PAGE 4 PRESS PERSPECTIVES MARCH 16, 2011
FROM TH E
EDITOR'S DESK...
BY ALLISON OLIA4B
EDITOR, WALSH €OUNTY PRESS
March 17 is what I refer to as
"the day of my people."
Among all of the shamrock
necklaces, "Kiss me, I'm Irish"
shirts, and green beer, I proudly
have stood in parades and parties
proclaiming my birthright.
I grew up as an O'Toole and
every year I liked to take full
advantage of the ability to
emphasize that apostrophe.
St. Patrick's Day is a day filled
with -- well, OK, so it is largely
drinking related but -- heritage. It
is a day where everyone wants to
be Irish.
I believe that is the best part of
the day, a celebration of culture.
On occasion I will have a
friendly face come into my office
to tell me a story of how they know
my family or even how we are
related.
While I wish I knew more of
the genealogy of the Daley, Novak,
or Hardy names, the O'Toole's
have done a wonderful job of
keeping that history of the family
name and history alive through the
years.
i remember as a kid asking my
parents where our family came
from. Dad laughed and said
Canada. Of course what I was
looking for went a bit farther back
than that. I wanted to know what
type of mutt I was. And how we
got from one coast to the other.
The Irish was simply the easiest to
track.
And it was a culture I could
identify with . . . l was/still am
short and who doesn't love shiny
things such as gold and rainbows
at that age?
It was a culture rooted in joy
and storytelling amid the pagans
and plights.
While green beer may be a part
of the day, the spirit goes back to
Cinco de Mayo, Syttende Mai, or
good o1' fashioned Canada Day
and the Fourth of July. It is a
celebration of a people.
Celebrate how your will, but
one day a year, everyone is Irish.
In the words of my people:
"May those who love us, love us;
and those who don't love us, may
God turn their hearts; and if He
doesn't turn their hearts, may he
tum their ankles so we'll know
them by their limping."
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Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Tis' a fine time of the year lad-
die, and I hope this day finds you
well! Spring is in the air. Water
starting to make its' way to the
creek. Hills are starting to peek
out. And the Irish are celebrating,
because that is what they do.
I'm not Irish, but being married
to a Murphy, I quickly adopted
their love for an occasional pint
and a good story. Grandpa Jack
loved a' good story, and an occa-
sional pint. So much so, that in his
later years, while a resident of the
Hilltop in Killdeer, on St. Patrick's
Day, Grandpa called the Buckskin
Bar and ordered a keg of beer, a
pitcher, and some green dye be de-
livered to the nursing home, so the
residents could celebrate in fash-
ion! He often said, "The Good
Hat
Lord invented whiskey to keep the
Irish from ruling the Earth".
Which reminds me of a story.
Paddy had applied for a job at a
brewery just outside Dublin. It was
the same brewery where his
brother had worked years ago. Re-
member, I told you about him. He
was the one that fell in the vat full
of beer and was drowned. Re-
member? When Scan went to his
house to inform his wife that
Doolin had drowned, she had
asked if "he had suffered?" Scan
informed her that he "didn't think
so, because he had gotten out three
Tips
times to pee".
Anyway, Paddy applied for this
job. At the same time an American
applied for the job. Well, the man-
ager, when going through their ap-
plications, determined that they
had the exact same qualifications.
He decided that since they were so
even, he would have to give them
a written test. Paddy and the
American quickly agreed to take a
twenty question test.
Lo and behold, again, a tie!
They both had nineteen correct an-
swers on the test. Paddy was thor-
oughly disgusted when the
American was awarded the posi-
tion and Paddy was dismissed.
Later, that evening, in
O'Brien's Pub, Paddy confronted
the manager.
"How could you give the
American that job when we both
missed only one question on the
test" he inquired. "Being an Irish-
man, I was sure I would get the
job."
"Paddy, it was just the way the
question you missed was an-
skvered. The American wrote
down that he "did not know the
answer". And you wrote down
"neither do I"!
And to you laddie, "May you
live as long as you want, and never
want as long as you live".
Later, Dean
Sa.ma, ,.
Happenings at Our
Good Samaritan
Monica Simon ADC
Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone! We are celebrating the day
with our Shamrock hunt and Used Book Sale and Dessert Lunch.
Please stop bu and browse through the large selection of used books
and enjoy a delicious Dessert Lunch.
Thursday we celebrated our monthly birthday party which was
provided by the STAR COMMITTEE they Served Birthday Cake and
Dollar bingo was played. We all had a great time and we thank the
STAR COMMITTEE for hosting the party.
The Mennonite Singers were here Friday evening and we enjoyed
their music. Friday we had potato chip tasting also.
We thank everyone who participated in our SPUD BAR it was a
delicious meal and a huge success.
Upcoming Events:
March 18 3:00 Matt Hodek
March 24 3:00 Auxiliary Program and Lunch Host Victory Free
Lutheran Church
I would like to thank our devotional leaders for the week, Lois
Ydstie, Monica Simon, and Rev. David Hinrichs. Our accompanist
was Monica Simon. Sunday Worship services were led by Rev. Hanse
of Zion Lutheran. Mass was led by Father Luiten.
I would like to thank Sheryl Kjelland and OSLC Sunday School for
coming to the center and singing and playing games with the residents
last Sunday.
Regular activities held were exercises, Devotions, baking, bingo,
Senior Band, Bible Study, Piano Music, Current Events, Hymn Sing
and movie and popcorn night.
Remember we will be taking used books until Thursday afternoon
before the sale.
By Extension Agent-In-Training Theresa Jeske
ALL ABOUT BEDBUGS
Prevent. Promote, Protect.
Walsh County Health District
Short Shots
What are bedbugs? A; Bedbugs are small insects that feed on the
blood of humans and animals (host). Adult bedbugs are about 1A inch in
length and are oval in shape. They can be off white in color to light tan,
deep brown or burnt orange. The host's dark blood may be apparent in the
body of the bug. Bedbugs cannot fly.
Where are bedbugs found? A: Bedbugs can be found worldwide and
have been reported more frequently in recent years. They most often are
found in rooms where people sleep and generally hide near beds or other
furniture used for sleeping.
How do bedbugs spread? A: Bedbugs hide in small crevices, may in-
vade luggage, furniture, clothing, pillows, boxes and other objects and
are spread when these are moved between apartments, homes and hotels.
Used furniture (bed frames and mattresses, etc) are at the greatest risk of
storing bedbugs and their eggs. Bedbugs can pass between adjoining
apartments through holes in the walls. Bats or birds also may introduce
bedbugs into a home.
What symptoms do bedbugs cause? A: Bedbugs usually bite when
the hosts are asleep. The bites are painless. While feeding, the bugs inject
their saliva into the skin. The sore caused by a bite looks similar to a mos-
quito bite. After a prolonged period of time, the bites may cause the host
to have a mild to intense allergic reaction. Scratching the sores may lead
to a secondary infection.
How long is a person able to spread bed bugs? A: Bedbugs can sur-
vive months without feeding, so they may be present in apparently vacant
and clean apartments. Bedbugs are able to spread as long as the host is
living with them.
How is a person diagnosed? A: Many types of insects resemble bed-
bugs. Samples 0f bugs should be collected and evaluated by someone
who has experience/knowledge of what bedbugs look like. Bedbugs
should be suspected if residents complain of bites that occurred while
they were sleeping.
What is the treatment for bedbug sores? A: Sores may be treated
with antihistamines and corticosteroids to reduce allergic reactions and
inflammation. Bedbugs are not known to transmit any infectious diseases.
Should children or adults be excluded from day care, school or
work if they have bedbug lesions? A: No.
What can be done to prevent the spread of bedbugs? A: Managing
bedbugs requires cleaning, room modifications and most likely profes-
sional insecticidal treatments. Infested surfaces should be scrubbed with
a stiff brush to dislodge eggs, vacuuming should be done to remove bed-
bugs from cracks and crevices. All possible hiding places should be in-
spected. Holes or cracks in walls should be sealed. If you are a tenant,
the property manager should be contacted.
$4 gas will keep us in
North Dakota
With gas spiraling toward four
dollars a gallon, chances are good
we won't be driving out to the
Grand Canyon this summer, if
there is one. That's why the North
Dakota Legendary 2011 Travel
Guide has consumed all of our
travel planning. (You can pick up
a free copy at your friendly rest
area.)
This looks like a good
summer to take some short $35
trips to participate in upcoming
home state fests and festivals so
we've been looking over the
opportunities. (All towns
mentioned are in North Dakota
whether you have heard of them
or not.)
Of course, we have already
missed three weekends of
dogsledding at Binford. Maybe
more will be scheduled in May.
That or several weekends of mud
sledding.
With all of the professing
Norwegians in North Dakota,
you would think that the North
Dakota Legendary 2011 Travel
Guide would show a slew of
Syttende Mai celebrations on
May 17, the :anniversary date of
the constitution of Norway
adopted in 1814. But the Travel
Guide shows nothing for May 17.
Norwegian sad.
All of the Norwegians with get
up and go must have got up and
went, possibly to Minot to wait
for Hostfest. Or perhaps they're
restraining themselves until
Uffda Day in Rutland on October
2.
May 28-29 is the X-rated
Dakota Cowboy Poetry
Gathering in Medora. This is an
opportunity for the profane to say
or sing everything crude as long
as it rhymes. If they bang the
guitar loud enough, it doesn't
even have to rhyme.
A "Day in the Garden" will be
held at the Peace Garden June 4.
It promises a "hands on"
experience but you can't pick the
flowers. There isn't much else to
put your hands on. If you go,
don't forget your passport, birth
certificate, baptism records,
communion certificate, driver's
license, discharge papers and a
recent photograph in case you
accidentally step across the
border into Canada. Any five of
the seven will get you back into
the U.S. Otherwise; you may
have to outrun the Mounties.
Be sure to comb your hair so
you don't look like a terrorist. In
case you haven't noticed, they all
have unruly hair. It must be a
faith-based thing. On the other
hand, if you had a bunch of
bombs strapped to your belly
button, your hair would be
unruly, too.
The annual Main Street dance
in Conway will be delayed a
week. A fresh load of gravel has
been ordered for the event. If you
are going, be sure to wear high
top shoes.
Grand Forks will have a big
rhubarb fest June 11. It will be
good, but it will be nothing like
the 80-day one now being held in
Bismarck.
The Lakota Turkey Barbecue
will be held June 17-19, with an
all-faith church service slated for
Sunday. All faith means it will
represent the lowest common
denomination for people who
already have faith. These generic
things usually open with "To
whom it may concern." What w.e
need is a non-faith church
service. Didn't Jesus say he came
to talk to sinners and not the
righteous?
That's all the space we have
today but watch this space for
more on Uffda Day in Rutland.
This looks llke a good summer to
take some short $35 trips to partici-
pate in upcoming home state rests
and festivals so we've been looking
over the opportunities."
Extension Exchange
Walsh County Nuxriti0n, Food Safety
and Health Agent,
Julie Zikmund, MPH, RD, LRD
Helping your kids
eat right with color
When it comes to food and nu-
trition, even the most knowledge-
able parents can use help making
sure their children are eating
healthy meals. Each March, the
American Dietetic Association
celebrates National Nutrition
Month®, and this year's theme,
"Eat Right with Color," encour-
ages parents to take time to make
sure their children are getting all of
the nutrients they need to grow
and thrive. The good news is that
shopping, cooking and eating
healthfully have just gotten easier
with assistance from www.kid-
seatright.org, a new website from
ADA and its Foundation.
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines
Advisory Committee recently re-
ported that children, teens and
adults have diets deficient in di-
etary fiber, vitamin D, calcium and
potassium, and the Kids Eat Right
campaign calls for increased at-
tention to the alarming nutrient de-
ficiencies in children's diets.
Weight is not the only measure
of good nutrition and health. Any
child -- whether they are of nor-
mal weight, overweight or obese
-- can be undernourished. Qual-
ity nutrition requires a total diet
approach that goes beyond calorie
counting alone, to focus on in-
cluding those nutrients critical for
a child's healthy growth and de-
velopment. This year's National
Nutrition Month theme is a great
reminder for parents to focus on
that total diet approach by includ-
ing a variety of foods and colors in
every meal, every day.
Help your kids "Eat Right with
Color" by:
• Giving kids whole-grain cere-
als for breakfast, kid-friendly
"white" whole-wheat bread for
sandwiches, crunchy whole-grain
crackers for snacks and whole-
grain pastas for dinner .....
• Eating more fruits and vegeta-
bles at every'meal. At breakfast,
enjoy fresh or frozen berries on ce-
real, slices of melon or a glass of
100 percent orange juice; at lunch,
serve baby carrots or sliced apples;
for dinner, put brightly colored
vegetables at the center of every
plate.
• Most young people in Amer-
ica are not getting enough calcium
or potassium. Fortunately, it's easy
to consume the three daily dairy
servings children and teens need.
Try an 8-ounce glass of low-fat
milk with breakfast, lunch and din-
ner; yogurt parfaits for breakfast or
an after-school snack; or string
cheese for an on-the-go energy
snack.
• Getting enough protein at
every meal and snack helps kids
feel satisfied after eating. Start
their day with egg or bean burri-
tos. For snacks, provide peanut
butter or sliced dell meat.
Designed around a SHOP,
COOK and EAT theme, the Kids
Eat Right website provides parents
with practical tips, articles, videos
and recipes from registered dieti-
tians to help families shop smart,
cook healthy and eat right.
Interactive kid's games for Na-
tional Nutrition Month will be
available, including:
Sudoku: Tackle these popular
puzzles using food rather than
numbers.
Word Search: Find the words
that represent the bold and vibrant
colors associated with eating fight!
Rate Your Plate Quiz: Find out
how you rate when it comes to
making daily meal choices.
Whether speaking with a regis-
tered dietitian about essential nu-
trients and healthier cooking, or
visiting www.kidseatright.org for
tips and recipes, Kids Eat Right
provides families with knowledge
as well as ideas and tools to trans-
form theireating behaviors.
All my best to you and your
family,. ....
Julie ..... ..... .
Adapted .fi'om the American Dietetic,
Assocution
Around the County
Walsh County Extension Office Park River - 284-6624
Selecting your bull power
for the upcoming year
With production sales occurring
all around the state now is the time
to be thinking about your bull
power for the upcoming breeding
season. Many may think that
choosing the right bull for you is
simple, however, when breeders
provide so much information about
each bull, how are you supposed to
sort through it all? The first step is
to identify what you want from
your bull, what is included in his
'job description'? The expectations
set for your bull will determine
which combination of traits you
will be loo.king for in your bull
prospects. Some producers need a
bull that will produce growthy
calves that have maximum weight
gain by the time of weaning while
others select bulls that will
minimize calving problems or
want to achieve the highest quality
of carcass possible.
Choosing the right bull involves
both a physical evaluation of the
bull and a review of the available
genetic information. Bulls need to
be evaluated for their structural
correctness, frame size and muscle
pattern to see whether the bull
selected has the overall eye appeal
that the producers would like in the
next calf crop. Expected Progeny
Differences (EPD), help to
compare two bulls to each other in
specific areas of production. It is
important to know what the EPD's
for each breed stand for and what
the average or standard of the
breeds are to accurately evaluate a
bull as EPDs are not standardized
with zero as the average. This is
important when comparing two
bulls. If we were evaluating for
weaning weight and Bull A is listed
at + 40 while bull B is listed at +60;
the EPD's would lead you to
believe that bull B's calves would
be 20 pounds heavier at weanifig
that bull A. Commonly sale
catalogs will list EPD's such as
calving ease, birth weight, weaning
weight, yearling weight, milk,
scrotal circumference or any
variety of indices which are
available for the specific breed.
This is where your job description
will come in handy. Choose a
combination of traits which you
can specifically identify to fit the
needs of your cow herd. Indices
commonly combine a couple EPD
values to achieve a specific goal.
For example we'll utilize $W, this
selection index represents the
economic return on calves sold at
weaning and takes into account
birth weight, weaning weight,
maternal milk and mature cow
size, which contribute to the value
of a weaned calf. Other common
selection indexes include feedlot
value ($F), beef value ($B) and
grid value ($G). It is important to
know what these indices mean if
you plan to utilize them in your
strategy. Other things to consider
when purchasing a bull may
include any ultrasound carcass data
available, the presence or absence
of genetic defects as well as if a
polled, or genetically non-homed
bull, is preferred in term of
management issues.
Dates to Remember:
March 21, 9 a.m., NDSU Pesticide Training, Park
River City Hall
