Dear Do-It Man: My son ordered a book on how to draw comics from a company in Brooklyn, N.Y., called Great Sky Inc. The company cashed our $24 check last November but my son has yet to receive the book.
He saw the book advertised in Marvel Comics' "Weapon X" comic book. Will you help him?- L.H., West Valley City
Dear L.H.: When we tried several times to call the company, the phone rang once and then stopped.
So we called Marvel Comics in New York City to see if it knew anything about the company. The woman we spoke to there had, indeed, heard of Great Sky Inc. She said Marvel had had trouble with Great Sky not paying its bills.
Even though Marvel Comics is under no obligation to your son, she offered to send him a book published by Marvel about how to draw comics. "We hate to see kids disappointed and lose faith in our company," she said.
Many people apparently received the book they ordered from Great Sky, albeit it much later than they were expecting it.
National Nutrition Month
The American Dietetic Association has decreed March as National Nutrition Month.
The association is handing out all kinds of hints and tips, most of which you have already heard. Not surprisingly, there is a great dependence on the Food Guide Pyramid.
Some people continue to have trouble understanding the "servings" concept. Each day, for example, we are supposed to eat six to 11 servings of grains, including bread, rice, cereal and pasta; two to four servings of fruits; three to five servings of vegetables; two to three servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and/or nuts; two to three servings of milk, yogurt and/or cheese; and minimal amounts of fats, oils and sweets.
A serving is just a cup or so of food.
Diversity, the association says, is also a good plan. It suggests that if we were to keep records of our eating habits for a couple of weeks, we would find that our patterns are dominated by eight to 10 "core" foods.
That's not necessarily bad, given that core foods are healthful, but it does cause us to miss a lot of other opportunities. Here are suggestions from the American Dietetic Association:
- Try one new recipe or prepared food a week at home. Look primarily for grain, vegetable and fruit-based dishes.
- Experiment with different styles of cuisine. For example, if Mexican or Italian foods are old favorites, try sampling Greek or Indian cuisine.
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Postal stamp
Israel has issued a second souvenir sheet in tribute to "Jerusalem 3000," a yearlong celebration of the 3000th anniversary of King David's proclamation of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish world.
The new sheet highlights the art and architecture of the ancient synagogue at Dura-Europas in Syria.
- Syd Kronish
AP Special Features