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Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com NORTH AMERICAN PRECIS SYNDICATE, INC. 350 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10118-0110 PRESORT STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID North American Address Service Requested NE W Precis Syndicate, Inc. ! #2382 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 Change Your Mood With Food (NAPSA)—People who treat their bodies well actually have an easier time juggling life’s challenges and feel better while they do it. According to Dr. Connie Gutterson, R.D., nutrition instructor at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, you can naturally control your productivity and mood using a simple formula of moderate exercise combined with a balanced diet rich in the right fats, nutrients and minerals. Good fats, including monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fats, help your system absorb essential vitamins and have been linked to counteracting depression, as well. Foods such as California Black Ripe Olives, fish, nuts and avocados are rich in these beneficial fats. They also add great flavor to a variety of dishes, making cooking healthfully more like a hobby and less of a chore. This recipe for Tomato Fennel Braised Chicken loaded with California Black Ripe Olives is simple and full of flavor. It can provide a healthful boost that’s ready whenever you are. Tomato Fennel Braised Chicken 1 Tbsp. olive oil 4 (4-5 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 2 medium bulbs fennel, cut into 2-inch wedges 2 Tbsp. thinly sliced garlic 1 lb. roma tomatoes, quartered and seeded 1 cup California Black Ripe Olives, whole, pitted 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth 1 ⁄2 cup white wine 1 Tbsp. chopped rosemary Salt and pepper to taste Chicken, black ripe olives and tomatoes make for a quick and delicious dish bound to bring smiles to the table. In a large, high-sided, ovenproof saut pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown for 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a clean plate. Place fennel in pan and brown for 3-4 minutes until golden. Add garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Return chicken to pan, add tomatoes, California Black Ripe Olives, chicken broth, wine and rosemary and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover, place in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes until cooked through. Serves 4. Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Calories 293, Fat 9g, Cholesterol 82mg, Sodium 675mg, Carbohydrate 16g, Protein 36g, Calories from fat 28% For more delicious recipes and nutritional information, visit www.calolive.org. FAMILY FUN FOR EVERYONE (NAPSA)—Chess is an excellent educational tool for kids, but its complex rules can be overwhelming. If the kings, queens and knights of chess seem more like a royal pain than a stimulating game, you should check out “Chess For Dummies , 2nd Ed.” This practical guide includes proven strategies and simple tips for players of any age. “Card Games For Dummies , 2nd Ed.,” which covers more than 30 popular games, includes a special chapter on children’s games so that kids can learn how to play everything from Slapjack to Spit to Crazy Eights. Adults will enjoy chapters on such popular games as Blackjack and Bridge, not to mention the expanded coverage of Poker favorites like Texas Hold’Em, Omaha, Draw, and Stud. It’s no mystery that Sudoku is a massive craze among adults; however, the game is also a fun way for kids to develop their logical skills. “Kids’ Sudoku For Dummies ” features 200 puzzles ranging in difficulty levels from beginner to tricky mind-bogglers to diabolical. The puzzles are rated with kid-friendly pencil graphics to denote the level of difficulty. All three books are published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. A New Teaching Tool Makes Learning Fun (NAPSA)—The place for tweens to connect these days is online, and one social networking site has found a way to help kids to connect with schoolwork. The free social networking site, imbee.com, was developed especially for kids 8 to 14. It has fun features such as photo sharing and trading card creation, and even allows kids to have their own blogs. Parents like it because the site is designed to provide them with visibility into their child’s activities, while helping the child foster real-world skills such as reading, writing, and problem solving in a secure environment. Teachers now like it because it is helping them get kids excited about learning. “It has really transformed my classroom,” said Richard Coleman, a fourth-grade teacher at Meridian Elementary School. “As far as everyday teaching goes, the blogging comes to mind. It allows for unprecedented collaboration between students on projects.” It also helps students with writing projects. “I am able to assign writing prompts that they can post and they are able to see others’ work as well as my immediate comments,” said Coleman. “This helps with editing because I can pull up their writing and give them immediate feedback, plus the whole class can see examples of good writing and my comments on what needs to be fixed.” Students seem to be more comfortable writing in the blogging format, said Coleman, and many of his students are writing more this year. “It’s especially useful for A free social networking site is motivating kids to learn more and have fun doing so. students who have difficulty writing with pen and paper.” imbee.com features classroom and subject blogs. Teachers can pick a topic and students can use search engines to research them. Photo album essays let students create visual essays. Podcasting lets students record their thoughts on specific subjects or current affairs. Teachers can communicate directly with students using monitored messaging. Besides homework assignments that can be accessed 24/7, teachers can post a question of the day or poll on a particular subject or news item. Online study groups can be created based on specific subjects. “imbee has consistently engaged my third-grade students,” said Susanna Messier, a teacher in California. “Even on a Friday afternoon, they will be in pairs responding to a social studies or science question blog post. Furiously looking up answers and discussing the posts before they submit them, each and every student is engaged and excited.” For more information, visit www.imbee.com.