Desert Messenger

October 1, 2014

Desert Messenger is your local connection for news, events, and entertainment!

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DESERT MESSENGER Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Proud to be a Quartzsite Licensed Business 928-916-4235 Founded by Walt Akin October 1, 2004 P�������� �� P���� R��� P��������� C�. P.O. Box 3185 Quartzsite, AZ 85359 P�������� ����� � ����� 1st & 3rd Wednesday Sept. thru May with Special Summer Editions June, July & August EDITOR/PUBLISHER Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING JOURNALIST Joanne Winer GUEST COLUMNIST Jedidiah Free GUEST COLUMNIST The late Rosalee O Wheeler GUEST COLUMNIST Gypsy Jane Finley CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE LETTERING Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.MyQuartzsite.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com Copyright 2013 Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. LIKE US on Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews FOLLOW US on Twitter @QuartzsiteRain Copyright 2014 6 www.DesertMessenger.com October 1, 2014 By Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear OPINION LETTERS TO EDITOR POLICY Desert Messenger encourages letters from its readers. Letters should be no longer than 300 words, and may be edited for grammar, content and length. OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE DESERT MESSENGER. We invite you to not only see a problem, but search for the solution to share with the community, keeping the benefit of all in mind. Letters considered libelous, in poor taste, on a personal issue, mean spirited or dominated by Scripture quotes will not be published. Third party letters will not be accepted. To avoid confusion over people with common or similar names, writers must provide a full name and indicate the name they are known by. Writers must provide a full street address and phone number. Rvers can provide the location of park/BLM land, etc. Street addresses will not be published. Phone numbers are for verification only and will not be printed. Send letters to: Desert Messenger, P.O. Box 3185, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 or E-mail to: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 NBC's Today Show unveiled its next Book Club pick: Positive: A Memoir by Paige Rawl, who was diagnosed as HIV-positive when she was in middle school. At 15, while battling depression in the wake of the bullying she faced, Rawl attempted suicide by taking one pill for each year of her life. Fortunately she survived, and at 19 she is now an advocate and mentor helping to educate kids about the dangers of bullying and spreading awareness of HIV and AIDS. "Positive" tells how Page Rawl battled bullying and fought her way back from her lowest low. Today Book Club Participants are encouraged to share messages and pictures on social media with the hashtag #PositiveProject. For those not familiar with the # symbol, called a hashtag, it is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to catego- rize messages. The concept of creating positive change in a community is nothing new, especially in Quartzsite. It has sometimes taken a backseat to pub- lic attention to what is perceived as "wrong" with our community. I en- courage readers to continue adding to the #PositiveProject daily by shar- ing what you are doing to add to the positive environment in Quartzsite. To promote community peace and well-being, we must also en- courage others to do the same. Sign up for Twitter and follow me, @QuartzsiteRain. Try it, you might like it! #PositiveProject "The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." ~ William Arthur Ward Just Rambling... Provided by Elmer London, Quartzsite and Desert Messenger Why Buddy Poppies are important TV stations and networks seem psychologically impaired. They often run a segment on diet and exercise, followed by a commercial featuring high caloric cream pies. One certainly knows one has to go to the recliner to recover from a cream pie. So much for diet and exercise. Strange planning VFW Post 769 Ladies Auxiliary have placed Buddy Poppy cans around Quartzsite. Please wear a Poppy and any donations received are very appre- ciated to help our Veterans. Since 1922, the Buddy Poppy has been an integral part of the VFW com- munity. As VFW's offi cial memorial fl ower, the Poppy represents the blood shed by American service members. it reiterates that VFW will not forget their sacrifi ces. The Poppy movement was inspired by Canadian Army Col. John McCrae's fa- mous poem, "In Flanders Fields." Pop- pies were originally distributed by the Franco-American Children's League to benefi t children in the devastated areas of France and Belgium following WWI. In 1922, VFW conducted a campaign and got Poppies from France. Members soon discovered it took too long to get the fl owers in from France and they came up with a better idea. Disabled, hospitalized and aging veterans could make the paper fl owers and ship them out to the members for distribution. And so it was known, for veterans in VA hospitals and domiciliaries and in state veterans homes, every day would be VFW Buddy Poppy Day. These men and women assemble the Poppies, tie them in bunches of 10 and pack them in box- es of 500, 1,000 or 2,000 for shipment to the Posts and Ladies Auxiliaries. VFW pays the disabled veteran for the work. In most cases, this extra money provides additional income for the work- er to pay for the little luxuries, which make hospital life more tolerable. Furthermore, Poppy assembly is often used as a therapy program to provide exercise for fi ngers and hands crippled by wounds, disease and the effects of old age. Another reason Pop- pies are so important is because all proceeds from distribution are used for veterans welfare or for the well be- ing of their needy dependents and the orphans of veterans. More than 2,100 children of veter- ans have been, or are being cared for in the VFW National Home in Eaton Rapids, Mich., thanks to a portion of Poppy funds.

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