Chandler Flower Girl ritual has long history

The Chandler Service Club's Flower Girl program is a charity organization made up of high school seniors. Each is recommended and selected for the program by the Chandler Service Club at the beginning of her senior year. "It's not real froufrou, but again it's not open to everyone," said Flower Girl chairwoman Vangie Blake. The program began in 1952. At the time each member had to be the daughter or granddaughter of a member of the Chandler Service Club. The program was modified in 1988, making it available to any high school senior approved by a club member. "It's astronomical the things they've done," Blake said. "Their accomplishments just go on and on." Throughout their yearlong membership, the girls dedicate their time to charitable organizations as a group and also individually spearhead their own personal service projects.


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MayoClinic.com Features New Strength Training Videos

For the best results with strength training, proper technique is vital. MayoClinic.com has a new series of online strength training videos that help individuals maximize their strength training program. The new series includes detailed instruction on more than 30 strength training exercises, including body weight, resistance tubing, free weight and weight machine exercises.

When done correctly, strength training can help people lose fat, increase strength and muscle tone, and improve bone density. But if done incorrectly, strength training won't provide these benefits -- and may even lead to injury.

Here are some simple tips to help individuals maximize their strength training program:

-- Lift an appropriate amount of weight. Start with a weight you can lift comfortably 12 to 15 times.


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Tigers were more than 7-15 record

The record will forever say the Massillon Tigers were 7-15 in the 2007-08 high school basketball season. Massillon coach Matt Creamer doesn�t deny that�s what the record says, but it�s not a true measure of what the Tigers really were by the end of the season.

�I think everybody looks at your record,� Creamer said Wednesday, almost two weeks since the Tigers ended their campaign with a loss to undefeated Timken in the sectional finals. �We didn�t feel at the end we were a 7-15 team; I thought we were playing more like a 15-7-type team. That says something about the kids. They kept improving and kept staying coachable.

�That was probably one of the more enjoyable parts of the whole year. We saw improvement almost daily and throughout different stages of practice in the weeks we ended up with, we just kept improving.


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Tickets still available for next community breakfast March 14

CHARLESTON — The foundation of area leaders is growing brick by brick, and another row looks to be added next week at the Community Leaders Breakfast featuring bricklayer-turned-author Lynn Donohue.A junior high dropout who became a professional mason and eventually established her own construction company, Donohue now operates a non-profit organization for at-risk youth about 20 miles from where she grew up in Massachusetts."I got out of the situation I was in and created a different life for myself," Donohue said in a telephone interview. "It really only happened because I didn’t accept doing what I was doing."The Community Leaders Breakfast will last from 7 to 9 a.m. March 14 at Eastern Illinois University’s Grand Ballroom in Charleston.

In addition to Donohue’s keynote address, the event will feature the 2008 Class of 20 Under 40 — individuals under the age of 40 who have met with success in their fields — as well as the latest five recipients of the Jefferson Awards for Public Service.Tickets cost $15 and must be purchased in advance.


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We are, literally, stereotypical

The British buy books by television personalities, Americans are obsessed with self-improvement, French choices are more highbrow, the Germans like holidays while the Japanese have more eclectic tastes. If it were not for Harry Potter, the survey by Amazon of global reading tastes would look like a very lazy exercise in national stereotyping.

The internet retailer has listed the bestselling books on its sites in Britain, the United States, France, Japan and Germany. There are tens of millions of titles to choose from, but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows tops the charts in four of the countries.

In Japan it nestles in third place, behind two health-and-beauty titles: Yukuko Tanaka’s Face Massage and Inspiring Exercise. The list embraces the first Michelin guide to Tokyo restaurants, a scientific treatise on (human) viruses, a comedian’s autobiography and three volumes of Manga.

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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois to Offer ABMS(R) Patient Safety Improvement Program to Network Physicians

Program incorporates key patient safety topics, methods of assessment and improvement activities for individual physician practices

EVANSTON, Ill., March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) announced today that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) is offering the ABMS Patient Safety Improvement Program to HMO and PPO network physicians as a resource to help improve quality and safety in patient care. BCBSIL is the first health insurance company to adopt the program.

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) estimates that nearly 15 million instances of medical harm occur in the U.S. each year, based on data collected over several years. This translates to a rate of more than 40,000 incidents per day.


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Heroes, in their words

Tim Duncan is in the NBA and has won three world championships. Lastly, he is a very good role model.Therefore you can see that Tim Duncan is my favorite African-American of achievement. Tim Duncan does not drink, smoke or do drugs and he doesn't hang out with people who make negative choices. Tim, does not complain if he loses a game. He shows good sportsmanship. Tim Duncan is my favorite African-American of achievement because of the way he lives his life.- Joey MontesanoCasey Park Elementary SchoolLarry BellMy favorite African American of achievement is Dr. Larry Bell. He has helped teachers all over the world. He runs workshops for teachers to help them educate. He is a 25-year veteran of education. He even traveled to South Africa to share his ideas.He is an educational consultant, a motivational speaker and an author.


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Council Members Approve Extension, Expansion Of SMID District

After six weeks of discussion, including nearly three hours Monday night, Sioux City council members vote to continue the self-supported municipal improvement district, with expanded borders. By a vote of 4-to-1, with Mayor Mike Hobart being the lone dissenting vote, the council approved a five year agreement... and then voted to waive the second and third readings of the ordinance. The council had considered a three year proposal, but councilman Brent Hoffman urged the group to recognize the mandate downtown businesses gave on the SMID. "In this case 8% of the people are protesting," said Brent Hoffman, Sioux City City Council Member. "We need to hear and acknowledge that, and try to improve it, but we can't let that to drive the overall vision of the city. Council Member Dave Ferris called the whole ordeal a quote "embarrassment" and a "fiasco." Roger Caudron of Downtown Partners, the group that administers the tax, says he recognizes that not every property owner is happy about tonight's decision.


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Twin Pines Task Force Presents Findings

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Twin Pines Golf Course Task Force presented its findings on ways to pay for improvements Wednesday night.They suggested creating a one-year local option sales tax, selling a three acre portion of the course, selling the naming rights to the course or using property taxes to pay for the renovations.The group said selling any more than three acres doesn't make sense.Council members will likely decide which options to pursue sometime in the next six months. Complete Text of the Twin Pines Task Force Report Task Force Formation, Purpose and Scope of Work The Twin Pines task force was created in August, 2007 at the request of the Mayor and City Council after significant public input was received at two public open houses concerning the concept to improve Twin Pines Golf Course with financing from the sale of a portion of the 150-acre course.


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Black students fare better in Vigo Schools

In 2006-07, the high-school graduation rate for Vigo County School Corp. black students was 63.2 percent, according to the Indiana Department of Education.That exceeded the statewide graduation rate for black students, which was 57 percent.Vigo County's black graduation rate also showed improvement over 2005-06, when it was 48.1 percent.The graduation rates for the past two years use a new state formula based on students who complete their high-school education in four years or less. Individual students are tracked through a Student Test Number system that began in 2002.Last month, the Indiana Youth Institute published a column praising the school district's efforts to raise the graduation rates of its black students, although IYI's numbers and methodology are different than what the state now uses.The IYI column — published by various media outlets — states that the black graduation rate increased significantly between 2001 and 2005.


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Make My Day

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Microsoft killed Santa Claus.

Okay, they didn't kill the real Santa, but an automated Santa chat-bot they had set up last week. The Santa-bot was an agent on their Live Space website and MSN Messenger program. Children could ask Santa some questions and tell him what they wanted for Christmas, and an automated program would give the appropriate responses.

But according a story in to the London Register, the virtual Santa got into some real trouble when he was chatting with two girls, 11 and 13 years old, who offered him a piece of virtual pizza.

"Eat it!" they told him.

"You want me to eat what?!?" Santa-bot responded. "It's fun to talk about oral sex, but I want to chat about something else..."

I promise I'm not making this up.

Microsoft tried to fix the Santa-bot earlier this week, but it didn't work.


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Make a splash with water features

Water features are among the most popular gardening touches. Given the choice, people always seem to prefer a garden space with some type of water, whether it's an ocean view or a simple recirculating fountain. Most garden centers, including those at home improvement superstores, offer a selection of materials for building and stocking ponds. You can have a concrete, fiberglass or rubber-lined lily or fish pond with waterfalls, cascades, self-contained fountains or a simple water sculpture.

Place water features where you will have the greatest opportunity to enjoy them — in the back yard, either as part of a patio or in a separate garden space. The sound of falling water is soothing. Place a fountain in a slightly hidden area, at the end of a meandering path or in a small meditation garden, adding the delight of surprise.


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Reform of health care in motion

Although most of the details are yet to come, lawmakers this session set in motion a reformation of the health-care system that, if it becomes in reality anywhere close to what is visualized, will bring health care that costs less, has better quality and will give every Utahn insurance.

Whether by fate or by choice, the state can no longer put off a revolution in the health-care system that, if left to its own devices, would account for every dollar in the state economy in about 30 years.

"There was little choice but to make this a landmark year, because without landmark thinking, health care will soon overwhelm the economy," said House Majority Leader David Clark, R-Santa Clara, sponsor of HB133, the legislation that is the catalyst for changes expected to be under way for the next decade.


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Fateful calls tell of fire

ST. PETERSBURG - McKinley Bentley moved to the small pastel house at 2244 11th St. S because he wanted to raise his children in a tight-knit neighborhood, the kind of street where everybody knows everybody else's business.

On Tuesday morning, Bentley, 38, was doing some yard work for someone across town when a neighbor called.

"Your house is on fire."

Bentley said he thought the neighbor was joking. Then another neighbor called and told him the same thing.

Bentley rushed home and saw that his house was gutted by a blaze that started in a bedroom.

"I can't even describe how I'm feeling right now," Bentley said while standing outside the remnants of his home Tuesday. "I think we'll get through it. We'll pull together."

The fire's cause is still under investigation, said Lt.


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LESCOTT BRACED FOR `BIGGEST` EURO TIE

The Toffees have cruised into the last 16 of the UEFA Cup on the back of eight consecutive wins but know this is the time when the competition becomes fierce.

"I would say that, due to the size of the club (Fiorentina), this is our biggest game so far in the competition," said Lescott.

"But we will show the same respect as when we went to Brann Bergen (in the last round).

"I don't think we should be worried in any game - some teams just deserve more respect than others."

Everton manager David Moyes is likely to stick with his tried and trusted formation, which means striker Yakubu will play on his own up front ahead of a five-man midfield in order to combat the hosts' three-man attack.

But Lescott stressed this was not a negative ploy by the Merseysiders.


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Shiny happy people

DOES AN INFAMOUS SPOKEN-WORD ARTIST turned semi-famous New York Times best-selling author really need to make a New Year's resolution to get her life, career, marriage and family in order? Beth Lisick makes the humorous case in the side-splitting introduction to her new book Helping Me Help Myself: One Skeptic, Ten Self-Help Gurus, and a Year on the Brink of the Comfort Zone (William Morrow, $24.95). It's a 2006 morning after her (and husband Eli's) sixth annual New Year's Eve shindig, and Lisick seems to be suffering ass pain from having attempted, much earlier that morning, to perform splits for the first time since the '80s.Soreness stirs hilarious reflection, and Lisick decides to finally put aside her skepticism, pledging to grapple with the teachings of some of the most popular and most mainstream self-help salesmen around today: Richard Simmons, Suze Orman and John Gray -- just to name a few.


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Harnessing the Mind to Manage Irritable Bowel Syndrome

FRIDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- When drugs and dietary changes don't provide relief from the pain, bloating and other unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, patients may want to try a different approach.

Recent studies show that using one's own thoughts in a process called cognitive behavioral therapy may help ease symptoms. Likewise, using hypnosis to visualize the pain and imagine it seeping away can be a powerful treatment strategy, too.

"Research indicates that the probability of achieving benefits is excellent with either approach, even for patients who haven't improved from standard medical care," said Olafur S. Palsson, a clinical psychologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Center for Functional GI and amp; Motility Disorders.


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DAVID LAVOIE: Gentle smiles amid the hardship

COPE: to deal successfully with something difficult (Oxford Dictionary).

THE village woman clasps her baby close, protectively. The baby is very tiny and his left foot curves in at the ankle. There is a large deformation there, a swelling, and across it is a fresh but clean scar.

Somsanith Mounphoxay touches the ankle, manipulating it gently and speaking in a low, soothing voice to the worried woman.

As we proceed on our tour, Somsanith sighs. "She was supposed to bring the baby back for follow-up a few weeks after we did the procedure to cut the tendons and straighten the ankle," she says.

"But she didn't; they often don't. Once they see some improvement, they think the problem is solved. Now, it is going to be much more difficult to help him."
We are in Vientiane, Laos, and we are visiting COPE -- the Co-operative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise -- an organisation which provides artificial limbs and rehabilitation services for people with disabilities in Laos.


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