Are there anecdotes about a family member you want to save for posterity? Has your genealogical research uncovered amazing family stories? Would you like to share the adventures of your life with future generations? If so, you’re in luck. It has never been easier to pass information from generation to generation.

1. Write it up
2. If you haven’t written anything yet, decide how you will present your story or stories. Will you offer a written narrative with photographs, drawings, or cartoons? A series of handwritten letters? A compilation of e-mail and text messages? If you’re looking for inspiration, visit:

• Smith: an online storytelling magazine (www.smithmag.net)
• 52 Projects: a site about creative projects (52projects.com)
• The Moth: features true stories told live (www.themoth.org)

Of course, one or more of these sites may cause you to reconsider publishing, and opt instead for blogging, videography, or oral history.

• Select photos or other visual support

1. Carefully select the visual memorabilia that will accompany your personal history. You may want to include: photos, drawings, report cards, diagrams, newspaper headlines, or other pertinent graphics. If these materials are not digital, you may need to scan them into your computer and save the files.

• Choose an online resource  No matter how you do it, creating a personal history for future generations has great value. After all, how many people under the age of 30 know what it was like to make ends meet during the Great Depression, worry through the Cold War, or live through the 1960s? You can make history come alive.

1. Get Started!
2. If you are a serious novelist or plan to publish a journal, then Createspace.com, Booktango.com, Bookbaby.com, and Kindle Direct Publishing may be a better choice. These sites give you the opportunity to publish a book in electronic and/or print-on-demand formats and then make your book available for purchase through various outlets. You even have an opportunity to earn royalties, but read the contracts carefully. Beware that self-publishers want to make money – and they are unlikely to do it by selling millions of copies of your book – so they will try to sell you additional services.
3. Self-publishing has never been easier. The online resource you choose will depend, in large part, on your audience. If your book is for family members and friends, then you may want to consider sites like Shutterfly.com, Lulu.com, or Snapfish.com. Just log on, choose a book size, and then organize your downloaded photos and text. You pay for each book you purchase. If you subscribe to Groupon or Living Social, keep your eyes open for discount coupons offered by these sites.

Lettuce Wraps

If you’re a gardener, you may have some tender heads of lettuce sprouting in the yard. If not, you may need to run to the store before making these tasty lettuce wraps.

Lettuce Wraps

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup onions, diced small

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup water chestnut, diced small

1 cup mushrooms, chopped small

1 cup carrots, grated

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon hot chile paste

1 head lettuce (separate large, tender leaves; wash and dry)

Heat the oil in a wok or heavy fry pan over medium to high heat. Add the onions and garlic. Stir fry for a minute or so. Add water chestnuts, mushrooms, and carrots. Stir fry for another minute. Add the cooked chicken, hoisin and soy sauces, sesame oil, and chile paste. Stir fry until thoroughly heated. Let cool for a few minutes and spoon the mixture into the lettuce leaves.

What Do You Know About Water?

A news release from the U.S. Director of National Intelligence provided some unwelcome information. There will not be enough fresh water to keep up with demand in key countries between now and 2040, unless water resources are managed more effectively. Test your knowledge of water issues with this brief quiz:

1. Water problems have the potential to:
1. Hinder food production
2. Slow economic growth
3. Impede energy production
4. All of the above

1. Pumping groundwater for irrigation, drinking water, and industrial activities causes sea levels to rise.
1. True
2. False

1. Pumping too much ground water can result in:
1. Lightning strikes
2. Droughts
3. Sinkholes
4. Wildfires

1. The average family of four uses about 400 gallons of water each day. Almost 14% of the water goes to:
1. Taking showers
2. Leaking appliances
3. Washing clothes
4. Flushing toilets

The Evolution of Language

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is updated quarterly. The powers that be revise carefully selected entries and add new words that have become prevalent in daily use. The March 2012 revision includes 1,700 revised meanings and new words.

Redefining time

Time, the most frequently used noun in the English language, was the signature word for the quarter’s new issue. This section of the dictionary now has 110 entries and 607 terms. These terms include:

• Timescale, which is defined as an arrangement of events used as a measure of duration. For instance, a century is not long in the history of the English language. Over that timescale, words acquire new nuances and new meanings.
• Time capsule, a container used to store for posterity a selection of objects thought to be representative of life at a particular time. Each edition of the OED may be thought of as a time capsule of the English language.

Re-typing blood

Blood also was brought into the modern day with the addition of new variations that took the editors, “some way from the original meanings of blood as a fluid circulating in the body – into the lands of vampires [blood-sucking], detectives [bloodhound], heady cocktails [blood shot], and animal passions [blood lust].”

Recording neologisms

A neologism is a new word or term. Among those added to the latest OED were:

• Bit bucket n. A notional location in which lost or discarded data is said to be collected
• Boofy adj., Australian word describing big, strong men who aren’t very smart
• LARPing n. Live-action role playing
• Ludology n. The study of games (including video games) and game playing

If you like words or enjoy learning about the history of language, visit the Oxford English Dictionary web site at www.OED.com. They offer a wealth of information about the evolution of language.

Quiz Answers:

1. D – All of the above. According to the news release, “Water problems will hinder the ability of key countries to produce food and generate energy, posing a risk to global food markets and hobbling economic growth. As a result of demographic and economic development pressures, North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia will face major challenges coping with water problems.” (Office of Department on National Intelligence (ODNI))
2. A – True. Pumped ground water generally evaporates or flows into streams or rivers. Eventually, it ends up in the ocean where it becomes salt water. Over the next few decades, groundwater is expected to cause sea levels to rise by as much as melting glaciers and ice caps.
3. C – Sinkholes. Some sinkholes are caused by ground-water pumping.
4. B – Leaking appliances. The 400 gallons an average household uses go to: Showers (16.8%); Toilets (26.7%); Washing clothes (21.7%); Faucets (15.7%); Leaks (13.7%); and Other (5.3%).Sources:http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/sinkholes.htmlhttp://www.livescience.com/20612-groundwater-pumping-threatens-food-supply.htmlhttp://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-20010547-82/how-to-self-publish-an-ebook/http://www.oed.com/public/wordslist0312 

The above material was prepared by Peak Advisor Alliance.

http://www.oed.com/public/simpson0312

http://reviews.cnet.com/self-publishing/

http://www.epa.gov/watersense/pubs/indoor.html

http://www.livescience.com/20171-groundwater-pumping-causing-seas-rise.html

http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/ODNI%20Releases%20Global%20Water%20Security%20ICA.pdf