Month of May Dedicated to Appreciating Servicemembers

On May 1, 2007, Congress designated May as National Military Appreciation Month.

“Our military has played a major role in the development of our country chronicled through their unbending honor, their dedication to duty and their love of country,” the National Military Appreciation Month Web site states. “Federal, state and local governments and private sector entities are invited to participate in this special month and to encourage everyone to sponsor and participate in programs.” 

The Web site, www.nmam.org, encourages citizens to draw attention and express appreciation to military families across the nation by engaging schools, civic organizations and businesses to organize events like visiting veterans hospitals, making trips to military memorials and museums, and decorating with patriotic themes.

The site also features a map of the United States which lists local Military Appreciation Month events in each state. 

The Defense Department is taking part in the month-long celebration with America Supports You, a DoD program highlighting the support of grassroots groups and corporate partners to the armed forces, co-hosting events throughout the nation. 

The program will take part in events like the McDonald’s Air & Sea Show in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; the Joint Services Open House at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.; and Professional Golfers’ Association events across the nation. An America Supports You concert featuring singer Jenny Boyle is slated for May 4 at the Pentagon. NASCAR will unveil an ASY car at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., on May 8. 

The Washington Capitals hockey team have scheduled a Military Appreciation Day at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., for May 11. 

ASY team member Shauna Fleming, founder of A Million Thanks has teamed up with Buick, Pontiac and GMC divisions of General Motors to collect thank you letters from the public for the troops. People can drop off their letters in Shauna’s red, white and blue boxes at GM car dealers across the nation. For more information and to see Shauna’s videos go to www.amillionthanks.org. 

Discovery is producing a series of "Thank You's" for The Military Channel where citizens from all over the country will be "thanking the troops" for all their service to our country. 

The months of May and June host a number of other patriotic commemorations, including Victory in Europe Day, Military Spouse Day, Loyalty Day, Armed Forces Week, Memorial Day, Flag Day and the observance of the Navy and Army birthdays. 

Source: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1826902/posts

May is Military Appreciation Month.

Below is 12 ways to show your support.

#1 SUBMIT A NMAM 2013 Proclamation and AMHM 2013 Proclamation TO YOUR STATE AND/OR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE.

#2 FLY THE FLAG ON YOUR HOUSE, CAR, and/or BUSINESS DURING MAY

#3 SEND A CARE PACKAGE TO A SOLDIER THROUGH USOCARES

#4 ORGANIZE AN EVENT IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY, AND AT YOUR WORKPLACE

#5 ASK YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AT ALL LEVELS TO RECOGNIZE OUR MILITARY

#6 SEND AN EMAIL OR LETTER OF THANKS THROUGH A Million Thanks

#7 ADOPT A HERO AT SOLDIERS' ANGELS!

#8 ASK LIBRARIES, SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN RECOGNIZING OUR ARMED FORCES

#9 ASK LOCAL MEDIA (TV, RADIO, NEWSPAPER) TO FEATURE

#10 WHEN YOU SEE A PERSON IN A MILITARY UNIFORM, SHAKE THEIR HAND AND SAY, "THANK YOU FOR SERVING OUR COUNTRY"

#11 ENCOURAGE SCHOOLS TO STUDY AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY DURING THIS MONTH!

#12 HIRE A VETERAN!

Source:

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics: Men's Products!

The average American man uses six personal care products a day containing more than 80 unique chemicals.

Many of these chemicals are absorbed into the skin, inhaled or ingested, and the vast majority of cosmetic chemicals have not been assessed for safety.

Some of the chemicals used in men's body-care products – from aftershaves and shaving creams to deodorants and shampoos – are linked to cancer, birth defects, learning disabilities and other chronic health problems. A common chemical found in most fragranced products may be particularly harmful to male reproductive health.

 What's in his Medicine Cabinet?

Problematic chemicals in men's personal care products include:

Diethyl phthalate (DEP): found in fragrance-containing products such as cologne, aftershave, shaving cream, shampoos and deodorants

• Recent human studies link DEP to sperm damage in adult men, abnormal reproductive development in infants, and Attention Deficit Disorder in children (i).
• A study by Harvard University researchers suggests that a single use of cologne can markedly increase the level of DEP in a person’s body (ii).
• Recent product tests found DEP in popular men’s colognes Quicksilver, Calvin Klein Eternity for Men, Old Spice After Hours Body Spray and Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce (iii).

Lead acetate: found in men’s hair and beard colorants

• Banned from cosmetics in European Union because it is a known human reproductive toxicant
• Brands include Men’s Grecian Hair Formula and Youthair Hair Color for Men.

Coal tar: found in dandruff shampoos such as Neutrogena T-Gel Shampoo

• Known human carcinogen that is banned from cosmetics in European Union.

Triclosan: found in antibacterial soaps and deodorants such as Old Spice Wide Stick Deodorant, Speed Stick deodorants, Dial anti-bacterial soaps and Edge Advanced Shaving Gel, Ultra Sensitive.

• Linked to hormone disruption, and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (iv).
• The Canadian Medical Association asked the Canadian government to ban triclosan in household products due to concerns about bacterial resistance and carcinogenic byproducts (v).
• There is no evidence that triclosan soaps are any more effective than regular soap and water (vi).

Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane: found in many leading shampoos and body washes

• Known animal carcinogens and probable human carcinogens, according to US EPA (vii).
• Formaldehyde is a leading allergen that can trigger skin rashes and other allergic reactions.
• 1,4-dioxane is a leading groundwater contaminant and suspected as a kidney toxicant, neurotoxicant and respiratory toxicant, according to California EPA.

Safer Alternatives

Some companies are already making safer men’s products that don’t contain harmful chemicals such as phthalates and formaldehyde. You can browse the list of companies that make men's products and have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

Men can also search for safer products on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database. Look for products in the 0-2 range with the green circle.

However, it’s not possible to just shop our way out of this problem. Without new laws, hazardous chemicals will remain in the majority of personal care products – and the problem will remain hidden from consumers. Many of the toxic chemicals described here are not even listed on product labels due to loopholes that allow companies to keep secret the chemicals in fragrances (such as DEP) and the hazardous impurities (such as formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane) that are commonly found in products.

What You Can Do

The Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act of 2013 will fix these problems by requiring companies to list all product ingredients on labels, and by setting up a system to ensure that all personal care products are assessed for safety and free of the most harmful chemicals.
This legislation will protect the health of everyone who uses personal care products, and will also ensure the long-term health of the cosmetics industry by shifting the industry away from toxic chemicals and spurring the innovation of safer products that consumers around the world are demanding.

Source:   http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=734

Today is International Women's Day!

Why we should celebrate International Women's Day...

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8th across the world. This day celebrates womanhood and it also celebrates the unconquerable spirit of the females across the world. Every year, this day celebrates various thoughts and the main thought is that the women should get their due share of respect and admiration.

Respecting women should be the major issue that the world should observe. When we are talking about giving respect to women, it actually covers so many different issues. Let us say, we should offer respect for women in our offices, while we are traveling on streets, at religious places etc. The respect should not be restricted to poor, rich and old. It is not that the only men should offer their respect, but from other sectors of society as well.

We all know that women have made considerable growth in various fields. They have even explored all those fields which are mainly dominated by the male members. The best way to give respect to females is to start appreciating their efforts while they are living with us in our home. Every day is a full of struggle for working women and single mothers who are leading their lives below poverty line. But they should be appreciated as they get up in the morning, recollect their courage to face new challenges. Well, according to me the women on the streets earning their daily livelihood should be praised more than our female celebrities.

So, it is important that the respect and admiration is not just limited to one day i.e. March 8th. Make sure to make your wife, sister, mother and your girlfriend know her importance in your life.

Source:  http://dietkart.blogspot.com/2013/03/why-we-should-celebrate-womens-day.html