Are genetically engineered foods safe?

Grocery shoppers are finding it more and more difficult to avoid food that has been genetically modified. Many processed foods contain quantities of GM foods buried in the list of ingredients. Should people be worried about GM food, or is the media making a fuss about nothing?
Here is a site which contains general, balanced information on the topic:
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml
Genetic Roulette, by Jeffrey M. Smith, an investigative reporter, is an exceedingly scary book on the genetic modification of food. After briefly skimming through this book at my local book store, I’ve drawn up a list of foods to avoid. Margarine is at the top of my list. I’ll substitute olive oil for GM oils like canola and corn. More information about the book may be found here:
http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/GeneticRoulette/index.cfm

Guidance for students and teachers planning a science fair project

The Kenneth Lafferty Hess Family Charitable Foundation operates its Science Buddies program with one goal in mind: to help students and teachers everywhere in their efforts to undertake an effective science research project.
Resources on the site include a Topic Selection Wizard, an interactive tool designed to enable students to choose a science research topic appropriate to their needs and interests. The Project Ideas section of the site serves as a “starter kit”, which describes the subject matter, provides bibliographic material and Internet-based sources of scientific data, as well as suggestions for experiments. The online student guide gives step-by-step instructions, beginning with scientific research methodology, typical research proposals, photos of actual science fair projects and checklists to ensure success.
What sets this site apart from other science fair information sites is the mentoring component, which enables students to interact with volunteer science and technology students and professionals. The Ask an Expert staff-monitored online forum allows students to ask questions about their projects, particularly helpful when students have trouble accessing teacher or parental assistance. The result is a higher-quality project produced by students who enjoy what they’re doing and develop a keen interest in science.
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/

A new site to keep track of global financial markets

Whether you invest in stocks, mutual funds, futures, or Forex, you’ll like this free financial website. There is no registration requirement and no pop-ups or big ads so common on other sites.
The site features a portfolio manager and optional email alerts, useful charts and tools, as well as news stories about global market events.
http://new.quote.com/

The history and the future of technology from a scientific point of view

Scientist J. Newcombe Hodges discusses coming developments in technology in his new book entitled A Primer for Tomorrow. The book begins with a history of technological development, moves into an introduction to quantum physics, gravity, electromagnetism, bio computers, and a commentary on our progress toward teleportation, anti-gravity, time travel, and the replication of the human body. He writes in an engaging manner, with the aim of igniting passion for science in the mind of the reader. He suggests some of the economic factors which tend to put the brakes on rapid technological change.
The author is offering this first book in a series as a free download, in Adobe Acrobat format, at his website. If you don’t have it on your computer, you may download the Adobe Acrobat Reader for free on this site as well.

http://www.tamashii.com/ When you reach the site, go to “Enter and Welcome to Tomorrow”. Next, click on “The Book”. There are full instructions about downloading the book to your computer.

Explore your family tree with ancestry.com

If you go to this free site, simply enter factual details about you and your immediate family and you’re on your way to delving deeply into the history of your family. You’ll need to know basic information about your parents, e.g. birth date, place of birth to begin the search engine. Any information you supply is treated confidentially, and only the details you specify are entered into the public tree. Of course, the more information people in your family enter into the public sector of the site, the more complete the family tree will be.
This site prides itself as being “the world’s largest online collection of historical records and family trees”, with over 257 million people, over 144,000 family stories, and 1,000,000 photos in the data base. The site includes links to other data bases, including U.S. birth and death records, census and immigration information, and U.S. military records.

http://ancestry.com/

Free office suite program looks a lot like Microsoft Office

Open Office is a free program that has many of the features of Microsoft Office. The average computer user, or even small business owner, may not want to invest hundreds of dollars in Microsoft Office. Open Office is a full-featured office suite which includes a word processor, presentation program (resembling Powerpoint), a spreadsheet program, a vector drawing tool, and a data base program. The program is available in many languages, including Irish Gaelic , Scotch Gaelic, Hindi, and Esperanto, Japanese, and German. Updates are free.

Open Office is a multi-platform program, meaning that it is compatible with Linus and Mac. It works with many other office suite products. I've used it to open Wordperfect documents received in an e-mail attachment. Users who are computer-savvy may participate in the development of the program.

http://www.openoffice.org/about_us/new.html

Gardening experts answer your gardening questions

According to their website, Toronto Botanical Garden is a volunteer-based, charitable organization whose purpose is to inspire passion, respect and understanding of gardening, horticulture, the natural landscape and a healthy environment.

The site offers fact sheets on a multitude of gardening topics, a forum which enables readers to ask questions and receive answers about gardening. There is also a telephone information line for those who prefer to speak with gardening experts. Ontario, Canada residents may access a toll-free gardening hotline at 1-888-777-7048 from 11:00 am-4 pm, Monday to Friday. Anyone outside Ontario may reach a special info line by calling (416)-397-1345 Mon.-Fri., 10:00 am-1:00 pm (EST) and Sat., Sun. and Holidays from noon to 3 pm.

http://www.questions.torontomastergardeners.ca/

Sites for helping your child with elementary and junior high school math

Both of these sites are colorful and instructive, providing a good review of some basic math concepts. Browsing through them will help you choose appropriate sections for your child/children.

http://www.coolmath4kids.com/ Elementary and junior high topics
http://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/mathfrog/english/kidz/order.shtml Review of basics and some math games.

Flickr-- a place to store, organize and share your photos for free

This site allows you to upload your photos, organize them into thematic sets, and share them with friends and relatives. You decide on the privacy level for your photo archive, allowing the world to view your photos, or limiting them to people who know your password. This is a handy site for people who travel a lot and wish to share their photos without having to process them through an email account. Drag-and-drop your photos onto a world map to identify locations where photos have been taken. Explore the world through the public photo archive. Do fun things with your photos, like creating calendars, photo books, and postage stamps. Basic accounts are free, and will enable you to see how the site works. Upgrading to a “pro” account for US$24.95 annually gives you unlimited uploading of photos among other benefits. Flickr is now a Yahoo company, which gives it a measure of stability.

Well worth exploring: http://www.flickr.com/

Open Medicine: an independent, international general medical journal

A number of former editors of the Canadian Medical Association Journal have established an open-source, peer-reviewed medical journal, completely separate from the Canadian Medical Association. This site, called Open Medicine, aims to promote academic freedom and integrity by eliminating the possibility of editorial bias related to association with research material funded by drug and medical appliance companies. No advertising material will be accepted from such pharmaceutical and medical corporate sources. There is no subscription fee and no print edition.

A revolutionary site: http://www.openmedicine.ca/

Try this online dictionary/thesaurus with built-in word pronunciation

This useful site enables you not only to find the meanings, synonyms and antonyms for words, but to hear how the words are pronounced. Anyone learning English would appreciate the latter feature.
The site includes specialized dictionaries in the fields of computing, law, medicine, and finance. You can also look up the meanings of common acronyms (like URL) and idioms in the English language. Writers will find this site invaluable.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dictionary.htm

Teachnology.com: for teachers who want to incorporate technology into their classroom

Teachnology is the site for teachers who wish to utilize technology in the classroom.
The site also contains a vast collection of online resources and support tools, and free classroom materials designed by practicing teachers. For small annual fee, educators may purchase a membership which allows access to an extensive archive of reproducible lesson and evaluation materials.

A popular site with teachers: http://www.teachnology.com/

Can you solve these Canadian historical mysteries?

Who actually started the fire that burned Montreal in 1734? Marie Angelique, a black slave was accused of the crime, tortured, hanged and burned in a bonfire. Was she really guilty?
One day in 1880, several members of the “Black” Donnellys were killed when their farm in rural Ontario was set afire. Later that night someone murdered another member of the Donnelly family. Who was responsible for this crime and why was no one ever found guilty of the crime?
If you’re a history buff, you’ll enjoy trying to solve these mysteries by researching the events.
Home page: http://www.canadianmysteries.ca/mysteriesen.html

Let the online games begin!

This is the best collection of free flash and java games I’ve ever found. I got started on Helicopter, and then went on to Desert Storm, and finally 50 States. Almost three hours disappeared into thin air! These games are truly addicting. You can do most of them quite well without a joystick.

Give it a try: http://www.addictingames.info/

Will this diet help reverse the rising tide of autism?

Donna Gates is a nutritional consultant, author and lecturer who has developed a program to help people overcome candidiasis and other immune system disorders. After many years of research in search of a cure for her own candida-related health problems, Donna wrote the book, The Body Ecology Diet. It combines the best of the concepts involved in Chinese medicine, macrobiotics, natural hygiene, raw foods and mega-supplement therapy.

Donna has conducted research with autistic children, placing them on a supervised diet containing fermented or cultured foods. With the establishment of a healthy ecosystem in the intestinal tract, the children begin to digest the high quality fats which enable their immune and digestive systems to gain the strength required to overcome infections.

Home page: http://bodyecology.com/index.php

Article about autism: http://bodyecology.com/autism.php

HowStuffWorks: a practical online encylopedia

HowStuffWorks is a fun site to explore and a great source of practical information.
Learn how to build your own computer by watching seven videos featuring step-by-step instructions. Find out how to do minor electrical repairs around the house. Get your stalled lawnmower running again using the tutorial on small engine repairs and maintenance.

There is a huge library of science and engineering topics. If you want to discover how autofocus cameras work, how GPS receivers work, or how diesel locomotives work, it’s all here on this site, in both print and video formats.

Home page: http://www.howstuffworks.com/

Direct links to some interesting articles:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/build-a-computer1.htm
http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-do-home-electrical-repairs.htm
http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-repair-small-engines.htm
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/buying-selling-channel.htm
http://travel.howstuffworks.com/timeshare.htm

Medical doctor investigates Phoenix, Arizona UFO reports

Lynne D. Kitei M.D. is well known as a physician and public health educator. She has held the position of Chief Clinical Consultant at the Arizona Heart Institute’s Imaging/Prevention/Wellness Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

On March 13, 1997 she, along with thousands of people, witnessed a phenomenon in the sky above Phoenix, Arizona which has been dubbed the “Phoenix Lights”. Eyewitnesses reported a silent, mile-long, v-shaped formation of lights. After seven years of researching the topic and gathering photographic evidence, Lynne has gone public on her website.

Very strange: http://www.thephoenixlights.net/

Protecting your children from automobile dangers

The Kids and Cars organization believes in the right of children to be protected from the preventable dangers which can arise when they are in and around a motor vehicle. This site describes various dangerous situations and what parents can do to prevent them.
Power window strangulation and hypothermia are two of the most common non-traffic events reported in the media.

Legislation to improve child safety features in motor vehicles is pending in the U.S. The site contains a video of Senator Hillary Clinton speaking on this topic at a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on February 27, 2007.

Home page: http://www.kidsandcars.org/

Breaking news about inventors and their inventions

Nathan Ball’s invention is right out of Spiderman! His battery-powered Rope Ascender device, with a 250-lb carrying capacity, will allow firefighters or soldiers to “reverse rappel” up a 30-story building in 30 seconds. Nathan won the 2007 Lemelson-MIT Prize for his invention.

This site contains dozens of interesting stories about inventors and their technological projects.

Home page for the site: http://makezine.com/blog/

Nathan’s story: http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2007/02/ask_nathan_ball.html

How to survive outdoor emergencies

With the increasing popularity of outdoor activities, children and adults need to know survival tactics and methods of avoiding and treating various injuries and conditions.
You’ll find everything you need to know on this site. Print out the information and save it in a binder to carry along with you on your next trip. It could help save your life.

Informative: http://www.surviveoutdoors.com/

Are humans the product of off-world intervention?

After receiving a degree in psychology from Tulane University at New Orleans, Lloyd Pye trained with the U.S. Army as a Military Intelligence agent. Upon completion of his military career, Lloyd began research in anthropology, specializing in hominoids, which led him to the astonishing conclusion that humans could not have evolved on earth.

Lloyd published a book entitled Everything You Know Is Wrong—Book One: Human Origins, which proposes an Intervention Theory directly opposed to Darwinism, Creationism and Intelligent Design. He claims his theory is science based, supported by ancient historical records, puzzling details about megalithic structures located around the world, and recent discoveries about our own DNA.

Intriguing evidence: http://www.lloydpye.com/

Geologist predicts earthquakes with accuracy

Jim Berkland, working as a geologist with the California Government, made a prediction that a major earthquake would hit the Oakland Bay Area during the 1989 World Series. When the earthquake occurred as predicted, his employers suspended him and ordered him to stop making quake predictions.

After he retired, Jim began again to announce “quake windows” on his Syzygyjob website. He bases his predictions on tidal flooding tables derived from Lunar Perigee. When the moon is closest to the earth, gravitational pull on the earth is greatest, triggering quakes. Jim also monitors lost pet notices in the newspapers. Pets tend to run away from home when they sense an impending tremor.

Shocking site: http://www.syzygyjob.com/

Canadian contractor rescues ripped-off homeowners

Every day on his popular TV program, Holmes On Holmes, Mike Holmes puts the spotlight on shoddy renovations, explaining how homeowners have been cheated by careless and incompetent renovators.

Often Mike and his team have to tear out everything and start fresh, narrating the process to the viewers. This website showcases upcoming projects, including his charitable work, and videos featuring tips for homeowners.

Great site: http://www.holmesonhomes.com/

Surfing college students cash in on Internet boom

Frustrated with minimum wage jobs and long work hours, many students have looked to the Internet to supply much-needed income. Up until now it has been difficult to launch a profitable website because of the high up-front expenses and the expertise required to run it.

Canadian physician, Dr. Ken Evoy, has invented an all-in-one program called Site Build-It! which solves these problems. His system allows anyone to build a professional-grade website capable of generating significant income and paying for itself very quickly. Dr. Evoy’s daughter, Nori, began using his system as a teenager, and now earns enough money to pay all her college expenses. Read her story on this site.

Click here for details: http://students.sitesell.com/smallbiz28.html

Are you at risk of a heart attack or stroke? Find out here.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, Canada has developed a personalized risk assessment tool designed to help you identify your risk of heart disease and stroke. After you complete the assessment questions, you will receive an action plan for healthy living.
Click the link below to get started now:
http://ww2.heartandstroke.ca/Page.asp?PageID=1689&Stream=Risk&media=fsi

E-mail large files for free on this site

Most free email services allow you to send attachments up to a 10MB limit. Ordinarily, if you wish to send a file of photos or text larger than that, you would have to break the file into separate smaller files and send them separately. With the Sendthisfile service, you upload files to their server. There is no file size limit and no limit on the number of files sent. You have the option of sending files in “secure” mode. When you fill in the e-mail address of your intended receivers, they will receive an e-mail inviting them to pick up the file you have uploaded.

There is a basic free account for occasional personal use. There are other paid plans for more frequent users, as well as business and professional users.

Recently I used the free service to send three separate 50MB files, which took about two minutes each.

Click here: http://www.sendthisfile.com/

Supermodels around the world

Supermodels.nl is the portal to a community of 734 supermodels and 34,000 fans. The site features a list of supermodels by first name, including brief profiles on each, and more than 42,000 portfolio photos.

This site provides news from the modeling industry, highlighting various models and their most recent agency associations. In addition there is a list of model agencies by country and models enlisted by them. There is also a list of photographers who work with supermodels.

Membership in the site is free and are able to post on forums and receive a newsletter containing background stories, news, and gossip. Members have unlimited and unrestricted access to the supermodels movie archive and “big scan” photos, as well as recordings of shows, interviews and other videos.

Home page: http://supermodels.nl/

Do you ever dine alone? SoloDining is the site for you!

For anyone who dines solo, this website contains a wealth of information. There are tips and strategies for eating alone at home, at a fast food outlet, or at a fine dining establishment. The site offers advice on efficient, low-cost grocery-shopping for one, a list of restaurants that offer “communal dining” tables, and reports on solo dining-friendly restaurants in Canada and the U.S.

Restauranteurs will find advice on making the solo dining experience more appealing for customers.

A helpful site: http://www.solodining.com/

The Classroom @ Sea Project: Drilling the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Early in March, 2007, a team of scientists from Durham University, Cardiff University and the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, will travel aboard the RRS James Cook to investigate an area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge known as the Fifteen-Twenty Fracture Zone (FTFZ). The scientific team on board the ship is led by Prof. Roger Searle from University of Durham, Dr Chris MacLeod (University of Cardiff) and Dr Bramley Murton (NOCS).

Seismological research has determined that the FTFZ appears to be a gap in the crust of the Earth thousands of kilometers wide. The mantle, located in the interior of the planet, is typically covered by crust several kilometers thick. The crust thickness averages about 18 miles (30 kilometers) under the continents, but is only about 3 miles (5 kilometers) under the oceans. It is light and fragile. The mission will attempt to determine whether the ocean crust was dislodged by geological faults or never formed in that area.

This voyage of discovery has been designed as an interactive project for students. The site features a diary which, beginning March 5, 2007, will display accounts of onboard events of interest. The website includes informative modules describing the marine geology and biological environment. Teaching aids and reproducible worksheets are provided. In addition, the site gallery will contain photo highlights of the cruise. Students around the world will be able to e-mail members of the team and ask questions about the excursion.

Climb aboard: http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/gg/classroom@sea/JC007/about.html

Psycho-Geometrics: Try this personality test based on geometric shapes

Dr. Susan Dellinger is the author of the Psycho-Geometrics system of communication. Her system combines the science of understanding people with the art of influencing them. Dr. Ellinger has acted as a consultant for many high-profile corporations, offering workshops designed to improve communications among staff through the implementation of her unique method of understanding human communication.

According to Dr. Dellinger’s system, your personality may be associated with one of the following basic shapes: circle, square, rectangle, triangle, or squiggle.

As a test subject, you respond to the question, Which of the five shapes best describes you as a person? Your choice will be an indication of your personality type. When you do the test at the link below you will be amazed at how accurately the system categorizes your personality.

Of course, this system of geometric psychology is useful for identifying the beliefs, values and attitudes of employers, co-workers, employees, customers, spouses, and children. Armed with this critical information, you are in a position to modify your communication style in order to relate effectively to other people in your life.

Personality test: http://www.psychometricshapes.co.uk/

A video of Dr. Dellinger in action: http://www.drsusan.net/