Sep
04
2009
Like Dorothy in the Wizard of OZ, one wonders what lies beyond the awe inspiring gates of the school cafeteria. Is it some kind of mysterious civilization that's completely unaware of the concept of establishing proper eating habits or is it a matter of parents and children opting for something that's cheap, quick, and filling?
As the heavy metal doors swing open, you are immediately sucked into the havoc and chaos of the twenty minute lunch period. As the parade of anemic green trays pass before your eyes, you become mesmerized by the plethora of culinary combinations that our children have come to believe is lunch. Although there is some representation of the five food groups present, potato chips, chicken fingers, white bread, grape jelly, and chocolate milk do not constitute a healthy diet!
In order to change America's attitude from "fast" to "fit", we must begin by educating families as a unit on the benefits of good nutrition in a way
that is practical, timely, and fun. All you need is a tasty little recipe to do the trick.
Recipe for Success
Recreate Get Physical
Educate Teach Healthy Life Style Choices and Behavioral Change
Circulate Spread the word by sharing tips and ideas with others
Integrate Make it Fun, Hip, and Cross Curricular
Perpetuate Make it memorable
Emulate Practice what you teach
Unfortunately, even the thought of “health” class sends most students spiraling into a self induced coma. ...
Posted in: Teacher To Teacher
Sep
04
2009
At the beginning of every school year, we spend endless hours preparing our classrooms for the most dreaded evening of the year, Open House. This annual event is our first opportunity to present our curriculum and classroom policies to a conglomeration of parents ranging from the overzealous to the semi-comatose. You know those folks, the ones in the front row, who frantically jot down every syllable which rolls from your lips making a special effort to take note of the exact date and time. Whereas the back row usually consists of overworked, stressed out mothers and fathers who are so jacked up on caffeine and sugar that they can't stop asking their neighbor, “What did she just say?' as they fiendishly text and answer emails on their Blackberries. Then somewhere in between the whiteboard and the back row, we find the bobble heads. The ones suffering from periodic episodes of narcolepsy because their blood sugar levels are plummeting faster than a penny dropped from the Empire State Building. If their eyes aren't glazed over from malnutrition, their little peepers are hyper focused on the coffee, punch, and cookies being unveiled by the cafeteria staff, but then again teachers, so are ours. What's wrong with this picture? How can we possibly expect our students to make healthy choices, if many of the adults in their lives don't know how? In order ...
Posted in: Teacher To Teacher
Sep
04
2009
Although we mourn the end of our summer vacation, the majority of us are genuinely looking forward to the beginning of the new school year. Sporting tans, a little less weight, and for a few of us some resemblance of muscle tone, we arrive refreshed, revived, and rejuvenated as we prepare our classrooms and ourselves for the “new year.”
Similar to the resolutions we attempt to make every New Year's Eve, teachers set goals and objectives for their schoolwork but rarely for themselves. The time has come to change that! If teachers aren't well rested, nourished, and physically fit, imagine the impact it has on our students. We need to establish the mindset and behavior which we were able to adopt during the summer and carry it over into the new school year.
So what type of steps can we take in order to insure that we are successful in our battle against the bulge in addition to promoting a healthy lifestyle for our students? First, we need to lead by example. Secondly, we must establish a nutrition and fitness program which spans throughout all curriculum areas and not just P.E. Finally, parents, teachers, and coaches need to work together as a team to help our children learn the importance of eating properly and exercising daily. The time has come for us to turn off the computer, lock up the remote controls, ...
Posted in: Teacher To Teacher
Sep
04
2009
The Foundation of Dance
Ballet dance is the foundation that all other dance forms build their structures on and incorporate ballet's elements into their moldings. If you were to look closely at the basics of any jazz movement or tap step, you could find ballet technique hidden within its parts. A Broadway or jazz dance auditioner can tell by watching the casting call candidates who has had ballet training by the strength, flexibility, and finesse of their movement. What is it about ballet that makes heads turn? Where did ballet dance come from? What do you wear for a ballet class, and how do you strengthen your own body to participate in ballet dance?
Ballet is graceful, effortless movement that is full of control. It's a series of turned out moving shapes that defy gravity and balanced poses that stop time. Ballet dance is often set to classical music. There are no words or dialogue to tell a story, but rather lots of pantomime and facial expression to get the message to the audience. More contemporary ballets of our lifetime have included singing, world music, and even silence as the soundtrack. In the early 1990's Joffrey Ballet went so modern as to create Billboards, an entire evening of dance set to the music of Prince. It was one of the first modern rock music ballet pieces choreographed.
Ballet dance first started in the ...
Posted in: Moves That Groove
Sep
04
2009
Track and Field: Is there anyone faster than Usain Bolt? Facing crowds of over 70,000 people packed into Berlin’s Olympic Stadium to watch the 2009 World Championships, 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner Usain Bolt, from Jamaica, won the 100-meter race in an amazing 9.58 seconds and then several days later captured the 200 meter medal in an unbelievable 19.19 seconds. One year earlier, Bolt ran a 9.69 100 meter winning race in Beijing and a 19.30 winning 200 meter race. Can Bolt break into the 9.4’s and under 19 seconds for the 200-only time and his super fast feet will tell.
NFL: Quarterback News: ex-Atlanta Falcons MVP Quarterback- Michael Vick will play for the Philadelphia Eagles for the 2009 season after spending time behind bars for animal cruelty. New England Patriots fans will be happy to hear that their star Tom Brady will also be back on the field this year. And all pro Brett Favre, a 2008 New York Jet, is now wearing the purple and gold for Minnesota-go Brett!
NBA: Trade News: Phoenix Suns Center, Shaquille O’Neil will now try to help Lebron win the big one in Cleveland. 6’11” power forward Rasheed Wallace has left Detroit for Boston. Shawn Marion will try to help the Mavs, not finding a home in Miami. Vince Carter left New Jersey for Orlando, and better weather. Ron Artest made Houston a temporary home ...
Posted in: Benny's Sports My Way
Sep
03
2009
Hello there sports fans, wherever you may be. Benny Nerdelman here to tell it like it is. I'll give you the scoop and hold nothing back. So I said to myself, "Self, what are we going to write about for this new website?" There are so many ongoing sports stories like Roger Federer winning his fifth U.S. Open title, Serena Williams her third U.S. Open title or Rafa Nadal winning the 2008 Summer Olympics Tennis Gold medal. How about Yankee Stadium, the house that Ruth built going bye bye or maybe Lance Armstrong coming out of retirement to compete on the 2009 Tour De France.
How about Yankee Stadium, the house that Ruth built going bye-bye to make room for a new high tech arena for George's team or maybe Lance Armstrong coming out of retirement to compete on the 2009 Tour De France. Wow, with getting better from cancer to compete again at that level, we will certainly look forward to seeing Lance back on the tour. Or how about those Miami Dolphins, getting back to a winning season under the watchful eye of the Big Tuna, Bill Parcells after a major losing season last year? The Fin's are back!! Maybe I should talk about the U.S. winning the Ryder Cup, their first win since 1999 and without Tiger on the team. Let's all wish Tiger a speedy recovery from ...
Posted in: Benny's Sports My Way
Sep
03
2009
By Rocio Blanco Garcia
Have you ever been so hungry that you felt sick? You are not alone.
Millions of people today go to bed with an empty stomach and without the hope of having a better tomorrow, but thanks to non-profit organizations like the Daily Bread Food Bank (DBFB), some get a modest meal.
The DBFB, the largest food bank in the state of Florida, started in 1981 to reduce hunger in South Florida. It's an affiliate of Feeding America and a member of the Florida Association of Food Banks.
Its goal: Reduce hunger by reducing the amount of food we waste each day.
According to www.stopthehunger.com, today, more than 15 tons of food will be wasted in the United States, and families in our country will spend more than $13 million on food that will be tossed. $13 million would allow the DBFB to serve more than 78 million meals.
Because the organization is a non profit, it buys food at discount rates. Each dollar the organization receives is enough to serve six meals.
DBFB also accepts food donations.
DBFB, together with its 800 affiliate organization, feeds people in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe Counties. But in the last year, with the economic downturn, the organization has seen a shortage of food. “The economy has affected us from the perspective that there is an increase demand of food,” said Anthea Pennant, who works at ...
Posted in: Community
Sep
03
2009
By Rocio Blanco Garcia
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as the Food Stamps Program, brings food to millions of household today, and it could bring food to yours too –if you qualify.
The program which started under the leadership of Henry Wallace, the Secretary of Agriculture in 1939, provides food to low and no income people in the United States.
The program, however, recently changed its name to include the Federal Government's focus on providing beneficiaries with something more than food. The Government is interested in making good and healthy nutrition available to everyone. But the change in the name did not bring changes to the requirements applicants must meet. Those who qualified to receive assistance under the previous name may still qualify today.
The requirements:
No more than $2,000 in bank accounts and a gross monthly income of $1,907, or less, for a family of three. Applicants must have a social security number, and all able-bodied adults must meet certain work requirements.
If you are eligible for the program you could receive up to $130 for one person and more than $250 for a couple. But to get the money you must first apply.
To apply for benefits or to gather more information about the program you must contact your local SNAP office, where you will fill out the state application form. If you qualify, you will receive an electronic card that is ...
Posted in: Community
Sep
03
2009
By Chef Allen Susser
Regional Spokesperson and Chair
Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation Miami
Americans are feeling the effects of a troubled national economy. Soaring fuel and food prices are taking their toll on families, with no sign of relief in sight.
These economic hardships affect our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. In the United States, more than 12 million children are at risk of hunger. In Florida alone, more than 627,000 children are at risk of hunger. Nearly 1 in 10 Florida households are food insecure—that's more than 680,000 families who lack access to the nutritious foods they need to lead healthy, active lives.
As a chef, I take pleasure in feeding people. As a citizen, I find it appalling that people in my community are hungry.
Twenty years ago, I joined Share Our Strength's efforts to fight hunger. In 1988, the organization created Taste of the Nation, the nation's premier culinary benefit dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America. I chaired Share Our Strength's first Taste of the Nation event in Miami, and continue to be part of Share Our Strength's national efforts. Since then, we've raised more than $5 million in Florida through Taste of the Nation events in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Palm Beach and Orlando. Share Our Strength has raised more than $200 million to end childhood hunger nationwide.
Recognizing the need for a more coordinated approach to address childhood hunger ...
Posted in: Community, Home
Sep
03
2009
I just received an email from my daughter's school. I am trying to get used to this age of technology. But it scares me to get a letter from her school. Especially an email which came on my Blackberry. Anyway, it's still summer, and she is home, so I know nothing is wrong, but I was still anxious. As it turns out, it was an information letter regarding the “Swine Flu”. As you all know, the Swine Flu (originally called this because of similar genes found in the virus that are also found in pigs), or as it is called now in the press “Novel H1N1” or just simply “H1N1”is a virus. It is from swine origin, spreading person to person and was first confirmed in the United States back in March and April of this year. Since that time, all fifty U.S. states, including Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have confirmed cases of H1N1. The majority of cases are in the age group 5-24 years old, but people of all ages are at risk. So I went to the CDC site (cdc.gov) and here is what I found out:
What are the major symptoms according to the CDC are:
| Symptom |
(%) |
| Fever |
93% |
| Cough |
83% |
| Shortness of breath |
54% |
| Fatigue/Weakness |
40% |
| Chills |
37% |
| Myalgias |
36% |
| Rhinorrhea |
36% |
| Sore Throat |
31% |
| Headache |
31% |
| Vomiting |
29% |
| Wheezing |
24% |
| Diarrhea |
24% |
How is H1N1 spreading?
According to the CDC: The virus is spreading person to person by coughing, sneezing, touching ...
Posted in: Editor's Page
