My favorite in the UFC is Georges St. Pierre. My favorite UCP in the NFL is Tim Tebow.

I know what you are thinking: Tebow has only been in the NFL for three years. True, but Tim’s 2011 season with the Denver Broncos was one of the most remarkable in football history.

Tim Tebow for president! Get the bumper sticker at the WND Superstore.

In 2010, the first round draft pick out of the University of Florida, signed a five-year contract with the Denver Broncos. His rookie season he played back up to then starter Kyle Orton. Orton remained the starter the following season, but after a 1-4 start, Tebow replaced him at halftime against the San Diego Chargers. After attempting to rally his team from a 16-point deficit against San Diego, Tim was named the starter for the upcoming game against the Miami Dolphins. It was in that game that we got to see Tebow work his fourth-quarter magic. Tim came back from a 15-0 disadvantage to the Dolphins and led the Broncos to an 18-15 overtime victory.

And what sportsman can ever forget how that amazing rookie quarterback then led the Broncos to six wins in their next seven games and into the playoffs, beating the highly favored Pittsburgh Steelers in a wild-card game? After finishing the game tied and going into overtime, the Broncos won the coin toss, and Tebow threw a perfect 80-yard pass on the first play to win the game 29-23. It was the Broncos’ first playoff victory in six years.

When the Broncos decided to go with another clutch player in Peyton Manning, Tim joined the New York Jets. He was brought to New York to be the backup quarterback to Mark Sanchez and run some wildcat packages.  

Personally, I think the formula of rotating quarterbacks is ultimately a recipe for disaster. That system never works. There can only be one quarterback leading the team. As the old adage goes, anything with more than one head is a monster.

I have been following Tim since he became a quarterback for the Florida Gators, and I have never seen a more determined and inspiring athlete play the game of football. And I’m not alone in that sports assessment.

Akbar Gbajabiamila, analyst for NFL.com and NFL Network, explained last week in his article, “Tim Tebow’s history as a proven winner should not be ignored”: “Training camps are still a few months away, and already, every team in the NFL has made a major mistake: They’ve overlooked the winning record of Tim Tebow. … Pundits have tried to erase the success Tebow had in 2011 with the Denver Broncos, but make no mistake: it all happened. He did mount multiple fourth-quarter comebacks and notch four overtime victories; he did rush for 118 yards and throw for two touchdowns in one game; he did complete 66 percent of his passes and throw for two touchdowns in another. … In the locker room we had a word to describe that kind of personal highlight reel: ballin.’”

Forbes just released its 2013 list of Most Influential Athletes, and Tim Tebow leads the pack with the No. 1 ranking, followed by Manning at a distant fifth. The only other two NFL players on the list were Drew Brees (No. 6) and Aaron Rodgers (No. 8).

I’ve heard the so-called critics say Tebow has poor technical skills, but the truth is that Tim is a natural-born leader, an amazingly gifted football player, an inspiration to his team and the possessor of intense determination and strategy to bring any team to victory – no matter what the odds. One can improve technique, but leadership is innate. That is why I believe Tebow could be a super star and legend in the NFL.

Take an unprecedented in-depth look at the most celebrated college football player of all time as he defies the odds and astounds critics, making the journey from two-time national champion and Heisman trophy winner to NFL rookie quarterback.

Michael Strahan, Super Bowl champion, Fox football analyst, and now morning show host, recently commented on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “You can’t measure heart. And you can’t measure how hard a guy’s going to work when a guy starts making money.”

Tebow has proven that he plays with all heart, and his hard work and determination is unprecedented.

Tebow is a player who rises to the occasion and delivers big in critical game moments. He reminds me of myself when I used to compete in martial arts. I would spar with my black belts in class, and sometimes they would outscore me. Yet in the tournaments, I would defeat them. My students used to ask me, “Why can we contend equally against you in class, but we can’t beat you in the tournaments?” My answer was always the same, “When it counts, I rise to the occasion.”

The same is true of the former Heisman Trophy winner: When pressure mounts and the game is on the line, Tim’s turbo turns on! It has been said, “If a quarterback came through with a clutch, final-minute victory, he pulled a ‘Tebow.’” And that is why he is the ultimate clutch player.

I believe we have just begun to see what Tim is capable of doing as one of the best among the NFL’S UCP. But a team must play him and let him lead, like the Broncos did. No warrior can prove his worth if kept from the battlefield.

So what team do I feel should give Tim the opportunity to excel as a quarterback and usher them to Super Bowl status?

My present pick would be the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Why? To put it simply, because Tim could help turn the mediocre team into a championship one.  Tebow works miracles on the field, and his inclusion would embolden the spirit of the Jaguars among the team and fans.

Plus – and this has no reflection on the current quarterbacks – Tim is from Florida, where he bears a victor legacy and an extensive fan base, to boot, from his days with the Gators. Tim was raised in the Jacksonville area, where he became a high-school football star. Then his young, stellar career shot into the stratosphere when he led the University of Florida in Gainesville to some record-breaking wins. Tim won two national championships with the Gators and became the first sophomore ever to win the coveted Heisman Trophy.

So, Mr. Shad Khan – the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, David Caldwell – their general manager and coach Gus Bradley, I would give the preceding some serious thought. Whatever you would pay Tebow would be recouped tenfold by the increase in attendance and fan base. With Tim as the quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, they would add thousands (if not tens of thousands) of additional fans to the stadium, including me – even though I don’t live in Florida!

Only one thing that stands in the way, again as Akbar Gbajabiamila, analyst for NFL.com and NFL Network, wisely retorted: “Here’s the truth as I see it: Many coaches let pride or fear of media and fan scrutiny affect the decisions they make about star players.”

But I was reading another USA Today column last week, headlined, “Trailblazer Khan should set course for hirings.” It reported that Khan, as the first minority owner of an NFL franchise, often cites Martin Luther King Jr.’s work as a contributing factor to his success.

So let me respectfully challenge Mr. Khan to consider these words from Dr. King: “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”

I know Khan, Caldwell and Bradley have talked, and they know that hiring Tebow would be right – right for them, right for the team, right for the fans and right for Florida.

Tim isn’t worried about his future. With his skillset, confidence, marketability and Christian faith, his future is rock solid and good as gold – on and off the field. As he himself has said, “I don’t know what my future holds, but I know Who holds my future.”

All that is needed now is an owner, manager and coach of a football team who have the vision and faith to watch Tebow turn around their team. I guarantee that they will see positive results. I have been an athlete all of my life, being a six-time undefeated world middle weight champion in the martial arts, and I know a winner when I see one.

Tim Tebow is a winner – plain and simple!

In the first two parts of this series on caffeine and kids, I explained how a host of new drinks, foods and snacks marketed mostly to kids are being injected with mega-amounts of caffeine. And many adolescents are falling prey to the “energy” misnomer and trap and unintentionally becoming caffeine addicts.

Consider that a single energy drink injects up to 14 times the caffeine that is found in a normal can of soda – an amount that is considered by some to be clinically toxic for children. Some drinks purport that they are sugar- and caffeine-free, but the primary stimulants in most are sugars and caffeine (sometimes in the form of guarana or yerba mate).

A 2011 study in the journal Pediatrics explained how “energy drinks are consumed by 30 percent to 50 percent of adolescents and young adults.” Of the 5,448 U.S. caffeine overdoses reported in 2007, 46 percent occurred in those younger than 19.

Last week, I discussed how caffeine has the Food and Drug Administration regulatory classification of “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, which means manufacturers can settle on their own what levels are safe in their products. The problem is that GRAS levels clearly are being superseded when mega-amounts of caffeine are being ingested all day from a host of products, especially by adolescents, whose bodies still are developing.

And remember that caffeine is just one of myriad added GRAS ingredients. The Associated Press recently pointed out: “As food companies have created more new ingredients to add health benefits, improve taste or help food stay fresh, there are at least 4,650 of these ‘generally recognized as safe’ ingredients, according to the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trusts. The bulk of them, at least 3,000, were determined GRAS by companies and trade associations.”

4,650?!

And should we also assume that the cocktail blends of those thousands of GRAS ingredients have no intermixing hazards and are equally GRAS together? And do we and our kids really need mega-amounts of caffeine added to the mix?

Regarding the more “natural” among the energy drinks, a recent Berkeley Wellness Alert reported that: “The claim that vitamins or herbal cocktails are ‘energizing’ is false. Vitamins and herbs do not give you energy.”

In the end, one won’t get much more energy from so-called energy drinks than one could get from a strong cup or two of coffee, because the body can only assimilate so much before it secretes it or overdoses on it. And that goes for many vitamins, too, which many people (and most youths) don’t realize can become toxic if taken in high doses.

The difficulty with classic sports drinks, such as Gatorade and Powerade, is that though they replace lost electrolytes and carbohydrates during sustained strenuous exercise and prevent dehydration, they also contain superfluous calories, other additives and sugars that promote obesity and cause tooth decay. Moreover, their replenishment can be characteristic of a short-lived glucose rush, despite the fact that they’re billed as electrolyte rejuvenators.

Seeing as food and beverage industries are playing with additive concoctions and we consumers are the guinea pig laboratories for their synthetic testing, isn’t an organic piece of fruit sounding better all the time?

In this age of rampant reckless recipes lining our groceries’ shelves, parents are going to have to be twice as diligent to help their kids make wise choices with their diets.

I’ll be straight with you: If I have a chance to go natural over synthetic, I’ll go natural every time. So if you’re looking for quick and sustained energy for an afternoon low or a pre-workout buzz, let me recommend a few of my favorite healthy energy-enhancing alternatives.

The fact is that eating an orange or banana (or any other potassium-rich fruit or vegetable), munching on a handful of peanuts and drinking a glass of water or a cup of orange juice an hour before a workout will give you a surge of sustained energy to carry you through most vigorous exercise programs. I call bananas “nature’s energy drinks” because they are loaded with nutrients and energy-boosting ingredients. (Go to creators.com and read a previous “C-Force” article titled “Nature’s Energy Drink: A Banana.”)

A study by the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension concludes that “sport drinks are poor sources of potassium.”

The article explains: “Athletes also may need more potassium to replace that lost from muscle during exercise and the smaller amount lost in sweat. Low potassium can cause muscle cramping and cardiovascular irregularities. Eating foods high in potassium can prevent these symptoms. One cup of orange juice, a banana or a potato is sufficient to replace the potassium lost during one to two hours of hard exercise.”

Dr. David L. Katz, internationally renowned authority on nutrition from the Yale University School of Medicine, similarly recommends pre-workout energy derived from “whole grains and lean protein such as eggs and nuts. The grains will provide carbohydrates that your body can readily convert to energy. And the protein can be put to use repairing and building new muscle following your workout, while the high-calorie but healthy fats in the nuts will fill you up quickly with less bulk.”

When in doubt, give nature a chance. Drink water to hydrate and rehydrate (including during exercise). And look to natural foods to offer energy, whether you’re going to school, going to work, going to a workout or replenishing electrolytes post-workout.

Go natural, and teach your kids to do the same.

Write to Chuck Norris with your questions about health and fitness. Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook’s “Official Chuck Norris Page.” He blogs at ChuckNorrisNews.Blogspot.com.

In it, I highlighted her book’s advice how to help my fellow Americans:

• How we reawakened the American dream and spirit;
• Don’t be surprised by hardship;
• Fight worry;
• Get back to the basics.

With Mother’s Day right at our back, here’s the rest of mom’s insight, directly quoted from her life story:

Be humble and willing to work.

Back in the 1930s, any work was good work. We picked cotton, picked up cans, scrap metal, whatever it took to get by. The message from yesteryear is: Don’t be too proud to do whatever it takes to meet the financial needs of your family.

There’s no shame in a hard day’s work, whatever it may be. It seems today that people would go on unemployment before they would work in a field picking anything. That would not have been the case when I was growing up.

When Herbert Hoover was president, we were having the worst of times. We were very excited about President Roosevelt, who did help us. But those of us with a strong work ethic received the government’s help for just a short while, but only until we could get back on our feet. I wish people would do that today. Instead, they depend upon the government, and the government in turn enables them.

Be rich in love.

We didn’t have much. In fact, we had nothing at all, compared with people today, but we had one another. We were poor, but rich in love. We’ve lost the value of family and friends today, and we’ve got to gain it back if we’re ever to get back on track. If we lose all our stuff and still have one another and our health, what have we lost? We don’t really own anything anyway. Everything is ultimately on loan to us. The Bible says, “The earth is the Lord and all it contains.”

Help others.

Back during the Great Depression, we never quit helping others. Today, too many people are consumed with their own problems and only helping themselves. “What’s in it for me?” is the question most are asking. But back then, it was, “What can I do to help you?”

When times are tough, it is human nature to survive and not serve, but one of the secrets in life is that it’s actually in serving that we survive and even thrive. It is good exercise for the heart to bend down and help another person up.

Helping others often puts our own problems into proper perspective. Mama used to say, “If you think you’re having it rough, look over your shoulder at what others are going through.” I told the same to my children.

I believe giving our life to benefit others is the key to experiencing life to its fullest. That is why Jesus also said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” It couldn’t get any clearer than that.

Lean upon the Lord for help and strength.

We didn’t just have one another to lean on, but we had God, too. In God we trust was not merely stamped on our money but embedded in our hearts. We all attended church and belonged to a faith community. Church was the hub of society, the community core and rallying point. We thought and worked in community. The way we saw it was: If one of us was chained, none of us was free.

It’s sad to see how many today have abandoned faith and religion. We trust money more than God. And maybe that’s a reason we’re in this economic pickle. If greed has become our god, then maybe we’d be better off viewing the bad economy more like a re-alignment that helps us to shift our eyes from our greeds to our needs.

Keep persevering in prayer.

The necessity of prayer reminds me of another story in which a rural farmer was paid a visit by one of his city relatives. Before dinner the farmer bowed his head and said grace. His sophisticated relative jeered, “This is old-fashioned; nobody with an education prays at the table anymore.”

The farmer admitted that the practice was old and even allowed that there were some on his farm who did not pray before their meals. Justified, the relative remarked, “So enlightenment is finally reaching the farm. Who are these wise ones?”

The farmer replied, “My pigs.”

Again, Jesus admonished us: “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.”

There was nothing easy during the Great Depression, but we endured and made it through, and we learned even more how to simplify, help one another and depend upon God. Children took on chores at an early age and by early teens were assisting in some ways with the provisions of the home. Yesteryears’ kids often bore today’s adult responsibilities. Back then, we grew up fast and often married young. In fact, by the time I was 16 years old, five of the seven Scarberry children in our family were married, including me.

On Mother’s Day weekend 2012, many of you probably watched my mom, Wilma Norris Knight, being interviewed by our friend and former governor, Mike Huckabee, on his Fox News show, “Huckabee.” WND also reported on her television special.

If you didn’t catch it, you can still view the interview on my official website, ChuckNorris.com, which is also the only place (in addition to Amazon.com) where you can order an autographed copy of my mother’s new autobiography, “Acts of Kindness: My Story.”

Last week, I looked at the Food and Drug Administration’s new investigation into the effects of large amounts of caffeine, particularly upon children’s health. In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported that children ages 6 to 10 consumed caffeine eight out of 10 days on average.

Caffeine overdose might sound surreal to normal coffee-drinking adults, but the FDA is rightly asking: What happens when caffeine consumption levels are high in children and teens – those whose bodies are smaller and systems are developing?

Not only are America’s kids amped on energy drinks and 5-hour energy shots, but also caffeine is being added to a host of food products and snacks, such as jelly beans, marshmallows, sunflower seeds and oatmeal.

Here are a few more caffeine-laced eatables you can find in your grocery: Alert energy gum (with 40 milligrams of caffeine per piece), Wired Waffles (with 200 milligrams of caffeine each), Perky Jerky (with 150 milligrams of caffeine in a 2-ounce pack), Arma potato chips (with 70 milligrams of caffeine per 2-ounce bag), PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay reinvention Cracker Jack’D (with 70 milligrams of caffeine in a 2-ounce bag) and AeroShot caffeine inhaler (with 100 milligrams of caffeine).

It’s pure lunacy that most of these products are marketed to children and teenagers, even though manufacturers say they are not.

Michael Taylor, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods, explained in a statement to The Associated Press that caffeine has the regulatory classification of “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, which means manufacturers can add it to products and decide on their own whether levels of it are safe within their products.

But, Taylor added, with the explosion of caffeine at heightened levels in so many products, “this raises questions about how the GRAS concept is working and is it working adequately.”

Taylor explained that the FDA places a limit of 400 milligrams a day – equivalent to about four or five cups of coffee – as “an amount not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects” for healthy adults. However, the FDA never has set safe levels for children.

Nevertheless, there are some facts that we definitively know about caffeine; we don’t need to wait on a study’s results.

Despite the fact that health science has shown that coffee packs some great antioxidants and that caffeine in moderation has some limited benefits for healthy adults, excessive amounts of the synthetic stimulant can become hazardous to anyone, particularly children.

The World Health Organization recognizes caffeine intoxication as a medical condition. Symptoms include nervousness, restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, tremors and rapid heartbeat, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.

In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics admonished that children and teenagers should never use caffeine, because the stimulant increases blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety, impairs sleep and hydration and could negatively affect a child’s developing cardiovascular and neurological systems.

And let’s not forget that caffeine is defined as a “mildly addictive drug” by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and a “psychoactive drug” by other experts.

And remember, as Dr. Steven Meredith at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine explained: “Energy drinks contain quite a bit of caffeine and (are) consumed relatively rapidly. You don’t chug a cup of hot coffee before you go out and play football.”

That is why WebMD asks: “Studies suggest that up to 300 milligrams of caffeine daily is safe for kids. But is it smart? Many kids are sensitive to caffeine, developing temporary anxiety or irritability, with a ‘crash’ afterwards. Also, most caffeine that kids drink is in sodas, energy drinks or sweetened teas, all of which have high sugar content. These empty calories put kids at higher risk for obesity.”

And what about any further effects caffeine might have upon the complexities of autism, ADHD and various mental disorders?

Dr. Jack James, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Caffeine Research and head of the department of psychology at Reykjavik University, told the Daily Mail that caffeine was a contributing factor in 6,309 cases of “substantial harm, including fatalities and near-fatalities” that America’s National Poison Data System was notified of in 2011.

And the annual number of emergency room visits associated with energy drinks soared 36 percent, to 20,000, in 2011 compared with the previous year, according to a report released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

That is why James issued the universal warning that caffeine’s “lethality” is being underestimated around the world, especially because it’s being consumed in such high amounts. He added, “Caffeine is so dangerous that it should be regulated like alcohol and cigarettes.”

James strongly advises that kids have no more than 75 milligrams of caffeine daily.

What the FDA decides to do with U.S. food and beverage companies is one thing. But we are responsible for our children and their diets. So look at product labels and ingredients. If they include caffeine, find a healthy alternative. And be prepared next for companies to start hiding caffeine under healthier-sounding pseudonyms.

Next week, I will give you some healthy and even tasty energy-boosting alternatives for you and your family.

Write to Chuck Norris with your questions about health and fitness. Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook’s “Official Chuck Norris Page.” He blogs at ChuckNorrisNews.blogspot.com.

If you didn’t catch it, you can still view the interview on my official website, ChuckNorris.com, the only place (besides Amazon.com) where you can order an autographed copy of my mother’s new autobiography, “Acts of Kindness: My Story,” which makes a great Mother’s Day gift, too.

I was re-reading through her life story and gleaning the wisdom that was so prevalent in my upbringing in rural Wilson, Okla., particularly her advice about how her generation survived and thrived through the Great Depression, working together as a family in cotton fields.

For many who still struggle in America’s recession recovery, I thought there is no better time than between my mother’s 92nd birthday (May 4) and Mother’s Day (May 12) to share her wisdom with you as an encouragement from someone who has actually been there. (The following words are directly quoted from her book on pages 89-95).

My mom wrote:

How we reawakened the American dream and spirit

In her inspiring book “The Forgotten Man,” Amity Shlaes conveys some fascinating stories about what life was like during the Great Depression. In the very heart of that economic crisis was “the forgotten man,” a term used for the millions of people who were unemployed.

A popular Depression-era song expresses their pain and struggle:

They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead.
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?
Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad; now it’s done. Brother, can you spare a dime?

As the lyrics remind us, a loss of employment or downturn in one’s economic status can change everything. And only those who have truly been there can understand that.

We learned many valuable lessons during those years that served as a basis for the rest of my life. These lessons might also encourage people today suffering through their own economic and employment valleys. I would dare to say that if we lived more by these principles, we would experience far more personal and national recovery and rewards.

Don’t be surprised by hardship.

I think it’s fair to say that most people today expect life to be easy and sprinkled with a few difficult times. But back in the Great Depression era, we all learned in a big way that life is hard and sprinkled with some easier moments.

The Bible encourages a similar point of view: “Don’t be surprised by the fiery trial that has come upon you.” (1 Peter 4:10) Even Jesus cautioned us: “See to it that you are not alarmed” (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7) when difficult times come. Other translations include, “Keep your head and don’t panic” (The Message) and “See that you are not troubled.” (New King James)

Another thing I’ve learned over and over: Bad things happen to good people, but good people can survive bad things.

Fight worry.

Though it’s an understandable human reaction, worry is the absence of trust in God and will rob us of God’s best. Remember what Jesus encouraged: “Consider the birds of the air. They do not work or toil, and yet your Heavenly Father provides for them.” (Matthew 6:26)

Watching birds is a very real living illustration that can help us overcome anxiety. Elizabeth Cheney wrote a poem in which she explains this lesson through a fictitious conversation between two birds in an orchard:

Said the Robin to the Sparrow,
“I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and hurry so.”
Said the Sparrow to the Robin,
“Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me.”

Instead of worrying, Jesus said that we are to “Seek first God’s Kingdom and all your needs will be met.” (Matthew 6:33)

This is God’s promise in the Bible: “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) As my pastor has shared, God may not give us all our greeds, but He’s promised to provide all our needs.

That is also why Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” If we only prayed and focused upon “daily bread,” we’d see many more provision miracles around us.

Get back to the basics.

Simplify your life. Live within your means. People must be willing to cut back and be OK with it. We must quit borrowing and cut spending. Be grateful for what you have, especially your health and loved ones. Be content with what you have too, and remember that stuff will never make you happy. Never. You’re not going to take any of it with you. Have you ever seen a U-Haul following a hearse?

Back then, we didn’t have one-one-thousandth of what people do today, yet we seemed happier, even during the Great Depression. Practice the principles of contentment. As the Bible says, “With food and shelter, we shall be content.” (1 Timothy 6:8)

Being content with what we have reminds me of a farmer who had lived on the same farm all his life. It was a good farm, but with the passing years, the farmer began to tire of it. He longed for a change for something “better.” Every day, he found a new reason for criticizing some feature of the old place. Finally, he decided to sell and listed the farm with a real estate agent, who promptly prepared a sales advertisement. As one might expect, it emphasized all the farm’s advantages: ideal location, healthy stock, modern equipment, acres of fertile ground, etc. Before placing the ad in the newspaper, the real estate agent called the farmer and read the copy to him for his approval. When he had finished, the farmer cried out, “Hold everything! I’ve changed my mind. I am not going to sell. I’ve been looking for a place like that all my life.”

Enough said.

(In Part 2, I will give five more insightful points of advice from my mom.)

Now you see why my brother, Aaron, and I wrote in the foreword of her autobiography: “If there are two words to describe our Mom, it would be kindness and love. When anyone meets Mom, they feel like they have known her all their lives, because of her kind and loving spirit. In other words, Mom has said every morning for as long as we can remember, ‘Lord, use me for your Glory.’ And we believe He has done just that! God, thank you for giving us the best Mom in the world.”

Happy 92nd birthday and Mother’s Day, mom! You’re still the best!

In a tired and restless world, “energy” is the name of the game, and the beverage and food industry agrees. First, it was the proliferation of energy drinks, and then came energy shots, but now it has advanced to include popular foods, snacks and even medicine and toiletries.

For example, Alert energy gum is the name of the new chewing product by Wrigley, and it packs a caffeine punch that promises, “The Right Energy, Right Now.”

According to Wrigley’s website, what that means is: “One piece of Alert Energy contains about as much caffeine (40mg) as 1/2 cup of coffee.”

And with eight pieces in every pack, a consumer can carry the equivalent of four cups of coffee in his or her pocket!

And gum is just one item in a long list of products that include the bitter, white, crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant we call caffeine. Candy, nuts and other snack foods (including cookies and yogurt) are also among those that manufacturers have added caffeine to in recent years.

For example, the Associated Press noted that Jelly Belly Extreme Sport Beans have “50 mg of caffeine in each 100-calorie pack, while Arma Energy Snx markets trail mix, chips and other products that have caffeine.”

What’s next? Caffeinated toothpaste?

Too late. It already exists. One is called – what else? – Buzz, a peppermint-flavored breath freshener that promises to pack the same punch “as a cup of Starbucks coffee or a can of Mountain Dew.” Of course, we already knew that caffeine is present in soft drinks, some over-the-counter diet pills (popular among youths), cold medications and pain relievers.

And if that’s not enough, we now have Wired Waffles (with 200 milligrams of caffeine each), Perky Jerky (with 150 milligrams of caffeine in a 2-ounce pack), Arma potato chips (with 70 milligrams of caffeine per 2-ounce bag) and PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay reinvention Cracker Jack’D (70 milligrams of caffeine in a 2-ounce bag), or you can go right for the jugular (or the lungs) by breathing in an AeroShot caffeine inhaler, which delivers “airborne energy” from fine powder in a lipstick-sized canister (100 milligrams of caffeine).

And let’s not forget that more and more adolescents and young adults are living on a steady stream of 5-hour Energy shots (208 milligrams of caffeine) and “sodas” such as Full Throttle (200 mg), Monster Energy Drink (160 mg), Rockstar (160 mg), original Amp (140 mg) and Red Bull (80 mg).

Though some caffeinated products, including Alert energy gum, warn they are “not recommended for children,” consumer advocates are wondering how kids can possibly refrain from them when they appear among other brands in some of the brightest, most appealing packaging. Additionally, savvy social media marketing techniques often are used in the launches of these products, and the targets of those are also the younger generations.

(You can check the caffeine levels of more than 100 of the most popular foods and beverages on the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s website, at CSPInet.org.)

As a result of this caffeine craze (or should that be “crazy”?), the Food and Drug Administration said it will embark on a study of foods with added caffeine, particularly on their effects on the health of children and teens. That is on top of the FDA’s investigating the health risks of energy drinks and energy shots.

The AP reported: “Last November, the FDA said it had received 92 reports over four years that cited illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths after consumption of an energy shot marketed as 5-Hour Energy. The FDA said it had also received reports that cited the highly caffeinated Monster Energy Drink in several deaths.”

Michael Taylor, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods, explained in a statement to the AP that the multiplying “new and easy sources” of caffeine-added foods is “beyond anything FDA envisioned.”

Taylor added that the only time the FDA forthrightly approved caffeine additives in a food or drink was in the 1950s for colas. In 2010, the FDA forced manufacturers of alcoholic caffeinated beverages to stop producing those drinks, which the agency said could lead to a “wide-awake drunk” and has led to alcohol poisoning, assaults and car accidents.

We know that small and moderate amounts of caffeine in healthy adults with a good diet and lifestyle can bring a few limited benefits, but what our society lacks is a big picture of its effects in high amounts on children and adolescents, especially in the long term. As of 2004, children ages 6 to 9 ingested only about 22 milligrams of caffeine daily from various foods and drinks.

Next week, based upon scientific studies, I will explain exactly how high doses of caffeine can be hazardous to human health, especially to children and teens, as well as explain some natural energy-boosting alternatives that you and your family can enjoy.

Write to Chuck Norris with your questions about health and fitness. Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook’s “Official Chuck Norris Page.” He blogs at ChuckNorrisNews.blogspot.com.

In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that “except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments be Human Wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move, that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of the City be requested to officiate in that service.

Those are riveting words and questions for any age and country, particularly our own.

The delegates at the Convention decided not to orchestrate a daily formal ceremony led by various clergy in the area due to the advanced stage of the Convention, not because they didn’t believe in the power of prayer or its necessity. They still heeded Franklin’s spiritual entreaty through their private prayers and, shortly after, the public institution of paid governmental chaplains.

As the Wallbuilders website explained: “As it turns out, after the Convention, and nine days after the first Constitutional Congress convened with a quorum (April 9, 1789), they implemented Franklin’s recommendation. Two chaplains of different denominations were appointed, one to the House and one to the Senate, with a salary of $500 each. This practice continues today, posing no threat to the First Amendment. How could it? The men who authorized the chaplains wrote the Amendment.”

(To the chagrin of those who erroneously still try to use the First Amendment to abolish the practice of prayer in public places, also in 1789, after being urged by Congress on the same day they finished drafting the First Amendment, President Washington issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation stating that: “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”)

And did Franklin’s, Washington’s and the other delegates’ prayers pay off?

Answer: Do we have a U.S. Constitution and country?

In 1788, James Madison, the father of the Bill of Rights and our fourth president, reflected a year back on the Constitutional Convention and even earlier on the founding of the republic: “The real wonder is, that so many difficulties should have been surmounted; and surmounted with a unanimity almost as unprecedented as it must have been unexpected. It is impossible for any man of candor to reflect on this circumstance, without partaking of the astonishment. It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it, a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution.”

Our enemy is no longer Great Britain. But we have equally, if not more, powerful enemies within and without the U.S., and we are even more divided than in America’s beginnings. But whether local, national or international entities, are those enemies more powerful than the Almighty? Are their manipulations and sway beyond His reach? Has their darkness so overshadowed us that even Providence cannot lead us out? Are their conniving politics, propaganda and Ponzi schemes really more powerful than prayer? Have we fell prey to their lies that our prayers are now impotent and ineffective to change the course of history? And how does our participation in that age-old intercessory practice answer all those questions?

My last and most critical question is this: If the greatest leaders in the history of our country, particularly our founders, called upon the Almighty for heavenly assistance in the most critical and perilous of times and experienced His hand of deliverance, wouldn’t this season in our country’s history warrant exactly the same? Maybe more now than ever before?

If you answer in the affirmative, as I do, I’d challenge and call you to participate in two critical upcoming prayer events.

First, the 62ndAnnual National Day of Prayer, or NDP, will be May 2. This year’s theme is “Pray for America.” More than 40,000 public prayer gatherings are expected to take place Thursday in our nation’s capital, state capitals, county seats, cities, towns and villages across America. You can locate a master list of events around the country at National Day of Prayer Task Force website and find an NDP event near you.

Second, because of the intense strongholds we face as a nation, WND Editor Joseph Farah and thousands of others across the land are calling up America’s spiritual reserves, challenging our spiritual fervor and cranking up our spiritual warfare by also declaring a National Day of Prayer and Fasting – and on what better day than Sept. 11, 2013? You can register your intent to participate and help spread the plan virally by going to 911DayofPrayer.com.

If Martin Luther said he had to pray for two hours daily to overcome the devil, and for three hours during particularly busy days; if Jesus Himself said that certain strongholds would only be overcome through prayer and fasting – a discipline to align our spirit and body in prayer; if Benjamin Franklin called for daily prayers, can we not set aside two days this year to stand up for our country by kneeling on its behalf?

Our duty isn’t to judge the outcome, to discern the impact, but simply to pray, as Benjamin Franklin advised.

His two questions still stand and warrant an answer from each of us:

“Have we now forgotten that powerful friend?”

“And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probably that an empire can rise [or rise again] without his aid?”

Two questions, two events – to help restore the United States of America.

But a spoonful of cinnamon can cause lesions, scarring and lung damage, according to some doctors.

They issued their professional health warning because of a growing YouTube fad over the past several years called the “Cinnamon Challenge,” in which young people are dared to swallow 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon without drinking any liquid within 60 seconds.

In an article in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatricians, the doctors alerted teens and others that ingesting a tablespoon of cinnamon could lead to “choking, aspiration and pulmonary damage. In most cases, the effects are temporary, yet the Cinnamon Challenge has led to dozens of calls to poison centers, emergency department visits and even hospitalizations for adolescents requiring ventilator support for collapsed lungs.”

Doctors, parents and other concerned citizens were hoping that the possibly life-threatening fad would dwindle over the years, but it went viral in 2012. Pediatrics explained that as of Aug. 10, 2012, there were 51,100 YouTube clips depicting youths taking the Cinnamon Challenge – one with more than 30 million views. And with its rise in popularity from 2001 to 2007, the Cinnamon Challenge website in January 2012 boasted 70,000 Twitter mentions daily.

Unfortunately, though the Internet demonstrates its benefits every moment of each day, here again we are reminded that it simultaneously possesses the sway to unleash a plethora of demons. Peer pressure and social media, combined with risk taking and potential YouTube popularity, have led to myriad woeful and regretful decisions.

As if the Cinnamon Challenge weren’t bad enough, some young people are switching from cinnamon to dried chili powder, using it as a punishment in truth-or-dare games. And we already have learned that doing so can cause death, as we saw with the mother who, in 2004, suffocated her baby when she used chili powder on her thumb as a deterrent for thumb sucking, according to Yahoo News. The mother was convicted of manslaughter.

And just in January of this year, the New York Daily News reported that another young mother was arrested for forcing her boyfriend’s 2-year-old daughter to consume chili powder as a punishment. The precious little girl had a seizure and died.

And for those who think it’s still safe to ingest swiftly a tablespoon of cinnamon, think again.

Commenting on the Pediatrics article, Time’s Health & Family explained: “When swallowed by the tablespoon, powdered cinnamon coats and dries out the mouth, making swallowing difficult. Cinnamon also contains a substance called cellulose that can stick in the lungs and compromise their ability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.”

Dr. Steven Lipshultz, one of the authors of the study, elaborated to The New York Times: “The cellulose doesn’t break down. So when it gets into the lungs it sits there long term, and if it’s coated with this caustic cinnamon oil, that leads to chronic inflammation and eventually scarring of the lungs, something we call pulmonary fibrosis. Getting scarring in the lungs is equivalent to getting emphysema.”

Here are a few more health risks related to taking the Cinnamon Challenge, according to the Pediatrics exposé:

• “Cinnamon is a caustic powder composed of cellulose fibers, which are bioresistant and biopersistent; they neither dissolve nor biodegrade in the lungs.”
• “Cinnamon inhalation can cause pulmonary inflammation, predisposing airways to epithelial lesions and scarring.”
• “Aspirated powder entering the upper airways can cause inflammation and, in more severe cases, aspiration pneumonia.”
• “The fibers and other components of cinnamon can also cause allergic and irritant reactions, including acute symptoms and temporary, if not permanent, lung function changes.”
• “The Cinnamon Challenge may pose greater and unnecessary health risks for persons allergic to cinnamon or with bronchopulmonary diseases, including asthma.”

The doctors who penned the Pediatrics alert advised parents, peer workers, schools, pediatricians and others “to discuss with children the Cinnamon Challenge and its possible harmful effects, especially with children having cinnamon hypersensitivity, asthma, pulmonary cystic fibrosis or chronic lung disease.”

Though parents would be wise not to leave the cinnamon dispenser front and center on the kitchen shelf, let’s also be careful not to rid the house or our diets of this healthy spice. The fact is that cinnamon is good for you when properly consumed in healthy doses and mannerisms typical of normal food ingestion.

Ann Kulze, author of “Dr. Ann’s 10 Step Diet,” collaborated for Women’s Health in the article “Cinnamon’s Health Benefits.” According to the article, “research has linked the copper-colored stuff with helping lower blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels in people with type 2 diabetes, and a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that adding a little more than a teaspoon to rice pudding even helped tame blood sugar in people without diabetes. Dr. Kulze says cinnamon also contains polyphenols, antioxidants that create healthier arteries and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, cinnamon benefits include an energizing scent that has also been found to help increase alertness.”

So my cinnamon challenge is this: I’m calling everyone to help put the squeeze on our culture’s fad of inhaling powdered cinnamon through the Cinnamon Challenge and to put the nutritious spice back into our healthy and normal diets. A sprinkle on your latte, oatmeal, yogurt, toast, carrots or sweet potatoes or in lots of recipes will go far for your taste buds and fitness.

Dare to be different, not dumb. Educate and warn your friends and loved ones about the hazardous Cinnamon Challenge craze (by posting or passing along this column), and dare them instead to get over others’ putrid peer pressure that can put their breathing, health and lives at risk.

Write to Chuck Norris with your questions about health and fitness. Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook’s “Official Chuck Norris Page.” He blogs at ChuckNorrisNews.blogspot.com.

As with others across the nation, my wife, Gena, and I are so proud of the first responders and host of rescuers, medical personnel, law enforcement, firemen, military, crisis counselors and good Samaritans who immediately were called into action and undoubtedly saved lives, limbs and souls because of their heroic efforts. Truly, America’s best shine brightest during our country’s most difficult and darkest moments.

At the same time, however, my wife, Gena, and I join the rest of the nation in offering our most heartfelt condolences and prayers for all the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. We weep in particular with the families of 8-year-old Martin Richard, 29-year-old restaurant manager Krystle Campbell and a Chinese graduate student at Boston University, Lu Lingz,all of whom were killed by the blasts.

In the end, such criminal thugs who are responsible for such heinous, despicable and cowardly acts, win only if we allow their monstrous beings to intimidate us into fearful and recluse lifestyles, including hindering us from participating in public recreational and sports activities like the Boston Marathon.

We, too, pray for the families, relatives and friends of the victims, who we know will, in due time, rise up, find the courage to face tomorrow and build a better day for themselves and others – just like the parents of 8-year-old Martin Richard, one of whom serves as a director of a local community group and one of whom works at Neighborhood House Charter School, where their daughter attend classes just as Martin did.

Speaking of wounded healers, I recently was reminded of another troubling health trend among U.S. wounded warriors. More than 600,000 troops have returned from tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, resulting in increased rates of drug abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence, chronic depression and even suicide among service members, according to Fox News. Tragically, about 22 veterans commit suicide each day in America, according to a February report by the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs.That is nearly one every hour!

It’s high time that we all fight to do better to take care of the precious souls who take care of us. We all need to feel valued, and who is more valued than those who protect and keep us safe? That is why I often encourage people to regularly thank and shake the hands of those who have served or are presently serving, not only to keep us safe but also healthy: including military servicemen and women, your local law enforcement, emergency rescue personnel, medical relief agents, health practitioners, crisis intervention counselors, etc.

Mostly, honor and befriend our military vets. And if you encounter one in trouble, stand by him or her or, at very least encourage him or her to reach out for help. Help can be reached 24/7 by calling the caring professionals at the Veteran Crisis Line (VCL) at 800-273-TALK (Press 1), sending a text message to 838255 or going online for some anonymous chat. Since 2007, the VCL has answered more than 745,000 calls, helped more than 83,000 on its anonymous chat and made more than 26,000 life-saving rescues.

And please go online and learn more about the mission of the Wounded Warriors Project and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

Another superb example of valuing vets is the way they are welcomed and serve at the annual “Rancho Cucamonga High School Remembers” in California, an event started by the school’s history teacher, Aaron Bishop, who annually calls on local vets to share their service experiences and testimonies with a small group of three to four students. Aided by the help of fellow history teacher, Robert Sanchez, and others, the program started with 38 veterans and has grown to involving more than 200 veterans from all branches of the military. As an Air Force veteran myself, I salute Bishop, Sanchez and Rancho Cucamonga High School in California for annually and actively not forgetting about those who serve and the power of their oral history. The Sixth Annual Rancho Cucamonga High School Remembers will be held this year on May 1, 2013. (And I’d bet that Bishop and Sanchez would be honored to share with other schools and communities across our country how they can host similar educational events for their students, too).

One last outstanding example of civilian service and fortitude I’d like to mention happened during the Boston bombings. Carlos Arredondo was at the Boston Marathon race supporting a group running for fallen veterans and handing out American flags. When the explosions hit, he was among the first to rush in and help those who had fallen.

What’s amazingly poignant is that Carlos’ son, Marine Lance Cpl. Alexander S. Arredondo, died in battle in Najaf, Iraq, in 2004. And in December 2011, just prior to Christmas, Carlos’ other son, Brian, 24, took his own life as U.S. troops withdrew from the battlefield on which his brother had died.

One of the iconic images from Boston is of Carlos standing somber with a blood-drenched American flag, which was apparently used by him to aid a victim.

An even more moving photo is of Carlos in his cowboy hat with blood-soaked hands running alongside one of the victims, who was obviously in shock, wounded and being wheeled to safety. We now know it was Jeff Bauman, who was in the crowd waiting for his girlfriend to cross the marathon finished line when “a man wearing a cap, sunglasses and a black jacket over a hooded sweatshirt looked at Jeff, 27, and dropped a bag at his feet,” according to the Bloomberg News. Two-and-half minutes later, the bag exploded, and Jeff’s legs were decimated.

As NBC explained, the photo sent around the world shows Carlos running alongside Jeff in a wheelchair, apparently “pinching closed a severed artery protruding from the victim’s thigh, stanching the flow of blood from a torn and shattered leg.”

Jeff’s testimony and face-to-face confrontation with one of the Boston bombers helped the FBI track down the murderers.

I take off my Texas cowboy hat to Carlos, Jeff and all who stood by their fellow countrymen to aid and help on that heartbreaking day.

Chuck, a big kudos goes out to the crisis-care community and volunteers for handling the trauma and recovery of 200 people at the Boston Marathon bombings. Don’t you think they deserve a shout-out in “C-Force,” too? – “Grateful” in Boston

I couldn’t agree more!

As with others across the nation, my wife, Gena, and I are so proud of the first responders and host of rescuers, medical personnel, law enforcement personnel, firemen, military members, crisis counselors and good Samaritans who immediately were called into action and undoubtedly saved lives, limbs and souls because of their heroic efforts. Truly, America’s best shine brightest during our country’s most difficult and darkest moments.

At the same time, Gena and I join the rest of the nation in offering our most heartfelt condolences and prayers for all the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. We weep in particular with the families of 8-year-old Martin Richard, 29-year-old restaurant manager Krystle Campbell and a Chinese graduate student at Boston University, Lu Lingzi, all of whom were killed by the blasts.

We also trust God and justice to track down whoever is responsible for such a heinous, despicable and cowardly act. In the end, such criminal thugs win only if we allow their monstrous beings to intimidate us into fearful and recluse lifestyles, including not participating in public recreational and sports activities such as the Boston Marathon.

We, too, pray for the families, relatives and friends of the victims, who we know will, in due time, rise up, find the courage to face tomorrow and build a better day for themselves and others – just like the parents of the 8-year-old victim, one of whom serves as the director of a local community group and one of whom works at Neighborhood House Charter School, where their daughter attends classes.

Speaking of wounded healers, I recently was reminded of a troubling health trend among U.S. wounded warriors. More than 600,000 troops have returned from tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, resulting in increased rates of drug abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence, chronic depression and even suicide among service members, according to Fox News. Tragically, about 22 veterans commit suicide each day in America, according to a February report by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. That is nearly one every hour!

It’s high time that we all fight to do better to take care of the precious souls who take care of us. We all need to feel valued, and who is more valued than those who protect us and keep us safe? That is why I often encourage people to regularly thank and shake the hands of those who have served or are presently serving – not only those who keep us safe, but also those who keep us healthy – including military service members, your local law enforcement personnel, emergency rescue personnel, medical relief agents, health practitioners and crisis intervention counselors.

Mostly, honor and befriend our military vets.

And if you encounter one in trouble, stand by him or her or, at the very least, encourage him or her to reach out for help. Help can be reached 24/7 by calling the caring professionals at the Veterans Crisis Line at 800-273-TALK, sending a text message to 838255 or going to VeteransCrisisLine.net for an anonymous chat session. Since 2007, the VCL has answered more than 745,000 calls, helped more than 83,000 in chat sessions and made more than 26,000 lifesaving rescues.

And please go online and learn more about the mission of the Wounded Warrior Project and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

Another superb example of valuing vets is the way they are welcomed at the annual Rancho Cucamonga High School Remembers event in California, which was started by history teacher Aaron Bishop, who calls on local vets to share their service experiences with students. Aided by fellow history teacher Robert Sanchez and others, the program started with 38 veterans and has grown to involving more than 200 veterans from all branches of the military. As an Air Force veteran myself, I salute Bishop, Sanchez and Rancho Cucamonga High School for annually and actively not forgetting about those who serve and the power of their oral history. The sixth annual Rancho Cucamonga High School Remembers will be held May 1. (And I’d bet that Bishop and Sanchez would be honored to share with other schools and communities across our country how they can host similar educational events for their students.)

One last outstanding example of service and fortitude I’d like to mention happened during the Boston bombings. Carlos Arredondo was at the marathon to support a group running for fallen veterans, and he was handing out American flags. When the explosions hit, he was among the first to rush in and help those who had fallen.

What’s amazingly poignant is that Carlos’ son Alexander S. Arredondo, who was a lance corporal in the Marines, died in battle in Najaf, Iraq, in 2004. And just before Christmas in 2011, Carlos’ other son, Brian, 24, took his own life as U.S. troops withdrew from the battlefield on which his brother had died.

One of the iconic images from Boston is of Carlos standing somber with a blood-drenched American flag, which apparently was used by him to aid a victim.

Another photo is of Carlos in his cowboy hat and with blood-soaked hands running alongside one of the victims, who was obviously in shock, wounded and being wheeled to safety. As NBC reported, Carlos appeared to be “pinching closed a severed artery protruding from the victim’s thigh, stanching the flow of blood from a torn and shattered leg.”

I take off my Texas cowboy hat to Carlos and all who stood by their fellow countrymen to help on that heartbreaking day.

Write to Chuck Norris with your questions about health and fitness. Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook’s “Official Chuck Norris Page.” He blogs at ChuckNorrisNews.blogspot.com.