Inspired by the May 1915 poem "In Flanders Fields" (written by Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae on the death of a World War I battlefield friend), American teacher Moina Michael (1869-1944) published her own poem in November 1918, "We Shall Keep the Faith." She vowed to always wear a red poppy as a symbol of remembrance for those who died serving in the war. At the age of 49, and after a 30-year teaching career, Moina was the first to sell poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. The tradition was soon adopted by Madam Guerin of France where artificial red poppies were made and sold by the newly-formed Franco-American Children's League to benefit war-orphaned children and widowed women in France, and later Belgium. The League disbanded in 1922 and Madam Guerin approached the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) for help. Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922, the VFW became the first veteran's organization to nationally sell poppies.  Two years later, their Buddy Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans.  In 1948, the U.S. Post Office honored Moina Michael, affectionately known as "the Poppy Lady," for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3-cent postage stamp with her likeness on it.  "We Shall Keep the Faith" continues to be a part of annual Remembrance Day ceremonies in the United Kingdom and is featured in many Memorial Day ceremonies in the United States:

Oh! You who sleep in Flanders Fields,

Sleep sweet - to rise anew!

We caught the torch you threw

And holding high, we keep the Faith

With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led;

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies,

But lends a lustre to the red

Of the flower that blooms above the dead

In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red

We wear in honor of our dead.

Fear not that ye have died for naught;

We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought

In Flanders Fields.

In Flanders Fields we fought.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is an estimate of body fat, calculated by using a person's height and weight, and is a useful measure to determine if someone is underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese. It is a good risk gauge for heart disease, high blood pressure, high LDL ("bad") cholesterol, low HDL ("good) cholesterol, high triglycerides, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems, certain cancers and family history of premature heart disease. Although BMI can be used for most men and women, it does have some limits: it may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build, and it may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle.  Use the BMI Calculator or BMI Tables found at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's website (www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi) to estimate your body fat. The BMI score means the following:

Underweight = Below 18.5

Normal = 18.5 to 24.9

Overweight = 25.0 to 29.9

Obesity = 30.0 and Above

On September 15, 1810, Mexico declared its independence from Spain.  Fifty-two years later, under orders from French Emperor Napoleon III, the French army landed in Mexico (along with Spanish and English troops) under the pretext of collecting Mexican debts. The English and Spanish quickly made deals and left, but the French, intent on ruling Mexico, remained. Napoleon's French Army had not been defeated in 50 years and it invaded Mexico with the finest modern equipment and with a newly reconstituted Foreign Legion.  The French were not afraid of anyone, especially since the United States was embroiled in its own Civil War. On the morning of May 5, 1862, 4,000 poorly-equipped Mexicans bravely and successfully defended their country against the French army of 8,000 in the Battle of Puebla. Mexico's war against the French  continued until 1867, but the Battle of Puebla was the most well-remembered as it boosted the morale of all people of Mexico in their ongoing battle for independence.  Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on May 5th each year in both Mexico and the United States.

Swimming is the second most popular sports activity in the United States, with hundreds of millions of swimming visits each year.  To help protect swimmers' health, pool chemicals are added to the water at aquatic venues, such as pools, water parks, and interactive fountains.  These chemicals are used to stop bacteria, viruses, and parasites from spreading from one person to another. However, when not safely handled, these same chemicals that help protect us from germs can cause injuries.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), preventable injuries associated with pool chemicals lead to as many as 5,200 emergency department visits each year.  These injuries typically occur during the summer swim season, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  During 2007, almost half of these injuries occurred at a residence.

Individuals can be injured if they inhale fumes while opening pool chemical containers, attempting to pre-dissolve pool chemicals, or handling them unsafely.  Injuries may also occur if chemicals are splashed into the eyes.  It is important to remember that these types of injuries are not limited to those who handle chemicals; swimmers and others in the surrounding area may also be injured.

Public pool operators and residential pool owners can protect themselves and others by: Always securing pool chemicals away from children and animals; reading product label and manufacturer's directions before each use; using appropriate protective gear, such as safety glasses and gloves, when handling pool chemicals.  Never mix chlorine products with each other, with acid, or with any other substance.  (Source:  www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming)

Victory in Europe Day commemorates May 8, 1945 (in commonwealth countries, May 7,1945), the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not until May 9, 1945. On April 30^th Hitler committed suicide during the Battle of Berlin, and so the surrender of Germany was authorized by his replacement, President of Germany Karl Dönitz. The administration headed by Dönitz was known as the Flensburg government. The act of military surrender was signed on May 7^th in Reims, France, and ratified on May 8^th in Berlin, Germany.

Mothers are the most important individuals in our lives. We begin our lives completely dependent on them for our every need. Many believe that we search for aspects of the mother-child relationship throughout our entire lives. Love it or hate it, she was your first love and will never be gone from your heart. You will always be in her heart also.

·         Despite what you think, money does not grow on trees.

·         Don't make that face or it'll freeze that way.

·         Always change your underwear - you never know when you'll have an accident.

·         You have enough dirt behind those ears to grow potatoes!

·         If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

·         Don't put that in your mouth, you don't know where it's been!

·         Because I'm your mother, that's why.

·         If you fall out of that tree, don't come running to me!

·         Just you wait until you have kids of your own, then you'll understand.

·         Bored? How can you be bored? I was never bored at your age!

Old ranch owner John farmed a small ranch in Montana.  The Montana Wage and Hour Department claimed he was not paying proper wages to his workers and sent an agent out to interview him. "I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them," demanded the agent.
 

"Well," replied old John, "there's my ranch hand who's been with me for three years. I pay him $600 a week plus free room and board.  The cook has been here for 18 months, and I pay her $500 a week plus free room and board.  Then there's the half-wit who works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of all the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board and I buy him a bottle of bourbon every Saturday night."

"That's the guy I want to talk to, the half-wit," said the agent.

"That would be me," replied old rancher John.