Almanacs “The Almanac - Jan. 20 - Post Chronicle” plus 4 more

The Almanac - Jan. 20 - Post Chronicle
Because everyone deserves sweets - Pennsylvania Almanac
Patricia Van Horn The Almanac pvhorn@thealmanac.net - Pennsylvania Almanac
State counties need control to meet 180-day school standard - Times West Virginian
Daily almanac - Columbus Dispatch

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Posted: 20 Jan 2010 04:56 AM PST

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 20, the 20th day of 2010 with 345 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mercury and Mars. The evening stars are Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include Harold Gray, creator of the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie," in 1894; comedian George Burns in 1896; Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis in 1906; Italian film director Federico Fellini and actor DeForest Kelley, both in 1920; country singer Ottis "Slim" Whitman in 1924 (age 86); actress Patricia Neal in 1926 (age 84); astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the moon, in 1930 (age 80); comic Arte Johnson in 1929 (age 81); director David Lynch in 1946 (age 64); TV host Bill Maher ("Politically Incorrect") in 1956 (age 54); and actor Lorenzo Lamas in 1958 (age 52); major league baseball manager Ozzie Guillen in 1964 (age 46).

On this date in history:

In 1265, Britain's House of Commons, which became a model for parliamentary bodies, met for the first time.

In 1783, U.S. and British representatives signed a preliminary "Cessation of Hostilities," which ended the fighting in the Revolutionary War.

In 1801, John Marshall was appointed the Chief Justice of the United States.

In 1892, the first officially recognized basketball game was played at the YMCA gym in Springfield, Mass.

In 1936, Edward VIII becomes king of the United Kingdom.

In 1945, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the only president to be elected to four terms in office, was inaugurated to his final term. He died three months later and was succeeded by Harry Truman.

In 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy began his presidency with inauguration ceremonies on the newly renovated east front of the Capitol.

In 1981, Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th president of the United States. That same day, 52 American hostages were released by Iran after 444 days in captivity.

In 1990, at least 62 civilians were killed and more than 200 wounded when the Soviet army stormed into Baku to end what Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev called fratricidal killing between Muslim Azerbaijanis and Christian Armenians.

In 1993, Bill Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd president of the United States.

Also in 1993, Oscar-winning actress Audrey Hepburn died of cancer at her home in Switzerland. She was 63.

In 1995, the United States announced it was easing the trade embargo in effect against North Korea since the Korean War.

Also in 1995, a strike-shortened National Hockey League season opened with teams playing a 48-game schedule instead of the usual 84.

In 1996, Yasser Arafat was elected president of the Palestinian Authority with 88 percent of the vote.

In 1997, U.S. President Bill Clinton was inaugurated for his second term in office.

Also in 1997, millionaire Steve Fossett landed in northern India after a record-setting bid to become the first person to circle the globe in a hot air balloon.

In 2001, George W. Bush was inaugurated as the 43rd president of the United States.

Also in 2001, just hours before leaving office, U.S. President Bill Clinton issued 176 pardons -- a number of them controversial.

In 2003, Britain said it was sending 26,000 troops to the Persian Gulf for possible deployment to Iraq but France said it wouldn't support a U.N. resolution for military action.

In 2005, George W. Bush was sworn in for his second term as U.S. president.

In 2006, Lawrence Franklin, a former U.S. State Department analyst and Iran expert, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for passing classified information to Israel and two pro-Israeli lobbyists.

In 2007, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., became the first former first lady to seek the U.S. presidency when she entered the race for the 2008 Democratic nomination.

In 2008, Israeli Cabinet ministers called for the death of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who claimed to have the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon.

In 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the United States' 44th president and the nation's first black chief executive. In an 18-minute inaugural address, he urged the more than 1 million people who braved the sub-freezing weather to hear him in person, to join him to "begin again the work of remaking America."

A thought for the day: Henry David Thoreau wrote: "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." (c) UPI

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Because everyone deserves sweets - Pennsylvania Almanac

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 05:18 AM PST

Because everyone deserves sweets

By Lorraine Gregus Columnist lgregus@thealmanac.net

Pineapple upside-down cake and chocolate-chunk muffins are scrumptious but forbidden for many of us and a definite no-no for diabetics. Up until now, that is.

Upper St. Clair resident Stacey Harris has always been passionate about pastries and desserts. Not only does she love eating sweet treats but creating them as well.

So much so that after being laid off from employment in mortgage banking, in 2002 Stacey enrolled in the Bidwell Culinary School. She wanted to add a little diversity to her life while doing something enjoyable.

Halfway through the Bidwell course, Stacey suffered an illness, had surgery and became depressed after being diagnosed with diabetes. The end of another career was undoubtedly here--before this one ever got off the ground.

Knowing her mother died from complications of diabetes, Stacey was devastated, but determined. She loved desserts, but would do her best to change a few favorite recipes to make them diabetic friendly.

By 2006, Stacey's husband, a trucker who often ate in restaurants, became ill and temporarily blind and was also diagnosed with diabetes.

Stacey had tasted low-carb and sugar-free foods and was not happy eating them. But she and Howard were joining the more than 20 million Americans with diabetes and it was time to make some changes.

Aware of the dangers of white flour, refined sugar and trans fats, Stacey began mixing flours, reducing sugars, eliminating trans fats and learned to cut milk carbs in half.

Happy with the results, she began sharing her newfound satisfying tastes on a diabetes Internet forum. Calling herself the Diabetic Pastry Chef, Stacey then started a Web site.

With plenty of determination and countless hours in the kitchen, her recipes now provide tried and true results for diabetics and others who are health-conscious but love desserts.

By 2007, Stacey began a blog focusing on desserts and the diabetic. Once she added recipes for banana bread and cinnamon coffee cake, hits increased.

In 2008, a baking demo was planned at Giant Eagle's Market District in Bethel Park. Stacey was asked by Bayer Healthcare to join the demo and provide hints for healthy eating.

"I was told that my class was the largest gathering the Giant Eagle ever experienced," Stacey recalled.

"I've been collecting recipes since I was 13. My goal has always been to open a bakery. Once diagnosed with diabetes, I began reformulating my recipes for diabetics. Results were dismal at first. But my determination paid off. And I didn't rely solely on my tastes. I provided a few friends with recipes to try. My supportive daughter, Tara, and even a woman in Canada gave me input."

The recipe below is a favorite:

Flourless Chocolate Cake

8 oz. sugar-free or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces and softened

2 whole eggs

4 separated eggs

1 cup sugar or Splenda

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt chocolate in double boiler. Remove from heat, whisk in butter until melted. Set aside.

Whisk whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until blended. Whisk in warm chocolate mixture.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy with electric mixer. Slowly add remaining sugar. Beat until whites form soft peaks but are not stiff. Stir 1/4 of beaten whites into chocolate mixture. Gently fold in remaining whites.

Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan lined on the bottom with a round of wax paper. Smooth top of batter. Place in preheated 350 degree oven. Bake approximately 35-40 min. until top of cake is puffed and cracked and center is firm.

Cool cake on wire rack. Center of cake will fall as it cools. Fill center with sweetened whipped cream and dust with sifted cocoa when serving. Run tip of knife around edges of cake and carefully remove sides of pan.

"I've already started my second cookbook. It focuses on organic foods and low carbs," continued Stacey. "By the end of this year I also hope to market a line of diabetic baking mixes including cakes and muffins.

"The Diabetic Pastry Chef" includes easy-to-understand chapters on diabetes, flours, sugar, sweeteners and a net carb counter. And every recipe includes nutrition facts.

By publishing this cookbook, Stacey accomplished what she set out to do. Not only did she hope to create tasty desserts, she wanted to eat them, too. By limiting, replacing and better knowledge of ingredients, Stacey conquered a major challenge, one entire families can enjoy.

Home

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Patricia Van Horn The Almanac pvhorn@thealmanac.net - Pennsylvania Almanac

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 05:18 AM PST

Haiti project hits home for students

Patricia Van Horn The Almanac pvhorn@thealmanac.net

When McMurray Elementary students loaded a Federal Express truck with shoes destined for Haiti the morning of Jan. 12, they didn't realize that hours later an earthquake would rock the poor nation.

Through their "Heroes for Haiti" project, the Peters Township students collected more than 59 boxes or 800 pounds of gently used shoes to send to children and adults in need.

"These kids are all so emotionally attached because they knew about Haiti from the project and watching a video," said Mary Jane Bastyr, a parent who worked closely on the project. "I think the earthquake has made them more aware."

Plans were for the shoes to be delivered to Port-au-Prince and then picked up for the LaCroix area in Haiti. Dr. Dayle Griffin, a pediatrician, and Dr. Dan Lattanzi, an obstetrician/gynecologist, were willing to distribute the shoes while there this month.

Drs. Lattanzi and Griffin were to take photos of Haitian children in the shoes and share them with the students when they returned.

As of 2 p.m. Jan. 18, the shoes were at Food for the Poor in Coconut Creek, Florida. "They will get there eventually," Bastyr said.

"I think it worked out really beautifully," said Dr. Griffin. "I am pleased with the students' efforts."

Bastyr added that the McMurray students will be starting another drive for items to help the stricken country called "Buckets of Toiletries" and that FedEx has again offered to pick up the items for free.

"They have just been incredible," she said.

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State counties need control to meet 180-day school standard - Times West Virginian

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 02:04 AM PST

Published: January 20, 2010 03:09 am

State counties need control to meet 180-day school standard

Times West Virginian

Some numbers are magic — 180, for example. That's the number of days state law mandates school children be in a classroom learning.

West Virginia isn't the only one with that magic number. In fact, West Virginia is just one of 30 states with the 180-day standard. Only two states have school calendars longer than 180 days, and 11 have shorter calendars. Six states count hours of instruction instead of days. And in Minnesota, there is no state requirement — local school boards decide their own calendars.

And in West Virginia, we don't just have a magic number. We also have magic dates. Aug. 26 and June 8, to be exact, the book-end dates of when local school boards can start and stop instructions.

There's something about our magic dates in West Virginia that is making our magic number magically disappear each year.

With a definitive start and stop date, the required number of instructional support days, holidays and breaks, the window to get 180 days of actual instructional time in keeps shrinking. Add bad weather into the mix — let's say just one week worth of bad weather — and we've already failed to meet state attendance laws for yet another school year.

Gov. Joe Manchin wants to do something about the situation.

As part of his legislative agenda, Manchin is pushing a change that would allow counties to decide when to start and stop school each year.

"And we must pass this, because it is that important," Manchin said during his State of the State Address. "No excuses; we owe it to our children."

The fact is that 180 days has more to do with an agrarian calendar than the quality of a child's education. But while Aug. 26 and June 8 may have once been based on the Old Farmer's Almanac, it now essentially represents a 200-day contract for teachers and some school service personnel.

Last year, Manchin's proposal to help counties meet the 180-day requirement failed when both the House and the Senate amended the bills and then failed to reconcile them within the regular session.

Unions want measures to control the amount of "disruptions" to the school calendar within the Aug. 26 and June 8 dates. They say that truancy, attendance and the number of school testing days are issues. But even with all of those solved, we're all still coming up short of the 180-day mark.

"If the teachers unions are serious about educating West Virginia students, they should be as serious as the West Virginia Senate," Senate Education Committee Vice Chairman Erik Wells, D-Kanawha, told The Associated Press. "We have to make sure that students get the 180 days."

Giving control to the counties makes sense. Each one of the 55 counties is unique with unique needs and deserves the flexibility to adjust the calendar. Preston County may choose to start school a week early to accommodate the large amounts of snowfall in that part of the state. Marion County could use a few extra days to play with, as well.

Allow us to start early, by even just a few days, to give us an insurance policy that will guarantee that counties meet the law. And if Old Man Winter cooperates, we could start summer vacation a few days early.

The governor's right. We owe it to our children.

Daily almanac - Columbus Dispatch

Posted: 20 Jan 2010 12:24 AM PST

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 20, the 20th day of 2010. There are

345 days left in the year.

Highlights in History

• On Jan. 20, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation's 44th, as well as first African-American, president.

• In 1841, the island of Hong Kong was ceded by China to Great Britain. (It returned to Chinese control in July 1997.)

• In 1887, the U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base.

• In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first chief executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4.

• In 1942, Nazi officials held the notorious Wannsee conference, during which they arrived at their "final solution" that called for exterminating Jews.

• In 1949, President Harry S. Truman was sworn in for a second term of office.

• In 1969, Richard M. Nixon was sworn in as the 37th president of the United States.

• In 1981, Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.

• Ten years ago: The Clinton administration issued visas to the grandmothers of Elian Gonzalez, enabling them to visit the United States to make their case for the 6-year-old's return to Cuba.

• Five years ago: President George W. Bush was inaugurated for a second term.

• One year ago: Russian natural gas began flowing into Ukraine after a nearly two-week cutoff that had left large parts of Europe cold and dark.

Thought for Today

"America is woven of many strands. I would recognize them and let it so remain. Our fate is to become one, and yet many. This is not prophecy, but description." -- Ralph Ellison, American author (1913-94)

Source: Associated Press

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Almanacs

Wednesday, January 20, 2010