Buy 7

 

I have lots of shopping bags in my car, in my mudroom, folded inside my backpack so I don’t have to take a plastic or paper bag from the store. Many of them are canvas and are durable but take up alot of space. I like to have some that can compress easily into a small space until needed. Check out Flip and Tumble’s colorful collection, cheaper the more you buy- get every color, buy for gifts, folds into a little ball, weighs next to nothing, useful. If you buy more than 7, it’s $7 each. Figures, it’s Josh’s post. 

VIA: Joshspear.com

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No Space, No Excuse- You, Too, Can Garden

Great article at Sunset.com about gardening in a small space. I’ve been envious of Barbara’s large field of endless beds- well now I feel better about intensifying my garden beds-and a wonderful video on how to grow a garden in a container- watch this Teresa!!!  Let’s do some gardening on your deck this summer! 

Hat tip: Guy Kawasaki

Red-winged Blackbird Symphony

I had a beautiful walk at the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, MA. As I enter the trailhead there is a blackboard (not blackbird..) where visitors can chronicle the birds and mammals and reptiles they have seen on their visit; on the list were river otters, muskrats, ducks, geese, Grebes, snakes, hatched eggs. 

There were dozens of Red-winged Blackbirds at the edges of the marsh. Flying up and catching insects in midair, quite unafraid of my walking by. I now know the song of this bird- it was like a blackbird symphony. The call is like a yodel and a harsh trill.

To hear the song of the red-winged blackbird, click here.

YouTube Symphony Orchestra

An orchestra created entirely through YouTube performed in New York’s Carnegie Hall on Wednesday night. After auditioning over 3,000 musicians -via YouTube submissions- and tallying via online “favorites” voting with final judging by major orchestras, 93 were chosen  from 30 countries and flown in to perform Chinese composer, Tan Dun’s ‘Internet Symphony No. 1’ . Apparently the performance had a standing ovation (around the world) and in particular at Carnegie Hall under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.

Check out YouTubeSymphony.com

Subscribe to their VLOG 

There hours of concert waiting for you. Full symphony as well as 3 little kids playing a 6-handed piano piece! Astonishing.

“Interactive, creative, fluid, democratic” are some descriptive words from Thomas.

Hat Tip: guykawasaki, twitterer  Ridiculant Blog 

A Multi-Billion Dollar Market with or without Side-Effects?

If you are reading this you are concerned or at least curious about your bone health. There are options. It’s your choice.

We hear about it all night on television.

A problem of epidemic proportions. 

Consider these statistics: 

•Approximately 34 million Americans over the age of 50 are estimated to suffer from decreased bone density 

•Bone and joint disease are a leading cause of disability, affecting over 16 million adults in the United States 

•According to recent figures, 66 million adults — one in three —report chronic joint symptoms 

Sources: Office of the US Surgeon General, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Bony tissue is a chemical storehouse, serving as a repository for essential minerals. It contains 99% of the body’s calcium and releases amounts of  this element as needed to assist in heart, muscle and nerve action. Bone marrow is a blood generator. It produces red blood cells, necessary for transferring oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body. Marrow synthesizes white blood cells that help fight off infection and platelets which enable blood to clot and assist in healing. Healthy bones are also a factor in preserving healthy joints, promoting the retention of cartilage and synovial fluid that keep the joint lubricated and cushioned against shock. Without strong, healthy bones, none of these processes are possible. 

If just drinking milk and taking calcium supplements worked we would all have healthy bones, wouldn’t we? 

If you are reading this, you are looking for options, right? Read on.

You will want to know about a revolutionary formula for bone health by Dr Narain Naidu: OsteoDenx from Nikken represents a unique advance in support of healthy, strong bones. 

Only OsteoDenx is designed to promote both aspects of bone health — the release and absorption of vital mineral compounds, and the formation of new bone tissue.* 

OsteoDenx is not a calcium nutritional supplement. It is not a prescription osteo drug. Ordinary supplements merely provide minerals such as calcium and phosphorus in an effort to replace what is depleted every day. OsteoDenx is different: it is designed to complement the body’s natural tissue growth and to help support the physical process of preserving bone density.* 

In its role as a bone health supplement, OsteoDenx helps support a range of physical and systemic activities that are necessary to sustain life. 

»Bone health requires constant replenishment.

Nutritional supplements can supply the raw materials that are needed for bone regeneration. But that is only part of the process. These materials need to be absorbed into bone tissue and converted to usable form. With calcium supplementation alone, much of the ingredients will never reach the intended destination. A large proportion of ingested calcium is excreted, because the body only consumes enough for its immediate needs. Prescription osteo drugs also have their limitations. Pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements both offer essential biochemicals. But by themselves, they lack any mechanism for assisting bone tissue’s ability to make use of these resources. That’s the unique difference with OsteoDenx. It includes a patent- pending transport system that is formulated to support the body’s own, natural replenishment of calcium and other minerals.* 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. 

Let me know if you want to know more about Osteodenx. I am very excited to be able to offer this product and business opportunity to people at this time. Leave a comment below.

Free Yoga

In the winter I loved being at home and having my yoga practice continue with new challenges and new ideas. Now it’s spring and I still don’t feel like leaving home.

There are some great online sources that are free others that are by subscription. Here are a few that I’ve enjoyed lately:

 

 

YogaToday

 

 

 

 

Beginner to advanced 5 minute class or 1 hour. $9.95

My Yoga Online

And of course there are many youtube videos. Choose your level and all you need is your sticky mat- turn off the phone and there you go.

I’d like to hear what classes you’ve enjoyed online. Please do comment.

Green Alternative to AAA

 

 

 

The relief of the arrival of the tow truck, or mechanic to help fix a flat tire when you can’t find the jack or jump a dead battery; that’s been AAA. Good service but environmental and consumer values that I don’t align with. What to do?

Now there is an alternative: Betterworldclub. 

They offer the same services as other companies and more:

– Emergency Roadside Assistance
– Travel Products and Services
– Insurance Products and Services

AND:

•Better World Club donates 1% of revenue to environmental cleanup and advocacy

•They currently respond in 38 minutes

•The nation’s only socially responsible, environmentally friendly roadside assistance and travel club, balances its members’ transportation needs with their desire to protect the environment.

• The first travel company to offer Carbon Credits to fight global warming

•Discounts on hybrid rental cars

•The nation’s only bicycle roadside assistance

•Special discounts on “green” hotels/eco-travel

• Free Carbon Credits when auto insurance is purchased from BWC

•A unique policy agenda includes supporting state attempts to regulate autos to reduce greenhouse gases

• Recognize Domestic Partners

AND

• The nation’s first and only bicycle roadside assistance service is now available exclusively through Better World Club.

I applaud this company and their commitment to possibility and change.

 

via: youngmacro

Skyeman Sez

There are fewer and fewer dark spaces all the time, and any light you can see from space is wasted energy. Until more people can see “the real sky” at night, we’ll feel more and more apart FROM Nature instead of feeling a part OF Nature.

Check out the International Dark Sky Association:
http://www.darksky.org/ 

 

AND Check out need-less.org To learn about keeping your light use smart and for those who may be using excessive and poorly directed exterior lighting to consider their actions.

 

Via: Steve Cooperman AKA SKYEMAN

Soft Drinks Out of Style–but now what?

There is good news and bad news about soft drinks. According to Mintel, a research group, 15 million soda drinkers made a switch over the 5 years between ’03 and ’08. But what did they switch to? Half of the soda drinkers switched to “diet” soda! My opinion, as you all know by now, is that I wouldn’t drink either, but that “fake” sweet is much more dangerous to our health. And you also know that the carbonation is dangerous for our bone health.

But back to the statistics:  Wellness and making choices strikes a chord in their research!

“As health and wellness awareness grows, more people are turning away from old-fashioned pop and looking for healthier, lower calorie drinks, as well as drinks that offer the functionality to meet their specific lifestyle needs.” 

People are choosing healthier, non- soda options: 24 million more Americans drank bottled water in 2008 than in 2003, energy drink users nearly doubled from 2003 to 2008 (to 34.5 million from 17.4 million) and 11 million adults started drinking sports drinks.

BUT WHAT ABOUT WATER? Mintel’s research showed that only 34% said they’re drinking more water and less carbonated beverages to manage weight or other health conditions, compared to 2006. Cited as reasons to drink less soda were weight control, health risks of high-fructose corn syrup, less artificially sweetened beverages because of risks.

“During the past few years, health and wellness issues have come to the forefront of people’s minds, and we see that strongly reflected their changing beverage choices.”

That’s great, but WHAT ABOUT WATER?

According to Fooducate.com “Soft drinks are a very lucrative market for the food industry. The raw materials are dirt cheap (water, sugar, food coloring), and the returns are very high.” And don’t forget that Pepsi and Coca Cola now hae huge water divisions, bringing us more plastic bottles and tap water of questionable value. 

(I add: Water has no calories, tap water is practically free, I’d rather filter my water and drink water, and tea. Why not invest in a good water filter ? Check out  Nikken’s PiMag Technology and drink filtered and energized water for pennies.)

 

 

 

 

Via: Yahoo Finance