get this for free on this one website. I don't know if it's a good website or not, though. I bought it new, over on the Dover website! ha ha! Okay, I'm going now. Take care! Over and out!

In Georgia, A School District Superintendent Chooses Vanity Over Health!

“I talked with principals today and we all agreed that, though it is a small gesture, you would enjoy the liberty of wearing jeans for the next month,” wrote Bulloch County School District superintendent Charles Wilson in an email to educators denied issuing a mask mandate.

Apparently Georgia is against people living long enough to have any semblance of liberty. True liberty is living, people! I am outraged about this happening here in our modern world! A teacher dies, just after her school opens, all because there is no interest in keeping educators and students safe from Covid-19. I know we are all tired of hearing about it, but this shouldn't be happening! We now have an FDA approved vaccine, which adults and children 12 years and up can have. It should be required of returning students and teachers! As well as other employees and anyone hanging around the building, like volunteers or visitors. We live in the modern world! That's all I have to say. I'm fed up. It's a disgrace in that it was completely preventable. High schools shouldn't have teachers dying for no reason like this. But hey! Enjoy the jeans for a month deal you got! Wow. Just wow.

Beloved Teacher Dies of COVID in School District That Chose Jeans Over Masks

 (mostly content from SparkAmerica website)

Fitness Game:

If you're moving, you're winning!

I want you to take five minutes to consider the things in your life that you consider fun. Maybe it's a movie night with the family, happy hour with your friends, a long walk with the dog, vacationing in Argentina or a game of basketball with the boys. Having fun is synonymous with a smile on your face, spring in your step and feel-good hormones firing. What if we told you fitness could be added to that list? If you've been inactive for some time or have preconceived notions about what it truly means to live an active lifestyle, the two concepts may sound contradictory. Changing people's minds is exactly why we developed the fitness game, though! After working with millions of people from different backgrounds and with their own set of goals, our experts came together to design this program, which will help you move more, incorporate small changes that can change your life and learn valuable leadership skills--all while having a whole lot of fun along the way. WIth just 10 minutes of exercise a day, you can join an elite group of people who enjoy daily activity and all the benefits--increased energy, elevated mood, better sleep!--that go along with it. By engaging in a little friendly competition, you'll discover a renewed sense of fun in your fitness routine while improving your life and future health. What's not to love? 

 

Daily Goal:   10+ minutes per day

Weekly Goal:   140+ minutes per week 

 

(goals are adjustable, these are given in the beginning)

 

 

How To Play:

How do I play?

It's as simple as doing just 10 minutes (or more) of activity, as many days as you can!

What's in it for me?

Decades of observation has resulted in a fascinating discovery...

1. Setting a goal to be more active for at least 10 minutes each day,
2. Reaching that goal, and
3. Tracking your progress

...has significant benefits beyond getting into better shape (which is great, too). It turns out that this small fitness goal can lead to reaching much bigger goals in all areas of life! 

 Free Mini Book

I didn't read through the whole mini-book yet, but I think it's based on the Spark program that most of you will be familiar with, to work out each day for at least 10 minutes a day and try to have a fitness streak going. This material is taken from the new SparkAmerica website, that some of you cannot go to. I'm not trying to annoy anyone, just demystify something that you can do, away from them, either in a notebook, calendar, or on another website, such as My Fitness Pal. It's up to you, it's your health improvement project!

 

 

Introducing PeopleOne Health: New Name, Same Great Experience!

 

What's in a name? When you're doing big things, a name is everything! With our exciting future in mind, we're happy to announce that, starting on September 1st, Spark360 and Empower360 will now be collectively known as PeopleOne Health. As a result of our recent merger, we feel strongly that PeopleOne Health best reflects our commitment to keeping people at the center of our care model.

Our founders are passionate about creating a new and equitable model in healthcare, and, while our name has evolved, our commitment to the exceptional care and service we provide to all members remains our top priority. The coaches, doctors, nurses and staff you interact with on a consistent basis will remain the same, as will our member portal and app. The name change may be new, but Empower360 and Spark360 have already been working to integrate services over the course of the past year so we are confident that this will be a seamless transition.

With big goals in mind for the months and years ahead, the announcement of our new name is a step in the right direction as we continue leading the charge in creating an improved model for healthcare, one that incentivizes people to be healthy. As our teams continue to work more closely together under the PeopleOne Health brand, we are committed to expanding our reach to new offices in new cities while enhancing all services we offer to our members. Soon, you will be able to access our new member portal; until then, you can continue using our website and mobile apps without making any changes. We look forward to continuing to serve you and bring our new healthcare model to you as PeopleOne Health!

*Reprinted, for future reference:

https://portal.spark360.com/HealthyLiving/Article/1462

 

 

My Take: With their new foray into providing healthcare insurance, it seems inevitable that they will be breaking promises to their international 'friends', about opening up membership to new countries. No other health insurance has gone international. They say they are doing what pays the bills better. I'm sure that's necessary, but I think they should also be telling the truth in these matters! They should just admit that that won't be possible for them.