IF SHE CAN DO IT

From today's wires:

AP WASHINGTON —

"Do you want some risotto?"

With that, first lady Michelle Obama began scooping mushroom risotto to help serve lunch Thursday to some of the mostly homeless men and women who get free meals at a soup kitchen several blocks from the White House.

Her visit was designed to highlight the work of places like Miriam's Kitchen, as demand for their services have risen during the economic downturn, and her interest in community service, an issue she wants to focus on as first lady.

HAPPIER BIRTHDAY

Here's a way to double your pleasure. Call a homeless shelter or boys or girls club and ask if there's a child who shares your birthday. On the special date you have in common, deliver a gift to him or her.

THE STATE OF REUNION

Have a high school reunion coming up? Are the events already planned? Here's a portion of a typical reunion program that we found on the internet.

OUR Master Of Ceremonies Will Be At The Bandstand With News And Announcements. Food And Beverages Will Be Provided By The American B-B-Q Company Activities Will Include: 
- Baskets To Shoot And Hula Hoops To Try In The Gym
- Old Videos Of Sports And Other School Events In The Cafeteria
1:00 Official Opening Welcome To All By Reunion Chairman
2:00 To 4:00 Optional Visits To The Former High School Building
2:30 To 3:00 Chorus Rehearsal - Auditorium All Singers invited To Practice Favorite Songs 3:30 To 4:00 Choral Performance - Auditorium
4:00 Awarding Of Prizes At The Bandstand

Sounds like a lot of fun. Seeing old friends, catching up on all the news, reliving old times, telling each other that you haven’t changed a bit!…but what if there were one more activity planned? One more activity to share with classmates that could unify the class all over again? How about a social service project in the community?

Working with the high school in advance of the festivities, the reunion committees could find, say, a local school in need of a fresh coat of paint—maybe it’s even your school that needs a little help. Or maybe there’s a park or beach in need of trash pick up. A senior center in need of readers. A soup kitchen in need of a can drive. Hey—the old glee club might want to head out to a senior center for their sing-a-long.

Remember how in high school you and your pals were going to change the world? Now's your chance to do it together after all these years.

USE YOUR NOODLES

The Can-Do is back. Today, thanks to Brother Tom from Conneticut, we offer a simple way we can all pool together to save energy. If you are a pasta lover/cooker read on.

In a recent article in the New York Times, Harold McGee reports that instead of using the standard 4 to 6 quarts of water to boil pasta, you can get the same results using 1.5 to 2 quarts. This means the burner will be on for a shorter time. And according to Mr. McGee:

"My rough figuring indicates an energy savings at the stove top of several trillion B.T.U.s. At the power plant, that would mean saving 250,000 to 500,000 barrels of oil, or $10 million to $20 million at current prices."

Please share with the Can-Do community any energy saving tips--cooking or otherwise--you might have.