Diabetes Assn. Holds Black Education Fair
Diabetes is the third leading cause of death among blacks nationwide, according to the American Diabetes Assn. The association estimates that there may be more than 100,000 blacks in Los Angeles that have diabetes but are not aware of it.
In order to help people recognize the symptoms of diabetes, its impact and ways to treat it, the diabetes association is sponsoring the first Blacks and Diabetes Awareness Fair on Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Centinela Park in Inglewood.
The daylong event will include free diabetes risk assessments, eye and foot screenings, blood pressure checks and cholesterol testing. Diabetic products and services will also be on exhibit. Call (213) 381-3639.
MARINE SCIENCE
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is offering a trip aboard the research vessel Vantuna to observe the marine life of Southern California on Oct. 7 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Museum naturalists will assist participants in identifying and learning about the sea birds and marine mammals seen throughout the day. Call (213) 744-3342.
A little farther north, the Sea Center of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History will be sponsoring a trip to Point Conception aboard the vessel Spirit on Oct. 7. Naturalists from the museum will introduce visitors to the marine life and environment of the area. The boat will depart from Santa Barbara at 8 a.m. and return about 5 p.m. Call (805) 963-1067.
HEALTH
The American Lung Assn. of Los Angeles County is offering a two-day workshop Oct. 16 and 18 for people interested in conducting the group’s Freedom From Smoking program. The workshop is designed to train participants in leading the program in the community. Deadline for registration is Oct. 1. Call (213) 935-5864, Ext. 227.
USC psychologist Joan McDowd will discuss the effects of aging on the attention span and the claim that older adults are more easily distracted than young adults in a lecture at USC’s Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, Room 224, on Oct. 5 at noon. Call (213) 743-2916.
PALEONTOLOGY
The Desert Studies Center of Cal State San Bernardino is offering a class in paleontological research methods Oct. 20-22. Class members will learn techniques needed to remove, clean and prepare fossils by participating in a project being conducted by geologists and paleontologists from the San Bernardino County Museum. Participants will camp near the site. Families with children over 12 are welcome. Registration deadline is Oct. 6. Call (714) 880-5975.
Fossils of dinosaurs, flying reptiles and mammal-like reptiles are some of the 42 specimens on display from the People’s Republic of China in “From the Land of Dragons,” now at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The exhibit will continue through Oct. 15. Call (213) 744-3466.
NATURAL SCIENCE
The Foundation for Field Research, a nonprofit organization that facilitates research expeditions throughout the world, has space available on several upcoming projects, including a study of tropical forest evolution in Australia in November and a search for the quetzal, a rare bird from the cloud forests of Chiapas, Mexico, in early 1990. Volunteers provide physical and financial support for the projects. There will be a meeting at the Travel Gallery in Manhattan Beach on Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. concerning these and other projects. Call (619) 445-9264.
ASTRONOMY
Saturn and the autumn night sky will be the subjects of the Moorpark College Astronomy program at the Charles Temple Observatory on campus, Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m. Call (805) 378-1408.
