Saving The Birds

International Migratory Bird Day, which falls tomorrow, reminds us of the remarkable phenomenon we witness every year at this time: an amazing spring migration, with millions of birds flying thousands of kilometers from South and Central America and the southern United States north to Canada's vast boreal forest. But with each passing year, the number of these avian visitors diminishes. In fact, migratory songbirds are experiencing one of the most precipitous declines of any animal group on earth. We have already seen startling declines in the populations of some species that depend on the boreal forest. The olive-sided flycatcher and the Canada warbler, once common boreal breeding species, are now listed as threatened by the Committee for the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Trends in long-term breeding-bird surveys have revealed population declines in flycatchers, boreal chickadees and bay-breasted warblers. In fact, more than half the birds profiled in the National Audubon Society's "20 common birds in decline" list depend on Canada's boreal forest as a breeding ground.

The boreal forest, a critically important breeding ground for hundreds of bird species, is itself becoming endangered, due to encroaching industrial uses such as logging, mining and energy corridors. Will governments act swiftly to save this precious resource? Environment Canada and Ontario have recently deferred crucial decisions about protecting the boreal habitat of the threatened woodland caribou, an animal that has disappeared from much of Southern Canada and is predicted to disappear from many other areas. Last summer, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty made a landmark commitment to protect at least 50 per cent of Ontario's northern boreal region, followed by Quebec Premier Jean Charest's similar announcement last fall. These bold decisions set a standard that other provinces and territories would do well to emulate. We expect the Ontario government to table legislation this spring as the first step to follow through on its commitment. This legislation has to be strong and clear enough to ensure land-use planning that will realize the Premier's vision and promise.

At 1.4 billion hectares, Canada's boreal forest represents one-quarter of the largest intact forests in the world, and is the single most important breeding ground for birds in the Americas. The boreal ecosystem also contains the largest freshwater systems in the world and is the largest terrestrial storehouse of carbon on Earth, helping to reduce the effects of global warming. Yet despite its global significance, just 12 per cent of Canada's boreal forest is currently protected, while almost 500 million hectares have been handed over to industry. Oil and gas exploration, logging, mining, road building and hydro development threaten to ravage boreal regions inhabited by birds and other wildlife. As many as three billion birds depend on Canada's boreal forest to reproduce and raise their young. This includes three-quarters of the country's warblers and two-thirds of its sparrows and thrushes. Every spring, one in three of all land birds in the United States head for Canada's boreal forest. Tens of millions of waterfowl, waders and shorebirds nest in the region's wetlands, rivers and lakes.

Ontario Nature and the Boreal Songbird Initiative, with conservation partners across Canada and the Americas have circulated a petition appealing for much broader protection for this vast area. Such conservation measures cannot come too soon: Nearly 3,000 hectares of Canadian boreal forest, an area roughly the size of downtown Toronto, are clear-cut every day. The petition calls for the protection of this key breeding bird habitat and asks that provinces and federal agencies protect ecologically important areas in the boreal forest before approving any major new industrial development projects. Where development is allowed, industrial interests should be compelled to adhere to the highest standards of sustainable development. Canada has an opportunity to be a world leader in the conservation of large, intact landscapes. Boreal birds are the proverbial canaries in the coal mine. Their decline is a troubling sign that their habitats are under attack. Given that we share the same environment, it is in our best interests to pay attention to their fate. It is time our governments listen to the science and institute comprehensive reforms to safeguard this Canadian and global treasure. Anything less will have serious consequences for us all.

Probiotics During Pregnancy

Women who take probiotics during their first trimester of pregnancy may be less likely to suffer from the most unhealthy form of obesity after giving birth, according to research. A study by scientists at the University of Turku in Finland suggests that manipulating the balance of bacteria in the gut may help to fight obesity. Probiotics are bacteria that help to maintain a bacterial balance in the digestive tract by reducing the growth of harmful bacteria. They are part of the normal digestive system and play a role in controlling inflammation. Researchers have for many years been studying the potential of using probiotic supplementation to address a number of intestinal diseases. More recently, obesity researchers have investigated whether the balance of bacteria in the gut might play a role in making people fat.

Kirsi Laitinen, a nutritionist and senior lecturer at the University of Turku, said that the results of the study, presented today at the European Congress on Obesity, were an encouraging sign of the impact of a diet supplemented with probiotics on adiposity. Adiposity, or central obesity, is a particularly unhealthy form of obesity associated with fat bellies. “The women who got the probiotics fared best,” she said. “One year after childbirth, they had the lowest levels of central obesity as well as the lowest body fat percentage. “We found [adiposity] in 25 per cent of the women who had received the probiotics along with dietary counselling, compared with 43 per cent of the women who received diet advice alone.” In the study, 256 women were randomly divided into three groups during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Two of the groups received dietary counselling consistent with what is recommended during pregnancy for healthy weight gain and optimal foetal development. They were also given food such as spreads and salad dressings with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as fibre-enriched pasta and breakfast cereal to take home. One of those groups also received daily capsules of probiotics containing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which are the most commonly used probiotics. The other group received dummy capsules. A third group received dummy capsules and no dietary counselling. The capsules were continued until the women stopped exclusive breastfeeding, after up to six months. The researchers weighed the women at the start of the study, which was funded by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, the Academy of Finland and the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, a medical research charity.

At the end of the study they weighed them again and measured their waist circumference and skin fold thickness. Central obesity — defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more or a waist circumference over 80 centimetres — was found in 25 per cent of the women who had been given the probiotics as well as diet advice. That compared with 43 per cent of the women who got dietary counselling alone and 40 per cent of the women who got neither diet advice nor probiotics. The average body fat percentage in the probiotics group was 28 per cent, compared with 29 per cent in the diet advice only group and 30 per cent in the third group. Ms Laitinen said that further research was needed to confirm the potential role of probiotics in fighting obesity. One of the limitations of the study was that it did not take into account the mothers’ weight before pregnancy, which may influence how fat they later become.

She said that she and her colleagues would continue to follow the women and their babies to see whether giving probiotics during pregnancy had any influence on the health of the women’s children. “The advantage of studying pregnant women to investigate the potential link between probiotics and obesity is that it allows us to see the effects not only in the women, but also in their children,” she said. “Particularly during pregnancy, the impacts of obesity can be immense, with the effects seen both in the mother and the child. Bacteria are passed from mother to child through the birth canal, as well as through breast milk, and research indicates that early nutrition may influence the risk of obesity later in life. There is growing evidence that this approach might open a new angle on the fight against obesity, either through prevention or treatment.”

Taking Care Of Yourself Too

Are you always in hurry and constantly worrying about your curry? If you are the quintessential working woman, you will certainly find yourself neglecting the woman in you. It is absolutely no joke to do a full-time job and look after your husband and children. Therefore, while taking care of others, take care of yourself too. Your physical and mental health and sense of self-worth plays an important role in what makes you tick.

De-stress. Worries only bring wrinkles. So when you wake up in the morning, the first thing that you need to do, after stretching and yawning, is to take a few deep breaths and relax. In fact you could even do it in the middle of the day, especially when you find the pressures threatening to take over. Before starting on any work, meditate for a few minutes, or anything that makes you feel good. Even if you can spend just 5-10 minutes of your day on meditation, you will look and feel much better.

Drink lots of water. Start with 2-3 glasses until you can swallow over a litre on an empty stomach. This will serve to flush out all the toxins from your system and make your skin glow.

Wash your face before brushing your teeth. Put a few drops of some aromatic oil in your bathwater to help you feel fresh and energetic. After bath, use a good hand and body lotion to keep your skin supple and young.

Don’t forget sunscreen. Do not forget your dark glasses to avoid crow’s feet around your eyes.

Exfoliate. After coming home from a hard day’s work, clean your skin with a little bit of cotton soaked in unboiled milk. This serves as an excellent cleanser.

Next is the astringent. For a natural astringent, you could simply splash cold water on your face. After this relax with an herbal face pack or a moisturizer.

Honey and vinegar. In case you have been tanned, mix a little vinegar with one teaspoon of honey and apply on your face for 15 minutes to remove the tan. You could also apply a paste out of honey and corn flour in order to keep those wrinkles at bay. Relax your feet. Soak your tired feet in a bucket of warm water with salt and watch the tiredness slip away.

Slice of cucumber. Put a slice of cucumber on both your eyes for about 10 minutes before you go to sleep. This will not only help you to relax, but it is also excellent for removing dark circles underneath the eyes. Make sure that you get a good eight hour sleep, as no amount of make up, herbal packs or moisturizers can replace that.

Moving To A New Place

Many who bought during the boom and must now relocate because of some personal reasons are faced with selling their homes at a big loss. They are finding few buyers, or even renters, particularly in the hardest-hit markets. That is leaving some families facing options including renting at a loss, separation from their loved ones or, in some cases, foreclosure. Well, how stressful experience really is, especially when moving from one place to the other. Although moving stress has many sources, hence, by just the mere mention of the word – is already stressful.

Be that as it may, however, you’ll no longer have to worry all about it, since a Moving Company is now available and were keenly aware of all of them. Starting from identifying your initial budget parameters through the final delivery of your belongings, their team of move coordinators are dedicated to removing your stress allowing their customers to sit back and relax, knowing of course that they’re in good hands. Whether you are moving across the state or national borders, their primary goal is to make your next relocation a stress free experience for you.

In a nutshell, they even go to great lengths just to ensure that their customers can focus on a more pleasant anticipation of moving to a new place, and of course without also worrying about all the difficulty that may transpire as a result of the movement. So isn’t it more rewarding? Thus, why not tap the services of the experts and leave the hard work to their professionally trained crews? Just visits the above mentioned now and have some fun.

Organic Foods

About 70 percent of Americans buy organic food occasionally and nearly one quarter buy it every week, according to The Hartman Group, a market research firm. For most of us, the reason is simple: We want natural food that's better for us and for the environment, says Samuel Fromartz, author of Organic, Inc. But buying organic can cost you — as much as 50 percent more — so read on to know when it's worth it. Though organic food can be produced with certain synthetic ingredients, it must adhere to specific standards regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Crops are generally grown without synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers, irradiation (a form of radiation used to kill bacteria), or biotechnology. Animals on organic farms eat organically grown feed, aren't confined 100 percent of the time (as they sometimes are on conventional farms), and are raised without antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones.

Organic foods may have higher nutritional value than conventional food, according to some research. The reason: In the absence of pesticides and fertilizers, plants boost their production of the phytochemicals (vitamins and antioxidants) that strengthen their resistance to bugs and weeds. Some studies have linked pesticides in our food to everything from headaches to cancer to birth defects — but many experts maintain that the levels in conventional food are safe for most healthy adults. Even low-level pesticide exposure, however, can be significantly more toxic for fetuses and children (due to their less developed immune systems) and for pregnant women (it puts added strain on their already taxed organs), according to a report by the National Academy of Sciences.

Pesticide contamination isn't as much of a concern in meats and dairy products (animals may consume some pesticides, depending on their diet), but many scientists are concerned about the antibiotics being given to most farm animals: Many are the same antibiotics humans rely on, and overuse of these drugs has already enabled bacteria to develop resistance to them—rendering them less effective in fighting infection, says Chuck Benbrook, Ph.D., chief scientist at The Organic Center, a nonprofit research organization. Organic farming reduces pollutants in groundwater and creates richer soil that aids plant growth while reducing erosion, according to The Organic Trade Association. It also decreases pesticides that can end up in your drinking glass; in some cities, pesticides in tap water have been measured at unsafe levels for weeks at a time, according to an analysis performed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

If you can afford it, buy local and organic, recommends Fromartz. Farmers' markets carry reasonably priced locally grown organic and conventional food; to find one in your area, go to localharvest.org. If you can't always afford organic, do spend the extra money when it comes to what the EWG calls the "dirty dozen": peaches, strawberries, nectarines, apples, spinach, celery, pears, sweet bell peppers, cherries, potatoes, lettuce, and imported grapes. These fragile fruits and vegetables often require more pesticides to fight off bugs compared to hardier produce, such as asparagus and broccoli. Download a list of produce ranked by pesticide contamination at foodnews.org, an EWG Website. When shopping for organic foods, always look for the USDA seal on any kind of packaged food. For meat and dairy, this seal ensures you're getting antibiotic- and hormone-free products. When buying meat or produce that isn't packaged, look for a sign stating that it's organic, or ask the store clerk. By Jessica Decostole.

Anti-Cancer Foods

Would-be cancer survivors had their diet expanded by three menu items this week, with new studies extolling the disease-fighting properties of grapefruit juice, walnuts and wine. The research hailing the apparent cancer-fighting powers of the three foods was presented Monday at the 100th annual meeting in Denver of the American Association for Cancer Research. In one small clinical trial, researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center found that combining 230 millilitres of grapefruit juice with the promising anti-cancer medicine rapamycin could increase the amount of that drug in the blood. Rapamycin has shown some promise in stopping the growth of new blood vessels - which cancer tumors need to grow - but it is expensive and poorly absorbed. Doctors have long argued that grapefruit juice should not be taken with medications because it can interfere with enzymes that break down certain drugs.

In the case of rapamycin however, this interference appears to make the drugs more potent. "Grapefruit juice can increase blood levels of certain drugs three to five times," said study director Ezra Cohen, MD, a cancer specialist at the University of Chicago Medical Center. "This has always been considered a hazard. We wanted to see if, and how much, it could amplify the availability, and perhaps the efficacy of rapamycin, a drug with promise for cancer treatment." The trial showed that the juice appears to ramp up the drug's potency," he said. Many patients in the study reported side effects, however. More than half experienced elevated blood sugar levels, diarrhea, low white blood cell counts or fatigue. A second study presented at the conference found that walnut consumption could provide the body with essential Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols that reduce the risk of breast cancer. "Walnuts are better than cookies, French fries or potato chips when you need a snack," said Elaine Hardman, associate professor of medicine at Marshall University School of Medicine, who conducted her research on laboratory mice.

Hardman and her fellow researchers studied mice fed a diet that they estimated was the human equivalent of two ounces of walnuts per day. A separate group of mice were fed a control diet. Tests showed that walnut consumption significantly decreased breast tumor incidence, the number of glands with a tumor and tumor size. "These laboratory mice typically have 100 per cent tumor incidence at five months; walnut consumption delayed those tumors by at least three weeks," she said. The third study found that drinking wine may increase survival among patients suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Researcher Xuesong Han, a doctoral candidate at the Yale School of Public Health, analyzed data about 546 women with lymph node cancer and found that those who drank wine had a 76 per cent five-year survival rate compared with 68 per cent for non-wine drinkers. Additional research found that the five-year, disease-free survival rate was 70 per cent among those who drank wine, compared with 65 per cent among non-wine drinkers. "This conclusion is controversial, because excessive drinking has a negative social and health impact, and it is difficult to define what is moderate and what is excessive," said Han. Still, she said, "we are continually seeing a link between wine and positive outcomes in many cancers." Founded in 1907, AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research, with a membership including more than 28,000 researchers, health care professionals and cancer survivors in nearly 90 countries.

Missile Defense System

Defense Minister Ehud Barak hopes to buy a U.S. missile defense system to protect Israeli towns from short-range rockets and mortar fire, defense officials said Tuesday. Barak plans to ask U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to sell Israel the Vulcan-Phalanx cannon and radar system when he visits Washington in June, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity as the request has not yet formally been made. The Vulcan-Phalanx - manufactured by U.S. company Raytheon Co.- is to be integrated into a multilayer defense umbrella that will include Israel's Iron Dome and two other missile systems being developed with the United States, the officials said.

During Israel's recent military offensive into the Gaza Strip, Palestinians there fired rockets more than 28 miles (45 kilometers) into Israel. They continue to lob mortar shells across the border. The defense ministry has been looking at anti-rocket systems since 2003 but put the search into high gear after the 2006 war with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, when nearly 4,000 Katyusha rockets slammed into northern Israel. Iron Dome, under development by state-owned weapons maker Rafael, is meant to counter Hezbollah's Katyushas and the more primitive Qassam rockets fired from Gaza.

The laser-based system is expected to be ready for deployment next year. Rafael is also working with Raytheon to develop a system named "Magic Wand" against medium-range missiles. To meet long-range threats, such as an Iranian attack, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. and Chicago-based Boeing Co. are producing the Arrow missile, which has been successfully tested and partially deployed.

The most advanced version, the Arrow II, was specifically designed to counter Iran's Shahab ballistic missile, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. The Shahab-3 has a range of up to 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers), putting Israel well within striking distance. Israel sees Iran as its biggest threat, citing the country's nuclear program and its development of long-range ballistic missiles. Those fears have been compounded by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated calls for the destruction of the Jewish state.

The Reverse Effect On Smokers

A high intake of fruit and vegetables appeared to reduce the risk among non-smokers but seemed to have the reverse effect on smokers, findings by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) show. "People who eat 600 grams or more vegetables and fruit a day appear to have a 20 to 25 per cent lower chance of developing colon cancer than people who eat 220 grams or less," said the statement. "For smokers, the consumption of vegetables and fruit appears, on the contrary, to increase the chances of colon cancer. Protection against colon cancer through the consumption of vegetables and fruit therefore appears to depend on smoking habits." RIVM official Hans Verhagen said this did not mean that smokers should stop eating their greens. "On the contrary, the conclusion is to: 'Please stop smoking'", he said.

The research project questioned some 500,000 people in 10 European countries about their eating and smoking habits and studied them for 8.5 years. The authors of the final article published in the American Journal for Clinical Nutrition, said the findings meant that substances within fruit and vegetables may even increase the carcinogenic potential of tobacco smoke. "What is new about this study is that we have for the first time examined the effects of fruit and vegetable consumption while making a distinction between smokers and non-smokers," said Mr Verhagen. Colon cancer is the second-most common form of the disease in the Netherlands, after breast cancer, with 11,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

Diaz Tells Hatton

FORMER World Boxing Council lightweight champion David Diaz, who lost his crown to Manny Pacquiao in June last year after he was knocked out in the ninth round, has told Ricky Hatton, a brawler, not to brawl against the Filipino ring icon when they clash on May 2 (May 3 in Manila) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Before being knocked out, Diaz, 32, had tried every trick in his arsenal in his bid to beat Pacquiao but he was left battered and bloodied. "Tell him not to do what most of us do," Diaz told Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times. "Tell him to try and make it into a boxing match."

Recalling the fight, Diaz told Dwyre: "The first couple of rounds, I thought I was OK. I figured he’d start to wilt and we’d wear him down. But I realized pretty quickly that I was always trying to catch up. I’d go to the corner, sit down and think, ‘OK, he got that round, but I’ll get the next one.’ And then I’d be on my stool in three minutes, thinking the same thing. "By about the fourth round, I was asking my corner what to do about his speed. I told them I couldn’t get my timing against it. He just was never there to hit. I thought I could take his punches, and the plan was to wade in and bring it to him. But it just didn’t work that way."

The next thing Diaz knew, he was down. "Never saw the punch," he said, "but I guess those are the ones that really get you." Diaz said if Hatton sticks to his brawling style, he’ll be in trouble. While Diaz was cautioning the British star, Pacquiao and his entourage packed their bags and headed for Las Vegas. Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, has spent thousands to rent a behemoth 56-seat bus that’s covered with a blanket screen of Pacquaio’s photos as it embarks on a trip to the bright lights of Las Vegas.

Before leaving, Pacquiao told media men: "It’s very important to me to win six. It’s a big honor for my country." Pacquiao, 48-3 with two drawn and 36 knockouts, and Hatton, 45-1 with 32 knockouts, are set to begin the final countdown for their highly anticipated junior welterweight title bout. "Right now I’m ready to fight. My mind is very complete. I’m into the fight," Pacquiao said. Hatton has a size advantage while Pacquiao will count on his superior speed to conquer the Hitman from Manchester, the linear division champion who has never lost at junior welterweight and fights for his own claim on history.

Invest With Confidence

Well, for anybody out there who is looking for a real state mortgage, it is important to know that the type of mortgage you will be offered will vary from place to place. There are countries that may purely favor prêt immobilier and some will be more flexible and will offer interest-only products. It is still possible to arrange deals such as fixed rates but again, the types of deals on offer and their duration will vary from location to location. Some will offer short-term deals that then revert to a base product and some will offer fixed rate deals that may be available for the entire mortgage life.

Henceforth, it is virtually impossible to get a standard lender to give you assurance to buy an overseas property as they cannot rely on being able to repossess it if you default on payments. So, if you want to buy a property abroad then an overseas real state mortgage is an ideal solution. You'll also make sure that you are adhering to any local legal regulations at the same time and that the whole process runs smoothly. You may be given some flexibility in the currency you use to fund your property purchase - depending on interest rates at the time; you may see some financial benefits.

Towards this approach, whether you are investing for profit, in mutuelle pas cher, a second home or a new residence, with the correct information you can make informed choices and invest with confidence abroad. After all, the decision to purchase land and property for investment, a holiday home or a permanent residence is never easy, particularly in another country. The range of options can be wide and confusing even without the language, distance and cultural differences. Just visit the above mentioned for more details and information’s.

Refreshing Homemade Lemonade

Hey guys, there's nothing like a fresh, cool glass of lemonade to sip in the summer whether you're pregnant... or three years old... or just in need of refreshment. Herewith is a new recipe for homemade lemonade that is easy, healthy, tasty and not too expensive for everybody to prepare....

1. Start by boiling water.
2. Then in a 2 quart pitcher, put one tea bag of dry desert lime herbal tea and a half cup sugar substitute like light agave nectar.
3. Slice a lemon into really thin circles and add to pitcher along with a cup of lemon juice concentrate.
4. When water boils, fill pitcher up to 2-quart mark.
5. Let cool, then refrigerate.
6. Serve over ice and enjoy.

You can re-use the lemon slices in several pitchers, as long as you make them back to back.

Being Beautiful Young & Healthy

Getting a nice, healthy-looking tan -- a goal for many people now that summer is less than three months away -- can carry the risk of skin cancer from overexposure to ultraviolet rays, either from natural sunlight or from the lamps in tanning beds and booths. "Everybody wants the tan color that's been accepted by society as being beautiful, young and healthy,'' said Dr. Mordechai Tarlow of Advanced Dermatology and Skin Surgery in Lakewood. "But of course you have to find ways of doing it responsibly.'' One of those ways involves what is known as "sunless tanning.'' A sunless tan is achieved by applying products containing dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a carbohydrate that usually comes from plant sources like sugar beets and sugar cane by the fermentation of glycerin.

DHA is approved by the Federal Drug Administration and comes in wipes, sprays and creams. It causes a chemical reaction with amino acids in the surface cells of skin, producing a darkening effect. DHA affects only the outermost cells of the epidermis, or the outermost layer of skin, according to the New Zealand Dermatological Society Inc. Web site. Because DHA has nothing to do with the traditional pathways by which the sun causes skin to develop color, Tarlow said, there's no worry about skin cancer. Some salons offer spray tanning as an alternative to sunbathing. Hollywood Tans recently came out with two new products that can dramatically speed up and enhance results, said Sue Lutter, senior tanologist at Hollywood Tans. The HyperTan tanning accelerator additive and the BronzBoost bronze enhancing concentrate are available as additives to Mystic Tan's original Tanning Myst spray cartridges, she said.

The accelerator reduces the time it takes for a sunless tan to develop. The bronze enhancer applies an instant color to skin, Lutter said, adding that the time it takes to develop is usually less than four hours. The HyperTan is sugar-based and has no chemicals added, she said. It is UV free, which means there are no lamps involved in the process. It comes as a capsule and has amino acids that even out the proteins in the skin and help boost the sunless tan, Lutter added. "This is the fastest way to get a beautiful, natural-looking sunless tan that lasts for up to a week,'' Lutter said. "It goes on as a light mist that feels dry and clean, and you leave ready to go back to work or out to a special event looking and feeling great.''Tarlow said skin cancer as a whole is more common than every other cancer combined.

There are different types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma; squamous cell carcinoma; and melanoma, the most deadly form. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer and usually appears as the classic "sore that doesn't heal,'' Tarlow said. It's a bleeding or scabbing sore that may seem to get somewhat better at first but may recur and bleed again. Most basal cell carcinomas show up on the face and neck where the skin is exposed to sunlight; however, they can also show up in places like the abdomen, leg, and scalp, according to MedicineNet.com. Squamous cell carcinoma are thin, flat cells that look like fish scales under the microscope. They are found in the tissue that forms at the surface of the skin, the lining of hollow organs of the body, and the passages of the respiratory and digestive tracts, according to MedicineNet.com.

Exposure to sunlight has been linked to skin cancer, Tarlow said. But people are doing more than just casually exposing themselves to sunlight -- they're going out to the beaches and tanning salons and are receiving dangerous amounts of exposure, he added. Skin cancer can strike at any age. Many young adults can be affected, Tarlow said. There are about 8,000 to 10,000 deaths a year from melanoma, he added. Some states this year are considering laws that would restrict indoor tanning by minors. Lawmakers cited studies that show too much tanning, especially in young people, can harm the skin and lead to skin cancer. Florida would become the latest among 17 states, including Hawaii, to consider a ban on indoor tanning by young teens. Tarlow often offers advice to his dermatology patients. He says, "I don't tell them that the sun is absolutely evil and you can't have any -- I just say go out responsibly. "Put on sunscreen each morning and enjoy yourself,'' he said. "If you think you're going to be out excessively, then put on more sunscreen.''

Locks Down Public Places

MEXICO'S government kept the country's public venues locked down today as it grappled with the new strain of flu that is suspected to have killed as many as 159 people. Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova raised the toll of “probable” deaths from swine flu to 159 by late Tuesday, up by seven over the day before. Of that figure, 26 were found to have been affected by the A/H1N1 swine flu virus and seven of those “corresponded beyond any doubt to deaths caused by the new virus.” Cordova said the discrepancy with the government's previous figure of 20 “confirmed deaths” came about because of new, more rigorous testing being carried out in US and Canadian laboratories in conjunction with the World Health Organization. Bars, cafes, gyms, cinemas, Aztec ruins and football games were ordered closed to the public today as the Mexican government battled the spread of the virus.

The measures, concentrated in Mexico City but also felt in many places across the country where people might gather, came as tourist numbers dwindled, amid increased jitters worldwide over the disease. Nearly empty planes flew into the capital, which itself was unnervingly quiet, with most shops shuttered. Many people wore medical masks to cover their mouths and noses. Traffic - usually a nightmare in this city of 20 million inhabitants - was unusually fluid. Schools have been closed by federal government order until May 6 at least. Mexico City's municipal authorities said all food, party, cultural and sports establishments where groups of people normally congregated had to close under threat of fines and being shuttered. Eateries would only be permitted to serve takeaway meals. “We're in the critical moment, in that we have to manage as a city so it does not become an exponential infection,” Mayor Marcelo Ebrard told journalists.

Restaurant owners complained that the measure against food venues in the central part of Mexico City would affect 450,000 hospitality workers and take a chunk out of an already fragile economy. “It's easy to tell us to close, but how are we going to live? They say it's for my health but either I'll die from the disease or I'll die from hunger,” a cafe owner in the capital, Rene Perez Lozano, told AFP. All archeological sites in the country, including Mexico's world-famous Aztec and Mayan pyramids, were also closed “until further notice,” the National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a statement soon afterwards. Tour companies in Britain, France and Germany have cancelled trips to Mexico, as have major US cruise lines and a Canadian airline, Air Transat. Cuba said it was suspending all flights to and from Mexico until Friday. And Argentina barred direct flights from Mexico until next Monday.

The declining number of foreign visitors was certain to hurt the country's tourist industry, which was the nation's third-biggest foreign income earner. In an AeroMexico flight that landed in Mexico City today, only around one-third of the seats were occupied - and most of them by Mexicans returning home. Several passengers and most of the crew wore masks, though almost none of them the N95 type that filters out the small airborne particles believed to carry the flu virus. “I'm a little afraid, but I've got a corporate video shoot all organised and I can't miss it,” a Brazilian video director, Messina Neto, told AFP on the flight. One of the stewards, when asked about his mask, said he had bought it himself at a pharmacy out of concern of contagion. “It's better than nothing,” he said.

Swine Flu Epidemic

The swine flu epidemic entered a dangerous new phase Monday as the death toll climbed in Mexico and the number of suspected cases there and in the United States nearly doubled. The World Health Organization raised its alert level but stopped short of declaring a global emergency. The United States advised Americans against most travel to Mexico and ordered stepped up border checks in neighboring states. The European Union health commissioner advised Europeans to avoid nonessential travel both to Mexico and parts of the U.S. The virus poses a potentially grave new threat to the U.S. economy, which was showing tentative early signs of a recovery. A widespread outbreak could batter tourism, food and transportation industries, deepening the recession in the U.S. and possibly worldwide. The suspected number of deaths rose to 149 in Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak with nearly 2,000 people believed to be infected. The number of U.S. cases rose to 48, the result of further testing at a New York City school, although none was fatal. Other U.S. cases have been reported in Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California. Worldwide there were 73 cases, including six in Canada, one in Spain and two in Scotland.

While the total cases were still measured in hundreds, not thousands, Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said the epidemic was entering an extremely dangerous phase, with the number of people infected mushrooming even as authorities desperately ramped up defenses. ''We are in the most critical moment of the epidemic. The number of cases will keep rising, so we have to reinforce preventative measures,'' Cordova said at a news conference. The WHO raised the alert level to Phase 4, meaning there is sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus causing outbreaks in at least one country. Its alert system was revised after bird flu in Asia began to spread in 2004, and Monday was the first time it was raised above Phase 3. ''At this time, containment is not a feasible option,'' as the virus has already spread to several other countries, said WHO Assistant Director-General Keiji Fukuda. Putting an alert at Phases 4 or 5 signals that the virus is becoming increasingly adept at spreading among humans. That move could lead governments to set trade, travel and other restrictions aimed at limiting its spread. Phase 6 is for a full-blown pandemic, characterized by outbreaks in at least two regions of the world.

It could take four to six months before the first batch of vaccines are available to fight the virus, WHO officials said. Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan said they would quarantine visitors showing symptoms of the virus amid global fears of a pandemic, an epidemic spread over a large area, either a region or worldwide. President Barack Obama said the outbreak was reason for concern, but not yet ''a cause for alarm.'' Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that so far the virus in the United States seems less severe than in Mexico. Only one person has been hospitalized in the U.S. ''I wouldn't be overly reassured by that,'' Besser told reporters at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, raising the possibility of more severe cases in the United States. ''We are taking it seriously and acting aggressively,'' Besser said. ''Until the outbreak has progressed, you really don't know what it's going to do.'' U.S. customs officials began checking people entering U.S. territory. Millions of doses of flu-fighting medications from a federal stockpile were on their way to states, with priority given to the five already affected and to border states.

Federal agencies were conferring with state and international governments. ''We want to make sure that we have equipment where it needs to be, people where they need to be and, most important, information shared at all levels,'' said Janet Napolitano, head of the Homeland Security Department. ''We are proceeding as if we are preparatory to a full pandemic,'' Napolitano said. She said travel warnings for trips to Mexico would remain in place as long as swine flu is detected. Mexico canceled school at all levels nationwide until May 6, and the Mexico City government said it was considering a complete shutdown, including all public transportation, if the death toll keeps rising. Labor Secretary Javier Lozano Alarcon said employers should isolate anyone showing up for work with fever, cough, sore throat or other signs of the flu. Even some of Mexico's most treasured national holidays were affected by the swine flu alert. Authorities announced Monday the cancellation of the annual Cinco de Mayo parade, in which people in period costumes celebrate Mexican troops' defeat of a French army on May 5, 1862. The national labor umbrella group announced the cancellation of Mexico City's traditional May 1 parade and the National Institute of Anthropology and History said all of its 116 museums nationwide would be closed until further notice. Amid the warnings, the Mexican government grappled with increasing criticism of its response. At least two weeks after the first swine flu case, the government has yet to say where and how the outbreak began or give details on the victims.

The health department lacked the staff to visit the homes of all those suspected to have died from the disease, Cordova said. He said tests show a 4-year-old boy contracted the virus before April 2 in Veracruz state, where a community has been protesting pollution from a large pig farm. The farm is run by Granjas Carroll de Mexico, a joint venture half owned by Virginia-based Smithfield Foods Inc. Spokeswoman Keira Ullrich said the company has found no clinical signs or symptoms of the presence of swine flu in its herd or its employees working anywhere in Mexico. Mexico's Agriculture Department said Monday that its inspectors found no sign of swine flu among pigs around the farm in Veracruz, and that no infected pigs have been found yet anywhere in Mexico. As if the country did not have enough to deal with, Cordova's comments were briefly interrupted by a 5.6-magnitude earthquake in southern Mexico that rattled already jittery nerves and sent mask-wearing office workers into the streets of the capital.

Bringing More Confidence

The construction industry will be the worst hit as economy continues to deteriorate, predicts new report. It further stated, that construction and property are likely to be the sectors hardest hit by the recession this year, according to a new report by a leading accountant. And though some construction firms suffering financial problems increased in the first quarter of 2009 compared with a year earlier, however, business recovery and restructuring which monitors early warning exit signs of corporate stress, showed a rise in critical actions among building firms across all regions of 126% over the year.

To some extent, data revealed that the number of construction companies with critical problems rose 16% between the final quarter of last year and the first quarter of 2009. And as such, because of the trend several building contractors of today have new approach on EXIT SIGNS. Although the deteriorating economy and expectations of a drawn-out recession has led to a downward revision in some company outlook and has severely impacted the survival rate of businesses, but some have now embraced the idea of making energy performance a priority on their building’s design bringing more confidence of people working around its project.

So to speak, it is really imperative that an Exit Sign shall be posted on places which are visible for everybody. This is of course not only for the benefit of the people living or working in a particular building but also to the entire community within the area. So if anybody of you here now is seeking the help of the experts then you’ve come to the right place. All you have to do is just keep in touch with the above mentioned and rests assure that you are in good hands.

Nuclear Arsenals

Russian and American negotiators began work at the weekend on their ambitious plans to rid the world of nuclear weapons. The talks are intended to produce a new agreement to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) that expires in December. This time, however, both sides are committed to cutting their arsenals well below the current combined total of 5,000 warheads, after the declaration by presidents Obama and Medvedev in London on April 1 that they would work towards the scrapping of all nuclear arms. It is a fraught endeavour, but a very worthwhile one.

It is a visionary aim, and revives one of the main vehicles for reducing East-West tensions during the Cold War. President Obama has returned to arms control, one of the goals outlined in his inaugural address, as a way of improving America's strained relations with Russia. But it will be difficult to achieve. For as warhead numbers are reduced, related issues become more complicated. If, for example, both sides cut their totals to 1,500 each, verification becomes more important, especially for the Russians, who know that the Americans could rebuild their arsenals more quickly. And this would mean Russia's defence ministry and arms factories accepting more transparency than they have before.

The second issue is delivery systems. Russia fears it will lose out in cuts, as its long-range missiles are ageing and probably far less reliable than US missiles. Last week Mr Medvedev insisted that any new treaty should limit all systems, including the strategic triad of intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-based missiles and heavy bombers. But the Americans have an advantage that strategists might be reluctant to abandon, especially as they are deeply worried about the threat of missiles fired by states still building up offensive capabilities. But with warhead numbers reduced to about the 1,000 mark proposed by Mr Obama, the US would have to consider abandoning one leg of its strategic triad.

The third risk in a drastic reduction of warheads is that the two former superpowers have less of an advantage over other nuclear powers, especially China. The deterrents still hosted by Britain and France are unlikely to upset the balance, but China appears determined still to maintain its arsenals at current levels, as do India, Pakistan and Israel. The importance, therefore, of each warhead being up to date and fully operational increases. That will make it harder for Mr Obama to persuade Congress to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which it refused to do in 1999. It may also raise pressure to resume some form of testing.

The talks will also raise questions about other arms treaties. The Russians are unwilling to make concessions as long as the US is committed to the Bush Administration programme of installing an anti-missile shield in PolandCzech Republic. Mr Obama has signalled that this may not now go ahead, but much depends on Iran and North Korea, which have reacted aggressively to his conciliatory overtures. The key issue in all talks will be mutual trust. That broke down during the Bush Administration. The relationship may now be on the mend. But it will take months of tough bargaining before either Russia or America is ready to lead the way to a world without nuclear weapons.

Economic Slowdown

Mango exports to the USA are likely to see a decline this year due to the economic slowdown, an industry official has said. “The general economic slowdown has impacted exports to the USA as we have fewer orders this year,” Mumbai-based fruits exporter Mr Deepak Patil, said. Mango exporters had already commenced preparations like meeting growers, placing orders and booking the irradiation facility as mango exports would commence in the last week of April, Mr Patil said. During the 2008 mango season, India exported 143 tons of mangoes to the USA valued at around Rs 2 crore. Export volumes remained low as the quality of the fruit was affected by unseasonal rains while exporters too faced problems of high costs of compliance and freight, among others. Currently, in the case of mango exports, India depends on traditional markets like the West Asia and the United Kingdom.

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) are major consumers of Indian mangoes. Meanwhile, paving way for safe mango exports in 2009, the irradiation facility of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) at Lasalgaon in Maharastra's Nasik district commenced operation last week. The BARC plant had a capacity of 500 tons, an Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) official said. Irradiation is a modern food preservation technology that can reduce the risk of food poisoning, control food spoilage and extend shelf life of the food. The process got a shot in the arm when the USAUSA decided to import Indian mangoes in 2008. The prefers irradiation to get rid of an insect pest mango seed weevils and fruit-fly from the fruits. Meanwhile, the official said mango production in 2009 season (April-September) was likely to be low as the crop had failed due to erratic climate. He, however, said that the crop loss could not be quantified.

Deadly Flu In Mexico

Mexicans took new precautions Sunday amid fears that a new flu epidemic believed to have killed up to 81 people in the country could reach 'pandemic' proportions and spread to the United States and worldwide. Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova raised the probable death toll from the new multi-strain swine flu in Mexico to 81, including 20 already confirmed. Earlier, Mexican President Felipe Calderon published an order giving his government extraordinary powers to tackle the deadly outbreak, as at least two new cases were reported in the United States, bringing the total infected there to 10. “This virus has clearly a pandemic potential,” World Health Organization director general, Margaret Chan, said on Saturday. The Geneva-based UN agency branded the outbreak “a public health emergency of international concern,” following a meeting of its emergency committee. In a statement it said it was recommending that all nations “intensify surveillance for unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia”.

In Mexico, 13 new suspect cases were reported in the past 24 hours and a total of 1,324 patients with flu symptoms were under investigation, Health Minister Cordova said. Since April 13, “there have been 81 registered deaths which are probably linked to the virus of which only 20 cases have virological checks,” Cordova told a news conference after meeting with health officials from across the country. The Mexico government has upped emergency measures that were put into place only on Friday. Officials have canceled hundreds of public events and closed schools for millions of students in and around the capital. Schools in those areas and also San Luis Potosi in central Mexico, the third most affected area, will remain closed until May 6, Cordova said. The traditional Sunday mass was suspended in Catholic churches throughout the country. Many Mexico City residents wore freely-distributed surgical masks on the streets Saturday, after authorities urged people to avoid contact in public.

Apart from the capital, four other deaths were reported in central, northwest and southern Mexico. Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said that more than 500 sporting and cultural events had been canceled for at least 10 days. Mexico City authorities have said they had more than one million doses of suitable antiviral drugs, in an urban area of some 20 million. The government also assured citizens it had “sufficient” funds reaching 450 million dollars to combat the epidemic. Across the northern border, health authorities in the central US state of Kansas confirmed two cases of swine flu on Saturday, bringing the total number of cases in the United States to at least 10. One of the victims was still ill, while the other had recovered, Kansas health authorities said. One of the patients had recently traveled to Mexico. “Both persons ... became ill with the same unique (H1N1) strain of swine flu that has been identified in Mexico, California and Texas,” Kansas officials said in astatement read.

Earlier on Saturday New YorkNew York CityLondonMexico City, health officials said Saturday. A hospital spokesman said the man was responding well to treatment. “With infections in many different communities as we’re seeing, we don’t think that containment is feasible,” said Anne Schuchat of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC said some Mexican victims had died from the same new strain of swine flu that affected eight people in TexasCalifornia. Dave Daigle, of the CDC, said a bird flu strain, two swine flu strains and a human strain had combined for the first time. “The most worrying fact is that it appears to transmit from human to human,” said WHO spokesman Thomas Abraham. These features, along with the fact that unusually young healthy adults have fallen victim in Mexico, and not the very old or very young, have given rise to fears of an epidemic or even a pandemic. According to the WHO, pigs have already been factors in the appearance of two previously unknown diseases that gave rise to pandemics in the last century. If a pig is simultaneously infected with a human and an avian influenza virus, it can serve as a “mixing vessel” for the two viruses that could combine to create a new, more virulent strain.

Cure For Common Cause OF Blindness

The world’s first stem cell therapy to cure the most common cause of blindness has been developed by British researchers. The research team believes that the procedure, which can tackle age-related macular degeneration (AMD), will become a routine, one-hour method that will be generally available in six or seven years’ time. The treatment was pioneered by scientists and surgeons from the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London and Moorfields eye hospital, and involves replacing a layer of degenerated cells with new ones created from embryonic stem cells, reports The Times. In the new treatment, embryonic stem cells are transformed into replicas of the missing cells.

They are then placed on an artificial membrane which is inserted in the back of the retina. Tom Bremridge, chief executive of the Macular Disease Society, said: “This is a huge step forward for patients. We are extremely pleased that the big guns have become involved, because, once this treatment is validated, it will be made available to a huge volume of patients.” Laboratory trials completed by the British team, led by Professor Pete Coffey, director of the London Project to Cure Blindness, have demonstrated that stem cells can prevent blindness in rats with a similar disease to AMD. Coffey said the treatment would take “less than an hour, so it really could be considered as an outpatient procedure. We are trying to get it out as a common therapy”.

A Global Threat

There are two basic forms of diabetes. Type I occurs in children and adolescents, but only in between five and ten percent of all cases. The more common is Type II, or Adult Onset Diabetes (AOB). The difference between the two types is that whereas in Type I insufficient insulin is produced in the body, in Type II, insulin is produced, but cannot be utilized effectively by the body. The good news is that although AOB or Type II can often be prevented or controlled by careful use of diet and exercise, some patients may need a range of drugs to control it.

If diabetes is left unchecked, it can lead to blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, disability, amputations and even death. Type II diabetes is often called the mid-life disease because it is most common in people aged 40 and upward but the causes are still a mystery. Excess fat in the body can trigger the onset of diabetes due to the prevention of insulin from working effectively. Many people with Type II are overweight, with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 26 or more. Steroids can trigger it, and often other family members have it too. The symptoms for Type II and Type I are the same and include the need for frequent urination, excessive thirst and hunger, general irritability, weakness, fatigue, and nausea. Other symptoms of Type II may include recurring gum or bladder infections, hard to heal or itchy skin, blurred vision, and numbness. Sometimes symptoms with Type II are so mild that they can go unnoticed. How can you help your body protect against diabetes?

A combined approach is the best. Make certain that you have a healthy, balanced diet. Exercise regularly and lose excess weight without putting stress on the body. Exercise has been known to help beat back diabetes, but as with all new activities it should be started gently to prevent giving the body a sudden shock. If you haven’t exercised for some time, start with stretching and a brisk walk, or begin with a regular swim. Try to build exercise into your daily routine, and the 20-minute mini-morning workout, which is available by e-mail from minian193@naturalhealthlines.com would be a suitable starting point for many. If you think you have diabetes, do consult your doctor about exercise as it consumes blood sugars for energy.

Know Your Herbs

The nutritional supplement industry estimates that Americans spend more than $6 billion every year on vitamin- and mineral-packed pills, gelcaps, powders and tablets. It's a testament to the allure of the quick-fix, given that little evidence exists to support most of the exaggerated health claims made for nutritional supplements. Now many people are expanding their supplement habits to include herbs. Herbs are plants used in small quantities for a variety of effects. Culinary herbs, for example, are plants used in small quantities for the flavor or aroma their leaves add to foods. Examples include mint, rosemary, thyme and cilantro. Medicinal herbs, on the other hand, are used for the health benefits some people think the plants offer. Examples of medicinal herbs include black cohosh, Echinacea, gingko, valerian, hoodia, feverfew and dozens more. Some herbs even pull double duty. Ginger, for example, tastes good in soups, sauces and entrees. It also has the power to safely relieve nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, or NCCAM, a unit of theNational Institutes of Health.

A list of common herbs, their uses and potential side effects is available online from NCCAM at nccam.nih.gov/health/herbsataglance.htm. By themselves, herbs are whole foods -- a sprig or a few leaves of this or that. Taken as supplements, though, concentrated and packaged in pill, capsule or powder form, their active ingredients have more potential to have an effect. Just as people take vitamin and mineral supplements because they think the pills provide protection against cancer or heart disease, or that they boost the body's immune system, herbal supplements are often touted as having a wide range of health benefits as well. Are the claims true, or are herbal supplements expensive shortcuts that don't live up to the hype? In most cases, it's too early to tell. While the federal government is sponsoring research, the science is largely still evolving. If you have an interest in herbal supplements it's best to take some precautions to use them safely. Federal guidelines regulating the marketing and sale of supplements are much less stringent than the standards applied to over-the-counter and prescription drugs.

Be sure to tell your health care provider about any herbal supplements you are taking. It's important because: herbal supplements have the potential to interact with other medications. They may inhibit or enhance the effects of certain drugs. Herbal supplements can affect your risk of bleeding during surgery. They can also change the way your body responds to anesthesia. If you plan to have surgery and are taking herbal supplements, let your doctor know. Available research may not apply in your case. Most of the research on herbal supplements has been conducted on adults, and very little has been conducted on pregnant women, nursing mothers or children. Fortunately, there are some excellent online sources of reliable and up-to-date information about herbal supplements. In addition to NCCAM, I also recommend: the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health. Go to ods.od.nih.gov/. This site provides fact sheets with information about the background and safety of specific herbal supplements. We have much more to learn about the potential for herbal supplements to support health. In the meantime, the best value for your long-term health is a weekly shopping basket full of fresh fruits and vegetables.