Keeping it Simple (KISBYTO)

Monday, November 26, 2012

November is Native American Heritage Month

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By Diane Forrest

As I was preparing for this article, I seem to recall someone mentioning there was some Native American blood in my family. I called my aunt to verify this information. She had also heard this story, but was not sure about its origin. She did however inform me that she had belonged to a tribe when she was in college. They had tribes at Mississippi College, where she attended, instead of Sororities.

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There were officially 562 federally recognized tribes in the United States. They covered every state in the country. This means there is a good possibility that you may have some Native American in your ancestry as well.

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I live down the road from the Natchez Indian Village. Every year they host a Powwow. This area was once home to the Natchez Indians, and they are no longer in existence. All that remains is the village, signs of their homes and burial grounds. My uncle, who is a former history teacher, has become quite interested in the Natchez Indian tribe, and is currently researching more about them. I love the culture, and history and the stories from their civilization, and when the other tribes come to the village for the powwow, I can hear their drums beating when I sit on the porch. Each dance they perform has a certain meaning, and each beat of the drum has a different message.

To view the tribes that have settled in your current state, view this site: http://www.native-languages.org/states.htm

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The list of Native Americans in Mississippi include:

The Biloxi tribe
The Chickasaw tribe
The Choctaw tribe
The Houma tribe
The Natchez tribe
The Ofo tribe
The Quapaw tribe
The Tunica tribe

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My aunt suggested that we have some of the Biloxi tribe in our family, however she had no confirmation. After preparing for this article, it has peaked my curiosity, and I told her I would do some more research in this area. November is Native American Heritage month, so if your curiosity has been peaked, ask your family members if you have any ties, or check out some online genealogy sites such as ansestry.com and learn about what tribe you could be associated.

November is National Epilepsy Month

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By Nurse Diane

A friend of mine owns a bowling center and holds a weekly league for senior adults. A few weeks ago, one of the members began to suffer a seizure, and the people around him were uneducated on what to do, or how to help. Most people who have never seen a seizure do not know how to respond, however, waiting until one occurs is not the time to learn.

Epilepsy affects 2.2 million people according to the Center for Disease Control. That number is climbing among the elderly baby boomer generation. The causes of epilepsy are not readily identifiable. There are many factors that can result in someone having a seizure. Some of these include:

Brain trauma
Infections
Tumors
Stroke
Alzheimer’s

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Epilepsy is normally controlled with medication. However, if you happen to be in an area and a seizure attack happens, here are the precautions you need to know:

Keep calm and reassure other people who may be nearby.
Don't hold the person down or try to stop his movements.
Time the seizure with your watch.
Clear the area around the person of anything hard or sharp.
Loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make breathing difficult.
Put something flat and soft, like a folded jacket, under the head.
Turn him or her gently onto one side. This will help keep the airway clear. Do not try to force the mouth open with any hard implement or with fingers. It is not true that a person having a seizure can swallow his tongue. Efforts to hold the tongue down can cause injury.
Don't attempt artificial respiration except in the unlikely event that a person does not start breathing again after the seizure has stopped.
Stay with the person until the seizure ends naturally.
Be friendly and reassuring as consciousness returns.
Offer to call a taxi, friend or relative to help the person get home if he seems confused or unable to get home by himself.

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November is National Epilepsy Month - for more information, and ways you can help with Awareness, or studies, visit this site: http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Cyber Monday

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By Terry Orr

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What is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is a marketing term for the Monday after Black Friday, the Friday following Thanksgiving in the United States, created by companies to persuade people to shop online. The term made its debut on November 28, 2005 in a Shop.org press release entitled "'Cyber Monday' Quickly Becoming One of the Biggest Online Shopping Days of the Year." (Source: Wikipedia)

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Cyber Monday Online Sales

Source: comScore, Inc.

Day	Year	Sales (millions US$)	% Change
November 27	2006	$610	N/A
November 26	2007	$730	20%
December 1	2008	$846	16%
November 30	2009	$887	5%
November 29	2010	$1,028	16%
November 28	2011	$1,251	22%

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Sitting here at my desk on Sunday evening, Sunday Night Football on the TV, trying to find the best deal on a few items for the Christmas – and Sears website is not working properly (sad face). One of my pet peeves is companies failing to do their due diligence in preparing for big events. Home Depot has the two items I’m looking for and can deliver and install them next week – where as Sears will that at least 34 days – and is more expensive.

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One word of caution as there are some rotten eggs out there trying to steal your identity and money – shop at known companies.

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Good luck and hope you find lots of good deals!

National Historic Bridges Awareness Month

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By Terry Orr

Bridges and the design and construction thereof have always interested me from you earliest memories. I can remember some of those old, one lane, wooden, rickety bridges that I said two prayers – one before crossing and one afterwards. I can remember a couple bridges so high – to down would my breath away. Remember the one in the Seattle area that swayed with the wind. In the country side throughout America – crossing those many bridges of all sorts of construction and conditions – covered, uncovered, without guard rails – some with railroad tracks down the middle (nightmare or two about those) and those that have tunnels connected to them. Ever been stuck in a traffic jam inside a tunnel? If so, you are aware of the mind games that one can play. And the last one I remember – was while crossing the country in the winter between Cheyenne and Larimer WY in a blizzard – looking ahead saw this bridge with black ice – driving probably way too fast - too the foot of the gas and coasted across and thanking the man above.

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London Bridge is broken down,

Falling down, falling down.

London Bridge is falling down,

My fair lady.

Build it up with wood and clay,

Wood and clay, wood and clay,

Build it up with wood and clay,

My fair lady.

Wood and clay will wash away,

Wash away, wash away,

Wood and clay will wash away,

My fair lady.

Build it up with bricks and mortar,

Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar,

Build it up with bricks and mortar,

My fair lady.

Bricks and mortar will not stay,

Will not stay, will not stay,

Bricks and mortar will not stay,

My fair lady.

Build it up with iron and steel,

Iron and steel, iron and steel,

Build it up with iron and steel,

My fair lady.

Iron and steel will bend and bow,

Bend and bow, bend and bow,

Iron and steel will bend and bow,

My fair lady.

Build it up with silver and gold,

Silver and gold, silver and gold,

Build it up with silver and gold,

My fair lady.

Silver and gold will be stolen away,

Stolen away, stolen away,

Silver and gold will be stolen away,

My fair lady.

Set a man to watch all night,

Watch all night, watch all night,

Set a man to watch all night,

My fair lady.

Suppose the man should fall asleep,

Fall asleep, fall asleep,

Suppose the man should fall asleep?

My fair lady.

Give him a pipe to smoke all night,

Smoke all night, smoke all night,

Give him a pipe to smoke all night,

My fair lady.

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This is one of the oldest surviving structures across the Potomac at Washington. The present bridge was built in 1901. A series of steel plate girders and a central truss structure mark the bridge. It carries railroad traffic between Virginia and Washington and is part of the northeast corridor for Amtrak passenger service.

Huey p. Long Bridge
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This bridge crosses the Mississippi River from the East bank of Jefferson Parish to the West Bank in Bridge City.

White's Bridge
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White's bridge is the eastern-most of three Brown-truss covered bridges near the M-21 highway between Grand Rapids and Ionia.

It is the oldest covered bridge still in use in Michigan. Built in 1869. Whites Bridge crosses the Flat River in Keene Township, Ionia County. The floor is 14 feet wide and 116.5 feet long. All of the truss members and dimension lumber are hand hewn and secured with wooden pegs. The sheeting and roof boards are fastened to the rafters with hand cut nails. The sheeting and roof boards are fastened to the rafters with hand cut nails. The abutments are made of local fieldstone. It is among the area's best-known 19th century structures.

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China has unveiled the world’s longest sea bridge, which stretches a massive 26.4 miles – five miles further than the distance between Dover and Calais and longer than a marathon.