McGruff – Choosing What To Watch

McGruff and Scruff
Sept. 26, 2009

In 1974, a neighborhood crime watch group was organized in South Dade County. Citizens met with their local law enforcement departments to ask what they could do to help the police apprehend a rapist terrorizing their community. From this first informal meeting, communities and law enforcement began to work together to keep neighborhoods safe and free from crime. An organization was formed, and Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County, Inc. (CCW) was registered as a 501(c) (3) non profit organization. Today, over 1,600 neighborhoods participate in the crime watch concept.

In 1979, the crime watch concept was introduced into the public school system at one school. Because it succeeded in curbing school crime, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) requested we, CCW, expand its student crime watch program from one school to include all public schools in the county. Since that time, Youth Crime Watch of Miami-Dade (YCW) has functioned as an allied program of the public schools.

Methodology The public school system contracts with YCW to educate and train students in violence and crime prevention strategies. Children also learn that good citizenship and personal responsibility include watching out for family, friends, schools and community. YCW maintains a presence in all M-DCPS.

The foundation of the YCW program is built upon a “school safety survey” which is administered at the school during the first few months of the school year. It asks respondents to rank their particular safety concerns – those issues which they believe have the potential to cause harm to themselves or their schoolmates. YCW students, student advisors, and our staff are then enlisted in the effort to resolve those issues impeding the safety, health, and education of young people. The results of the survey are prioritized and comprise the core content of the YCW program.

The YCW program is structured to teach leadership skills to students who volunteer to learn about school safety. While they learn how to keep themselves safe, they also learn public speaking, critical thinking, leadership, and other skills that will serve them into their adult lives. This, in turn, reinforces their self-esteem and promotes positive involvement, again curbing misbehavior, crime and violence in the school.

I’m McGruff the Crime Dog – world famous for my advice on how to stop crime before it happens, and for my great sense of humor. But seriously, my job is to help people, especially kids, learn how to be safe and make their neighborhood safer. Something else you should know about me is that I go all over the country to talk to people about how they can take a bite out of crime. So if you see me in your town, come on up and say hi. You can recognize me by my tan trench coat – I never go anywhere without it.

This here is my nephew Scruff. He helps me show kids how they can stay safe. Scruff’s a good pup but sometimes gets himself into a bit of trouble. Lucky for him he’s got a good memory – eventually he remembers the right thing to do to get out of trouble. Want to know more about me and Scruff?

You can read more about yours truly in the story How McGruff Became the Crime Dog, and you can read some of Scruff’s adventures in these comic books.  

Today we will talk about: Choosing What To Watch

 

Do you watch TV to relax? Most kids do. What some kids don’t think about is what the TV is actually saying to them. TV shows, movies, commercials, and video games all show us ways that people act and things that they do. It’s important to think carefully about what you watch though, so that it doesn’t change the way you act.

When you watch TV shows and movies, or play video games, watch out for violence, or people hurting other people. Violence on TV, where no one really gets hurt, is different from violence in real life. When people are violent in real life (such as when they’re acting like bullies), someone gets hurt. And not just one person—the violent person gets in trouble, the victim gets hurt, and everyone who cares about both people ends up sad, too. Part of being smart about how you watch is seeing the difference between TV and real life. When you watch TV with your family, talk about how what you see is different from reality, and what is left out on TV.

Once you have learned to see the difference between TV and real life, you’ll know when to change the channel or turn the TV off. Watching violence is bad for people. If what you’re watching or playing is violent, turn it off. Watch something else. Play outside. Sometimes it’s that simple to “Take A Bite Out Of Crime.”

Source: McGruff

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Chicken Pitas

 

by Melissa Keller
Sept. 26, 2009

 

Description
This is quick and easy and everyone loves it!

Ingredients

 
4 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
4 slices provolone cheese,
4 tbsp. Ranch dressing Hidden Valley,
4 slices of pita bread,
1-16 oz. bag of frozen pepper and onion stir fry

Directions

In a skillet, brown chicken strips in 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Next, add stir fry mixture until soft but still firm. While this is cooking, warm pita bread in microwave for 30 seconds with one slice of provolone on top of each piece. Top with chicken mixture and then with 1 Tbsp. of Ranch dressing and then fold up. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 10 Min
Cook Time: 10 Min
Total Time: 20 Min
Servings: 4

Source: Eversave

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Dealing With The Food Allergy Blues

By Alexander

Sept. 25, 2009

 

 

Dear Alexander,

(Q) Sometimes I feel sad because I have a food allergy, so I pretend to be happy. What can I do to feel better?

(A) Lots of kids feel sad sometimes about having a food allergy, but it’s important to remember that having a food allergy is part of what makes you unique. So keep your chin up. Don’t forget, there are over 12 million people in the United States who have food allergies, and 2 million of those are kids just like you.

Talk to your parents when you are feeling sad and let them know how you feel. Talking to them can help out a lot. Try keeping a journal of your feelings as this can help, too.

Positive thinking is the key.

Good luck!

Your friend,

 

Alexander the Elephant

Source: Food Allergy

 

Editor’s Note: The information above is not designed to take the place of a doctor’s instructions. Patients are urged to contact a doctor for specific information regarding guidelines for care.

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

You’re Making Your Child Fat

By Jennifer Gruenemay
Special to Lifescript
Sept. 27, 2009

Let’s face it: It’s tough to get kids to eat healthy foods when they’re screaming for fries or ice cream. But more than 12.5 million U.S. children are overweight and face chronic disease ahead. Are you setting your child up for trouble? Read on for the 10 biggest food mistakes parents make…

Today’s parents are up against the biggest food fight of any previous generation.

Everywhere you look, more junk foods and sugary drinks are available to our children, and there are more kid-targeted food commercials on TV.

“The No. 1 ‘vegetable’ the average 18-month-old consumes in the U.S. is French fries,” says Christina Schmidt, M.S., a certified nutrition educator and author of The Baby Bistro and The Toddler Bistro (Bull Publishing Co.).

What’s worse: Many parents don’t see a problem.

“Parents don’t get it,” says William H. Dietz, M.D., director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Only 42% of parents cite childhood obesity as a health concern, according to the 2007 National Poll on Children’s Health by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

Why?

Some don’t know the nutritional content of the food they serve. Others don’t want to be the “bad guy” and force fruits and veggies on finicky eaters.

Yet childhood obesity can shorten life expectancy by up to five years and lead to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, Dietz says.

A recent study in the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity also found that obese children with big bellies are at greater risk for future heart problems.

“Seventy percent of obese children today already have one cardiovascular risk factor, such as elevated blood pressure,” Dietz says.

What’s fueling this obesity epidemic? Not enough exercise, for one. Plus, too much face time with TVs and computers, which experts say are linked.

As a result of this media overload, children ask for foods they see in ads, Dietz says.

That’s why parents have to step in.

“No matter how strong outside influences are, what we do at home is stronger,” says Nancy Tringali Piho, author of My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus: Raising Children Who Love to Eat Everything (Bull Publishing Co.).

 

Here are 10 mistakes parents make when feeding kids:

 

1. Deferring authority.
“Don’t ask your child what he’d like to eat,” Dietz advises. They’ll say “gummy worms” or “ice cream.”

Instead, tell them what’s on the menu and that there will be no substitutions.

“Parents have to remember they’re parents,” says chef Ann Cooper, author of Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children (Collins Living). Your job is to provide nourishing foods; your child’s role is to eat them and reap the nutritional benefits.

 

2. Offering too many choices.
Making hot dogs for one kid, mac ‘n’ cheese for another and a “grown-up” meal for Mom and Dad will drive a home cook crazy.

“Parents shouldn’t be running short-order restaurants,” Cooper says. Plan one menu for the entire family.

But ask your children for their opinion. Broccoli or green beans? Or serve them both.

“Offering two or three choices of a fruit or vegetable encourages kids to try at least one of them,” says Baby Bistro author Schmidt.

 

3. Not setting limits.
The worst thing for a child is not knowing the limits or having ones that constantly change, Dietz says.

Every kid needs boundaries, so stand your ground when it comes to what your child eats. If on Monday you proclaim “no fast food,” don’t go to Burger King on Friday. It sends mixed messages and kids quickly pick up on that ambiguity.

Also, don’t set limits you can’t — and shouldn’t — keep, like banning all foods with sugar. There’s just no way around a little sweet stuff in a kid’s life — and there shouldn’t have to be.

Experts agree: “Everything in moderation.”

Even after you’ve set boundaries, expect them to be tested — repeatedly. Just stand your ground.

 

4. Underestimating kids’ willingness to eat an assortment.
“One mistake parents make is not exposing [their kids] to a wide variety of foods and flavors from an early age,” Tringali Piho says.

Start small and build on each success. Forgo the white-bread PB&J; offer up cucumber and hummus on whole wheat instead. Your kid’s taste buds might surprise you both.

Also, make learning about new chow a game. Let your children discover a new food – through books, the Internet or from friends. Then help them prepare it.

“Kids love to be hands-on with everything they’re learning,” Schmidt says. The more they’re involved, the more likely they are to eat happily.

 

5. Worrying they’ll go to bed hungry.
Hunger can be a persuasive learning tool. Next time your children refuse to eat what you’ve prepared, tell them: “The choices are to eat it now, later or nothing at all,” Schmidt says.

“Unless children learn that they’ll be hungry if they don’t eat, they won’t learn to eat what’s offered,” Dietz says.

If your children push away the food, be matter-of-fact about it, he says. Simply put the plate aside, so they can eat it later.

This may be harder on parents. It’s never fun to watch your children cry and scream. And you don’t want them to go to bed hungry.

But they’ll learn to make a better choice next time: I guess I’ll just eat the salmon patty. Hey, this tastes kind of good!

 

6. Making excuses for their eating habits.
“If kids are labeled as picky, they’ll act that way,” Schmidt says.

Instead, be persistent. Offer up the despised foods as many times and in as many forms as possible. Broccoli hater? Try it steamed, roasted, baked in a quiche, chopped up with a low-fat dip or served with veggie sticks.

 

7. Worrying that they’re not eating enough.
When a child has consumed only three graham crackers all day, it can drive a parent to force them to eat.

The strategy will backfire, Dietz says.

“There’s no quicker way to get a child not to eat than by forcing him or her to eat,” he says.

Even if your child has barely touched food all day, don’t worry.

“Children regulate their nutrition intake surprisingly well,” Schmidt says.

They learn to recognize their natural hunger and satiety cues. “Forcing them to eat destroys these healthy instincts.”

Children go through natural periods of eating very little or eating more than you’d expect. It’s normal and linked to their growth cycles. But if you’re concerned, talk to your pediatrician about whether a multivitamin will provide the nutrition they need.

 

8. Always disguising healthy foods.
Would you recognize zucchini if it showed up only in muffins or cookies? Sneaking extra veggies into prepared products isn’t bad, but it’s important to offer them in their natural state too.

“If we keep those green veggies under wraps all the time, children will never choose them in their true [form],” Schmidt says.

Get to the root of the situation – literally.

“If we want to change children’s relationship to food, we have to get kids involved in cooking, gardening and grocery shopping,” Cooper says.

Grow veggies in a garden pot or plot. Or go to a nearby you-pick-it farm. When children see where food comes from and help get it from farm to table, they’ll appreciate it more.

It helps instill a sense of ownership in what they’re eating – “I picked that strawberry!” or “I grew that tomato!”

 

9. Offering rewards or bribes for eating.
Bribery is another trick nearly every parent uses – but shouldn’t.

“Don’t reward children for eating foods they don’t like by giving them junk foods,” Dietz says. That means not dishing out ice cream because they’ve finished the spinach.

Sure, you’re enticing kids to eat the good stuff, but it will just make mealtime more difficult for you. Before long, they’ll be bribing you with, “I’ll only eat it if I can have a sno-cone!”

 

10. Giving up too soon.
“Parents need to repeatedly introduce new food before accepting that their child doesn’t like it,” Dietz says.

A scrunched-up face or barfing noise doesn’t mean game over.

“It takes eight to 15 times for a child to accept a new food,” Schmidt says.

Most parents give up after two or three tries.

Vary your approach and be creative with presentation, Schmidt suggests. Cut foods into fun shapes (like zucchini stars), make mini versions of their favorites or call foods by nicknames.

Finally, don’t expect good eating habits to be a piece of cake.

“‘Success’ is not defined as ‘no conflict,’” Tringali Piho says. “No one ever said it will be easy!” 

 

Are You Making Your Child Fat?
Are you in control of your child’s healthy eating habits, or could your parenting style be making your child fat? Take this quiz to find out.

Check out Health Bistro for more healthy food for thought. See what Lifescript editors are talking about and get the skinny on latest news. Share it with your friends (it’s free to sign up!), and bookmark it so you don’t miss a single juicy post!

Do you have a friend or family member who battled breast cancer? We want to feature your loved one on our site! Send a picture of your loved one to editorial@lifescript.com.

Source: Lifescript

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Spend Time With Kids – Make A Racket

By Family Fun
Sept. 27, 2009

These rubber band rackets can be used with almost any kind of ball, including a tennis, Wiffle, or beach ball. A foam one is ideal for smaller play areas.

 

 

 

 

 

CRAFT MATERIALS:

Plastic pipe

Rubber bands

Time needed: About 1 to 2 Hours

 

Assemble the head: Use a fine-tooth handsaw to cut the PVC pieces shown below (you’ll have a few inches of pipe left over). Using the diagram as a guide, join the pieces to make the racket head.

Add the handle: Squeeze some tacky glue inside the tee fitting, then insert one end of the 16-inch-long piece. Slide the pipe cap onto the bottom.

String the racket: To string the racket head, stretch 16 rubber bands around the square horizontally, then add 7 vertically on each side of the handle.

Go out and play: Play Pro Kadima style, go for distance records, or draw a chalk court in your driveway for blacktop tennis matches.

Source: Family Fun

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Water Balloon Catch

by Family Fun
Sept. 27, 2009

This wet and wacky game is as refreshing as a dip in the pool. On a hot day, even if you drop the ball, you’re still cool.

 

 

 

WHAT YOU NEED:

Gallon-size milk jugs (one for each player)

Tape

Ribbons

Water balloons

 

HOW TO PLAY:
1. Create the catchers by cutting the bottom off a gallon-size milk jug (one for each player), taping the cut edges, and decorating with ribbon, as shown.

2. Fill a bunch of water balloons to the size of a grapefruit.

3. See how many times you can toss the balloons without breaking them or how far you can catch and throw them.

Source: Family Fun

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Officer of the week – Police Officer Jerome M. Dominguez

Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us

Police Officer Jerome M. Dominguez
Shield 10003
ESS-3
1/11/2002

Police Officer Jerome M. Dominguez
Shield 10003
ESS-3

Jerome Domínguez had gone diving off the coast of Long Island with some police pals who were also his friends outside the job.

After exploring the chambers of a shipwrecked boat, they glided up slowly and started popping up, one after another, to take their places on their boat.

But they noticed one of them, another police officer, was missing. And, without much hesitation, Domínguez was the one to jump right back in the water.

Returning all the way to the bottom, Domínguez found his friend lying unconscious inside the dilapidated ship with insufficient oxygen left. Pulling him up, Domínguez swam toward the light of the surface, alternatively taking on and off his oxygen mask to share it with the unconscious man.

Risking his own life, Domínguez saved his pal’s more than two years ago.

But it was not the first time, and it would not be the last, that the decorated New York City cop offered all he had for the sake of others. In fact, Domínguez did it regularly, whenever he encountered people in danger or on duty as a member of the department’s elite emergency services unit.

Domínguez, a West Islip resident who grew up in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx, was at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 and, according to reports from colleagues to his family, was making his way upward in the building when the north tower collapsed. He remains missing.

One of two sons of devout Catholic parents who spend much of their time trying to spread the faith, Domínguez, 37, had his own sense of mission.

” I once told him, ‘Jerome, don’t strain yourself so much’,” recalled his mother, Gladys Domínguez of the Bronx. ” And he said, ‘Look, Mommy, you save souls and I will save bodies.'”

After graduating from Mount St. Michael Academy in the Bronx, Domínguez entered the police academy in the mid-’80s. Following his July 1985 graduation, he became a patrol officer for a local precinct in the Bronx. Two years later, Domínguez, also in the Air Force Reserve, joined the highway division.

During the following years, he became committed to his job of helping people on the roads. Even when off duty, Domínguez carried power-cutting and other tools in his vehicle to help stalled drivers or to extricate victims at accident scenes, his relatives said.

Once, while heading to Texas for Air Force training in 1999, Domínguez encountered an overturned school bus with several children inside. He quickly took charge and rescued more than a dozen children before the bus burst into flames. His feat earned him praise, and he appeared on a television news showand was mentioned in newspapers that day. The Air Force offered him a permanent job, but he preferred an offer he got from the NYPD to join the emergency unit.

” He enjoyed himself helping people in some way, morally or physically,” said his father, Geronimo Domínguez, a physician who hosts a bible reading television program in Spanish. ” … He was very courageous.”

Besides diving, Domínguez left time to cruise on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, sometimes along the Eastchester Bay coast near his parents’ house, formerly a waterfront home and fishing retreat of New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.

In his last conversation with his father, some days before Sept. 11, Domínguez discussed the idea of a heavenly place for souls to rest in happiness after death. His parents find comfort in their strong belief that Domínguez is already there. ” He loved helping others, and there isn’t in the Bible or anywhere else a greater love than that, giving your life for others,” his father said.

– New York Newsday Victim Database 1/11/2002

Source: NYP Angels

Patient of the week – Asia Franklin

By St. Jude/PIO
Sept. 27, 2009

9 years old

Diagnosis:

Asia was found to suffer from acute lymphoblastic leukemia in October 2006.

Asia’s Story:

Asia has always been the type of child who doesn’t focus on the future. Instead, she relishes each day as it comes. Like most little girls, she loves to color and play with her dolls. But when she was just 7 years old, Asia began developing a set of alarming symptoms that had her family worried whether she’d have a future at all.

Asia’s nose began to bleed, followed by leg pain and fevers. Then, she lost her appetite. As the number of symptoms grew, her mother, Ramona, began to suspect something was very wrong. A trip to the local children’s hospital provided the worried family with a diagnosis, but no relief: Asia suffered from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common type of childhood cancer. As soon as the diagnosis was made, Asia’s doctors referred her to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

At St. Jude:

Asia immediately started a two-and-a-half-year treatment protocol for ALL. She comes to St. Jude once a week for chemotherapy and is expected to finish her treatment in early 2009. Although Asia’s family was overwhelmed with her diagnosis, they were relieved to learn that the survival rate for ALL is high. When St. Jude opened in 1962, the survival rate was 4 percent. Today, it is 94 percent. “Initially I was in shock,” Ramona said of learning Asia’s diagnosis. “But now I don’t worry quite so much, I don’t shed quite so many tears.”

St. Jude has provided the family with peace. “From the day we arrived, it felt like home,” Ramona said. She is very grateful for the hospital’s generous supporters, whose donations help provide her daughter’s treatment and care, as well as housing, transportation and food. Not having to worry about such things has been a huge relief for the family.

Much to her family’s delight, Asia continues to thrive. She is in third grade and loves to sing and dance. “It’s been a wonderful experience,” Ramona said. “We’ve never lost hope.” For Asia, a bright-eyed girl who loves to live for today, St. Jude is helping to ensure her future.

Source: St. Jude

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

CALVIN TSHOMBE THOMAS | Sexual Predator |Miami,Florida

CALVIN TSHOMBE THOMAS

DOB:

09/06/1973

Reported Address:

11712 NW 22nd Ct Miami,Florida

Additional Information:

Predator Flyer

Lloyd William Skovron | Sexual Predator |Miami,Florida

Lloyd William Skovron

DOB:

03/10/1951

Reported Address:

12590 NE 16TH AVE APT 604 Miami,Florida

Additional Information:

Predator Flyer

« Previous Page — Next Page »