IN THIS ISSUE * St. Patrick’s (“Paddy’s”) Day

*A Funny Thing Happened – Funny Bone *Buddy’s Bio

*Common Sense Speaks “UP” *Palm Sunday and Passover

* “In the Loop” * St. Patrick’s Day Coupon

*Input and Gratitude *Looney Law

*Million Dollar Mistake! *Now ‘Ear This From Stuart

*Word Search * Fun Fact

When Irish Eyes Are S miling…

March 17th is designated as “St. Patrick’s Day” and many folks scattered around the globe will be “wearin’ o’ the green” and kissin’ the Blarney Stone – from Ireland, to Australia, to North America. Interestingly, a British-born lad, Maewyn Succat, became Ireland’s patron saint: ‘St. Patrick’. At sixteen, Maewyn was taken as a slave into Ireland by Irish brigands. After six years in captivity, he escaped to Gaul (modern day France). Working outdoors as a shepherd, Maewyn was lonely and afraid and sought comfort in his faith. After a few years, he returned to his native Britain where he spent fifteen years studying Christianity. He had a vision that he was to return to Ireland and preach to the Irish. He is often credited with being the force behind Ireland’s conversion to the Christian faith. Maewyn was declared a saint by Pope Celestine of the Roman Catholic church shortly before the Pope died in 432 A.D. St. Patrick is believed to have died on March 17 around 460 A.D., hence the date of celebration. St. Patrick’s Day is not a holiday that is celebrated internationally and ironically enough, the largest celebrations are held in America. There are a reported 36.5 million U.S. residents with Irish roots. That’s nearly nine times the population of Ireland itself, which has only somewhat more than four million residents. In 1845, Ireland’s Great Potato Famine brought nearly a million Irish to America’s soil as they tried to escape starvation. Today, thousands of Irish Americans gather every March 17th to share a “traditional” meal of corned beef and cabbage. Irish immigrants living in the Lower East Side of New York City substituted their traditional bacon with the cheaper corned beef to save money, having learned about the less expensive alternative from their immigrant Jewish neighbors. I love corned beef and cabbage, so a big thank you to our Jewish friends! Some of the celebration dishes people enjoy for St. Paddy’s Day include: Irish stew, boxty (potato griddle cakes), fish soup, Dublin Coddle, Irish soda bread and apple mash, to name a few. There are many icons associated with St. Patrick’s Day. In America, the fun little leprechauns we think of are almost synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day, but these cranky tricksters really had nothing to do with St. Patrick, or the celebration of this Catholic holy day. The friendly, cheerful leprechauns we recognize today are a recent American creation and are very different from the cantankerous little men of Irish folklore. The shamrock symbolizes the birth of spring, but by the 17th century, it had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. Many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a statement of pride in their heritage. Irish music, too, is very much a part of St. Patrick’s Day. Their music is produced with instruments that have been used for centuries, including the fiddle, elaborate bagpipes and the tin whistle (a type of flute). Ireland’s melodic, pure, and sometimes haunting music (often heard in the sounds of vocalist and musician, Enya, and Irish singers “Celtic Woman”) has been highly popularized in recent years, as has traditional Irish step-dancing, highlighted in the spectacular performances of the entertainment phenomenon,“ Riverdance”.

If you’d like to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day more quietly than downin’ a spot o’ ale at the local pub and kissin’ a Blarney Stone for good luck, there are several things you can do to rrememberr the Irrish. Furrst, mates and ladies, get out ‘n’ see one of the St. Paddy’s Day parrades aforre gettin’ a pot o’ yerr Irrish stew or corrned beef ‘n’ cabbage cookin’ Continued on Page 3

Your Company Name Presents

FEBRUARY 2010

MARCH 2010

Funny Bone “A cheerful heart is good medicine…” Proverbs 17:22

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way

to Better Hearing…

Thank you to one of our dear patients, Mary-Lou McCoskrie, who shared a couple of her hearing “mishaps” with us. She was gracious enough to give permission to use a couple of her “embarrassing moments”: Many years ago, Mary-Lou was visiting the famed and sacred Sistine Chapel in Rome, Italy. As the guide was pointing out the marvelous and magnificent work of Michelangelo, he was giving a verbal commentary on the history of this beautiful and historic chapel. Mary-Lou was troubled to hear the guide talking about prostitutes in such a sacred place. Tempted to say something about the offensiveness of such talk, she suddenly caught herself and realized he wasn’t talking about prostitutes at all, but “Protestants”. Boy! Was she glad she had not spoken up before she caught her mistake!

Another one of Mrs. McCoskrie’s embarrassing memories is when she and a friend were talking. Mary-Lou, in a gracious effort to assure her friend that she certainly was NOT “a mess”, was dismayed to find that what her friend had actually told her is that she had ‘M.S.’ Ouch! This was a situation where Mary-Lou wishes she had understood clearly and given a more appropriate response to her friend’s sad news.

These are just two very good reasons why Mrs. McCloskey appreciates her aids! How about YOU?

Far too often lately it seems like common sense and personal responsibility have “left the building.” But a recent YouTube presentation by Kimberly Alyn of “Up Time America” shows us it’s hopeful that good, old-fashioned common sense MAY just make a comeback. We hope you appreciate her comments as much as we do. Here’s what she had to say: “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for this country to experience a little “UP” time! So if….you’re blind to your faults, WAKE up! …you make a mistake, ‘FESS up! …you see injustice, STAND up! …something needs to be said, SPEAK up! …you make an appointment, SHOW up! …you are overstepping, BACK up! …you get behind, CATCH up! …they knock you down, GET up! …you are out of line, STRAIGHEN up! And when…your boss instructs, KEEP up! …your elders speak, LISTEN up! …your teachers teach, SIT up! …your preachers preach, WAKE up! …your country calls, MAN up! …the fight is over, MAKE up! If you’re being hard, EASE up! If your heart is closed, OPEN up! If you…want to buy something, SAVE up! (It’s NOT an entitlement, so SHUT up!)

…make a mess, CLEAN IT up! …drop trash, PICK IT up! If…a car is waiting for you to walk across a street, SPEED IT up! …you’re busted, GIVE IT up! …people fall down, HELP THEM up! (NOT the government - YOU …idiots start fighting, BREAK IT up!

STEP up!)

…the music is wholesome, TURN IT up! …the message is poisonous, THROW IT up! …your words are vulgar, CLAM IT up! …your words encourage, KEEP IT up! …your pants are baggy, PULL them up! …the belt is loose, CINCH IT up! …the fly is down, ZIP IT up! …you’re dressed half-naked, COVER IT up! …you can’t afford it, PASS IT up! (There’s no bail-out, folks! PONY up!) …you make a promise, BACK IT up! And…take your whining, and PACK IT up! It’s called “ p-e-r-s-o-n-a-l re-spon-si-bil-ity”, so TAKE IT up! (Our country was founded on it – you can LOOK it up!) It’s the American Way, people, so CRANK IT up! ‘Cause if life is boring, SHAKE IT up! If life is good, you SOAK it up! If life’s unfair, you SUCK IT up! If life is funny, you can YUCK IT up! If life is sad, just LOOK STRAIGHT up, ‘cause life is short – so LIVE IT up! Am I right? I know that I am very passionate about this topic of “UP” time, but C-O-M-E OONN! If you don’t agree with all this stuff, well, then… you’re just MESSED up! - Kimberly Alyn -

This was a fun and enthusiastic presentation she made, and quite entertaining to watch! It got me to thinking and I came “up” with a few more “up” moments that she could add:

If…you are uptight, LOOSEN up! …you owe someone money, COUGH IT up! …you need to exercise, SUIT up! …the occasion calls for it, DRESS up!

…you make dumb decision, SMARTEN up! …you abuse drugs or alcohol, SOBER up! …you have a vice, GIVE IT up! …love the American flag, RAISE IT up! …think of a loved one, CALL “EM up!

Okay,,,now it’s YOUR turn. It’s UP to you to think of some more “UP” moments and let me know what they are. Maybe we can share your ideas here one day.

Remember: It’s all for fun…so DON’T GIVE UP!

Buddy’s Bio...

It appears there’s just no mercy from Mariela for Buddy… even when he’s suffering with ear infection!

“He stinks and I just can’t stand it!”

Poor Buddy has an ear infection in both ears. Of course, this causes an unpleasant odor and Mariela wants nothing to do with it…although she was the one to take him to the vet to have him checked. After a hefty bill for diagnosis and the antibiotics, Mariela was done with him. Once again, it was up to the Spencer guys, Stuart, Luke and Daniel, to give Buddy the daily medicine and ear drops. Rinse his ears one day. Medicine the next. Poor Buddy.

On top of all that mess, the rainy season seems to present a challenge to Buddy, as well. Every time he goes out while the patio and grass are still wet, he has to be stopped at the door to have his paws wiped so he won’t track the dirt and muddy water all over the house. Just when he seems so happy and proud about getting a little “relief” (and taking his business outside instead of repeating prior transgressions…), Mariela snatches him to towel-dry his feet. If he manages to slide by, it’s trouble for the whole tribe. Understandable. In Mariela’s defense, four dirty paws running across a clean tile floor and onto light-colored carpeting can be a lot of work to clean up. Luke and Daniel find plenty of time to play with Buddy and give him some love. Mariela? Well, she still doesn’t even want him to be near. Maybe that will improve after he smells better?

SPECIAL EARLY GREETINGS… T o a l l o f o u r r e a d e r s w h o o b s e r v e a t i m e o f r e m e m b r a n c e o n P a l m S u n d a y – t o b e c e l e b r a t e d o n M a r c h 2 8 t h t h i s y e a r – a n d f o r o u r f r i e n d s w h o o b s e r v e t h e e i g h t - d a y J e w i s h P a s s o v e r f e s t i v a l b e g i n n i n g o n M a r c h 3 0 t h , w e s e n d e a r l y g r e e t i n g s a n d w a r m w i s h e s . T h e s e h u g e l y s i g n i f i c a n t c e l e b r a t i o n s m a r k t w o o f t h e m o s t m e m o r a b l e e v e n t s o f h i s t o r y a n d w e s e n d o u r w i s h e s f o r G o d ’ s p e a c e a n d g r a c e f o r e a c h o f y o u w h o c e l e b r a t e . G o d b l e s s , a n d S h a l o m !

Your Opinion is Important!

We really appreciate the feedback we get from you…whether it be about this newsletter, our customer service, the products we sell, or any other thought that may come to mind. Positive or not, your opinion really matters to us.

A couple of suggestions regarding the newsletter have come in and I took them to heart. One came from our dear friend, Lila, who is reading our newsletter in AZ these days. Thank you, Lila; I’ll try to keep the graphics out of the text areas so it will be easier to read. For those of you who had a hard time reading our paper, it should be “smooth sail read-ing” for you from now on. And future Sudoku puzzles may just have to get a little harder…apparently it was too easy for some. But I will need more input before we “beef it up", so let me know.

Thank you, too, for those who write or tell us what you think about Advanced Ear Care. We sincerely appreciate it.

Here’s a comment from our young user, Olivia Taylor, almost 21. She’s been with us since she was seven years old:

“Thank you for giving me the greatest gift, the gift of hearing. This is something that I can never repay you for, beyond the efforts of money. You have been, and continue to be, a true blessing in my life.”

You just did, Olivia; you just did. It’s why we do what we do. Your success and gratitude are repayment enough, and we thank YOU!

How Would You Like to Be “In The L O O p”?

Perhaps you have heard of the new home-wired receiver technology called “looping”. This is the latest in hearing help for those who wear hearing aids featuring a “telecoil”. The idea behind looping is to wire your home (or other selected location) with a wiring system threaded through the ceiling or underneath the flooring. This allows for excellent reception of television and radio signals through your hearing aids. Here’s Stuart for more information: “I started researching “looping” early last fall. The results of my research were so positively conclusive as to the functionality and performance of this exciting new concept that by the end of 2009, I decided to implement a program to offer “looping” to our patients. I hired a qualified electrician (one of our hearing impaired patients) to wire our surround-sound room. I then sent his hearing aid to the factory to add the required telecoil so he could personally test the response of the looped system. His results only added to my excitement for this innovative technology. Now he can hear television clearly – directly into his hearing aids! And here’s the kicker: he can actually have a conversation with his wife! “So how does our “looping” program work? It’s an amplifying sound system that we will, for a fee, install in your home – typically the room where you watch TV. We will install a wire around the room under the carpet or f looring, and connect the wir ing to an amplifier plugged into your radio or television set. You push the telecoil button on your hearing aids, and voila´! You can hear TV or radio speech clearly because it is amplified through your own hearing aids that are programmed for your specific hearing loss! The sound is superior to any other device, including the popular ‘TV Ears’ Assisted Listening Device (ALD). ‘TV Ears’ is not designed to be compatible with hearing aids. Most people remove their expensive, programmed hearing aids to wear the cumbersome headset to better hear their TV programs. This means they sacrifice the ability to have conversation while using the ‘TV Ears’. With looping, that is no longer necessary. There are no wires, no headsets, no missed conversation while wearing a headset. Your companion can set the TV or radio volume at their comfort level and YOU can hear better than ever! “The February 2010 copy of the professional publication, The Hearing

Review magazine, features “Looping the World” as their cover story. The author discusses many topics relating to helping patients hear better with this technology and how effective it’s become. This is a HUGE step forward for hearing better in one of the most important environments you will ever experience: home.”

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FREE “LOOPING” DEMONSTRATION! WE WILL GIVE YOU AN EXCITING FREE DEMO TO HEAR MUSIC, TELEVISION AND DVD’S!

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I N THE W I L L OW TRE E “V ON S ” SHO P P I N G C E N TE R

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Continued From Page 1

on the stove furr dinnerr. Then, whilst yurr bakin’ some Irrish Brrown Brread in thee oven, mix togetherr some “champ” furr a side dish whilst listenin’ to an upliftin’ Irrish jig on the rradio. When dinnerr’s rready, sit down with yurr wee ones to watch a wonderrful movie of Irrish flavor, like ‘The Quiet Man’, ‘ Darby o’Gill and the Little People’, ‘ Boys Town’, or even revisit the O’Hare family of ‘Gone With the Wind’. Sarrve killarney cake and pistachio ice crream furr desserrt and listen to a rrousing CD of bagpipes aforre sendin’ the lads and lassies off to slumberrland. When they’ve settled in, then it’s yurr turrn to finish yurr own St. Paddy’s Day celebrration. Have an Irrish Coffee whilst watchin’ Celtic Woman on public television. Put in a CD as you turrn down the bed and listen to the auld melodies of ‘Sweet Rosie O’Grady’, ‘When Irish Eyes Are Smiling’ ‘n’ ‘My Wild Irish Rose’ aforre ye turrn out the lights and say g’night to March 17th until next yearr. Toodle pip!

ADVANCED EAR CARE 24310 Moulton Pkwy., Ste. D Laguna Woods, CA 92637

(949) 830-5330 E-mail: sherillf@advancedear.com Website: www.advancedearcare.com

TEXAS LOONEY LAW: CRIMINALS MUST GIVE THEIR INTENDED VICTIMS AT LEAST 24 HRS ADVANCED NOTICE, ORALLY OR IN WRITING, AND MUST INCLUDE AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF CRIME TO BE COMMITTED! NOW THAT OUGHT TO SAVE LAWYERS TIME!

Well, here we are in March already! And St. Paddy’s Day reminds us of the legendary Pot o’ Gold at the end of the rainbow

that anybody would be thrilled to find. But it's doubtful any self-respecting leprechaun would let anyone get their hands on it, even with the “luck o’ the Irish” on their side. So, in the meantime, we’ll just appreciate and enjoy the simple blessings we experience every day and consider those our ‘Pot o’ Gold’. As always, we count you among our blessings, and you are the best treasure we could ask for. That’s why I make every effort to keep up with new ideas and the introductions of hearing aid technologies and product features that will enhance your hearing experience. It is a top priority in my schedule to read professional publications featuring articles about what’s new in the industry, to search the websites dedicated exclusively to industry professionals, and to attend conventions and industry summits to learn about the never-ending research that brings new help to the hearing impaired. By keeping abreast of what’s on the horizon and what’s being introduced, we are able to stay prepared to help you when and how you need it. And I am really excited about some very intriguing new features that will be introduced in April. Keep your eyes open for our upcoming notices that will give you a heads-up on this exciting new concept! It’s a winner and has been worth waiting for!

FUN FACT: THE CORRECT RESPONSE TO THE IRISH GREETING, “TOP O’ THE MORNIN’ TO YE” IS: “AND THE REST OF THE DAY TO YERSELF.”

MILLION DOLLAR MISTAKE! Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes errors that can cost millions. But it’s a rare occasion to make mistakes that earn millions. Two such serendipitous goofs you may already know about are the potato chip and the ‘Slinky’ children’s toy. But here’s one I’d never heard before and it’s eaten by mega millions of people around the world every day! In 1902, the Kellogg brothers were searching for healthy foods to feed to patients at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. The elder brother, John, was a doctor and superintendant of the sanitarium; Will Keith (“W.K.”) was a clerk. Inadvertently leaving some boiled grain on the stove one day, the brothers ran the dried out mixture through rollers, hoping to make it into dough. It turned into flakes instead and the resourceful duo decided to toast them. After much experimentation with various recipes, the infamous “Corn Flakes” were born, leading to the formation of the Kellogg company in 1906. The rest is history. Who knows? The next mistake you make may make you a millionaire! (Try saying THAT five times fast!)