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Friday, June 25, 2010

I need campground information

“We are planning camping trips this summer. Do you have any campground information?” The Newton Falls Public Library has a wealth of information to assist campers. The library has both Woodall's ... North American campground directory and Woodall's camping guide. Great Lakes to assist our patron in locating places for tent and recreational vehicle camping.

Campers who enjoy backpacking will find 50 Hikes in Ohio: day hikes and backpacking trips throughout the Buckeye state and 50 More Hikes in Ohio by Ralph Ramey to be useful. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has a wonderful website [www.ohiodnr.com/Default.aspx?alias=www.ohiodnr.com/parks] with the most current park information. Explore Ohio State Parks: featuring six scenic tours, 80 state parks by William Hewett and Ohio State Park's Guidebook by Art Weber, Bill Bailey & Jim DuFresne are helpful for finding more park information.

The Camping Sourcebook: your one-stop resource for everything you need for great camping by Steven A. Griffin will be useful for preparing and packing for the trip. The Joy of Family Camping by Herb Gordon and Parents' Guide to Hiking & Camping: a trailside guide by Alice Cary are sure to help make the trip enjoyable for all family members.

Camping is usually a fairly affordable activity but Wilderness Gear You Can Make Yourself by Bradford Angier could help campers save more money. Backpack Gourmet: good hot grub you can make at home, dehydrate, and pack for quick, easy, and healthy eating on the trail by Linda Frederick Yaffe and The Magic of Fire: hearth cooking: one hundred recipes for the fireplace or campfire by William Rubel will help prepare for the hungry appetites brought on by the days spent outdoors.

We don’t know if our patron went on her trips, but in case she became overwhelmed and decided to stay home instead; we recommend a funny ‘camping book,’ They Shoot Canoes, Don't They? by Patrick McManus.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Will Quitting Smoking Cause My Face to Break Out?

“Will quitting smoking cause my face to break out?” The Newton Falls Public Library staff admires patrons who are trying to improve their health and we are happy to try to find the answers to their questions.


The Enlightened Smoker's Guide to Quitting by Bear Jack Gebhardt addresses the common belief that quitting smoking means that you will gain weight in the chapter The Sound of One Hand Eating – I Have to Smoke or I’ll Get Fat! Gebhardt seems to feel that the weight gain is an eating problem, not a nonsmoking one. In Smoking 101: an overview for teens by Margaret O. Hyde and John F. Setaro the effects of smoking on the skin are listed [p.36]. They include robbing the skin of collagen making smokers have more wrinkles and reducing the blood supply to the skin giving the face a grayish pallor.

How to Wash Your Face: America's leading dermatologist reveals the essential secrets for youthful, radiant skin by Barney J. Kenet says that smoking can impair healing of wounds which may also result in larger scars, and “may have an influence on psoriasis [p.168].” The Acne Prescription: the Perricone program for clear and healthy skin at every age by Nicholas Perricone and Breaking out: a woman's guide to coping with acne at any age by Lydia Preston have a great deal of information for those suffering from acne.

There are many websites on the subject of smoking and acne. The September 17, 2007 Daily Mail article, Smoking gives women acne, scientists reveal [www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-482302/Smoking-gives-women-acne-scientists-reveal.html] states that “For people who suffered acne as teenagers, the probability of also suffering acne in adulthood is four times higher in smokers than non-smokers.”

This still didn’t answer our patron’s question. The website, Quit Smoking Support [http://quit-smoking-support.woofmang.com/viewtopic.php?t=4010] has a posting "Now that I've quit smoking, why am I getting acne like I'm a danged teenager?!" The site responder states “smoking introduces all kinds of nasty pollutants into our bodies . . . One day, we quit smoking . . . but . . .it throws our bodies into an upheaval. Suddenly the chemical balance is thrown out of whack again while, at the same time, our bodies start the detoxification process. . . drink lots of water to help flush out all the toxins. This is good advice and it helps a great deal. However, it's just not fast enough for your body when [it] begins to excrete the toxins in any way it can . . . recovering heroin addicts have been known to develop raging cases of acne, too.” This last bit of information satisfied our patron.

Twenty One Gun Salute

“After the recent Memorial Day gun salute, I got to thinking. What is the origin of the twenty one gun salute?” The Newton Falls Public Library staff finds questions about customs to be interesting.

We began and ended our search with Brassey’s Encyclopedia of Military History and Biography. The section on Customs and Etiquette addresses the various types of military salutes, which are perhaps the oldest of military customs. “Although most commonly given by hand, a salute can also be rendered by guns, swords, banners, or music [p. 253].” “Friendly foreign naval vessels . . . sometimes saluted with blank cannon fire . . . supposedly started when ships and/or shore batteries would harmlessly discharge their cannon to show that they were unloaded and there was no hostile intention. Usually, the maximum number of rounds is 21 [p. 254].”

Also according to Brassey’s Encyclopedia of Military History and Biography, the final salutes fired over graves of fallen warriors are not tributes, but rather the result of an old superstition to frighten evil spirits away from the graves. “Customarily, three volleys are fired by an honor guard [p. 255].”

Friday, June 4, 2010

Are there any bereavement groups in the area?

“I’m calling from _______________ Insurance Company. We have a client who is looking for bereavement groups in Newton Falls. Do you know of any?” The Newton Falls Public Library staff had not heard of any groups, but we took the individual’s name and number, and began our search. We first contacted several of our local ministers; discovered there were none connected with any of our churches, but ministers are often trained in bereavement counseling and would be happy to assist if the client contacted them. It is also not uncommon for funeral directors to be trained in bereavement counseling, so we included the names and numbers of the funeral homes in Newton Falls.

Searching online we found several options available to residents of Trumbull County.
• Hospice of the Valley 330-399-1992
   Family support up to 13 months after death of family member.

• Trumbull 211 330.393.1565 or 211
   Supportive listeners for emotional stress, support, and reassurance.

• Sharing and Caring: Grief and Bereavement Book Club
   Contact the Bereavement Coordinator at 330-770-0502, if you are interested in participating.
   The group meets the third Thursday of the month at noon at Borders Book CafĂ©,
   2102 Niles–Cortland Rd., Niles. It is a topical support group, sponsored by Senior Independence            
   Hospice, for those experiencing grief and bereavement issues.
   Senior Independence Hospice is also considering offering a bereavement support group in Newton Falls.   
   Anyone interested in this group should contact the Bereavement Coordinator.

The library has a selection of materials available for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Some of our titles are: After the Death of a Child: living with loss through the years by Ann K. Finkbeiner, After You Lose Someone You Love: advice and insight from the diaries of three kids who've been there as told by Amy, Allie, and David Dennison, Grieving the Death of a Pet by Betty J. Carmack, Guiding Your Child Through Grief by Mary Ann Emswiler & James P. Emswiler, and I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye: surviving, coping & healing after the sudden death of a loved one by Brook Noel and Pamela D. Blair.