NASA teams usually use their knowledge to help astronauts many miles above the earth’s surface. But on Tuesday, a group of experts from the U.S. space agency will share their advice for the 33 miners who have been trapped 2,300 feet underground in Chile since August 5.
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NASA to share tips for trapped miners
Oh very young What will you leave us this time You’re only dancing on this earth for a short while … And though you want to last forever You know you never will And the goodbye makes the journey harder still Four and a half years ago, we said good bye to my yellow lab . He had lived a wonderful long life, and we were very sad to see him go. Earlier this summer, we said good bye to Barley. Barley had been Kim’s chocolate lab for longer than I knew Kim and for several years longer than Fiona had been our daughter. It was a summer of grieving. Fiona, who is very interested in dog rescuing wanted to adopt a new dog as soon as possible, but Kim wanted to wait a little while, to get past a little bit of her grief, as well as to not have a dog to worry about during our summer travels. Well, it is Labor Day weekend. Fiona is back and school and we are settled into the fall schedule. It is a good time to start looking for a new dog. Should we get another lab? Larger dogs often have shorter lives than smaller dogs, and it is so hard to say goodbye. Labs are great dogs, and it would be wonderful to get a new lab. Kim’s father and brother have dog allergies. They both have Golden Doodles. Getting some sort of poodle mix might be a good solution. It would be great to get a pit bull. Despite the bad press they get, they are some of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met when they are properly raised. Unfortunately, we currently rent a house and raising a pit bull isn’t an option right now. Yet there is another option that I have been thinking a lot about, fostering a dog. Typically, when a dog gets rescued, she gets taken to a shelter. While this sure beats being out on the street or being put to sleep, shelters can be hard on dogs. They really need companions to care for them. So, various rescues find people to foster dogs for them. The dog lives with a family and is lovingly cared for. These dogs end up well socialized, nicely groomed, and are the sort of dogs that have a much greater chance of finding a forever home. The problem with fostering, especially for people like Kim and Fiona, is that fosterers often fall in love with the dogs they are fostering. Some fosterers end up having several dogs that they have problems parting with. As one rescuer said, there is a fine line between fostering several dogs and hoarding. It has been so hard to say good bye to Rocky and Barley that the idea of fostering seemed too difficult to my wife. Yet recently, I read that the Sadie Mae Foundation has lost the use of its kennel in Bolton. While they try to find new space, they need to find fosterers. I’ve contacted the Sadie Mae Foundation and offered my services. Then, I saw a message on Facebook about Prada , Prada is an absolutely gorgeous Chocolate Labrador Retriever Weimaraner mix. She needed a short term foster in Connecticut, so I asked Kim and we volunteered. Kim was quite excited and mentioned it to Fiona as well as to her parents. Everyone was quite excited and fell in love with Prada just from the description and photo. Things were set up for us to pick up Prada on Saturday morning and keep her until she gets adopted. Then, late last night, I got a message that Prada had been adopted and would be picked up Saturday morning. Our fostering services were not needed for Prada. Rocky and Barley were both in our lives for fourteen years and it was hard to say good bye to them. Prada was only in our thoughts for fourteen hours and it was hard to say good bye to her as well. This morning, Fiona and Kim have been looking at the various dogs available for adoption at Big Fluffy Dogs . They have immediately fallen in love with half a dozen of the dogs. Any of them would be great additions to our family. However, I am still hoping we will foster dogs. We can help more dogs that way. We can experience a wider variety of dogs in our house. Yes, it will be hard saying good bye more often, but I believe it is well worth it. In addition, fosterers who fail at fostering and want to keep a dog often get first dibs with the rescues they are fostering dogs for. So, as of this morning, it is unclear if we will foster or adopt. It is unclear the breed or age of dog that will join our family, or when it will happen. What is clear is that we will find some dog that needs rescuing that will fit with our family as soon as possible. If you are considering adding a dog to your family, you should really consider fostering. I could be a wonderful experience.
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Rocky, Barley, Prada and The Fosters
These days we are beset by man-made pollution. If we try to look at some of the rivers, lakes, oceans instead of green life thriving the underwater situation has become rampant. Human waste, animals and factory wastes flow and settle in them. This situation is not healthy to our eyes and to our heath. In some urban places we can see the atmosphere blackening with smog. This is one caused of the fuel fumes from different factories, smoke belching from motor vehicles and in some other places the burning of waste materials as the keys of dumping garbage it is not really good to our environment. Environmental pollution is caused to some extent by the advancement of science and technology. But this all problems will not minimize if we have a proper disposal of waste in factories and each and every one of us be strictly observed. If all vehicle users will take some precautionary measures in order to prevent smoke belching and if waste materials would be recycled instead of burning maybe we can help our environment free from pollution. This situation can be observed seriously if our government would implement laws and regulations or anti-pollution with heavy hands. The only solution in saving our Mother Earth is greening our environment healthy lives. Diseases of all sorts would infect people and in the long run it will kill them and even our plants would suffer great damages. Therefore the fauna and flora of life would be aversively affected. The worst consequence is the ecological imbalance. But if nothing is done to combat the situation, our mother Earth would suffer an undefinable disaster and it might lead to its end. We won’t this to happen let us help one another to save our mother Earth and if possible be the good model in reaching our environment a greener one and a pollution free environment.
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Greener Environment
Today was the last day of my youngest daughter’s softball season. The weather was beautiful, and between the game, swimming and party, I am finally getting a moment to write a few thoughts before heading off to bed. Today is Juneteenth, and there have been various celebrations around Connecticut and beyond. Today, if something big happens, you get the message almost instantaneously. Years ago, this was not the case. On September 22, 1862, President Lincoln issued an executive order declaring freedom to all slaves in any of the Confederate States. Word travelled slowly, especially during the Civil War, and it wasn’t until June 19th, 1865, that the message made it to Galveston, Texas. Since that day, Juneteenth has been a special day to celebrate emancipation. Then, in 1909, Sonora Dodd came up with a new idea as she listened to a Mother’s Day sermon. She wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart was a widowed Civil War Veteran who raised Sonora and her five siblings. With that, the first Father’s day came into being, on June 19th, 1910. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers didn’t come for another 56 years when President Johnson designated the third Sunday in Jun as Father’s day. Then, in 1972, President Nixon signed a law that made it permanent. This year, Father’s day will happen on the 20th. The next day, the earth reaches its northern most tilt towards the sun. With all of this, there will be many opportunities to celebrate, so my writing may be a little sparse. Happy Juneteenth, Father’s Day and Summer Solstice.
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Juneteenth, Father’s Day and the Summer’s Solstice
I’ve been leaving coverage of the oil spill mostly up to other bloggers here on MNN. Our Earth Matters blogger Shea, Green Tech blogger Karl and several of the news writers have been doing a great job keeping us up-to-date on what’s happening in the Gulf and how people are reacting to the spill. But as the story continues and the devastating …
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The Oil Spill’s Effect on Our Food System
Dear EarthTalk: I’ve often cooked canned foods in their own can, things like condensed milk and mushroom soup. I put the can without opening it in the pressure cooker, cover it with water and let it cook for 30 minutes. The results are amazing. Is it safe to do that? Can metals leach into my food? –Mercedes Kupres, via e-mail [More]
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Can-Don’t: Cooking Canned Foods in Their Own Containers Comes with Risks
AP – Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday for what could be its last visit, delivering fresh batteries and other equipment to help keep the outpost running long after the shuttle program ends.
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Shuttle Atlantis arrives at space station
(AP)
Dear EarthTalk: I know that purchasing organic crib sheets, mattresses and baby clothes is better for the environment–but do they make any difference in terms of the baby’s health? –B. B., Fairfield, Conn. [More] Children – Bedding – Shopping – Mattress – Baby
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The Green Nursery: How Significant Is the Impact of Ecofriendly Organic Bedding and Clothing on a Child’s Health?
Dear EarthTalk: A friend with many minor health problems recently switched to a diet of only raw plant foods and reports feeling much better. She also insists her new eating habits are better for the environment. Does this make sense or is the strange diet making her crazy? –Phil C., Reno, Nev. [More]
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Getting a Raw Meal: Is an Exclusive Diet of Uncooked Food Good for Personal–and Planetary–Health?
Men In Black III is slated to return back to Earth in 2012, the same year that – according to the Mayan calendar – human civilization will end when our Alien ancestors return to this planet. Sound far-fetched?
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Men In Black III Lands In 2012 – Just Months Before Our Alien Ancestors Return
Dear EarthTalk: Are there any health hazards associated with the use of the new silicone bake ware and cooking utensils?
Dear EarthTalk: I see a lot of “healthy snacks” being marketed for kids that list “natural flavors” but don’t identify them. Should I use these products? –John Stein, Methuen, Mass. [More]
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Reality Check: Just How Healthy are Packaged and Processed "Healthy" Snack Foods?
Thank you everyone for submitting fabulous Earth Day haikus! We were blown away by the creativity and inspiration that you showed in just 17 syllables! Congratulations to Trixie B. for submitting the winning haiku: Take care of the earth. Why? There is no Planet B. Let’s start while we can. Trixie B., please send your mailing address to editor@care2team.com …
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There Is No Planet B – Earth Day Haiku Winner!
Since we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, I thought I’d give you another perspective on helping our planet. I call it Vibrational Sustainability. This “green” concept allows us to go beyond recycling, planting trees and using personal care products that are free of toxins. It takes global warming and controlling emissions to an entirely …
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Heal the Earth with Positive Vibrations
Raising children is hard enough without worrying about the environmental consequences of your parenting choices. Don’t sweat it. You already care about your child’s well-being and earth-friendly choices make it easier. Parenting is a 365-days-a-year job. Why not make every day Earth Day while you are at it? When it comes to being an Earth Day family, …
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Be An Earth Day Family Every Day
A spectacular site will be streaking overhead if you are lucky enough to live along the landing path planned for the space shuttle Discovery. Observers will have a rare opportunity to see, and hear the space shuttle as it streaks home from low Earth orbit to the Kennedy Space Center.
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Shuttle Takes Scenic Route Before Landing
AP – NASA is already warning the space shuttle astronauts to expect rain delays as they get ready to come home.
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NASA to astronauts: Rain delays likely for return
(AP)
The photos of the volcano in Iceland are breathtaking volcano news. The hot, red lava can be seen from the sky miles above the earth. This volcano, on Eyjafjallajokull is causing massive transportation . . .
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Volcano in Iceland – Satellite Images show Lava: Eyjafjallajokull photos amazing (see them here)
There are some great health highlights this week in Healthy and Green Living: migraine triggers, aging well, kooky spa treatments, and more. Also, we’re in our third week of Earth day coverage and have some great additions, including an Earth Day haiku contest, a tribute to hedgehogs, and the healing powers of flowers. Plus, we have a super cute cat …
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Hedgehogs, iPad and Whale Sushi – Weekly Highlights
