Recreation Center - Being Healthy
Jeanie Brewer from the Marion City Recreation Department came by to talk about all the activities they have going on. She also gave us some easy tips for getting and staying healthy.

She also tried to talk me into yogo, although I'm not quite buying it that you don't have to be flexible to do yoga.

Jeanie will be on the show about once a month giving us some healthy tips. Boy do I need them.

"We Are Not The Lost Generation"
I didn't write the following, but found it on a message board that I frequent. You can read the entire post by clicking here. Reading through it brought back so many memories as this is the way I grew up. Kinda makes me feel old, even though I know I'm basically just a young pup.

The following is just as he wrote it, with some trimmed up. Again, to read it all, click on the link above.

I am a child of the 70’s & 80’s. That is what I prefer to be called. The 90’a can do without me. Grunge isn’t here to stay, fashion is fickle and “Generation X” is a myth created by some over-40 writer trying to figure out why people wear flannel in the summer.

When I got home from school, I played Atari 2600. I spent hours playing Pitfall, Combat, Breakout and Froger. I never did beat Asteroids.

We played army with G.I. Joe figures and I set up galactic wars between Autobots and Decepticons.

We never beat Rubik’s Cube, unless you count taking off the stickers. I got up on Saturday mornings at 6am to watch Hanna-Barbera cartoons like “The Snorks”, “Jabberjaw”, “Captain Caveman” and “Space Ghost”. In between I would watch Schoolhouse Rock (Conjunction Junction, 3 is A Magic Number, I’m Just a Bill)

Nickelodeon played “You Can’t Do That On Television”. HBO showed Mike Tyson pummel everyone except Robin Givens.

Capri Sun was a social statement.

My mom put a thousand Little Debbie snack cakes in my Charlie Brown lunchbox and our world was the backyard and it was all you needed.

Today we are the ones who sing along with Bruce Springsteen and the Bangles perfectly and have no idea why. We recite lines from Ghostbusters and still look to the Goonies for a great adventure. We flip through TV stations and stop at the A-Team and Knight Rider and laugh with the Cosby Show and Family Ties. “What you talking ‘bout Willis?”

We hold strong affection for the Muppets and Gummy Bears and why did they take the Smurfs off the air?

Pegged jeans were in as were jean jackets and JAMS.

At night we would play flashlight tag and we could trick or treat at night without the fear of being killed. We loved orange race tracks… That was until our mother realized she could smack is with them.

We collected Garbage Pail kids. We collected football and baseball cards but it was only because we wanted to be the first in the neighborhood to have the complete set.

We played with He-Man and Skeletor. Going to get a Happy Meal on Saturday with mom or dad was worth waiting the other six days of the week. Was Green Lantern the coolest superhero or Aquaman? “Wonder Twin powers, activate!!!!”

Nearly Impossible Trivia Question
Cindy McHargue was the winner this morning and takes home a Old El Paso dinner kit and a football shaped chip and dip set.

Question: What percentage plan to watch the Super Bowl this Sunday?

Answer: 60%.

We do the contest everyday at 6:40 a.m. so get ready to call 387-WDCM(9326).

Tips To Stay Healthy
How many people do you think really wash up in the bathroom? Why don't men wash their hands like women do? What's the reasoning? A recent study of hand-washing habits found that among 6,000 people observed, nearly all the women washed their hands, yet only 66 percent of men did.

Here's how you can reduce the chance of infecting yourself with any number of cold-causing viruses or the flu, according to Dr. Ken Spaeth, a physician and Research Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health:

• Wash your hands regularly: Before you eat; before and after preparing food; when you get home from work or after errands; after you cough or sneeze; after using the bathroom; after touching surfaces or objects in public areas.
• Wash well: Washing hands means using soap, lathering up for at least 20 seconds and rinsing under running water. Get between your fingers and your nails. Dry with a paper towel, and it's not a bad idea to use a paper towel to turn off the sink and even open the door, particularly in public bathrooms.
• Don't touch your face: Touching your hands to your mouth or nose, particularly, is like offering germs some food and a warm bed. If you need to pick, wash your hands first (and, for our sake, after).
• Hand washing versus hand sanitizers: Overall, hand-washing is probably better, but hand sanitizers are very effective and are less likely to irritate the skin than frequent washing. Hand sanitizers must have at least 60 percent alcohol content to be effective.
• Antibacterial soap versus regular soap: Don't get me started on what is, at this point, just a marketing effort by the soap lobby. Neither colds nor flu are caused by bacteria, so "antibacterial" is not relevant. Second, plain old everyday soap is just as effective for keeping you germ-free as antibacterial soap. No matter what type of soap you use, it keeps you clean only if you wash properly (re-read 2 above).

Weather Kid
Today's Weather Kid was Brittany. She was the first 1st grader this year and did an outstanding job.

You can download Weather Kids and listen to them any time on your computer, just click here.

Coming Up
Members of the Women's Business Council will be on the show tomorrow to talk about what they do, as well as their ATHENA award. And as always, the Nearly Impossible Trivia Question is at 6:40 a.m.