Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products, and Services – by Adria Vasil

You’ve heard of alcoholics, chocoholics, workaholics, and shopaholics, but you’ve probably never heard of an ecoholic unless you’ve had the good fortune to read Adria Vasil’s book or column by the same name. Vasil defines the word ecoholic right on the cover: (when you’re addicted to the planet).Officially titled Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products, and Services, the book is a vast compendium of knowledge Vasil acquired while writing her “Ecoholic” column for Canada’s NOW Magazine during the past five years.

I’m far from finished reading — it’s the kind of guide you “drop into” as need arises, but find yourself lingering over long after you’ve found your answer. But I can tell you truthfully that I love this book.

Vasil has a no-nonsense directness and calls things like she sees them. If a product’s marketing story smacks of hypocrisy or the product itself contains cleverly disguised dangers, you can bet she’ll tell you. If there’s a hidden dark side, it’s hidden no more.

Take coffee, for example. Americans, in general, love our coffee. It’s a guilt-free drink (unless you add whipped cream), right? Here’s what Vasil has to say:

People say there’s nothing quite as American as a cup of joe and some apple pie. Maybe they’re right about the apple pie, but the red berry-covered coffee bush originated in Ethiopia, not New England. Leave it to seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europeans to turn coffee into a common colonial crop, complete with slave labor and low-paid workers. And wouldn’t you know it, the legacy lives on. Up to 25 million families in developing countries worldwide spend long hours each day trimming, weeding, and handpicking coffee beans for about the price of a cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. It would take them 3 days just to afford a Starbucks grande latte! It’s no wonder Global Exchange calls coffee farms “sweatshops in the fields.”

Suddenly, my morning java doesn’t seem so satisfying.

10 Ways to Go Green and Save Green

1. 
   
   

   Save energy to save money.
   
   
   • Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.
   • Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.
   • Unplug appliances when you're not using them. Or, use a "smart" power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts "phantom" or "vampire" energy use.
   • Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.
   • Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.
2. 
   
   Save water to save money.
   • Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too.
   • Install a low-flow showerhead. They don't cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment.
   • Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.
   • Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your garden. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area.
   
   

Sachin Tendulkar bestowed with the rank of Honorary Group Captain by the IAF

The master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has added yet another figure in his awards, recognitions and honorary titles from all over the world. This time it’s the Indian air force which has continued with the tradition of honoring and appraising the achievements of the great batsmen the cricketing fraternity have ever imagined. They conferred him with the rank and title of Honorary Group Captain for his marvelous unparallel achievements in the world of cricket.


The famous Indian cricketer has accepted the honor humbly in his trade mark style after the event he said that he was simply honored by this gesture from the Indian air force and that everyone in his life for once wishes to touch and feel the blue sky and that he is highly obliged to get this honor from the Indian air force. He added that he is proud to be an Indian national and will do every bit from his side to fulfill his job of a good brand ambassador of the IAF.

Fan celebrates Sachin's b'day in unique style

 A 42-year-old man celebrated Sachin Tendulkar's 37th birthday in a unique style by showcasing his batting records in the Race Course ground here on Saturday. 

Kishor Bedia, who claimed to be a fan of Tendulkar, hired a tennis court at the Race Course and made 30 feet by 30 feet cricket ground inside it.

He put up 93 clay statues of Tendulkar, each one for an international century of the batsman alongwith placards showing his Test as well as ODI records.

He also displayed 3679 clay balls, meant for 3679 fours Tendulkar has cracked in his more than 20 years in international cricket.

Bedia, a class IV employee at Rajkot Municipal Corporation, also ordered a 5kg cake.

He said he has been working for the last two months to celebrate Tendulkar's birthday in a unique style.

He said he spent Rs 35,000 to celebrate Tendulkar's birthday for which he took loan from the Sahakari Sharafi Mandli and will pay Rs 1600 as monthly installments.

Bedia said he had met Tendulkar only once when the batsman came to Rajkot to play an ODI match.

Red wine component pill successful during heart attacks

 Researchers seeking a more reliable alternative than aspirin for heart attacks may have found it in a red wine molecule called resveratrol.

University of Connecticut (U-C) researchers induced heart attacks in animals and found that resveratrol significantly reduces damage to heart muscle. Scarring and fibrosis were limited and the animals survived an otherwise mortal event.

Dipak Das, professor at the U-C Cardiovascular Research Centre, Farmington, says that resveratrol provokes a "pre-conditioning effect" whereby antioxidant defenses in the heart are switched on prior to a heart attack. This limits damage to heart muscle.

Mr. Das says that resveratrol's preconditioning effect is “the best yet devised method of cardioprotection.” The dosage of resveratrol is critical in producing the pre-conditioning effect.

Mr. Das found the human equivalent dosage of 175-350 milligrams reduced damage to the heart during a heart attack.

Since resveratrol also thins the blood and inhibits clots that form in coronary arteries in a similar fashion to aspirin, and exhibits other beneficial properties, such as anti-adhesion factors that inhibit plaque from sticking to artery walls, it may be superior to aspirin.