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Gardening Gets You And Your Loved Ones Outdoors For Exercise And Time Together

April 1, 2011 By

Gardening is good for you in many ways. Besides giving you better views to enjoy, gardening improves your physical, nutritional and mental health.

Here’s how, courtesy Bonnie Plants, a label you’ll see on many vegetable and herb plants available for spring and summer planting at garden centers nationwide.

Power of sunlight. When you work in the yard, the sun helps the body make vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones and may slow the progression of osteoporosis. The positive powers of sunlight also work on the mind.

Physical fitness. To reap the benefits of gardening, you have to do more than just patter about. The most energetic activities in terms of calories used are digging and shoveling. If you spend 30 minutes on either of these activities, you burn 200-360 calories. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Fitness Tagged With:

Wash Your Hands! It’s Global Handwashing Day

October 15, 2010 By

Mom was right. Washing your hands keeps you healthy.

That’s why countries around the world — 80 in all — will celebrate Global Handwashing Day on Friday, Oct. 15.

In the United States, we may scoff at a day to celebrate handwashing, but in many developing countries, handwashing in no joking matter. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health Care Tagged With: ,

More Ethanol to Be Allowed in Cars

October 13, 2010 By

The Obama administration plans to allow higher levels of ethanol for gasoline used by newer cars, a step that would benefit corn growers but which has been strongly opposed by auto makers, livestock ranchers, oil refiners and some public-health advocates.

As early as Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency plans to announce it will allow ethanol levels in gasoline blends to be as high as 15% for vehicles made since 2007, up from 10% currently, according to two people familiar with the matter. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biotechnology, Energy Tagged With:

How To Keep Warm In The Face Of The Cold Weather

December 13, 2009 By

how to keep warm in the face of_With Puducherry experiencing cold days and nights in the last few days, adequate precautionary measures against health problems, especially viral fever and respiratory infections, are the need of the hour, according to doctors.

The coastal town recorded a maximum temperature of 29.0 degree Celsius and minimum temperature of 23.1 degree Celsius on Saturday. Several persons have started to find refuge in woollen clothing, including sweaters and head covers.

According to doctors, it is important for people to avoid exposure to the cold weather. “Exposure to the cold weather can cause upper respiratory tract infections. In the present condition, it is better for people to stay indoors most of the time.

If they are going out, it is essential to cover the face, especially the ears,” T.K. Dutta, Professor and Head, Department of Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research said.

Even more important was to keep children warm and remain indoors, especially during early morning and at night, he advised.

Those who already suffer from asthma, especially children, should take extra care, insisted R. Rajarathinam, Assistant Professor of Medicine. “If exposed to this inclement weather, such persons could develop wheezing. A lot of people have respiratory infections now caused by virus. This will get aggravated if exposed to the cold weather,” he explained, adding that protection against mosquito bites was important.

Medical Superintendent of Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Post Graduate Institute V. Govindaraj said stagnation of water near houses should be avoided as it would turn into mosquito-breeding sites.

“Avoid visiting crowded places and, if affected by influenza or cold, it is better to be isolated to prevent the spread of virus. Wash hands and face with warm water after coming from outside. For cold, steam inhalation will give relief,” he said.

However, there were cases of chikungunya-like viral fever with symptoms of joint pain and vomiting this season, doctors mentioned.

With regard to A(H1N1) influenza, Dr. Dutta said it was found that the incidence of the flu had increased in north India with falling temperature levels.

“There is no need for fear in south India, as the temperature levels will not fall to a great extent here as happens in north India,” he said. The Hindu

Filed Under: Home & Family Tagged With: ,

A Well-Landscape Yard

November 17, 2009 By

a well-landscape yard_Home experts say that a well-landscaped yard can improve your real estate’s value by as much as 15 to 25 percent, while poorly landscaped properties detract from the value of the home. Obviously, well-maintained lawns are critical to an overall tidy appearance. If your lawn is patchy or has bald spots, you may need to invest in a lawn renovation. Most lawns need regular seeding, aerating and fertilizing for an overall healthy appearance. Also, there are plants to fit any style, color preference and mood. Just do your homework, or call in someone for help when it comes to selection the plants that not only will thrive and look beautiful in the given environment, but will grow in harmoniously over the years to come.

Nevertheless, building your pond so it fits well into your landscape is adding beauty to the environment. Now, if you plan on building your own, you can buy a kit, use a preformed tub, or start from scratch with a rubber liner or cast cement. Each form has its advantages and disadvantages in durability, ease of construction and design flexibility. Towards this process, after probably having your pond in placed, most likely you also need pond pumps to move and circulate the water throughout the pond. Depending upon the size and needs of your pond, an external or submersible pump will be needed and require the least amount of maintenance.

Filed Under: Home & Family Tagged With: ,

Ranch Water Project Begins

July 16, 2009 By

ranch water project_John Trumbo – Owners of the Barker Ranch in West Richland found a better way to manage their wetlands and put thousands of acre-feet of water back into the Yakima River.

State officials and representatives of the private hunting preserve near Horn Rapids will break ground today on a three-mile project to enclose open earthen ditches with 63-inch-diameter pipe.

A $5.6 million grant from the Washington Department of Ecology is helping pay for the cost, with a goal of saving up to 6,400 acre-feet of water a year. Piping the ditch will reduce water loss through seepage and evaporation, said Tom Tebb, Department of Ecology’s regional director for Central Washington, in a statement issued Monday.

The project will make it possible to reduce the ranch’s diversion at a point above the Yakima River’s confluence with the Columbia River.

“The Barker Ranch project represents the kind of conservation we need in the Greater Columbia Basin to best make use of a finite resource,” Tebb said.

“This project puts a large amount of water back into a critical reach of the Yakima River in perpetuity and is an example of how we can retool our existing systems to better manage water resources in the years to come.” he said.

As a protected, private hunting property, the Barker Ranch provides habitat for 175 different species of birds, members of the Audubon Society noted in recent surveys.

The habitat mix on the ranch includes wetland, riparian, tall upland grass and shrub-steppe environments.

The ranch is under a permanent Wetland Restoration Program easement administered by the Natural Resource Conservation Service, or NRCS.

Michael Crowder, general manager of the ranch and an adjunct professor at Washington State University Tri-Cities, said the project fits well with the ranch owners’ mission of wetland restoration and wildlife management.

The ranch’s wetland helps recharge ground water supplies, filter nutrients and sediments out of the water and aid in flood water retention.

“The Barker Ranch is a very unique wetland system for Eastern Washington. This project allows more water to stay in the rivers to support fisheries and aquatic habitats,” said Leigh Nelson, state irrigation engineer for the NRCS, in a release.

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