Honoring Vietnam Vets

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
Feb. 1, 2010

 As a former U.S. Marine Vietnam Vet myself, I was very honored and proud to receive this e-mail from one of my readers.

I know that all vets will get the same feeling that I got Proud, Honored and Thankful.

Someone spent a lot of time on this and it is truly remarkable.

Someone sent me the link which is a virtual wall of all those lost during the Vietnam War with the names, bio’s and other information on our lost comrades.

It is a very interesting and amazing  link, and those who served in that time frame and lost friends or family can look them up on this site. 

Pass it on to other veterans who you think would like this.

First click on a state……then when it opens a city ………and names…….
then it should show you a picture of the person or at least his bio and medals……

This is amazing!

I believe everyone that goes to this  will know someone who is on the Wall……..

 

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to hear from you if you know of someone on this wall, their story and how it has affected you. dan@youngchronicle.com

$57 million for Haiti

By Nekesa Mumbi Moody   
AP Music Writer
Jan. 23, 2010

NEW YORK – Organizers for the all-star “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon say the event raised a record-setting $57 million — and counting.

The two-hour telethon aired Friday night on the major networks and dozens of other channels, including MTV, Bravo, and PBS, and was also streamed live online.

Stars like Brad Pitt, Beyonce, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and more used their presence to encourage donations for Haiti, following a Jan. 12 earthquake that killed an estimated 200,000 people.

A statement released Saturday said the money raised was a record. It does not include donations by corporations or via iTunes, where people are able to buy performances of the event for 99 cents.

People can still donate via text, phone or through the “Hope for Haiti” Web site.

 

Source: Yahoo News

 

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

Naming Your Baby Obama

By Fox Nation
Jan. 18, 2010

It is hard to imagine a more personal endorsement of a politician than to give your baby his name – after all, a vote takes a moment, a name is for life.
 
But there is a tradition of Americans reacting to their presidents in this way. The name Franklin reached its peak of popularity in 1933, when Roosevelt’s tenure was beginning.
 
Dwight jumped in favor in both 1945 and 1953 when Eisenhower helped win World War II, and then became president.
 
But the worldwide fascination with Obama – who became the first black US president exactly one year ago – was startling. Here is the story of how babies from three different countries – Kenya, the UK and the US – came to be named after Barack Obama.

 

Read The Full Article

 

Source: Fox Nation

 

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

Good Care for your Child

By Healthy Children
Jan. 7, 2009

Many Americans receive their health care in managed care plans. These plans, typically offered by employers and state Medicaid programs, provide services through health maintenance organizations (HMOs) or preferred provider organizations (PPOs).

The plans have their own networks of pediatricians and other physicians, and if you or your employer change from one managed care plan to another, you may find that the pediatrician you’ve been using and whom you like is not part of the new network.

Once you have a pediatrician whom you like, ask what plans she is in, and see if you can join one of them if there’s a need to switch from one HMO or PPO to another.

Managed care plans attempt to reduce their costs by having doctors control patient access to certain health care services.

Your pediatrician may act as a “gatekeeper,” needing to give approval before your child can be seen by a pediatric medical subspecialist or surgical specialist.

Without this approval, you’ll have to pay for part or all of these services out of pocket.

To help you maneuver effectively through your managed care plan, here are some points to keep in mind:

To determine what care is provided in your managed care plan, carefully read the materials provided by the plan (often called a certificate of coverage). If you have questions, talk to a plan representative or your employer’s benefits manager.

All plans limit some services (e.g., mental health care, home health care), so find out what’s covered and what’s not.

 

When you’re part of a managed care plan, primary and preventive care visits usually will be covered, including well-child checkups, treatment for illnesses or injuries, and immunizations.

In many plans, you’ll have to pay a portion of the primary care services that your family receives, called a copayment, for each doctor’s visit.

 

Once you’ve chosen a pediatrician, it’s best to stay with her. But if you feel the need to switch, all plans allow you to select another doctor from among those who are part of their network.

The plan administrator can give you information on how to make this change; some plans allow you to switch only during certain time periods called “open enrollment.”

 

If you feel that your child needs to see a pediatric subspecialist, work with your pediatrician to find one who is part of your plan, and obtain approval to schedule an appointment with her.

Check your plan contract for details about whether your insurer will pay at least a portion of these costs. Also, if hospital care is needed, use your pediatrician’s guidance in selecting a hospital in your plan that specializes in the care of children. (Most hospital procedures and surgeries require prior approval.)

 

Know in advance what emergency services are covered since you won’t always have time to contact your pediatrician. Most managed care plans will pay for emergency room care in a true emergency, so in a lifethreatening situation, go immediately to the nearest hospital.

In general, follow-up care (e.g., removing stitches) should be done in your pediatrician’s office.

 

To file a complaint—for example, if coverage of certain procedures is denied— start by expressing your concern to your pediatrician. If she is unable to resolve the problem, contact your plan’s member service representative or employee benefits manager about filing a complaint.

If a claim has been denied, you typically have fifteen to thirty days to file an appeal, and you should receive a decision about the appeal within thirty to ninety days of the request.

If you still are dissatisfied, you may decide to seek help from the office of your state insurance commissioner, or you can take legal action.

 

Source: Healthy Children

 

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

Sticky Situation – Going to the Mall

By Scholastic News
Jan. 4, 2010

Michelle’s mom is taking Michelle and her friend Kendra to the mall. Michelle is going to buy a pair of roller shoes.

Kendra really wants to get a pair too, but her mom doesn’t think they’re safe and says Kendra is not allowed to have them.

Kendra wants to purchase a pair while she’s at the mall with Michelle.

What should Kendra do?

 

Write a paragraph explaining what you think Kendra should do in the “Post a comment” section below.

Other Scholastic News readers will be posting their thoughts about this week’s ethical dilemma, too. So come back to the Sticky Situation blog to discuss their solutions!

 

Cick on comments

 

Source: Scholastic News Online

 

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

Sticky Situation – Video Game

By Scholastic News
Dec. 28, 2009

Jordy and Arjun were playing a video game at Jordy’s house. Arjun accidentally knocked over a glass of juice onto Jordy’s computer. Jordy needs to get his computer repaired and thinks Arjun should pay for that. Arjun disagrees.

He thinks it’s Jordy’s fault for keeping his drink too close to his computer. What should Arjun do?

Write a paragraph explaining what you think Arjun should do in the “Post a comment” section below.

Other Scholastic News readers will be posting their thoughts about this week’s ethical dilemma, too. So come back to the Sticky Situation blog to discuss their solutions!

 

Cick on comments

 

Source: Scholastic News Online

 

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

Holiday Fun Quiz!

By Alexander
Jan. 2, 2009

This is the season to stay safe. Let’s help you prepare for the holiday season with this multiple choice quiz.

 

1. If you see a table full of goodies at a party, the first thing you should do is:
A) Try one of those decorated cookies
b) Ask a trusted adult which foods are safe for you
c) Grab a brownie

 

2. All the kids in the neighborhood are playing with new presents they received for the holidays.

Sarah was just eating peanut butter and you saw her get on her sled without going inside to wash her hands.

Then you notice the handle of the sled has peanut butter smeared on it. You are allergic to peanuts. What do you do when she invites you to try out her new sled?
a) Say, “no thanks.”
b) Hop right on after wiping the sled off with your hands.
c) Make sure the peanut butter is cleaned off the sled (ask an adult to help) and enjoy the ride.

 

3. You’re going to see your grandparents for the holidays. They want to plan a day of baking lots of goodies with you, but you are allergic to several foods.

What do you do?
a) Start baking right away
b) Tell them you don’t want to bake, but you’ll try whatever they make
c) Talk to your mom and dad about helping your grandparents understand how to read labels so that the ingredients used are safe for you, and share your favorite safe recipes with them.

 

4. You are on vacation for the holidays from school and are just going to a friend’s house down the street.

What do you take with you?
a) Your allergy medicine (such as Benadryl® and your epinephrine auto-injector, if prescribed)
b) A safe snack
c) All of the above

Answers: b, c, c, c

Source: Food Allergy

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

True Meaning of Christmas

By Scott Williamson
Dec. 25, 2009

I have been blessed to have some great people in my life, but the one who made the most significant impact was my dad. This will be the 8th Christmas without Dad; he passed away Nov. 9, 2002.

I would like to say it gets easier each year but that’s simply not true. If anything, it gets harder. As I grow older, the more I realize the significance of the values my dad taught me, and the more I wish he was here to see me instilling the same values in my children.

Growing up, I guess you could say my family was on the more than fortunate side. We always had a nice warm home, we never went to bed hungry, we knew we were loved and come Christmas time the base of tree was always stacked high with presents.

My memories of childhood Christmases are not filled with gifts. The memories I truly cherish involve getting the family together to laugh, play and most importantly celebrate the birth of our savior.

My dad’s most joyful time at Christmas wasn’t watching us opening gifts. Nor was it the gifts he received. His joy came when all of us gathered around while he read Luke 2:1-21, “The Christmas Story.”

This Christmas Karen, the kids and I will be heading to her parents’ house. I’m looking forward to all of us being together to laugh, play and watch the kids’ faces as they rip through wrapping paper to see their gifts.

But, what I am looking forward to the most is Karen’s dad (Papa as he’s affectionately known) gathering all of us around his recliner and opening his Bible to Luke chapter 2 and reading us “The Christmas Story”.

As Papa retells that amazing scripture, I can close my eyes and hear my dad reading the same holy words. I can again feel the joy it brought him to read the miraculous story of the birth of our savior to us kids.

This past year has brought tough economic times and the stockings may not be as full, but do not let the worldly view of Christmas take away your joy or your happiness.

Instead, take the time to gather around with your family and friends and rediscover what Christmas is truly all about. Take a few minutes and read Luke’s Christmas Story to your loved ones.

In case your Bible isn’t handy (and in honor of my Dad), here it is:

Luke 2:1-21 NKJV

1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.

3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,

5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.

6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 “ Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.

18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Merry Christmas

 

Source: Fayette Daily News

Editor’s Note: We would like to hear what your think Christmas means to you and your family. dan@youngchronicle.com

Fighting Cancer- T-Shirts and Laughter

by Howard Berkes
Dec. 25, 2009

Twenty-nine years ago, Linda Hill sat in a cancer center in California waiting for her first round of chemotherapy.

She was 19 and had a softball-sized tumor in her chest and a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Hill’s parents were told it was time to have their daughter do things she’d always wanted to do because she seemed to have little time left.

“I had it everywhere,” recalls Hill, now 48. “I had it in all my lymph glands — head to toe — and so it was quite serious.”

Hill noticed something about the other cancer patients in the waiting room, most of whom were quite a bit older:

“They were all just angry and bitter and sad,” she says. “And I thought, ‘I don’t want to live like that. I don’t want my kids to remember me that way.’ ”

 

Laughing At Cancer With Zingers

Three decades, seven kids and three more devastating cancers later, Hill has found a way to keep anger, bitterness and sadness at bay.

She laughs at cancer and all it has taken from her, including her thyroid, spleen, colon and breasts.

In fact, when we met in the ornate wood-lined lobby of the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Hill wore a faded green long-sleeve T-shirt with these embroidered words: “I lost my colon … but I’m still full of crap!”

The aphorism is just one of many cancer zingers that Hill has created for a T-shirt business that focuses on helping cancer patients cope.

She chuckles as she browses her T-shirt display just outside the institute’s gift shop.

“This is our No. 1 seller,” she laughs, as she pulls a mustard-colored shirt from the rack that features this message: “Of course they’re fake, the real ones tried to kill me!”

 

More Of Linda Hill’s Cancer-Fighting T-Shirt Humor

— Does this shirt make my boobs look small?

— I gave them my breasts and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.

— Mastectomy — a surgical procedure to help a woman find a real man.

—    I hope my kids inherit their mother’s prostate.

Linda Hill’s T-shirts are sold at cancer centers across the country and through her Web site.

 

The one-liners flow from the single mom, her five daughters and two sons. This is a family of practical jokers looking for laughs in the oddest places. Hill once put bouillon cubes in a shower head so the kids were sprayed with chicken broth.

And when the family chooses sides for games, there’s always one child protesting: “I don’t want Mom. She doesn’t have a colon!”

 

Battling Thyroid, Breast And Colon Cancer

So the Hills couldn’t help themselves when mom faced thyroid, breast and colon cancer — all in the past six years. As Linda was wheeled into surgery for a double mastectomy, a petite daughter tenderly whispered to her mom: “Thanks so much for making me NOT the smallest-breasted person” in the family.

With five girls, the breast lines snowballed. “You’re going to have to date guys who like butts and thighs,” the daughters joked. Two daughters, described by Hill as “rather well-endowed,” told her, “Guys are going to look you in the eye now, Mom.”

Hill remembers thinking, “We ought to put these things on shirts, because this is just so funny.”

Now, 800 T-shirts later, Hill has developed a fledgling market that helps patients laugh through chemo.

The shirts are sold for about $25 on Hill’s Web site, and at cancer centers across the country.

“Everybody has their own way of getting through things,” explains Hill. “This just must be my way of doing it.”

 

Ongoing Treatment

Hill is still being treated for breast cancer. So the jokes just keep on coming.

“They took a lump from my breast, so why not my thigh?” another favorite shirt says, prompting another laugh from Hill. “There’s not a woman on the planet that doesn’t relate to that one,” she says.

She pulls others from the rack outside the gift shop. “This is a great one,” Hill chuckles, reading the line a daughter wrote: “Mastectomy: $12,000. Radiation: $30,000. Chemotherapy: $11,000. Never wearing a bra again: Priceless.”

Gift shop manager Dianne Rydman watches the reactions of patients.

“We have a lot of people in here who don’t laugh about a lot,” says Rydman. “And they can sit out there and chuckle over that basket of shirts.”

Some of the shirts have serious themes, including: “Blue eyes run in your family. Cancer runs in mine,” or “Cancer took her life. It never touched her spirit.”

Hill’s smile fades as she pauses to consider those words.

“Cancer does not define us,” Hill asserts. “It’s not my colon that makes me love to bake. It’s not my breasts that make me crazy and outgoing.

And it wasn’t my thyroid that gave me my faith in God.”

But the smile returns as she reminds herself of all those body parts lost to cancer.

“At least I’ve had cancer on parts you can remove,” she jokes. “It’s a brutal weight loss program.”

 

Despite Losses, A Cancer Celebrity

Hill’s brand of chemo comedy isn’t making money. She says she’s $7,000 in debt, but still donates $2 from every sale to the Huntsman Cancer Institute. She’s not quitting her day job as a fresh produce manager for a food distributor.

She’s also become a bit of a cancer celebrity at the institute. Multiple primary cancers occur in only about 8 percent of cancer survivors, according to the American Cancer Society.

And Hill’s pattern of cancers illustrates a phenomenon researchers have documented.

At Huntsman, she says, she’s so prolific, researchers line up for blood and tissue samples after her procedures and surgeries.

“I can make a cancer cell, and I can make it fast!” Hill boasts.

And she’s survived longer than expected. Hill’s voice breaks again and tears flow as she describes the milestones she has managed to reach, despite all those cancers.

“I’m going to be a grandma,” she says, gulping for breath. “I saw another daughter get married. And I saw another football season of my son. I’ve got another graduating and going to college.

” Hill is almost whispering when she says: “And I’d rather they remember me having fun.”

She adds, “I can have a normal life and just joke about everything. Maybe it’s my way of dodging death.”

Hill quickly composes herself and gets back to the jokes, revealing the zingers to come.

“We’ve got one,” she says, chuckling again, “that’s going to look like a rearview mirror of a car that says, ‘Objects in shirt are smaller than they appear.’ ”

Hill is also hearing from people with cancers yet to make it on her shirts. Ovarian and pancreatic jokes are on the way.

But Hill’s best line isn’t on any shirt. She uses it to describe herself.

“I’m so much more than a boob,” she says, laughing. “I’m so much more than cancer.”

 

Source: NPR 

 

Editor’s Note: According to Howard Berkes Hodgkin’s Lymphoma And Multiple Cancers

About 8 percent of cancer survivors experience multiple primary cancers, according to the American Cancer Society.

And women like Linda Hill, who are first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, especially at younger ages, have dramatically increased risks for additional cancer diagnoses.

A 2007 paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology estimates the increased risk for Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivors for specific cancers. Compared with the risk in the general population.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivors overall have six times the risk of female breast cancer, four times the risk of colon cancer, and three times the risk of thyroid cancer.

Radiation exposure related to medical treatment is an established risk factor for both breast and thyroid cancers.

The paper’s lead author, Dr. David Hodgson, points out that the risks of multiple cancers are largely associated with treatments that are now outdated.

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

America We Have Come Too?

By Adam Parker
The Post and Courier
Dec. 21, 1009

After charges that it illegally promotes Christianity with a nativity scene at Fire Station 12 in West Ashley, the city of Charleston removed the crèche from display.

The Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation, which advocates separation of church and state, sent a letter dated Dec. 17 to Mayor Joe Riley and Fire Chief Thomas Carr notifying them of the city’s Constitutional breach and requesting removal of the crèche from the fire station.

The letter expressed dismay that the problem has occurred for at least six years. A local resident had complained to the organization about the crèche, the letter states.

“As you are aware, this display has been erected each year in December since at least 2004,” wrote Freedom from Religion Foundation staff attorney Rebecca S. Kratz.

“Last year’s display included an illuminated Latin cross (the preeminent symbol of Christianity) atop the firehouse roof.

We were pleased to learn that as of the date of this letter, the Fire Department appears to be honoring the separation of church and state by at least not displaying a Latin cross this year.”

A large, white, illuminated cross was on display Sunday evening at the station, though no crèche was to be seen. The nativity scene had been removed Thursday in response to the complaint, according to fire department personnel.

The cross was leaning against a stone memorial to the nine firefighters who died in the 2007 Sofa Super Store blaze. It was not part of a Christmas display, firefighters at the station said.

The complaint was referred last week to the city’s legal department which, citing U.S. Supreme Court rulings, advised that the display be removed, according to the Fire Department’s public information officer Mark R. Ruppel.

“The Supreme Court has said that the United States’ Constitution prohibits governments from taking any action that appears to promote one religion over another,” city officials said in a statement.

“The crèche is the universal symbol of Christianity, and therefore, based on the law; it was removed from the fire station.

The City and the Fire Department fully support everyone’s right to practice his or her religion in our city.”

Fire departments and holidays often are intertwined. Civic parades almost always include fire trucks and department representatives, and stations typically feature holiday decorations.

St. Andrew’s Fire Station on Ashley River Road includes a mechanical, life-sized Santa Claus and other Christmas decorations. Firemen at the station and main offices on Wentworth and Meeting streets were high on ladders stringing lights last week.

Station 6 on Cannon Street was dressed in seasonal garb, its doors and windows framed by white lights. Station 5/10 on Nicholson Drive at Savannah Highway featured a festive image of a fire truck painted on a wood board and mounted on an exterior wall, with the phrase “Merry Christmas” framed in lights.

First Amendment controversies are not new to South Carolina. Most recently, a federal district court judge ruled in November that a specialty vehicle license plate with the statement “I Believe,” and including the image of a cross overlaid on a stained-glass window, was unconstitutional because it was based on a discriminatory law promoted by Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and passed by the Legislature in 2008.

The Freedom from Religion Foundation argued in its letter to the city that displaying religious symbols on city property “unmistakably sends the message that the City of Charleston endorses the religious beliefs embodied in the display” and therefore excludes residents who do not subscribe to those views.

“There are ample private and church grounds where religious displays may be freely placed,” Kratz wrote.

“Once the city enters into the religion business, conferring endorsement and preference for one religion over others, it strikes a blow at religious liberty, forcing taxpayers of all faiths and of no religion to support a particular expression of worship.”

Source: Post and Courier

 

Editor’s Note: You can reach Adam Parker aparker@postandcourier.com. We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

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