5 Flowering Garden Plants That Scoff at Drought

These five plants performed particularly well, and they seemed to scoff at the drought while other plants around them wilted.

1. Rudbeckia — above

The Rudbeckia genus is perfectly suited for drought-tolerant garden plantings and is commonly available at garden centers. Black-eyed Susan, R. hirta, is so frequently used in landscaping projects that a lot of home gardeners may turn their noses up at them, but give them a shot too.

2. Celosia

Cockscomb’s crested form makes  favorite in this genus, but the feather/flame-shaped blooms are just as drought tolerant.

3. Coneflower

There are a lot of coneflower cultivars available, but none of them seem to hold up as well to drought in my garden as the common purple coneflower.




4. Nicotiana

Several species of Nicotiana are grown as ornamental plants, and their sweet-smelling flowers will have you walking through the garden in the evening to inhale their wonderful aroma.


 


5. Zinnia

There are lots of cultivars available for the garden, ranging in color, height and flower size. For my money, there is no other annual that is able to withstand the heat and drought and still produce beautiful blooms.

MARS PANORAMA

It is fantastic! You can move the image around or up and down. The clarity is amazing. Definitely expand it to full screen and be amazed at the views...WOW

Here's a complete panorama image of Mars taken from the Curiosity camera. Just click on

Mars Panorama.

Interactive 360 degree panorama viewers

To view the cylindric or spherical panorama in a way which you call an Interactive VR Panorama you need a viewer.

During the last years the fullscreen idea introduced by panoramas.dk has been adapted to many other viewers than Quicktime and with the introduction of Flash panorama viewers and the option for Fullscreen in Flash 9 you can now enjoy real fullscreen panoramas which covers all your screen.

20 Benefits of Walking

Indian telecoms not excited about iPhone 5

Cupertino, Calif.-based technology giant Apple Inc. recently took wraps off the iPhone 5, creating a great buzz all over the world; but Indian telecom operators are not excited about the newest iPhone at all.

While sales of the iPhones account for a considerable portion of US service operators’ revenues, Indian telecom operators do not the iPhone as a great opportunity.

Indian operators are of the opinion that selling the iPhone is not a good business sense for them because the 

Cupertino firm’s business proposition for Indian operators are very competitive.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an official from a top Indian operator said, “We don’t like their business proposition. They want us to sell a huge number (of the iPhone), which doesn’t make commercial sense.”

Moreover, Indian smartphone market is very price sensitive and thus selling very costly phones is not viable enough.

Even if the iPhone 5 is launched in India, its heavy price will be a major obstacle for consumers. The iPhone 5 is expected to cost in the range of between Rs. 45,000 and Rs. 50,000.

The iPhone 5, which features a bigger (4-inch) display and a slimmer profile than the iPhone 4S, will be available in the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Australia starting Sept.21st.

UK unemployed numbers fall by 7,000

According to the latest data released, the total number of people without jobs in the UK fell by 7,000 between May and July.

The Office for National Statistics data showed that the number of unemployed stood at 2.59 million, which is about 8.1 per cent of the population. The data also showed that the number of people dependent on jobseeker's allowance fell by 15,000 to 1.57 million, recording its highest fall since June of 2010.

The average earnings increased by 1.5 per cent till July. However, the average earnings fell 0.3% on the previous month. The number of people employed in the country increased by 236,000 to 29.6 million. In London, the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance fell by a substantial 5,500, indicating that the London 2012 Games played a role in decreasing unemployment in the UK.

The data also showed that the number of part-time workers increased to its highest level since 1992 at 1.42 million. ONS revealed that the number of people employed in the public sector fell by 235,000 to 5.7 million and female unemployment rose by 3,000 during the quarter.

You may get call from Facebook if profile identity is suspect

Social networking giant Facebook is making a "huge effort" to weed out fake profiles to prevent misuse of such identities, a senior company official has said.

"Absolutely, there is a huge effort," Facebook India business manager Pavan Varma told PTI when asked about the company's action on this front.

If Facebook doubts the ownership of an account, it will ask the user to identify himself/herself, he said.

Full Coverage on Apple's new iPhone

The doubt about the authenticity of the account will arise if an account has a generic name instead of a proper name, uses images of celebrities/ cartoon characters as display pictures, or does not have "enough friends", Varma said.

"It could even be that Facebook comes back to you saying, `could you help us identify yourself if you don't have enough friends, because we don't want fake identities," he said.

"We are worried about the experience we deliver....It's not about protecting our brand identity so much," he said.

Recently there were reports of fake accounts being created by computer programs, which are used for inflating the number of "likes" on Facebook page for a brand.

Facebook had recently said it would be taking out fake "likes" generated by spammers, malware and black marketers.

Varma said advertisers must also shed the obsession with numbers. "How does an advertiser today treat a Facebook page? It is treated as a place where they just come with a number of people who are there. But that is a wrong way of doing it," he said, stressing that the conversations around the brand should assume importance rather than the numbers.

Mere "likes" on the page do not help a brand, he said. Companies generally pay Facebook for a dedicated page on its platform that helps them connect with the target audience.

IDBI Bank claims it has over five lakh fans on Facebook, Varma said, who was speaking to PTI on the sidelines of a banking summit.

He added that Facebook, as a medium, is completely secure and cited the case of ICICI Bank, which now offers basic services over the Facebook page by integrating its net banking platform with the social networking site.

Virgin takes West Coast mainline case to MPs

Virgin Trains, a group company belonging to Sir Richard Branson, will appeal to the MPs in the UK to resolve the West Coast mainline case.

Virgin Trains is aiming to legally challenge Government’s decision to award the London to Manchester route to First Group. Virgin has stressed that it cannot afford its £5.5billion bid for the project. Sir Richard Branson will use the hearing before the MPs to convince them that the system does not allow firms to run services at a profit and taxpayers money is then used to meet the gaps.

Due to the legal challenge posed by Virgin Trains, First Group is not likely to receive keys to the line on 9 December for the 14-year contract. Virgin had offered to run the line free of cost until the matter is resolved. However, some leaders might be considering the option of nationalizing the line on a temporary basis.

The leaders have raised concerns about how the decision to change the franchise would affect fares and levels of service on the route. The remarks comes after Louise Ellman, the chairman of the House of Commons transport committee wrote to transport secretary, Justine Greening urging for a delay in signing of the final contract until important issues are discussed.

More than 100,000 members of the public have signed a petition against the decision and it is also being supported by several celebrities including host of TV show The Apprentice, Lord Sugar, and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

Kindle Fire HD: First impressions

Amazon's new Kindle Fire HD boasts a much more vibrant screen than the original tablet that came out about a year ago. That makes buying movies and TV shows to watch on the device a lot more appealing.

The screen is such a major improvement that I can't see why you would purchase the upgraded non-HD older model, even if it means saving $40. The new offering brings the new Kindle Fire HD into closer competition with Apple's market-leading iPad, which introduced a higher resolution screen earlier this year.

By the numbers, the difference between screens on the new and older model doesn't seem that big. The smaller Kindle Fire HD, with a screen measuring 7 inches diagonally has a screen resolution of 1280 x 800. Last year's 7-inch model, and the upgraded version with better innards unveiled Thursday, has a screen with 1024 x 600 pixels.

That doesn't come close to the latest iPad, which has a resolution of 2048 x 1536. Nonetheless, this upgrade feels like a big leap for Amazon. It means not seeing any of those annoying pixels, a welcome relief that feels even better when you consider the price. At $199, versus $499 for the latest iPad, I can see this being a popular stocking stuffer this Christmas.

Amazon has also made a couple of important design changes in its new HD models. For one, the speakers are now on both sides of the device when held in landscape mode, meaning you can watch movies in Dolby Digital Plus stereo sound without headphones. The old Kindle Fire had stereo speakers off to one side when held this way, and that hasn't changed with the upgraded version that now costs $159.

Both the upgraded Kindle Fire and new HD 7-inch models also come with a full suite of new features that are nifty but not game-changing.

Both devices will feature the "X-Ray" series of features that provide insights into the book or movie you're enjoying.

An on-screen tap during a movie will list actors in the scene, with more clicks, you can learn more about them from Amazon's movie information service IMDb. In books, X-Ray has been a popular feature on the Kindle Touch that now works on Kindle Fire. It gives you a bird's eye view of where characters or ideas appear later on in a book.

Amazon.com Inc. has also upgraded its audio book offerings. "Immersion Reading" allows you to read a book while hearing narration from a famous actor. I find this feature to be a distraction, but some book lovers will appreciate it.

For parents, Amazon has added a system that can control how much time a child can spend on various media. So, you could limit how much your kids can watch video and play games, but let them read as much as they want.

The 7-inch models ship Sept. 14. The larger 8.9-inch screen Kindle Fire HD, which costs at least $299 and comes with an even better 1920 x 1200 pixel screen, won't ship until Nov. 20.

The Top September 11 Conspiracy Theories

Numerous unfounded conspiracy theories about the September 11 attacks continue to circulate, especially on the Internet. Some of the most popular myths are:

1) The World Trade Center (WTC) twin towers were destroyed by controlled demolitions.

This is how the collapses may have appeared to non-experts, but demolition experts point out many differences:

•  Demolition professionals always blow the bottom floors of a structure first, but the WTC tower collapses began at the upper levels, where the planes hit the buildings.

•  Non-experts claim that debris seen blowing out of windows was evidence of explosive charges, but experts identify this as air and light office contents (paper, pulverized concrete, etc.) being forced out of windows as floors collapsed on each other.

•  Demolition firms had very sensitive seismographs operating at other sites in Manhattan on September 11. None recorded signs of any explosions prior to the tower collapses. Instead, seismic spikes were noted when debris began hitting the ground.

•  Cutting away walls, insulation, plumbing, and electrical conduits to place numerous charges on the towers’ structural columns in advance would not have gone unnoticed.

•  Clean-up crews found none of the telltale signs of controlled demolitions that would have existed if explosive charges had been used.

•  For more information, see ImplosionWorld’s article (PDF, 56 K) on the WTC collapses, the March 2005 Popular Mechanics, parts 4 and 5, “The Attack on the World Trade Center Towers,” and the video 9/11 Debunked: Controlled Demolition Not Possible.

2)  No plane hit the Pentagon on September 11. Instead, it was a missile fired by elements “from inside the American state apparatus.”

Conspiracy theorists making this claim ignore several facts:

•  The remains of the bodies of the crew and passengers of American Airlines flight 77 were found at the Pentagon crash site, and positively identified by DNA.

•  The flight’s black boxes were also recovered at the site.

•  Numerous eyewitnesses saw the plane strike the Pentagon. Some saw passengers through the plane’s windows. Missiles don’t have windows or carry passengers.

•  Numerous photographs show airplane debris at the crash site, as was also witnessed by survivors and rescue personnel. See sections 4:57 to 6:00 of the “911 Case Study: Pentagon Flight 77” video for pictures of airliner debris.

•  For more information, see “Did a Plane Hit the Pentagon?” and Popular Mechanics, part 6.

3)  United Airlines flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania, was shot down by a missile.

•  The cockpit voice recorder of this flight was recovered and showed that the passenger revolt caused the hijackers to deliberately crash the plane. The hijackers controlled the plane until its impact. See full transcript.

•  The U.S. military did not learn that flight 93 had been hijacked until several minutes after it crashed, as tapes released in 2006 demonstrate.

•  The military never gave interceptor pilots authorization to shoot down United flight 93. See an article on the tapes.

•  Listen to the 45-second message to her husband left by flight attendant CeeCee Lyles on her home answering machine.

The Pentagon attack site on September 14, 2001. (© AP Images)

4)  World Trade Center building 7 was destroyed by a controlled demolition.

•  This allegation was fueled by a comment by the WTC owner that, after WTC 7 was judged to be unstable, he recommended pulling a group of firefighters out of the building, using the phrase “pull it” in reference to the contingent of firefighters.

•  Conspiracy theorists have interpreted the “pull it” remark as slang for demolishing the building with explosives. But demolition experts say “pulling” a building means attaching long cables to a weakened structure and literally pulling it down with bulldozers and other powerful machinery — not using explosives.

•  The audio tracks of video recordings of the WTC collapse showed no evidence of the extremely loud sounds that would have indicated the use of explosives. Also, seismographs recorded no telltale spikes or anomalies.

•  An exhaustive three-year investigation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) concluded that fires caused by the collapse of the nearby WTC north tower caused fires that burned out of control in WTC 7. These fires caused steel beams to expand and buckle, leading to the collapse of the building.

5)  The planes that hit the World Trade Center towers were remotely controlled.

•  Boeing, which manufactured the planes that struck the towers, stated that all its commercial jet transports are configured so that they cannot be controlled from anywhere except the flight deck of the aircraft.

•  Passengers onboard the flights made several phone calls. All reported that hijackers had commandeered the planes.

•  For more information, see “The Attack on the World Trade Center Towers.”

6)  Insider trading in the stocks of United Airlines and American Airlines just before September 11 is evidence of advance knowledge of the plot.

•  The 9/11 Commission investigated this issue in detail, concluding, “Some unusual trading did in fact occur, but each such trade proved to have an innocuous explanation.”

•  For example, it stated, “much of the seemingly suspicious trading in American [Airlines stock] on September 10 was traced to a specific U.S.-based options trading newsletter, faxed to its subscribers on Sunday, September 9, which recommended these trades.”

•  For other examples, see The 9/11 Commission Report, “Notes” section, page 499, footnote 130.

7)  Four thousand Jews failed to show up for work at the World Trade Center on September 11.

•  It appears from media reports that some 10 percent to 15 percent of WTC victims were Jewish, indicating there were no mass absences.

•  The “4,000” figure apparently came from an early statement by the Israeli Foreign Ministry that some “4,000 Israelis” were believed to be in the New York and Washington areas, where the attacks occurred. This figure was apparently seized upon by conspiracy theorists, in an attempt to bolster the false rumor.

•  For more information, see “The 4,000 Jews Rumor.”

8)  Al Qaida is not responsible for the September 11 attacks.

•  Al Qaida leaders, including Osama bin Laden, have repeatedly confirmed that they planned and carried out the September 11 attacks.

•  In an audiotape released on May 23, 2006, bin Laden stated, “I was responsible for entrusting the 19 brothers … with those raids..”

•  In a November 2001 tape, bin Laden said, “We calculated in advance the number of casualties … who would be killed. … I was the most optimistic of them all. … Due to my experience in this field, I was thinking that the fire from the gas in the plane would melt the iron structure of the building and collapse the area where the plane hit and all the floors above it only.”

•  For more information, see “Al Qaida Confirms It Carried Out the September 11 Attacks.”

Out of the depths of sorrow and sacrifice will be born again the glory of mankind.

Isro's 100th mission: PSLV-C21 puts 2 foreign satellites in orbit

The Indian space odyssey crossed a historic landmark on Sunday when a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C21) put in orbit two foreign satellites.

It marked the 100th space mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) which started the journey in 1975 with the launch of its first satellite 'Aryabhata.'

Among those who watched the majestic rocket lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, 100km north of Chennai, was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

At the end of a 51-hour countdown that started on Friday, PSLV-C21 lifted off at 9.53am. After 17 minutes and 49 seconds, it injected the first satellite, the French SPOT-6, into orbit. Soon, the second satellite, the Japenese Proiteres was put in orbit. There were, however, some anxious moments when the trajectory on the giant screens at the mission control room showed the rocket's blip deviate slightly midflight, which appeared to have been corrected later.

Scientists cheered and shook hands as the mission was pronounced a success and the Prime Minister congratulated the scientists. "India is justly proud of its space scientists who have overcome many odds to develop our own technology for space missions," he said.

It was PSLV's 21st consecutively successful flight. PSLV-C21 is India's 38th satellite launch vehicle to lift off from Sriharikota. It has so far put in orbit 62 Indian satellites. The two numbers add up the century that Isro celebrated on Sunday.

Besides buttressing its technological mastery, Isro, with its latest launch, has cemented its place in among the space-faring nations as a sought-after commercial launcher. Isro's commercial arm Antrix Corporation has received several requests from foreign countries to launch their satellites for a price.

Some plants can filter airborne chemicals

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the levels of air pollutants inside homes can far exceed the levels outside, thanks to household cleaning products, central heating and cooling systems, and other indoor sources.

But scientists have found that certain plants can scrub your home of airborne chemicals, albeit gradually.

In addition to figuring out how to land a car-size rover on Mars, scientists at NASA have investigated ways to rid spacecraft of airborne pollutants, some of them common offenders in our homes as well.

The agency found that at least 15 common indoor plants could filter—to one degree or another—pollutants like the carcinogens benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is commonly found in drapes, glues and coating products.

Benzene is a component of paint supplies and tobacco smoke, and trichloroethylene is used in adhesives, spot removers and other household products.

According to the research, some of the plants most effective at cleaning these compounds from the air are devil’s ivy, peace lilies, Pleomele, gerbera daisies and Sansevieria trifasciata, commonly called snake plant.

Two other plants, the ficus and Japanese aralia, are also effective.

5 Tips For a Water-Saving Veggie Garden

Across the various social media sites that I use, gardeners have been talking about the drought, and what it means for their gardens and what plants they will grow in the future. Many are wondering whether there is room for a vegetable garden in a drier future. Some are looking at ways to conserve water, and others are looking at vegetable varieties that have adapted to growing in hot and dry conditions.

Below are some suggestions for vegetable gardening in times of drought that I’ve gleaned from research and these conversations.

1. It Starts with the Soil

Well-amended soil is the foundation of a vegetable garden that will tolerate drought. Prepare your garden’s soil by adding lots of rich, organic compost that will help trap moisture and encourage deep root formation in plants. Biochar aids soil fertility, and this highly porous charcoal also helps the soil retain water.

All of this soil amending is for naught if you aren’t mulching to reduce evaporation and water runoff. A thick carpet of mulch will also keep down the weeds that compete with your vegetables for water and nutrients

2. Plant Smarter to Beat the Heat

Plant your vegetable garden in block-style layout rather than in rows to create microclimates and shade and to reduce water evaporation.

Lay out your vegetable garden so that plants with similar water requirements are grouped together. For example, cucumbers, zucchini, and squash all have similar water needs. Focus on vegetables that produce abundant crops like tomatoes, squash, peppers and eggplants.

Edit the number of plants you grow to conserve water and space. One or two determinate tomato plants can serve your needs. Unless you can’t live without them, avoid growing space and water hogs like broccoli and cauliflower.

3. The Three Sisters Garden Explained

Use planting Techniques like the Three Sisters Garden, which is a companion planting method that the Native Americans have used for ages that you can employ in your own garden.

In the Three Sisters Garden mound, beans fix nitrogen into the soil, corn provides support for the beans to grow up, and the bristles on the squash stem protect the corn from the corn earworm while shading the soil all three plants grow in.

4. When Plants Need Water

If your vegetables are planted before the hot and dry days of summer arrive, they’ll have time to establish a root system that will allow them to survive the hotter days. Deep watering will train roots to grow deep into the ground. A drip irrigation system will deploy water where it is needed and potentially reduce your water consumption by as much as 50%. Soil amended as described above should be able to go between two and seven days between irrigation.

Knowing at what stage of development your vegetables will need water can also help you reduce the amount of water you use. Vining crops like cucumbers, assorted melons, summer and winter squash are frequently over-watered by gardeners.

They require less water than many other vegetables, and watering is only critical during flowering and fruiting. The same goes for eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes. In fact, this year has been great for tomato lovers because the heat and drought has lead to some of the most flavorful tomatoes in recent years.

5. Choosing Vegetables for Drought Tolerance

A few years ago, at the dedication ceremony of the organic rooftop farm at Uncommon Ground, the farm manager told me she had to research farming techniques in the American Southwest to be able to produce food for the restaurant. The conditions –just a few feet above ground — were so different that it was like she wasn’t gardening in Chicago anymore.

Seek out plants and varieties that do well in hot and arid locations. You can purchase seeds for agricultural crop varieties that are arid-land, adapted from sources like Native Seeds/SEARCH.

Beans have the highest water requirement of all of the common garden vegetables. And cole crops and root crops need a consistently moist soil during their life span. But you can still grow your favorite vegetables even if they aren’t exactly adapted to growing in a dry garden.

Varieties with short days to maturity are a viable option if you are conserving water in the garden. As are miniature varieties like the mini bell peppers and eggplants I grow because they need less water for fruit development than their larger counterparts.

Drought Tolerant Vegetable Suggestions

This is by no means a complete list of vegetables and herbs that will tolerate drought, but the list can serve as a place to start.

1. Low prickly pear cactus-edible fruits and leaf pads of O. humifusa
2. Rhubarb-once mature is drought resistant.
3. Swiss Chard
4. ‘Hopi Pink’ corn
5. Asparagus-once established
6. Jerusalem artichoke
7. Legumes: Chickpea, Tepary beans, Moth bean, Cowpea, ‘Jackson Wonder’ lima bean.
8. Green Striped Cushaw squash
9. ‘Iroquois’ cantaloupe
10. Okra
11. Peppers
12. Armenian cucumber
13. Sage
14. Oregano
15. Thyme
16. Lavender
17. Amaranth-green leafed varieties
18. Rosemary
19. ‘Pineapple’ tomato
20. Chiltepines-wild chiles

Do you have any suggestions for other vegetables that handle drought well? Let us know in the comments.

New Zealand Grants a River the Rights of Personhood Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/new-zealand-grants-a-river-the-rights-of-personhood.html#ixzz25wUyuFPT

From the dawn of history, and in cultures throughout the world, humans have been prone to imbue Earth’s life-giving rivers with qualities of life itself — a fitting tribute, no doubt, to the wellsprings upon which our past (and present) civilizations so heavily rely. But while modern thought has come to regard these essential waterways more clinically over the centuries, that might all be changing once again.

Meet the Whanganui. You might call it a river, but in the eyes of the law, it has the standings of a person.

In a landmark case for the Rights of Nature, officials in New Zealand recently granted the Whanganui, the nation’s third-longest river, with legal personhood “in the same way a company is, which will give it rights and interests.” The decision follows a long court battle for the river’s personhood initiated by the Whanganui River iwi, an indigenous community with strong cultural ties to the waterway.

Under the settlement, the river is regarded as a protected entity, under an arrangement in which representatives from both the iwi and the national government will serve as legal custodians towards the Whanganui’s best interests.

“Today’s agreement which recognises the status of the river as Te Awa Tupua (an integrated, living whole) and the inextricable relationship of iwi with the river is a major step towards the resolution of the historical grievances of Whanganui iwi and is important nationally,” says New Zealand’s Minister for Treaty for Waitangi Negotiations, Christopher Finlayson.

“Whanganui Iwi also recognise the value others place on the river and wanted to ensure that all stakeholders and the river community as a whole are actively engaged in developing the long-term future of the river and ensuring its wellbeing,” says Finlayson.

Although this is likely the first time a single river has been granted such a distinction under the law, chances are it’s not the last. In 2008, Ecuador passed similar ruling giving its forests, lakes, and waterways rights on par with humans in order to ensure their protection from harmful practices.

And, while it may seem an odd extension of rights, in many ways it hearkens back to a time when mankind’s fate was more readily acknowledged as being intertwined with that of the rivers, lakes, and streams that sustained us — a time in which our purer instincts towards preserving nature needn’t be dictated by legislation.

Photo Credit: Felix Engelhardt [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

5 Ways To Develop Your Climate Literacy

As I head back to school and prepare to teach my students all about environmental topics, including atmospheric pollution and climate change, I’m reflecting on the importance of climate literacy for everyone. I’ve been extremely disappointed by recent comments from politicians that demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding of basic science principles including human reproduction and transmission of infectious disease, or a complete denial of climate science. If these politicians are representing my interests, shouldn’t they understand scientific principles that impact me? Shouldn’t we all understand how the world works, whether it’s human biology or atmospheric science?

We can’t make educated decisions that will have the most positive impact on the most people if we’re simply not educated.

I graduated from high school in 1999, and while I took many science courses, I never took a course in environmental science and I never learned any of these topics. I majored in Biology and spent hours dissecting specimens, but I never learned about climate change. I became interested in environmental topics and started educating myself on my own time by reading articles and books, watching documentaries, and talking to other educated people. After I finished my first MS degree, I decided to keep on going and started working toward a second MS degree in Environmental Education. I studied side by side with people who had a desire to really understand how our environment works. Though I decided to take a break from my studies to spend more time with my family, I still continue to read and learn more on my own. And I look forward to continuing my education someday.

Climate Literacy

Do you feel that you’re “climate literate”? Do you know the make-up of the atmosphere, understand the greenhouse effect, and know the difference between global warming and ozone depletion? Ten or even five years ago my answer would have been NO! The good news is that anybody can learn climate science. If you didn’t learn it in school, that doesn’t mean you’ll never become climate-literate. There’s nothing wrong with admitting you don’t know!

5 Ways To Develop Climate Literacy

1. Identify what you don’t understand and develop questions to answer.

Since I’m a teacher, I plan every topic with a goal in mind and have some objectives. Are you wondering how climate change could impact your area? Do you know how they develop models that predict the impact of climate change? Have you seen the evidence for climate change? Or maybe, more basic things are what you’d like to learn: how exactly does carbon dioxide impact the greenhouse effect, and what does that mean for us? Write down your questions and start learning. But on the other hand, you don’t always need to have a specific question in mind. Your goal can just be to learn something new.

2. Find a reputable source of information.

Just like looking for medical information, I’d caution against trusting Dr. Google. Of course the internet is a wealth of information, but there are lots of sites that are not trustworthy. When it comes to educating yourself about climate change, pay attention to who is running websites that you visit. NASA’s site on Global Climate Change has great information, for example. If you come to a site run by a university, you can typically consider that to be a great source of information as well. If you want to learn science topics, you need to learn it from scientists, not from politicians or industries that may have ulterior motives. Visit your local library to find books and magazines if you’re looking for actual papers to hold in your hands. My husband, for example, hates to use the computer and doesn’t really like reading–except for his subscription to National Geographic, from which he has learned so much about climate change (and lots of other topics) in a way that is enjoyable to him.

3. Make it fun!

You don’t just have to read. Why not visit your local aquarium, zoo or museum? Many have exhibits that deal with climate change in a fun, interactive way that’s both enjoyable and educational for you and your children. You can also check out local bookstores and universities that host guest speakers for events that you may learn from. Wherever you go, bring along your inquisitive mind, speak up, and ask questions.

4. Share what you have learned with your family and friends.

Now, I’m not saying you need to become a climate preacher. But why not involve your children in what you learn? Why not mention what you’ve learned to your spouse, siblings or parents? Why not share your enthusiasm with your friends? Chances are that they’ll appreciate hearing how you’ve learned and grown. They may even have questions themselves and enjoy discussing it with you.

5. Take action!

You can take steps to reduce your own carbon emissions, and you can make these a part of fun family activities. It’s great to make changes to our own lives, but it doesn’t have to stop there. There’s a good chance that once you become climate-literate you will have concerns that you will want to take to your representatives, so contact them. Attend a local event like those sponsored by Moms Clean Air Force or 350.org, and find ways to combat climate change on a larger level.

By

Abbie Walston

Bermuda Triangle Mystery - Facts and Myths

For decades, the Atlantic Ocean’s fabled Bermuda Triangle has captured the human imagination with unexplained disappearances of ships, planes, and people.

 

Some speculate that unknown and mysterious forces account for the unexplained disappearances, such as extraterrestrials capturing humans for study; the influence of the lost continent of Atlantis; vortices that suck objects into other dimensions; and other whimsical ideas.  Some explanations are more grounded in science, if not in evidence.  These include oceanic flatulence (methane gas erupting from ocean sediments) and disruptions in geomagnetic lines of flux.

Environmental considerations could explain many, if not most, of the disappearances.  The majority of Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes pass through the Bermuda Triangle, and in the days prior to improved weather forecasting, these dangerous storms claimed many ships.  Also, the Gulf Stream can cause rapid, sometimes violent, changes in weather.  Additionally, the large number of islands in the Caribbean Sea creates many areas of shallow water that can be treacherous to ship navigation. And there is some evidence to suggest that the Bermuda Triangle is a place where a “magnetic” compass sometimes points towards “true” north, as opposed to “magnetic” north. 

The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard contend that there are no supernatural explanations for disasters at sea.  Their experience suggests that the combined forces of nature and human fallibility outdo even the most incredulous science fiction. They add that no official maps exist that delineate the boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle. The U. S. Board of Geographic Names does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle as an official name and does not maintain an official file on the area.

The ocean has always been a mysterious place to humans, and when foul weather or poor navigation is involved, it can be a very deadly place.  This is true all over the world.  There is no evidence that mysterious disappearances occur with any greater frequency in the Bermuda Triangle than in any other large, well-traveled area of the ocean. 

Does the Bermuda Triangle really exist?

The Bermuda Triangle or Devil’s Triangle is a mythical geographic area located off the southeastern coast of the United States. It is noted for an apparent high incidence of unexplained losses of ship, small boats, and aircraft.

The Coast Guard does not recognize the existence of the so-called Bermuda Triangle as a geographic area of specific hazard to ships or planes. In a review of many aircraft and vessel losses in the area over the years, there has been nothing discovered that would indicate that casualties were the result of anything other than physical causes. No extraordinary factors have ever been identified.

12 MOST POISONOUS FROGS IN THE WORLD

1. Strawberry Poison Dart Frog

These kinds of frogs have bright red skin and the little strawberry dart frog. They are mostly found in Central America. These kinds of frogs are very dangerous for humans. It gets poison from eating mites. According to the latest research that rather than ants as was previously thought it is different species of the minuscule which are found in the frog’s skin. The main cause of poison in the frog are mites not it.

2. Splash-backed Poison Frog

It has black and white skin. It finds in rainforest of Ecuador and Peru. It has very dangerous poison in its skin to be capable of killing five humans in one time. It looks a nice and beautiful frog but it is a very harmful frog of the world.

3. Golden Poison Frog

It is a deadly poison frog of the world. It finds in Netherlands and can kill up to 20 people and two big elephants of Africa. The human can died if he even touches that. It’s poison attack direct on the heart and fails it.

4. Phantasmal Poison Frog

This harmful frog is tiny but has a toxicity hat belies its size. Its poison can easily kill animals and also the humans. The number of these frogs is very low in the world.

5. Dyeing Dart Frog

This use poison for self defense and it comes in different colors. It is the third largest frog of poison frogs. The poison of this frog is also used by tribes fro hunting purpose.

6. Red-backed Poison Frog

It is looks like a tiny and wondrous frog and also does any serious injury to humans and has a power of poison to kill animals. It has a great defense against any enemy. Its poison is very dangerous as like a poison of a big snake.

7. Black-legged Dart Frog

It is 2nd most toxic frog of the world. You can find this frog in Western Colombia. It is smaller than other frogs. It is also less dangerous than other. But still its poison can kill somebody.

8. Giant Leaf Frog

It is very interesting frog and known as monkey frog. It is a very menacing frog. It can become cause of cancer and AIDS and other dangerous diseases. This frog itself injects the poison in other’s body.

9. Lovely Poison Frog

This wonderful poison frog also known as striped poison frog. It is mostly finds in Central America. The poison of this frog is low as 0.8 micrograms and also dangerous for human. It cause for heart failure.

10. Blue Poison Dart Frog

This frog has low quality poison but still it is harmful for humans. It lives at South America. Its 2 micrograms of poison can kill a human easily. It can kill any predator not warned away by its voice like coloring.

11. Golfodulcean Poison Frog

This wonderful frog is strikingly colored. It contains noticeably less poison than the three species ahead of it in the toxicity stakes

12. Corroboree Frog

These dangerous frogs are easily recognizable by their yellow stripes and finds at Australia. This frog can produce poison by itself. They east bugs and insects. This is a beautiful frog but have poison for others.

Fasting Diets

Most religions use periods of fasting as a means of demonstrating faith or penitence, and an opportunity for spiritual reflection. Fasting has also historically been a means to express political views and a form of protest.

Though it may not be the most practical -- or safest -- diet, some people use fasting as a way to lose weight or to cleanse the body of toxins, although some experts say our bodies are perfectly equipped with organs that already do the job. How fasting is used for weight loss varies by diet. Some fasting diets involve drinking nothing but water or eating only raw foods for a period of one or more days, while others restrict food on alternate days. Certain fasting diets only allow liquids like water, juice, or tea, while others dramatically cut calories but do not eliminate food altogether.

Does Fasting Help You Lose Weight?

When you fast, your body is forced to dip into energy stores to get the fuel it needs to keep going, so you will lose weight. The big question is how long you will keep that weight off. Because food was often scarce for our ancestors, our bodies have been genetically programmed to combat the effects of fasting. When you eat less food, your metabolism slows down to conserve energy. Then, when you go back to your usual diet, your lowered metabolism may cause you to store more energy, meaning that you will probably gain back the weight you lost and possibly even put on more weight when eating the same calories you did before the fast. 

As you fast, your body will adjust by reducing your appetite, so you will initially feel less hungry. But once you have stopped fasting, your appetite hormones will kick back into gear and you may actually feel hungrier and be more likely to binge.

Research has shown that fasting on alternate days can help people lose weight, but not for long. In one study, people who followed an alternate-day fasting diet shed weight, even when they ate all they wanted on the nonfasting days. However, they could not maintain the weight loss over time.

Can Fasting Detoxify the Body?

Some fasting diets claim that they can cleanse the body of impurities. However, there is no evidence that fasting detoxifies your body, or that your body even needs to be detoxified. It is naturally designed to remove toxins through the skin (by sweating), liver, colon, and kidneys.

Could Fasting Help You Live Longer?

Studies of fasting in both rodents and humans appear to indicate a connection between calorie restriction and longevity. In one study of overweight men and women, a calorie-restricted diet improved markers of aging, such as insulin level and body temperature.

Fasting might also improve longevity by delaying the onset of age-related diseases including Alzheimer's, heart disease, and diabetes. One study showed that skipping meals once a month, as members of the Mormon religious group do, reduces the risk of clogged arteries (the build-up of plaque that can lead to heart attacks and strokes). However, it is not clear from this research whether fasting alone or the Mormons' generally healthier lifestyle (they also abstain from coffee, alcohol, and smoking) is responsible for the improved heart health.  

Researchers do not yet know whether the effects of fasting translate into an actual increase in lifespan, because they have not followed people for long enough periods of time. However the concept of intermittent fasting, such as skipping a meal purposefully on an intermittent basis, is gaining attention. It appears to be a relatively safe way to reduce caloric intake that is easier for some people to do. The data however is not there yet nor is this an accepted practice.

Fasting for a day or two probably won't hurt people who are generally healthy, provided they maintain an adequate fluid intake. However, fasting entirely for long periods of time can be harmful. Your body needs a variety of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from food to stay healthy. Not getting enough of these nutrients during fasting diets can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, constipation, dehydration, gallstones, and cold intolerance. It is possible to die if you fast too long.

Even short-term fasting is not recommended for people with type I diabetes, because it can lead to dangerous dips and spikes in blood sugar. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or anyone with a chronic disease, should not fast. 

Before you go on any type of new diet, particularly one that involves fasting, talk to your doctor to find out whether it is safe and appropriate for you. Also ask your doctor to refer you to a registered dietitian, who can show you how to design a healthy eating plan.

Russia rebuffs Clinton on Syria, Iran penalties

Vladivostok: Russia today soundly rejected US calls for increased pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to relinquish power.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton tried to prod Moscow into supporting UN action to end the crisis in Syria and she expressed hope that Congress would repeal Cold War-era trade restrictions on Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, after meeting Clinton on the sidelines of a meeting of Pacific Rim leaders, told reporters that Moscow is opposed to US-backed penalties against the Assad government, in addition to new ones against Iran over its nuclear program, because they harm Russian commercial interests.

"Our American partners have a prevailing tendency to threaten and increase pressure, adopt ever more sanctions against Syria and against Iran," Lavrov said. "Russia is fundamentally against this, since for resolving problems you have to engage the countries you are having issues with and not isolate them."

"Unilateral US sanctions against Syria and Iran increasingly take on an extraterritorial character, directly affecting the interests of Russian business, in particular banks," he said. "We clearly stated that this was unacceptable, and they listened to us. What the result will be, I don't know."

Clinton, who also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Vladivostok, had urged Moscow to reconsider its opposition to the penalties, particularly against Syria in order to convince Assad that he should agree to a political transition, according to a senior US official.

Clinton told her Russian counterpart that the Security Council needed to do more to send "a strong message" to Assad, given the escalating level of violence in Syria, said the official, who was present during the meeting. Clinton made clear to Lavrov that the Security Council risks "abrogating its responsibility" if it fails to act.