Lakhsadweep corals threatened by global warming

The hard corals of porities are found in abundance in the blue of Lakshadweep Islands. Today these corals are facing a threat to their existence.

The growth of these corals has been destroying by the high co2 level in the air called global warming. The threat have gone to the existence that if the global warming is going to continue the corals would disappear from the earth for ever.

An observation made between 1993 and 2003 says that around 25 percent decrease in the growth rate of two hard corals was observed. Preliminary results of further studies indicate a similar pattern of growth retardation in the same species.

Around 1920 to 1992, the porites corals seem to grow by 2 cm every year. But today the growth rate decreased to 1.25 cm per year. The coral has been reduced since 1993. This is because of the climatic change as there is an increase in co2 levels and a rise in temperature lead to acidification of the ocean.

While the decrease in the growth of hard corals in Lakshadweep was around 25 percent, studies carried out on similar corals in the great barrier reed in Australia revealed it to be about 14 percent. The result of the observations clearly showed that the monsoon driven up-welling had decreased considerably during the 20th century.

Online population growth

By 2013, 2.2 billion worldwide users are expected to use the internet and India would be ranked the 3rd in online population. Online people around the world would grow more than 45 percent to 2.2 billion users by 2013. Asia will continue to be the biggest user of internet. India is ranked third with china and US taking the first two ranks. Accordingly they were 1.5 billion users in 2008 around the globe. The average annual growth for the use of internet would increase to 10 to 20 percent in the next five years. 43 percent of internet users are anticipated from Asia within next 4 years. Where china would have the half of the population of internet usage in Asia.

Whereas Asia grows in its online population, North America faces a defeat in this global online population. This population would drop to about 17 percent to 13 percent between 2008 and 2013 while Europe population will shrink from 26 to 22 percent. While Asia will have a rise from 38 to 43 percent. Whereas Latin America remains the same at 11 percent of the global users.

It is also declared that Asian countries like India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Philippines face a rapid online growth rate.

Virus from pig

A virus from the pig that is highly infectious causes swine flu. This virus is communicable and can travel from human to human. When a human is affected by this virus the symptoms are similar to other regular bugs. They are fever, cough, sore throat, body ached, headaches, chills and fatigue. To be preventive or to treat swine flu antiviral medicines are available. But no vaccines have been produced right now to protect against from this bug. But researches are going on. So to be careful from this kind of bugs we should restrict ourselves to the following things.

When you sneeze or cough cover your nose and mouth with a tissue. Avoid using hanky or any type of cloth since you may keep them in your hand for a long time. So use only tissue and throw it in the litter after use.

Wash your hands with soap and water after you cough or sneeze. This prevents the spread of germs when you touch others or some place. Alcohol based hand cleaners can also be used.

Avoid frequent touch of your nose, eyes, or mouth, because germs spread this way. Close contact with the sick people should be avoided; it is good for us and for them. Stay in the home when you feel sick. This is highly recommended because you feel much better in home than anywhere else.

All the best! Live a happy and healthy life…

Do parents eating habit affect children?

This information when I read gave me a shock, but was little surprising.

As experts suggested that parents eating habits don’t seem to influence their children’s food choices. The dietary intake between the parents and children is weak. A research made on this reveals that:

Parents who ate a healthier diet were three times more likely to have a healthy diet compared to those parents who did not have a very healthy diet.

Overall, the food intake of nearly 5,000 persons were considered out of which 1061 were fathers, 1230 mothers, 1370 sons and 1322 daughters. The researchers compared intake and assessed diet quality based on USDA (U.S. department of agriculture) healthy eating index score. A perfect score is 100 and index takes into account a person’s intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, meat, beans, oil, fat and sodium. The average score obtained was about 48 to 50. But the score of above 80 seems to be a good diet according to USDA. Only 10 per cent got a score greater than 80 according to USDA.

So what should parents do? They can talk about how they choose meat and how they decide which dairy foods to buy with the children. And also can help them to cook healthy foods too. Parents should eat healthier and encourage their children to follow similar habits.

Languages expressing yourself

Language is human speech, either written or spoken. It is the most common system of communication. People talk with each other and express their thoughts and ideas with the help of languages. Language comes from the Latin word lingua meaning tongue. There is a language for every human society.

Excluding local forms of a language there are about 6,000 languages spoken in the world. This is the fact given by the scholars and experts who study about the languages.

Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Korean, Malay-Indonesia, mandarin Marathi, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Telugu, Turkish, Vietnamese and wu have over 50 million speakers.

Six ways to prevent poultry and bird diseases

1. Keep your distance:




1. Restrict access to your property and your birds.


2. Consider fencing off the areas where you keep your birds and make a barrier area if possible. Allow only people who take care of your birds to come into contact with them.


3. If visitors have birds of their own, do not let them near your birds.


4. Game birds and migratory waterfowl should not have contact with your flock because they carry germs and diseases.



2. Keep it clean




1. Wear clean clothes. Scrub your shoes with disinfectant.


2. Wash your hands thoroughly before entering your bird area


3. Clean cages and change food and water daily.


4. Clean and disinfect equipment that comes in contact with your birds or their droppings, including cages and tools.


5. Remove manure before disinfecting.


6. Properly dispose of dead birds.



3. Don’t Haul Disease Home:




1. If you have been near other bird owners, such as at a feed store, pet store or bird club meeting, clean and disinfect your clothing, shoes, and other bird items, and clean and disinfect car and truck tires, poultry cages and equipment before going home.


2. Have your birds been to a fair or exhibition? If so, keep them separated from the rest of your flock for atleast two weeks from the event.


3. When buying a pet, request certification from the bird seller that the bird was legally imported and was healthy prior to to shipment.



4. Don’t borrow disease from your neighbor:




1. Do not share lawn and garden equipment, tools, or poultry supplies with your neighbors or other bird owners.


2. If you do bring these items home, clean and disinfect them before they reach your property.


3. Avoid visiting terms or households with poultry, particularly if the birds are housed outside.



5. Know the warning signs of infectious bird diseases:




1. Sudden increase in bird deaths in your flock.


2. Sneezing, gasping for air, coughing, and nasal discharge.


3. Watery and green diarrhea.


4. Lack of energy and poor appetite.


5. Drop in egg production or soft or thin shelled misshapen eggs.


6. Swelling around the eyes, neck and head.


7. Purple discoloration of the wattles, combs, and legs.

Water Chestnut

Hailing from Southeast Asia, water chestnuts are actually roots of an aquatic plant that grows in freshwater ponds, marshes, lakes, and in slow-moving rivers and streams. These roots are commonly grown in Japan, Taiwan, China, Thailand, and sometimes in Australia. Water chestnut harvesting is laborious, making them somewhat expensive to purchase. Processed and canned water chestnuts widely found in most supermarkets. However, fresh water chestnuts, are more difficult to find, but are becoming more available.

If you find fresh water chestnuts, select those that are firm with no signs of wrinkling. These will need to be peeled prior to eating and cooking. Stored fresh tubers need to be wrapped tightly in a plastic bag for up to one week.

Canned, unopened water chestnuts will store indefinitely. Once opened, canned tubers will keep up to one week in a bowl of water. Be sure to change the water daily for the ‘freshest’ product.

Jicama

The taro root, as with other tubers is recognized by other names. This tuber is also known as dasheen, eddo and kalo in many areas of the world including West Africa, Asia, Central America, South America and the Caribbean and Polynesian islands. This root is most well-known as the ingredient of the Hawaiian dish "poi," or mashed taro root.

Taro root is a starchy vegetable that is commonly used in place of a potato. Its hairy outer coating on its surface is similar to a coconut. The hairy outer layer is always removed with caution since skin irritation can arise caused by the juices secreted by the taro root. It is recommended to use protective rubber gloves when handling this tuber. Taro root is toxic in its raw form so always cook it before eating.

These tubers take on a nut-like flavor when cooked. Frying, baking, roasting, boiling, or steaming them as an accompaniment to meat dishes are all common uses. Soups and stews are other dishes that taro root suits well.

Select tubers that are firm, hairy, with no wrinkling. Store the roots for up to one week in a cool and dry location, making sure that the roots do not dry out.

Dried Fruit

Drying is the oldest method of preserving food. The first European settlers in America often ate dried corn, apple, currants, grapes and meat. Sun drying of food was an easy way to prolong the life of food, but this form of dried food was different from what is available today. In different climates, the food dried differently because complete sun drying is dependent on very particular weather conditions. Drying eliminates moisture from the food resulting in a longer food life. Organisms that make food spoil require moisture to survive, so foods that have been completely dried have the longest life.

The methods of drying food, particularly fruits and vegetables, have become more sophisticated over time. The three most common methods used today are briefly described below:

* Solar: Solar dehydration of food requires 3 to 5 consecutive days of 95 degrees or above and low humidity. This climate is found only in limited areas in the United States.
* Oven: Foods are dried using a household kitchen oven. This method can be expensive as many hours are normally required to dry food. Oven dried foods are often times darker and more brittle than foods dried by other methods. This method is often suggested for first time dryers, as very little new equipment is required for this method.
* Dehydrator: This type of drying produces the highest quality product. An electric dehydrator may be purchased and various sizes and levels of quality are generally available.

Dried fruits and vegetables are high in fiber and carbohydrates and low in fat. However, dried foods are more calorically dense than their fresh counterparts. The recommended serving size for dried fruits and vegetables is half that of fresh.

Vitamin C is one nutrient that is destroyed by heat. Pretreating food with citrus juice can help increase the vitamin C content of the dried food.

Symbols of U.S. Government: National Floral Emblem - The Rose

The rose, said to be about 35 million years old, has been used as a symbol of love, beauty, war, and politics throughout the world. The flowers are generally red, pink, white, or yellow and grow naturally throughout North America. The rose became the official flower of the United States in 1986.

In October 1985, the Senate passed a resolution that declared the rose as the National Floral Emblem of the United States. Senate Joint Resolution 159 was passed by the House of Representatives on September 23, 1986.

The resolution asked the president to issue a proclamation declaring the rose as the national flower. A proclamation announces an act by the government and does not have the effect of law.

President Reagan signed the resolution on October 7, 1986 in a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. On November 20, 1986, President Reagan issued Proclamation 5574: The National Floral Emblem of the United States of America: The Rose.