InnerSelf

With urbanization advancing, economies expanding, and climate change a concern, Mexico City has emerged as an unlikely environmental example for cities in developing countries suffering similar air quality issues.

Cuba's economic meltdown should logically have been a public health disaster. But a new study says that the health of Cubans actually improved dramatically during the years of austerity...

The American College of Physicians has released new guidelines about prostate cancer screenings. Prostate screening and treatment is not as routinely-required as previously recommended and believed.

As we move to a more sustainable lifestyle, bicycling to work or to the store etc. can be an option for many. However, in many cities, riding a bicycle may seem like you're taking your life in your own hands. However, there is a happy solution...

According to a report by The Applied Research Center, 10 percent of black and Latino families lack access to adequate food -- "three times the rate for white households." And while about a third of whites live in an area with a supermarket, only 8 percent of blacks do.

Sharing powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, W. Va., TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food.

The expression "salt of the earth" means "the best" or a "worthy person" perhaps implying that salt is the best and a worthy additive? Salt has become a "can't do without" ingredient... We can't seem to cook without it and it's in most of the foods we buy...

When we are told that 2000 calories are what we should consume, most of us don't really have an idea of what that means. Basically, we understand that it equals moderation, but how much and of what?

When people want to garden, at times they need to get creative if they don't have a back yard. Thus flowers and lettuce are grown on balconies or windowsills, and in front yards as well. Those with flat rooftop can also turn this unused space into a gardener's dream.

A dog is not only man's best friend, a dog can also be a dog's best friend. And such is the case with the Husky Isaac who happens to be blind, and his best buddy, the little dog Isabella, who has taken it upon herself to be his seeing eye dog.

If your parents divorced before you turned 18, and today you are a smoker, it may be their fault! What??? A study done at the University of Toronto showed that "men who experienced parental divorce before they turned 18 had 48-per-cent higher odds of ever smoking..."

"...findings illustrate a larger point: Independent of choices we make as consumers — whether we buy milk in glass bottles or microwave food in plastic containers — processing is taking place beyond our view that can contaminate our food with endocrine-disrupting chemicals."

The Power of One: One man in India transformed 1,360-acres (approx. 2 square miles) of barren sand into a lush jungle which harbors not only birds, butterflies, and miscellaneous flora, also provides a home for rhinos, tigers and elephants.

Some things are so sad that we might like to bypass and ignore them completely. But can we do so when lives are being affected and our ignorance causes more and more deaths? Especially when those lives are of innocent beings who have no way of protecting themselves?

 According to a study conducted by Oceana, a non-profit organization working to protect the oceans, the seafood sold in stores and restaurants in the USA is often mislabeled. You think you're buying wild salmon, but are actually eating farm-raised salmon. OK, maybe we suspected that at times... But what about when you ordered red snapper thinking that it was a healthier fish than other options, but instead were served tilefish or speckled hind.

Halve meat consumption, scientists urge rich world. People in the rich world should become "demitarians" – eating half as much meat as usual, while stopping short of giving it up – in order to avoid severe environmental damage, scientists have urged, in the clearest picture yet of how farming practices are destroying the natural world...

The exclusion of children from the natural environment translates into a sizable tranche of the adult population with no experience of tree climbing. In a single generation, the "home habitat" of a typical eight-year-old – the area in which the child was able to travel without adult supervision – had shrunk to one ninth of its former size...

We all contribute to global warming, climate change, the greenhouse effect, etc. by whatever name you choose to call the climate's trajectory these days. And for those of us who are aware of the issues and do our best to live sustainably, we might think that our carbon footprint is tiny compared to our neighbors or co-workers. But is it, really?

Certain rights in life are taken for granted. And in most countries, that includes maternity leave. But not in the USA, apparently. There are four countries in the world that do not offer government-mandated maternity leave, and the USA is one of them. That is an honor (NOT!) that we could do without.

Friends. We all love 'em! But are our Facebook Friends really friends or do they open us up to all kinds of privacy issues... marketers, tracking, hacking, identify theft, potential problems with employers, etc.

Fracking? We've heard of the potential damage to the environment, to our health, and to our drinking water supply... but to our beer? Now, that's going too far! Beer drinkers unite against fracking!

by Tony Schwartz. During the day we move from a state of alertness progressively into physiological fatigue approximately every 90 minutes. Our bodies regularly tell us to take a break, but we often override these signals and instead stoke ourselves up with caffeine, sugar and our own emergency reserves. Working in 90-minute intervals turns out to be a prescription for maximizing productivity...

Parenting advice can come from unexpected people and places. Even in "mindless" entertainment that comes from afar both in time and geography, we find gems of wisdom. Where, you say? Downton Abbey, home of the British aristocracy, offers tried and true tips for parents...

As David versus Goliath battles go it is hard to imagine a more uneven fight than the one about to play out in front of the US supreme court between Vernon Hugh Bowman and Monsanto.

by Tina Fey. I was a student at Second City, an improvisational acting school in Chicago, and took a class with artistic director Martin de Maat. These quotes were some of the rules of improv he gave us. "Greet everything with 'Yes, and....'" "Stay in the present, as opposed to focusing on the past or future." "The fun is always on the other side of a yes."

by Kenneth Chang. Medical experts largely agree that there is a condition related to gluten other than celiac. In 2011 a panel of celiac experts settled on a medical term for this malady: non-celiac gluten sensitivity. What they still do not know: how many people have gluten sensitivity, what its long-term effects are, or...

This talk (13 min approx) is amazing... talking about our belief in a "disposable" society... disposable bottles, cans...  but it seems we also believe in disposable people. Van Jones speaks of Cancer Alley, smog, 1 out of 4 people in jail, etc. THIS IS A MUST WATCH! Want to make a difference? Start with watching this video!

by Lee Speigel. Recent data from NASA's Kepler space telescope suggests that billions of Earth-like planets are much closer than ever before imagined. "Astronomically speaking, 13 light years is practically next door." While we don't know if intelligent life exists on any of these planets, it raises the chances of that possibility...

by Nancy Shute. Restaurants that offered more lower-calorie services saw a 9 percent increase in food and beverage sales from 2006 to 2011, while restaurants that didn't saw sales drop by 16 percent. The report analyzed sales at 21 restaurant chains, including McDonald's, Applebee's, Burger King, Cracker Barrel, IHOP, Panera Bread and KFC...

MINNEAPOLIS – The number of people with Alzheimer’s disease is expected to triple in the next 40 years, according to a new study published in the February 6, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Alcohol, consumed with a diet mixer, results in higher (BrAC) Breath Alcohol Concentrations as compared to the same amount of alcohol consumed with a sugar-sweetened mixer," says Cecile Marczinski, a cognitive psychologist who authored the new study.

City life requires a lot of attention. Navigating a busy sidewalk while avoiding rogue pigeons may feel like second-nature at times, but it's actually quite a bit of work for the human brain. Psychologists are still getting a handle on just what urbanization means for human cognition...

Many people take aspirin to prevent heart attacks, but new research suggests the added benefits may be coming at the expense of pill-takers' eyesight. A 15-year-study...

Last year's drought took a big bite out of the two most prodigious US crops, corn and soy. But it apparently didn't slow down the spread of weeds that have developed resistance to Monsanto's herbicide Roundup (glyphosate), used on crops engineered by Monsanto to resist it

While we don't think of beer as being useful out of the drinking and/or culinary fields, there are actually other uses for beer. Some uses have to do with house cleaning (!), plant health, and even tired feet...

It is hard to trust GM when it is in the grip of a few global giants

THE GUARDIAN/THE OBSERVER -Don't believe the hype: GM is in the grip of a few firms that profit from selling the chemicals they engineer their seeds to resist.

Sunday's New York Times piece on the corporatization of organics (which I commented on here ) got me to thinking: What are the weirdest additives the USDA allows in food...

Glen Berian, a 400 pound black bear, pays a visit to North Los Angeles.

Researchers from the University of The Falklands have discovered an apparent new breed of penguin while filming Ice shelf movement with a BBC crew. (April Fools)

http://youtu.be/peDy2st2XpQ