Not only is May Sustainability Month, it is also Bike Safety Month! Follow BAL-4 & B-T as they learn about reusable bike tires.
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Party Ideas For Your Next Dinner Party
May 10, 2012 By
Tired of the same old couples’ dinner? Next time you invite your favorite people over for a gathering at home at Fort Story Family Housing, why not try something new instead of the usual dinner and dessert formula.
Foreign Cuisine
Pick a country to inspire your food, music, and decor. Ask friends to bring a dish from that region, so you all can enjoy a variety of options. Select music and place settings that also reflect the theme – for example set the table with brightly colored plates and platters, put on some mariachi music and ask guests to each bring a Mexican appetizer, side dish, or dessert!
Wine Tasting
If you and your friends enjoy sampling wines, try hosting a wine tasting. Ask each guest to bring a bottle, and then cover the labels with numbers. Give everyone a note pad so they can take notes and rank each bottle, and then reveal the labels at the end of the evening. For food, put out a simple cheese platter and some gourmet chocolates to enjoy with the deeper reds, and you’re good to go!
Appetizers Only
If cooking a full meal leaves you stressed and unable to enjoy your own party, try hosting an “appetizer only” party instead. Ask friends to bring their favorite finger food or bite-sized dessert and put everything out at once so people can nosh. And, if you focus on finger foods – you won’t have any utensils to wash afterwards!
Movie Night
Everyone loves a good old-fashioned movie night, so why not invite your friends over for food and a film? It’s fun to theme the cuisine around the movie, so if you’re watching The Godfather make a hearty lasagna and enjoy cannolis for dessert as you settle in to watch this classic film.
BAL-4 & B-T Learn to Pack a Waste-Free Lunch
May 7, 2012 By
Dealing With Spring Allergies
May 3, 2012 By
Spring is here at Fort Story Family Housing! Of couse, nothing can ruin a perfect spring day like those first signs of allergies. If you're like millions of other Americans, you may know them well – itchy eyes, a sneeze or two and you know soon enough you’ll be miserable. Try these tips to nip allergies in the bud.
Keep it clean
You can’t control pollen outside, but you can at least keep your house as free of pollen as possible. To prevent allergens from invading your home, wash bedding weekly in hot water, clean and vacuum regularly, and step up your air filter changes in air conditioners and your furnace during allergy season.
Talk to your doctor
There are medications with mild to nonexistent side effects that help tame seasonal allergies before they start. If your allergies are affecting your quality of life, make an appointment with your doctor to see if there is a prescription that is right for you.
Change clothes and shower after spending time outdoors
Pollen can accumulate on clothing and in hair, so limit your exposure by getting rid of it as soon as you come inside. You should also bathe pets who spend time outside more frequently.
Reduce clutter
Less clutter means fewer places for dust, mold and allergies to hide. Try to limit hiding places like carpets throw rugs, and regularly vacuum and wash any rugs you do have.
Wear a mask and gloves when cleaning
While a clean house will make you feel much better, the process of cleaning can throw allergens into the air and aggravate your symptoms. Protect yourself while you clean with a face mask and gloves.
Schedule around high pollen times
Pollen counts are highest outside in the late morning and early afternoon. Try to plan your day to avoid being outside at these times.
May is Sustainability Month: Follow BAL-4 & B-T as They Learn to Make a Difference
May 1, 2012 By
Balfour Beatty has declared May as Sustainability Month. Throughout the month, employees across all our offices will be learning about ways they can implement sustainable behaviors and practices in the office, at home and throughout the greater community. Sustainability is a collective responsibility. We encourage you to follow BAL-4 and B-T each month to learn about ways you too can make a difference.
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Five Women Who Changed History
April 26, 2012 By
With the celebration of Women’s History Month, public awareness of women’s accomplishments over the ages will be at an all-time high. Highlighted below are five women who made their mark on the world and continue to provide inspiration for all people to this day:
Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1811 – 1896
Harriet Beecher Stowe impacted the world through her work as an advocate for a slavery-free society. Her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin became a major work of literature in the anti-slavery movement, helping to popularize and define the movement’s central beliefs.
Mary Wollstonecraft, 1759 – 1797
Mary Wollstonecraft is famous for having written A Vindication of the Rights of Women, a touchstone work in the early feminist movement. The tract made a powerful and compelling argument for increasing the human and political rights of women. Her efforts to improve women’s lives made her a pioneer in the battle for female suffrage.
Rosa Parks, 1913 – 2005
Rosa Parks is a woman who proved how a single brave action can reverberate through the world with positive effects. She was an African-American civil rights activist who rose to fame when she refused to give up her bus seat for a white passenger. Her courage and conviction sparked the history-making Montgomery Bus Boycott, and she became an iconic figure in the struggle against racial segregation.
Harriet Tubman, 1820 – 1913
Harriet Tubman started out as a slave and ended up as a celebrated figure in the abolitionist movement. Working with the Underground Railroad, a network of antislavery activists, she rescued a large number of slaves. She also participated as a Union spy during the American Civil War and was the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war (which freed over 700 slaves). Later in her life she also became a major activist in the women’s suffrage movement.
Amelia Earhart, 1897-1937
Amelia Earhart was a renowned pioneer in the field of aviation. She became the first woman to be awarded the coveted U.S Distinguished Flying Cross, which she received for having flown solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She also set numerous flight records, wrote best-selling books, championed women’s rights, and provided a positive and highly public role model for girls and women everywhere.
Film Noir Classics that You Must See
April 12, 2012 By
If you’re in the mood for a richly atmospheric movie with mystery, intrigue, and indelible cinematography, why not opt to see a film noir? Hollywood’s classic era of film noir, which extended from the 1940s through the 1950s, produced a number of unforgettable cinematic works. Here are five must-see film noir picks:
The Maltese Falcon
This Humphrey Bogart classic is often considered the first and most quintessential movie in the film noir genre. The movie tells the story of a private detective who becomes enmeshed in a series of events involving crime, murder, unexpected turns of fortune, and, of course, a femme fatale.
Double Indemnity
This twist-and-turn filled film tells the story of an insurance agent who get involved with murder because of a femme fatale. The movie is packed with striking imagery, dramatic tension, and plot surprises as the characters continually betray, charm, and double-cross each other. Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck star.
Sunset Boulevard
This celebrated Billy Wilder film explores the fading stardom of a former silent-film star named Norma Desmond (played by Gloria Swanson). When Norma hires a screenwriter (played by William Holden) to pen a comeback vehicle for her, a series of dark and unexpected events unfold. The movie offers a powerful and dark look at human ambition and the aging process.
Chinatown
This Roman Polanski film was made after the dominant decades of film noir classics in Hollywood but it is still considered an important contribution to the genre. The movie stars Jack Nicholson as a private detective in the midst of investigating an adultery case. In the process, he becomes enmeshed in a complicated series of events that include murder. Faye Dunaway and John Huston also star.
Touch Of Evil
This noir classic, directed by the renowned Orson Welles, explores the story of a Mexican drug cop and his wife as they honeymoon on the border of the United States and Mexico. When a bomb interrupts their romantic getaway, the couple find themselves involved in a dense web of surprise, deception, and adventure. Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh star.
Not Alone Program for Military Families Affected by War
April 9, 2012 By
We would like to take the time to familiarize our residents with a helpful program that supports military families whose lives are affected by war. Not Alone, a non-profit organization, aims to “empower warriors and their families in their life after war.”
Not Alone provides many different avenues for receiving anonymous and confidential support at no cost, including:
- eGroups
- Training
- Workshops
- Personal Clinical Care for anything including post-traumatic stress disorder, clinical depression, and medical management
- Forums/Discussion Boards
- Social Networks
- Retreats for warriors and for spouses
- eClinic
Not Alone hosts weekly online groups for spouses on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Caregiver/Spouse Support Groups are held on Wednesday nights. The first Wednesday of every month is an open topic, with the rest of the Wednesdays dedicated to our series, 7 Lives of Military wives. Thursdays are Trench Talk, an open forum discussion revolving around deployment cycle issues.
To enter the group, go to http://notalone.webex.com
Under the "Today" tab, join the session up to 30 minutes before start time.
Wednesday password: "spouses"
Thursday password: "trenchtalk"
Are you unsure whether or not you should seek support? To determine your stress and anxiety levels, take Not Alone’s free Stress Assessment Test.
If you’re looking for immediate assistance, please contact the Not Alone eClinic, a 24/7 hotline at 1-866-781-8010.
For further information about Not Alone, visit their website at: http://notalone.com. You can also follow Not Alone on Facebook and Twitter.
Great Beach Reads
April 5, 2012 By
It may not fee like it now, but before you know it, summer will be here. If you love lounging on the beach with a great book in hand, you might enjoy one of these non-traditional beach books. They're all sure to entertain:
The Beach by Alex Garland
This thrilling adventure follows a backpacker as he seeks out a legendary beach in Thailand. In the search for and discovery of this incredible Eden, danger is always lurking around the corner. Man's tendency to corrupt the sanctuaries he seeks unleashes a grim, sometimes shocking reality.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Beautifully contemplative and passionately written by Milan Kundera, this masterpiece is a wonderful novel to discover on the beach. It's easy philosophizing and bittersweet romance make a great match for ocean breezes and long, sunny afternoons.
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Inspired by real events, Shantaram is a thrilling tale of crime, love, and redemption in the streets of Mumbai. After escaping from prison in Australia, Lindsay finds himself in India, where his adventure takes him deep into the slums, high up in the world of crime, and fighting on battlefields both real and figurative in this page-turner.
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
If you like comedic reads, this book is for you. A wildly funny and inventive satire, this novel is full of inventive storytelling and memorable characters. The loose plot centers on Dwayne Hoover, a car salesman who starts to think that the fiction of his favorite writer is actually the truth.
