October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

By Diane Forrest, RN

Think Pink!

What do you think of when you see a pink ribbon or hear the name Susan G. Komen?  I don't know about you, but I think of breast cancer.  In fact the people who are on this team could do some serious advertising for all sorts of things.   The pink ribbon is as famous as the M for McDonalds, the Colonel for KFC, and the little dog for Taco Bell.  The current motto for breast cancer awareness is "Race for a Cure".  So who is Susan G. Komen?

Susan Goodman, later Susan Goodman Komen, was born in 1943 in Peoria, Illinois, and was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33. She died three years later, at the age of 36, in 1980. Komen's younger sister, Nancy Goodman Brinker, who felt that Susan's outcome might have been better if patients knew more about cancer and its treatment, made a promise to her sister that she would do everything she could to end breast cancer. To fulfill that promise, Brinker founded the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in Komen's memory in 1982.

Their philosophy is to educate the population.  The majority of the donations raised goes to education.  In my opinion with all the information that is available, it may be time to redirect some of those fund into the research of breast cancer to actually find a cure, however, since Im not in charge, and nobody asked for my opinion, I will do what I can to continue to make you aware of breast Cancer, because in case you don't know by now, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

You may think that this is only for the ladies, but men can also get breast cancer.  Today I would like to teach you how to perform a self-breast exam.  These should be performed every month, and a annual mammogram each year by the age of 40.  However, if there is a history of breast cancer in your family, you may want to start earlier.  You can perform the self-breast exam at any age, but check with your doctor to see when to begin mammograms.

To perform a self-breast exam the first thing to do is pick a date.  Your exams will need to be performed at the same time each month.  Pick a date that is easy to remember, some suggest using your birthday date, or any number that is familiar.

• Next, they need to be performed after showering.
• Lay flat on your bed, place one arm under your head.
• With your free hand, place your first three fingers on your breast, at the areola.
• Press down, and in a circular motion, move your fingers around the areola.
• When that area has been inspected, continue to inch down your breast, inspecting in the same fashion, until you reach the base of your breast, against your chest.
• When the breast has been inspected, check under the arm for the lymph nodes.
• Repeat this process with the other side.

After examining both breasts, with your thumb and forefinger, squeeze the nipple to observe any fluid that may be discharged.

During this procedure, if you notice any lumps or nodules stop palpating and make arrangements to see your doctor.  Some other signs of breast cancer include:

• Any new, hard lump or thickening in any part of the breast
• Change in breast size or shape
• Dimpling or puckering of the skin
• Swelling, redness or warmth that does not go away
• Pain in one spot that does not vary with your monthly cycle
• Pulling in of the nipple
• Nipple discharge that starts suddenly and appears only in one breast
• An itchy, sore or scaling area on one nipple

Finding a lump or change in your breast does not necessarily mean you have breast cancer.  However, these need to be checked by a physician as soon as possible.

For more information visit this site:  http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/AboutUs.html

9/30 Remember to Register to Vote Week

By Diane Forrest - US Citizen

In case you have been living in a cave for the past year, you may not know that voting season is upon us.  There have been many complaints from unsatisfied citizens about how our country is being ruled.  Luckily, we live in a democracy.  This means if you don't like how things are going, you have the power to change things by using your right to vote.  Now some people don't use this right.  They say, my vote won't count, or I don’t like anyone who is running for this office, I don't have time, or I will be out of town.  Being able to vote has not always been the easy process it is today.  I would like to share with you the history of voting:

When the Constitution was written, only white male property owners (about 10 to 16 percent of the nation's population) had the vote. Over the past two centuries, though, the term "government by the people" has become a reality. During the early 1800s, states gradually dropped property requirements for voting. Later, groups that had been excluded previously gained the right to vote. Other reforms made the process fairer and easier.

1790

1790 Only white male adult property-owners have the right to vote.

1800

1810

1810 Last religious prerequisite for voting is eliminated.

1820

1840

1850 Property ownership and tax requirements eliminated by 1850. Almost all adult white males could vote.

1855 Connecticut adopts the nation's first literacy test for voting. Massachusetts follows suit in 1857. The tests were implemented to discriminate against Irish-Catholic immigrants.

1860

1870 The 15th Amendment is passed. It gives former slaves the right to vote and protects the voting rights of adult male citizens of any race.

1880

1889 Florida adopts a poll tax. Ten other southern states will implement poll taxes.

1890 Mississippi adopts a literacy test to keep African Americans from voting. Numerous other states—not just in the south—also establish literacy tests. However, the tests also exclude many whites from voting. To get around this, states add grandfather clauses that allow those who could vote before 1870, or their descendants, to vote regardless of literacy or tax qualifications.

1900

1910

1913 The 17th Amendment calls for members of the U.S. Senate to be elected directly by the people instead of State Legislatures.

1915 Oklahoma was the last state to append a grandfather clause to its literacy requirement (1910). In Guinn v. United States the Supreme Court rules that the clause is in conflict with the 15th Amendment, thereby outlawing literacy tests for federal elections.

1920

1920 The 19th Amendment guarantees women's suffrage.

1924 Indian Citizenship Act grants all Native Americans the rights of citizenship, including the right to vote in federal elections.

1930

1940

1944 The Supreme Court outlaws "white primaries" in Smith v. Allwright (Texas). In Texas, and other states, primaries were conducted by private associations, which, by definion, could exclude whomever they chose. The Court declares the nomination process to be a public process bound by the terms of 15th Amendment.

1950

1957 The first law to implement the 15th amendment, the Civil Rights Act, is passed. The Act set up the Civil Rights Commission—among its duties is to investigate voter discrimination.

1960

1960 In Gomillion v. Lightfoot (Alabama) the Court outlaws "gerrymandering."

1961 The 23rd Amendment allows voters of the District of Columbia to participate in presidential elections.

1964 The 24th Amendment bans the poll tax as a requirement for voting in federal elections.

1965 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., mounts a voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama, to draw national attention to African-American voting rights.

1965 The Voting Rights Act protects the rights of minority voters and eliminates voting barriers such as the literacy test. The Act is expanded and renewed in 1970, 1975, and 1982.

1966 The Supreme Court, in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, eliminates the poll tax as a qualification for voting in any election. A poll tax was still in use in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia.

1966 The Court upholds the Voting Rights Act in South Carolina v. Katzenbach.

1970

1970 Literacy requirements are banned for five years by the 1970 renewal of the Voting Rights Act. At the time, eighteen states still have a literacy requirement in place. In Oregon v. Mitchell, the Court upholds the ban on literacy tests, which is made permanent in 1975. Judge Hugo Black, writing the court's opinion, cited the "long history of the discriminatory use of literacy tests to disenfranchise voters on account of their race" as the reason for their decision.

1971 The 26th amendment sets the minimum voting age at 18.

1972 In Dunn v. Blumstein, the Supreme Court declares that lengthy residence requirements for voting in state and local elections is unconstitutional and suggests that 30 days is an ample period.

1980

1990

1995 The Federal "Motor Voter Law" takes effect, making it easier to register to vote.

2000

2003 Federal Voting Standards and Procedures Act requires states to streamline registration, voting, and other election procedures.

Read more: U.S. Voting Rights http://www.infoplease.com/timelines/voting.html#ixzz1Ygd2LmEX

As you can see, originally, only 10 to 16% of the nation's population had the right to vote.  In the past 220 years there have been many changes (amendments) made to the constitution that allows nearly all citizens the right to vote.   These changes were not made easily or overnight.  People fought and died for their right to vote.  When I think about what those people went through just to be able to vote in an election, and then the young people of today who don't even care about voting, I really get frustrated.

I was thrilled to be able to register to vote, One of the first things I did on my 18th birthday was to go to the courthouse to register.  I just couldn’t imagine everyone not going to register on their birthday.  I am reminded of the song in Mary Poppins where Mrs. Banks, the mother of the two children, is fighting for Women's right to vote.  In the song she sings..." Our daughter's daughters will adore us."  Since women were given the right to vote in 1920, I guess that song means me!

I am so thankful that these women, who went through so much, fought for my right to go to the poles and cast my vote for someone I thought would be the best person for the job.

If you have recently moved, or never got around to registering to vote, now is your chance.  You have the right to make a change in our country, so go register today and make it happen.

Questions - all those silly and stupid questions

By Diane Forrest,

How many times have you heard 'There are no stupid questions"?  Well today is ask a stupid question day, but if there are no stupid questions, then this will be a hard task to accomplish.  However, if you listen to my dad, he will tell you "ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer."

The roots of this special day goes back to the 1980's. At the time, there was a movement by teachers to try to get kids to ask more questions in the classroom. Kids sometimes hold back, fearing their question is stupid, and asking it will result in ridicule. Teachers created this day on September 28, If it fell on a weekend, they would celebrate it on the last day of the month.

As I was thinking about this day...the first thing that came to mind was Bill Engval.  He has become famous with his "Here's your sign" routine.  This came about because people asked stupid questions and they were awarded a "stupid" sign.  Here are a few he has told:

We're in the process of remodeling our house; we've been doing it for a while now. And we have the painters in, putting sheets up around the furniture, you know? And we have a piano, just a regular, up against the wall piano. One of the painters said to me, "Is that y'all's piano?" I said, "Nah, that's our coffee table, it just has buckteeth!" Here's your sign!

I go to the flow'r feller, and get her flow'rs, and a card. And he asks me what this is for. And I tell him my grandma just passed away, hundred and four years old. And he says, "Ooh, a hundred and four? How'd she die?" How'd she die; she's a hundred and four! She wrecked her Harley up there at BikeWeek! Here's your sign!

My son, when he was six years old, was going to fly by himself from Dallas to Austin, to spend a week with his grandparents. I'm putting him on the plane; his grandmother is going to take him off the plane. And the woman who I was buying the ticket from asks, "Is there going to be anyone in Austin to pick him up when he gets off the plane?" Nope, I'm gonna pin a twenty dollar bill to his collar and wish him the best of luck! Here's your sign!

The best one I've seen yet happened in Los Angeles, California. I got stuck behind a big rig that wedged his trailer up underneath an overpass and me and the trucker are waiting on the side of the road on the tow truck driver. Well, the highway patrolman pulls up and looks at the guy's rig and he looks at the trucker and I'm thinking, "Oh, Dear God, he can't say it," 'cause I'll start laughing. Sure enough, he goes, "You get your truck stuck?" And God bless this trucker, without missing a beat, he goes: "Nope. I was delivering that overpass and I ran out of gas. Here's your sign."

Here are some more stupid questions:

When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say

"Is this chicken what I have, or is this fish? I know it's tuna but it says Chicken, by the Sea," the very brainy Jessica Simpson asked then husband Nick Lachey on their reality show "Newlyweds."

"So, where's the Cannes Film Festival being held this year?" a geographically challenged Christina Aguilera reportedly asked.

Do fish get thirsty?

How does a thermos know whether a drink should be hot or cold?

If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors? For that matter, why is it called 7-11?

Ok, I could go on and on, but you get the idea.  So today, on Ask a stupid question day, go ahead and ask away, I promise not to laugh!  Send us one of your favorite "stupid questions"

Confucius

By Akindman

Like most folks, Confucius Says has always taken in a humorist vein and today after some research, find that we missing the real significance of what Confucius Says really should be about.

Confucius' principles had a basis in common Chinese tradition and belief. He championed strong familial loyalty, ancestor worship, respect of elders by their children (and, according to later interpreters, of husbands by their wives), and the family as a basis for an ideal government. He expressed the well-known principle, "Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself", one of the earlier versions of the Golden Rule.

Although Confucianism is often followed in a religious manner by the Chinese, arguments continue over whether it is a religion. Confucianism discusses elements of the afterlife and views concerning Heaven, but it is relatively unconcerned with some spiritual matters often considered essential to religious thought, such as the nature of the soul.

One of the deepest teachings of Confucius may have been the superiority of personal exemplification over explicit rules of behavior. His moral teachings emphasized self-cultivation, emulation of moral exemplars, and the attainment of skilled judgment rather than knowledge of rules, Confucius's ethics may be considered a type of virtue ethics. His teachings rarely rely on reasoned argument, and ethical ideals and methods are conveyed more indirectly, through allusions, innuendo, and even tautology. This is why his teachings need to be examined and put into proper context in order to be understood.

A good example is found in this famous anecdote: When the stables were burnt down, on returning from court, Confucius said, 'Was anyone hurt?' He did not ask about the horses.

The passage conveys the lesson that by not asking about the horses, Confucius demonstrated that a sage values human beings over property; readers of this lesson are led to reflect on whether their response would follow Confucius's, and to pursue ethical self-improvement if it would not. Confucius, an exemplar of human excellence, serves as the ultimate model, rather than a deity or a universally true set of abstract principles. For these reasons, according to many Eastern and Western commentators, Confucius's teaching may be considered a Chinese example of humanism.

One of his most famous teaching was the Golden Rule (in the positive form) and Silver Rule (in the negative form):

"What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others."

"Is there any one word that could guide a person throughout life?"

The Master replied: "How about 'shu' [reciprocity]: never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself?"

Confucius' political thought is based upon his ethical thought. He argues that the best government is one that rules through "rites" (lǐ) and people's natural morality, rather than by using bribery and coercion. He explained that this is one of the most important analects: "If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame. If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of the shame, and moreover will become good."

(Found this information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius - excellent gathering of data and a good read for those who are interested.)

For the fans who are looking for the jokes ‘Confucius Says’ – please Google and you’ll find about six millions hits.  Enjoy!

Help Prevent and Control Rabies

By Diane Forrest, RN

September 28 is World Rabies Day, a global health observance that seeks to raise awareness about rabies and enhance prevention and control efforts. World Rabies Day has been celebrated in countries throughout the world, including the U.S.

World Rabies Day is an excellent time to take steps that can help prevent and control rabies, such as vaccinating pets including dogs and cats and providing education on how to avoid the animals that typically transmit rabies: raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes.

Rabies is a deadly viral infection that is mainly spread by infected animals, human rabies have been linked to bats and raccoons.  There have been no reports of rabies caused by dog bites in the United States for a number of years due to widespread animal vaccination.  The actual time between infection and when you get sick (called the "incubation period") ranges from 10 days - 7 years. The average incubation period is 3 - 7 weeks.

Symptoms of Rabies:

• Anxiety, stress, and tension
• Drooling
• Convulsions
• Exaggerated sensation at the bite site
• Excitability
• Loss of feeling in an area of the body
• Loss of muscle function
• Low-grade fever (102 degrees F or lower)
• Muscle spasms
• Numbness and tingling
• Pain at the site of the bite
• Restlessness
• Swallowing difficulty (drinking causes spasms of the voicebox)
•  

Tests:

• If an animal bites you, try to gather as much information about the animal as possible. Call your local animal control authorities to safely capture the animal. If rabies is suspected, the animal will be watched for signs of rabies.
• A special test called immunofluorescence is used to look at the brain tissue after an animal is dead. This test can reveal whether or not the animal had rabies.

Treatment:

• Clean the wound well with soap and water, and seek professional medical help. You'll need a doctor to thoroughly clean the wound and remove any foreign objects. Most of the time, stitches should not be used for animal bite wounds.
• If there is any risk of rabies, you will be given a series of a preventive vaccine. This is generally given in 5 doses over 28 days.
• Most patients also receive a treatment called human rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG). This is given the day the bite occurred.

Prevention:

• To help prevent rabies:
• Avoid contact with animals you don't know.
• Get vaccinated if you work in a high-risk occupation or travel to countries with a high rate of rabies.
• Make sure your pets receive the proper immunizations. Dogs and cats should get rabies vaccines by 4 months of age, followed by a booster shot 1 year later, and another one every 1 or 3 years, depending on the type of vaccine used.
• Follow quarantine regulations on importing dogs and other mammals in disease-free countries.

For more information click on this site:  http://www.cdc.gov/worldrabiesday/

Today is National Women's Health and Fitness Day - 9/28

By Diane Forrest, RN

This is the largest national health promotion day for women. Similar in concept to the successful National Senior Health & Fitness Day, over 100,000 women of all ages will participate in events at more than 1,400 local registered event sites throughout the U.S. — on the same day. The event's goal: to promote the importance of health awareness and regular physical activity for women of all ages.

Local health and fitness activities will vary widely based on the organizations hosting the events and the interests of local women in these communities. Activities will be noncompetitive and may include walking events, exercise demonstrations, health screenings, and health information workshops.

The goal of this event is to encourage women to take control of their health: to learn the facts they need to make smart health choices, and to make time for regular physical activity.

Because of its grassroots nature, the event provides an excellent opportunity for local organizations to showcase the health-related programs and services they offer to women in their communities.

Why don’t you check your area and see if they have some activities going on today and learn how to be fit and healthy for National Women's health and fitness day

For more information check here:  http://www.fitnessday.com/

National Good Neighbor Day

By Diane Forrest,

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,

A beautiful day for a neighbor,

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?

It's a neighborly day in this beautywood,

A neighborly day for a beauty,

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?

I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you,

I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

So let's make the most of this beautiful day,

Since we're together, we might as well say,

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?

Won't you be my neighbor?

Won't you please,

Won't you please,

Please won't you be my neighbor?

Mr. Rogers

That's right boys and girls, its National Good Neighbor day.  I was researching for this article and came across an Old Dutch Proverb that says "A good neighbor is better than a distant friend". 

Having a good neighbor is a wonderful and fortunate thing.  As a frequent watcher of Judge Judy, I have seen many neighbors go to court over various claims.  Things such as dog bites, property damage, someone even cut down their neighbor's tree.

Since there isn't a lot written on this matter, I would like to tell you about my neighbor.  He is a fine gentleman at the young age of 85.  He is a widower and is like the neighborhood watcher. 

He keeps an eye on other's homes, collects their mail and papers when they are out of town, and when he's not watching the neighborhood, he walks 5 or more miles a day, with his bag and garbage stick, and picks up the trash he sees along the road. 

When my husband became bedridden he would pick up my paper and throw it up to the porch, and bring up my trash cans on trash day.   When my yard was destroyed after my sewage line collapsed, he dug up some sections of grass from his yard...and placed them in mine so it would take root and grow.  He does things daily, but never makes a show out of it, and asks for nothing in return.

He was sick earlier in the year; I know this because my paper wasn't on my porch as usual.  I would drop by and check on him, bring him meals and cook the occasional banana bread or cookies until he was up and at it again.  Personally I think it was an incentive to get well just to keep me from cooking for him!

It is always comforting to know that when you are away from home someone is there to watch over your home to make sure things are safe from disasters.

So today, on good neighbor day, take a few minutes and visit a neighbor, see if they need assistance with anything, or take some cookies.  It's not hard to be a good neighbor, and very rewarding when you have a good neighbor.

Interesting insight:

Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was an American educator, Presbyterian minister, songwriter, and television host. Rogers was most famous for creating and hosting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968–2001) that featured his gentle, soft-spoken personality and directness to his audiences.

Initially educated to be a minister, Rogers was displeased with the way television addressed children and made an effort to change this when he began to write for and perform on local Pittsburgh area shows dedicated to youth. The Public Broadcasting System developed his own nationally aired show in 1968 and over the course of three decades on television, he became an indelible American icon of children's entertainment and education, as well as a symbol of compassion, patience, and morality. He was also known for his advocacy of various public causes. He testified to the U.S. Supreme Court on time shifting; and he gave now-famous testimony to a U.S. Senate committee, advocating government funding for children's television.

Weekend Graveside

Greetings fellow readers – received this email this morning and wanted to share these images with you.  Next time I’m in Santa Barbara, I am going to ensure to see this beach. ~Akindman

(This has not been verified)

"Got this email from a friend and wondered if it was true, so emailed our daughter-in-law, who grew up in Santa Barbara, and here is her reply:

Yes, they do this…it is very moving, sad.  Chris"

Santa Barbara

This first picture and the last picture are taken at the beach in Santa Barbara right next to the pier.

There is a veterans group that started putting a cross and candle for every death in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The amazing this is that they only do it on the weekends.  They put up this graveyard and take it down every weekend.  

Guys sleep in the sand next to it and keep watch over it at night so nobody messes with it.

Every cross has the name, rank and D.O.B and D.O.D on it.

Very moving! Very powerful!  So many young volunteers!  So many 30 to 40 year olds as well.

Amazing!

Did you know that the ACLU has filed a suit to have all military cross-shaped headstones removed? That they filed another suit to end prayer from the military completely?  They’re making great progress.

The Navy Chaplains can no longer mention Jesus’ name in prayer thanks to the ACLU and our new administration.

Keep forwarding this email to others. I’m not breaking this one. I’m that you not break it either.

14 Most Outdated Pieces of Baby Advice

Good morning folks,

Found this article on Yahoo this morning and wanted to share it with you.

Parenting Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Much of yesterday's baby wisdom has been proven untrue today. We checked in with Parents advisor Ari Brown, M.D., author of Baby 411, to get the scoop on why these old-school parenting facts have become fiction.

By Amanda First

1. Myth: Infants need to be bathed every day.
2. Myth: Babies sleep best in a room that's silent and dark.
3. Myth: When infants are running a high temperature, rub them down with alcohol to lower their fever.
4. Myth: Letting your little one stand or bounce in your lap can cause bowlegs later on.
5. Myth: Listening to classical music will raise your baby's IQ.
6. Myth: Let your baby cry it out; if you pick her up whenever she's wailing, you'll spoil her.
7. Myth: Babies should be woken up in the night to have a wet diaper changed.
8. Myth: It's dangerous to immunize your infant if he has a cold or a low-grade fever.
9. Myth: Never apply sunscreen to an infant under 6 months of age.
10. Myth: During the first month of a baby's life, it's critical that all baby bottles and nipples be sterilized.
11. Myth: The safest way to put an infant to sleep is on her stomach.
12. Myth: Putting rice cereal in your infant's bottle will help him sleep.
13. Myth: It's critical to keep your baby on a strict feeding schedule.
14. Myth: Infants need hard-soled shoes to protect their delicate toes and keep their feet properly aligned.

Link: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/14-most-outdated-pieces-of-baby-advice-2554194/

Ancestor Appreciation Day

By Diane Forrest,

Who are you and where did you come from?  The people from your past help to mold the person you have become.  That's why today is Ancestor Appreciation Day.

I have never done a search for my ancestors, but I have done a living history.  I have questioned family members, taken notes and even taped them (this was before videos)  I have learned that one of my relatives was Abraham Lincoln's first Vice President, Hannible Hamlin.  I learned that one of my husband's relatives was Nathan Bedford Forrest.  I have had several relatives who had buildings named after them at a state university.  I have had family members who have been instrumental in starting churches, and have had rooms dedicated to them.  I have learned that many men in my family served our country in every war.  There have been farmers to lawyers, engineers to nurses. Each of these people laid the ground work for who I am.  They inspired me to become educated, religious and active in my community.

I have included a picture of my husband next to his great- great- grandfather, who was also named David.  I colored in the beard and added some glasses and showed my husband how much he looked like his ancestor.  We also get many of our physical traits and genetics from our ancestors.

Today, why don’t you interview your ancestors and get as much information as you can from them.  Write it down, they have some wonderful books on amazon to write down family stories and records.  Pass these stories down to future generations to keep, learn from and enjoy.

To discover more of your family history check out Ancestry.com here: http://www.ancestry.com/home/lo/index?version=a&o_xid=21837&o_lid=21837&o_sch=Search

National Chocolate Milk Day

By Diane Forrest,

I bet you thought I forgot about chocolate huh?  Well not hardly!  Today is National Chocolate Milk Day...a great day to celebrate.  Chocolate milk was invented back in the late 1680's by a man named  Hans Sloane.  Today you can buy it premixed or make it at home with either a powder or syrup.  There are many different brands to choose from and can be served either hot or cold.    When it begins to spoil it give the odor of coffee.

Chocolate milk has been given a bad rap lately in the school system.  Some have banned the drink from their schools insisting that it leads to childhood obesity.  Well you can imagine the trouble this stirred up.  Kids stopped drinking milk all together, parents complained. They also received letters and petitions from a slew of nutritionists and influential special interest groups.  Thankfully reformulated chocolate milk was introduced to the cafeterias and almost everyone was happy once again. 

Personally, I can tell you Chocolate milk is the only milk I drink.  I can't drink regular milk, can't think about regular milk...can't watch someone else drink it, and Im even having a hard time writing the words.  If I didn’t have chocolate milk, I would never get my calcium and vitamin D requirements. 

So today, on National Chocolate Milk Day, celebrate by having an ice cold one!

Potpourri

Johnny Appleseed (September 26, 1774 – March 18, 1845), born John Chapman, was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. He became an American legend while still alive, largely because of his kind and generous ways, his great leadership in conservation, and the symbolic importance he attributed to apples.

Celebrate National Comic Book Day with your favorite superhero or villain

If you love superheroes or masked men wearing tight tights, and who doesn’t, you’re in luck! So move over Batman and hold onto that cape, Superman - September 25th is National Comic Book Day!   Not to be confused with FREE Comic Book Day which is held on the first Saturday in May, this annual holiday is a day dedicated to the millions of comic book lovers across America.  

While the origins of this national holiday are unknown, comic books provide an imaginary journey with amazing characters.   Whether you love vile villains, out-of-this world aliens, incredible creatures or crusaders in spandex, comic books are just plain fun and have been around for decades. It is believed Superman was the first superhero to enter the comic book scene back in 1938. 

Comic Book Resources

• Marvel – This is the official website of more than 5,000 characters including Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men, Captain America and Iron Man. http://marvel.com/
• Comic Book Movies – Launched in 2002, Comic Book Movies (CBM) provides a plethora of information and news about movies that bring comic book characters to the screen. http://www.comicbookmovie.com/
• Grand Comics Database – This non-profit organization provides information on printed comic publications around the world.  More than 350,000 covers have been uploaded to the site. http://www.comics.org/
•  

It’s National Checkers Day – Game on!

September 23 is National Checkers Day.  If you are thinking about adopting a pet from your local animal shelter, look for a spotted one and name him or her Checkers.  Or why not dust off the old checkers board and play a game or two with the kids or your significant other?   If you don’t happen to have a game at home, why not try your hand at a free game of online checkers?  You can also play a match or two against others online as well.