This Week's Facts:
-
US Mint Features Coin of the
Month on Website
-
State
Park Currently Home for Thousands of Cranes
-
November is Lung Cancer
Awareness Month
-
USPS Offers Service to
Simplify Holiday Packaging
Support Hoosier Farmers
this Holiday Season
The holidays are coming! Do you know what you’re going to serve
your family and guests? Enjoy the Holiday season and include
Indiana’s high-quality meat, dairy, and egg products on your
holiday menu for great taste and quick, economical meals! You’ll
enjoy a safe, nutritious meal with your family and friends
thanks to your local farmer. By buying locally, not only will
you support Hoosier farmers and families, you’ll help the local
economy as well. If you are looking for delicious recipe ideas,
you can find them on the
Indiana State Department of Agriculture’s
Facebook page or
you can find ISDA-recommended recipes
here. Most
recipes can be adapted for vegetarians or can be modified for a
variety of dietary needs. Get cooking and enjoy all the
delicious recipes!
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Friday Facts is a production of the Indiana State Library
Friday Facts Editorial Team:
Katharine Springer
State Data
Center Coordinator
Elisabeth
O’Donnell
Federal Documents Librarian
&
Kim Brown-Harden
State
Documents Coordinator
-------------------------------------
Join the
FDLP-IN
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  |
 Each
month, the US Mint chooses a different coin to focus on as its
Coin of the Month. The
coin for November 2009 is the Northern Mariana Islands coin.
The last of the DC and US Territories quarters, this quarter
features George Washington on one side and a tropical scene on
the reverse. The feature is a great source of introductory
information – not only about the coin, but also about the
Islands themselves. The particular focus of this month’s is the
geography of the area. Previous Coins of the Month include the
James K. Polk Coin from
October and the
Guam Coin from May. While
this feature is part of the Mint
Kid’s Page, it has a ton of good information for
adults, too! Of course, for grown up information about new
coins and medals, you can always visit the
US Mint
itself.
State Park
Currently Home for Thousands of Cranes
 It’s
a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a crane! Every year the
Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area
is home to one of the greatest spectacles in nature - the
Sandhill Crane migration. Sandhill cranes are best seen from
late September through December; the cranes are at their peak
numbers in mid-November. In fact, as of November 3rd their
numbers rose to 10,200. The best times to view these creatures
is sunrise, when they fly out of the roosting marshes to Goose
Pasture, and sunset, when they socialize before returning to the
roosting marshes at dusk. The best place to view and
photograph this display is
the
Goose Pasture Viewing Area.
Those who aren’t sure what the cranes sound like can
listen before visiting to
get an idea of the amount of ‘socializing’ that takes place. The
Wildlife area as well as the Cranes make a magnificent showcase
in sight and sound for any nature lover! For more information
about cranes, visit the
International Crane Foundation website.
November is Lung
Cancer Awareness Month
 According
to the Lung Cancer Alliance, lung cancer is the leading cause of
cancer death in the United States. Lung cancer can affect even
those who do not smoke – in fact, one in twelve men and one in
five women who are diagnosed are non-smokers. However, the
CDC lists smoking as the number one cause of the
disease. Smokers are ten to twenty times more likely to get it
than non-smokers. For further information on the correlation
between smoking and lung cancer, your patrons may be interested
in the
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
for September 2008: Surveillance for cancers associated
with tobacco use – United States, 1999-2004.
The
National Cancer
Institute provides a pamphlet entitled
What you need to know about lung cancer. This provides an overview of
symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and good questions to ask your physician.
Medline Plus also provides concise information and links to other websites
that deal with lung cancer.
If you are interested in taking part in Lung Cancer Awareness
Month, the
Lung Cancer Alliance is
full of good ideas on how to get involved.
USPS Offers
Service to Simplify Holiday Packaging
 Christmas
commercials are filling the airwaves and that gets people
thinking about buying presents for their loved ones. In many
cases, friends and family are far away. If you can’t make it
there this holiday season, chances are you’re going to want to
send the package instead. The United States Postal Service is
trying to make that process a little easier this year.
Their website is currently running a
Holiday Countdown which
counts down to Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. They’ve also
got a full
calendar available that
tells you when you need to send out packages by in order to get
them to your loved ones before the holiday of your choice. Many
of us and our patrons know someone serving overseas. The USPS
has information about that, too, including how to properly
address it, how to pack it and how to make sure it complies with
foreign restrictions.
If you want your cards or presents to look extra festive, you
can customize your own
greeting cards! Finally,
the USPS – as always – has holiday and winter scene
stamps available. |
