This Valentine's Day, Give Candy that's Good for your Teeth!

Happy early Valentine’s Day! If you’re looking for something special for your children or your family to celebrate this loving holiday, how about giving them candy that’s good for your teeth?

You can buy chocolate, gum and candy that actually help reduce tooth decay. Yes, chocolate that’s good for your teeth!!

The key ingredient is xylitol – they call it “Sugar’s Twin” and it’s been proven to actually help reduce tooth decay. Xylitol candy and gum can be purchased from two sources (popular in the dental world):

Dr. John’s Candies
Sells everything from lollipops to chocolate online. Personally, I met Dr. John of Dr. John’s Candies at a dental conference last February and taste-tested his delicious treats, they were absolutely wonderful.

Check out their candy store: http://drjohns.com/candystore/c-5-candies-with-xylitol.aspx

Epic Dental Gum/Candy
If gum is your preference, Epic brand gum tastes good plus has the most xylitol in it. Plus it comes with a guarantee – if you register for their program and actually chew their gum or eat their candy regularly and you end up with more cavities than when you started – they give you all your money back!!

I can tell you, you’ll spend less on gum & candy than you will on the smallest filling – and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the experience of gum & candy far more than getting a dental filling. Here’s the link: http://www.epicdental.com/

Here’s to sharing the gift of health to your children and loved ones this holiday! For further info, feel free to contact Jill at Healthpark Dentistry

Events, activities and other hometown items going on in and around Tipp City, Ohio by Greg Enslen

Tipp City Area Community Foundations    

The Distribution Committee of the Tipp Area Community Foundations held their quarterly meeting in December and awarded over $24,000 in grants to six different local and area organizations. Since 1943, the Foundation has been awarding grants to local and area organizations.

Groups that received grants last quarter included:

• the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, in support of their efforts to bring music into Tipp City schools, including classroom lessons and concerts;
• Tipp Monroe Community Services, in support of their Band Instruments Program, which provides instruments for students who  might otherwise not be able to afford to play’;
• Tipp City Area Arts Council, in support of their program to bring more music to the downtown with their Canal Music Festival; and
• We Care Arts, which funds two separate programs for students with disabilities “with the goal of alleviating the isolation and boredom that some of these students feel.”

Other groups that received smaller grants included Bethel Local Schools, the Indian Creek 4-H Club, Miami County Recovery Council, and Tipp City Exempted Village Schools.

Thanks to the foundation, its board members, and its donors for continuing to make such a positive and important contribution to our community.

Tipp City TV

Every wish you could watch TV shows dedicated to Tipp City, or enjoy old episodes of the Get Social Show?  At TippCityTV.com, I’ve created what is essentially a 24-hour TV station dedicated to Tipp City. I uploaded a smattering of Tipp City videos and other segments.  I’ve also included some old movies and TV shows, and added pages for up-to-date news and weather.

Speaking of TV

There is some really good TV coming back in mid-January, including a few shows that I’m very excited about:

• 30 Rock (January 12) – Back for season six, Liz Lemon has a secret.  She’s relaxed and happy, so naturally everyone on the set of the fictional “Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan” is worried about her.  Hey, it’s New York – happy is just unnatural, right? Oh, and Jenna signs up to judge an American-Idol style show.  Sign me up.
• Undercover Boss (January 15) – I love this show, if only to see CEOs of major corporations picking lettuce or trying to learn how to drive forklifts.  A classic fish-out-of-water exercise.
• Justified (January 17) – you do not want to be a criminal around U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens.  He thinks he’s a cowboy, but he also thinks he’s personally in charge of making the world a better place, so criminals and deadbeats and anyone he doesn’t like would be best served by moving to another state.  Returning to his home town after serving for years in other parts of the country, Raylan has reconnected with family and friends but found an interesting foil in childhood friend .  And last year’s stunning cliffhanger, with a long moment where Raylan shared a drink with a criminal and we waited to find out which glass had been poisoned, highlighted the amazing writing on this show.  If you like good writing—I’m talking to you, Breaking Bad/Sopranos/Deadwood fans—you will love this show and end up going back and ordering all of the old episodes from NetFlix.
• Royal Pains (January 18) – this show about a concierge doctor and his practice in the sunny Hamptons is the perfect anti-dote for cold weather.  Hank Lawson and his brother Evan run the kind of doctor’s practice that used to be common—he makes housecalls! Of course, his clients can afford it, but Hank still manages to run into some crazy diagnoses.  Check out the show for the gorgeous locations shots and stay for the characters, especially Divia, Hank’s physician assistant.
• American Idol (January 18) – Last year was interesting, with Simon gone and two new faces in Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joining Randy Jackson in the “let’s find a star” juggernaut show.  This is the 11^th season, so it will be interesting to see if they can keep the audience that tuned in last year, expecting a train wreck, only to find a panel of judges that jelled surprisingly fast.  Now if they could only find an actual American Idol – it’s been a long time since they found an outstanding singer.  And isn’t that what the show is supposed to be about?
• Smash (February 6) – starring Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston and American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee, this tune-filled drama explores the harried launch of a Broadway show and the players involved, each fighting for a moment in the spotlight.  I don’t usually enjoy musicals but this looks good—I love behind-the-scenes shows.
• The River (February 7) – ABC is taking a crack at the horror/suspense crowd with this thriller about a famous explorer who goes missing in the Amazon.  His wife and son set out with a documentary crew to find the explorer, but everything is not as it seems along the dark river.  It’s supposed to be scary and suspenseful, which I like, as opposed to gory and bloody (I’m talking to you, Walking Dead – come on!), which I do not like.  Check out the trailer on ABC.com and get some sleep now…while you still can.

Ginghamsburg Church Hosts Family Flick

The folks out at Ginghamsburg Church are hosting a Family Flick Night on January 20, when they’ll be presenting the family animated movie “Rio.” Admission is free, but they ask that you help support their New Path Food Pantry by bringing along a canned food item as a donation for each person in your group.

If you have questions, please see the church website at www.ginghamsburg.org or call Kelly Flora at 667-1069, extension 260.

Check In With Me

Hear something interesting for “Tipp Talk?” Visit my website at www.gregenslen.com and drop me a line using the “Contact Me” page. And don’t worry—I won’t quote you unless you want me to!

Events, activities and other hometown items going on in and around Tipp City, Ohio by Greg Enslen

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas was great at the Enslens—we had Sam’s aunt and uncle in from New York City and enjoyed several days of decadent meals, gift exchanges, and just hanging out. I was the happy recipient of both a copy of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 and a sweet blue lava lamp for my office. Sam got books and one of those make-your-own charm bracelets they carry at Hapinstance. Xander got Hex Bugs, and Anna and Katie got Zoobles, so all was right with the world.

New Year’s was a blast as we partied at my friend Diana’s house to celebrate the New Year. I made chili, which seemed to be a big hit, and we all hung out and played with kids and swapped stories while we waited for the big ball to drop. Thanks to our gracious hosts for having us over—it was a privilege, counting down the New Year with you.

We also made a conscious decision this year to put the Christmas decorations up early and leave them up late, so the tree and all of our Santas and pine trees are still out and about. I’m not in any hurry to pack away all our decorations just yet—it seems that the Christmas season comes and goes so fast already. Why hurry it along?

Sam decided this year that her business, Dragonfly Editorial, would give a donation to a worthwhile charity in lieu of gifts to staff and clients. They donated to Mira’s Movement, a nonprofit that supports families of children who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Two years ago, our good friends Chris and Christine Brouwer lost their four-year-old daughter Mira to pediatric ependymoma, a form of cancer that arises in the central nervous system. They created Mira’s Movement to help other families facing the same crisis. If you’d like to learn more about this organization or make a donation yourself, visit www.mirasmovement.org.

Resolutions

Anyone have any good resolutions so far this year? I know most people are going to go with the standard ones, like “lose some weight” or “promote world peace.” I’m shooting a little lower this year: I want to go for more walks and finish reading all the books on my bedside table. And I’d like to write and publish at least two books.

Display Gardens Filled with Roses?

Last year, Garden’s Alive/Springhill Nurseries bought a California company named Weeks Roses. Weeks is a wholesale grower of roses and has been doing so in their Wasco, California, location since 1938. “In addition to their rose lines, Weeks also offers a premium selection of edible fruit and ornamental trees,” their catalog says.

Why do I mention an acquisition that took place last May? Well, I don’t know if anyone will remember me mentioning last fall that Springhill had removed their massive test gardens that stretched along South Hyatt. I was seriously bummed to see them ripping out all those plants, shrubs, and trees.

Well, I have it on good authority that the space was cleared to make room for a Weeks Roses test garden. That’s right, soon there could be a massive rose garden planted along Hyatt Street featuring tens of thousands of roses. Wow.

Tipp City TV

Every wish you could watch TV shows dedicated to Tipp City, or enjoy old episodes of the Get Social Show, which starred me and my friend and City Councilman Mike McDermott? Well, over the Christmas break, I was trying to figure out how to upload our Get Social videos to the Internet where everyone could enjoy them. Unfortunately, YouTube limits their uploads to 15-minute segments, so I was going to have to chop up all of the shows into smaller pieces, making for a lot more work.

I finally found a solution that lets me upload entire episodes and, even better, puts the shows and other videos in rotation on a website that anyone can access. At TippCityTV.com, I’ve created what is essentially a 24-hour TV station dedicated to Tipp City.

In addition to old Get Social episodes, I also uploaded a smattering of Tipp City videos, including Matt Spangler’s narrated Opera House tour, the Tipp City Resume video created by the city in 2004 to encourage businesses to relocate here, Bucher’s Beat appearances at Winter’s Gatherings past, and a story that Fox 45 ran on the opening of the Big Robot Game Café.

I’m looking for more videos and for suggestion—what would you like to see on the channel? I’m also hoping people will send me videos or upload them and let me know about it.

In addition to the 24-hour channel, all of the clips and shows are available in a Video Library on the same page. If you’re hankering to hear Mike and I talk about the time Touchdown Jesus caught fire and burned down, just go to “Get Social Episodes,” find the right show, and hit “Play.” It will replace the live station with your selection—and go back to the live channel when it’s finished.

Ginghamsburg Church Hosts Family Flick

The folks out at Ginghamsburg Church are hosting a Family Flick Night on January 20, when they’ll be presenting the family animated movie “Rio.” Admission is free, but they ask that you help support their New Path Food Pantry by bringing along a canned food item as a donation for each person in your group.

And they’re inviting everyone to show up in the PJs! “Bring a blanket, pillow and your camera, as this promises to be a night you’ll never forget!” They will also be selling pizza at a nominal cost. If you have questions, please see the church website at www.ginghamsburg.org or call Kelly Flora at 667-1069, extension 260.

Check In With Me

Hear something interesting for “Tipp Talk?” Visit my website at www.gregenslen.com and drop me a line using the “Contact Me” page. And don’t worry—I won’t quote you unless you want me to!

There have been some rather eccentric gift ideas over the years – like those vacuum sealed plastic bags to store clothing and blankets in. The idea is to stuff the bag with about 57 sweaters, hook it up to the hose on a vacuum cleaner and suck the air out of the bag. The result is a rigid rectangle of plastic and fiber, three inches high, that weighs as much as a cement slab but will slide easily under the bed. I notice that the commercials never show someone opening the bag. I envision something akin to inflating a life raft in a very small room. Not a pretty sight. 

The Marshmallow Shooter was popular with college kids and juvenile minds in the office. This contraption would actually hold twenty or so large marshmallows and launch them 30 feet. I failed to see the fun in bouncing powdery, sticky stuff off of my chenille sofa and I kept thinking that I’d have to account for all of my marshmallows or I’d be sorry when the ants and cockroaches came calling.

This year is no exception for whacky widgets. Here are five of my favorites:

1. Snowball Maker

Marketed under the name “Sno-Baller,” this gizmo makes, well…balls of snow. Imagine salad tongs on steroids. To create the perfect snowball you pull the handles apart, dip the cupped ends into the snow and close the handles. The result is a snowball that will crumble on contact and doesn’t sting like a hand-packed snowball. It’s a great idea if you’re going to throw snowballs at old ladies. As an added bonus, the Sno-Baller keeps your mittens dry.  Anyone with that much of an aversion to snow should just throw virtual snowballs on the Wii. Hello… the idea of a snowball fight is Arctic survival of the fittest. Red welts and stiff mittens are the badges of courage. 

2. Battery-powered Eraser

This doohickey uses two AAA batteries and is touted as a gift for busy executives, students and accountants with a sense of humor. (Isn’t that last one an oxymoron?) Honestly, it rockets laziness to new heights. Erasers went out with the advent of computers; we now call those corrections “spell check.” The kicker is that while the batteries are NOT included, the package contains eleven erasers. Here’s my advice: If you can’t rotate your wrist back and forth effectively enough to use a standard eraser, you may want to see a doctor. And if you need eleven erasers to complete your task, it’s time to crumple up your paper and start over.

 3. Bag Resealer

This plastic bag resealer is made by iTouchless. The idea is to slide a small, handheld unit that looks a bit like a stapler across the top of any plastic bag to reseal it. It will generate enough heat to melt the ends together and cut off the excess plastic. Potato chips and other food stuffs stay airtight. If you plan to shop in bulk and divide nineteen pounds of pretzels into smaller units for storage then this device is for you. If you have teenagers in the house that rummage your cupboards all day, you will find that your bag will have to be resealed again and again, making the bag smaller and smaller until you are forced to resort to a Ziploc. (Hey, there’s an idea!) 

4. Smart Shoes

These shoes contain GPS technology and are designed to track the exact whereabouts of the wearer.  They even come with a barrier breach warning (think “electronic dog fence”) and claim to be “the smartest shoes you’ll ever own.” I don’t know about the smartest, but they certainly have my vote for the most invasive. Can you say ‘Big Brother is watching’? In all fairness, GPS shoes were designed with Alzheimer patients and their caregivers in mind. If the wearer of the shoes wanders out of a predetermined area – set by the caregiver – the caregiver will receive a warning via text message. The warning message is linked to a website which pinpoints the exactlocation of the wearer. 

It reminds me of a familiar apparatus from the 1990’s sold by a medical alarm company called LifeCall.  Doesn’t ring any bells? How about this pitch: “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” LifeCall designed a pendant to be worn around the neck. Simply put, if the wearer needed help and wasn’t near a phone, the pendant could transmit a message to a medical dispatcher on their behalf. My grandmother had one. She kept forgetting to wear it. 

Like the LifeCall pendant, Smart Shoes were designed with noble intentions. But if granddad can’t remember his own name, don’t be surprised if he leaves the house wearing grandma’s pink fuzzy slippers and forgets the Smart Shoes in the closet.

5. Siri

My husband recently acquired the iPhone 4S and brought home an indefinite house guest by the name of Siri. This latest brainchild of Apple, Inc. is a cross between a genie in a bottle and a Stepford Wife. Siri is described as an intelligent software assistant that can be commanded to perform tasks such as dialing a phone number, taking a memo or checking the weather. Siri has an even-toned, female voice (at least for U.S. iPhone users) and does everything from exhibiting humor (ask her if she knows any jokes) to tacking on little buttering-up phrases like: “You’re welcome, Patrick. It’s always a pleasure.” 

It is said that, over time, Siri will adapt to the user’s individual preferences to personalize such tasks as making dinner reservations and reserving a cab. Good grief. My husband walks around the house speaking to her constantly to see what she will and won’t do for him. I’m not sure that’s an act I want to follow. Then again, maybe I can sweet talk her into doing the Christmas shopping for me.

State of Wonder

Have you ever read a book and thought this must be good because I’ve heard good things about the author?  Well, my book club pick for November was State of Wonder by Ann Patchett and, even though I haven’t read anything else by Ann Patchett, her previous book, Bel Canto, is widely talked about so I was excited to read it.  Well, I have some mixed feelings about this book.

The story line is that a pharmaceutical representative company has been funding research in the Amazon and when a representative sent there to check on the status of the research is reported dead, Dr. Singh travels to Brazil to find out what happened to her colleague and friend in hopes of providing his widow with answers.

The research that is being done there is quite fascinating.  The potential profit from a fertility drug is quite high as it would allow women to bear children when they are very old.  Women in a tribe there are being researched because of their ability to do just that – could you believe being fertile well into your later years!  Wow!

The story line is quite interesting and you learn a lot about living in the Amazon.  However, some of the twists and turns (specifically in the end) left me scratching my head.  That all being said, it was interesting and now I want to read a novel by her that everyone thought was amazing – just requested Bel Canto from my library…

The 9/11 Machine

Lately I have been reading books by my friend, Greg Enslen, The 9/11 Machine being the latest.  It is truly fascinating to read a book written by someone you know.  In Black Bird, he wrote about a serial killer who collected body parts from his victims.  In this book, he wrote about time travel.  I had no idea that Greg was so creative, techy and dare I say (referring to Black Bird) creepy!

So, I see Greg after finishing The 9/11 Machine and my first comment was “you blew my mind”.  Now I feel I need to clarify that.  In The 9/11 Machine Dr. Ellis has lost both his wife and daughter in the south tower of The World Trade Center on 9/11.  He then throws himself into figuring out how to go back in time and hopefully change the outcome.  However, he doesn’t just go back in time but he goes back in time many times – the description of the events that unfolded in each “new” timeline is what “blew my mind”.  From President Bush loosing his mind and Mr. Chaney becoming President to a plane crashing into the Capitol to Mr. Gore becoming president…all of these things gives that could have happened gives the reader lots to consider.  These timelines are very imaginative on the part of my friend not to mention that the book is technically strong!

Enjoy this book as I did and hope for the next book to come out soon!

To say “Merry Christmas,” is not meant to be offensive to Jews, atheists or anyone else who doesn’t wish to observe the holiday but is simply calling it what it is. The song is not titled ‘White Holidays,” but at least until it gets lobbied to be changed, it’s ‘White Christmas.’
The argument is made that by saying ‘Happy Holidays,’ that Hanukkah, Kwanza, Ramadan, Fourth of July and everything else is included, leaving nobody out. However, someone is left out, a pretty important individual, who carries more weight than even Santa…Christ.

Efforts are made to protect the feelings of everyone but the Christians. It’s fine for a God loving Christian to be told “Happy Holidays,” but to tell a Jehovah Witness “Merry Christmas” is terribly insensitive. God is already being pushed out of the Pledge, public schools and the President’s speeches, He should not be taken out of the celebration of His birth. It has become almost unlawful to speak of Christ in public, yet everyone wonders why society is in such chaos.

The expression of ‘Merry Christmas,’ is not even intended as a religious message or an invitation to church. It’s no different as saying ‘Happy Valentines Day,’ at the risk of offending those who haven’t had a date in six months. You don’t stop saying it, just because someone may be bothered by it.

I’m not a heartless Scrooge whose opposed to the other variations of Christmas, Adam Sandler’s ‘Hanukkah Song,’ is one of my favorite carols. It’s much more enjoyable to listen to than ‘Deck the Halls.’ And to someone wearing a Yamaka I have enough common courtesy to not wish them a ‘Merry Christmas,’ and I respect their traditions.

I came across this poem that expresses the point better than I can.

Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
Why the PC Police had taken away
The reason for Christmas – no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people’s feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a ‘ Holiday’.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe’s the word Christmas – was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny’s and Sears
You won’t hear the word Christmas; it won’t touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate ‘Winter Break’ under your ‘Dream Tree’
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS,
not Happy Holiday!

Are you a Jodi Picoult fan?  Her books often deal with controversial or difficult issues.  I’ve read books written by her dealing with school shootings, teenage suicide pacts, Aspergers Syndrome and  having a child to save another child with medical issues just to name a few.  This book, Sing You Home, is no different.  The topic of this book includes gay rights and property rights of fertilized embryos.

Zoe is a music therapist who, with her husband, tried many infertility treatments with negative outcomes.  The stress of these treatments leads her husband, Max, to tell her that he can no longer go through this and wants out of the marriage.  They had very little assets between them and filed for divorce themselves.  However their most important assets are frozen fertilized embryos, which were not brought up during the divorce.

Later, as Zoe works as a music therapist with a student in a school, she begins to form a close relationship with the school counselor, Vanessa, and they end up getting married in a neighboring state because the state they live in doesn’t allow gay marriage.  As their relationship grows, Zoe and Vanessa decide to try for a family and, since Zoe is not able to carry a child, Vanessa has offered to do that with the fertilized embryos that are still available.  Initially upon Zoe’s request, Max doesn’t seem that he is opposed but his new-found religion is extremely against gay marriage and a lawsuit ensues.

The issues that Jodi Picoult touches on in this story are many.  The parts I enjoyed the most are the descriptions of Zoe’s job as a music therapist.  My son, Alex, had music therapy after his diagnosis of Autism, which helped him learn how to communicate.  The book comes with a music soundtrack that you are supposed to listen to while reading the book.  I didn’t have this CD but I bet the music is beautiful.

Enjoy!

Dear Tipp City Community,

On behalf of everyone in Tipp City Schools, thank you for approving our Renewal Levy on November 8th! We are so grateful for your support, and we are excited that we can continue to provide high quality programs and services for the students of Tipp City and Monroe Township.

These are tough times for everyone, and we’re sure every voter carefully considered the pros and cons of a “yes” vote. It makes us very proud to see that the majority of Tipp City voters chose to support the schools even in the current economic climate. It shows how much this community values education.

We will continue to be good stewards of your money and keep looking for as many new and additional ways to conserve our resources.

I want to send a special thank-you to the levy campaign workers, led by chairman Carli Amlin Dean, and all of the other volunteers who rallied around our need and took our message to the community.  It was an awesome committee and we can’t thank them enough for the countless hours they gave for the children of our community.

With sincere gratitude,

John P. Kronour, PhD,