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This “how-to” takes a set of ordinary headphone, add a couple of $5 ear buds and VIOLA! You have a set of 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones for under $20.

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Michael and Diane Hirtz and their two children live in the small rural community of Glennonville, Missouri, not far from Campbell. On weekdays, Michael Hirtz may be found tending to the needs of students and staff as Director of Malden Alternative School. On Sunday, if he’s not at Glennonville’s St. Teresa’s Church, he may well be playing the organ at Sacred Heart parish in Poplar Bluff.

But one of his weekends each month belongs to the Missouri National Guard. It seems strange to note that it’s been this way for nearly a quarter of a century, as he is still in his early 40s. But it’s true. “I guess you could say I was following in my father’s footsteps,” Hirtz says of his decision to enter military service. “He was an Army parachutist in World War II. It’s something he was always proud of, something for which I was always proud of him.” (more…)

Perhaps it’s in the blood: His father was a chef at John J. Pershing Veterans Administration Medical Center; his grandmother, a baker at a sanatorium in Mt. Vernon, Missouri. Today, Kevin Boxx of Ellsinore is chef and general manager of The Java Stop Cafe, a cosmopolitan eatery seemingly plucked from Chicago’s Hyde Park and put down again, mysteriously, on Highway 67 in Poplar Bluff.

The Java Stop’s companion shop is The Wine Rack, a gourmet market that seems also to have made the cosmic trip from the Windy City intact. Together, the two parts make up one establishment with a single mission: to purvey quality comestibles, wines, beers, and spirits to patrons in these environs with professionalism and flair. (more…)

The following was gleaned from Military.com

What Do You Know About Veterans Day?

Veterans Day gives Americans the opportunity to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans. However, most Americans confuse this holiday with Memorial Day, reports the Department of Veterans Affairs. What’s more, some Americans don’t know why we commemorate our Veterans on Nov.11. It’s imperative that all Americans know the history of Veterans Day so that we can honor our former servicemembers properly.

A Brief History of Veterans Day
Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislature that was passed in 1938, November 11 was “dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.’” As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress — at the urging of the veterans service organizations — amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

In 1968, the Uniforms Holiday Bill ensured three-day weekends for federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. Under this bill, Veterans Day was moved to the last Monday of October. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holiday on its original date. The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on Oct. 25, 1971.

Finally on September 20, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed a law which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of Nov. 11, beginning in 1978. Since then, the Veterans Day holiday has been observed on Nov. 11.

Celebrating the Veterans Day Holiday

If the Nov. 11 holiday falls on a non-workday — Saturday or Sunday — the holiday is observed by the federal government on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday). Federal government closings are established by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management — a complete schedule can be found here. State and local government closings are determined locally, and non- government businesses can close or remain open as they see fit, regardless of federal, state or local government operation determinations.

United States Senate Resolution 143, which was passed on Aug. 4, 2001, designated the week of Nov.11 through Nov. 17, 2001, as “National Veterans Awareness Week.” The resolution calls for educational efforts directed at elementary and secondary school students concerning the contributions and sacrifices of veterans.

The difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day

Memorial Day honors servicemembers who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day but the day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime.

President Eisenhower’s letter to Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs, designating him Chairman, Veterans Day National Committee

The White House Office
October 8, 1954

Dear Mr. Higley:

I have today signed a proclamation calling upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday, November 11, 1954 as Veterans Day. It is my earnest hope that all veterans, their organizations, and the entire citizenry will join hands to insure proper and widespread observance of this day. With the thought that it will be most helpful to coordinate the planning, I am suggesting the formation of a Veterans Day National Committee. In view of your great personal interest as well as your official responsibilities, I have designated you to serve as Chairman. You may include in the Committee membership such other persons as you desire to select and I am requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch to assist the Committee in its work in every way possible.

I have every confidence that our Nation will respond wholeheartedly in the appropriate observance of Veterans Day, 1954.

Sincerely,

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

Carolyn Smith is too funny to fit squarely into the “romance” segment of the publishing world. “The romance genre’s really locked in,” she observes, suddenly clutching her chest and blurting out in mock-horror, “‘Is she drinking a mimosa? Noooooo! It has to be a Bloody Mary!’” Though romantic themes may figure prominently in Smith’s writing, her work involves original plot and narrative choices that defy the traditional bodice-ripping drill. And so her two published novels, Beyond the Lies and Hole in Her Heart, come under the heading of women’s fiction—where sudden death, or building an entire life and family apart from the hunky but unavailable anti-hero, is indeed permitted.

Both of Smith’s novels were published in 2004, and represent triumph at the end of a long trail. Smith, an Anderson, Indiana native, is a retired educator and administrator who specialized in expanding opportunities for physically disabled high school and college students. (more…)

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“I think I got into a habit of fixing what was easiest and fastest, because I was a working parent, and I had a limited amount of energy. So that meant a lot of hamburger.” Thus does one of my own neighbors begin her tale of nutritional development for the better. This mother of three college-age adults began to critically examine her family’s diet upon entering the field of diabetes education, back when her kids were in elementary school. The more expertise she gained in her work, the more determined she was to throw out her old model for throwing together meals, and she has never looked back.

The rationale she offers for the family’s former diet is probably shared by countless other Americans: “We parents grew up on this, so it’s good enough for our children!”. Further, Universal Weird Food Logic persuaded her that, in serving vegetables regularly, she was “balancing out the rest of the meal, if it happened to be high-fat.” She eventually came to understand that “nothing canceled out high-fat meals. Not even exercise”. (more…)

Grace Cafe in Cape is not only a restaurant, but a haven of good rest from all the little daily wars. There, you might have a hearty lunch, catch up, wind down, play bridge—or sit in silence with nothing but your newspaper and a heavenly cup of espresso, pulled with love and consummate attention to detail.

Grace Parry, who, with husband Mike, owns Grace Cafe, describes the establishment’s chief purpose: “To impart grace to all who walk through these doors…It’s about how we treat people, it’s about excellence”. That comes out to quite a bit of grace in a college haunt whose clientele also includes businesspersons; retirees; a large swath of the international community; and anyone in search of a fresh, well-stuffed sandwich wrap in these parts. But the staff at Grace Cafe delights in the prospect. (more…)