I received a letter from Linda Smith, a member of the board of directors of the American Lung Association, this week.

Smith, who is an R.N. from Edwardsville, pointed out that life expectancy of American women is dropping, due in part to increased smoking rates.

Cancer is becoming the leading cancer killer among women and more women are dying from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD). Many with COPD also suffer from emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Smith wrote me and said:

“Currently, we are without federal legislation to regulate manufactured tobacco products, including how the tobacco companies market their deadly products. This year, the U.S. Congress has an opportunity to stop the tobacco industry’s harmful practices and protect our children. Congress is considering bipartisan legislation that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory authority over the tobacco industry.”

Smith went on to say that the support of U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, D-Collinsville, is needed in the bipartisan legislation to regulate the tobacco industry.

Another point by Smith that is staggering is that more than 1,100 minors begin smoking every day in this country. Most of those lives will be shortened as they age and suffer from cardiovascular diseases and COPD.

I am not a big proponent of government regulations of this and that, but we should consider some of what Smith is saying in regard making sure children are protected.

We need to educate our children of the perils of smoking. I have spoken with my two young children numerous times about what happens when a person smokes. If we talk enough about it, maybe when the peer pressure comes, they will think before they puff.

I also encourage women and men alike to consider tossing away their cigarettes. By doing so, it will make a huge difference in your life.

I’d like your thoughts on the legislation proposed over the tobacco industry and perspectives on smoking. If you smoke, why do you? Do you worry about the health risks?

During the recent Lincoln activities in town, 120 guests visited My Just Desserts in Alton for a Saturday program on Mary Todd Lincoln, celebrating the woman.

Ann Badasch, owner of My Just Desserts, hosted Donna McCreary, an author and historian from Southern Indiana, who has written three books on Mary Lincoln at the event. McCreary gave an interesting presentation about the former wife of President Abraham Lincoln.

For about nine months, Badasch prepared recipes and worked on the project. She was fortunate enough to have people drive from Chester, Springfield and St. Louis to hear McCreary speak and eat the period recipes.

The cookbook included recipes during the Lincoln era and some from the Victorian Era.

“We served spring mix salad with pickled beets and onions, salad, fresh oranges, pineapple and coconut, potatoes, maple syrup glazed carrots, filet of beef, chicken, homemade breads, maple syrup glazed carrots and two desserts, both Mary Lincoln recipes,” Badasch said. “I got such a kick out of seeing all the Lincolns around town that day. Traffic was stopped to watch them. It was a wonderful event for the city. This is something I really enjoy doing.”

I wanted to personally commend Badasch for this effort. I know it took a lot of research and effort on the part of her and her staff to put such an event together.

I also think Brett Stawar, of the Alton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau and others who volunteered and coordinated the Lincoln events deserve a lot of credit.

I took my two children to the event and I think it will be something they will always remember. I will always keep my pictures of my two kids with the different Lincoln impersonators in Lincoln Douglas Square in Alton.

If you have a memory from the event, please e-mail my blog.

I have been writing about once a month, it seems, trying to get people to publish their own video and photos to The Telegraph Web site.

So far, video is coming in slower than photos. Some are getting the hang of sending photos. But video, well, my theory is some are simply afraid to give it a try.

Here is what to do to send video:

1. Go to thetelegraph.com.

2. Click on Start Here under latest submitted videos.

3. Create a free Brightcove account by following - the on screen directions.

4. Select a video from your hard drive and click upload video.

It’s that simple, folks. I can think of 100 different video topics for people to send items. One would be video from a child’s activity. Another could be upcoming graduation videos. Another might be a video from summer recreational baseball or softball. How about video from a school or church musical?

When we have breaking news events like a car crash, a fire, and a contributor obtains video, those would also be something people would view. Breaking news video attracts more views than any other.

I challenge those in the area to respond and take advantage of an excellent free service we offering. Once the video is published, it will be there for all your friends and family to see.

If you have problems sending, contact Everett Hicks, of The Telegraph, at (618) 463-2594 and he can walk you through the process.

Today is Earth Day nationwide, a special event.

I think we often overlook the importance of the Earth and the environment in general. Many politicians and business leaders don’t see that we have to start thinking of the future for our children and our children’s children. I hope that changes as the years unfold.

My own children, Savannah and Sierra, have both made me think more frequently about how fragile the Earth and its atmosphere is today. Thanks to my girls, I am more conscious about recycling. The other day, I tried to throw a milk carton away, and Savannah wouldn’t let me. She said, “Dad, we need to recycle it.” She was already in the process of pouring out what remained of the milk in the sink and rinsing the carton. I thought for a second and replied, “You are right.”

I am proud that I now recycle all discarded paper in my office. The two city editors that work with me do the same. Between the three of us, we generate a lot of recycled paper each week.

We have started using a logo for stories about the environment called “Environment and Nature.” We have been averaging about a story or two a week under this heading, led by reporter Jill Moon. I admire Moon’s concern for the environment and nature, and she is doing an excellent job covering these issues. Moon has been a leader on The Telegraph staff in this regard, and I think her efforts are paying off with the staff and in the region. I also think there is a lot of interest in these issues in our area.

Alton became a “Cool City” last week, when the Alton City Council gave approval at its meeting for Mayor Don Sandidge to sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Alton became the first city in the Metro East and the 31st in Illinois to sign the agreement, which calls for the city to adopt more green practices.

The goal in the Sierra Club’s national “Cool Cities” plan is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. I think we have to start moving in that direction, or the Earth as we know it won’t exist in another 100 years.

We have the technology in place to develop automobiles that would reduce emissions and also operate more on battery power. I hope that move comes in full force from here on, especially with gasoline prices hitting record highs.

What are your thoughts about Earth Day and the environment? Please respond.

The fiery crash of a tractor-trailer off a Canadian overpass was captured on video, and it has created quite a stir.

It seems the driver — 25-year-old Mark Santos — may have suffered a severe hypoglycemic reaction. Santos apparently had been diabetic since his childhood and had encountered some seizures that may have led to the problem.

Witnesses to the incident in Edmonton, Alberta, had reported that the driver looked frantic behind the wheel, and he spent several minutes driving in the wrong lane with a large truck.

If Santos was having a diabetic seizure, that could have happened. A seizure of this nature occurs when the blood sugar dips too low, probably a reading of 45 or below.

I have Type I diabetes, the same condition that Santos contended with in his life. In Type I diabetes, a person’s pancreas does not function at all, producing no insulin. That means in order to process food, a person with Type I diabetes typically has to take insulin injections before eating. One of the potential worries with taking insulin injections can be blood-sugar lows.

I am on the insulin pump, which I think is the only way for a person with Type I diabetes to function. It controls the blood sugar lows and helps with stability. I don’t know this for sure, but I wonder whether Santos was on the insulin pump? I haven’t seen it anywhere that he was on the pump.

The insulin pump provides continuous insulin flow to the body, which is one of the keys to the success with it.

Do you have thoughts on the Santos case? I’m sure you might have an opinion if you are insulin-dependent.

Respond back to my blog if you have an opinion.

My life in recent days has been consumed with Web-related items, new software, plans and James Earl Ray.

The Telegraph series on James Earl Ray and the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination begins Sunday and runs through Friday, the 40th anniversary of King’s death.

I continued to uncover some fresh information in the case as late as today and I think the series, written by Ande Yakstis, me, and Nick Lucchesi will be compelling.

I encourage readers to give me your thoughts about the series once it is published.

I am also curious whether or not people believe James Earl Ray, originally from Alton, truly is the man who killed Martin Luther King Jr. One thing we tried to do in the series is present both sides fairly and I hope we did that.

I wanted to thank Yakstis for his devotion to the project, Lucchesi for his writing and video assistance, Laura Griffith for her video work, Dennis Grubaugh and Steve Whitworth for their copy editing and guidance, Missy Wuellner for her art work and design help, and Char Stetson for locating clips and historical pictures in the case.

If you have an opinion about Ray’s innocence or guilt in the murder or any other knowledge in the case, e-mail me at  dan_brannan at thetelegraph.com.

The upcoming James Earl Ray/Dr. Martin Luther King series has taken The Telegraph to several interesting points in the assassination.

The series will be published the week of March 30 and run to April 4, the 40th anniversary of the King assassination.

I am co-writing the series with Ande Yakstis, the long-time Telegraph reporter. Reporter Nick Lucchesi also contributed to the series and Photo Editor John Badman took the bulk of our local news photos. My travels for the series took me to McMinnville, Tenn., this past weekend. We visited Jerry Ray, James Earl Ray’s brother, at his home there.

Jerry Ray was a good host and we spent about 3 hours with him going over the assassination. He still contends that his brother, James, didn’t shoot King 40 years ago. We will detail what he thought happened in our upcoming series and also have a video recording.

The series will have several other components, including an interview with Conrad Baetz, one of the lead investigators in the U.S. House of Representatives report in the late 1970s. The Telegraph also was able to contact John Light, former Alton chief of police, Don Sandidge and Harry Williams, an Alton police officer, and assorted other people.

One of the more interesting parts of the series was an interview with Ron Fitzgerald, who became good friends with James Early Ray during Ray’s final days in prison. Fitzgerald had a series of letters and he shared some of those with The Telegraph.

We tried to be fair in the Ray-King series, presenting both sides. We have some details people have heard before.

I encourage readers to check out The Telegraph beginning Sunday, March 30, and also visit www.Thetelegraph.com and see the Ray-King videos.

Unfortunately, readers have not been sending in contributed videos to The Telegraph Web site.

The Telegraph has a nice display posted on the home page each day on how to submit video, so it is not a difficult process for those who want to do it, but so far the response has been lacking. I am uncertain why people aren’t taking advantage of this opportunity.

I encourage readers to consider posting their own videos. Nationwide, newspapers are posting more and more contributed video and I would like to see The Telegraph do the same.

When we have bad weather in the area, I hope residents will submit their video clips. I think this would give others a distinct view of the weather situation from those in the area.

Also, with spring and summer approaching, there should be a lot of opportunities to submit local video. Why not document a child’s first hit in baseball or softball? Or the first time a youngster is out fishing? I can think of many other things that would make excellent video.

How about a neat clip from a graduation for that special graduate?

Video submission instructions are on our Web site, so check out [ http://www.thetelegraph.com  www.thetelegraph.com and scroll down to the submit video area to send items. We look forward to your contributions.

E-mail me at [ mailto:dan_brannan@thetelegraph.com ] dan_brannan at thetelegraph.com if you have any questions.

The Telegraph is planning an upcoming series on the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tenn.

We have been soliciting contributions from readers who knew James Earl Ray, the Alton man who pleaded guilty to killing Dr. King. We have had several calls from readers with suggestions for stories. We also plan to solicit memories and reflections of both adults and young people about Dr. King. We are hoping to receive several contributions from youth.

One critic objected to our intention to do the series, period, which I find a little difficult to understand. I think we need to do more to educate younger people about history and why certain things happened.

Most people don’t know much about James Earl Ray and the King assassination. We plan to present all the views of what happened and, hopefully, provide more insight to readers in the situation.

I am always thankful to get feedback from readers, good and bad. We learn and grow from the feedback, and I think it is also good for the editor to communicate directly with the public.

If you have a 350-word memory of Dr. King, e-mail it to me at  dan_brannan at thetelegraph.com. If your child wants to submit an item or the child will draw something to go with his or her reflection, send it to Corey Stulce, The Telegraph Accent editor, P.O. Box 278, Alton, IL 62002.

If you have a story to tell about James Earl Ray, also e-mail me.

I just wanted to say a quick word of thanks to those who sent in memories for the upcoming special pages for Marquette Catholic High School in Alton memories.

The memories were interesting, to say the least. Many have developed lasting relationships that continue today from attending the institution, marking its 80th anniversary this school year.

I said this in my column over the weekend, but to last 80 years in education or business today is an amazing accomplishment.

We were able to track down Ethel Votrain Budde, the oldest living Marquette graduate. She was in the Marquette class of 1930. Today she is 95 years old and lives at Rosewood Care Center in Alton. Her daughter, Delores Ullrich, helped The Telegraph find Budde, and her mother will be profiled in the upcoming pages.

Ethel Budde still wears her Marquette High class ring, which I also think is an astounding feat.

Budde, it turns out, worked for years as an American Cancer Society volunteer and a judge in her voting precinct for 20 years. During the World War II years, she was a house mother at Milton School in Alton, taking lunch and shoes to schoolchildren, because their fathers were off to war and the mothers were working.

If you have a quick memory about Marquette that you want to share, e-mail me at  dan_brannan at thetelegraph.com, and I will post them in my blog.