Time to quit smoking!

Would you like an extra $1460 this year? If you smoke a pack of cigarettes everyday, that is the amount that you could save in the next 12 months. We all know that it’s tough to quit smoking; here are some tips to improve your chances of success:

• Write down why you want to quit (the benefits of quitting): live longer, feel better, for your family, save money, smell better, find a mate more easily, etc. You know what's bad about smoking and you know what you'll get by quitting. Put it on paper and read it daily.


• Set a quit date. Decide what day you will extinguish your cigarettes forever. Write it down. Plan for it. Prepare your mind for the "first day of the rest of your life".


• Talk with your doctor about quitting. Support and guidance from a physician is a proven way to better your chances to quit.


• Begin an exercise program. Exercise is simply incompatible with smoking. Exercise relieves stress and helps your body recover from years of damage from cigarettes. If necessary, start slow, with a short walk once or twice per day.


• Do some deep breathing each day for 3 to 5 minutes. Breathe in through your nose very slowly, hold the breath for a few seconds, and exhale very slowly through your mouth.

Find another smoker who is trying to quit, and help each other with positive words and by lending an ear when quitting becomes difficult.
Would you like more advice on quitting? Check smokefree.gov for resources from the United States government.

Summer Movie Preview

The start of May always brings with it the beginning action-packed summer movie season and this year is no exception. 2010 is shaping up the be the year of the sequel, with several of the most anticipated releases being sequels to previous blockbuster. This year’s movie summer got off to an impressive start with the first big movie of the season, Iron Man 2, bringing in almost $130 million dollars in its first weekend. Courtesy of Yahoo! Movies, Here are some more movies which are sure to make a splash this summer.

Summer of Sequels

Shrek Forever After (May 21)
He has everything an ogre could want -- true love, good friends, a happily-ever-after life -- but Shrek longs to feel his mojo again, even for a day. An ill-advised deal with Rumpelstiltskin grants that wish, thrusting Shrek into a "Lost"-like alternate world where Donkey doesn't know him, witches rule the skies, and Puss in Boots has packed on the pounds. And Fiona? Having never met Shrek, she now leads a band of ogre outlaws. Can Shrek save Far Far Away and win back his true love?


Sex and the City 2 (May 27)
Get your Manolos ready! It has been two years since we last sipped Cosmos with the gals of "Sex and the City," and so much has happened: Carrie and Big's passion has fizzled, Charlotte and Harry are overwhelmed by the stresses of parenthood with a new baby in the house, Miranda and Steve are working hard on their relationship in Brooklyn, and Samantha, well, is still Samantha... sultry, single, and still trying desperately to hang on to what is left of her youth. Always on the quest for excitement, the ladies travel to Abu Dhabi in style, and Carrie's relationship is called into question when she unexpectedly runs into former fiance Aiden. Uh oh! Will this pose big problems for Mr. and Mrs. Big?

Toy Story 3 (June 18)
With Andy grown and college-bound, Woody, Buzz and the gang find themselves donated to a preschool. Woody stands alone in his belief that Andy would never have abandoned them -- and when things turn dark at Sunnyside, the others join him in a quest to return to Andy's room. When Andy discovers their absence, the wheels are set in motion for an emotional roller coaster for everyone who ever loved a toy.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (June 30)
In the third and latest installment of the "Twilight Saga," "Eclipse" finds our heroine Bella Swan romantically torn between her brooding vampire fiancee Edward Cullen and her hunky werewolf best friend Jacob Black. Meanwhile, an evil threat in the form of fiery vampire Victoria looms ever-closer to Forks. Still reeling from the death of her partner James in the first movie, Victoria is full of vengeance and dead-set on killing Bella with her army of newborn vamps.

Synopses and photos: Yahoo! Movies
Other movies to look for this summer:
The A-Team, The Karate Kid (June 11)
Despicable Me, Predators (July 9)
Inception (July 16)
Salt, Ramona and Beezus (July 23)
The Expendables, Eat Pray Love (Aug. 13)

In Memory of Mr. Donald Abbott

Donald Abbott worked at Southwestern College from 2000 until this February. He died on May 10 of complications from lymphoma. During his years at Southwestern, Mr. Abbott taught a variety of classes, including psychology, government, and GED preparation. American Government was probably his favorite subject, and he was known as a caring and knowledgeable instructor. Former students’ comments at Ratemyprof.com are enthusiastic, saying, “Mr. Abbott knows more in his little pinkie than any other professor here at SWC!” and “The man knows his Gov! … He’s very open to discussion and answers questions thoroughly.” He was always eager to increase his knowledge: during his last days at Southwestern, he spent his spare time reading The Case for Goliath: How America Acts as the World’s Government.

Mr. Abbott was in charge of the library when it was located across the hall in the current GED classroom and in fact personally assembled many of the library’s current bookshelves. For the last two years, he helped students with computer and reference questions, kept usage statistics, and created a subject guide for GED resources. His former colleague, Medical Instructor Carole Bretcher, says, “I remember Mr. Abbott as a very private person of high intelligence and integrity. He cared deeply for all people over himself. He loved his students even though they, at times, exasperated him as all of us teachers know they can. He may have led an obscure life, but he touched the hearts of many as he touched mine.”

At Kent State University, Mr. Abbott was a football standout, playing defensive end on the All-MAC (Mid-Atlantic Conference) team in 1966 and 1967. In the above photo, he is #81. He was also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Later, he earned an MS in education from Northern Kentucky University, and he was working toward a PhD when he became ill. Before coming to Southwestern, he taught in the Dayton Public Schools. He is survived by his son, Donald, Jr., of Concord Township, Ohio, and two grandsons.

The library is collecting money to buy books on American government in Mr. Abbott’s honor and welcomes donations.

Recipe: Sausage and Summer Vegetable Sauté

Ingredients:

• 4 (5-to 6-ounces) fresh pork sausages


• 1/3 cup water


• 3/4 cup chopped sweet onion


• 1 medium fennel bulb, chopped


• 1 cup grape tomatoes (5 oz)


• 2 ears corn, kernels cut from cob


• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped dill
  

Preparation
Prick sausages a few times. Simmer with water in a 12-inch heavy skillet, covered, over medium heat 7 minutes. Uncover and cook, turning occasionally, until water has evaporated and sausages are well browned and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes more. (You may need to add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet, depending on sausages.) Transfer sausages to a plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet if necessary.
Cook onion, fennel, and tomatoes with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in skillet over medium heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until onion and fennel are crisp-tender and tomatoes are soft and beginning to burst, about 7 minutes. Add corn and dill and sauté 2 minutes.
Slice sausages and serve with vegetables.

For more instructions and recipes, visit: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sausage-and-Summer-Vegetable-Saute-354509#ixzz0lGoRkohI

Arab American History Month

Each April, the United States celebrates the country’s Arab-American heritage. Some of the best known Arab-Americans include quarterback Doug Flutie, activist Ralph Nadar, and performers such as Paula Abdul, Shakira and Selma Hayek. Here are just a couple well-known Arab Americans from the state of Ohio:

Mary Rose Oakar
Mary Rose Oakar has consistently strived to represent the best interests not only of her fellow Arab Americans, but of all Ohioans. Not only was Mary Rose Oaker one of only a few Arab American members of the United States House of Representatives, but she is also the first Democratic woman from the state of Ohio to have achieved this position. Oakar has also served in the Ohio House of Representatives. Currently, Oakar is the president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

Jamie Farr
Toledo-born Jamie Farr is best known for his career as an actor in the television sitcom M*A*S*H*. His character, Corporal Maxwell Klinger, frequently dressed in women’s clothing in an attempt to convince people that he was crazy. His character was known to love Toledo’s minor league baseball team and Tony Packo’s hot dogs, also from Toledo. He was also involved in a number of other projects including films such as: Blackboard Jungle, No Time for Sergeants, The Greatest Story Ever Told and For Love or Money. Other television appearances include guest visits to the Dick Van Dyke Show and panelist work on several television game shows.
For more information on famous and influential Arab-Americans in this country, visit:
http://www.aaiusa.org/arab-americans/23/famous-arab-americans

What is Really Valuable to Employers?

Some of the most desirable employee traits cannot be taught

Everyone knows that traits like intelligence, good training, and work ethic are important on the job. But are these the most important qualities that an employee can possess?
Although intelligence, training, reliability and obedience will always be critical to your success in the workplace, they are qualities that can be learned or acquired by most people. Employers are often going to be looking for characteristics that cannot be taught. For example:

Passion: A strong fondness or desire. Do you love what you are doing for a living? It makes a difference!
Creativity: The ability to transcend traditional ideas. Don’t just do your job; try to think of ways to do it better!
Initiative: Leadership, the ability to take action. Don’t always wait to be told to do things, take the first step yourself!

Combined with traditional skills, these other personality traits will help you to become a more valuable and successful employee!

Women’s History Month: Annie Oakley

How have Ohio women shaped history? Annie Oakley is the woman that most Americans remember when they thing of the Wild West. She managed to beat most men at the traditionally masculine sport of marksmanship.

Born in Drake Country, Ohio in 1860, a young Oakley shot rabbits and quails to help provide for her large family.

Later, she married fellow marksman Frank Butler and the two toured together on Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Oakley was able to slice the thin side of a playing card from 30 paces away and shoot the cigarettes out of a man’s mouth.

She was beloved by many including Queen Victoria of England. She was charming and modest, as well as being devoted to charity in the community. She made charitable contributions to the educations of orphan girls.

She was mourned by many when she died in 1926.

Do you need a biography for class? The Library has great resources. For more information visit:
http://southwesterndayton.blogspot.com/2010/03/better-biographies.html
This information on Annie Oakley was retrieved from:
"Oakley, Annie (1860-1926)." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Thomson Gale, 1998. General OneFile. Web. 18 Mar. 2010.