This month, the word “heart” usually makes us think of the romance of Valentine’s Day, coming up next week. But February is also American Heart Month, with a more serious meaning — taking care of our physical heart. Everyone should be aware of the warning signs of a problem, an uncomfortable pressure in the chest may signal a heart attack, while numbness or weakness on one side of the body could mean a stroke. Experts say you can help prevent these with a balanced lifestyle of physical activity, weight control and moderate intake of salt and alcohol. While heart disease has claimed fewer lives in recent years, it is still the nation’s number one killer — responsible for 616,000 deaths annually.
A century ago, bread bought in stores was handmade, a time and labor intensive process. That changed when an African-American food executive from Boston, Joseph Lee, invented an automatic bread-making machine. This device mixed the ingredients and then kneaded the dough, dropping the cost of making bread while increasing production. Lee also developed a machine to eliminate the waste of unsold bread by recycling the loaves into bread crumbs, which proved to be popular in restaurants the world over. Today in the U.S., African-American families buy an average of $241 worth of bakery products annually. This special edition of Profile America is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Yesterday, over 100 students from over 45 states are heading to the White House with their robots, research and new inventions for the second ever White House Science Fair. Here, the President meets an 8th grader named Joey from Phoenix, AZ at the White House Science Fair and the two launch a marshmallow across the State Dining Room of the White House with Joey’s science project – an air cannon.
And here is he afterwards, President Obama honors the hard work and extraordinary talent of students participating in the second White House Science Fair. February 7, 2012.
What was your science fair projects in school? What are the kids working on these days?
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