A Little Help From Up Above: Israel is Replacing Pesticides with Owls and Falcons
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 05.27.09
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/israel-replacing-pesticides-owls-kestrels-falcons.php
owl photo
Photo: Wikipedia, CC
Next Step: Bat Houses?
Farmers in Israel are doing some eco-judo, turning a problem into a solution. BirdLife International reported that many birds of prey in the region were dying because they were eating rodents that had been poisoned by pesticides. But now, there is a will to reduce the use of these poisons and instead us the birds of prey (owls, kestrels) as natural pest controllers. Good for the birds, good for the farmers. Probably not so good for the rodents, but you can’t please everybody... Read on for more details.
kestrel photo
Photo: Wikipedia, Public domain
BBC News writes:
Many farmers are installing nest boxes to encourage the birds, which hunt the crop-damaging rodents.
In Israel, where there is a drive to reduce the use of toxic chemical pesticides, this has been turned into a government-funded national programme.
Jordanian and Palestinian scientists and conservation charities have joined the scheme.
And since kestrels hunt during the day and owls hunt at night, there is a continuous ‘surveillance’ of the fields. Much better than spraying poison around...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2009
Release # 09-231
Firm’s Recall Hotline: (800) 347-8372
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
Outdoor Play Sets Sold Exclusively at Toys”R”Us Recalled by Step2(r) Due to Fall Hazard; Swings Can Break
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of Product: Step2 Play Up Gym play sets
Units: About 4,300
Manufacturer: The Step2 Company LLC, of Streetsboro, Ohio
Hazard: The triangular hangers that attach the swing’s ropes to the upper rail of the play set can break, posing a fall hazard to children.
Incidents/Injuries: Step2 has received 17 reports of hangers breaking. No injuries have been reported.
Description: This recall involves Step2 Play Up Gym play sets. The recalled outdoor play sets include a platform, climber, slide area and two swings and have a model number of 797300. A red “Step2” logo plate is attached to the front of the play set. Play sets that have hangers with white plastic bushings are not subject to this recall.
Sold at: Toys”R”Us stores nationwide from January 2009 through April 2009 for about $400.
Manufactured in: China (hanger component), United States (play set)
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled play sets and contact Step 2 to receive a set of replacement hangers and instructions.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Step2 at (800) 347-8372 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.step2.com
To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including a picture of the recalled product, please go to:
https://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09231.html
Animal Pests, Diseases, and Insects That Can Kill Plants
Eliminating garden pests and diseases.
[Many articles]
http://www.essortment.com/in/Gardening.Plant.Diseases.Pests/index.htm
Toast, Cornbread, Rolls, Biscuits and Pretzels
Great breads recipes
http://www.essortment.com/in/Recipes.Breads/index.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2009
Release # 09-232
Firm’s Recall Hotline: (866) 403-5504
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
Home Depot Recalls Patio Umbrellas Due to Risk of Impact Injury
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of Product: Offset Patio Umbrellas
Units: About 60
Importer: The Home Depot, of Atlanta, Ga.
Hazard: The patio umbrella and its pole could tip over and strike consumers if the umbrella’s collar or sleeve is not removed prior to closing the umbrella, posing a risk of impact injury to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: Home Depot has received one report of a recalled patio umbrella tipping over and breaking. No injuries have been reported.
Description: The patio umbrellas are beige with a brown offset pole. They stand 11 feet tall. The base is a brown cross about 18 inches long.
Sold at: The Home Depot stores nationwide from January 2009 through February 2009 for about $250.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled patio umbrellas and return them to any Home Depot store for a full refund.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact The Home Depot toll free at (866) 403-5504 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.homedepot.com
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.
To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recall product, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09232.html
SAFETY TIP
PUT YOUR CAR KEYS BESIDE YOUR BED AT NIGHT This tip came from a
neighborhood watch coordinator. Tell your spouse, your children, your
neighbors, your parents, your Dr.’s Office, the check out girl at the
market, everyone you run across: Put your car keys beside your bed at
night. Just press the panic button for your car if you hear a noise
outside your home or someone trying to get in your house. The alarm
will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you
turn it off or the car battery dies. Next time you come home for the
night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It’s a
security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no
installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your
house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you
reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in
your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is
trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won’t stick
around... after a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out
their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal
won’t want that! And remember to carry your keys while walking to your
car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is
something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could
save a life or prevent a sexual assault. My Mom has suggested to my
Dad that he carry his car keys with him in case he falls outside and
she doesn’t hear him. He can activate the car alarm and then she’ll
know there’s a problem. It would also be useful for any emergency,
such as a heart attack, where you can’t reach a phone.
Dollmaker’s Journey Customer Connection newsletter is a free e-mail
newsletter. Tell your friends, family and fellow dollmakers about us,
and feel free to forward this newsletter to those who might be
interested. You can visit our companion website at:
http://www.dollmakersjourney.com/
**Notice!**
You can view this issue online. Go to
http://dollmakersjourney.com/newsletter/cc90.html
You can read all the past issues online. Go to:
http://dollmakersjourney.com/newsletter/archives.html
The archives include an easy to follow index to all the past issues.
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/dollmakersjourney?hl=en
-~—————~——~——~——~———~——~———~—~-—
Simponi (golimumab)
Audience: Rheumatological healthcare professionals
Centocor Ortho Biotech and FDA reminded healthcare professionals of the risk of serious fungal infections associated with TNF- lpha blockers, including Simponi [golimumab]. FDA has reported that histoplasmosis and other invasive fungal infections are not consistently recognized in patients taking other TNF- lpha blockers including Cimzia (certolizumab pegol), Enbrel (etanercept), Humira (adalimumab), and Remicade (infliximab). This has resulted in delays in appropriate antifungal treatment, sometimes even resulting in death. It is important that all adverse events potentially associated with Simponi be reported so that the adverse event profile reported in the prescribing information can be updated appropriately as post-approval experience is gathered. Centocor encourages reporting adverse events to Centocor at 1-800-457-6399 or to the FDA MedWatch program at 1-800-332-1088.
Read the complete MedWatch 2009 Safety summary, including links to the Dear Healthcare Professional letter, Prescribing Information, Medication Guide and previous 2008 MedWatch alert, at:
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2009/safety09.htm#Simponi
Congressional Fundraising: OpenSecrets Goes Live With Detailed 2010 Data
From a Capital Eye Post:
Now on OpenSecrets.org you’ll find:
+2010 profiles for members of Congress: Find out what each lawmaker has raised and spent so far this year; which donors, PACs and industries are already filling their coffers; what legislation they’ve sponsored; and which states and metro areas have started footing their bills.
+ PAC profiles: This includes what they’ve raised and spent; a list of the top 20 PAC contributors; the lawmakers collecting the most so far this year for any given PAC; and a breakdown of PACs by industry.
+ Updated local information: Check out which of your neighbors are already donating money to federal politics this year using our zip code search, or see whether your state is favoring Democrats or Republicans in these early days using our state profiles.
+ Widgets: We also have updated widgets for 2010 fundraising, individual races and contributions by industry that you can embed on your website or blog to help inform your visitors about money in the 2010 congressional elections. Impress your readers with these great applications, and check back with us next month for even more widget options!
Source: OpenSecrets
Has several live urs on site:
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2009/05/24/interactive-map-creates-online-memorial-to-troops/
Interactive map creates online memorial to troops & LC’s Veterans History Project
Interactive map creates online memorial to troops
Each year on Memorial Day, tens of thousands of Americans visit Arlington National Cemetery just outside Washington to pay tribute to the men and women who died serving the United States.
For people who are unable to make the trip, a new online memorial provides a unique way to honor those service members who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The new Google Earth layer, called Map the Fallen, enables the user to pinpoint where, when, and how each service member died since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. A line connects the service member’s approximate location of death to his or her hometown.
The interactive tool — available at mapthefallen.org — also offers a detailed profile of each person.
Sean Askay, a Google engineer with no military affiliation who developed the layer in his free time, explains the project on his blog.
Source: CNN (via Bay News)
See Also: Veterans History Project (via Library of Congress)
See Also: Vietnam-Era POW/MIA Database (via Federal Research Division, LC
New: Resources By & About Supreme Court Nominee, Sonia Sotomayor
May 28th, 2009
From an E-Mail:
The Law Library of Congress launched a new website on Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor. The site contains information on articles and books by Sotomayor, Congressional documents, cases, and web resources.
Direct to Web Page:
http://www.loc.gov/law/find/sotomayor.php
Source: Law Library of Congress
Four Recently Released Research Guides from the Library of Congress
May 26th, 2009
Now online:
+ Civil War: Selected Resources
+ Lost Titles, Forgotten Rhymes: How to Find a Novel, Short Story, or Poem Without Knowing its Title or Author
+ Illinois State Guide
+ Presidents of the United States: Resource Guides
Source: LC
[has live urls on site]
http://www.resourceshelf.com/page/3/
http://www.earthlypursuits.com/Food/Food.htm
Kitchen Tips
Here is a tip from an old New England family:
“If the vegetable grows above the ground, do not cover the pot when cooking them.”
(Vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, beans or peas.)
Conversely,
“If the vegetable grows under the ground, cover the pot when cooking them.”
(Potatoes, beets, parsnips or onions.)
Anyone know why?
Bacon:
When you buy bacon and only plan to use 2 or 3 slices at a time, roll them together and fasten with a tooth pick and put in Zip Lock bag in freezer, then you only take out one roll. We don’t use a whole lot of bacon, but this is nice when you need 2 or 3 slices to top baked beans or spinach.
Lettuce:
Lettuce will keep 3-4 times longer in the refrigerator if you will wrap it in paper towels and then put it into a plastic produce bag. If your grocer has paper towels available, wrap it at the grocery store. This also helps other vegetables such as green onions, cucumbers, etc.
Cheese:
Remove outer plastic wrapper. Wrap cheese completely in paper towel. Store in zip-lock type bag. Separating the cheese from the plastic helps keep it free of mold longer.
Corn:
After removing husk and as many silks as you can, twist cob gently in your hands under cold running water. This will remove almost all the remaining silk.
Onions:
If you are only going to use part of an onion, cut off what you want to use from the top stem portion and peel just this part. Leave the skin and root end attached to the piece you want to store. Store in zip-lock type bag or glass jar in refrigerator. This keeps the onion from drying out although you may need to remove a very thin slice from the cut surface before using if it is stored for several days.
Boiled Eggs:
When eggs are cooked, remove from hot water, crack and let them sit in cold water for a few minutes. Gently rub egg between your hands to finish cracking. Shell should come off easily. (I just dump the eggs out of the hot water into the sink then throw them back into the pan hard enough to crack them and run cold water over them.)
http://www.earthlypursuits.com/GardenTips/GardenTips.htm
old-fashioned garden tips/tricks INDEX
Index of tips
Vegetable Tips
Making Pumpkins Grow Fast - 1918
Early Cucumbers and Melons - 1888
Substitute for Bean Poles - 1888
Get a Second Growth of Cabbage - 1945
Organic Insect & Weed Control Tips
Potato Juice as an Insect Destroyer - 1888
Weeds on Gravel Walks - 1888
Tomato Leaves a Remedy for the Curculio - 1888
Eggshells for slugs, snails, caterpillars
Miscellaneous Tips
Driving Nails Into Hard Wood - 1888
To Clean an Old Roof - 1888
To Render Wood Uninflammable - 1888
HANDY DEVICES
Moving Large Tree 1919
Shade for Poultry Yard (Trellis)- 1919
Water Heater and Food Cooker - 1919
Window Stand for Seed Boxes - 1919
How To Plan A Garden Right - 2005
Old-fashioned tips, tricks, wisdom and lore from the 18th-20th centuries. Taken from books, magazines, pamphlets and other writings.
Have you tried any of these? Do they work? Do you have any new-fangled tips, tricks, wisdom or lore you would be willing to share?
Plant Care Articles at gardenplantcare.com
A collection of articles on different garden plants and how to take care of them.