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Origins of Thanksgiving Tradition
Facts About Anthrax
WTC/Pentagon Christmas Relief Fund
Terrorist Attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon
In Memory of Aaliyah Dana Haughton
Michael Jackson WTC Relief Single
Christmas 2001
Kwanzaa
How to Make a No-Bake Gingerbread House
Christmas Around the World
Sept/Oct 2001
August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
April/May 2001
February 2001
January 2001
December 2000
Shopping on the Internet is an easy and time-efficient way to get your holiday shopping done in a jiffy while avoiding noisy crowds and pushy people. Vendors can do business on the Internet cheaper than in brick-and-mortar, and tend to pass on their reduced costs to the consumers. Shopping on the Web is convenient because the Internet is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, 7 days a week. On the Internet, consumers can buy directly from manufacturers in some cases, which gives them access to a complete product line, instead of a limited stock like in some retail stores. When consumers shop on the Internet, they are saving energy by utilizing a renewable man-made resource -- electricity; whereas, driving cars creates nasty auto emissions, burns gas, and overcrowds the highways. E-commerce also saves time because consumers don't waste 30 minutes driving to their local malls and shopping centers, and they can shop many places at once, jumping the globe quickly for the best bargains.
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Shopping for Toys for Kids. The gift-giving tradition of Christmas tends to center around children's expectations for lots of fun toys. Choosing gifts for your kids can be an easy adventure if you know your child's interests, understand what they are studying in school, desire to expand their interests with well-rounded play, and expose them to new experiences that stimulate, challenge, and develop both sides of their brains, as well as encourage creativity. Spending quality time with your kids is important for development. Simple games and plenty of conversation are great! Read to them, sing songs, and put together puzzles and crafts. Choose creative products that are good for a rainy or snowy day.
Making gingerbread houses is a fun Christmas craft passed down over the years that parents can share quality times with their kids over. However, in 2001, time is of the essence for working parents and finding a chunk of time for this adventure can be hard.
Set your table in a circle to make this activity more cozy and familial. Use a sheet as a tablecloth for your gingerbread house construction site. Chair height sizes should be so that kids' stomachs are level with the table and their arms won't tire. Phone books are good booster seats.
Since this is a quick and easy craft project, you will need plastic knives and small plastic bowls that can be discarded afterward. Once you have your supplies, you have to decide what will be the base or foundation of the gingerbread house. Glass or plastic plates, platters, or cardboard boxes cut into flat 12" x 12" pieces covered with aluminum foil are recommended.
To frame your gingerbread house you will need a small box. For roofs, add half-pint milk cartons or orange juice cartons, or old diskette boxes.
This is a no-bake gingerbread house, so use graham crackers glued to the box by frosting. To make the frosting, whip three egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar until they are foamy, then fold in a one pound box of confectioners sugar slowly.
To build your gingerbread house put a big glob of frosting on the center of the plate and press your house-to-be in the center. Paint with frosting and stick various sizes of broken graham crackers onto the sides and top of the box.
Use generic brands for your decorating materials. For your gingerbread roof use Wheat Chex cereal,Kaboom cereal, Cocoa Puffs cereal, or Honey Comb cereal. For fences, door trims, and window trims, use pretzel sticks. For door trimming and landscaping, Cocoa Puffs are also good. For ornamentation, use Trix cereal, and Fruit Loops cereal. For decorations, use small spicy gumdrops, cinnamon imperials,and flaked coconut (snow). If you are only plan on doing this with a small group, versus a large one, you could probably buy peppermint candy, peppermint sticks, red and black licorice, and chocolate bars and kisses.
1. Anthrax organisms can cause infection in the skin, gastrointestinal system, or the lungs. To do, so the organism must be rubbed into abraded skin, swallowed, or inhaled as a fine, aerosolized mist. Disease can be prevented after exposure to the anthrax spores by early treatment with the appropriate antibiotics. Anthrax is not spread from one person to another person.
2. For anthrax to be effective as a covert agent, it must be aerosolized into very small particles. This is difficult to do, and requires a great deal of technical skill and special equipment. If these small particles are inhaled, life-threatening lung infection can occur, but prompt recognition and treatment are effective.
1. Do not shake or empty the contents of any suspicious envelope or package.
2. PLACE the envelope or package in a plastic bag or some other type of container to prevent leakage of contents.
3. If you do not have any container, then COVER the envelope or package with anything (e.g., clothing, paper, trash can, etc.) and do not remove this cover.
4. Then LEAVE the room and CLOSE the door, or section off the area to prevent others from entering (i.e., keep others away).
5. WASH your hands with soap and water to prevent spreading any powder to your face.
6. What to do nextÉ ¥If you are at HOME, then report the incident to local police. ¥If you are at WORK, then report the incident to local police, and notify your building security official or an available supervisor.
7. LIST all people who were in the room or area when this suspicious letter or package was recognized. Give this list to both the local public health authorities and law enforcement officials for follow-up investigations and advice.
1. DO NOT try to CLEAN UP the powder. COVER the spilled contents immediately with anything (e.g., clothing, paper, trash can, etc.) and do not remove this cover!
2. Then LEAVE the room and CLOSE the door, or section off the area to prevent others from entering (i.e., keep others away).
3. WASH your hands with soap and water to prevent spreading any powder to your face.
4. What to do nextÉ ¥If you are at HOME, then report the incident to local police. ¥If you are at WORK, then report the incident to local police, and notify your building security official or an available supervisor.
5. REMOVE heavily contaminated clothing as soon as possible and place in a plastic bag, or some other container that can be sealed. This clothing bag should be given to the emergency responders for proper handling.
6. SHOWER with soap and water as soon as possible. Do Not Use Bleach Or Other Disinfectant On Your Skin.
7. If possible, list all people who were in the room or area, especially those who had actual contact with the powder. Give this list to both the local public health authorities so that proper instructions can be given for medical follow-up, and to law enforcement officials for further investigation.
For example: small device triggered, warning that air handling system is contaminated, or warning that a biological agent released in a public space.
1. Turn off local fans or ventilation units in the area.
2. LEAVE area immediately.
3. CLOSE the door, or section off the area to prevent others from entering (i.e., keep others away).
4. What to do nextÉ - If you are at HOME, then dial Ò911Ó to report the incident to local police and the local FBI field office. - If you are at WORK, then dial Ò911Ó to report the incident to local police and the local FBI field office, and notify your building security official or an available supervisor.
5. SHUT down air handling system in the building, if possible.
6. If possible, list all people who were in the room or area. Give this list to both the local public health authorities so that proper instructions can be given for medical follow-up, and to law enforcement officials for further investigation.
Some characteristics of suspicious packages and letters include the followingÉ
¥Excessive postage
¥Handwritten or poorly typed addresses
¥Incorrect titles
¥Title, but no name
¥Misspellings of common words
¥Oily stains, discolorations or odor
¥No return address
¥Excessive weight
¥Lopsided or uneven envelope
¥Protruding wires or aluminum foil
¥Excessive security material such as masking tape, string, etc.
¥Visual distractions
¥Ticking sound
¥Marked with restrictive endorsements, such as ÒPersonalÓ or ÒConfidentialÓ
¥Shows a city or state in the postmark that does not match the return address
Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax most commonly occurs in hoofed mammals and can also infect humans. Symptoms of disease vary depending on how the disease was contracted, but usually occur within 7 days after exposure. The serious forms of human anthrax are inhalation anthrax, cutaneous anthrax, and intestinal anthrax. Initial symptoms of inhalation anthrax infection may resemble a common cold. After several days, the symptoms may progress to severe breathing problems and shock. Inhalation anthrax is often fatal. The intestinal disease form of anthrax may follow the consumption of contaminated food and is characterized by an acute inflammation of the intestinal tract. Initial signs of nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, and fever are followed by abdominal pain, vomiting of blood, and severe diarrhea. Direct person-to-person spread of anthrax is extremely unlikely, if it occurs at all. Therefore, there is no need to immunize or treat contacts of persons ill with anthrax, such as household contacts, friends, or coworkers, unless they also were also exposed to the same source of infection. In persons exposed to anthrax, infection can be prevented with antibiotic treatment. Early antibiotic treatment of anthrax is essentialÐdelay lessens chances for survival. Anthrax usually is susceptible to penicillin, doxycycline, and fluoroquinolones. An anthrax vaccine also can prevent infection. Vaccination against anthrax is not recommended for the general public to prevent disease and is not available.
Botulism is a muscle-paralyzing disease caused by a toxin made by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. There are three main kinds of botulism: á Foodborne botulism occurs when a person ingests pre-formed toxin that leads to illness within a few hours to days. Foodborne botulism is a public health emergency because the contaminated food may still be available to other persons besides the patient. á Infant botulism occurs in a small number of susceptible infants each year who harbor C. botulinum in their intestinal tract. á Wound botulism occurs when wounds are infected with C. botulinum that secretes the toxin. With foodborne botulism, symptoms begin within 6 hours to 2 weeks (most commonly between 12 and 36 hours) after eating toxin-containing food. Symptoms of botulism include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, muscle weakness that always descends through the body: first shoulders are affected, then upper arms, lower arms, thighs, calves, etc. Paralysis of breathing muscles can cause a person to stop breathing and die, unless assistance with breathing (mechanical ventilation) is provided. Botulism is not spread from one person to another. Foodborne botulism can occur in all age groups. A supply of antitoxin against botulism is maintained by CDC. The antitoxin is effective in reducing the severity of symptoms if administered early in the course of the disease. Most patients eventually recover after weeks to months of supportive care.
Plague is an infectious disease of animals and humans caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Y. pestis, is found in rodents and their fleas in many areas around the world. Pneumonic plague occurs when Y. pestis infects the lungs. The first signs of illness in pneumonic plague are fever, headache, weakness, and cough productive of bloody or watery sputum. The pneumonia progresses over 2 to 4 days and may cause septic shock and, without early treatment, death. Person-to-person transmission of pneumonic plague occurs through respiratory droplets, which can only infect those who have face-to-face contact with the ill patient. Early treatment of pneumonic plague is essential. Several antibiotics are effective, including streptomycin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol. There is no vaccine against plague. Prophylactic antibiotic treatment for 7 days will protect persons who have had face-to-face contact with infected patients.
Smallpox infection was eliminated from the world in 1977. Smallpox is caused by variola virus. The incubation period is about 12 days (range: 7 to 17 days) following exposure. Initial symptoms include high fever, fatigue, and head and back aches. A characteristic rash, most prominent on the face, arms, and legs, follows in 2-3 days. The rash starts with flat red lesions that evolve at the same rate. Lesions become pus-filled and begin to crust early in the second week. Scabs develop and then separate and fall off after about 3-4 weeks. The majority of patients with smallpox recover, but death occurs in up to 30% of cases. Smallpox is spread from one person to another by infected saliva droplets that expose a susceptible person having face-to-face contact with the ill person. Persons with smallpox are most infectious during the first week of illness, because that is when the largest amount of virus is present in saliva. However, some risk of transmission lasts until all scabs have fallen off. Routine vaccination against smallpox ended in 1972. The level of immunity, if any, among persons who were vaccinated before 1972 is uncertain; therefore, these persons are assumed to be susceptible. Vaccination against smallpox is not recommended to prevent the disease in the general public and therefore is not available. In people exposed to smallpox, the vaccine can lessen the severity of or even prevent illness if given within 4 days after exposure. Vaccine against smallpox contains another live virus called vaccinia. The vaccine does not contain smallpox virus. The United States currently has an emergency supply of smallpox vaccine. There is no proven treatment for smallpox but research to evaluate new antiviral agents is ongoing. Patients with smallpox can benefit from supportive therapy (intravenous fluids, medicine to control fever or pain, etc.) and antibiotics for any secondary bacterial infections that occur.
Due to the Anthrax cases in Florida and concerns regarding potential biological or chemical threats, awareness among the public and law enforcement is heightened. Law enforcement agencies and fire departments statewide have received numerous requests for information and for assistance in picking up suspicious packages or letters. The information below includes data regarding the Anthrax substance, characteristics of suspicious packages and what to do if you receive a suspicious package.
Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax is very rare in humans and cannot be transmitted from person to person. It can appear as a crystalline or powdery substance that may or may not be seen. Bacillus anthracis is an age-old bacterium that has caused disease for centuries in the world. Infection comes from contact with anthrax-infected animals or infected animal products. The spores are found widely in soil; therefore, animals that feed on the ground tend to be those most likely infected. These animals usually include cows, sheep and goats. Humans can contract one of three forms of Bacillus anthracis: cutaneous (skin), intestinal and respiratory. Most commonly, infected people have been exposed through their work such as farmers, butchers and veterinarians, and those who sort raw wool and tan hides. Symptoms vary depending on exposure but can include cold and flu-type symptoms. Doctors can prescribe antibiotics for treatment of the disease. To be effective, treatment should be initiated early. If left untreated, the disease can be fatal.
The likelihood of receiving a package or letter containing suspicious substances is remote. However, it is important for citizens to be aware of characteristics that are common to suspicious packages. Some indicators include, but are not limited to, the following (click here for diagram):
Ç Mailed from a Foreign Country
Ç Excessive Postage
Ç Misspelled Words
ÇAddressed to Title Only
Ç Wrong Title with Name
Ç Rigid or Bulky
Ç Badly Typed or Hand Written
Ç Restrictive Markings
Ç No Return Address
Ç Strange Odor
Ç Lopsided/Protruding item
Ç Stains on Wrapping
Ç Leave the letter or package alone. Do not move the item.
Ç The individual in contact with the letter should leave the vicinity immediately.
Ç Other individuals within the vicinity of the letter should also leave immediately.
Ç Contact your local law enforcement agency and explain what has occurred.
Ç Your local law enforcement agency will notify the county health department and the Department of Health to conduct appropriate testing.
Ç Results of the test will be available in time to determine what, if any, treatment should be implemented.
Ç Individuals who open or have contact with the letter or package containing an unknown substance should thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water.
Ç There is no need to start antibiotics prior to the analysis of the letter or package.
Ç Contact information of all individuals that may have been exposed should be collected immediately. These individuals should be reassured that they will be contacted as soon as results are known. Sources: Center for Disease Control, U.S. Postal Service, Florida Department of Health, Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/anthrax_g.htm
http://www.usps.com/news/2001/press/pr01_1010tips.htm
Aaliyah's Family's First Public Speaking Sincer Her Death
Aaliyah's legacy to music
Family, friends, and fans mourn Aaliyah
More on the plane crash that killed Aaliyah
Post tributes or poems to Aaliyah here
(September 1) -- Yesterday, the bereaved family of Aaliyah Dana Haughton, laid her to rest in New York amidst family, friends, and hundreds of fans.
A week later, it is still shocking to anyone who appreciated Aaliyah's musical and dance talent. Why would God take someone so young, who still had so many years to accomplish even greater things?
Yes, we mourned Tupac and Biggie; however, in a way, we could see that maybe the thug life they lead attributed to their demise. From all accounts, Aaliyah didn't appear to harbor violent tendencies and the message in her music was far from it.
There are those "haters" who cannot understand how so many people can mourn the loss of a singer who was not even mainstream yet; even going to the point of comparing her death to those of Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr.
Her death seems more tragic than theirs. Perhaps because she was only 22 and a half years old. Perhaps, because, unlike them, she left a boyfriend and both parents to grieve her loss.
I have wondered all week long, why the death of a singer bothers me so much -- making me sick at the stomach, when I did not know her. Yes, I was a fan, but, still, why?
My final conclusion is that the tragic death of Aaliyah made me question my own mortality and time left on this earth. How would those I left behind feel about me? Who would take care of my child? Would I go to Heaven or Hell?
Tragic incidents like these, make us stop for a second from our hectic, day-to-day schedules of trying to make it in this world, and think about what is important. When was the last time you told your loved ones you loved them and how much they mean to you? This may all seem trite and cliche', but it is so true. The game of "What If" is something we should all try to avoid.
Live each day as if it is your last. Remember that God comes first in your life, then your family and friends. All of our days are numbered and no one knows what day will be their last.
The message in Aaliyah's passing is surely one that everyone should contemplate and reflect on.
Sincerely,
Ceci
In the wake of the tragic terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Michael Jackson is coordinating relief efforts with the music industry. His collaboration for a good cause will include the likes of Destiny's Child, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake of N'Sync, Mya, and Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys.
In a statement released Sunday, Michael Jackson stated that the goal of the relief fund is $50 million dollars. This project is set to include a Spanish-language version. According to Billboard.com, Jackson says, "I believe in my heart that the music community will come together as one and rally to the aid of thousands of innocent victims. There is a tremendous need for relief dollars right now and through this effort each one of us can play an immediate role in helping comfort so many people."
Michael Jackson's benefit song for the survivors and families of victims of the terrorist attacks titled, "What More Can I Give," will be written and produced by Jackson, and is reminiscent of his humanitarian efforts of the 1980s with the hit single, "We Are the World," which raised money for African famine relief.
"We Are the World," was performed by an all-star ensemble called USA for African, and included Lionel Richie (who co-wrote the tune), Quincy Jones (who produced it), Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, and others.
Howard Rubenstein, Michael Jackson's spokesperson, said that more artists will be contributing and that it will be released as soon as possible.
Other artists that are contributing to relief efforts in their own way include: Madonna (she contributed proceeds from recent shows); Janet Jackson, James Taylor, and Maxwell (all three participated in the ClearChannel.com Relief Fund which donates $1 from every ticket sold, including donations to the Red Cross, police, and fired departments); Whitney Houston (her rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," will be reissued since its release in 1991 during the Gulf War); Godsmack (pledged proces of all merchandise sales from remaining 10 tour dates); Alanis Morissette (planning a benefit concert); Backstreet Boys (pledged proceeds), Incubus (pledged proceeds), and several Latin artists who were in L.A. for the cancelled Latin Grammy Awards (held a benefit concert).
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