The Million Hearts Initiative

Hearts are everywhere on Valentine's Day, but it's also a good day to think about the health of your own heart. One initiative trying to help you improve your heart health is Million Hearts. This program is "a national initiative with an ambitious goal to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services co-lead the initiative on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services." The Million Hearts site includes links to statistics, research reports, and lots of helpful information:

https://millionhearts.hhs.gov/

Take a few minutes to check it out before you go on your Valentine's date. The people who love you will love you more for taking good care of yourself.

Black History Month

As most people know, February is Black History Month. During this month we celebrate the great things that have been accomplished by African Americans throughout our country's history. The National Endowment for the Humanities has pulled together links to many important resources on its Black History Month page:

https://edsitement.neh.gov/black-history-month

It's divided into sections such as Slavery and Abolitionism, Civil War: 54th Regiment, W.E.B. DuBois and NAACP, Civil Rights Era and so on. If the student in your life has to do a paper on Federick Douglass or Booker T. Washington, this site might be just what they need.

Presidential Actions

If you'd like to keep track of Executive Orders and other actions taken by our new President, here's where you'll see them first:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions

This page also provides links to Presidential speeches, statements, and press briefings. Check this site daily and you'll be well prepared for your next political debate.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

As the nation pauses today to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., you might want to start planning a visit to his Memorial in Washington, DC. This is the official website for his Memorial:

https://www.nps.gov/mlkm/index.htm

Even if you don't plan to visit, you can find lots of good information on the site including a selection of Dr. King's most famous quotations. This is one that many will keep in mind today as they participate in volunteer work to recognize the holiday, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."

Office of Congressional Ethics

You may have heard that changes to the Office of Congressional Ethics were recently proposed and then abandoned by the House. However, you may not know much about what that office does. Here is its Citizens' Guide with a basic overview of its functions:

https://oce.house.gov/learn/citizens-guide/
  
This is just one of many watchdog agencies trying to make sure that Uncle Sam is behaving himself.

Invasive Pests

Have you ever returned from a trip abroad and been asked if you're carrying any produce or plants? Have you wondered why they ask that? It's because foreign agricultural pests can sneak into the United States in your fruit basket. Read these tips from the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and ensure that your gifts don't include any nasty surprises:

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/news/sa_by_date/newsroom-2016/sa-11/hungry-pest-cheer

Your loved ones deserve berries with no beetles and wreaths with no wriggling.

Scam Alerts

During the holiday season, when everyone is distracted by shopping, traveling, and enjoying time with friends and family, scam artists are still hard at work trying to steal your money or your identity. The Federal Trade Commission offers several tips on how to avoid falling for a scam, and even provides alerts to let you know about new scams that have recently been reported. 

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts

So, this holiday season be merry, but also be wise.