The basic principal is to minimize the amount of heat that is produced when you’re not home or when you’re fast asleep and being warmed by blankets or maybe a spouse.

Programmable Thermostat Settings

The best type of thermostat is one that you can program to turn the temperature down automatically while you are away at work or snuggled fast asleep under the covers.If the last person in your house leaves at 8am then set the thermostat to a few degrees lower soon after they leave. Mine turns down from 68 degrees while we are at home, to 63 degrees between the hours of 8:30 and 4:30 while we are at work. Our pets are still comfortable at 63 degrees since they wear a fur coat all day long. They might even prefer it since we often find our dog laying on the cold kitchen floor all year round.

Don’t wait until just before you get home to turn have the heat come back up to 68 degrees. It can take an hour for even a small house to heat back up five degrees.

Using Sleep Mode

We are fairly religious about what time we head to bed, so we are able to set the thermostat to turn down to 62 every night at 10. When we feel the drop in temperature we know it’s time to head off to bed. Not everyone is as particular about bed time as we are, however. You’ll find a one button command on your thermostat that will allow you to put the heating system into “sleep” mode.

Many thermostats will allow you to set up the sleep function for whatever temperature you want for however many hours you want the system to maintain that temperature for. We have the sleep mode set for nights that we head to bed early to bring the house down to 62 degrees for the next 7 hours after we press the button. If we need it to kick back up to 68 degrees before the 7 hours are up we can press the “wake” button.

Turning The Heat Off Completely While On Vacation

I’d stay away from turning off the heat completely when you are away from home, during the winter. Even during a week long vacation we still leave the heat on, set at a very chilly 58 degrees. The common fear is that pipes will freeze but that’s probably a non-issue for most people. It takes an extended period of very cold temperatures for that to happen. Your house also has to be set up in such a way that it may allow for pipes to get cold. If you’re not sure then leave the heat set to at least 58 degrees.

THe author of this article, Lucas Jenkins, puts hot sauce on his eggs and keeps string cheese next to his bed for a midnight snack. He also loves to share his home improvement ideas on his blog. You can read more articles from Lucas such as saving money by looking for kitchen appliance set sales and learning “What is cabinet refacing?”

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Avatar came out in theaters, and Ellen DeGeneres replaced Paula Abdul of the TV show American Idol. Swine Flu went from minor annoyance to nationwide health scare (and then back again) in record time, and Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett both regrettably shuffled off this mortal coil.

Also of note was the tale of the unfortunate Madison County resident Ronald Ball, who claimed to have found a (presumably) dead mouse in a can of Mountain Dew he purchased from a vending machine.

I’ve read a lot of weird news, but never have I had a bigger spit take than after coming across this little gem (I’m not kidding here; I was holding the can). After a hurried inspection of my beverage to verify that it was in fact rodent-free, I continued reading. Apparently Pepsi has just adopted this defense in an attempt to refute Mr. Ball’s claim: according to a scientist (who presumably had nothing better to do that weekend), there was no way that he could have found a mouse in this particular beverage. Why? Because over the course of several days, a mouse so hell-bent on ‘doing the Dew’ would dissolve into a “jelly-like substance”.

After another spit take and a serious reevaluation of my drink choice, I learned that the case itself hasn’t been resolved yet. Nor is there any word on whether the scientist in question (who yet remains unnamed) was making the whole thing up or had actually attempted to dispose of a test subject in a bottle of soda pop, though it seems like the kind of thing that you’d be hard-pressed to fake.

Terrifying though it may be, this isn’t the first time that weird news concerning soda of one form or another has made headlines. The fact that no one really seems to care enough to stop drinking them is a question for the social sciences; I’m not really equipped to question it. However, Mountain Dew was the victim of yet another specious rumor when it was widely reputed to lower sperm count in males for a long time (a myth that was later disproven). Rat urine on soda cans was a big concern for a long time, though no cases of serious disease were ever reported. Presumably the rats in question knew the mouse mentioned above.

Coca-cola especially was given a particularly heinous reputation after a nasty e-mail began circulating that the acid in the drink could dissolve a t-bone steak in two days and an iron nail in four, no doubt prompting a few moments of spewed horror similar to my own. This too was eventually disproven; the acid in Coca-cola is called citric acid, but is so common that it’s practically not worth mentioning. The concentration of citric acid in Cocoa-cola is actually dwarfed by that of common orange juice, which no one claims is unhealthy.

Given the number of claims that were found to outright false or at least wildly inaccurate, I’m not quite willing to give up my Mountain Dew just yet. I’ve yet to find any lost pets in my drinks, nor have I ever come across a can full of rodent-flavored Smuckers.

James Moore

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African Wild Dog

Scientific name, Lycaon pictus. This mammal can be found in the savanna woodlands of Sub-Saharan Africa. Don’t be mistaken by its small body size and weight, this Cape hunting dog has very strong jaws and most of its body consists of muscles. This highly intelligent animal plays a very important role in its ecosystem,  as it preys on  sick and weak animals. As  African wild dog  numbers slowly decrease, with less than 5000 spread around Africa, this animal needs all the protection it can get.

Black Rhinoceros

Scientific name, Diceros bicornis. Two out of the four species can be seen in Africa. This mammal is actually grey, despite its misleading name. Usually, after a day’s fun in the mud, it might appear black. The mud protects the rhino from insects and cools them off in the hot African sun. The black rhinoceros is one of the most endangered species in Sub Saharan Africa, with very few left. The number of black rhinoceros varied across the decades and are currently around 3 600, left in countries such as South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola and Tanzania. Another thread to this animal are rhino poachers who poach rhino horns for medicinal reasons, whichhigher street value than gold!

Cheetah

Scientific name, Acinonyx jubatus. This mammal is the fastest on land and can run about 120 km/h. Cheetahs can be seen in Africa, as well as in India. The cheetah is carnivorous and eats numerous small animals. They are very hygienic animals and will never return to their kill. At only six weeks old, the cubs are mature enough to follow and observe a hunt. The number of cheetahs dropped heavily during the last decade with about 12 000 remaining between Africa and India.

Chimpanzee

Scientific name, Pan troglodytes. This omnivorous animal feeds on flowers, seeds and insects. They will also take part in organized hunting for small animals. They can mostly be found in tropical forests such as in Western and Central Africa. Their arms are longer than their legs and that’s why they use all four limbs to walk. According to scientists, a young chimpanzee has a better memory than a human adult. With a sudden drop in numbers due to illegal logging and hunting, chimpanzee numbers fall around 9000 per year. Currently there are 15 000 chimpanzees over in 21 African countries.

Mountain Zebra

Scientific name, Equus zebra. This mammal can only be found in South Western Africa in areas like South Africa and Namibia. The mountain zebra is easily identifiable by its unique colours and patterns. No two individual zebras look alike in this world. Zebra skins are in high demand and humans will hunt any amount of zebras to satisfy this market. Unfortunately, this means mountain zebras have also dropped right on to the endangered list of animals in Africa. In the 1930’s hope was almost lost when only 100 of these zebras were left. Thankfully, conservation efforts have since increased these numbers by almost seven times. Conservation efforts haven’t stopped and will continue until this animal is no longer in danger of becoming extinct.

Donne Terblans is a copywriter who enjoys taking safaris up into Africa. Kruger park safaris close to the Sabi Sabi bush camp is a personal favorite of hers.

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The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a treaty aiming to ensure the protection of over 30,000 species of plants and animals. CITES has been active throughout the years to ensure the protection of the wild life, sadly, not everyone is aware of their organization.

Common items that are brutally taken from animals and habitats are: tortoiseshell, ivory, whale oil, rhino horns, animal bones, dried starfish, coral, shark teeth and jaws, and conch shells. Even if you don’t go out of your way to get these items (i.e. hunt or intentionally take), chances are someone has, and they have intentions of selling it to you for money.

Protect Our Endangered Species

An important fact to remember is that just because an item is for sale doesn’t mean it’s legal (or ethical) to buy it. Sadly, many unknowing tourists fall victim to this each year. Innocent endangered animals are poached each year for things such as: handbags, traditional remedies, wines, fur, meat and exotic foods, or to be mounted on a wall. During this process, many endangered animals are badly hurt or end up paying with their lives, just so they can supply someone a handbag or tusks to be mounted elsewhere.

Exotic birds are not meant to be house pets and their feathers are not meant to be plucked just so that you may have a souvenir. Taking a species directly out of the ocean is not OK either. This is their home and a chance of survival after being taken away from their habitat is very unlikely. Even dead marine life should be avoided, long after a marine animals’ death, they still serve a purpose. Items such as corals and conch shells serve as shelter to threatened marine life. You can help to save endangered animals by being conscious of your purchases. You should take the time to find out about local wildlife laws or even search the Internet about wildlife purchases.

Buy Traditional Souvenirs when On Vacation

Whether an animal is living or dead, more than likely, it’s not OK to take it from the environment that it was already in, as a souvenir. If you have second thoughts upon purchasing a souvenir, then most likely it’s definitely not okay. Going to beautiful environments prompts us to want to bring a piece of it back, it’s only natural.  Consider bringing back a traditional souvenir, such as a t-shirt, magnet or a beautiful picture.  By doing so, you may be saving an endangered animal. This may also save you a lot of time, if you’re outside of the United States. Especially since all of your items are subject to being checked when you re-enter the country. Unfortunately, if one of your souvenirs is illegal, you could face jail time or pay a hefty fine, even if you didn’t know that the item was illegal to have.

George lives in Grants Pass Oregon and works for ImpactBattery.com.  An avid outdoorsman and enivoronmentalist, he writes about topics related to all kinds of recreational vehicles and accessories. He is also the “go to guy” for information when shopping for items like portable solar chargers and marine battery chargers.

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Social media could become an agent of improvement

With all of the complaints about the dangers of social media, such as group isolation, invasion of privacy, cyber bullying, etc., these sites and services can actually help students to study and learn by embellishing old fashioned methods with new fashioned concepts.   Ironically, using social media for schoolwork may reduce some of the complaints about school age children’s use of this media by channeling it towards acceptable purposes.  Let’s not forget that the origin of Facebook came from college students keeping in touch with each other and sharing information.

Kids will still be kids

Just as the homework sessions of yesteryear were not guaranteed to focus solely on homework, using Facebook, for example, for a bunch of kids to get their homework done is bound to end up with some forays into normal teen angst: who likes who, who’s a jerk, etc.  But sharing ideas about the coursework, approaches to the schoolwork problem at hand and giving a bootstrap up to those in the group who just aren’t “getting it” are all real benefits of the global sharing premise that is social media.  Add the cool factor of getting your homework done in the cloud, and kids should be hooked.

The downsides remain

Copying homework or having your friend who is a bit better in a given subject actually do your homework is probably a risk of sharing on social media.  But these risks exist just as much when students get together anyway.  Granted it is faster and easier on a social networking site, but teachers always have to be diligent about how homework is submitted.  It will all come out in the end (finals) for those students who decided to get by with a little help from their friends.

But less downtime

Just because your science project partner sits at the front of the bus and you are at the back doesn’t mean you can’t continue to work (or cram) on the way to school.   Smart phones let you continue to access your shared Facebook pages and brainstorm and build on the project.  This “virtual” presence can also help students who are out sick.  If they are up the work, they can keep up with their classmates and not miss a beat when they return to school.

Like most powerful inventions, social media can serve or enslave its users.  Teachers and parents should encourage students to use this great tool for something more than just keeping tabs on their friends.

Whether trying to find a lost school friend or just a homework buddy, a free people search may help. It doesn’t cost you a dime and hooking up with old friends is always priceless.

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Yet are we listening?

The general consensus seems to be a resounding ‘no’. In fact, the number of people concerned about climate change is falling. It seems many of us are more focused on saving money and looking after ourselves in the here and now than the future of the planet. If saving the planet costs us money, we’re just not interested.

Why?

When it comes to climate change we’re being fed conflicting messages. While some say the problem is imminent and will require change now if we’re not all to perish in a big ball of fire, others claim the entire idea of climate change is a complete fallacy.

Certainly the right-wing media are doing nothing to help. The Daily Mail in particular have been forced to apologise multiple times for misquoting statistics in a manner that tricks its readers into believing the cost of the UK’s green policies is far higher than they actually are.

Another problem lies in the way the message of climate change is conveyed. Many activists choose to take the ‘fear’ approach; they believe striking fear in the hearts of the public will make them sit up and listen.

This isn’t always the case. Trying to incite fear is likely to bring about one of two situations: it either discredits the argument being articulated, or it leaves the listener feeling overwhelmed and helpless. In any case, ‘fear’ is unlikely to motivate the listener to join the war against climate change.

What to Do?          

The general public need to have their faith reinstated. We’re eating too much meat, harvesting the earth’s topsoil too aggressively, using too much energy, and destroying too many rainforests. We need to find alternative energy sources, we need to adapt our way of living and we need to curb the world’s population growth. We need to believe we can do this.

Even those who do not believe our climate is changing must be able to see that the chemicals in our atmosphere do us and our planet no good. To realise this, all we must do is spend a brief period breathing fresh countryside air after a prolonged span in our world’s heavily polluted towns and cities.

Making people realise that inciting change entails talking differently about climate change. It’s all well and good telling people we need to save the rainforests and the penguins, but when most of us rarely, if ever, come into real contact with penguins or rainforests, the message can easily take a backseat to our day-to-day concerns.

Instead, we need to make people realise how caring about climate change will affect them directly. That saving energy will in turn save them money. That reducing pollution will improve the quality of air they breathe and in turn improve the health of them and their families. That if we find alternative sources of energy, we can become independent from the shackles of oil prices.

There’s no question that making people realise all this is a challenge, but the world has succeeded at many seemingly ‘impossibilities’ before – surely we can succeed in making people believe we need to save our world?

This article was written by Amy Fowler on behalf of Garden Topsoil Direct, suppliers of organic topsoil. Amy is very concerned by the issue of climate change.

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Vote with your dollars.

More and more businesses are implementing more humane work practices and conditions, whereas once many large companies were only concerned with getting the cheapest labor available. Socio-conscious companies also know that things like being “green” and using sweatshop-free practices are fashionable; the upside is that if a company is doing anything right they’ll most likely shout that information from the rooftops. There are also numerous watchdog organizations out there, so with the most simple Internet search you should be able to find out about specific companies and how their products are cultivated. Does the company recycle and/or use sustainable materials? Are their employees treated fairly and paid a fair wage? Are company leaders honest in their dealings and incorporating ethical work practices?

Think shopping with a conscience doesn’t matter? It does.

With the economy as it is, do you as a consumer have a lot of money to spare? The question matters because some products and businesses are completely over-saturating specific markets. On one hand choice is good but on the other wouldn’t you have fewer choices of higher quality? So when you choose to work with a specific business and give them your hard-earned money you are in a way forcing other businesses to start acting right as well, or fall by the wayside. Fair trade retailers are one such example of businesses using their selling power to help create income for some developing countries. They offer appropriate compensation for things like artisan crafts to coffee, tea and chocolate.

In that it’s a social movement, customers are more accepting to pay a bit more for quality items, especially when they know they are helping to improve the economy of a developing or struggling country. In fact, in some countries the production and sale of fair trade items may be the largest source of income for that region. And the craftsmanship is often unique and very high quality.

If you’ve ever worked in a small company or owned one, you know that every dollar counts, and that every loyal customer helps to make your company viable. When you also remember that the loyalty of those customers will trickle down from the head honcho all the way down to the little guy trying to pay the rent, doesn’t it make sense that we as consumers create that same ripple effect for others? So the next time you go shopping try taking a moment to really think about where you’re spending your money because you can help make the world a better place, simply by shopping with a conscience.

Author Emma Bell writes for Coupon Croc. Looking for great Fair Trade gifts? Check out these Discount Vouchers.

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However, one good example of the way in which the arts and the sciences come together is in the form of some styles of poetry.

At first thought, you may think that poetry is just a bunch of mushy, expressionistic literature. But that first thought would be very, very wrong.

In recent years there has been a focus on how learning music can help with mathematical skills and vice versa. Well, many forms of poetry also incorporate a very specific math-based structure as well.

Here are a few examples.

The Limerick: This type of poem is often associated with brief, clever and even silly saying and rhymes. However, there is more than meets the eye. Limericks contain exactly five lines of text. Lines 1, 2 and five rhyme and have 7-10 syllables each. Lines 3 and 4 do the same.

Here’s a sample by an unknown author:

The limerick packs laughs anatomical
In space that is quite economical,
But the good ones I’ve seen So seldom are clean,
And the clean ones so seldom are comical.

The Haiku:
This famously brief style of poetry originating in Japan may look simplistic but the pattern involved requires quite a bit of thought to produce pleasing literature. While Haiku does not emphasize rhyming, it follows a structure of three lines totaling 17 syllables. The syllables per line must be in a 5, 7, 5 pattern. An example of Haiku would be the following, also by an unknown writer:

As the wind does blow Across the trees, I see the Buds blooming in May

The English Sonnet:
The English version of a sonnet, arguably perfected by one William Shakespeare, can be among the most moving poetic works. They are comprised of 14 lines. These lines are made up of three quatrains or four line stanzas following any pattern, and one couplet, two additional lines working as a unit.

This is my personal favorite among Shakespeare’s works, Sonnet 18:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed, And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed: But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st, So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

These are just a few examples of mathematical formulas used to create great poetry.

Jason Greiner is a Pittsburgh native who has published two poetry books and also works as a photographer providing portrait photos for local residents.

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Human Anatomy

Discoverer: Andreas Vesalius

Year Discovered: 1538

Andreas Vesalius’ numerous dissections of human corpses expanded his knowledge of human anatomy, going against the commonly held beliefs about the make up of the body and leading him to believe that anatomy is crucial to performing surgery. The anatomical charts Vesalius created after numerous dissections outlined the vascular and nervous systems in such detail that they became a reference aid for his students and were soon published to protect their accuracy. His 1543 publication of De Humani Corporis Fabrica revolutionized the subject of anatomy.

Germs

Discoverer: Antonie P. Leewhenhoak

Year Discovered: 1676

Although not the first to uncover the concept of germs, Antonie P. Leewhenhoak is named as the first to see germs under microscope. This discovery was the precursor to the rise of modern medicine, the creation of penicillin and other vaccinations.

Smallpox Vaccination

Discoverer: Edward Jenner

Year Discovered: 1796

In the early 1700s, smallpox was discovered in India. After discovering that the smallpox epidemic did not affect individuals with cowpox, Edward Jenner tested the smallpox vaccine he created on a young boy. By 1979 smallpox became extinct, but not before taking the lives of nearly 5 million people worldwide.

Anesthesia

Discoverer: various

Year Discovered: 1846

Early experiments with anesthetic agents involved nitrous oxide and sulfuric ether and were mainly used by dentists. These discoveries make it possible for surgeries to be performed without pain to the patient.

Genetics

Discoverer: Henry Mendel

Year Discovered: 1866

Mendel worked on his discovery of genes for eight years only to have the government reject his work. After his publication “Experiment on Plant Hybridization” gained traction he was able to successfully document that characteristics like height of plant offspring could be presented as being dominant and recessive.

The X-ray

Discoverer: Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen

Year discovered: 1895

When experimenting with the electric currents passing through a vacuum, Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen noticed that a nearby screen would become illuminated and that the lights of a ray would penetrate opaque paper wrapped around a cathode ray tube. The actual name “x-ray” came from the symbol for an unknown quantity “x” and the fact that the illumination Conrad has observed looked like rays. Dr. Wall Edwards was actually the first physician to put the x-ray into practice.

Insulin

Discoverer: Frederick Banting

Year Discovered: 1920s

Prior to the 1920s a diagnosis of diabetes was sure, slow death. Frederick Banting and colleagues realized that the insulin hormone made it possible to balance blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes.

Penicillin

Discoverer: Alexender Flemming

Year Discovered: 1928

Observing colonies of bacterium Staphylococus proved to Alexander Flemming that it could be eradicated with the mold Penicillin notatum, making Penicillin the first discovered antibiotic.

Oncogenes

Discoverer: Harold Varmus and Michael Bishop

Year Discovered: 1975

After discovering the that oncogenes control growth in cells, Harold Varmus and Michael Bishop came to the realization that those genes could contribute to the conversion of normal cells into fast-growing cancerous cells if mutated or present in high amounts. The two then developed the theory that this rapid growth was the cause of mutations possibly aggravated by environmental toxins as opposed as a result of an external invasion of a cell.

Jason Miller has written for several large publications online and tends to focus his writing on medical advancements and technology.

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So what causes the sound the sounds the the note of G?

The vibrations of dry sand particles move across the surface of some dunes it causes a deep humming sound.

Are all sand dunes musical?

Sand dunes with particular characteristicss can be. To “boom” a sand dune must be at least 150 ft high, have loose dry sand with a uniform particle size on its surface that is hard along with a moist layer of sand underneath that acts as a resonating chamber. Of course, it must produce a note that is within the range of human hearing.

Do you think that animals can hear more singing sand dunes than humans?

Here is more information on “singing sand dunes”…

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