Posted by green baby on December 26, 2008
What Really Caused the Great Extinction?
My nose started twitching even before I set foot outside the airport in Beijing.
While not quite hot, the air was thick. Thick with white fluff the size of grapes. “What is that?” I asked our driver, Mr.Guan, as he steered the car onto the highway.
“It’s pollen. From those trees,” he pointed to the rows of tall poplars lining either side of the road. “They’re a problem. People feel worse because of it.”
I started digging in my bag for antihistamines. “This morning, I had to wipe the car off,” he continued. “It covers everything and gives people all sorts of allergies.”
Sex change for trees?
Guan isn’t the only one fed up. This spring, Beijing’s government has decided to try out “sex change operations” on the female species of poplars, in an effort to prevent them from producing pollen. More than 300,000 poplar trees grow in the capital.
The leve of poplar pollen is especially high this season, worsening Beijing’s air quality – already under assault from industrial pollution and sandstorms – and adding further grief to residents who suffer from allergies or asthma.
Local news reports this weekend said gardening experts successfully injected the first batch of female poplars – about 30,000. Officials agreed on this unusual experiment after concluding it was a better option than spraying chemicals or cutting the trees down.
China is no slouch when it comes to climate engineering. In fact, it seems determined to wrestle Mother Nature to the ground.
The government routinely seeds clouds to create rainfall, and earlier this month Chinese scientists claimed to have created artificial snow in northern Tibet for the first time, amid growing concerns over the Tibetan Plateau’s melting glaciers.
My nose started twitching even before I set foot outside the airport in Beijing.
WRESTLING MOTHER NATURE IN BEIJING
A new study shows that the poisonous gases coming from the ocean may have not triggered the world’s greatest mass extinction. The world lost about 90% of the ocean species and 70% of its land species 251 million years ago, when the Permian period came to an end.
Scientists suspect that the high levels of hydrogen sulfide and methane in the atmosphere might be the ones responsible for poisoning creatures at that time.
“Toward the end of the Permian, we had a warming climate with much more carbon dioxide than today, ocean circulation was extremely sluggish, and the oceans became anoxic—essentially deprived of oxygen,” explained geobiologist and study co-author David Beerling from the University of Sheffield in England.
A computer simulated the conditions from the Permian period, experimenting with different concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and methane to see what happened in each case.
“We found some interesting things going on with ozone chemistry, but we didn’t find any evidence that hydrogen sulfide and methane triggered a collapse of the ozone layer. These are chemicals produced mainly at the tropics that oxidize [and thus neutralize] ozone-destroying pollutants, ” Beerling said
P.S. Let’s get more organic - read about heirloom organic seeds.
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Posted by green baby on November 23, 2008
Who could not like the company known as Fleurville, and more specifically, the diaper bags they create?
Few people seem to know about Fleurville bags’s eco friendly production and philosophy. In these regards, Fleurville has invented Green Lam, a very environmentally friendly product that replaces the poisonous Teflon found in most bags and is water resistant and UV repellent. These bags are not only eco-friendly, they are also practical. The excellent interior design engineering can attest to this fact. These Fleurville bags offer a changing pad, a clear clean wipes case and insulated bottle holders. These features were designed into the bag to ensure that your trip with your baby is as easy and clean as possible.
Although less traditional, my personal favorite is the Fleurville DJ Diaper Bag, although the Mothership Bag and the Sling Diaper Tote are also great buys. The latter can be worn over the shoulder, held as a tote, or thrown over like a messenger bag, while the Mothership is great for multiple children and the DJ is unisexual.
Luckily, multiple pockets are great for storing both yours and your baby’s gear. Get use to this, because this bag is stylish and durable enough to be used as a purse, long after the loved ones have grown. If you are into an eco friendly bag that looks great and is functional, then Fleurville bags may be the bags for you.
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Posted by green baby on November 18, 2008
All my kids talk about getting every year for Christmas is video games if they don’t go downstairs and find Gears of War 2 under our new flocked christmas tree I do not know how they will survive. It makes me a little nuts since I do all I can to get my kids outdoors. I would much rather give them a pair of new skates or golf clubs then some mind numbing thing that will enchant them in front of the television. Oh well I guess you just learn that kids are kids. Arguing with the boys over “appropriate” lengths of time is just too much work.
That being said I’ve tried to find some tricks for my family and video games. With a few techniques I try to get them outside more. First off I limit their time every day to one hour (they can earn more). I have discovered that limiting the time is key to everything else because then they know time above and beyond that is to be earned. To be more fair I’ve allowed them some methods of earning more television time. That leads me into my second trick. They can get more television time by either doing chores or spending time outside. The chores is nice for me and generally has a pretty good payoff for them. I intentionally made it with the purpose of them getting around one hour of television time for every one hour they spend on chores.
The number two way they get more television time is by spending some of their time outside. For every hour they spend outside they get fifteen minutes of video games. I know that it isn’t a huge payoff for the boys, but they like being outside and I do not think it’s a lot for me to ask of them. That option works the best of their long Saturdays where they spend the majority of the day outside anyway. They can play outdoors for the day on Saturday and then spend the night playing video games. Realistically a night of playing games and watching movies isn’t so bad after a full day outside.
That being said I’m ok with one or two ending up under white flocked christmas tree this year if it has the effect of getting my brats outside and getting some stuff done around the house for me. I hope they like their games, because I am going to like my “gift” of a little more control around the house.
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Posted by green baby on November 8, 2008
Father’s day is all about our fathers and how we love them.. What I didn’t know until recently is that in other countries Father’s day is celebrated on different days. We all know (or should know) that in America Father’s Day is celebrated on the 3rd week in June. After doing quite a bit of research the origin of this holiday is not clear although some attribute it to Sonora Dodd who was raised by her father after her mother passed away. The important thing is on Father’s day dads across the nation get to take it easy.
Father’s Day is the time for kids to show Dad their appreciation. Why not teach your young kids to give their dads a heartfelt gift they made themselves. Kids can spend a bit of time making cards or coloring pages for Dad. Get out the crayons and print these pictures for the kids. Your kids will delight when they engage in these activities, and I bet you will, too. The best way to have children show their dads just how much they care is with homemade cards, handmade gifts, breakfast in bed and displaying their best behaviour for a WHOLE day.
In recent years, retailers have adapted to the holiday by promoting father’s day gifts such as electronics, tools and greeting cards. According to Hallmark, “Father’s Day is the fourth-largest card-sending occasion with nearly 100 million Father’s Day cards expected to be given this year [2008] in the United States. Most greeting cards for guys are whimsical so fathers laugh when they open them. Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental.
Because Father’s day falls in the summer months, going to the beach or pool can be a fun father’s day activity. In fact some local pools and neighborhoods make father’s day quite the event out of father’s day with special water events. Picnics can be tons of fun with outdoor BBQs. Pair up with your extended family for a real fun event. Or consider just going to a family movie if the day gets too hot.
Sometimes you want to get dad a more meaningful gift. In that case consider electronic gadgets. Guys love gadgets. If he golfs, a golf gps unit would make his day - and an iGolf Caddy II golf GPS unit probably improve his golf game. Of course if he doesn’t golf you could get him a gps unit for his car or even motorcycles. Whatever type you might invest in, be sure it’s easy to use. Whatever you seek for father’s day gifts, don’t forget to give Dad a big hug.
Father’s Day should be a joyous time for Dad. Father’s Day is celebrated with enthusiasm and celebrations, especially golf gifting ideas, to reflect on the invaluable role and contribution of fathers in the family. To fathers around the world, we hope your Father’s Day is just the way you like it!
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Posted by green baby on November 6, 2008
Actually, I love a white Christmas with plenty of sparkling snow covering the ground and trees Christmas morning. What I’m talking about is environmental conservation and how you can incorporate this philosophy into your activities during this special time of year.
First of all, it is no secret that a lot of people do a lot of shopping around the holidays. One of the easiest things you can to to be a little “greener” this year is take a reusable bag or two with you for your trips to the mall instead of bringing home a bunch of paper and plastic bags.
Second, consider purchasing a live tree. Doing so will give you the best of both worlds when you purchase a potted evergreen for your Christmas tree. You get the wonderful aroma of pine in your house, yet you aren’t killing a tree. After Christmas, you can plant the tree in your yard or contact your local parks and recreation as they are always looking for new trees. If you can’t plant the tree right away because the ground is frozen, you can water it and keep it alive until you can. Or, plan ahead and dig your hole for the tree now while the ground is still soft enough to dig.
Third, consider how you handle gift wrapping your gifts this year, or…lack there of, really. Wrapping paper is a huge waste of trees. Instead, try these creative ideas. reusable shopping bags have become all the rage. You can purchase some bags already decorated, but you can also decorate them yourself with iron-on applications and other embellishments such as buttons or beading. When you’re done, you’ll have a creative package that can be reused! Baskets are also fabulous because they can be used for storage and organizing after the gift is given. Use natural materials such as rafia, twine and even scraps from your yard to decorate gifts.
Children’s gifts can be wrapped in a new blanket, pajamas or even clothing to keep the gift disguised enough so that they are still surprised when they unwrap it. You can also use some of the cardboard boxes that the gifts came in to package the gifts. Decorate the outside of the boxes with paint or other trimmings.
Finally, we all love to decorate our houses, so do your part to do so in an environmentally friendly way. L.E.D. lighting is available to replace the old energy eating Christmas lights. They may be a bit costly, however, they are brighter so you don’t need as many, and you’ll also save big on your electric bill so the up front expense will be recouped later.
There are also a plethora of decorations in your own backyard. Branches and clippings can be dusted with glue and glitter and arranged in your home. You can weave together many yard trimmings and berries and make a beautiful garland or wreath.
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Posted by green baby on November 2, 2008
Parenting is a complicated subject. Developmental psychologists show their keen interest in exploring different areas of parenting and its influence on the development of a child. Although different theorists work differently on highlighting different elements of parenting, Dianne Baurmind’s theory of parenting styles has probably got the most importance. In her theory of parenting styles, Dianne Baurmind defines three particular parenting styles – permissive, authoritarian and authoritative. And, Dianne Baurmind asserts that parenting styles strongly influence the personality, behavior and emotional balance of the child.
Permissive Parenting Style
Ae permissive parent follows a non-disciplinary, acceptant and affirmative parenting style while controlling child’s behaviors, impulses, actions and desires. In the permissive parenting style, parents generally talk with the child about guiding principle and provide the child the family norms. The permissive parents make only a few demands on behalf of household responsibility and logical behavior.
Parents who adopt the permissive parenting style set them neither as a model for him to imitate nor as an active agent responsible for adjusting their child’s behavior. Permissive parents prefer to place them as a resource to their child and the child is not set to follow any externally defined standards in general. The parents encourage their son or daughter to use manipulation and logic, but not any sort of overt power to achieve the parents’ standard of guidelines.
Authoritarian Parenting Style
Unlike to permissive parenting style, authoritarian parenting style focuses on controlling, shaping and evaluating the behavior and attitudes of the child. Parents who adopt authoritarian parenting style define a set of standards which is overtly influential and put together by a higher authority. Authoritarian parents value obedience as a quality of parenting style and implement forceful measures in order to restrain self-will, particularly when the parents find that the son or daughter’s actions or behaviors conflict with the conduct set by them.
The authoritarian parents control the child’s autonomy as a standard of implementing discipline. Also, they give the child household roles with the purpose of instilling value for work. These parents offer the highest value to the traditional structure and do their best to preserve order. Authoritarian parents do not accept ‘give and take’ policy as they think that the child should exclusively follow parents’ direction.
Authoritative Parenting Style
Authoritative parenting style aims at regulating a child’s behavior in a rational, problem-solving manner. In authoritative parenting style, parents believe in verbal ‘give and take’ policy. They give respect and try to understand the logic behind the policy implemented by the child. The authoritative parents, in practice, try to understand the child’s protestations when the child says no to any rules. In authoritative parenting style, both child’s autonomy and disciplined conformity are understood, respected and valued.
Authoritative parents use strict control at points of parent-child conflict, but do not force the child to obey before learning the logic from the child’s end. Parents of authoritative style put their active parental role into effect, but value the child’s individual interest and identities as well.
Impact on Children
Dianne Baurmind’s different parenting styles affect the child’s psychosocial development in different ways. It will be obvious, the most effective parenting style among all three parenting styles defined by Dianne Baurmind is authoritative parenting style. Children with authoritative parents are found as more socially, psychologically and emotionally competent than kids with non-authoritative parents.
Children with authoritarian parents show poor social skills and low self-esteem along with higher level of depression. Childrenwith permissive parents are mostly involved in problem behavior and lower academic performance, but they have high self esteem and better social skills.
Other articles
potty training toddlers
toilet training boys
potty training little boys
these articles are packed with useful advice on potty training a child whether it’s a little boy or girl.
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Posted by green baby on October 16, 2008
So, you have your reusable shopping bags now, you’re headed to the market in your fancy new hybrid car and you and the kids are wearing organic cotton t-shirts that you washed in organic, biodegradable laundry detergent in your high efficiency washing machine. Are you missing anything Mr. Environment? Well, that depends on whether or not you’re buying as much locally grown foods as you can.
It’s fantastic that you’ve made some changes, especially the choice to ditch the plastic and paper and use reusable bags, but you can go one step further quite simply and begin to purchase food from stores that bring in locally grown products.
Here’s five good reasons why you should:
1. Less fuel for transportation and cost cutting by eliminating the middle man.
2. Locally grown is usually organic which has less negative environmental impact than conventional farming.
3. You are supporting local business, which stimulates your direct economy
4. You are taking away from the large conventional farmers and contributing to the small farmers.
5. Your produce will be far fresher which translates to healthier, tastier food and a reduction of spoilage.
It’s really great to do our part in helping the planet. It’s unfortunate that it took us so long to realize the harm that we are causing on our planet, but thankfully people are taking steps in the right direction. When you made the simple decision to switch from plastic bags to reusable shopping bags, you contributed to saving sea turtles, whales, birds, and other marine life as well as reduced your city’s money spent on dealing with excessive plastic bags. It’s estimated that it costs city governments as much as seventeen cents per bag to clean up the bags that litter our streets and suburbs.
When we do our part to help the planet, we benefit so much more! Visit your local markets that support local farming as well as farmer’s markets. It’s a great green change!
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Posted by green baby on October 9, 2008
A lot of people think that being green is difficult. There’s a misconception that being green involves a lot of time and dedication. It doesn’t. Here are five of the easiest and many ways of being green.
1. Stop using plastic or paper bags.
Many places offer very inexpensive reusable shopping bags. I recommend you buy them as soon as you can. Soon you’ll never use a plastic bag again. Plastic bags have a huge negative environmental impact and cost us millions every year.
2. Switch to organic cleaning products.
Did you know that women who stay at home have a lower life expectancy than women who work outside the home? Women who stay at home tend to be exposed to household cleaners more. There are tons of organic/biodegradable/natural cleaning products on the market today. They clean just as well as the harsh chemicals!
3. Ditch the gas or electric mower and buy a reel mower.
Okay, this isn’t quite as simple as beginning to use reusable grocery bags and will require a bit more effort to mow, but think about it this way: You can get your mowing and exercising done at the same time! On the days that you mow, you can kill two birds with one stone. Or perhaps it’s time your kids learn how to mow. The reel type mowers are less dangerous so kiddos can start a bit younger learning to help out with this chore. What’s more is that mowing with a reel mower is better for your lawn! You’ll notice a much healthier lawn that even needs less water.
4. Buy locally grown!
Locally grown produce and meat products are showing up in many, many grocery stores these days. Not only do you help out the local economy, but you save the planet from the environmental cost of transportation. In addition, many local farmers that sell to nearby stores are organic farms. The produce and meat that you’ll be bringing home is devoid of chemicals, pesticides, growth hormones and antibiotics. The food is fresher and more flavorful. Good for the environment, awesome for your family!
5. Switch to energy efficient light bulbs!
We often think about cars as being a major environmental problem, and they are. Though I encourage hybrids, small cars, public transport, walking, biking etc., I have a figure that will amaze you: If every household replaced three 60-watt incandescent light bulbs with CFLs (compact florescent lights), pollution would be reduced as much as if we took 3.5 million cars off the roads! AND you can cut down on your electric bill. It’s a no brainer!
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Posted by green baby on October 6, 2008
Many parents are looking for environmentally-friendly products that mirror their values. To begin with, many new parents want to support corporations that are not using poisonous materials. Still others want to make sure that no workers are being exploited to make their consumer goods.
One baby gear company that is leading the way in this regards is Fleurville bags. In fact, Fleurville was recently certified as “San Francisco Bay Area Green Business” by Marin County, California. Fleurville is also one of the first ever PVC-free companies in the world. Let’s look a little deeper at what separates Fleurville from other diaper bag makers.
First off, PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is a poisonous substance found in many diaper bags and baby products. PVC washes into our waterways, bonding to other heavy metals, and can be found all the way up the food chain from plankton to cattle. Fleurville does not use PVC even though it is the most inexpensive plastic on the market, proving it is earth-friendly first and foremost. Fleurville decided to use an eco-friendly polyurethane laminate instead, known as Green-LAM™.
Also, Fleurville has invested in an innovative nylon fiber that is constructed from recycled plastic water bottles. Known as Re-Run™, this plastic emits less pollutants than new plastic when produced, and also is saving plastic bottles for being added to the landfills.
Lastly, Fleurville donates 3% of its Re-Run products to the Eco-Mom Alliance, which is a educational non-profit dedicating to empowering parents to become conscious consumers. So by purchasing Fleurville products, we are not only supporting eco-parenting, but also showing the world that there is a demand for more green technologies like this.
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Posted by green baby on October 5, 2008
Former students would probably attest to the fact that few things tried my patience as much as did the statement, “This is boring!” As I reflect back on my many years in the classroom, I can’t help but feel a tad bit sorry for the first kid who made the mistake of uttering those words each year. Well, classes aren’t TV.
The sermon went something like this. “Nobody is BORED in my classroom. I work hard to plan fun and interesting activities that will allow you to learn. When you finish your work earlier than others, there are many choices of quiet things to do. You may use the book nook, puppet theatre, computer, writing center, art center, or the manipulative math corner. Now please, do NOT let me hear the word “bored” again!”
I suspect that each school year’s first offender felt like Calvin in one of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes cartoons. In the first two frames Calvin is sitting at his school desk looking totally bored, but saying nothing. In the third frame Calvin screams, “BORRRING!” In the final frame Calvin is heading for the Principal’s office muttering, “Yeah, yeah… kill the messenger.”
Although not many kids made the mistake of verbally uttering the “B” word a second time, I suspect they thought it (or mouthed it to their friends) more than once. Why do all teachers hear this complaint on a somewhat regular basis? Is it because most kids find the day-to-day classroom work too easy? Not hardly.
Contrary to popular opinion, the “bored” child is not always the academically gifted child who is not being challenged. As a matter of fact, that is rarely the case. More often than not, the “bored” student is one who is frustrated because he is not really understanding the material being presented, or does not yet possess the skill that he is being asked to demonstrate. (None of us like to admit that we aren’t up to doing a task that we’re expected to accomplish, or that we haven’t the foggiest notion about what is being explained to us. And for most of us, it’s easier to say, “I’m bored” than it is to say, “I’m struggling.”)
When a student of any age says he is bored, he oftentimes means something quite different. He is really saying, “This isn’t fun. This is work and I don’t want to work. I want to be entertained! Furthermore, I don’t understand what she (the teacher) is talking about or what I am supposed to do. ” In the mind of the student (albeit subconsciously), his cry of boredom shifts the blame and the responsibility from himself to the teacher.
If the child is unlucky, the “boredom syndrome” will give the parent a hook on which to hang criticism of the teacher, and no one will win. The parent blames the teacher, the teacher reacts defensively, and the child continues to flounder. An opportunity for helping a kid gets lost somewhere between the pointing fingers of the parent and the defense mechanisms of the teacher. The realities of classroom and education.
And what do I suggest you do if your child says, “School is boring”? Run (forget walk) to the telephone and request a conference with your child’s teacher. Advise the teacher of your concern. Assure “him” that you are not requesting a conference to assign blame to anyone, but rather to get his opinion as to what is really going on in the classroom that might prompt a declaration of boredom. I can assure you that your child’s teacher will appreciate your concern and do everything possible to work with you to determine the cause, and work toward a solution.
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mary
