Issue number one hundred and fifty-seven (January 2014) from the WorldU3A Service, sent on the first of every month to U3A members anywhere in the world.

Feel free to copy any or all of this information in your newsletters.
 Please send items of possible interest to the editor, Tom Holloway.


English Lit Groups - shock horror!: Surely you didn't ever believe that our dearest Jane Austen would somehow be spared being 'sexed-up'? A quick comparison of BBC's Mansfield Park, 1983, and Mansfield Park 1999 should have cured you of that. But wait: there is more to come. You'd better believe it dude.... Watch all 100 episodes of the above if you dare.

Actually, your editor watched quite a lot of them, and found that maybe someone hid the cutting-room scissors and later episodes were a great improvement. So having come to scoff he found that he stayed to admire, and even to enjoy; indeed, your editor (a serious P and P fan) finds himself recommending that you give it a whirl... >>>

Why not drop in on our current WorldU3A teleconference project U3Aforum - the next session is at 9am UK time (7pm Brisbane time) on Sunday 5th of January. To learn more click here >>>
Researchers to test effectiveness of heart drug to reduce the pain of osteoarthritis

Arthritis Research UK-funded researchers believe that a £1 a week heart drug could be effective in relieving the pain of osteoarthritis of the knee. See http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/

From U3A Online: Older adults needed for research on educational and cultural travel experience

Research by Lintje Sie at the School of Tourism, University of Queensland is investigating motivations, preferred tour attributes, and experiences of Australian travellers who participate in educational and cultural package tours both domestically and internationally.

This study invites people aged 50 years and older, who live in Australia and have participated in at least one domestic or overseas educational and cultural travel (special interest packaged tour) in the last 12 months. Interviews will be conducted through face to face or telephone or skype/facetime. Each interview is expected to last approximately 30 - 45 minutes.

If you would be interested in taking part in this study or would like more information, or know anyone else who might be suitable, please contact Ms Lintje Sie at l.siehoyonosie1@uq.edu.au or phone (04) 811 66489.

This study has ethical clearance from The University of Queensland. Please contact Associate Professor Ian Patterson, the Ethics Officer of the School of Tourism, at 61-7-3381-1324 or ian.patterson@uq.edu.au, if you have any queries about the research.

U3A Local Group Officers: Do you have a First Aider appointed? If not it might be useful (and wise) to make such an appointment -- and the free guidance on this website, although not the last word in proficiency, could be useful. Or if you have done a first aid course and want to remind yourself, or simply want to read about cpr or first aid then here’s a handy few pages to browse over.


The Senior Citizens Bureau of Chennai - led by their Chairman Capt. Dr. M. Singaraja - Met with Inspector Thiru R. Shibu Kumar of Chennai Police to discuss matters relating to implementing Maintenance Act, which specifies the legal obligations for Hindus properly to maintain elderly aged relatives.

Also he brought to his notice situations where the life, safety & security of Senior Citizens, Children & Women are at risk. For a full report on this please click here >>>
What to do if you lose your phone: An excellent article reprinted from U3A Online GEMS. But before your phone is lost or stolen there are steps you can take to make recovering it or rendering it useless to a thief easier.

First, set a screen password or short PIN. It’s a pain but so is pausing to unlock the front door of your home.

Next, make sure your phone is configured in advance to use the recovery options in Android Device Manager or Find My iPhone.

Ex-pat Brits: A commercial service, but one that may be welcome to those of us living abroad. Their website has a handy chat-panel with a real human online.

"British Corner Shop® is the online supermarket for British Expats. Shop for all your British groceries from our range of 8,000 products. We deliver your order to your home anywhere in the world. Whether you miss PG Tips or Fray Bentos pies, you can buy all your favourite British food online.

The BCS service is ideal for British people living or working abroad. Many British food items are simply not available to buy in other countries, and are greatly missed. Heinz Baked Beans, Marmite, Cadbury Chocolate and good tea are just a few examples".


U3A Online: A complete GEMs Archive - Rick Swindell's newsletter - pdf printouts of all prior editions can be found at www.u3aonline.org.au

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