The 2010 Global Peace Index (GPI), which examines crime rates, defense spending and respect for human rights in countries across the globe, has ranked New Zealand as the most peaceful nation in the world, while Iraq has earned the dubious distinction of being the most violent country in 2009. In the index compiled by the Australia-based Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP) and the Economist Intelligence Unit, New Zealand has taken the top ranking among 149 countries for the second year in a row. Iceland, Japan, Austria and Norway follow New Zealand to take the top five positions. The United States was ranked 85th. http://www.rttnews.com/Content/GeneralNews.aspx?Node=B1&Id=1328955

Q: I found a seedling in my front yard with a buckeye attached to the stem. The shiny nut was beautiful. But I don't know if it's really a buckeye or a horse chestnut.
A: The Ohio buckeye, aesculus glabra, is a slow-growing, round-headed tree that grows up to 50 feet high. Each leaf generally has five leaflets and its nuts are not edible. The horse chestnut, aesculus hippocastanum, is similar to Ohio buckeye but is not quite as hardy and does not grow as tall. Its leaves are usually divided into seven leaflets and its nuts are not edible. The American chestnut, castanea dentata, is a more upright tree with a fairly straight trunk when young. With age it develops a broad, rounded, dense crown. Each fruit has two or three edible chestnuts. -- Martha Esbin, "Librarian's Muse."
Q: Are detailed minutes required to be taken at a public meeting in Ohio?
A: A public body must keep full and accurate minutes of its meetings, but those minutes do not have to be an exact transcript of every word said. Minutes must be promptly prepared, filed and made available for public inspection. -- Ohio Attorney General. The Courier June 1, 2010

On Tuesday, June 8, G.M. sent a memo to Chevrolet employees at its Detroit headquarters, promoting the importance of “consistency” for the brand, which was the nation’s best-selling line of cars and trucks for more than half a century after World War II. And one way to present a consistent brand message, the memo suggested, is to stop saying “Chevy,” though the word is one of the world’s best-known, longest-lived product nicknames. As of Wednesday night, the word Chevy appeared dozens of times on Chevrolet’s Web site, chevrolet.com, including a banner on the home page that said, “Over 1,000 people a day switch to Chevy.” One of the dropdown menus was “Experience Chevy.” On Facebook, brand pages include Chevy Camaro, Chevy Silverado and Team Chevy. If taken to its logical conclusion, Chevrolet would presumably need to ask Jeff Gordon, the four-time Nascar Sprint Cup champion who currently races a Chevrolet Impala, to change the Web site address — jeffgordonchevy.com — for his dealership in Wilmington, N.C. And what about rolling back the popular culture references to Chevy? Elton John, Bob Seger, Mötley Crüe and the Beastie Boys have all sung about Chevy, and hip-hop artists rap about “Chevy Ridin’ High” or “Ridin’ in My Chevy.” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/automobiles/10chevy.html?src=mv

Restaurants in Toledo raise money for tornado relief on Thursday June 10, 2010
Dine out at any of the following locations on June 10 and 15% of the bill will be donated to help the victims and families affected by the Saturday night tornados.
*Adam's Place on West Laskey
*Andrew Z's Sports Pizzeria - Downtown & Levis Commons
*Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips in Fremont, Ohio
*Blue Pacific Grill in Levis Commons
*Café Marie - Perrysburg Location (Open for Breakfast and Lunch Only)
*Cake In A Cup on Central Ave.
*Chucks Bar and Grill
*Chuck E Cheese on Airport Highway
*CiCi's Pizza on Monroe Street
*City Barbeque on West Central
*Claddagh Irish Pub - Westfield Franklin Park Mall
*Eddie Lee's Restaurant on Nantucket Dr.
*Haven Lounge in Swanton
*IHOP in Perrysburg
*J-Cups Pizza - Summit Street in Point Place
*JoJo's Pizza - Monroe, Mayberry, and Walbridge Locations Only
*Little Caesars Pizza - Deveaux Village, W. Alexis near Secor, and Lewis Ave between Sylvania &Eleanor
*Luckies Barn and Grill in Oregon, Ohio
*Mancy's Steaks
*Mancy's Italian Grille
*Shorty's Bar B Que
*Blue Water Grill
*Moodies Coney Island on Oregon Rd. at Wales
*Moe's Place
*Papa Joe's
*Prestige on the Corner or Byrne & Hill
*Salsarita's Fresh Cantina - corner of Ford and Dussel
*Shubie's Ice Cream and Grill
*Sonic - Rossford, Oregon, and Bryan Ohio locations
*The Village Idiot in Maumee
*The Waffle House on Rt. 25 in Perrysburg, Ohio