Test My Brain
Test My Brain is a website dedicated to internet-based experiments and science education.
Many psychology experiments are based on data from a small number of individuals from very specific populations. By making different tests and experiments publicly available on their website, they gain valuable data from a broad cross-section of people that will help us to understand different aspects of the way the mind and brain function and generalize these findings.
So, what's in it for you? By participating in their experiments, you can learn a bit about your personality and individual aptitudes. All of our experiments are designed to provide personalized feedback that is specific to you. By making research relevant and helpful to individuals like you, they aim to make psychology and brain research more accessible and, ultimately, to promote awareness of scientific research.
We hope that Test My Brain will help close the gap between research and education. Try it out!
What's a Doggelganger?
The Pedigree Adoption Drive and NEC have developed Doggelganger: human to canine pairing software. Upload a photo of yourself to the website, (no scarves or sunglasses please) and the software scans your face and compares it to a worldwide database of homeless dogs awaiting adoption. It then picks the dog that most resembles you and provides information on how to adopt your dog twin.
Go to doggelganger.co.nz and find your dog look alike.
American Medical Association Takes A Stand
The American Medical Association (AMA) has announced that it condemns Photoshop alterations. The organization said in a statement, "Such alterations can contribute to unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image — especially among impressionable children and adolescents."
We all know that Advertising can distort perceptions of how we perceive beauty and like it or not, we are not immune to the affect of advertising. The AMA has adopted a new policy that encourages ad agencies to work with agencies devoted to child and adolescent health to develop guidelines for ads.
The goal of the AMA is to discourage the altering of photographs that promote impossible-to-achieve expectations of body image and proportions.
“In one image, a model’s waist was slimmed so severely, her head appeared to be wider than her waist,” said AMA board member Barbara McAneny, M.D. “We must stop exposing impressionable children and teenagers to advertisements portraying models with body types only attainable with the help of photo editing software.”
Regulating advertising is the Federal Trade Commission’s job but it’s refreshing to see professionals take a stand to protect us from unrealistic, unnatural and unattainable body images.
Afterall aren't we beautiful the way we are?
11th Annual Astronomy Festival in Bryce Canyon
The night sky at Bryce Canyon is so dark you can see 7,500 stars on a moonless night! This makes it the perfect place to learn about and enjoy the splendor of the night sky. Far from the light pollution of civilization, and protected by a special force of park rangers and volunteer astronomers known as "The Dark Rangers."
No visit to Bryce Canyon is complete without joining the Dark Rangers for one of their educational and entertaining celebrations of natural darkness. June 29 to July 2 visit Bryce and join hundreds who come from all over the country, many of whom bring their own telescope equipment and passion for the night. They give their time and expertise to share this ever precious resource with park visitors like you.
Invent the Next Great Thing
Do you have an idea for the best energy saving device ever made or maybe the next pet rock? Quirky.com wants to know. If you are an amateur inventor visit their site and for $10 you can submit your ideas.
Hundreds of online community members (or “Quirks”) weigh in on the products and vote for their favorites. Ben Kaufman, Quirky's founder and his team review the results and make the final call on the week’s winning submissions. They sort out complexities relating to financing, engineering, and distribution. No more will long contracts or complicated patent processes stand in the way of brilliant people who have great ideas.
Quirky will manufacture your invention and sell it too. They have retail partnerships with Bed, Bath and Beyond and HSN. Then they will share the revenue with the Quirk members who helped develop the product. They call it "social product development."
50 States for Good
50 States for Good is a national initiative by Toms of Maine to support the goodness behind grassroots community projects. Six organizations will share in our $150,000 sponsorship fund, including one organization that will be given $ 50,000!
Their panel of judges will select 20 organizations doing great things in their communities to be voted on by you. So share www.50statesforgood.com with your favorite nonprofit and encourage them to apply.
National Trails Day
The American Hiking Society is having National Trails Day on SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2011. And they guarantee that it is all made with natural ingredients.
Save the date, Saturday, June 4, 2011 to participate in a local hike, bike, horseback ride, maintenance project, paddle trip, health fair, and more.If your community organization would like to host an event or to find out more about NTD 2011, contact Heather Sable, Trail Programs Manager, at hsable@AmericanHiking.org or visit www.americanhiking.org
Go to their site and get involved in your area. Then send us your photos - we would love to post them!
TasteSpotting
Founded in January 2007 on the idea that we eat first with our eyes, TasteSpotting is an amazing collection of eye-catching images that link to something deliciously interesting on the other side. Think of TasteSpotting as a highly visual potluck of recipes, references, experiences, stories, articles, products, and anything else that inspires exquisite taste, all created by a community of food lovers from amateur home cooks to professional chefs.
And there are plenty of recipes for people with special food requirements...I searched for Gluten Free and found 725 recipes! YUM.
Where You From?
The folks at Tava are from Ohio. Loveland, Ohio to be exact. It is a beautiful town with a name to suit. Loveland, Ohio is just one of the many places that we aim to keep beautiful, lush and green with our work towards protecting the environment.
Every town and every state has something that it excels at and something that it does not quite as well. See how your state does in regard to science, nature, public health or social justice.
Ohio, as it turns out has the Top 8th-grade science students across the U.S! To be exact our 8th graders have the Highest percentage of students testing above "advanced" level in 8th-grade science. This is promising because science is such a crucial part in understanding and protecting the earth.
On the other end of the spectrum, Ohio has the most cumulative growth in cases of autism. We can all improve in some regard and knowing your weaknesses is the first step in improving them.
Share your state’s strengths and weaknesses by emailing us at blog@tavacatalog.com.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
State of the Environment Photo Project
In the spirit of Earth Day as we travel around the sun from April 2011 to April 2012, the EPA invites you to capture images of the state of the environment as you see it. Based on Documerica, a 1970s project of the same idea, they want to see photo's of the environment today - where we've come from and where we need to go.
Photos selected from those submitted might also be used in a display by EPA and the National Archives for Earth Day 2012. To allow time to prepare the 2012 display, they will be selecting from among photos submitted on or by March 1, 2012. Photos for the display should be high-resolution to allow for good printing.
- See the current group of recently submitted photos and find out how you can submit photos.
Get those camera's out and take some great pictures.
A Day to Move Beyond Fossil Fuel
Moving Planet is a worldwide rally to demand solutions to the climate crisis—a single day to move away from fossil fuels. For too long, our leaders have denied and delayed, compromised and caved. That era must come to an end: it's time to get moving on the climate crisis.
Come on bike, on skates, on a board, or just on foot. Come with your neighbors and your friends, your family and your co-workers. Come be part of something huge.
But keep the date open - September 24, 2011.
Sign up on their website to get updates or to start your own event.
Green Home Giveaway
HGTV is giving away an exquisite modern prairie style home in beautiful Denver, Colorado. Hosts Jamie Durie and Sabrina Soto give viewers an exclusive tour of everything from the contemporary furnishings and fixtures to the rugged western nods. Colorado offers so many outdoor activities our hosts can't resist taking the viewers along for the ride. The lucky winner of the HGTV Green Home 2011 grand prize package will win a 2011 GMC Terrain, $100,000 in cash, plus every single item in the home. This fantastic home offers big city living with a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.
To find out more about the home and how to enter go to HGTV's Home Giveaway.
Picnic for the Planet
Picnic for the Planet is a celebration of the planet we live on, the food it provides and the people we share it with. In short, the planet does a lot for us — we should take it out for lunch.
Brainchild of the Nature Conservancy, people all around the world are organizing to head to their favorite outdoor spot to enjoy good food in the company of great people to celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2011.
To plan your Picnic for the Planet log on to the Nature Conservancy's MeetUp page and join a local picnic happening near you – or start your own!
Have more questions about Picnic for the Planet? Check out the Frequently Asked Questions.
Be sure to share your picnic experience with us! Send us your photos at blog@tavacatalog.com.
National Park Week
April 16-24, 2011
Get out and discover something new about your 394 national parks. This year's focus of Healthy Parks, Healthy People, highlights the connection between human and environmental health and the vital role America's national parks play in both.
Whether your prefer a 20-mile backcountry hike in Yosemite or a leisurely stroll around Philadelphia's Independence Hall, moving outside is good for you and offers a chance to explore these places you own.
Admission to all parks is free for the entire week and to make visits extra special many concessioners are also offering discounts.
One Day Without Shoes
One Day Without Shoes is a global event created by Tom's Shoes. The goal is to encourage people to go barefoot for a day to draw attention to the plight of children in developing nations who face injury, illness and missed opportunity because they don't have adequate foot protection.
Without shoes many children are at risk for injury and soil transmitted diseases that their families cannot afford to treat. The healthier the child the better change they have of going to school and educated children have a better changce of improving their community.
On April 5, Tom's challenges hundreds of thousands of people to take off their shoes and show up at work, school or any where else. Organizers hope the bare feet will spark conversations about the risks these needy kids face.
Sign up to take the barefoot challenge and win a speaking engagement with Tom's founder, Tom Mycoskie. Also ten participants will be chosen to go on a shoe distribution event in a nearby community.
The Appalachian Trail
Check out Kevin Gallaher's six month journey along the 2,200 mile long Appalachian Trail, condensed and reinterpreted into five minutes.
The Appalachian Trail Conservency's mission is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail – ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy aspires to connect the human spirit with nature – preserving the delicate majesty of the Trail as a haven for all to enjoy.
They are committed to nurture and protect this trail through education and inspiration. Get information on volunteering, hikes and trail updates. Help them work to ensure that tomorrow’s generations will experience the same mesmerizing beauty we behold today.
LikeMe.Net
Have you ever been to a new city and not known where to go, or maybe you're looking for something different in your own backyard? There are lots of choices out there, but sometimes it's hard to find the right ones for you.
LikeMe is like having your own personal tour guide everywhere you go. By combining the practicality of a traditional search engine with a cutting-edge algorithm designed to match you up with people who have similar tastes and give you their best recommendations, LikeMe can help you discover great people, places and things.
They call it social search. Instead of reading random reviews from people you don't know, LikeMe only gives you recommendations from people who like the things you like. Just as you would get an inside tip from a friend, using LikeMe is like having a network of friendly recommenders all across the country.
LikeMe is currently building a community of recommenders from all walks of life. From professional athletes and well-known celebrities to local heroes and underground musicians, there's always something new to discover.
Beanies for Baghdad
Beanies for Baghdad is an organization that sends Beanie Babies and stuffed animals to US soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. They pass out donations to young children who have suffered in war zones, refugee camps, orphanages and hospitals in war ravaged countries. Many of these children live in extreme poverty and this small gesture can mean so much. Visit their site to learn how to help.
Broccoli
ScienceDaily (Jan. 26, 2011) — Scientists are reporting discovery of certain substances in broccoli and other vegetables that appear to target and block a defective gene associated with cancer.
Substances called isothiocyanates (or ITCs) -- found in broccoli, cauliflower, watercress, and other cruciferous vegetables -- appear to stop the growth of cancer. But nobody knew exactly how these substances work, a key to developing improved strategies for fighting cancer in humans. The tumor suppressor gene p53 appears to play a key role in keeping cells healthy and preventing them from starting the abnormal growth that is a hallmark of cancer. When mutated, gene p53 does not offer that protection, and those mutations occur in half of all human cancers. ITCs might work by targeting this gene.
The scientists studied the effects of certain naturally-occurring ITCs on a variety of cancer cells, including lung, breast and colon cancer, with and without the defective tumor suppressor gene. They found that ITCs are capable of removing the defective p53 protein but apparently leave the normal one alone. Drugs based on natural or custom-engineered ITCs could improve the effectiveness of current cancer treatments or lead to new strategies for treating and preventing cancer.
Design your own Super Hero!
Create your own Super Hero with Marvel's Super Hero Avatar Creator! Name your Super Hero, mix and match costumes of all your favorite Marvel characters, including Spider-Man, Iron Man and Wolverine, customize face, hair, and other features, and then post online or send to friends! Try it out, it's alot of fun.
Oh Life
When I was a child my dad kept a diary. Every entry began with the high and low tempature of that day. The rest of the the entry evolved around our family life. Things like, "took kids to the doctor", or "kids went to dance at the high school" fill the pages. Now that my dad has passed away those diaries are one of my most valued possessions. I have read through them with my own kids, who never met my dad, and it brings them a sense of family.
If you have always wanted to keep a journal to remember what your days were like, but never got started or could never stick with it, check out OhLife.com. They make it easy to get in the habit of writing a journal. Each day they send you an email asking about your day. You write about your day and within a short time you are building your journal.
Volunteer Vacations
The American Hiking Society (AHS) is the only organization that promotes and protects foot trails and the hiking experience. To achieve their mission they need your help. Join AHS for a Volunteer Vacation building and maintaining trails in exciting and diverse locations across the country. Bring only your camping gear and a willingness to get dirty.
Each crew consists of 6-15 volunteers accompanied by a crew leader. Trips involve backpacking or day hiking and accommodations vary from primitive campsites to bunkhouses or cabins. Tools and supervision are provided by the host agency or organization. More than a program that rehabilitates trails, Volunteer Vacations fosters public land stewardship and provides volunteers the opportunity to give back to the trails they love and have a great time doing it!
Projects are rated from 'easy' to 'extremely strenuous' and all projects require participants to be in good physical condition. Check out the site now to learn more and sign up to go to some very cool places.
Resolution 11
Resolution ’11 is not a charity or service organization and they do not match volunteers with service opportunities. But Resolution ’11 is a public challenge to individuals and groups to make New Year resolutions that support causes and issues that are close to their hearts in 2011.
Resolution 11 believes that making a public declaration of your resolution serves several purposes. You will very likely inspire and challenge others through your resolution. What you’ve resolved to do might spark another’s heart and conscience…it might be exactly what they would like to do as well. In addition, those who know you and see your resolution on the Resolution 11 site can keep you accountable and help you stick with it. Here are some tips to help you stick to your resolution.
- Choose something that is meaningful to you. If your heart is in it, it’ll be that much easier to keep your word.
- Tell others in your life about your resolution. You’ll inspire them and gain a few cheerleaders and encouragers in the process.
- Write your resolution down on a small piece of paper and keep it in your wallet or purse.
- If your resolution includes you visiting somewhere like a shelter or after-school center, put it on your calendar as an appointment as you would any other meeting or important task.
- Consider partnering with someone else on your resolution. If you are resolving to visit seniors at a local senior center, for example, you could invite a friend to make the resolution with you and visit at the same time.
- And, of course, check in with Resolution11 regularly to update everyone on how you are doing.
The important thing is to get involved. Go to Resolution 11 and submit your resolution today.
What's Jumo?
Jumo is a social network connecting individuals and organizations who want to change the world by leveraging technology. Jumo enables people to find, follow and support those working toward solutions in their community and in regions across the globe.
Jumo's goal is to help the people who are working to improve the lives of others connect with the people who want to help, but don’t know how. By using technology Jumo helps to find meaningful opportunities to get involved.
Jumo makes it easy to find the issues and organization you care about, follow the latest news and updates and support their work with your time, money and skills.
Op4G - Opinions for Good
Put your opinions to work and support your favorite Non-Profit organization.
Companies need research from surveys, opinion polls, and focus groups. These companies pay Op4G to gather high-quality market research from people like you and me. When you sign up for free to be Op4G member you will remain anonymous without fear of receiving spam or having your name and address sold.
Based on the demographic data that you enter on Op4G you will be asked to participate in surveys from the research clients. These clients pay you for your time and you are required to contribute at least 25% of your earnings to the Non-Profits that you choose. You can contribute more than 25% or the remainder will be paid to you via paypal.
Op4G has made it easy to give to others by providing a regular donation stream for non-profit's plus the opportunity to expand awareness about their cause all year round.
Pay it Forward
Many of you may have seen the movie or read the book “Pay It Forward”, a story about a young boy who did good deeds for others in need. In return, the child requested that the recipients pass on a good deed to other people. His concept was not to pay a good deed back by doing something nice for the person who originally did the nice deed but to pay it back by passing the kindness on to others. One good deed might not seem like much but it can start a cycle of generosity and kindness that spreads and encourages us to be better people.
The next International “Pay It Forward Day” is Thursday 28th April 2011. On this day over 3 million people from around the world will perform some wonderful random acts of kindness. But why wait? Why not Pay Kindness Forward every day and make this world a friendlier place to be.
On the Pay It Forward website you can read some of the most inspirational stories and learn how to get involved. There are an abundance of opportunities every day where you can Pay It Forward from volunteering to help out a local nursing home to helping someone with their groceries. The opportunities are unlimited.
Bid on Fashion to Save the Earth
International collectors, philanthropists, celebrities, and designers will gather at New York City's Rockefeller Center for the second annual Green Auction by Christie's and Runway to Green's Fashion Show debuting Fall 2011 ready-to-wear ensembles and accessories from 20 of the world's leading designers.
The March 29th, 2011 event will benefit the second annual 'Bid to Save the Earth,' a one-of-a kind "green-clusive" collaboration of people, businesses and environmental not-for-profits committed to take action to protecting our Earth.
The proceeds from the bids fund some of the world's leading science-based, results-oriented non profits, including: Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Oceana, Conservation International, Central Park Conservancy. Make your Bid to save the Earth by supporting this event.
Snow Party Punch
This is the one time that accumulating snow will be no problem for the parents and the kids will absolutely love it. It's called Snow Punch and it will quickly become a new tradition at your holiday gatherings. To make the punch combine 1 and 1/3 cup of sugar and 2/3 cup of water in a big pot. (This recipe makes 3 gallons of punch.) Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup of evaporated milk and 2 teaspoons of almond extract. Put in the refrigerator until you are almost ready to serve.
Combine the cooled punch mixture with 2 softened half gallons of vanilla ice cream and 4 chilled 2 liter bottles of a lemom line soda. Let the kids stir the punch gently to break up chucks of ice cream and let them watch the snow grow! The kids will love this punch both for its great taste and the fun of drinking snow.
For smaller parties you can halve the ingredients.
Save Lives with Lids
Everyone knows by now that Yoplait donates 10 cents to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation for every yogurt lid you send in. But now they are donating an additional $1.00 for every virtual lid you send to a friend on Facebook, up to $100,000. To join the cause on Facebook and send a virtual lid go to Facebook and send one to all your friends.
Of course they still have their traditional way of mailing in your lids. Wash them and let them dry...an envelope full of yogurt is not pretty...flatten the lids and put them in a regular #10 envelope. Make sure to include your return address on the envelope. They use your zip code to distribute the donation money back to your local Susan G. Komen for the Cure Affiliate.
Apply one first class postage stamp. You can can mail up to 12 Yoplait yogurt cup lids with one regular-sized envelope with U.S. postage. Address your envelope to: Save Lids to Save Lives, P.O. Box 420704, El Paso, TX 88542-0704. Drop your envelope in the mail.
Give a More Sustainable Gift This Year
Give a gift that is eco friendly and one that you don't have to worry about gift wrapping. Give a National Parks pass. With four to choose from there is one that is sure to be right for everyone on your Christmas list.
Annual Pass - Cost $80. This pass is available to the general public and provides access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites that charge an Entrance or Standard Amenity Fee for a year, beginning from the date of sale.
Senior Pass. - Cost $10. This is a lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or over. The pass provides access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites that charge an Entrance or Standard Amenity.
Lifetime Disability Pass – Cost Free. This is a lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities. Documentation is required to obtain the pass. Acceptable
Volunteer Pass - Cost Free. This pass is for volunteers acquiring 500 service hours on a cumulative basis.
Check the National Parks website to order yours. And while you are visiting the Parks shoot a photo of your favorite place and it could appear on the next Annual Pass. Check here to learn more.
Donors Choose
Want to give a really great Christmas gift this year? One that is priceless and has real meaning and value? DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy.
Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on the website. Requests range from pencils for a poetry writing unit, to violins for a school recital, to microscope slides for a biology class. Then, you browse project requests and give any amount to the one that inspires you. Once a project reaches its funding goal, Donors Choose will deliver the materials to the school. You'll get photos of your project taking place, a thank-you letter from the teacher, and a cost report showing how each dollar was spent. If you give over $100, you'll also receive hand-written thank-you letters from the students. Wouldn't that be a great holiday gift for the person on your list who has everything?
At DonorsChoose.org, you can give as little as $1 and get the same level of choice, transparency, and feedback that is traditionally reserved for someone who gives millions. It's called it citizen philanthropy.
Free Kibble
Mimi Ausland, was an 11 year old girl from Bend, Oregon, when she wanted to help feed the hungry dogs and cats at her local animal shelter. "There are 10's of thousands of dogs and cats in animal shelters across the country, all needing to be fed a good meal." From this desire to help feed shelter animals, Freekibble.com was launched on April 01, 2008.
Freekibble.com's primary mission is to provide healthy, nutritious food to the dogs and cats at shelters who are working so hard to see that none of their animals go hungry - they need our help. Now, in addition to providing free kibble to the Humane Society of Central Oregon, Mimi and Freekibble are feeding many 1,000's of dogs and cats in shelters, rescues and through food-banks across the country... EVERYDAY!
Check out the Freekibble website to help provide free kibble by playing Bow-Wow Trivia - and learn a few interesting things about dogs and cats along the way.
Plant a Fish?
Can you plant a fish? Fabien Cousteau can show you how. He leads a hands-on marine education and restoration experience. The core mission of this organization focuses on using universal ecological principles applicable to all natural ecosystems and applying these principles to engage local communities toward stewardship and restoration efforts of their marine environment.
Plant a Fish (PAF) also fosters confidence and creativity in its participants through team building and challenge activities such as scuba diving training, habitat building, recording and reporting restoration progress. Designed to connect participants of all ages with nature and inspire them to protect it, PAF empowers its participants to take action to promote sustainable living in their communities at home so that they become better stewards of their local environment.
The Foliage Network
During the months of September, October, and early November, The Foliage Network provides foliage reports which are updated every Wednesday and Saturday.
So where does the information come from? The Foliage Network has over 550 spotters that report on the foliage conditions in their area. The reports are submitted twice per week and are then compiled and analyzed by The Foliage Network. The data is then plotted and a foliage map is generated. Finally, these maps are posted to The Foliage Network web site and transmitted to newspapers throughout the United States.
Visit the Foliage Network and find information to plan your next trip.
There is Still Time for a Picnic
Simply put, a picnic is a pleasant outdoor excursion at which a meal is eaten. Picnic's do happen all summer long but I think the the best picnicing season is Autumn. The humidity is finally gone and the days are sunny and comfortable with just a sweater. The leaves are turning beautiful oranges, reds and golds and are beatuiful to admire.
Before it gets to cold take a Saturday afternoon and plan a picnic. Bring a blanket and good food. If it's a family picnic take the frisbee or football. If the picnic is for you and your honey bring some wine or mix up a favorite adult beverage. The secret ingredient however is to find that ideal picnicing spot like a beautiful hillside in a park or near a babbling brook.
But remember - leave no trace, respect your surroundings and your next picnic will be just as fun.
It's Finally Here - National Costume Swap Day
Autumn is my favorite season and with it comes Halloween. This Halloween you (or the kids) can be spooky and save some bucks.
On Saturday October 9 you can attend a Costume Swap. Find a slightly used costume while giving someone else the opportunity to reuse one you previously wore. Believe it or not swapping half the costumes kids wear at Halloween would reduce annual landfill waste by 6,250 tons of trash, equal to the weight of 2,500 mid-size cars.
Check the website for a CostumeSwap in your area
If you can't find a Swap near you - then organize your own. Take the first step in greening Halloween.
October is National Energy Awareness Month
October is National Energy Awareness Month. This is a nation wide effort which emphasizes how important energy is to our prosperity, security, and environmental well-being. The Obama Administration is kicking off a month of clean energy events and activities. Senior administration officials across the federal government will be highlighting the work they are doing to position our country for a sustainable future, create new clean energy jobs and lay the foundation for our long-term economic security.
Still, this is just a start. Like President Obama said in his National Energy Awareness Month proclamation, “As a Nation of scientists and engineers, farmers and entrepreneurs, we must continue to invest in clean, domestic sources of energy, harness the innovation of our brightest minds, promote our world leading industries, and find lasting solutions to our energy challenges.”
Throughout the month, senior officials across the Administration will be hosting clean energy events and activities. Check out the National Energy Awareness Month Calendar
We Love Apples
There really was a Johnny Appleseed. He was an American born in 1774 who spent his life planting apple seeds across Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. His love of apples and his belief that they would ward off illness for the settlers are the origins of the popular and timeless quote, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
Apples have a sweet or tart flavor depending on the variety of apple that you have. For example, Golden and Red Delicious apples are mild and sweet. A Granny Smith apple is tart. Since tart apples best retain their texture during cooking they are most used for making that American classic, apple pie. The sweeter varieties like Braeburn, Fuji and my personal favorite, Honey Crisp apples are great for eating raw.
But my favorite thing about apples is the warm scent of them baking in my mom’s kitchen - a sure sign that autumn was on its way. Mom knew that apples are full of good nutrition and vitamins, especially vitamin C. Apples contain a natural fruit sugar called fructose. It is a simple sugar and it’s what makes apple's sweet. Unlike most other simple sugars, the sugar of an apple is broken down slowly over time. This, when combined with the fiber of the apples, helps the blood sugar levels remain stable and it is what ends up being converted to natural energy for the body.
Apples have stepped up to fight cancer. Daily apple eating has been associated with reducing the risk of lung cancer in women and apples were the only fruit that were shown to have this benefit.
Mom used to say¸”If you’re not hungry enough to eat an apple then you’re not hungry. Apples combine fiber and flavonoids and antioxidant nutrients in a way that is unique and unmatched by other more exotic fruits. The next time you need a snack reach for an apple. About three medium-sized apples per week will be all you need to experience the apple's key health benefits.
National Park Traveler
This website is fully devoted to anything and everything having to do with America’s national parks. If you are planning a trip this site is an invaluable resource. National Park Traveler
Take Action for Animals - The Humane Society
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest and most effective animal protection organization—backed by 11 million Americans, or one in every 28. Established in 1954, The HSUS seeks a humane and sustainable world for all animals—a world that will also benefit people. They are America’s mainstream force against cruelty, exploitation and neglect, as well as the most trusted voice extolling the human-animal bond.
Their mission is Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty.
Learn what is going on in your state by visiting http://www.humanesociety.org/about/state/
Kroger's Digital Coupons
Kroger’s now has digital coupons. You know that Kroger card that you use every week? Now you can go to the Kroger website and add coupons to your cards. Then when your card is scanned when checking out the coupons are automatically deducted. No more cutting paper coupons! What a great idea. Check it out!
