Athletes with visual impairments, blindness bike across America to inspire others

from today.com (click to see video) 

A group of motivating athletes want to change the way people with blindness or visual impairments are perceived. The members of the cycling group “Team Sea to See,” who are blind or visually impaired, participated in the 2018 Race Across America, cycling from the Pacific to the Atlantic in less than nine days. TODAY’s Megyn Kelly shares their story, as well as their hopeful message. “I choose for my blindness to be an asset.”

Autumn Beef Stew

Autumn Beef Stew

from midwestliving.com

We riffed off Julia Child's legendary boeuf bourguignon, stealing her trick of flavoring a wine-rich beef stew with bacon drippings, but adding generous chunks of carrot, potato and butternut squash.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 strips bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
• Canola oil
• 2 medium onions, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 5 cups reuduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups less-sodium beef broth
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 pound potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 pound butternut squash; peeled, seeded and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 4 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 stalks celery, sliced into 1/2-inch thick
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions

1. In a large plastic bag, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add beef; shake to coat evenly. In a Dutch oven or large heavy pot, cook and stir bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels with a slotted spoon. Add enough oil to bacon drippings to equal 2 tablespoons. Add half the beef to pot, shaking off any excess flour. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Remove beef with a slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining beef.
2. If pot is dry, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add onions; cook and stir for about 4 minutes or until starting to brown. Stir in garlic; cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste. Return beef, bacon and any remaining flour to pot. Stir to combine. Add chicken and beef broth, wine, bay leaves, thyme and paprika. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Add potatoes, squash, carrots and celery. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove lid and simmer about 15 minutes more or until vegetables are tender and liquid is desired consistency. Remove bay leaves. Stir in parsley.

Dollar General Circular--Sept. 23-29

Dollar General Circular--Sept. 23-29

$6.95 Folgers coffee 30.5 ounces

2/$5 Fritos or Cheetos

2/$5.50 Dawn dish liquid 20.6 ounces

$4.95 Bounty paper towels 6 rolls or Charmin toilet paper 12 rolls

$4.75 Hefty kitchen or trash bags

3/$11 Coca-Cola 12 pack cans or 8 pack bottles

$2.50 Soft Scrub cleaner with bleach 24 ounces

Adapting Your Home: Tips for the Kitchen

Tips for the Kitchen

from afb.org

Tips for the Kitchen

Although the principles outlined in the Adapting Your Home overview apply to every part of your living space, some rooms or areas require special attention. Here are a few simple things you can do to make kitchen chores easier and safer.

Label Canned Foods and Other Staples

Cans are often a source of great frustration for anyone with very limited vision. You usually can't tell what's in a can by shaking it. Once it's open, and turns out not to be what you expected, you can't close it up and store it for another time. At that point, you have two unsatisfactory choices—throw it away or eat something you don't feel like having. That's why it's essential to label cans the same day they arrive from the store, before you put them away. To do that you will need help from a neighbor or relative to identify what each one contains. Here are a few things you can do to minimize any inconvenience this might cause the person helping you.

• Do your shopping for food staples such as canned goods, cereal, crackers, dry pasta, spices, etc., (things that have a long shelf life) once or twice a month rather than weekly.
• Prepare labels in advance, based on your shopping list. A self-adhesive label is easy to apply, marked with whatever tactile "code" you devise or large print labeling.
• You could also use varying numbers of rubber bands to distinguish one type of product from another—two bands for mixed fruits; three for green vegetables; four for sauces; etc.

Other Kitchen Tips

• Wear short sleeves or roll your sleeves above the elbow when working at the stove.
• Wear oven mitts to handle pots and pans.
• Set a timer to remind you when to turn off the stove or other electrical appliances.
• Make sure all your appliances are in good working order and avoid overloading circuits.
  
• Don't store spices on a shelf above the stove.
• Don't remove a pan from the stove before you turn off the flame.
• Don't wear anything with long, loose sleeves when cooking.

Local activity: ACANSA Arts Festival

ACANSA Arts Festival

Dates: 09/18/18 - 09/23/18

Downtown

Main Street Creative Corridor

for more information click here

 ACANSA exists as a visual and performing arts festival dedicated to building a more dynamic and engaging community through the arts and enriching the cultural vitality of the region. By fostering creative collaborations among artists, patrons, businesses, and community institutions, we facilitate the creation and presentation of more compelling art that encourages public dialogue, economic innovation, exposes people to a wider array of artistic experiences, and makes our community a stronger and more vibrant place to live.

Many people ask where the name ACANSA comes from. The word "Arkansas" is a Siouan Indian word. It has had several spellings over the centuries, including ACANSA, which was the name of a major Quapaw village in southeastern Arkansas. Many people believe that ACANSA meant "downstream people," but that isn't true – Quapaw, the tribe's own name for themselves, means "downstream people." ACANSA probably came from the Quapaw word meaning "southern place." Their non-native neighbors frequently referred to the Quapaw as the ACANSA, Arkansas, or Alkansea Indians because of this town.

Good News Story: Police Officer Adopts Baby Of Homeless Woman Battling Drug Addiction

Police Officer Adopts Baby Of Homeless Woman Battling Drug Addiction

from sunnyskyz.com 

A Santa Rosa police officer who responded to an emergency call of a homeless pregnant woman has adopted her newborn daughter.

The woman was living on the streets, pregnant and battling a drug addiction. Officer Jesse Whitten would check up on her from time to time, and on one such meeting last year in August, his wife, Ashley, was with him.

Months later, the Whittens got a call that would change their lives forever. The homeless woman specifically asked for Ashley and Jesse to adopt her unborn child.

"It's weird to live in the tension of joy and heartbreak like this story is," Ashley told CBS News. "It's wonderful at the same time."

This week that little Harlow’s adoption became official.

"Ofc. Whitten, the proud father of three girls already, opened his heart and his home to this baby. And now it's official! After a moving adoption hearing, she is a part of Ofc. Whitten's family," the Santa rosa Police department wrote on Facebook.

Harlow was exposed to drugs in the womb and overcame obstacles in the first few weeks of life. She is doing much better now.

"She smiles so beautifully," said Jesse.

"Her smile is the best thing," Ashley added.

 

Butternut Squash Alfredo Pasta

from foodnetwork.com 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 pound butternut squash, cubed (about 4 cups total)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound fettuccine
• 2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan (about 3/4 cup), plus more for serving  

Directions

Special equipment: an immersion blender

Add the cream, butter, squash and 3/4 cup water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue cooking until the squash is tender when poked with a fork, about 15 minutes. Puree using an immersion blender until super creamy and smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with the nutmeg and 1 teaspoon salt. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup starchy pasta water and drain the pasta. Stir the pasta and Parmesan into the squash sauce and toss until well coated. Add the reserved pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed to loosen the sauce. Serve with more Parmesan and grated nutmeg, if desired. 

 

Paralympian Danelle Umstead First Visually Impaired “Dancing With The Stars” Contestant, Joined By Mary Lou Retton 

from teamusa.org 

Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton and Paralympic medalist Danelle Umstead will look to make it a Team USA sweep in 2018 as they are set to compete on the fall season of “Dancing with the Stars.”

Olympic medalist figure skater Adam Rippon took the mirror ball trophy in the show’s spring season, the sixth member of Team USA to do so. Retton becomes the 32nd U.S. Olympian to compete on the show and the sixth gymnast, and Umstead is the third Paralympian and first skier from either the Olympic or Paralympic Games. Umstead also is making history as the first visually impaired contestant.

Retton, 50, won the all-around gold medal in gymnastics at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984, as well as a pair of silver medals in team and vault and bronze medals in uneven bars and floor exercise. At the time, her five Olympic medals made her the most decorated woman in American gymnastics. She was the first American woman to win an all-around gold medal, and nobody would match her until Carly Patterson in 2004. Retton will be paired with professional dancer Sasha Farber, who last season finished third with two-time Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding.

Umstead, 46, made her Paralympic debut in 2010 and won bronze medals in downhill and super combined. She defended her super combined bronze medal in 2014 and made her third Paralympic Games appearance last March. She competes with her sighted guide and husband, Rob, whom she met while skiing in New Mexico. Umstead is dancing with Artem Chigvintsev, who has previously teamed with two-time Olympic medalist figure skater Nancy Kerrigan and three-time Olympic snowboarding medalist Jamie Anderson.

The 27th season of “Dancing with the Stars” gets underway on Sept. 24. Eleven other celebrities will be competing for the mirror ball: “Bachelorette” contestant Joe Amabile, radio host Bobby Bones, actor Juan Pablo DiPace, comedian Nikki Glaser, actress Evanna Lynch, actor Milo Manheim, actress Nancy McKeon, model Alexis Ren, actor John Schneider, singer/songwriter Tinashe and former NFL player DeMarcus Ware.

Todd Kortemeier is a sportswriter, editor and children’s book author from Minneapolis. He is a contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.

 

Dollar General Circular--Sept. 9 - Sept. 15

Dollar General Circular--Sept. 9 - Sept. 15

2/$3 Dr. Pepper/Canada Dry/A&W Root Beer 2 liter bottles

2/$5 Mix and Match Frito Lay varieties

$5.50 Maxwell House coffee 23 ounces

$4.95 Xtra laundry detergent 85-150 load

$11.45 Cottonelle double roll toilet paper 24 rolls

$2.75 Pine-Sol cleaner 40-60 ounces

2/$3 Nestle Coffee-mate liquid creamer 16 ounces

Thinking about fall: Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup

Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup

from countryliving.com

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 small onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves, chopped

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 c. dry white wine

8 c. chicken stock

2 1/2 lb. bone-in, ­skinless chicken breast and thighs

2 1/2 c. uncooked wide egg noodles

3 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

 

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add wine and cook until syrupy, 1 minute. Add chicken stock and chicken pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. 
2. Remove chicken; shred thighs with two forks and chop breasts into large bite-size pieces. Return meat to pot; discard bones.
3. Add noodles to soup and cook, stirring often, until tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, dill, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Dollar General Circular September 2-September 8

Dollar General Circular 
September 2-September 8

3/$6 Kellogg's or General Mills cereals variety

$6.95 Folgers coffee 30.5 ounces

$6.95 DiGiorno frozen pizza 21.9 ounces

$9 Kibbles 'n Bits dog food 13 pounds

2/$8 Gain or Downy dryer beads

$6 Glad kitchen or trash bags

$0.90 Renuzit solid air freshener 7 ounces

$2 Eckrich hot dogs 14 ounces or Wonder hot dog/hamburger buns 8 count

History of Labor Day 

from U.S. Department of Labor

Labor Day: What it Means

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Labor Day Legislation

The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed in 1885 and 1886. From these, a movement developed to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During 1887 four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1884, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

Founder of Labor Day

More than a century after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The First Labor Day

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

A Nationwide Holiday

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.

 

Labor Day 2018: What is the US holiday and why was it created?

from theindependent.com

Holiday inaugurated in late 19th century celebrates American worker

Labor Day takes place on the first Monday of September every year and honours the American worker.

While many associate the occasion with the end of summer and an opportunity for parades, parties, picnics, cookouts and shopping sprees, the day was inaugurated in the late 19th century out of respect for organised labor and the rights of the individual.

Here’s everything you need to know about the date and its origins.

What is Labor Day? 
The US Department of Labor describes the holiday, this year taking place on 3 September, as “a creation of the Labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers”. 

Federal offices are closed across the country and the US Postal Service delivers no mail.
Samuel Gompers, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, explained its distinction from other national days accordingly:

“All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man’s prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race or nation.”

Canada also marks the same occasion while the European equivalent is International Workers’ Day on 1 May.

When did Labor Day become a national holiday? 
There is some debate over who first proposed Labor Day.

Peter McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and vice president of the American Federation of Labor, is often credited with putting forward the initial idea in spring 1882. However, Matthew Maguire, machinist and secretary of the Central Labor Union (CLU) in New York has also been posited as an alternative source.

The first Labor Day was duly held on 5 September 1882 in New York City at the instigation of the CLU, with a street parade held in Union Square.

Other cities followed suit and Oregon became the first state to make it an official holiday in 1887. By 1894, 34 states observed the date, prompting the president, Grover Cleveland, to sign a bill into law that June making it an official national holiday.  

Why was the holiday so timely? 
President Cleveland’s bill coincided with one of the darkest episodes in the history of American industrial relations: the Pullman Strike.

The result of unrest born of poor working conditions and wages, the dispute saw 4,000 American Railway Union (ARU) workers employed at the Pullman Company plant on Chicago’s South Side engage in a series of wildcat strikes between 11 May and 20 July 1894.

Pullman, a manufacturer of railroad cars, ran the local community as a company town, refusing to let its employees own their own homes. When it sacked operatives and slashed wages without lowering rents and utility bills, its staff downed tools in protest.

Eugene V Debs, head of the newly formed ARU, subsequently stopped the movement of cars to railroads and called for the boycott of all trains that towed a Pullman carriage, the disorder resulting hit all railway lines west of Detroit, Michigan, with 250,000 workers in 27 states joining the cause.

The company stood firm and refused to recognise the protests, resulting in rioting in which 37 people were killed, 57 injured and $80m of damage caused. Cleveland had to send in the US Army to restore order.

Labor Day thus played an important role in stabilising, resetting and advancing America’s relationship with its working men and women in the aftermath of this tragedy.