Jun 30
2011

Media Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in the greater Media area. Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions.

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So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start this weeks conversation about Fourth of July fun. Please add comments to the comments box below this story and give your own feedback and ideas. And if you have a question youd like answered for next week, let us know.

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Question: What are some fun activities to do with the kids for Fourth of July? Do you have any Fourth of July family traditions?

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Answer From Mom’s Councilmember Robin Fradkin Matthew (mother of 1):

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Well be having a low-key BBQ with our next door neighbors, which we have done for the past couple of years. Burgers and dogs and the blow-up pool on the porch. Im dying to take my son to fireworks, but I think well wait for next year. (Hes 2 and 1/2 years old.)

Well probably go looking for a parade because theres nothing my kid likes better than a steady stream of fire engines with sirens blaring and maybe well walk up to Medias events in Barrall Park. (Why doesnt Media have a parade? It has one for every other holiday!)

Our MOMS Club will be doing red, white, and blue tie-dye in the park this week and a fun little snack is hamburger cookies (Grasshopper cookie sandwiched between Nilla Wafers with red (ketchup) and yellow (mustard) frosting to hold them together. For an extra pop, tint shredded coconut with green food coloring and top the burgers with shredded lettuce under the top bun)

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Answer From Mom’s Councilmember Kristy OConnor (mother of 2):

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For the Fourth of July we of course seek out a couple fireworks shows. Nothing too traditional here but as my daughter is getting older shes becoming so interested in helping me cook and prepare food. This Fourth of July Im planning to make a red, white, and blue desert that is easy and kid-friendly. 

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First step is to go pick out some blueberries and strawberries with the kids. At home well bake a square, vanilla cake together. Anything to get little hands dirty is a fan favorite in my house. As the cake cools well make cream cheese icing. Im so bad with doing exact measurements and usually do everything to taste. All youll need is one block of softened cream cheese, confectioners sugar, vanilla extract and a little milk. I put the cream cheese in my mixer then let my daughter add the sugar. Just a teaspoon of vanilla extract will do and a splash or two of milk will give the icing a creamy texture. After the icing is done just take the washed strawberries and cut them in halves. 

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With everything prepped Im going to give my daughter a flag and together well copy the flag onto the cake with the icing and fruit. I think this will turn into a fun tradition to do with my girls.

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Jun 30
2011

Hide your kids, hide your pets, and make sure the holes in your fences are fixed, too, because coyotes are living among you.

There have been at least two coyotes spotted in the Richmond area in the past week, and one attack on a dog.

Seem uncommon? Well, kinda. But you might want to get used to it.

Coyotes are on the rise in Richmond, and not just in rural areas, either. Two days ago, an attack occurred near Carytown. Granted, it was in the gated community of Lockgreen, a bit past Windsor Farmswhich is not as urban, as well, Carytown itself.

That attack wasnt the first in the area either, but the other two were on deer, not a family pet.

About a week ago, on her way to a graduation party held next door, Merle Hirschman caught something out of the corner of her eye.

I thought it was a deer, she said.

The Hirschmans frequently have deer stop by their backyard to eat fallen peaches. But last week, it was a coyote who wanted a taste.

I havent seen either one since then, said Hirschman, who wonders if the coyote has gotten to the deer. She has lived in the Midlothian neighborhood since 2002, and seen all kinds of wildlife–just not a coyote.

Rob Leinberger, Jr., assistant supervisor for Chesterfield County Animal Control, said, in an interview, that the species continues to grow because they adapt so well. Although coyotes are good at finding hiding places, they more commonly live in rural,western Virginia.

We want people to make sure the animals are afraid of them any wild animal for that matter. Its a matter of deterring the animal, Leinberger said, to reporter Elizabeth Farina.

The frequency in sightings is proportional to an increase in development, and a lack of rural tracts for coyotes, and other animals, to call home.

Leinberger suggested not feeding animals outside. If any food is left out, coyotes will be attracted to it, and become more domesticated.

If a coyote becomes accustomed to a food source within a particular area, they will frequent it, which invites dangerous encounters with the wild animals.

Dont give the creatures opportunities by leaving trash, or open trash containers accessible.

Make sure that your animals are up-to-date with their rabies shots.

Also, avoid tossing any coins to panhandling coyotes if seen in the Carytown area. Coyotes are considered to be the ultimate Tricksters, and likely wont be using the money for busfare or asthma medicine.

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Jun 30
2011

24 June

I WOULD just like to bring to the attention of some inconsiderate dog owners that use public areas such as Morton Stanley Park and Arrow Valley Lake, that not everyone wants their dogs near them.
Dogs are unpredictable creatures and are very capable of maiming or even killing humans, even though this is rare. It’s all very well saying ‘he won’t hurt you’ but I’m sure these have been the famous last words about dogs that have turned and attacked people before – in fact I know first hand of a family dog that turned one day and bit its owner who then required major surgery.
My child is terrified of dogs (from past experiences) and I don’t see why she should be prevented from enjoying a walk out in the fresh air by these dogs who keep coming up to her – even in the areas designated where dogs should be on a lead and where many children are playing. It is scary having an animal as tall as you bounding up to you, trying to lick your face and jumping up, and it is unfair that she has to tolerate this.
I also recall an occasion a couple of weeks ago when, on using my body and pushchair to protect my daughter from a dog that was intent on trying to get to her, I got home to discover that the dog had actually slobbered all over the back of my trousers and that it had then gone all over the seats of my brand new car – disgusting!
On top of this there are many people out there who do not like dogs or perhaps have an allergy to dogs and do not want them near them. I don’t allow my children to run around terrorising your animals so please return the favour!
It is a joke that people let their dogs run around in a children’s play area and they clearly have no discipline as the owners are calling them and they are running the opposite way.
How would you feel if your dog felt a bit tetchy one day and bit an innocent child?
Please be more considerate to those who may not want/like dogs near them – the parks and lake are there for everyone to enjoy!

Name and address supplied

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Jun 30
2011


It is like the other professional drafts, with teams choosing amateur players who break into wide smiles when their names are called, even if — rather than being from U.C.L.A. or Tennessee — they come from the Peterborough Petes, MODO Hockey Ornskoldsvik or the University of North Dakota.

If it happens on ice and it involves hitting and scoring, The Times’s Slap Shot blog is on it.

Go to the Slap Shot Blog

The N.H.L. entry draft Friday and Saturday in St. Paul looks a lot like the N.F.L. and N.B.A. drafts. In a practical sense, however, it is closer to the baseball draft in that most players need several seasons of ripening at the amateur level or in the minor leagues. As a result, teams generally draft the best players available rather than picking with an eye toward filling a need.

Still, as in football and basketball, the top draft picks are often expected to make an immediate impact. In recent years high first-rounders have stepped right into the lineup, which is good news for Edmonton, which chooses first this year, followed by Colorado, Florida, the Devils and the Islanders.

“If you’re drafting high, why shouldn’t you expect a player to be ready right away?” said David Conte, the Devils’ scouting director for 17 of his 26 years with the club. “These are talented young guys. But then again, the one thing I’ve learned is that history doesn’t repeat itself. You never know what’s going to happen in a draft until you’re actually there.”

The league’s 30 clubs will run through seven rounds of picks, selecting the top previously undrafted 18- to 20-year-olds from Canadian junior teams, American colleges and European leagues. Most will never play in the N.H.L., and only a tiny minority will make it by next season, a feat achieved by only 21 draftees since 2005.

But the top choices are a different story. Among last year’s 30 first-rounders, Taylor Hall of Edmonton at No. 1, Tyler Seguin of Boston (No. 2), Jeff Skinner of Carolina (No. 7), Alexander Burmistrov of Atlanta (No. 8) and Cam Fowler of Anaheim (No. 12) became N.H.L. regulars. Skinner was named rookie of the year Wednesday.

In 2009, the first-rounders who made it immediately were John Tavares of the Islanders (No. 1), Victor Hedman of Tampa Bay (No. 2), Matt Duchene of Colorado (No. 3) and Evander Kane of Atlanta (No. 4).

Will the top five players drafted Friday — projected to be forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Gabriel Landeskog and Jonathan Huberdeau, and defensemen Adam Larsson and Dougie Hamilton — make an immediate impact?

To help identify future stars, the N.H.L. runs a scouting combine in early June to evaluate 101 players. This year, Chicoutimi goalie Christopher Gibson scored the highest on hand-eye coordination and the 5-foot-6 Team USA forward Rocco Grimaldi had the lowest percentage of body fat. Prince Albert defenseman Mark McNeill had the strongest right-hand grip and second strongest left-hand grip, meaning it is hard to knock the stick out of his hands.

The combine was the culmination of two years of tracking by N.H.L. Central Scouting, the league bureau that has issued periodic rankings of draft-eligible players since 1975. There is no equivalent in the N.F.L., N.B.A. or Major League Baseball.

This year, Central Scouting ranked 390 players, based on evaluations from 29 scouts in North America and Europe. It ranked Nugent-Hopkins first among North Americans and Larsson first among Europeans.

But that is only the beginning. Each N.H.L. club has a scouting staff that conducts its own research.

“Scouting is still an eyes-on kind of thing, so we’ll go to hundreds of games, because you have to be there to make an evaluation,” said Fred Bandel of the Florida Panthers, who has also worked for Toronto and Montreal in 18 years as an N.H.L. scout. “We want to know about a prospect’s character, so we’ll watch his body language and comportment, and we’ll talk to a lot of people about him: coaches, housing parents and so on.”

What is the biggest change Bandel has seen?

“With the new rules since the lockout, small, skilled boys like Grimaldi can get drafted now,” he said. “That’s different than when I was with Montreal, and they told me don’t even look at anyone under 6 feet unless you’re sure he’s going to be a superstar.”

With Nugent-Hopkins expected to go either No. 1 or 2, the Islanders and the Devils are expected to end up with Landeskog, Larsson, Huberdeau or Hamilton. Sean Couturier, a star forward in the Quebec league, and Nathan Beaulieu, a Quebec league defenseman, are also in the mix.

The Rangers, meanwhile, have already pulled off a draft-choice coup, obtaining the highly touted 20-year-old Swedish defenseman Tim Erixon from the Calgary Flames in exchange for the Czech prospect Roman Horak and two second-round picks.

The Flames chose Erixon in the first round in 2009, No. 23 over all, but were unable to sign him. He would have gone back into the draft if still unsigned on June 1, so Calgary traded him.

“We wanted to make sure we turned that pick into an asset,” said Jay Feaster, the Flames’ general manager.

In exchange the Rangers got a player whose stock has only risen since 2009. Erixon is the son of the former Rangers forward Jan Erixon and spent the first five years of his life in Port Chester, N.Y. He starred in three world junior tournaments and has played three full seasons with Skelleftea in Sweden’s top league, the Elitserien. Last season, as a top-pair defenseman, he played alongside Larsson, the top blue liner available in this year’s draft, as Skelleftea finished third in the Elitserien and reached the finals in the playoffs.

And then there is always the possibility that a gem will be found in the lower rounds. Detroit had the savvy to pick Henrik Zetterberg 210th over all in 1999, and Chicago picked Dustin Byfuglien 245th in 2003.

“Anything could happen at any point in any year’s draft,” Conte said. “There’s no point in comparing them from year to year. Every one is special, so we’ll see what happens on Friday.”

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