And now, a word from the Toddler Party....

Harness the Power of Google

Here are the top ten uses fro Google that most of us haven't been using, and most don't know exists....

10. Get Local Time: Type in What time is it followed by any city to get the current time.

9. Track Flight Status: Enter the airline and flight number to find out the departure time and estimated arrival for any flight.

8. Convert Currency, Metrics, Bytes and More: Google has a built-in converter calculator. You can enter quarter cup in teaspoons, seconds in a year, 5 US dollars in Euros and countless others.

7. Search for Pages That are “Better Than,” “Similar to,” or “Reminds me of”: Enter “better than keyword” or “similar to keyword” to find Web pages you never knew existed.

6. Use Google as a Free Proxy: Enter cache:website.com to view a Web page that’s been blocked from the computer you’re using.

5. Remove Affiliate Links From Product Searches: To avoid seeing search results from certain sites, enter –site:website.com.

4. Find Related Items: Enter ~ (tilde) before any search term to find related items as well.

3. Find Music and Comic Books: Enter -inurl:(htm|html|php) intitle:"index of" +"last modified" +"parent directory" +description +size +(wma|mp3) "Band or comic book name" to find music files and comic books.

2. See Images of People, Objects, Etc.: Type in a search term, and click on images to see photos of the results.

1. Search for Faces: If you’re looking for a photo of a person named Rose, and don’t want to see photos of the flower, add &imgtype=face to the end of your image search. It will show you only images of faces.

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* Lifehacker.com January 2, 2008

Hemp: N.B.'s crop of the 21st century

Published Friday August 8th, 2008

New Brunswick can become a model for the 21st century, create a vast array of jobs in many sectors, and retain westward fleeing job-seekers by fully embracing hemp farming. Not only could hemp production keep workers in the province, it could also attract new industry and immigrants into the province.

Hemp is truly one of nature's gifts to mankind, but no member of the plant kingdom has ever been so willfully and stubbornly misunderstood. It is generally assumed that hemp became collateral damage in the United States' so-called "war on drugs."

There is compelling evidence, however, that hemp was actually the primary target of the whole "Reefer Madness" hysteria. A number of major U.S. corporations, lumber and pulp barons, and chemical companies stood to lose lucrative market shares because the hemp plant is so useful and versatile. Hemp provides the raw material for bio-fuel, paper, and plastic alternatives, among its many uses. It is time to understand what we have lost, and will continue to lose, if we don't realize the infinite benefits of hemp production.

Since the mid-1930s, about half the world's forests have been cut to make paper. If hemp had not been outlawed, most forests would likely still be standing, providing oxygen for the planet.

Hemp plants provide four times the paper fibre per acre per year than trees do, and can be re-planted yearly. Hemp is naturally resistant to insects and weeds and thrives in New Brunswick. Nearly half of the agricultural chemicals used by the U.S. are applied to cotton crops.

As people continue to become more ecologically aware and responsible, the demand for all types of organic products will increase. Hemp fibre is a naturally organic alternative to cotton. It is much more durable, wears longer, and is resistant to salt - which is why it has been traditionally used to make ropes and sails for ships for thousands of years. In fact, the word "canvas" comes from an Arabic word for hemp.

Henry Ford experimented with utilizing hemp as a bio-fuel source and as an ingredient in a composite material for automobile bodies. In 1941, the Ford Motor Company rolled out an experimental car that was made from hemp. Ford demonstrated this vehicle's durability by beating on the fender with an axe. It bounced off and did not leave even a scratch. Imagine the benefits of a rust-proof, bio-degradable car that runs on hemp bio-fuel.... and where the planet would be today if this had become a reality 70 years ago! Also imagine that petro-chemical companies and many other major U.S. corporations still have a stake in preserving the status quo while they fill their coffers with money spent on over-priced gas, oil, chemicals, fertilizer and consumer goods that are petroleum based. The United States is the only industrialized nation that prohibits the growing of hemp.

In 1937, Popular Science magazine listed more than 25,000 potential uses for the hemp plant, and modern technology has increased this number. The market for organic food and personal care products has exploded. In addition to its many industrial uses, hemp also provides one of nature's most perfect foods in its seed. It contains the essential fatty acids omega 3 and 6 in the proper 3:1 ratio for human health, and provides superior anti-oxidant qualities. Hemp nuts are also one of the world's richest sources of protein, second only to the soybean, and they taste great. Chefs all over the world are using hemp butter, nuts and oil in their kitchens.

Right now, in many N.B. stores, you can buy hemp foods and goods that were produced in other Canadian provinces. The Manitoba Harvest Company is a co-operative that is co-owned by more than 20 farming families. In Ontario, the Cool Hemp Company is producing ice cream and cookies made from hemp seed - desserts that are both good and good for you!

When you add up all of the environmental benefits, jobs, products and industry that would be created by hemp production, you have only a win/win situation for the province of New Brunswick.

There is a lingering reluctance to embrace hemp farming because of the current U.S. laws and attitude. But people should control their institutions rather than continue to be dominated by these human creations. At the Kyoto Summit, Al Gore used an apt hockey analogy when he appealed to Canada for environmental support. He suggested that we not look to where the United States has the puck now - but where the puck will ultimately be in the future.

Stephanie Kelley is a resident of Perth-Andover.
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http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/article/378219

KUDOS! Hemp farming becomes law in VT!

Vermont Hemp Farming Bill Becomes Law

Controversy Resolved by Opinion of Attorney General's Office

MONTPELIER, Vermont (July 1, 2008) — Vote Hemp, a grassroots advocacy organization working to give farmers the right to grow non-drug industrial hemp, is extremely pleased that the Vermont Secretary of State's office accepted Formal Opinion #2008-1 from the Office of the Attorney General and gave H.267, the Hemp for Vermont bill, the designation of Act No. 212 last Friday. There had been a constitutional controversy as Governor Jim Douglas forwarded H.267 to the Secretary of State intending it to become law without his signature. The bill had overwhelmingly passed both the House (127 to 9) and the Senate (25 to 1). The new law sets up a state-regulated program for farmers to grow non-drug industrial hemp which is used in a wide variety of products, including nutritious foods, cosmetics, body care, clothing, tree-free paper, auto parts, building materials and much more. Learn more about industrial hemp at the Vote Hemp Web site.

Smart and effective grassroots organizing by Vote Hemp and the Vermont-based advocacy group Rural Vermont mobilized farmers and local businesses, many of which pledged to buy their hemp raw materials in-state if they have the opportunity. Rural Vermont's Director Amy Shollenberger says that "the Hemp for Vermont bill is another step toward legalizing this important crop for farmers. The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that doesn't allow this crop to be grown. Looking at the Canadian experience, hemp provides a good return for the farmer. It's a high-yield crop and a great crop to mix in with corn."

Vermont grows an average of 90,000 acres of corn per year, a small amount compared to Midwest states; however, the need for a good rotation crop exists nationwide. From candle makers to dairymen to retailers, Vermont voters strongly support hemp farming. Admittedly a niche market now, hemp is becoming more common in stores and products across the country every day. Over the past ten years, farmers in Canada have grown an average of 16,500 acres of hemp per year, primarily for use in food products. In Vermont, the interest in hemp includes for use in food products, as well as in quality and affordable animal bedding for the state's estimated 140,000 cows.

"Vermont's federal delegation can now take this law to the U.S. Congress and call for a fix to this problem of farmers missing out on a very useful and profitable crop," comments Eric Steenstra, President of Vote Hemp. "North Dakota farmers who want to grow hemp per state law are currently appealing their lawsuit in the federal courts. The real question is whether these hemp-friendly state congressional delegations feel compelled to act," adds Steenstra.

Rural Vermont's Shollenberger states that "the Vermont law is significant for two reasons. First, no other state until now has followed North Dakota's lead by creating real-world regulations for farmers to grow industrial hemp. Second, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont is Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, as well as a member of the Committee on Agriculture – both relevant committees that could consider legislation. We also have a friend at the USDA in new Secretary Ed Schaffer who signed North Dakota's hemp bill as Governor. I plan to visit Washington, DC and try to figure out what Congress and the Administration intend to do."

Support Vote Hemp

Vote Hemp depends on your support to do the work we do. You know we are effective and get things done. Your donation will go a long way. Help us bring Vermont and North Dakota farmers to Washington, DC to lobby their delegations. It's time to ratchet up the pressure! Please make a donation today.

About Vote Hemp

Vote Hemp is a national, single-issue, non-profit organization dedicated to the acceptance of and a free market for low-THC industrial hemp and to changes in current law to allow U.S. farmers to once again grow this agricultural crop. More information about hemp legislation and the crop's many uses may be found at www.VoteHemp.com and www.HempIndustries.org. BETA SP or DVD Video News Releases featuring footage of hemp farming in other countries are available upon request by contacting Adam Eidinger at 202-744-2671.

Vote Hemp, Inc. Adam Eidinger Communications Director email: adam@votehemp.com phone: 202-744-2671

Tom Murphy National Outreach Coordinator email: tom@votehemp.com phone: 207-542-4998

Great mp3 player extension for Firefox

Yesterday i discovered a solution to the most vexing problem of playing music in browser. I have several websites with links to my own songs-.mp3 files. I didn't like the way it went to Quicktime, or loaded the whole Real Player just to hear a song, and i wanted it to stream instead of download so it would play faster. I found Online Music Player, which is a Flash music player Firefox add-on. - link is also to the left on Products and Service I Recommend.

When you right click a link and choose "Play it" it does just that, from the bottom toolbar in Firefox. IF you hover the mouse over the little blue music note, you get useful information. If you click on the music note, you get a menu of other options. It's fantastic and solves a problem, which is something i always enjoy. No more waiting on mp3's to load. Try it.

FDA Allows Skin Care Manufacturers to Poison You

How The US and Australian FDA Bodies Allow Untested Chemicals To Enter Your Bloodstream

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" How The US, British and Australian FDA Agencies
Allow Your Body To Be A Live Testing Ground
For Untested Toxins In Skin Care Products "

• Is It True The FDA Allows Skin Care and Cosmetic Makers To Illegally Hijack Your Bloodstream Through Penetration Enhancers?
  
• What Are The Official FDA Regulations Regarding Pre-Market Testing Of Cosmetic Ingredients?

---

Today's issue of the Natural Skin Care Secrets will shock you to the core! Through my thousands of hours of investigation you are about to uncover a shocking web of deception, fraud and cover-ups.

This tangled web includes the US FDA (Food & Drug Administration), Australian FDA (Therapeutic Goods Association), "British FDA", "Canadian FDA" (in fact, almost all country specific FDA equivalents) chemical corporations, skin care and cosmetic manufacturers.The most shocking thing is that this goes right to the top.

Would you believe that the US, Canadian, British and Australian FDA agencies actually allow your skin and body to be a live testing ground for unassessed chemicals? It's true.

Did you also know that the US and Australian FDA both allow skin care makers to illegally hijack your bloodstream through the use of "penetration enhancer" chemicals like Propylene Glycol and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate?

These toxins have one only purpose, that is to drive down deep through 5 layers of your skin and open a highway for other even more hazardous chemicals to enter your bloodstream.

Can you just imagine the "pandora's box" of disease this can cause your healthy body? So, just how did it come to this? Well first let's take a step back and have a look at the actual US FDA regulations regarding prescription drugs.

Here is a direct quote from the US "FDA Bible":

"Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act defines drugs
as those products that cure, treat, mitigate
or prevent disease or that affect the structure
or function of the human body.

While drugs are subject to an intensive review
and approval process by FDA, cosmetics are not
approved by FDA prior to sale. If a product has
drug properties, it must be approved as a drug,
only approved drugs are allowed to enter your
bloodstream."

Source: FDA, http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qa-cos5.html

From this statement you can clearly see that ONLY prescription dugs pre-approved by the FDA are allowed to enter your bloodstream and change the structure or function of the human body.

Now let's take a closer look at exactly what "penetration enhancers" are. As I mentioned above these toxins infiltrate the skin membrane and open the door for many other chemicals to enter.

These include a laundry list of common chemicals like Propylene Glycol, Ammonium Glycolate, Lauryl Lactate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. I urge to check your products right now to see if they contain these chemicals. Skin care and cosmetic products containing these chemicals are all approved for use by the US, British and Australian FDA bodies, as strange as it may seem.

So just how common are these chemicals used in personal care products? A lot, in fact 57% of all skin care products use "penetration enhancers" according to my site's 60 plus skin care reviews along with EWG's 2005 research covering more than 14,000 products.

A lot of people may ask, "But don't the US, Canadian, British and Australian FDA bodies regulate ingredients used in skin care and cosmetics?" The answer is a resounding NO.

In fact the FDA even says this themselves on the official website. Here are two quotes straight from the "horse's mouth":

"The [Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act] contains
no provision that requires demonstration to
FDA of the safety of ingredients of cosmetic
products...prior to marketing the product."

— FDA , September 29 2005

"With the exception of color additives and a few
prohibited ingredients, a cosmetic manufacturer
may on his own responsibility, use essentially
any raw material and market the product
without approval."

So, in a nutshell, the reason why "penetration enhancer" chemicals are illegal for use in personal care products is because this directly violates the US FDA's own regulations regarding the use of cosmetic chemicals that affect the structure or function of the human body.

The upshot of this revelation is that we can once and for all put to bed the well worn myth that and "regional FDA" - or for that matter, any other other government body around the world - regulate the skin care and cosmetic industry.

So just what are US, British and Australian FDA bodies doing about this massive loophole in the system. In a word, nothing.

Yes, in spite of the massive documented evidence of dangerous chemicals in 99% of personal care products the US FDA has not shown any signs of fixing the problem.

Here is what you need to know about the US FDA and their current power.

1) The US FDA cannot require a recall of harmful products.

2) The US FDA has not even defined what safe means or how to achieve it.

3) The Agency consistently declines to develop guidance for the cosmetic industry on what must be done to guarantee safety and what standards must be met to ensure a product is safe.

In a nutshell, the US FDA basically gives the cosmetic industry a blank check to market whatever they want even though it contradicts the FDA's own laws on drug classification.

Funny thing is that the US, British and Australian FDA and other government agencies have no problem regulating just about every other area of our lives but when it comes to the cosmetic industry all of a sudden they choose not to intervene.

Some would say that the FDA has been bought and paid for by the pharma/chemical/cosmetic cartel. I'll let you be the judge of that, but I think you know where I stand.

Whether or not it is the case really doesn't matter, the fact is you have to take decisive action if you are to protect yourself from these
chemicals.

What's the bottom line? Well, when it comes to your skin and general health in relation to personal care products you have 3 options.

Firstly, you can do what most people do, nothing.

Secondly, you can take indirect action by trying to change the system. If this is you I wish you good luck with getting even with government
and corporations who have unlimited resources and the corporate media in their back pocket.

Now, since you are a member of this community the chances are you will take the smartest option like the rest of us here. Take direct action. That's right. Educate yourself and be personally responsible for whatever it is you want to achieve whether it be skin care or general health.

This is rather simple when you become an IOC of skin care and cosmetics as you control what products or herbal remedies you use.

If this is you I have great news for you. In tomorrow's issue you will leapfrog 99% of the general public almost instantly. You will discover the "hidden" online chemical database that will shortcut your research time by thousands of hours.

Tomorrow's issue is called:


"How To Take Control Back From The
Cosmetic Cartel By Becoming An Expert
Ingredient Detective Almost Instantly, By
Accessing A "Hidden" Online Database"

Yours for Natural Skin Care,
Adam Waters

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http://www.natural-skincare-authority.com/australian-fda.html

Recycling: I Suspected as Much

Save energy: Don't recycle

Some people buy hybrid cars to save energy.

— Leland Teschler, Editor

As for me, I do my part by not recycling paper, glass, or plastic.

Well, at least not at the curbside. The occasional Boy Scout paper drive may be economically defensible. But sending around city trucks to pick up glass, paper, and plastic actually consumes more energy than it saves. And it may even pollute the air more than just pitching this stuff in the trash.

A little thought shows why. It takes as many trucks to collect perhaps four to eight pounds of recyclables that a typical household generates as it does to pickup the 40 pounds of refuse created by the same residence. This reality creates situations as have emerged in the city of Los Angeles, where officials now figure the city's fleet of garbage trucks is twice as large as it would be without recycling, 800 rather than 400 trucks. Similar economics are at work in cities everywhere.

The issue has been closely examined by the Franklin Associates Div. of the Eastern Research Group. Franklin has for years prepared the national characterization of municipal solid waste published by the U.S. EPA. It also has looked at the cost per ton of handling recyclables through curbside pickup. One of Franklin's conclusions is that curbside recycling typically costs 55% more than simple disposal because it consumes huge amounts of capital and labor per pound of recycled material. Recycling proponents sometimes claim that curbside recycling is worthwhile because it conserves space in landfills. The mayor of my own community once remarked approvingly about how his recycling program had reduced tippage fees for landfill use. What he did not mention was that the recycling program was subsidized out of tax receipts. Its true cost far exceeded any savings. But this sort of dishonesty is common among local administrators trying to justify actions they think will keep them in office.

There is another problem with conserving landfill space: We have plenty of landfill capacity and there is no reason to conserve it. Claims of a landfill shortage are based on a 1980s study that the EPA acknowledges was flawed. It counted the number of landfills, which was in fact shrinking, rather than landfill capacity, which was and is still growing. So today, the U.S. has more landfill capacity than ever before, according to the National Solid Waste Management Association.

The bad economics of curbside recycling contrast with those of industrial recycling. Private-sector material reclamation can be superefficient. Printers that produce magazines like MACHINE DESIGN, for example, bale up their scrap paper and sell it back to reprocessors, often by the boxcar load. Big users of glass, metals, and plastics all have analogous procedures in place.

Still, curbside recycling might make sense someday. You'll know that day has come when someone knocks on your door and offers to pay you for your paper and plastic.