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.