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STICKING TO YOUR
NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS ROBERTO CLEMENTE’S TRAGIC END
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AMERICAN PATRIOT STICKING TO YOUR
NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS
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6 THE LIVES OF
THE COWBOYS
PRESERVATION TRUST PICKS
DISTINCTIVE DESTINATIONS
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THE WASPS OF WWII
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STICKING TO YOUR
NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS New Years Day is the calendar’s reset button. It stands symbolically as a chance to change the things in your life that you are unhappy with — maybe it’s a habit, an attitude, a relationship, your health or economic situation — and set a new higher standard for yourself. Clearly it is not easy, but the start of the New Year can be the start of a new you if you can stick to your resolutions by, among other things, being very specific about your goals, limiting the number of resolutions you make, enlisting the support of friends and family, taking action immediately, and rewarding yourself for incremental successes along the way. Americans are the world leaders in reinventing themselves, and here are the top ten resolutions that people across America have made for 2011. Good luck with yours! 4 AMERICAN PATRIOT
1. LOSE WEIGHT Two-thirds of adult Americans are considered overweight or obese, so it is not surprising to find that weight loss is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions. The two key factors in success: set reasonable goals and stay focused.
four times before they quit for good. Start enjoying the rest of your smoke-free life! There are plenty of free support services, hotlines and smoking cessation classes in your community, as well as stop-smoking aids to help you kick the smoking habit.
2. GET FIT Closely related to weight loss is the desire to become physically fit in the broader sense. Regular exercise is important here: studies show that exercise keeps you healthy and makes you look and feel better. Millions of Americans resolve to get fitter; at least some will achieve it in the coming year
7. STOP DRINKING While many people use the New Year as an incentive to finally stop drinking, most are not equipped to make such a drastic lifestyle change all at once. Your greatest chance of stopping on your own is to taper gradually and to moderate your drinking. If you have decided that you want to stop drinking, there is a world of help and support available.
3. STAY WITHIN BUDGET The key to budgeting is discipline. Develop and stick to a realistic budget, and use credit judiciously. This prevents overspending and ensures peace of mind. If necessary, keep a diary of all money spent, whether it is by cash, check, credit card, etc. Once you know where your money is going, then you are in position to take the steps needed to prepare a budget that you can live with. This is all the more important if you have debt; for most Americans in debt, keeping within budget and halting the use of credit are just the answer.
8. REASSESS YOUR JOB New Years is a good time to reflect on your job and career: Are you on the right path? Do you like what you do and where you work? Am I in the right career? To begin answering this question, examine whether your current career path matches your core interests, beliefs, values, needs and skills. Resolve to ask and answer those essential questions before making any new career changes. But do not be rash: unemployment rates are too high to act without having a Plan B.
4. ENJOY FAMILY AND FRIENDS Life flies by all too fast. At this time of year, people resolve to spend more quality time with family and friends this year. This requires a conscious decision to make time for loved ones. Making our families stronger and healthier is important to our communities and our nation.
9. LEARN SOMETHING NEW Have you vowed to make this year the year to learn something new? Perhaps you are considering a career change, want to learn a new language, or just how to fix your computer? Whether you take a course or read a book, you'll find education to be one of the easiest, most motivating New Year's resolutions to keep. Most local colleges and universities offer distance and adult education programs. Or think YMCA, local art museum, health club, and a million other opportunities.
5. FIND LOVE New Years is a good time to rededicate yourself to finding a help mate and soul mate to share love, along with good times and bad. This also requires a conscious decision because, in our busy world, love does not come along lightly or by chance. 6. QUIT SMOKING Even if you’ve tried to quit before and failed, don’t let it get you down. On average, smokers try about
10. SHARE YOURSELF Volunteerism is a popular New Year’s resolution. Spend time helping out at your local library, mentoring a child, or building a house. The culture of volunteering has risen sharply in recent years as businesses and individuals become more socially responsible. AMERICAN PATRIOT 5
THE LIVES OF
THE COWBOYS
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture. Founded in 1955, the museum in Oklahoma City collects, preserves and exhibits an a renowned collection of Western art and artifacts while sponsoring educational programs and scholarly research on the legacy of our American West. More than 10 million visitors have come to the 220,000 square foot site to gain better understanding of the West, a region that continues to permeate our national identity and culture. 6 AMERICAN PATRIOT
The Museum honors pioneers of the American West with three separate halls of fame. These include real cowboys and other regional heroes in the Hall of Great Westerners; “reel” cowboys in the Hall of Great Western Performers; and the great riders and ropers in the Rodeo Hall of Fame. A popular destination for both kids and adults alike, there are many permanent — and frequent traveling — exhibitions to see. Among the permanent collections are the William S. and Ann Atherton Art of the American West Gallery, which contains over 2,000 pieces of art and artifacts including the 18-foot tall Canyon Princess marble statue; the American Cowboy Gallery which showcases work representing the working cowboy in the U.S.; the Weitzen Gallery of Fine American Firearms which covers weapons used during the frontier period; and the moving Native American Gallery that contains artifacts representing eons of indigenous people. There are also sections in the institution dedicated to rodeos, life on the frontier, prospecting, and Prosperity Junction, a reproduction turn of the century cattle town. The Western Performers gallery is extremely popular. At four thousand square feet, it explores the depiction of cowboy life in literature and film, and includes artifacts and biographical information about such stars such as Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Clint Eastwood and Tom Selleck. An interactive Children’s Cowboy Corral features kid-oriented activities.
Finally, the Museum sponsors an ambitious program of youth and adult lectures and classes, and an award winning journal, Persimmon Hill, which has profiled the likes of John Wayne, Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea, Walter Brennan, and Randolph Scott, and has been home to noted writers such as John Steinbeck, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Willa Cather, and Louis L'Amour.
LEARN MORN ABOUT WESTERN HISTORY AND PLAN YOUR NEXT VISIT HERE
AMERICAN PATRIOT 7
The most dangerous animals in the forest don’t live there.
ONLY YOU CAN PR E VE N T W I L D FIRE S. w w w. s m o k e y b e a r. c o m
PRESERVATION TRUST PICKS
DISTINCTIVE DESTINATIONS
The city of Marquette is not a vacation destination that jumps right to mind for most Americans. But the Michigan town has been voted number one in a public online poll sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 8 AMERICAN PATRIOT
For a decade, the National Trust has selected 12 communities across America that offer cultural and recreational experiences different from those of the typical vacation destination.“Each of this year's ‘Dozen Distinctive Destinations’ offer travelers a way to get off the beaten path and enjoy an authentic, dynamic and entertaining travel experience,” say Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The destinations are noted for taking action to retain their character, history and buildings. For Marquette, it is the well-preserved streets of its downtown, its Lake Superior waterfront, and the stamp left on it by immigrants from 40 countries. OTHER CITIES NOTED BY THE NATIONAL TRUST:
CEDAR FALLS IA With recreational activities along the Cedar River to shopping on its acclaimed Main Street, a dynamic downtown connects with its natural surroundings. ST. LOUIS MO Highlights are nestled among the historic brick buildings that line cobblestone streets, proving the city lives up to its iconic status as the “Gateway to the West.” FORT COLLINS CO The Rocky Mountains overlook the thriving businesses of Old Town Square, the model for “Main Street, USA” at Disneyland. PROVINCETOWN MA This New England seaport town, site of the 1620 signing of the Mayflower Compact, positions galleries and restaurants next to National Seashore beaches. SIMSBURY CT This quintessential small town appeals to the heritage traveler with its top-rated restaurants, historic sites and parks and real working farms.
ROCKLAND ME With great pride in its maritime past and present, there is a blend of tradition with an innovative spirit as well as historic lighthouses and museums. CHESTNUT HILL PA Enjoying a unique combination of colonial and modern history, the town features historic homes from Federal to Modernist and a boutique shopping district. HUNTSVILLE AL Still preserving the largest collection of antebellum homes in Alabama, it has grown from its deep southern roots to become “America's Space Capital.” THE CROOKED ROAD Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, VA The Crooked Road celebrates the region's rich Appalachian heritage, weaving quaint historic districts and music culture. BASTROP TX Bastrop takes visitors back in time with traditional Texas charm and historic buildings along the Colorado River. SITKA AK Sitka prides itself on its diverse cultural heritage and offers a glimpse of a unique chapter of American history.
WATCH A VIDEO OF THE 2010 DOZEN DISTINCTIVE DESTINATIONS AMERICAN PATRIOT 9
THE WASPS OF WWII Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell hosted a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony recently to honor the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II, known affectionately as the WASP. It was a long overdue ceremony of recognition for these unsung heroes, long denied official recognition for their courage and patriotism.
10 AMERICAN PATRIOT
The WASP was a pioneering organization of
a WASP was killed the women pilots received
civilian female pilots employed to fly military
no formal recognition, no honors, no gold star
aircraft under the direction of the United States
in the window, and no American flag on their
Army Air Forces during the war. The group of
coffin. Fellow pilots contributed money to help
1,102 female civilians flew more than 60 mil-
bring the body and belongings home.
lion miles in 78 different types of aircraft, from the smallest trainers to the fastest fighters and
When the WASP were unceremoniously deac-
the largest bombers. They undertook every type
tivated in December 1944, five months before
of mission except combat; thirty eight died in
the end of the war, they never received the mil-
service. Their job was to ferry aircraft from fac-
itary status they were promised, even though
tories to air bases throughout the U.S., and to
many of them were sent to officers training
tow targets for antiaircraft gunnery training.
school. Even today the WASP can only be buried at Arlington National Cemetery as enlisted mem-
Despite their outward appearance as official
bers of the military, not with officers’ honors.
members of the U.S. Army Air Forces, the WASP
Finally, these intrepid women have been honored
were actually considered civil servants during
for their heroic service.
the war. In spite of a highly publicized attempt to militarize them in 1944, the women pilots
SEE THE PHOTO GALLERY AT THE NATIONAL WASP WWII MUSEUM
were not granted veteran status until 1977. When AMERICAN PATRIOT 11
SCENIC AND HISTORIC
SAN DIEGO Californians have a few things in common: They tend to exercise too much, eat well, own Jeeps and dogs with handkerchiefs tied around their necks. They pay too much in taxes, dislike the Governor and can order fluently in Spanish. And deep down, they all want to live in San Diego.
12 AMERICAN PATRIOT
To know San Diego is to love it: it has the nicest weather, the friendliest people, and the longest history of the all California cities. Although not the most populous, its citizens are the most diverse and the city boasts over 100 distinct neighborhoods. Uniquely, San Diego County is built upon mesas, elevated land masses with flat tops; city development takes place on the tops, nature preserves and parkland inhabit the canyons. Such a distinct urban landscape allows for a wealth of open space for hiking and recreation. A city whose growth has been driven by the presence of the Navy, and modernized by the biotech and communication industries, San Diego is prosperous and well-developed. A visit to the area requires careful planning since there’s so much to do. SOME HIGHLIGHTS: BALBOA PARK
SEAWORLD SAN DIEGO America's first and best known aquatic theme park, SeaWorld has been entertaining patrons since 1964.
Protected since 1835, Balboa Park is one of the oldest recreational parks in the country. It is home to several cultural museums and notable architecture. Gardens are numerous and world-class, as are the performance spaces, one modeled after Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
SAN DIEGO ZOO One of the world’s largest, the San Diego Zoo boasts over 4000 animals belonging to over 800 species. A modern, forward thinking institution, the zoo pioneered “cageless” exhibits and most of its major exhibits are in open air.
USS MIDWAY NAVAL MUSEUM Decommissioned and docked in 1992, the USS Midway aircraft carrier is one of San Diego's most popular tourist stops. Visitors tour the ship's bridge, flight deck, hangar deck, mess deck, flight control, tactical flag command center, quarters, sickbay, and engine room: “from boiler to bridge.” Restored aircraft are frequently displayed.
MISSION SAN DIEGO DE ALCALA A preservation of the first Franciscan mission in New Spain, founded 1769.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MIDWAY MUSEUM AMERICAN PATRIOT 13
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man. — BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PRINTER, WRITER, INVENTOR, POLITICIAN, DIPLOMAT AND FOUNDING FATHER
14 AMERICAN PATRIOT
THIS WEEK IN
AMERICAN HISTORY 1972. Roberto Clemente, the Hall of Fame baseball player, was killed when the cargo plane in which he is traveling crashed off the coast of Puerto Rico. A hero in his native Puerto Rico, he spent much of the off-season doing charity work in the Caribbean. Clemente was on his way to deliver relief supplies to Nicaragua following a devastating earthquake. It was later determined that the plane was in poor condition, overloaded beyond legal capacity, and the pilot overboosted the engines. In 1973, Clemente was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, having amassed a lifetime batting average of .317 and 3,000 hits, as well as four National League batting championships, twelve Gold Glove awards, the National League MVP in 1966, and the World Series MVP in 1971, where he batted .414. In 2002, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
PBS AMERICAN EXPERIENCE VIDEO OF ROBERTO CLEMENTE’S LIFE AMERICAN PATRIOT 15
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