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Wednesday, July 4, 2012 – Daily News FEATURES American history for the Fourth of July Fourth of July! While you are enjoying the outdoor barbecue, here's a little his- tory to go with the day: The United States has a Great Seal that is used to authenticate certain docu- ments issued by the federal government. The Great Seal has a picture of a bald eagle with its wings out- stretched, holding a bundle of 13 arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other. The arrows refer to the 13 original states, and the olive branch symbolizes a desire for peace. The olive branch is usually depicted with 13 leaves and 13 olives, going back to the original states. In its beak, the eagle has a scroll with the motto ''E pluribus unum,'' which means ''out of many, one.'' Over its head is a blue field (called a ''glory'') with 13 stars. In front of the eagle is a shield with a blue top (called a ''chief'') and red and white stripes (called ''pales''). The stripes represent the states joined together, supporting a chief, which unites the whole and represents Congress. The reverse side of the Great Seal has the familiar pyramid. The Great Seal was first used publicly in 1782. The front of the Great Seal is also our national coat of arms and is used on U.S. pass- ports, military insignia, etc. Since 1935, both sides of the Great Seal have appeared on our $1 bill, Dear Readers: Happy women educators of the Beta Lambda Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma and their spouses gathered for a picnic June 12 under the old oak tree at the Sacra- mento River Discovery Center. Good food and camaraderie preceded the presentation of awards. Ben Hughes, long-time resident of Red Bluff, received the Distin- guished Public Service Award for his inspiring leadership and commit- ment to two local organi- zations: Ide Adobe State Park where he worked to establish the living history program that features high school students as docents and the Sacra- mento River Discovery Center where young and old can explore and learn about the Sacramento River watershed. Tehama County Beta Lambda member Karla Stroman was hon- ored with the Distin- guished Professional Ser- vice Award for her excep- tional efforts as Adminis- trator of the Tehama County SERRF (Safe The employees of the Mendocino National For- est want to remind visitors to have a safe Fourth of July holiday, especially while recreating in the forest. With conditions warm- ing up and drying out, vis- itors are asked to be care- ful with fire in the Nation- al Forest, including camp- fires, gas stoves and lanterns. including sparklers, are prohibited on the Mendo- cino National Forest. The Forest currently Fireworks, Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar certainly did. Dear Annie: I saw your column Captain Robert Ellicombe, a Union soldier, was at Harrison's Landing in Virginia with the Con- federate Army on the other side of the narrow strip of sand. During the night, Ellicombe heard the moans of a severely wounded sol- dier and decided to risk his life to bring the stricken man back for medical attention. Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the captain reached the soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment. When the captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead. The captain lit a lantern and caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was his son. about Taps on Memorial Day. As a Southern-born woman, I heard the story differently. although not in color. While the colors of the American flag do not have specific meanings, the col- ors of the Great Seal do. Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, stated that the white signi- fies purity and innocence. The red stands for hardiness and valor. Blue, which is the color of the chief, signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice. We hope you've learned something today. We The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, he had enlisted in the Confederate Army. broken, the father asked for permis- sion from his superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy status. The request for an Army band to play a funeral dirge was turned down, but out of respect for the father, they said he could have one musician. He chose a bugler and asked him to play a series of musical notes that he found on a piece of paper in the pocket of his dead son's uniform. It was the haunting melody we now know as Taps. The following morning, heart- gave you is more authentic. — Saranac, Mich. Dear Michigan: The version you sent was lovely, and we've heard it before. As much as the tragic sentiment makes for an exquisite story, it is an urban legend and has never been verified to have any basis in fact. But how poignant to believe in this sweet, sad, albeit apocryphal tale. I'm thinking the version I just Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Educators honor Hughes and Stroman TOR K: I've start- ed noticing more coconut oil at the grocery store, and I've heard it's bet- ter for you than a lot of other oils. Is that true? It has a lot of saturated fat. DEAR READ- DEAR DOC- 3B Use coconut oil – but sparingly ER: To answer your question, I consulted with my col- league, Dr. Walter Willett, chair of the Harvard School of Public Health's Department of Nutrition. Here's what he had to say. You're right: Coconut oil is about 90 percent sat- urated fat. That's a much higher percentage than butter (about 64 percent saturated fat), beef fat (40 percent) or even lard (also 40 percent). Too much sat- urated fat in the diet is unhealthy because it raises "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, which increase the risk of heart disease. So you'd think that coconut oil would be bad news for our hearts. But what's interesting about coconut oil is that it also gives "good" HDL cholesterol a boost. Fat in the diet, whether it's satu- rated or unsaturated, tends to nudge HDL levels up, but coconut oil seems to be especially potent at doing so. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. for butter or veg- etable shortening to make baked goods that require a solid fat. And it may be essential for preparing cer- tain Thai dishes. But for now, I'd use coconut oil sparingly. Most of the research so far has consisted of short-term studies to examine its effect on cho- lesterol levels. We don't really know how coconut oil affects heart disease. Coconut oil's special HDL-boosting effect may make it "less bad" than its high saturated fat content would suggest. But it's still probably not the best oil to reduce the risk of heart disease. Further- more, while we know that people with naturally high levels of HDL are less likely to have heart dis- ease, we don't know that raising normal levels with coconut oil or pills pro- duces heart benefits. So what I recommend for you, and for myself, is to cook with other veg- etable oils, such as olive oil or soybean oil. These oils are mainly unsaturat- ed fat, and they both lower LDL and increase HDL. Plant-based oils are more than just fats, of course. Coconut oil, like other plant oils, also con- tains many antioxidants and other substances that may benefit your health. So the overall effect of coconut oil can't be pre- dicted just by the changes in good and bad choles- terol. Dr. Willett tells me there's no problem using coconut oil occasionally. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so it may be a good substitute ingly. But I love Thai food, and when I see a Thai dish that includes coconut oil on the menu, I don't automatically reject it. And please don't ask me to give up the occa- sional pina colada. Life is too short for that. I use coconut oil spar- Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. To send questions, go to AskDoctorK.com, or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115. Funds available for abuse victims' programs Education & Recreation for Rural Families) pro- grams offered at schools throughout the county. Tehama County SERRF was recently selected as a California After School Demonstration Program. isn't under any fire restrictions. However, with fuel moisture levels dropping, the Forest anticipates entering fire restrictions as early as the middle of next week. Upon entering fire restric- Nighttime tempera- tures are generally cooler in the mountains, and even during summer there is the possibility of storms in the mountains. Visitors should be prepared for changing conditions. Bring layered clothing and plenty of food and water on your outdoor adventure. Tell someone where you are planning on going, which routes you plan on taking and when you plan on being back. With the holiday in the middle of the work tions, notice will be post- ed at recreation sites throughout the Forest. Visitors are asked to be aware if fire restrictions start during their visit over the holiday. The Delta Kappa Gamma Society Interna- tional is a professional honorary Society of women educators. The Society promotes the pro- fessional and personal growth of its members week, visitors may also notice traffic from forest project work, including road maintenance and ecological restoration projects. "We want everyone to have a safe and memo- rable Fourth of July week- end, especially those join- ing us on the Forest," said Forest Supervisor Sherry Tune. "We have been very fortunate not to have a large fire on the Forest since 2008 and would like to ask visitors to help us maintain that this fire sea- son by being careful dur- ing their visit." al Forest offices will be closed Wednesday, July 4, in observance of the holi- day. For more information, All Mendocino Nation- would you like to see at the DMV of the Future? DMV launches new customer feedback survey SACRAMENTO – What services The Department of Motor Vehicles poses this question with the launch of a new customer-service survey on its web- site. The new survey — available online through July 15 — is part of the depart- ment's "DMV Vision 2015" initiative that ties into the 100th anniversary of the Department of Motor Vehicles. tomer ideas will be incorporated into the department's strategic plan as a living document that brings a fresh, innovative approach to how the agency conducts business. Cus- unveiled several new products and ser- vices with the customer in mind, including: Appointment Notify, where a reminder call is made to customers three days in advance of a scheduled appointment; Virtual Hold, which gives customers the option of receiving a call-back from a DMV representative that same day; and, Self Service Termi- nals in selected DMV field offices that make vehicle registration that much easier. In recent months, the DMV has The DMV is also offering advance appointments, either by phone or via the Internet, whereby customers can secure an appointment with one or two days. and excellence in educa- tion. Information about Beta Lambda activities may be obtained by emailing incoming Presi- dent Connie Holland, connieholland@hotmail.c om. Forest visitors asked to be aware on Fourth of July please contact the Mendo- cino National Forest at 530-934-3316 or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendo- cino. The county of Tehama announces that funds in the amount of $11,411 are available to provide assistance to victims of domestic violence through a shelter-based program. disbursed to a qualified and approved agency whose primary function is to administer a domestic violence shelter-based program. Requests for information regarding requirement cri- teria may be directed to County Administrative Office staff at 527-4655 ext. 3023. Statement of qualifications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, July 20. These services are supported by the County's Domestic Violence Programs Special Fund, which is derived from marriage license fees. These funds may be used to develop or expand domestic violence shelter-based programs to target underserved areas and populations, in accordance with Welfare and Institutions Code section 18290, et seq. By action of the Board of Supervisors, funds shall be