Fewer than two percent of Americans live on farms. However, the American Pet Producers Association estimates that up to 13 percent of American households raise chickens. There are numerous reasons to consider raising domestic chickens or backyard chickens.

Many Americans who keep chickens start the practice for the same reason: eggs. Chicken owners save money on grocery bills, and they can stop supporting harmful industrial farming processes in America. Some chickens experience inhumane conditions and produce less nutritious eggs compared to backyard chickens.

Chickens also function as an effective natural composter for food scraps. Chickens are omnivorous and can subsist on a diet of chicken feed and leftovers. Owners can add the waste to the compost pile used as a lawn and garden fertilizer. Chickens further support healthy lawns and gardens by eating pests, including slugs, beetles, caterpillars, and cabbage worms. A single chicken can fully debug a 120-square-foot garden in just one week.

Keeping chickens can teach children about respect for nature and humanity’s relationship with it. That said, before keeping chickens, research and check the relevant town ordinances.

As a member of the nationwide Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Fullerton Elks Lodge (Elk Lodge #1993) has been furthering the organization’s core principles of charity, justice, fidelity, and brotherly love for roughly seven decades. Headquartered on Elks View Lane in Fullerton, California, the Fullerton Elks Lodge keeps its local membership base informed through its Hilltop Bugle newsletter.

The official publication of the Fullerton Elks, the Hilltop Bugle, delivers lodge news and items of interest on subjects that range from upcoming events to internal committee activities. A monthly publication, individuals and members can access digital copies free of charge through the organization’s official website.

Each issue begins with a message from the leader of the Fullerton Elks Lodge in a section called “From Our Exalted Ruler.” The lodge’s leading knight, lecturing knight, and loyal knight also regularly reach out in print through the Hilltop Bugle. Other repeating monthly columns include “Teenager of the Month” and “This Month’s Birthdays.”

Elks National Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Elks Lodge, a community organization established in 1868. The foundation provides members with various resources needed to improve their local communities. Services mainly consist of grants and appropriations.

The community investments program, for instance, has appropriated nearly $16 million for Lodge communities throughout the US. State grants managed through the Elks National Foundation, meanwhile, have contributed about $10.7 million to state Elks associations. These grants fund charitable work in Elks Lodge communities all around America.

Some grant opportunities focus on supporting future generations of American leaders. College scholarships such as the Most Valuable Student Scholarship Competition and the ENF Legacy Awards provide a combined $4.6 million to college students. Younger children benefit from grant programs like the Elks National Hoop Shoot Free Throw Program, which has allocated over $1.4 million to in-need youths, and the Elks Drug Awareness Program, which emphasizes constructive solutions and collaborative approaches to substance use.

Other grants and appropriations go toward lodge projects that meet the needs of veterans, or children with special needs. Money is used in many projects that help the neediest to have food, shelter and education. Grant applications are available to all lodges and resources for running a large-scale community service project can be found online at elks.org.

Maintaining the health of a singer’s voice is considered straightforward by most professionals. By using common sense and following established vocal health suggestions, you should be able to sing without risking injury to your vocal cords.

The condition of your voice can significantly impact the success or failure of a vocal performance. Drinking a lot of water, particularly at room temperature, complemented by a couple of lemon squeezes and tea, can help prepare the vocal cords for singing. Avoid excessive caffeine intake, which can lead to dehydration.

Taking care of your vocal health significantly impacts your vocal quality, your stamina during a performance, and the overall uniformity of your voice. Observing your nutritional intake, consuming appropriate foods, relieving tension, and ensuring overall vocal well-being are ways to protect your vocal cords.

Warming up your vocal cords is essential to prepare the voice. Softly humming is a simple exercise you can perform before singing. Improvise a humming tune or vary your pitch while humming. Hum a few minutes before your performance or any other occasion where your voice will be stressed. This will contribute to your relaxation as well. Humming also helps to manage your breathing and resonance, balancing and controlling your vocal performance.

It’s also recommended to steer clear of dairy foods. They can increase mucus thickness, leading to a blockage that may negatively impact your vocal cords. Also, consume a light meal before singing. You require energy, yet a full stomach stresses your diaphragm, making deep breathing difficult and negatively impacting your vocal quality.

If the voice becomes tired, hoarse, or sounds fatigued, hydration is first and best answer to restore the voice. Always take in plenty of water and fluids to keep the mucosal lining of the vocal chords full and healthy. Most singers keep water with them and freely partake during vocal use. This is a good habit to have.

Getting your full amount of sleep is also crucial in maintaining and restoring vocal health and is the second most important element for vocal health after hydration. If you can’t get a full night’s sleep, consider taking a nap during the day to add the the total amount of rest.

Good vocal rest is another way to protect your voice. Should you frequently engage in conversation or utilize your voice extensively, it’s crucial to ensure you incorporate adequate periods of vocal rest. Like any muscle group in the body, the vocal cords can be injured by excessive use and strain. The vocal chords are amazing at recovering from vocal fatigue. A person might yell themselves hoarse at a concert or sporting event, and within a few days, the healthy voice is restored. Give you voice the time and rest it needs to do what it is programmed to do — heal.

You can also protect your singing voice by reducing or eliminating your intake of cigarettes or alcohol. Smoking saturates your vocal cords with harmful substances. All the pollutants, pollen, and dust you inhale directly reach your vocal cords, causing dryness and irritation. While it may not immediately inflict damage, alcohol also leads to dehydration and inflammation.

Excellent posture is the foundation for expanding your vocal range and enhancing your singing voice. A stooped posture and a tilted head can adversely affect the pitch, tone, and strength of musical notes. Your diaphragm cannot expand completely if you are sitting or slouching. Maintaining proper posture facilitates airflow and allows sustained high notes.

Dryness is not good for your vocal cords. Excessive dryness in interior environments can irritate your voice. This might make it important to humidify your home and stay in a humid environment before a performance or while you are preparing for a series of concerts.

Finally, if you are a professional or a career vocalist, it is critical that you attend voice lessons and seek the counsel of a professional voice teacher. Voice teachers will teach you practical measures to care for your vocal cords specific to your voice and style of singing.

More and more homeowners are joining the backyard chicken revolution. Raising chickens is no longer just for farmers or rural residents, as urban and suburban areas embrace backyard chickens. The benefits of raising chickens in your own backyard are numerous and varied. Here we will outline the top 5 benefits of keeping backyard chickens.

1. Fresh Eggs

The most obvious benefit of keeping chickens is the abundance of fresh eggs. Not only are they fresher and tastier than store-bought eggs, but they’re healthier too. Backyard chickens are typically free-range and have access to more natural sources of food. This diet produces eggs that are higher in vitamins and minerals, and lower in cholesterol and saturated fat.

2. Natural Fertilizer

Chickens produce high-quality fertilizer in the form of manure. By keeping chickens in your backyard, you’ll have access to a sustainable and ready supply of natural fertilizer for your lawn and garden. Chicken manure is high in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, making it an excellent soil amendment for vegetables and flowers.

3. Pest Control

Chickens are natural pest controllers. They’ll eat garden pests like snails and slugs, as well as mosquitoes and other insects, without the need for toxic chemicals or pesticides. Plus, watching your chickens hunt and peck for insects is a fun and entertaining way to spend time in your backyard.

4. Educational Value

Keeping chickens in your backyard is a great way to teach children about responsibility and compassion. Plus, it’s a fun and interactive way to teach them about nature and the environment.

5. Emotional Benefits

Chickens are sociable creatures that can provide companionship and emotional support. Many people find that keeping chickens reduces stress and promotes a sense of calm. This may be the most under-rated benefit. Watching chickens is relaxing and entertaining.

So what are you waiting for? Join the backyard chicken revolution today and discover the joy of keeping your own flock! Whether you’re looking for a sustainable way to produce your own food or a fun and educational hobby, keeping chickens in your backyard is a rewarding, fulfilling experience.

The earliest recorded plays performed as what we would call modern theater were by playwright Thesis in 535 BC, with the Greeks putting on plays to honor their deity, Dionysus, the god of drinking wine and revelry. In 436 BC, Aeschylus created the traditional Greek costume for a Greek tragedy, which consisted of a mask, a long or short tunic, and special footwear with high soles.

The masks were created according to character, and their designs depicted the character’s role in the play (hero, villain, etc.). Another costume tradition of that period included padding body parts to create comedic effects. These styles of costumes continued till the fall of the Roman Empire, after which theater was little seen till its rise again in the Middle Ages.

The Middle Ages was a religious period, and although the church referred to the Greek style of drama as a devil-worshiping venture, they were prominent proponents of drama’s return to the West for one reason — connecting the church with the people. Church services were held in Latin which only the educated rich understood, so the church started putting on plays to foster religious understanding among the uneducated masses.

From the fifth century onward there was an outpouring of religious plays, with scriptural themes and plots, especially dramas that depicted the life of Jesus and the Catholic saints. These plays were held on church grounds in the beginning, and as interest in them grew they were moved into the market square.

Costumes for religious dramas in the Middle Ages were primarily ecclesiastical clothing, but as the scripts for drama included less saintly characters (such as the Devil, Mary, and Herod), the artists often used regular clothes to portray their characters.

As the Middle Ages gave way to the Renaissance era, the costumes became more elaborate in tandem with the artistry of that period. The nobility in Europe began hosting plays as entertainment for guests, and infused nonspiritual themes and characters into their plays such as mythical creatures and characters from other cultures. Among those who designed costumes for the theater were Leonardo da Vinci and Inigo Jones.

In the late 16th century, toward the end of the Renaissance, commedia dell’arte, or street plays, gained theatrical dominance in Italy. These actors drew inspiration for their costumes from the early Greeks and revamped the use of masks and traditional costumes in performances. There were typical costumes for old men called pantaloons (wide-legged pants), academics only wore black, while lovers and servants often wore regular clothing. This costume period is evident in the works of dramatists like William Shakespeare and Jean-Baptiste Moliere.

Actors in the 17th and 18th centuries typically used regular garments combined with specific apparel to depict their characters. For instance, a turban signified a character from the East, while a helmet could be used to show the military role of a character.

The 19th and 20th centuries saw a return to authenticity in the costumes of actors. With the advent of travel and widespread education in Europe, actors noted that audiences preferred realism in their dramas. They sought to provide it in costuming, which meant dressing in the full apparel of the character as if they existed in the period in which the story takes place.

Costuming in today’s dramas depicts a mixture of realism and fancy, depending on the character being played and the style of the drama. For instance, a character playing a role in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist would be dressed in clothing of 19th-century England, while a character from Shakespeare’s The Tempest would be dressed in an island style as described by the writer.

Mitch Hanlon holds a Master of Music in piano performance from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He studied music as an undergraduate at Chapman University. Prior to graduating with his Bachelor of Music, he received the Chapman University Choral Award. In addition to his professional activities as a musician, he engages with industry groups such as the Musical Theater Educators Association and the local musician’s union.