You can receive Featurettes by e-mail daily, weekly or monthly by request. We can e-mail by your choice of topic or all stories as you may prefer. NORTH AMERICAN PRECIS SYNDICATE, INC. 350 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10118-0110 PRESORT STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID North American Address Service Requested Precis Syndicate, Inc. To make it even more convenient for editors to use our stories, NAPS has added an RSS syndication feed to our Web site. Simply hit the RSS button on our site for automated updates on available content. Please contact us to arrange to receive Featurettes in the format that works best for you at (800) 222-5551 or e-mail your request to us at printmedia@napsnet.com. We can provide Featurettes on CD-ROM or you can download it online at www.napsnet.com. 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 #2420 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 Versatile And Delicious, Rice Is Nutritious Helping Children Find The Road To Success (NAPSA)—There are activities you can do with children now that might help them succeed later in life. Simple things, ranging from regular trips to the library to conversations about school, can help them build self-esteem and empower them to be lifelong learners. Try these tips: Follow The Leader • According to the U.S. Department of Education, showing our children that we both value education and use it in our daily lives “provides them with powerful models and contributes greatly to their success in school.” Reinforce math skills by letting children watch you balance your checkbook. You can also read with your child at night. The key is to keep them involved with your activities. Food For Thought • Dinnertime is a good time to catch up with your kids. Talk about the day’s events, what happened in school and what they have planned for the rest of the week. Mix it up—have a picnic in the family room on the floor. When the weather is nice, have a family dinner on the patio. Make It Fun • Help your child pursue his or her interests by visiting the library for books on favorite topics. Or search the Internet for ways to encourage children to be creative. For instance, Arby’s and NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth recently hosted an essay contest at www.arbys.com for young par- A Healthy Start For Your Baby And You (NAPSA)—When it comes to a healthy diet, women of childbearing age should be good to themselves and their future baby. For example, folic acid is an important B-vitamin that lowers the risk of serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, such as Spina Bifida. Encourage Their Interests—A love of writing earned two youngsters the NASCAR VIP treatment. ticipants in Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of America, asking them to explain what drives them to succeed. The winners and their parents met Kenseth and watched him race from VIP seats at the Phoenix International Raceway. Arby’s is a longtime sponsor of BBBS, with over $25 million in donations to the organization in the past 13 years. Keep Moving • Encourage your children to stay active and fit through games including tag, kickball and even dancing. Teach kids that staying healthy can be fun and that the more they move, the better they’ll feel. You may also want to sign them up for a fun class such as gymnastics. The lessons they learn could last a lifetime. Folic acid is an important B-vitamin that lowers the risk of serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, such as Spina Bifida. Women of childbearing age should be aware of the importance of taking folic acid every day and before conception to reduce the chances of having a baby born with this birth defect. Take a vitamin with folic acid every day and look for foods like cereals and grains that have been fortified with folic acid. Our bodies actually absorb folic acid easier this way. To learn more about Spina Bifida, visit www.spinabifidaasso ciation.org or call (800) 621-3141. Note to Editors: January 7-13 is National Folic Acid Awareness Week. (NAPSA)—When deciding what to eat for dinner, the latest research suggests that rice may be the right choice. A study recently presented at the American Dietetic Association’s annual meeting shows that people who eat rice have diets that are higher in essential nutrients such as folic acid, potassium and vitamin C and lower in saturated fat and added sugar. According to the research, rice eaters have a lower risk of having high blood pressure and being overweight. They also appear to have a reduced risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Even tastier news for food lovers is how delicious and versatile rice is. Enriched white rice is low in calories and has plenty of iron and folic acid, while brown rice is 100 percent whole grain with phytonutrients. For greattasting, healthy recipes, visit www.usarice.com/consumer. Here’s a delicious recipe for TUTTI FRUITTI RICE SALAD. TUTTI FRUITTI RICE SALAD “Rice to the Rescue!” Recipe Contest Winner—Susan Runkle Yield: Makes 4 servings 3 cups cooked medium- or long-grain rice Serve up a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals in your next bowl of delicious rice. ⁄4 cup dried cranberries 1 mango, chopped 3 ⁄4 cup chopped pecans, toasted 3 ⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 ⁄2 cup raspberry vinaigrette dressing 1 ⁄4 cup plus two tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, divided 3 In large bowl, combine rice, cranberries, mango, pecans, pepper, vinaigrette and 1⁄4 cup parsley. Toss well. Garnish with remaining parsley.