Volume 11 | August 12, 2020

The Heyman Interages®Center is a program of JCA® - Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington.

THE INTERAGES CONNECTOR STAYING CONNECTED WHILE STAYING HOME

Staying in Touch Hello JCA Interages Volunteers, We are already in the last month of summer. Summer is filled with loud thunderstorms and crickets. Sounds usually surround us with families and friends gathered. But, this summer there are no crowds cheering at sporting events. Children are playing at home rather than in the neighborhoods, and there are no large concert halls filled with audiences listening to Beethoven. We do have quietude. For those with children at home, it could mean a moment for coffee. It could mean a picnic outside with family or time to garden. As we move into fall, online school will fill with the sound of children. There will be homework to do.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Coffee Clubs [held twice a month] Tuesday, August 18th, 2020 @ 2:00 pm. Register here. Meet with Interages staff members via Zoom. We would love to talk with you and learn about your volunteer experience, your ideas for programming, and ideas partnering with other organizations.

Let's Stay Healthy and Safe

Random Packages of Seeds from China May be Part of Scam, Officials Say The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) released new information Tuesday about unsolicited deliveries of seeds from China. In a statement, the USDA said the situation seems to be a scam to deliver unsolicited products in order to fake customer reviews. ****************************** Montgomery County's COVID policies are closer to returning to more restrictions than toward Phase III, officials said during a media briefing July 30. For more details, click here. ************************* Dogs can develop mask phobia. Dogs rely on non-verbal communication from humans. Some react to a masked face.

Some vendors sell masks with a transparent panel. At least one such mask has cleared the FDA as being "substantially equivalent" to a medical-grade surgical mask for hospitals and other front-line users. The transparent panel makes it possible for hearing-impaired individuals to read lips, while also allowing people to see the wearer's facial expressions better. Although clear plastic face shields might seem like an obvious alternative, they are open at the bottom and not recommended by the CDC "for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for cloth face coverings." ********************** Ride On buses are offering water to riders throughout the heatwave. In addition, multiple buses are available for people to cool down in if cooling centers become too crowded.

Let's Vote

Governor Hogan has decided that the 2020 November General Election will be held as a "normal" in-person election. Vote By Mail ballots WILL NOT automatically be mailed to all active registered voters, as was done for the June 2 Primary Election. You must apply for an absentee/mail-in ballot, online here (you will need a Maryland driver's license or MVA-issued ID card); or by printing, completing and mailing the application here. Your application must be received (not just postmarked) by October 20, 2020. The ballot itself will need to be postmarked on or before General Election day, November 3, 2020. For more information, visit the Maryland Board of Elections webpage.

Just 4 Fun

Let's Laugh Here is a funny French ad for toilet paper (very little French spoken): Paper is not dead. 

 Let’s Be Creative Bridge games are taking off online.  If you would like to play, click here.    ************************ MyModernMet offers 75 drawing ideas for all ages and skill levels. Click here.

Let's Enjoy Culture We hope you enjoy this fun and unique version of Swan Lake Bath Ballet performed by elite dancers from around the world and filmed remotely.

THE STUNNING AUGUST NIGHT SKY The epic "cosmic triangle" of the waxing crescent moon, star cluster the Pleiades, and the planet Venus in the night Canadian sky. Image Credits | Source: NASA APOD August hosts one of the year's most active meteor showers. To see a dazzling show, watch the dark night sky. Here is more information on the meteor showers.  At NASA's Spot the Station webpage, you can sign up to receive email or text alerts when the International Space Station will be flying over your location. On the webpage, identify your location and scroll down to register. You will be sent a code by email or text to complete registration. "Shoot for the stars. But if you happen to miss, shoot for the moon instead." Neil Armstrong.

“It’s always worthwhile to make others aware of their worth.” – Malcolm Forbes

For your convenience, past issues of the JCA Interages Connector are available on the JCA Interages website.

JCA Interages Staff Indira Dingledine – Volunteer Manager, idingledine@accessjca.org Kathleen Dennis – Senior Program Director, kdennis@accessjca.org Rachel Lanman – Program Coordinator, rlanman@accessjca.org Veronica Penaranda - Program Coordinator, veronica.penaranda@accessjca.org Phyllis Solomon - Program Coordinator, psolomon@accessjca.org

Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington "Jewish Council for the Aging", "JCA", "Helping All Seniors Thrive" and "Interages" are registered trademarks of the Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington, Inc. Visit us at AccessJCA.org.© 2020 Jewish Council for the Aging® All rights reserved.