Peanut Butter News

Full Story at CNN.com

Thousands stuffed the bleachers on both sides of a California high school football field Monday night to remember a beloved teacher who was slain in Mexico a few days ago.

Grieving family members, friends and residents of El Monte, California, waved glowsticks in the air and listened to heartfelt stories about how Augustin Roberto “Bobby” Salcedo was a devoted family man and an inspirational educator. They heard, too, that he was a practical jokester who made people laugh.

Full Story at The-Daily-Record.com

RITTMAN DISTRICT — Asking all 18- and 19-year-olds to stand, Gary Maibach urged Rittman students to look at the teenagers.

Those are the ones asked to serve their country in the military, Maibach said, not gray-haired grandfathers.

Maibach, who served as a medic in the Army during the Vietnam War, encouraged the students to seek out veterans, shake their hands, thank them for their service and listen to their stories, if they are willing to share them.

Maibach was the guest speaker during Rittman High School’s Veterans Day program Tuesday, which is held every other year and is organized by the Quest Class.

“Veterans, generally, do not go forward to talk about their experiences,” Maibach said, adding later, “don’t press them.”

Full Story at CNN.com

New York (CNN) — Long Island native Louis DiLeo began his music career as a child. As an adult, he spends his days blowing the same sad song: taps.

As the sole bugler for the southern region of New York’s Military Forces Honor Guard — part of the state National Guard — DiLeo travels five days a week from cemetery to cemetery, playing at funerals of military servicemen and women and veterans. He started three years ago and hasn’t missed a day since.

For DiLeo, playing taps at the funerals of men and women who served the country holds significant meaning.

Full Story at msnbc.com

WASHINGTON – The once-indefatigable Ted Kennedy was in a wheelchair at the end, struggling to speak and sapped of his energy. But from the time his brain cancer was diagnosed 15 months ago, he spoke of having a “good ending for myself,” in whatever time he had left, and by every account, he did.

As recently as a few days ago, Mr. Kennedy was still digging into big bowls of mocha chip and butter crunch ice creams, all smushed together (as he liked it). He and his wife, Vicki, had been watching every James Bond movie and episode of “24” on DVD.

Full Story At  CBS News

(CBS/AP) With the nation’s attention turned to President-elect Barack Obama’s anticipated inauguration Tuesday, the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day may have gotten lost in the shuffle in parts of the country.

In Hempstead, NY, the annual parade marking the birthday of the famed civil rights leader was canceled as too many dignitaries were off in Washington, D.C., to take part in another pivotal moment in the history of race relations in America – the swearing in of the first African-American president, just across the National Mall from the spot where King delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963.

Full Story At Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON – Fresh off a rollicking celebration in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln, President-elect Barack Obama is shaping the final day of his pre-presidential life around another giant figure, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Obama is taking part in a community renovation project in the Washington area to honor King, the civil rights leader who was assassinated in 1968. Monday is the federal holiday commemorating the birthday of King, who advocated peaceful resistance and equality among all races. He blazed a trail for Obama, soon to be the nation’s first black president