Editorial
EDITORIAL SEPTEMBER 2013
A PERSONAL TOUCH
When our photographer Debra Todd told me she was taking her daughter to New York City for Spring Break, I asked her to take some of her masterful shots of the city and write a story. As a result, the response to her story and marvelous photos (especially the July/August cover photo) has been enormously positive.
We attribute Lighthouse Point Magazine’s success to the many hours spent by our staff at community functions and family events to give our readers a very personal perspective of what is happening every month. Our travel stories, written by local residents, make reading our magazine even more personal and pleasant to read.
As always, if our readers have stories or photos of interest to the community, please send them to us. If we feel they are suitable for publication, they will appear in our magazine. Thank you for your loyalty and support.
THE GIVERS AND THE TAKERS
CNN reporter Anderson Cooper is challenging leaders of three so-called cancer charities to answer questions as to where the donation money ends up.
Investigations into The Breast Cancer Society, Children’s Cancer Fund and Cancer Fund of America are now in progress. According to their own tax filings, The Breast Cancer Society took in $13 million in 2011 and just 2.4% of the money went to cancer patients.
Every year, Kids Wish Network raises millions of dollars in the name of dying children and their families. Last year they raised $18.6 million and spent only $240,000 granting wishes…a mere 1% of the cash raised.
Charities that claim to help children outside our country are more difficult to track. This is the main reason Lighthouse Point Magazine believes that reputable charities that address the needs of America’s starving and homeless children should be the focus of the American people.
Charity scams are now at pandemic proportions, so before any donation decisions are made, your careful scrutiny of the financial workings of those charities is a must.
BREAKING HABITS CAN ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIFE
Usually someone dies of a cause. Eliminate those causes, simply by making four healthy and often enjoyable changes in your daily habits that dramatically reduce your risk for heart disease and other dangerous disorders. According to a new study, those who practiced four heart-smart habits—eating a Mediterranean-style diet, exercising regularly, maintaining a normal weight, and avoiding smoking were 80% less likely to die from any cause during the eight-year study, the researchers reported. Sounds easy to me.