2006-2007 Programs

Explore the many wonders of our Southeast Coast – from Virginia Beach to Key West; and yes, with John’s famous humor to boot! See where the Wright Brothers first took flight in the Outer Banks, discover the diverse wild life of the Georgian salt marshes, and scuba dive with the sharks in the Keys!

More than 30 years after the end of the war in Vietnam, Buddy Hatton takes us there to see the beautiful French colonial homes and modern skyscrapers of Hanoi and the hustle’n’bustle of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Enjoy a cruise on the Perfume River and the beautiful beaches of Nha Trang.

These ancient kingdoms have always been closely related – from their colorful past of Viking explorers, traders and raiders, to their peaceful prosperity of today. Come and enjoy the fun of Tivoli in Copenhagen and the midnight sun in Lapland. Experience the long summer days and warm hospitality of these lands of the north.

Built as transportation for Great Britain’s industrial revolution, canals now form “gentle highways” for holiday boaters. Board a narrow boat in Nantwich. Visit Llangollen in Wales. Traverse the River Dee on a high aqueduct. See London from Regent’s Canal. And sail Scotland’s Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness to Inverness.

Board the legendary Queen Elizabeth 2 for a luxurious cruise to many ports in the orient. We weigh anchor in Sidney Australia and sail for the exotic islands of Bali and Brunei. Then it’s off to see sights in the Philippines, China, Japan and many more ports of call.

Who hasn’t dreamed of sailing off to Fiji. But what is it really like? Rick Howard takes us to these Pacific islands for a real encounter with their friendly people and unforgettable sights: yes, the palm trees swaying on the white sandy beaches…but so much more!

Take a musical tour through this land of jazz, bayous, ante-bellum plantations, cypress trees, Spanish moss and poetry. Because of Monty and Marsha Brown’s musical backgrounds we are treated to the lively music indigenous to this area as we travel to many interesting places in this great state.

A seven-week trek across Russia from St. Petersburg and Moscow to the Kamchatka wilderness reveals the varied landscapes, turbulent history and fascinating peoples of this vast land. Journey the full length of the Trans-Siberian railroad and points beyond…it will be an experience you won’t forget!

Professor Burger will review highlights of archeological discoveries in Machu Picchu contained in the book “Machu Picchu, Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas” which was published in 2004. He is co-editor of the book with his wife Dr. Lucy Salazar-Burger who is also an archeologist. This book is the most substantial reevaluation of the site since Yale University Professor Hiram Bingham discovered it in 1911. Bingham’s discovery was very important in putting Inca archeology on the map but he was untrained in archeology and he did not conduct systematic excavations and rigorous analysis.. If time permits, Professor Burger will discuss several controversies regarding Machu Picchu, including who should be considered the discoverer of the site and the complex issue of cultural patrimony.

Professor Burger is the Charles J. MacCurdy Professor of Anthropology and a curator at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University. After graduating from Yale he completed his doctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley and became a member of the Yale Faculty in 1981. He served as chair of the Anthropology department from 1990 to 1994 and then became the director of the Peabody Museum in 1995, a position that he held for eight years. An archeologist specializing in the Central Andes, Burger has carried out research in Peru for more than three decades. He has served as Chair of the Senior Fellows of Pre-Columbian Studies at Dumbartan Oaks in Washington, DC and is currently the President of the Institute of Andean Research. He has written numerous books and articles on South American prehistory and organized a major exhibition on Machu Picchu at the Peabody Museum that was seen by over a million visitors and traveled from New Haven to Los Angles, Pittsburg, Denver, Houston, Tulsa and Chicago in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

There are many specific nutritional measures that healthy older individuals can take to preserve and improve their health. Even if past nutritional and lifestyle practices were not optimal, much can be done to reduce future risk of chronic disease and disability even when started late in life. The first challenge is to recognize and address the profound changes in body composition that occur with aging. Even without a change in body weight, older individuals tend to accumulate relatively more body fat and less lean body mass, i.e., muscle and bone. With a gain in body weight, which usually occurs, these changes are exaggerated. Since muscle tissue has a much higher metabolic rate than fat tissue, older individuals generally develop lower metabolic rates. To avoid excess weight gain, older individuals must make major restrictions in caloric intake and increases in energy expenditure. Women have similar changes in body composition to those in men, with changes becoming more prominent at menopause.

Exercise improves body composition among healthy elderly, both by reducing fat mass and by increasing bone and muscle mass, thereby helping to restore metabolic rates. In men and women 65 years of age and older taking calcium and vitamin D supplements for three years, the rate of bone loss slowed and incidence of non-vertebral fractures was reduced. Several population studies of older people show that following nutritional and lifestyle guidelines for cancer prevention reduces risk by about one-third. Improving serum lipid levels in adults over 65 years of age with coronary artery disease decreases risk of future cardiac events by as much as 45%. Furthermore, the greatest benefit from control of hypertension is in older individuals. Thus, there are many ways in which nutrition can prevent major categories of chronic disease and thereby promote health and vigor when initiated at a later age.

Dr. Rivlin is Director of Anne Fisher Nutrition Center, Strang Cancer Research Laboratory and Professor of Medicine at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York city. He received both his A.B. degree in Biochemical Sciences and M.D. degree from Harvard. He is Past President of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition. and holds key positions in various other health and aging related national organizations. He is a compassionate , distinguished scientist and educator who has published extensively, and has received many awards and honors for (a) his pioneering research in vitamin metabolism and nutrition in cancer prevention (b)national leadership in clinical nutrition and (c)innovative approaches to nutrition/medical education.

Straddling the equator, the volcanic islands of the Galapagos archipelago bake in the tropical sun, yet they manage to support cold-water species, such as penguins. The key to this geographical paradox is the deep underwater transport of cold, nutrient-rich waters that upwell when they reach the Galapagos. In El Nino years the surface sea temperatures rise above normal, a situation that causes a cascade of ecological dominos to fall, revealing the intimate biological and physical connections between the land and the sea. This ever-shifting ecological relationship may explain, in part, why the Galapagos have become famous as a “living laboratory” of evolution in the wild. We will examine the unusual animals on land and in the sea, discuss the ecological consequences of sea surface temperatures, and review the latest evolutionary research on the islands. We will also consider theoretical issues related to the study of evolution in general, and why the Galapagos have taken on such importance in that regard.

Dr. Long is Professor of Biology and Cognitive Science at Vassar College. He completed his Ph.D. in 1991 from the Zoology Department at Duke University. His current research examines the evolution of early vertebrates and the origins of major locomotor adaptations. It is being carried out in collaboration with Lafayette College, Shriners Hospital for Children, University of California, University of North Carolina, Nekton Research and Duke University. He has published and lectured extensively on his research. He is a member of several scientific societies including the International Society of Vertebrate Morphology, Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, Society of Oceanic Engineering, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society.

Visit the glamorous playland of the rich and famous as we travel to Monaco, Nice, and Cannes. Stan Walsh also takes us to lesser known spots like the Var Valley, the hidden villages of Entrevaux and Eze, and the Maritime Alps, as well as Napoleon’s home of Corsica.

Travel by Landcruiser and horse cart to “the top of the world” where singing and laughter ring through the mountains and valleys of Tibet. Explore mysterious Buddhist monasteries and join thousands of pilgrims on a holy Kora while learning about the history and traditions of this fascinating country.

Everyone said it couldn’t be done and all who tried, died…till Lucky Lindy. Relive Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 historic “seat-of-his pants” transatlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis: From his hands-on custom design work of his plane at the Ryan aircraft factory in San Diego to the cheering throngs in Paris.

View our largest state through the eyes of the travelog master, Dale Johnson. Visit a quaint Eskimo village just 60 miles from Russia, as well as Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. On your way to Prudhoe Bay, drive by the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But watch out for the moose and grizzlies!