Several stories out in the past few days about China’s vigorous response and openness after the Sichuan earthquake on May 12. BBC’s Quentin Somerville says “it is one of the most open and speedy responses to an emergency he has ever seen from Chinese state media.” The New York Times comments about an ‘uncensored’ rescue, comparing

This is an article by Allison Kaplan Sommer 02, April 2006 (apoptosis) noun: a type of cell death in which the cell uses specialized cellular machinery to kill itself; a cell suicide mechanism that enables metazoans to control cell number and eliminate cells that threaten the animal’s survival.   Fresh lemon grass fields in Israel become Mecca for cancer patients   A drink with as little

Natural area rugs, so many options how do you know what’s best for you? Since the look, feel, value and the longevity of your rug depend a lot on what material your rug is made of you will want to know a little about each different kind. The most common types of natural materials include: bamboo, sisal, jute, seagrass, cotton,

Here is Noodles in his eco-friendly hemp suit! I made these out of hemp shoe bags from ecolution! These suits are patterned with an open back (I’ll get a pic up soon). I designed this suit; my mother designed a suit which covers his back, and is nicer for chilly weather, though they are

Dad has been asking about how to keep pesky insects at bay. And after I quickly squashed his hopes of using harmful chemicals..I told him I’d put together a list of the various plants and herbs that are said to have pest and insect repellent properties. First on the list, we have Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium). It

One of my new favorite herbs is lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). The leaves emit a lemon scent when bruised, and they also taste distinctly lemony. The plant will die down in the winter, after blooming from June through October, but is classified as a perennial so it should come back in the following growing season.

Oh, this is one of my absolute favorites! I always had trouble sleeping, but was unaware that I was having trouble. You know, you go to bed..and it takes a while to fall asleep. Then when you do, even though you get about 7-8 hours you wake up feeling exhausted. That occurs when you’re not

Ok, so I realize I’ve been on a tea/herb kick lately. But over the weekend, I did an experimental run on a sun tea that Dad requested. He wanted an easy sun tea, so I concocted a blend and here it is: Ingredients: 2 tsp Jasmine flowers 2 tsp Rose buds (dried, or fresh petals from your own

APOLOGY: Hi I shouldn’t have shot off at the mouth. I am a 57 year old black woman born with thin, mostly unmanagable hair, which, of course, my grandmother straightened to death. At the age of 17, in college, I started wearing a fro, which I wore from 1968 to 1984, long after it stopped being a statement.

Every year people get bogged down with stuffy noses, watery eyes, congestion, sore throats, headaches and sneezing. The common cold rears its ugly head when the snow finally melts away and the trees get their tiny buds. Spring is normally a time when a lot of colds and viruses are passed around. It is inconvenient