Days of Remembrance

This week marks the annual Days of Remembrance in commemoration of the Holocaust. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum provides a great deal of information about this observance, including a map of events being held around the country. It also provides information for communities to use in planning their own Remembrance events:

https://www.ushmm.org/remember/days-of-remembrance

Those who tend to compare more recent atrocities to the Holocaust might wish to use this as an opportunity to review the basic facts and statistics.

Superbloom

April showers are traditionally supposed to bring May flowers, but in California, winter showers have resulted in a "superbloom" of spring flowers.  Read about the reasons for the spectacular display on this site from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/march-2017-climate-conditions-finally-right-superbloom-desert

The photos may leave you California dreaming.

De Quervain Tendinitis

People who do repetitive work with their hands may develop a number of different medical conditions. Some, like carpal tunnel syndrome, are fairly well known. Others, like De Quervain tendinitis are less so. You can read about the causes, symptoms, and treatments of De Quervain tendinitis in the National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia:

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000537.htm

Beware, though. If you hold your phone or tablet while you browse the 4,000 articles available in the Encyclopedia, that's exactly the sort of thing that might cause De Quervain tendinitis.

Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month. One site that provides links to a treasure trove of information about historic American women is this page from the Archives Library Information Center at the National Archives:

https://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/womens-history.html

It's divided into sections which include: Bibliographies, African-American Women, Biographies, Politics and Women, Women's Suffrage, Women and the Military, and Other Resources. Explore a few of these links and you'll be certain that girls not only want to have fun, they also want to have a positive impact on the world.

Presidents' Day

If you'd like to celebrate Presidents' Day by learning more about the powers of the President, a good place to start might be this page of resources from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services:

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/teachers/presidents-day

The information is provided to help immigrants prepare for the 18 questions on the naturalization test that deal with the Presidency. There's even a 10-question practice test on the site that you can take. Be brave and see how many you're able to answer correctly.

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.