Communications Roadrunner Articles for 2023

TOPICS COVERED – AND WHEN

Beatitudes Library December 1
Bistro Groceries October 20
Christmas and New Year – December 22
Communication Committee – Weekly Articles Sept 22
Get Electronic Delivery of Roadrunner October 20
Good and Bad of TV December 8
Google November 29
Half as Much November 3
Help, I’ve Fallen and I can’t get up Dec 15
Honoring Lives Lost – TBDoR – November 17
Leading Age November 10
Lots to do October 27
Life Enrichment Planning Meeting December 1
Locations of things around the Campus October 6
Music back on Channel 1-2 Sept 29
QR Code Reader October 13
Readers Theater November 10
Welcome Center Door Locks Sept 29

December 22-29, 2023

MERRY CHRISTMAS . . .
Our Christmas Banquet will be December 25 in Buckwald’s from 11 am until 2 pm. Tickets were $16.99 on your B-Card until December 20, which has now passed. For those not wishing to indulge in this fabulous fare, or forgot to buy a ticket, the Bistro will be open regular hours with a full menu.
. . . AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR
December 31 at 7:00 pm The Beatitudes Campus Foundation and The Beatitudes Auxiliary are hosting a party in Buckwald’s with music, dancing, champagne and cider, and enough hot and cold Cosmin-created hors d’oeuvres to fill you up for the evening. Les Koel will again be providing the entertainment. Tickets ARE still available for our New Years Celebration. Although tickets are free, they are required, and are available right now in the Bistro. Doors will not open until 6:30. Nobody will be allowed in prior to that. Food starts at 7:00, with the ball drop around 9:00 pm, at which time our evening ends. There will be open seating. All must enter through Buckwald’s

Robert Andrews

December 15-22, 2023
“Help! I’ve Fallen and I can’t Get Up!”
This phrase is something with which we can all relate these days. Last month, I found myself upside down over my wife’s footstool. I simply said “Alexa, Call Security.” They were there within a few minutes, while I rested peacefully upside down until they arrived.

There are several methods you can use to get this safety net into your own life. The easiest is an Amazon Alexa available for about $40 one-time cost. On an iPhone, you can go into Settings, then Accessibility, then Siri, then check “Listen for Hey Siri.” Now you can say “Hey Siri, Call Security” and she will make the call for you. On Android, go into the Play Store and get the Voice Access app. Once it is installed, turn on Voice Detection, then Settings and Activation Button. You can now simply say “Hey Google, Call Security.” You must, however, have your phone with you in order for this to work. The absolutely easiest way is to get your own PHB button to wear around your neck or on your wrist. A simple tap of the button will tell Security where you are, and help will be on its way in minutes. There is a one-time charge of $125 to your Beatitudes bill, but it’s the absolute easiest way to keep yourself safe. Talk with Dr. Erin Richardson in Success Matters if you are interested. Her number is x16110,  Regardless of how you do it, make it a resolution to stay safe in 2024. Once you speak with Erin, you can direct questions about setup to either GroovyTek or the Thursday Ambassador Help Desk.

We are halfway through the last month of the year. Ten shopping days until Christmas! Only a few days after that for the Beatitudes Foundation and Auxiliary New Years Eve Celebration, which will be Sunday, December 31, from 7 pm until 9 pm.
Robert Andrews

December 8-15, 2023

The Good and Bad of TV Programming

Have you noticed the new programming on Channel 1-2? There are movies, musical performances, several different church services, morning wakeup music, exercise videos, as well as Be Informed featuring our own lovely Michelle Just and charming David Ragan. There is also a new feature called Beatitudes Flashbacks compiled by Chuck Beaujon showing Campus Events. Every day, the programming guide for that particular day will appear on both Channels 1-1 and Channel 1-2.

On the flip side, you may have noticed that several channels have stopped broadcasting; Channel 12 being the most notable. Sixty other channels are affected, including NFL games, college games and other sports events. This affects about 5 million viewers. The reason is a contract dispute. DirecTV pays Tenga for the programming. Tenga is increasing their rates by double digits; which DirecTV says will need to be passed onto the consumers. It is unknown how long the contract dispute will continue.

2023 December 1-8

Submitted by Robert Andrews

Have you ever visited The Beatitudes Library? The library, and all it contains, is paid for with your annual Auxiliary Membership Fee, which is now due. In addition to books (most of them large print) there is a computer and printer available for your use. The computer has most of your basic programs. You will need to bring a Thumb Drive if you want to save your data. If you don’t know what that means, you can ask GroovyTek on Monday, Wednesday or Friday from 8 am until 11 am. Their information station is right outside the library.

If event planning is more your thing, you should think about attending the Life Enrichment Committee meeting. It meets every first Thursday of the month at 10:15 in the Admin Conference Room (that’s the one near the Welcome Desk.) They plan lunch outings, museum trips, Karaoke, casino trips, ball games, shopping mall trips, Happy Hour entertainment, and Fifth Wednesday events, among other things. It’s open to all residents.

– 166 words

2023, November 24
Have you ever tried to Google “Google” on Google?

Many words over time have evolved from a noun to a verb: Nowadays, you text someone, eMail a person, Xerox a paper, Zoom a meeting, Message your friend, Taxi or Uber to the store, and so forth. The word that brought this article to mind is Google. It started out as a business, then a search engine. Now people can “Google” movies, books, recipes and much more.
While you may not know how to Google, it’s something that most of us have at least heard about. There are tips that can help make your Google Searches more effective. For example: If you search Google with the word mustang, you will get results about cars, horses, mustang sally, and military aircraft. If you enter mustang -car Google will exclude cars.
The Ambassadors are still hosting our Help Desk in the Bistro every Thursday at 2:00 pm. Attendance has started to drop off now that Touchtown is (mostly) running very smoothly. We’ve compiled a handout that you can take home with hints such as using key words, using quotation marks, that will help with your Google Searches. Stop down to say HI.

Google Tips and Tricks
https://youtu.be/KQYyWdHyB1s or Search YouTube for “KQYyWdHyB1s”
Google is a powerful tool with a wide range of features and services. Here are some tips to help you make the most out of Google:
1. Select a Browser and Stick with it
The main Web Browers (or Internet Browsers) are Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and MS Internet Explorer (also called “E”)
2. Puppy Dog Sweaters vs “Puppy Dog Sweaters”
The first would bring back Puppy Food, Dog Groomers, and Woolen Sweaters. The second would bring back ONLY “Puppy Dog Sweaters”
3. Mustang vs Mustang -car
Using a dash removes that category from the listing. You could, for example, search for Dog -pitt -doberman -mastiff eliminating those breeds.
4. site:CDC.gov
Searching for Covid site:CDC.gov will bring back only page about Covid that are listed on the CDC web site.
Searching for “Sidney Crosby” site:nhl.com will bring back only information about him from the NHL web site.
5. link:beatitudescampus.org
This will bring back any page that has a link that will take you to Beatitudes Campus web site.
6. “George *” “King of *”
The asterisk is a wild card. The two above searches will bring back “George Harrison, George Clooney, and George Washington. The second will bring back “King of Diamonds, King of Spain and King of Queens.”
7. Use Parenthesis to force ordinal math operations
8*5+5 and (8*5)+5 will both bring back 85. 8*(5+5) will bring back 80.
In math; parentheses are done first, then exponents, then multiplication and division from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right.

8. Use AND OR and quotation marks
Use quotation marks and OR to bring back pages where names of either breed appears, or the word AND to bring back only pages that include both breeds. “dalmation” or “poodle” will bring back web sites about both breeds
9. Be specific in your search request
If you search for surgery you will get surgical instruments, procedures, and much more. If you type “how to prepare for surgery” it will give you information about preparing for surgery.
10. You can just type in areas of interest
Google will give you those matches first: A search for chinese restaurant 85021 delivery will give you restaurants that deliver to that zip code.
11. You don’t even know how to speall
If you type “ambidexterous” – “ambadextris” and “ambidexteros” you will get the following Google Results:
Showing results for ambidextrous
Search instead for ambidexteros
… and yes, I know I typed speall instead of spell

12. You can type in general queries:
time in zurich – time in new york – time in los angeles
13. You can check stock prices
GOOG – MAC – IBM Type stock price MAC
14. Google is not case sensitive
Phoenix and phoenix will both return the same search results
15. Unexpected results? Think of another word
“Adult Toys” will bring back an entirely different set of results than “Senior Toys”
16. You can use Google for Conversion
10 miles to kilometers 10 kilometers to miles cups in a gallon
tablespoons in a cup how many days left in the year
To watch the entire video, go to YouTube.com and search for “KQYyWdHyB1s”
OR CLICK HERE.

Nov 17
2023 November 17 Roadrunner
Honoring Lives Lost – TGDoR
Honoring Lives Lost, Uplifting Hope for a More Inclusive World
Transgender Remembrance Day, observed annually on November 20th, has been happening since 1999 to honor the memory of transgender individuals who have lost their lives to violence, discrimination, ignorance, and prejudice.
This day is an opportunity to show 2SLGBTQIA+ that it is OK for them to be who they are, and that we want them to feel safe. November 20 is a call to action, reminding us of the injustices faced by transgender individuals and the pressing need for change.
By acknowledging this day and taking steps towards a more inclusive world, we can honor the lives lost and work towards a future where transgender individuals can live without fear and discrimination. Together, we can create a society where every individual is treated with dignity, respect, and equality, regardless of their gender identity.
There will be volunteers in the Bistro handing out Pronoun Pins to both Staff and Residents. There are he/him buttons, she/her buttons, and they/them buttons – plus a flyer to explain why the heck pronouns matter.

2023 November 10

Leading Age and Readers Theater

Our Admin Staff is barely unpacking from their Leading Age Conference in Chicago, where they met with administrators of non-profit aging service providers from across the country to discuss topics such as Dining, Labor, Internet, Planning for the Future, Robotics, Innovative Design, Technology, and about fifty other tracks from which to choose. Leading Age is really a one-of-a-kind organization, and we are proud to have our own Donna Taylor as President of Arizona Leading Age. David Ragan will be presenting some of the key take-aways as they pertain to Beatitudes at an upcoming Thursday 9 am Design Studio in The Agelink Great Room.

On a different topic, Readers Theater will be coming back to your television in January. If you are interested in becoming a reader, call x15053.

128 Words

2023 November 3 Roadrunner – Submitted October 28

Half as much as I do . . .

Remember that song? “If you loved me half as much as I love you…”

Some things are better when halved, especially food. It saves us money on our B card, allows us to eat less, and reduces waste; not to mention waist.

Usually when you ask for an item in the Bistro, you get a full serving. Did you know that you can order half servings of Biscuits & Gravy, Pancakes, French Toast, Sandwiches, Bacon, Sausage, Canadian Bacon, and even plain toast. You can also get certain sandwiches without the bread or bun: Any of our burgers, chicken and tuna. Even if half sizes are not an option for a menu item, you can always just ask for a smaller portion to reduce waste. On the plus side, you can ask for refills on coffee, tee and juice.

Thanks to Bernice and Judy for helping figure this list out.

158 words

2023 October 27 Roadrunner – Submitted October 23

Wow! Power of the Purse. Senior Fitness Challenge. Special Dining. Halloween Walk. Birthday Celebrations – – I hear people complain that there is too much to do here at Beatitudes. They can’t do it all. Isn’t that like having too much money? You can’t spend it all. Still, those are both great problems to have.

The Fitness Challenge for Seniors is behind us, but serves as a reminder that even if we might not be able to win medals, we can still do a little more than we usually do. A little bit of exercise goes a long way in keeping us healthier.

There are competitive ping pong games, walking groups, basketball bounce, wii bowling, church, poker, chicken foot, music, pool exercise, line dancing and seated exercise.

Most of these are listed in the Calendar Section of your Roadrunner. No, you can’t do it all, but you can pick out one new thing to do this week. You’ll be glad you did. See you around Campus.

166 words

2023 October 20 Roadrunner – Submitted October 16

Peg wanted to know where I got my bag of groceries. Did you know that there is a list of produce and groceries on Touchtown (under Dining Venues) that you can purchase from the Bistro. The list includes boxes of blueberries and strawberries, whole melons, a single raw egg, raw potatoes, milk, and even a single stalk of celery. The entire two page list is on Touchtown, and a printed list is available in the Bistro. Purchases go on your B Card.

Mory asks “If I have a family member that wants to receive a copy of the Roadrunner by eMail, how do they do this?” The answer is easy! To receive a copy, just send the request to Roadrunner@BeatitudesCampus.org – These are usually mailed out on Friday. If they don’t have eMail, they can usually pick up a paper copy at the Welcome Center, or the Bistro Information Station.

– 150 words

2023 October 13 Roadrunner – Submitted October 10

Can you help us out? PLEASE SCAN THIS QR CODE. We are trying to figure out if Beatitudes Demographics are comfortable using a QR code. If so, this opens up a world of possibilities for us.

Step by Step:  It’s actually quite easy. Just point your mobile phone camera at this square, and a link should appear on your screen. Tap that link, and you are in.

If this does not work, you can go to the Game Store and search for “QR Reader” then download the app, then go back to Step by Step.  Need help?  Stop down to the GroovyTek Help Desk Monday, Wednesday or Friday between 8 am and 11 am, or talk with one of the Touchtown Ambassadors.  The installation process takes about five minutes, then you will be ready to enter the next generation of electronics.

About 140 words

2023 October 6 Roadrunner – Submitted October 2

There are a lot of places on Campus that don’t appear on any map, although they are landmarks for many events. The Peace Pole comes to mind. I had a long-time resident ask where it was. The Peace Pole is that eight foot metal obelisk at the northwest corner of Town Plaza – that’s the complex where the Bistro is located. The Pet Blessing was at the Peace Pole, and the morning walkers meet there. The Naked Lady statue is just a few dozen feet to the west of the Peace Pole. Our Photo Studio is a few dozen feet to the north, along the Central Park Mall, but just before you get to the Studio, you will pass the Tao Fountain. Even huge edifices such as AgeLink are hard for some to find, and the Sewing Room and Creative Corner (AG4/AG5) are at the north end of the AgeLink building.

The Pineapple Fountain (currently not working) is just outside the north door of Plaza North, the Fountain of Youth is located in CPW courtyard, and the Rose Garden is located between CPN and CPS.

Did you know that there are only three legal smoking areas on the Grounds? There is one at the north end of the HCC, one just outside of Plaza View, and one behind the Kitchen that is used by Staff. If you are caught smoking anywhere else, including your apartment or patio, you risk a hefty fine.

The Garden Club Plots are located along the main road into the campus (which is named Boutique Boulevard) and are just past Backstreet Boutique Thrift Shop. The Breezeway (where we hosted Happy Hour Music during CoVid) is located right outside Plaza South. The Information Station is located in the hallway going from the Bistro to the Gift Shop, BMO Bank, the Poetry Nook, and the Fitness Center. The Battery Recycling station (we currently collect about 60 pounds of batteries per month) is located in that same area.

There is a page in Touchtown under Alerts called “Where can I Find It” that even tells where all of the public bathrooms are located on Campus.

Cynthia and I have lived here nearly four years, and this last location we discovered just a few weeks ago. Did you know we have a Mothers’ Room right outside the Rec Center? This is where nursing mothers can get a bit of privacy. This is a room that Beatitudes Residents will probably not need, but visitors and staff might need it.

Take a look around. Explore. Keep expanding your mind. Stay healthy and happy.

– 430 words

2023 Sept 29 Roadrunner – Submitted Sept 25

I got an unpleasant surprise last Saturday. I ordered groceries online and had them delivered through the Welcome Center main door. At 4:45 in the afternoon, I stood helplessly at the north door, and waved at the delivery person who was standing outside the south door. I had forgotten that the hours had recently been cut back a bit. The Welcome Center doors are opened Monday through Friday from 7 am until 7 pm. On weekends and holidays the hours are 8 am until 4:30 pm. Everything worked out OK, but I certainly won’t do THAT again.

Good news though! We’ve taken steps toward updating obsolete information on Touchtown. As part of that effort, the Telephone Directory is now available under the Alerts icon.

For those of you without Touchtown, we are working on getting music put back on Channel 1-1. Those of you who have been here for awhile may remember the days when you could turn on the TV and have nice background music playing while you found out what was happening on Campus.

– 176 words

2023 Sept 22 Roadrunner – Submitted Sept 19

The Communications Committee met Sept 13 and discussed the internet outages. The outages also affected our internal broadcasts and channels. The outages have been resolved, and the system now tests faster than before the outage.

We also discussed the successful six-year tenure of Bill Chase as the coordinator for the Communications Committee. He asked, and I accepted, to serve as coordinator for the next duration.

One of the resulting changes is this article. Maybe not every week, but there will frequently be an article to update you on the status of Communications Systems here at Beatitudes. Look for our new colorful logo above each article.

– 105 words