Making Snow Sundaes - From Shale

To see their other videos & blogs: www.thegardendiet.com

Koalas and people sharing water

AT 120 DEGREES IN AUSTRALIA , IT WAS SO HOT FOR A WEEK THAT KOALAS
WERE ASKING PEOPLE FOR WATER. IT'S NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE.



"Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened."

Do not support testing on animals...

Where We Humans Live

Most humans (61%) live in Asia. The remainder live in the Americas (14%), Africa (14%), Europe (11%), and Oceania (0.5%).

Interesting note about how horses & cows eat :)

Cows have no upper front teeth, only a thick pad: they graze by wrapping their long tongues around grass and pulling on it. If the ground is wet, they will pull out the grass by the roots, preventing it from growing back. Horses have both upper and lower incisors and graze by "clipping the grass," similar to a lawn mower, allowing the grass to easily grow back.

"The Honey Song" from The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

place a beehive on my grave
and let the honey soak through.
when i'm dead and gone,
that's what i want from you.

the streets of heaven are gold and sunny,
but i'll stick with my plot and a pot of honey.
place a beehive on my grave
and let the honey soak through.

~~ from The Secret Life of Bees
by sue monk kidd

The movie: The Secret Life of Bees

A clip from the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWkO8PoD-GA

What are the top 10 keys to success?

What are the top 10 keys to success?
by Kass Hanson

[abridged - Link to full article below]

Take these Top 10 to heart for a swift kick in the pants and V-8 smack in the head.

1. 98% of our anatomy is new every year!!! Your bones are re-created every 3 months. Ooo, that’s neat! Get to work on creating YOU. Stay healthy, exercise, eat well, think positively.
2. What WILL mean a thing in 100 years is what you leave behind. Make an impact. Share your gifts. Give back.
3. One exposure to an idea results in 2% retention after 16 days. Six exposures over 6 days results in 62% retention for 15 years to life!! Stick with it.
4. It takes only 13 muscles to smile and 112 muscles to frown. Smile and save your exertion for that six pack.
5. Less than 3% of people write down their goals. Less than 1% read and review their goals regularly. Have you written something down? We’ll wait.
6. 88% of those surveyed said they often or sometimes come across people who are rude or disrespectful. Be nice. Let the love flow.
7. 90% of our worries are about things that will never happen. Well now, that frees up some time doesn’t it?
8. Read – Read – Read – every day. Learn – Listen – Teach – Change the world.
9. Don’t blame, complain, gossip, judge. Take responsibility. Drop the Drama. OK, that’s sort of a 3 in 1.
10. It’s all a matter of perspective. Be optimistic. Live, love, laugh – a lot!
11. (Bonus!) Every 14 minutes someone dies. Are you raising that stat as one of the living dead? Wake up!!! Live!
    

You can find this entire, wonderful article and many other health and wellness articles
written by Kass Hanson at:
http://www.balanceact.com/what-are-the-top-10-keys-to-success-340.html

EARTH IS GORGEOUS - let us protect our planet! :)

please click image to see it large & lovely!

PLEASE LOVE TREES.
PLEASE PLANT TREES.

The World's 10 Most Unbelievable Plants That Really Do Exist

Ever hear of a carnivorous plant? What about a plant that smells like rotting meat when it blooms? It may sound like something out of a horror movie or science fiction novel but these plants really exist. Here is a list of the World's Strangest Plants:

Amorphophallus titanium, also known as the corpse flower, tops our list not just because it only blooms 3-4 times during its 40 years of life but also because it releases an odor that is much like rotting meat when it does bloom. It is also not difficult to see how it got its name upon closer examination.

See the other nine by reading the full article:
http://www.naturehills.com/worlds_strangest_plants.aspx

Light pollution at night kills birds

http://www.lightpollution.org.uk/dwnLoads/CliffSummer%202006.pdf

Excellent Article - "Death of a Songbird"

If you love birds, you will love this website! Please visit their site and enjoy the many articles about birds.

http://newmexicobirds.blogspot.com/2008/08/death-of-songbird.html

Western Meadowlark. Photo by David Powell

I caused the death of a songbird. Certainly more than one bird, and possibly a hundred or more, died because of me. I didn’t mean to do it. In fact, I was oblivious to their silent suffering and desperate demise. It was the winter fruits and vegetables that did it, those seemingly healthy foods that the doctor recommends. They make up a large part of my diet throughout the year. I have a particular fondness for grapes, bananas, asparagus, peppers, and that standard American staple, coffee.

One of the indicators of the changing season is the annual return of bird song. Many of us look forward to the return of our feathered friends from their wintering grounds. We take for granted that their song will fill the spring air with cheerful sounds. But, each year, as we continue to demand out-of-season fruits and vegetables, fewer and fewer songbirds return. Just as the Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, and Osprey were the proverbial canaries in the coal mine that warned us of the dangers of DDT, and changed pesticide use in the United States, today’s songbird populations are an important environmental indicator.

Land management plans in North America now include provisions designed to protect migratory songbirds, including virtually all federal, and most state plans. Many land managers have changed the way they manage to allow for the needs of songbirds and other wildlife, and support research to develop methods to maintain healthy populations. Ambitious projects are underway to permanently protect large swaths of acreage for birds, particularly grassland and boreal forest species. Because of their role as environmental indicator species, avian conservation measures have become part of global efforts to protect biodiversity, not just for birds, but for all life.

Many of our summer residents winter in Central and South America, where highly toxic pesticide use has caused steep declines in bird populations. Pesticide use has increased 500% since the 1980s in Central America as these countries have increased their production of crops to fuel our demand for fresh produce during the winter. The chemicals include monocrotophos, methamidophos, and carbofuran, all of which are rated Class I toxins by the World Health Organization, are highly toxic to birds, and are either restricted or banned in the United States.

In some cases, the poisonings are indirect such as the 1995 deaths of 20,000 Swainson’s Hawks on the pampas of Argentina. Farmers had sprayed monocrotophos, an organophospate on their fields to control grasshoppers, the primary food item of wintering Swainson’s Hawks. Thanks to the efforts of the American Bird Conservancy and other organizations, Novartis (formerly Ciba-Geigy), a major manufacturer of this pesticide, has agreed to phase out production and sale of monocrotophos. Additionally, a major effort has taken place to educate farmers about the benefits of these insect eating hawks and other birds that help keep insect populations under control.

In other instances, birds like the Bobolink, meadowlarks, and other grain eating birds are viewed as pests as they feed on the crops intended for humans. They are directly poisoned to minimize crop damage. The Bobolink, in particular, has suffered a 50% decline in the last 40 years, according to the Breeding Bird Survey.

Americans, however, shouldn’t feel too smug about our environmental record when it comes to pesticides. On a global scale, over 5 billion pounds of pesticides are used annually for agriculture, forest and rangeland management, disease control, and on private properties. In the United States alone, we use 1.2 billion pounds each year. Many of the most toxic chemicals, including DDT, have been banned in our country. However, the U.S. continues to export DDT as well as other pesticides known to be hazardous to the environment and to human health. Conservative estimates place the of the number of birds killed in the U.S. each year due to pesticide ingestion at 67 million. This represents 10% of the 672 million birds annually exposed to pesticides in our country alone.

South of our border, human pesticide exposures continue despite workers’ improved awareness of the dangers. Most Central American countries have few regulations for effective controls for pesticide use, and in 1998, (most current figure available) almost 6,000 human poisonings were reported in Central America. Ironically, while we have increased our reliance on winter produce, Mexico, a major importer of that produce, has increased its dependence on pesticides. It is currently the second largest pesticide importer in Latin America.

We have effectively created a circle of poison in which pesticides outlawed in the U.S. because of documented toxicity are exported to Third World Countries that use them to grow the crops that are, in turn, sold to the American consumer. Testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shows that produce imported from Latin American countries is three times as likely to violate Environmental Protection Agendy standards for pesticide residues., Some, but not all pesticide residues can be removed by washing or peeling produce, but tests by the Center for Disease Control show that most Americans carry traces of pesticides in our blood. We, however, show few if any signs of that oxicity. It just may be that our beloved songbirds might be the first indicator of threats to our health.

As American consumers, our most effective tool is our wallet. Next time you shop, buy locally grown foods wherever possible. Not only will you reduce your pesticide exposure, you will be purchasing food with a smaller carbon footprint.

Purchase organic, shade-grown coffer. Most mass produced coffee is heavily treated with fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. Shade grown coffee is grown beneath a canopy of tropical trees, which provide shade, essential nitrogen, and leaf litter for fertilizer.

Organic bananas should on your list. Although our pesticide exposure from bananas is minimal because we peel the fruit, bananas are grown with one of the highest pesticide loads of any tropical crop.

Purchase produce such as melons, green beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, and strawberries only if they are not grown in Central America.

The birds, and your great grandchildren will thank you for it.

Excellent Article - "The Year in Meat"

http://www.vegan.com/articles/yim/

Excellent Essay - Please Read - A Revolution of the Heart

By Gary L. Francione

Dear Colleagues:

Many animal advocates assume that we need an organization–some organization–in order to advocate for nonhuman animals; that we need a leader–some leader–to show us the way.

I suggest that this is the wrong way to look at things.

Unfortunately, in a world in which everything is commodified, social justice has, not unsurprisingly, itself become a commodity and it is sold, in various flavors, by corporations that compete for shares in the market for compassion. These companies have done a marvelous job in convincing us that participation in all moral struggles, including and particularly the struggle for animals, means writing a check–to them.

In a world in which we accept a thousand different hierarchies without even noticing that we do so, and without even questioning the very concept of hierarchy, we assume that we need leaders to show us the way...

We are not going to get anywhere by tinkering at the edges...

That revolution is not going to occur as the result of any leader. It can only occur within each and every one of us.

PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE ESSAY:
http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/a-revolution-of-the-heart/

DIY How to Make a Bird Chandelier - PLEASE TRY THIS, PROTECT BIRDS

DIY Bird Chandelier

This orange-and-cranberry feeder, compliments of CasaSugar will attract birds such as orioles, woodpeckers, finches, thrashers, mockingbirds, and tanagers to your yard.

What you need:

baking sheet
8 to 10 oranges, cut into 27 to 30 slices
cranberries
thread and ribbon
glue gun
embroidery hoop
cinnamon (optional)

What to do:

1. The night before assembly, you need to dry your oranges. Slice oranges about 1/4 inch thick, and lay flat - either directly on the oven rack or on a baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees F for three to four hours, largely unattended. You can flip the oranges halfway through to make sure they are drying evenly. If you want to keep your chandelier inside, brush cinnamon on the orange slices before baking. This will release a yummy cinnamon smell in your house the entire time the chandelier is up.
2. After the oranges have dried, take out a spool of ribbon, and cut nine pieces of ribbon three inches long. Then cut 18 pieces of ribbon at one inch lengths.

Please read the full article and make bird chandeliers for your friendly neighbors!! :)

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/6-reasons-to-make-a-chandelier-for-the-birds.html?&page=2

Look here to view all of CasaSugar’s photos of the Bird Chandelier.

Photo Credit: CasaSugar

Ronnie Citron-Fink is a writer and educator. Ronnie regularly writes about sustainable living for online sites and magazines. Along with being the creator of www.econesting.com, Ronnie has contributed to numerous books about green home design, DIY, children, and humor. Ronnie lives the Hudson Valley of New York with her family.

6 Reasons To Make a Chandelier for the Birds

6 Reasons To Make a Chandelier for the Birds

by Ronnie Citron-Fink Jan 7, 2010

Want a free ticket to a natural outdoor theatre for your whole family? Just feed the birds and let their beauty entertain you all winter long.

Why bird watch?

1. Connect with nature
It is a well-documented fact that wildlife can help people feel connected to nature.

2. Gain knowledge
Ornithology can be an endless learning opportunity. The Audubon Society is dedicated to conserving and restoring natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.

3. Improve your health
Feeding the birds gets you outside and brings the outside environment in. The connection to nature can also have a calming effect.

4. Make friends
Join a bird watching club and meet people. Here is a list of bird watching clubs in the US.

Please read the full article: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/6-reasons-to-make-a-chandelier-for-the-birds.html

Nancy Cott (Harvard professor) on Marriage as a Basic Civil Right

http://www.queervisions.com/2010/nancy-cott-on-marriage-as-a-basic-civil-right/

Epsom Salts blended with Essential Oils = A Healing Bath

Essential Oils can be powerful medicine to help you fall asleep. Your sense of smell, and the olfactory nerve are a major pathway defining your mood and your physical energy. Essential oils are a safe, effective and non-drug method you can use to produce a deep, restful sleep. They are great when added to an Epsom salt bath or infused into your room.

Magnesium - the key component of Epsom Salt — performs more functions in more systems of the human body than virtually any other mineral, including regulating the activity of more than 325 enzymes.

Magnesium is an electrolyte that is required to create proper muscle, nerve and enzyme function. It is critical to the proper function of calcium in your cells. Magnesium helps prevent heart disease and strokes by lowering blood pressure, protecting the elasticity of blood vessels, preventing blood clots and reducing the risk of sudden heart attack deaths. It seems to increase the effectiveness of insulin, helping to lower the risk or severity of diabetes.

To help with your sleep magnesium will reduce inflammation and relieve pain. You can use magnesium to treatment your sore muscles, and body aches of fibromyalgia. It can help with bronchial asthma and migraine headaches as well.

Although magnesium can be absorbed through the digestive tract, many foods, drugs and medical conditions can interfere with how much you can get from your food or supplements. Soaking in an Epsom Salt bath is one of the most effective means of making the magnesium your body needs readily available.

Epsom Salt also delivers sulfates, which are used to form the cells of your brain and nerves, for joint proteins and for the heath of all your mucus membranes (for instance your digestive tract). Sulfates also stimulate your pancreas to generate digestive enzymes and help your liver detoxify your body’s residue of medicines and environmental contaminants. Sulfates are difficult to absorb from food, but are readily absorbed through the skin.

Epsom salt baths: At least twice a week, fill your bathtub with comfortably warm water- too hot will not be as relaxing. Stir in about 2 cups of Epsom salts. Plan for at least a 20 minute soak.
For best results add a few drops of the following essential oils:
Lavender soothes mental agitation
Fir Needle calms adrenal reactivity
Rosewood also calms adrenal reactivity. This combination can soothe your autonomic nervous system and ease you out of fight and flight into relax-to-sleep mode. Mix in equal parts. Use 8 - 10 drops of this mix in your bath.

Pettigrain is an essential oil that helps people who are grieving a loss and are unable to relax into sleep. It also has antidepressant action. One drop of pettigrain and one drop of lavender on a cotton ball beside your bed will help you get a better night’s sleep - especially after an Epsom salt bath.

One place you can find essential oils is: www.mapi.com; Epsom salts are sold at most grocery stores.

Bathe with Epsom Salts - Easy & Detoxing

Baths are wonderfully healing, and it is easy to make your own homemade, detox baths.

Hot water draws toxins out of the body to the skin’s surface, and while the water cools it pulls toxins from the skin, according to Naturopath Dr. Hazel Parcells. Epsom salts augment this detoxification by causing you to sweat. Other salts—all highly alkaline and cleansing—used in baths include sea salt, baking soda, clay, and Dead Sea salts.

Basic Salt Soak Bath Formula
Minerals and salts make the bath water feel silky and leave your skin cleansed and soft.

1 cup sea salts
2 cups baking soda
1 cup Epsom salts
1 to 2 tablespoons glycerin per bath

Combine the sea salts, baking soda, and Epsom salts in a bowl. Stir to blend. Pour 1/4 cup or so into the bath while the tub is filling. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons glycerin to keep your skin from drying out (more for dry skin, less for oily skin) and essential oils of choice.

Preparation time: 2 to 3 minutes
Shelf life: Indefinite
Storage: Glass jar with a screw top

Caution: Do not take hot baths and salt baths (including Epsom salt baths) if you have heart trouble, high blood pressure, or are diabetic.

Spinach - great for your health

The benefits of spinach are many. Leafy greens like spinach provide more nutrients than any other food, when compared calorie for calorie. Here are some spinach facts to consider:

1. This is a very nutrient-dense food. It’s low in calories yet very high in vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients. When you consume this healthy food, you don’t need to worry about your weight-loss diet as you take in abundant, good-for-you nutrients.

   This leafy green is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, magnesium, folate, manganese, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, potassium, and vitamin B6. It’s a very good source of protein, phosphorus, vitamin E, zinc, dietary fiber, and copper. Plus, it’s a good source of selenium, niacin, and omega-3 fatty acids.
   

2. One of the benefits of spinach is that this green is readily available, nearly all over the world. Even though, with its abundant nutrient profile, it sounds like an amazing super food, it’s still easy to find in the market or easy to grow. In addition, it’s affordable.
3. This is a versatile food. It can be eaten raw in a salad (and is much more nutritious than iceberg lettuce) or a green smoothie. Or it can be cooked (lightly, please) and eaten as a dish on its own or added to soups and other dishes. If boiling, use the least amount of water possible for the shortest time.
4. Spinach is loaded with flavonoids which act as antioxidants, protecting the body from free radicals. Researchers have discovered at least 13 different flavonoid compounds that act as anti-cancer substances. The various nutrients offer much in the way of disease protection.

   Remember Popeye? He squeezed those cans of spinach into his mouth and instantly developed muscles and super strength. Well, he also may have been protecting himself against various illnesses and conditions.

5. Another of the benefits of spinach is that this is a heart-healthy food. It’s an outstanding source of vitamins C and A which are antioxidants that help reduce free radical amounts in the body. The antioxidants work to keep cholesterol from oxidizing. In addition, folate is good for a healthy cardiovascular system, as well as magnesium, a mineral that helps to lower high blood pressure.
6. Gastrointestinal health can be guarded by eating more of this food. The beta-carotene and vitamin C work to protect the cells of the body’s colon from the harmful effects of free radicals. Also, DNA damage and mutations in colon cells may be prevented by the folate that’s present in this green leafy vegetable.
7. Some conditions that are identified as inflammatory, such as arthritis, osteoporosis, migraine headaches, and asthma, may be helped because of the anti-inflammatory properties of some of the nutrients found in spinach.
8. Studies have shown that consumption of green leafy vegetables such as spinach may slow the age-related decline in brain function. So, eat your greens and keep working those crossword puzzles to keep your brain young and agile.
   
   
   
9. Have you heard of lutein? It’s a carotenoid found in spinach that is protective against eye diseases such as age-related cataracts and macular degeneration. There is some indication that it might be absorbed better if you eat it with a little fat, such as a small amount of olive oil, or the food that you’re eating it with may contain some fat.
10. The mineral iron is particularly important for menstruating women and growing children and adolescents. In comparison to red meat, spinach provides a lot less calories, is fat and cholesterol free, and an excellent source of iron. Because iron is a component of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to all body cells, it’s needed for good energy.

Health Benefits

We all know that Popeye made himself super strong by eating spinach, but you may be surprised to learn that he may also have been protecting himself against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, arthritis, and other diseases at the same time.

Phytonutrient Flavonoids for Optimal Health

Researchers have identified at least 13 different flavonoid compounds in spinach that function as antioxidants and as anti-cancer agents. (Many of these substances fall into a technical category of flavonoids known as methylenedioxyflavonol glucuronides.) The anticancer properties of these spinach flavonoids have been sufficiently impressive to prompt researchers to create specialized spinach extracts that could be used in controlled studies. These spinach extracts have been shown to slow down cell division in stomach cancer cells (gastric adenocarcinomas), and in studies on laboratory animals, to reduce skin cancers (skin papillomas). A study on adult women living in New England in the late 1980s also showed intake of spinach to be inversely related to incidence of breast cancer.

Spinach Carotenoid Combats Prostate Cancer

A carotenoid found in spinach and other green leafy vegetables fights human prostate cancer two different ways, according to research published in the the Journal of Nutrition. The carotenoid, called neoxanthin, not only induces prostate cancer cells to self-destruct, but is converted in the intestines into additional compounds, called neochromes, which put prostate cancer cells into a state of stasis, thus preventing their replication.

Spinach Flavonoid Combats Ovarian Cancer

Research calculating flavonoid intake in 66,940 women enrolled in the Nurses Health Study between 1984 and 2002 revealed that women whose diets provided the most kaempferol had a 40% reduction in risk of ovarian cancer, compared to women eating the least kaempferol-rich foods. In addition to spinach, foods richest in kaempferol include tea (nonherbal), onions, curly kale, leeks, broccoli, and blueberries.

A significant 34% reduction in ovarian cancer risk was also seen in women with the highest intake of the flavone luteolin (found in citrus). Int J Cancer. 2007 Apr 30; Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 May;79(5):727-47.

Helping You Bone Up

The vitamin K provided by spinach-almost 200% of the Daily Value in one cup of fresh spinach leaves and over 1000% of the Daily Value in one cup of boiled spinach (which contains about 6 times as much spinach)-is important for maintaining bone health. Vitamin K1 helps prevent excessive activation of osteoclasts, the cells that break down bone. Additionally, friendly bacteria in our intestines convert vitamin K1 into vitamin K2, which activates osteocalcin, the major non-collagen protein in bone. Osteocalcin anchors calcium molecules inside of the bone. Spinach is also an excellent source of other bone-building nutrients including calcium and magnesium.

Cardiovascular Protection from Spinach

For atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, few foods compare to spinach in their number of helpful nutrients. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin C & vitamin A, the latter notably through its concentration of beta-carotene. These two nutrients are important antioxidants that work to reduce the amounts of free radicals in the body; vitamin C works as a water-soluble antioxidant and beta-carotene as a fat-soluble one. This water-and-fat-soluble antioxidant team helps to prevent cholesterol from becoming oxidized. Oxidized cholesterol is able to stick to and build up in blood vessel walls, where it can cause blocked arteries, heart attack or stroke. Getting plenty of vitamin C and beta-carotene can help prevent these complications, and a cup of boiled spinach can provide you with 294.8% of the daily value (DV) for vitamin A along with 29.4% of the DV for vitamin C.

Spinach is also an excellent source of folate. Folate is needed by the body to help convert a potentially dangerous chemical called homocysteine that can lead to heart attack or stroke if levels get too high, into other benign molecules. In addition, spinach is an excellent source of magnesium, a mineral that can help to lower high blood pressure and protect against heart disease as well. A cup of boiled spinach contains 65.6% of the daily value for folate and 39.1% of the daily value for magnesium.

In addition to its hefty supply of cardioprotective vitamins and minerals, a study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry has revealed that spinach Rubisco contains four peptides (protein components) that inhibit angiotensin I-converting enzyme-the same enzyme blocked by ACE inhibitor drugs, which are used to lower blood pressure. When given to laboratory animals bred to be hypertensive, spinach produced a blood pressure lowering effect within two to four hours. How much spinach did the animals have to eat to get this beneficial effect? Just 20 to 30 mg of these powerful spinach peptides for each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of their body weight. In human terms, what this suggests is that an entrée-sized spinach salad for lunch or a serving of steamed spinach as part of the evening meal may have a salutary effect on blood pressure two to four hours later.

Promotes Gastrointestinal Health

The vitamin C and beta-carotene in spinach help to protect the colon cells from the damaging effects of free radicals. And the folate in spinach helps to prevent DNA damage and mutations in colon cells, even when they are exposed to cancer-causing chemicals. Studies show that people who eat foods high in vitamin C, beta-carotene, and/or folate are at a much lower risk of getting colon cancer than those who don't.

Anti-Inflammatory Nutrients

The nutrients in spinach can also help with conditions in which inflammation plays a role. For example, asthma, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis are all conditions that involve inflammation. Since beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin K all have anti-inflammatory properties, they can be helpful for reducing symptoms in some patients. In addition, the magnesium and riboflavin in spinach, two nutrients of which it is an excellent source, may help to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks in people who suffer from them.

A Smarter Brain with Spinach

In animal studies, researchers have found that spinach may help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related related declines in brain function. Researchers found that feeding aging laboratory animals spinach-rich diets significantly improved both their learning capacity and motor skills.

Vitamin E-rich Leafy Greens Slow Loss of Mental Function

Mental performance normally declines with age, but the results of Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP) suggest that eating just 3 servings of green leafy, yellow and cruciferous vegetables each day could slow this decline by 40%, suggests a study in the journal Neurology (.Morris MC, Evans DA, et al.) Compared to people who consumed less than one serving of vegetables a day, people who ate at least 2.8 servings of vegetables a day saw their rate of cognitive decline slow by roughly 40%. This decrease is equivalent to about five years of younger age, said lead author Martha Clare Morris, ScD, with Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

The prospective cohort study, funded by the National Institute of Aging, used dietary data from 3,718 participants (62% female, 60% African American, average age 74). Mental function was assessed with four different tests: the East Boston Tests of immediate memory and delayed recall, the Mini-Mental State Examination, and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, taken at the start of the study and then again after 3 and 6 years.

After adjusting the results for potential confounders such as age, sex, race, education, and cardiovascular risk factors, the researchers found that consuming an average of 2.8 vegetable servings each day was associated with a 40% decrease in cognitive decline, compared to those who ate an average of less than one (0.9) serving a day. Of the different types of vegetables, green leafy vegetables had the strongest association, said Dr. Morris.

Surprisingly, no relationship was found between fruit consumption and cognitive decline.

Morris hypothesizes that this may be due to the fact that vegetables, but not fruits, contain high amounts of vitamin E, which helps lower the risk of cognitive decline. Also, vegetables, but not fruits, are typically consumed with a little fat, such as olive oil or salad dressing, which increases the body's ability to absorb vitamin E.

The Rush University researchers plan further research to understand why fruit appears to have little effect and to explore the effects of citrus fruit, specifically, on cognitive decline. Bottomline: If you remember to enjoy at least 3 servings of leafy greens each day, you are much more likely to remember other things as well!

Better Eyesight from Spinach

Lutein, a carotenoid protective against eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and cataract, is found in green vegetables, especially spinach, as well as kale and broccoli. But egg yolks, although they contain significantly less lutein than spinach, are a much more bioavailable source whose consumption increases lutein concentrations in the blood many-fold higher than spinach,shows a human study published in the Journal of Nutrition.

Although the mechanism by which egg yolk increases lutein bioavailability is not yet known, it is likely due to the fats (cholesterol and choline) found in egg yolk since lutein, like other carotenoids, is fat-soluble and cannot be absorbed unless fat is also present. To maximally boost your lutein absorption from spinach, we suggest enjoying this vegetable, whether steamed, sautéed or fresh in spinach salad, with a little olive oil and/or a topping of chopped hard-boiled egg to provide your body with some fats to help enhance the bioavailability of this fat-soluble phytonutrient.

Iron for Energy

Cooked spinach is an excellent source of iron, a mineral that it particularly important for menstruating women, who are more at risk for iron deficiency. Boosting iron stores with spinach is a good idea, especially because, in comparison to red meat, a well-known source of iron, spinach provides iron for a lot less calories and is totally fat-free. Iron is an integral component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from the lungs to all body cells, and is also part of key enzyme systems for energy production and metabolism. And, if you're pregnant or lactating, your needs for iron increase. Growing children and adolescents also have increased needs for iron. In one cup of boiled spinach, you'll be provided with 35.7% of the daily value for iron.

So while spinach probably won't make you super strong the minute you eat it, as it did for Popeye, it will promote your health and vitality in many other ways. It seems like Popeye was pretty smart after all.

Vegan Fact

Anyone who eats flesh & eats/wears animal products and/or who profits from animal exploitation is not vegan.

Gandhi quote

“There is no road towards peace; peace is the road” Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi quote

“If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide.” Mahatma Gandhi

Vegan Fact

27 million American animals die in a single day to give their muscles, hair, skin, bones, milk, and eggs, to human beings. -- vegan facts

Sleep Deeper With Better Nutrition by David Wolfe

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-wolfe/sleep-deeper-with-better_b_414911.html

Pot a Plant for a Happier Household

Pot a Plant for a Happier Household
A review of studies found that indoor plants seem to improve mood, comfort, and air quality while lowering stress.
By Leah Zerbeo

Propagate the plants you already have to boost your mood and save money at the same time.
LINK TO FULL ARTICLE BELOW

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Need a midwinter pick-me-up? Instead of reaching for a cup of coffee, you might want to pot a plant, instead. A recent review of the psychological benefits of indoor plants published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that our leafy friends can boost mood levels, reduce fatigue, improve reaction time, lower stress, and even boost pain tolerance.

THE DETAILS: Swedish and Norwegian researchers analyzed more than 20 studies focusing on plants and their psychological benefits and found that many studies linked houseplants with positive benefits, including improved performance in an office or classroom, increased pleasantness, lower anxiety, and lower blood pressure. No studies registered negative effects related to indoor plants, although a few studies did not show significant mood improvement.

Please read the full article: http://www.rodale.com/houseplant-propagation?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_01_05-_-Top5-_-NA

Solar energy’s dirty little secret

Solar energy’s dirty little secret
by Todd Woody
6 Jan 2010
Link to full article below

Solar energy has long been one of the great hopes for fighting climate change and liberating the world from fossil fuels. And it’s easy to see why solar has captured the collective imagination: All those photovoltaic panels look so shiny, futuristic, clean, and green.

A cauldron. Producing solar PV modules involves a witch’s brew of toxic chemicals. And spooky fog for good measure.That’s not quite the case. Any form of energy production has its dirty side and solar is no exception. While its impact is nowhere near that of coal-fired power plants, photovoltaic modules are made from a witch’s brew of toxic chemicals. Arsenic, cadmium telluride, hexafluoroethane, lead, and polyvinyl fluoride are just some of the chemicals used to manufacture various types of solar cells.

None of this poses much, if any, threat during a solar panel’s working life. Solar modules—which are linked together to form a solar panel—for instance, are solid state and encased in glass or other protective material to keep them dry. The problem, as the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition pointed out in a 2009 report, comes at the beginning and end of a panel’s life. Toxins potentially can be released during the manufacturing process—putting workers at risk—and when panels finally hit the scrap heap decades later.

Please read the full article: http://www.grist.org/article/2010-01-06-solars-dirty-little-secret

Excellent article: It takes a community to sustain a small farm

It takes a community to sustain a small farm
by Steph Larsen
5 Jan 2010
Link to full article below

These days it seems the most popular person to be in the food system is the “local farmer.” Farmers markets are popping up everywhere, and their size and popularity grow all the time. Local food is trendy—even the First Family is in on it.

But as anyone who has ever raised grain or livestock can tell you, the farmer is not the only person in the chain of players from her farm to your fork. In addition to producers, your food chain includes processors, distributors or transporters, and retailers.

In other words, to have a truly local food system, we also need local butchers, bakers and millers, local truck drivers, local grocers, and a community that supports them in all their efforts.

Please read the full article: http://www.grist.org/article/2010-01-05-it-takes-a-community-to-sustain-a-small-farm

U.S. breaks with ‘drill anywhere’ energy policy, Salazar announces

U.S. breaks with ‘drill anywhere’ energy policy, Salazar announces
Agence France-Presse
7 Jan 2010
LINK TO FULL ARTICLE BELOW

WASHINGTON—The United States is moving away from the “drill anywhere, whatever the cost” energy policy of the previous administration, officials said Wednesday as they announced reforms in the way oil and gas leases are attributed.

“We don’t believe we have to be drilling everywhere and anywhere,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told a news conference where he and other officials announced changes to the way the U.S. government manages onshore oil and gas exploration leases.

“We believe we have to have a balanced, thoughtful approach that allows for the development of oil and gas resources but at the same time protects the treasured landscapes of America,” Salazar said.

Read the full article:
http://www.grist.org/article/2010-01-07-u.s.-breaks-with-drill-anywhere-energy-policy-salazar-announces

Bacteria Linked To Feces Found In Nearly Half Of Fast Food Soda Fountains

Bacteria Linked To Feces Found In Nearly Half Of Fast Food Soda Fountains
by Gazelle Emami
Huffington Post
01- 7-10
LINK TO FULL ARTICLE BELOW

Didn't think the fast food industry could get any grosser? Well it can.

This time, it's not the food, but the soda fountains to be worried about. According to Tom Laskawy, a media and technology professional and blogger for grist.org, a team of microbiologists from Hollins University found that 48% of sodas tested from the fast food fountains contain coliform bacteria, which is typically fecal in origin. And most bacteria found were antibiotic resistant, as icing on the cake.

The microbiologists published their findings in the International Journal of Food Microbiology. They tested 90 beverages from 30 soda fountains. Their abstract states:

...Coliform bacteria was detected in 48% of the beverages and 20% had a heterotrophic plate count greater than 500 cfu/ml. [...] More than 11% of the beverages analyzed contained Escherichia coli [E. Coli] and over 17% contained Chryseobacterium meningosepticum. Other opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms isolated from the beverages included species of Klebsiella, Staphylococcus, Stenotrophomonas, Candida, and Serratia. Most of the identified bacteria showed resistance to one or more of the 11 antibiotics tested.

Read the full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/07/fecal-bacteria-found-in-n_n_413733.html?grist

5 Ways to Enjoy the Surprising Pleasure of Parsnips

5 Ways to Enjoy the Surprising Pleasure of Parsnips
Sweet and tasty parsnips are more than the carrot's country cousin.
By Amy Ahlberg

Get a great dose of fiber, vitamin K, and folate.
LINK TO FULL ARTICLE BELOW

If you normally pass up parsnips in the produce aisle, grabbing carrots, their orange cousins, instead, it's time to give this underrated root a chance. For starters, a cup of raw, sliced parsnips contains 6.5 grams of fiber, nearly double the amount found in carrots. The white veggie is also a good source of potassium and an excellent source of vitamin C and folate.

In addition, one cup of parsnips supplies nearly 40 percent of your daily requirement of vitamin K, which plays a role in blood clotting. And a study done in the Netherlands has shown that this vitamin, which is produced by bacteria in the intestines but is also available in foods, may also improve bone health. The researchers found that when 70 postmenopausal women consumed 1 milligram of vitamin K daily for three months, they experienced significant decreases in calcium lost through the urine. The vitamin may also help control blood sugar; research has shown that men (but not women) who took 500 micrograms of vitamin K a day for around three years were less likely to develop insulin resistance. More research is needed to determine if vitamin K can fend off diabetes.

The folate found in parsnips not only prevents life-threatening neural-tube defects during pregnancy, it's also essential for normal nerve functioning, helps support cell production, and helps prevent anemia and osteoporosis-related bone fractures. It has been shown to lower the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease and may help protect against cervical and breast cancers.

When shopping for this gently sweet, nutty-tasting vegetable, choose smaller, firm roots, as very large specimens may be woody. Avoid any that are soft, shriveled, or spotted.'

Read the full article:
http://www.rodale.com/parsnip-recipes?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_01_06-_-Top5-_-NA

The Vita Myth

The Vita Myth
Do supplements really do any good?
By Emily Anthes
Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010
LINK TO FULL ARTICLE BELOW

Deciding what to eat for dinner can be mind-bending. How do we keep track of the ever-evolving recommendations for what to put on, and leave off, the plate? Red meat might cause cancer! But don't replace it with tofu—soy concoctions might be carcinogenic, too! Don't even try to figure out where carbs stand this week. And the verdict on coffee, chocolate, and alcohol changes faster than you can order a mocha martini.

Vitamins—with their promise to bridge the gap between the nutrients our bodies need and those they get—have always seemed reassuringly simple: Just pop a multivitamin and let your body soak in those extra nutrients. But not any longer. During the past few years, study after study has raised doubts about what, if any, good vitamins actually do a body. They could even pose some real medical risks.

Read the full article:
http://www.slate.com/id/2240688/?yahoo=y

California Bans Trans Fats, What and Where Is Next?

California Bans Trans Fats, What and Where Is Next?
January 8, 2010
LINK TO FULL ARTICLE BELOW

New Year’s resolutions usually include a clause promising oneself to practice healthier habits. Sometimes this involves eating more nutritious foods or exercising. New Year’s resolutions for Californian residents, yes all 36+ million of them, have been made that much easier with the newly implemented statewide trans fat ban. Signed into law in July 2008, restaurant chefs have had two and half years to plan for the January 1, 2010 implementation date, and can no longer cook with the omnipresent, cheap-artery-clogging oils used in most restaurant food preparations.

All oils, margarines and shortenings used in frying and cooking must contain less than 0.5 percent trans fat per serving; violators face up to $1,000 fines. Exempt until 2011 are baked and deep fried items that use trans fats. A similar ban exists in New York City, Philadelphia and in parts of Maryland.

It’s obvious that we’re moving in the trans fat-free direction in all food sectors; remember back in 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required all food manufacturers to list trans fatty acids on packaged food’s Nutrition Facts labels. Singling out these artificial oils on foods prompted many manufacturers to remove them altogether from their products.

Read the full article: http://www.supermarketguru.com/index.cfm/go/sg.viewArticle/articleId/953

Teens turn vegetarian for health - their own and animals'

Teens turn vegetarian for health - their own and animals'
By Edgar Sanchez
Thursday, Jan. 07, 2010

Vegetarianism seems to be a rising and popular trend among teens. More and more every year are taking the pledge to be meat-free.

Some people may argue that a vegetarian diet lacks proper nutrition, but according to the American Dietetic Association, "vegetarianism is the way to live a healthy life, by beating heart disease, avoiding obesity and providing great sources of protein, iron and calcium."

Read the full article:
http://www.modbee.com/life/buzzz/story/997527.html

Video clip of whalers ramming anti whaling vessel.

Video clip of whalers ramming anti whaling vessel.
Note the vessel that was struck was dead in the waterproving that the Japanese whaling ship clearly attacked them. Please consider boycotting all productsmanufactured in Japan, or of Japanese origin. Also be sureto tell vender's
why you're making this decision.
Video link already cued > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dXCR9LX-Kc&feature=related

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

New Rule Will Expose Hidden Dangers in Pesticides

New Rule Will Expose Hidden Dangers in Pesticides--A new regulation from the EPA is aimed at helping consumers find out what's really in the products they spray on their lawns and in their homes.
By Emily Main LINK TO FULL ARTICLE BELOW

Let the EPA know you support the new rule, and until it goes into affect, find other nontoxic ways to control pests.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Under a new rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the ingredients lists on pesticide labels may finally reflect what's really in the product. The agency has long required manufacturers to list the active ingredient—the chemical that does the killing. But the EPA has always let them bunch the other ingredients, which can encompass as much as 99.5 percent of a product, into a generic unnamed group simply labeled "other" on the package. Now, after being petitioned by different groups concerned about the safety of those "other" ingredients, the EPA has proposed a new rule requiring them to say specifically what all that stuff is.

PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE: http://www.rodale.com/epa-pesticides?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_01_05-_-Top5-_-NA

Saicho

Earth, mountains, rivers - hidden in this nothingness.
In this nothingness - earth, mountains, rivers revealed.
Spring flowers, winter snows:There's no being or non-being, nor denial itself.
Saisho (circa 1490)

Animals have feelings

Please take care of animals!!
Please be aware of their presence!!
Animals have feelings too!
In my opinion, they feel More than we do, so often.
Birds often mate for life.

Please see: http://vision02.com/birds-have-feelings/

10 Reasons Why We Should Not Eat Tuna

http://www.fishinghurts.com/f-tuna.asp

Excellent websites on why we should not eat fish

http://www.nofishing.net/

http://www.fishinghurts.com

Grace and the Goddess: Avatar as a Christian Pagan Parable

http://anamchara.com/2009/12/27/grace-and-the-goddess-avatar-as-a-christianpagan-parable/

Safety of Beef Processing Method Is Questioned

Safety of Beef Processing Method Is Questioned
By MICHAEL MOSS
December 31, 2009
Link to full article below

Eight years ago, federal officials were struggling to remove potentially deadly E. coli from hamburgers when an entrepreneurial company from South Dakota came up with a novel idea: injecting beef with ammonia.

The company, Beef Products Inc., had been looking to expand into the hamburger business with a product made from beef that included fatty trimmings the industry once relegated to pet food and cooking oil. The trimmings were particularly susceptible to contamination, but a study commissioned by the company showed that the ammonia process would kill E. coli as well as salmonella.

Officials at the United States Department of Agriculture endorsed the company’s ammonia treatment, and have said it destroys E. coli “to an undetectable level.” They decided it was so effective that in 2007, when the department began routine testing of meat used in hamburger sold to the general public, they exempted Beef Products.



TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/us/31meat.html?_r=3&th=&emc=th&pagewanted=all

[Read 383 comments:
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/us/31meat.html ]

Enjoyable Article: The Fast Food Industry's 7 Most Heinous Concoctions

The Fast Food Industry's 7 Most Heinous Concoctions
By Brad Reed, AlterNet August 27, 2009

http://www.alternet.org/story/142237/

Crazy things to do with Coca Cola

Crazy Things To Do With Coca Cola!

http://members.tripod.com/~Barefoot_Lass/cola.html

Coconut Water - One of Earth's most Perfect Drinks

Coconut water is water that comes from a green, young coconut (not the aged, brown, fuzzy kind you find in the grocery store). And it’s fat free, unlike it’s aged sisters, whose water has hardened to a sweet meat that is high in fat. 



Did you know that as little as 11 fluid ounces of coconut water contains more potassium than a banana? And the same size serving of coconut water contains more than 15 times the potassium found in the average sports drink!

Ten reasons why coconut water is worth adding to your diet:

1. It contains the five essential electrolytes: potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, and calcium.

2. It replenishes the body’s fluids after a workout
.

3. It provides immune support and detoxification
.

4. It cleanses the kidneys and eases stomach aches.

5. It regulates function of the intestine
.

6. It improves muscle performance and allows for quicker muscle recovery after a workout
.

7. It promotes smoother skin and healthier hair and nails
.

8. It boosts circulation by carrying oxygen and nutrients to cells.

9. It promotes heart health, weight loss and mental acuity.

10. It reinforces proper alkaline balance

.

Landshare - a great idea for landowners & organic farmers

http://www.landshare.org/index.php

Seasonal Produce - Eat According To Earth's Local Harvests

Winter	Spring	Summer	Autumn/Fall
Beetroot	Purple Sprouting Broccoli	Asparagus	Wild mushrooms
Cabbage	Carrots	Courgettes (Zucchini)	Sweetcorn
Leeks	Spring onions (Scallions)	Mange Tout	Beetroot
Onions	New potatoes	Globe Artichokes	Sweetcorn
Brussels Sprouts	Spring greens	Garden Peas	Cauliflowers
Shallots	Lettuces	Green beans	Carrots
Parsnips	Asparagus	Cucumber	Marrows
Swede	Broad beans	Lettuces	Broccoli
Spinach	Spinach	Radishes	Butternut squash
Curly Kale	Rhubarb	Watercress	Turnips
Artichokes		Peppers	Cabbages
Pumpkin		Tomatoes	Parsnips
Apples		Sweetcorn	Celery
Pears		Summer berries	Leeks
Nuts		Cherries	Apples
		Currants	Pears
		Plums	Almonds
		Melons	Chestnuts
		Apricots	Elderberries
			Grapes
			Figs

Edible Landscaping - Beautifies your yard, Fills the world with beauty & food, & helps animals!

Some ideas along the lines of edible landscaping....

Fruitful Hedges Come in All Shapes and Sizes!
Tall Evergreen Screens: Pineapple Guava Loquat Oranges Lemons Grapefruits	Espalier Fruiting Hedges: Fig Peach Apple Plum Pear Nectarine Persimmon
Short Evergreen Screens: Bayleaf Rosemary Kumquats and their hybrids	Outstanding Flower and Fruit Shows: Pomegranate Blueberry Blackberry

GIY: Sprout your own cotton seeds!

Sprout your own cotton seeds!
Learn how:

http://berenguel.blogspot.com/2009/06/cotton-seed-germination.html

GIY: Grow your own edible ginger!

Learn to germinate Ginger!

http://berenguel.blogspot.com/2009/10/ginger-germination.html

GIY: Grow your own lemon trees FROM SEED!

Learn how to germinate your own lemon seeds!


http://berenguel.blogspot.com/2009/06/lemon-seed-germination.html

Germinate your own apple trees from seed!! :)

Read how to do it - apple seed germination!

http://berenguel.blogspot.com/2008/07/apple-seed-germination.html

Very Cool! How to germinate strawberry seeds!

http://berenguel.blogspot.com/2008/08/strawberry-seed-germination.html

Totally Awesome!: Sprouting Pineapple Seeds (Did you know that pineapples have cute little seeds in them?)

SEE HOW TO DO IT!
http://berenguel.blogspot.com/2008/08/pineapple-seed-germination.html