Apr
28
Top Ten Greenest Cars
Filed Under Cars, Green Living | Leave a Comment
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s 10th annual “Greenest Cars” list:
All of the cars that made this list are by Asian auto-makers. Where’s Detroit on the trend towards cleaner, more gas efficient vehicles?
Apr
24
Lovely Lemons
Filed Under General, Green Living, Multipurpose | Leave a Comment
I absolutely love lemons. If I had to pick a favorite fruit, it would hands down be the lemon. There are so many varied uses for lemons around the house and on you as a beauty aid. Listed here are some of my favorite uses for lemons outside of eating them:
- Bring the shine back to dull pans
Do your stainless steel pans and pots come out dull after being washed. Skip the chemical solutions and try this simple solution to removing the dull residue. Squeeze the juice of a lemon into the bottom of the pan or pot. Swirl the lemon juice to coat. Put your pan or pot into the dishwasher and wash as usual. The acid in the lemon juice will remove the dull residue and your pots and pans will come out brilliantly shiny! As a bonus, when you cook tomato sauce there’s no need to add the lemon juice. The acidity of the tomato juice will achieve the same results. - Deodorize your garbage disposal
If strange and unpleasant smells emanate from the deek recesses of your sink then it’s time to grind up a lemon to remove the odors. Cut a small lemon into about eight pieces. Start running the cold water and (while the disposal is OFF) put the lemon pieces down the sink. Turn on the garbage disposal and run it until all the pieces have been ground up. - Whiten your nails
Lemons are great for removing nails that have turned yellow from too much nail polish. Squeeze the juice from one lemon into a small bowl. Remove all traces of nail polish from your fingernails. Soak your fingertips (so that the entire nail is covered) into the bowl of lemon juice for about 1 to 2 minutes. Wash your hands and then apply some lotion to your hands to replenish moisture. - Bath Soak
The high antioxidants in lemons make for a great bath soak to detoxify and rejuvenate skin. Squeeze the juice from one large lemon into a hot bath. Add the remaining lemon peel to the bath to release the lemon oil from the skin. Use a body brush to scrub the skin while you are in the bath. The circular action of the brush will stimulate your circulation while the lemon juice helps to clarify the skin.
Apr
22
More Pet Food Recalled
Filed Under Pets | 3 Comments
The list of recalled pet food keeps growing. On the latest from the Humane Society:
Rice protein concentrate used in pet food has been contaminated by melamine, testing confirmed on April 18. Melamine was also found in corn gluten in pet food in South Africa on April 19. Melamine contaminated wheat gluten has already caused more than 100 brands of pet food to be recalled. FDA suspects that the melamine may have been intentionally added to the pet food ingredients to boost the protein content although that theory has not been confirmed.
Keep an eye on the list of recalled pet food to make sure you aren’t feeding your pets tainted food. There’s a recalled list here: Recalled Pet Food and Treats. Also important to visit (and sign up for the email updates) is the Ten Things You Should Know about the Pet Food Recall page.
Two brands that offer safe, high quality pet food are Wellness Food and Innova Pet Foods.
Apr
20
Foo Foo drinks are good for you
Filed Under Health, Restaurants | Leave a Comment
Apparently the alcohol that laces fruity cocktails boosts the antioxidant power of the drink. Dr. Korakot Chanjirakul and scientists from the Kasetsart University in Thailand and the U.S. Department of Agriculture were trying to find ways to preserve the freshness of strawberries during storage. They found that applying alcohol to the fruit increased the antioxidant capacity.
Dr Frankie Phillips of the British Dietetic Association commented on the research by saying:
“This is an interesting piece of research and illustrates that the antioxidant capacity of berries can be enhanced by combining them with volatile substances such as alcohol. It’s well known that some preparation of fruit and veg can enhance the availability of nutrients and other plant chemicals including antioxidants.
Get your drink on!
Source: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture - “Natural volatile treatments increase free-radical scavenging capacity of strawberries and blackberries” Authors: K. Chanjirakul, S.Y. Wang, C.Y. Wang, J. Shiriphanich
Online article: Are fruity cocktails a healthy drink?
Apr
20
Catholicism in Science Fiction
Filed Under Fiction | Leave a Comment
An extensive annotated bibliography organized by author of fictional Catholic characters that show up in science fiction.
Apr
7
If you’re like a growing number of consumers who spend over half their food budget on dining out, you should be sure to check out Christine Bockelman’s “10 Things Your Restaurant Won’t Tell You“. On her list are why you shouldn’t eat out on a Monday, how the menus are arranged to maximize profits and why specials are always that special.
Check out 10 Things Your Restaurant Won’t Tell You