CAROLINA NATURALLY

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Jobs bill may hold empty promise

Tax experts and business leaders are skeptical that Obama's employment bill will create many jobs.

Their reasons

Also:

Yoga moves to do anytime, anywhere

You can get the benefits of yoga even while at a desk or in the kitchen, or right before bed.

Four easy poses

Also:

A unique new playground for the elderly

Aimed at those over 60, the exercise area will offer six special low-impact devices.

Better option than the gym

Also:

Why you may be struggling with weight

Using large plates and not chewing food well can add inches to your waistline.

'Overweight' behaviors to avoid

Also:

Psychiatric diagnoses may be renamed

There's a new twist to how doctors will decide what's a mental disorder — and what's not.

Controversial proposals

Also:

Secrets to getting your resumé read

Industry insiders say these eight tips will help your resumé stand out from the rest.

Why keywords are vital

Also:

New name for city's train line stirs debate

Atlanta’s re-branding of a commuter transit line draws allegations of insensitivity.

But others shrug

Also:

Millionaire giving away every penny

Karl Rabeder strove to make a fortune, and then realized it wasn't making him happy.

'Nothing left'

Also:

2010 automobile models to avoid

Don't buy a new car with dismal fuel economy, sloppy handling, or a weak engine.

5 to consider instead

Also:

Personality traits worth cultivating

6 personality traits worth cultivating

These qualities may be rare, but one expert says they're the ones she admires most.

Keys to good character

Also:

Latest storm breaks mid-Atlantic records

Back-to-back storms bury the area in snow, breaking spirits and even forcing plows off the road.

'I've seen enough'

Also:

Olympics Organizers Sweating Over Lack of Snowfall

They ain't been around here then.

From Treehugger:

winter olympics rain photo

"Can't we just have them water-ski instead?"

Photo via The Telegraph

While the Eastern seaboard of the US faces whiteout conditions, the host city for the Winter Olympics, set to open this Friday, is finding itself strangely short on snow. Since organizers realized that none was on the way, they have been scrambling to do all they can to ensure there's enough of the stuff to support the games. The problem is that temperatures during January were the highest on record and snowfall has been sparse. Conditions are so balmy, in fact, residents have been seen wearing shorts.

Article continues: Olympics Organizers Sweating Over Lack of Snowfall

38% of World's Land in Danger of Turning into Desert

If you're not familiar with desertification, it might be time to get acquainted. The term describes the process where land in drier areas becomes subject to 'extreme deterioration' as a result of human activities. It can be caused by any combination of the following: overgrazing, extracting too much water from aquifers, rerouting of water from its natural sources to population centers, and yes, warming climate. And a new report in the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment has some pretty terrifying news: over a 3rd of the world's surface is in danger of desertification.

Article continues: 38% of World's Land in Danger of Turning into Desert

Anthrax-laced heroin kills users

Heroin laced with anthrax has killed nearly a dozen people and sickened many more in the UK and Germany over the last three months.

From The Guardian:

The surge of cases – the most serious anthrax outbreak in the UK in recent times – has puzzled police and health experts, who remain uncertain how or where the heroin became infected. The frequently lethal bacteria is mostly found in animals in Asia and Africa, and very rarely occurs in Europe.
They are investigating whether the heroin was contaminated at its likely source in Afghanistan, perhaps from contaminated soils or contact with infected animal skins, or was infected by a cutting agent used by drugs dealers or traffickers closer to Europe...
Dr. Arif Rajpura, the director of public health with NHS Blackpool, repeated warnings to heroin users to stop taking the drug or watch closely for unusual symptoms, including rashes, swelling, severe headaches or high temperatures.

Anthrax-contaminated heroin kills drug user

Carnivorous plant photo gallery

Images Drosera-Regia-Carnivorous-Plants-6

Smithsonian has a slideshow of ten carnivorous plants.

Of course, classics like the Venus Flytrap and Pitcher plant are featured, but so are several you might not be familiar with such as the Waterwheel, Rainbow plant, and King sundew (pictured above)

Though the king sundew (Drosera regia) grows only in one valley in South Africa, members of the Drosera genus can be found on all continents except Antarctica. Charles Darwin devoted much of his book Insectivorous Plants to the sundews. Sticky mucilage on Drosera plants traps prey--usually an insect attracted to light reflecting off drops of dew or to the plant's reddish tentacles--and eventually suffocates it. Digestive enzymes then break down the plant's meal.

Ten Plants That Put Meat on Their Plates