LK's Grab Bag

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Tuesday, February 17th:

Presidents’ Day Salute……. 1801 – My hero Thomas Jefferson defeats Aaron Burr for the Presidency

Tuesday Blog Review:

Mi madre, Barbara, correctly identified last week’s trivia questions first as Jimmy Durante, Lon Chaney, Sr. and Mark Spitz. And, like all good mothers, corrected me… the photo I included for #2 was actually Lon Chaney, Jr….. so sue me.

Tuesday Presidents’ Day Trivia Quiz:

1. Jefferson is famous for having a long-time affair with one of his slaves, an affair which produced several illegitimate children. What was this woman’s name?

Sally Hemmings 

Sally Jennings

Sally Johnson 

Sally Hemmingway

2. Although Thomas Jefferson eventually wrote the Declaration of Independence, who did he think was better qualified for the job?

John Hancock

Patrick Henry

George Washington

John Adams

3. Thomas Jefferson is the founder of which college?

Yale

College of William and Mary

University of Virginia

Harvard

4. How did Thomas Jefferson’s wife die?

Pneumonia

Stroke

Horse accident

Complications from childbirth

5. Thomas Jefferson held three elected offices during his lifetime. What were they?

Governor, Vice-President and President

Governor, Senator and President

President, Senator and Congressman

President, Vice-President and Senator

6. Jefferson also held many un-elected but prominent positions in society. One of these was a position as a Cabinet member. Which Cabinet post did Jefferson fill?

Attorney General

Secretary of the Treasury

Secretary of State

Secretary of Defense

7. Why did Thomas Jefferson resign as George Washington’s Secretary of State?

He supported the French Revolution

He moved to France

He insulted the President

He became ill and was forced to return to Monticello

8. Besides outliving his wife, how many of Jefferson’s children died before their father?

4

0

5

2

Tuesday Nutrition Tips:

WHY BUY ORGANIC – PART I (NEXT WEEK, PART II): REASONS WE MAY NOT HAVE CONSIDERED

Most of us probably think that organic means we get less of the stuff that’s bad for us — like pesticides. But organic foods may have more of the good stuff, too. Recent findings are showing another very important reason to consider “organic” when buying food. Here’s the Real Age doctors’ opinion:

The Good Stuff That’s in Organics

Yep, more and more research is showing that fruits and veggies sustainably or organically grown have higher levels of disease-fighting phenols to offer than traditionally farmed produce. 

Phenolic Preservation

Organic produce may cost a bit more. But here’s what you could be getting for the money: In a study, corn grown with little or no pesticides had almost 60 percent higher levels of phenols than conventionally grown corn. Strawberries were nearly 20 percent higher in phenols, and marionberries also had greater amounts. Researchers suspect that pesticide use somehow inhibits the formation of these powerful disease fighters. Find out which 10 foods may help detox your body. 

Stretch That Produce Dollar

Get more out of your produce dollar with these nutrition boosters:

• Steam your greens. Boiling, sauteing, or roasting can rob your veggies of vital nutrients.
• Drizzle on it. A little olive oil on broccoli or string beans not only adds flavor but also helps your body absorb the vitamins and minerals. Here’s more amazing news on olive oil.
• Make some spaghetti sauce. Cooking a tomato actually boosts its level of healthful lycopene. Here’s another organic product with extra lycopene.
• Put away the peeler. Skins have antioxidants aplenty. Skins can also harbor pesticides. So check out this list of the most polluted veggies to learn when going organic may make the most sense.

 

Tuesday Nutrition Tip #2:

Secret resource “Q” (might be the same as James Bond’s Q…. I’ll never tell) sent this site to me… proof that now they may have thought about everything. If you are a healthy cereal-plus antioxidant fan (and cereal can have meaningful places in a healthy diet… but all by itself at breakfast is not among them), this site will crunch your granola…

Me and Goji

Tuesday Brain Game:

OK…. if nothing else, this quiz (and it changes each time you play) will make you pity your teenager who is slugging through Chemistry, Calculus or Physics… and the questions aren’t even (comparatively) that hard. The Science Game

Tuesday Fascination:

Every Tuesday Matters:

Forgot to include an “Every Monday Matters” installment last week, so here are 2 entries from this site of weekly suggestions of simple things to do that make a difference….

Get Rid of Junk Mail!

FACTS

• Junk mail deliveries surpass the number of U.S. Postal Service 1st-class mail.
  
• Even though 44% of all junk mail is discarded without being opened, people will still spend 8 months of their lives opening junk mail.
  
• Only 2% of junk mail gets a response.
  
• Over $350 million taxpayer dollars are spent annually to dispose of junk mail that does not get recycled.
  
• 100 million trees are needed to produce the annual supply of bulk mail—that’s the equivalent of deforesting the entire Rocky Mountain National Park every four months.
  
• 5.6 million tons of catalogs and other direct mail advertisements end up in landfills annually.
  
• The average person receives only 1.5 personal letters each week compared to 10.8 pieces of junk mail—that’s over 500 pieces of junk mail per person per year.
  
• Paper will take up 48% of our landfills by 2010.
  

TAKE ACTION TODAY

• Write “Please do not rent or sell my name” next to your name whenever you enter a contest, make a purchase or donation, join a buyer’s club, order a product by mail, subscribe to a magazine, or return a warranty card.
  
• Call the customer service number of the company or organization that is sending you unwanted mail and ask to be removed from its list.
  
• Remove your name from several national mailing lists through the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service. You can register online or by mail. This service is available only to residential addresses, and your request is honored for five years.
        
  • Eliminate unwanted catalogs.
    
  • Reduce your mail of catalogs and remove your name off of some prospect mailing lists. (Requires a $1.00 fee.)
    
  • Prevent public disclosure of student directory information.
    
  • Remove the names of deceased individuals from marketing lists. (Requires a $1.00 fee.)
    
  • Remove the names of individuals in the care of Caregivers from commercial marketing lists
    
• Contact major consumer credit bureaus to have your name removed from mailing lists used for credit offers.
  
• Opt out of prescreened, preapproved, or prequalified offers of credit and insurance. You have two choices: you can opt out of receiving them for five years or opt out of receiving them permanently.
  
• Stop calls from telemarketers for five years through the National Do Not Call Registry by calling toll-free from your home phone 888.382.1222 or TTY 866.290.4236.
  

YOU MATTER

You receive more junk mail than regular 1st-class mail every year. By decreasing your junk mail, you’ll save trees, save waste, decrease pollution, save time, and save the mail carrier’s back because he or she won’t have to deliver mail that you don’t read anyway.

AND THE SECOND “MATTER” IS >>>>>

Please Write a Letter to a Military Hero 🙂

FACTS

• There are approximately 2.1 million active and reserve men and women in the U.S. military.
  
• Hundreds of thousands of American troops are deployed indefinitely in remote parts of the world, including the Middle East, Afghanistan, Africa, the Korean Peninsula, and on ships throughout international waters.
  
• U.S. service members are deployed for long periods of time. They love receiving good wishes and words of appreciation and support, even from total strangers.
  
• The most requested item by military men and women is a letter.
  

TAKE ACTION TODAY

• Select a soldier you know or one who is related to someone you know.
  
• If you don’t know a soldier, ask a friend, fellow student, co-worker, pastor, or military chaplain to help you make a connection. Make sure they provide proper mailing instructions.
  
• Grab some paper, an envelope, and a pen.
  
• Write a letter from your heart that expresses your gratitude, shows your support, and provides encouragement. Share a little bit about yourself as well as ask questions about the person you’re writing. Avoid such topics as death, killing, and politics.
        
  • Send a free postcard to soldier.
    
  • Send an email to soldier.
    
  • Send mail to an anonymous soldier.
    
  • Donate a book to a soldier.
    
• Include your e-mail or mailing address in case the recipient wants to write back. You could even include a self-addressed envelope.
  
• Send the letter.
  

YOU MATTER

Our military protects our nation’s freedom, and, regardless of your political affiliation and whether or not you believe in war, these brave men and women need to know that we appreciate their sacrifices and service. With a simple card or letter, you can brighten the day of a soldier who is overseas ensuring your freedom. Your letter might be the only thing that makes that soldier smile that day.

Tuesday Funny Stuff:

Thanks to my sis Tally for this one….. It just makes so much sense…..