RIchard Ashcroft is one of my favorite singer-songwriter from England. Born in Billinge, Lancashire, Englandon on September 11, 1971. He is best known as part of the Verve with their song “Bittersweet Symphony”.
Science of Silence.
This song is from his solo album “Human Condition”. I’m not much for music videos, but thought this one was nicely done. It has many interesting photos of New York City. Here is the original music video.
Earth Day has been held every April 22 nd since 1970. The very first Earth Day led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency
and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts.
What better way to celebrate Earth Day then to plant more trees? And the Arbor Day Foundation can help. For a 6 month or 1 year membership, you’ll be able to chose 10 free trees. Membership for 6 months is $10 and the 1 year for $15. Last year members planted 8 million trees.
Saucer Magnolia
This pretty flowering tree is available for purchase. Photo from Arbor Day Foundation.
Here are some more nice flowering trees you can chose from: Dogwood, American Redbud, Crape Myrtle, and Goldenraintrees.
Along with the free trees, they also have a variety of other trees & shrubs for sale. The prices are very reasonable. Shipping is a flat fee of $4.95 for your entire nursery order. Unfortunately for me , the Department of Agriculture does not allow any of the retail trees to be sent to California. Other restricted states include Ak, Az, Hi or any U.S. territories. But the 10 free trees are still okay to send out.
In addition to your membership, you’ll also get:
- Receive a 33–56 percent discount on over 100 trees and shrubs. Our selection includes shade, flowering, ornamental, fruit trees, evergreens and more.
- Free subscription to our colorful bimonthly newsletter. Arbor Day is a gardener’s handbook and tree information guide in one.
- The Tree Book is a treasury of genuinely useful guidance about planting and caring for trees in a cheerfully colorful format.
Important Foundation programs are sustained by nearly a million members nationwide. You’ll become part of the Foundation. Together, we’re making a difference.” - Arbor Day.
Ever since I watched “Who Killed the Electric Car?” a few years ago, I’ve been wondering what’s happening in the electric car industry. The latest news comes from Nissan with it’s Leaf. Orders in the U.S. will start April 20th and Nissan is aiming for 25,000 orders by December 2010.
The Nissan Leaf is a four-door hatchback that looks similar to the Toyota Prius and Honda Fit. It is a 100% electric zero-emission vehicle. It can get up to 100 miles with a single charge from home. While the Volt, which can go 40 miles on full electricity before a small gas engine kicks in to provide power.
Here is the new Nissan Leaf. It looks very futuristic. And a name that reminds you of Nature. Photo from Automotive News.
The more car companies get into making an electric car, the more choices we’ll have. And it also helps that the Nissan “Leaf” has a competitive starting base price of $32,780. But buyers can get a $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit. Making it about $25,280. Still pretty expensive for me. But the industry also reports electric car prices should go down more by 2015.
Other electric cars in the market is the Toyota Pruis and Honda Insight. Chevrolet will also introduce the Volt sometime later this year. Even Tesla (Roadster) of Silicon Valley is in the electric car market with their $100,000 sports car.
If I was in the market for a new car, I would want an electric car. But I don’t know if I want a 1st generation car. Then again maybe the first model out is well built. But I would like to see if there are any problems other consumers may encounter. And just like Apple’s products, the next generation model may have more to offer.
Either way, getting an electric car would be a good purchase. Both for your pocketbook and the environment. No need to help OPEC get rich anymore or having to pump gas at the station and smelling gasoline fumes.
Here’s a little FAQ from the Nissan Leaf:
When I think of Mexican peppers I usually think of Jalepeno peppers. But this weekend I decided to add some new choices to my pepper selection.
These are fresh Pasilla peppers. They have a nice dark green color and very thick outer skin, but the inside is juicy.
Pasilla peppers are referred to many other names too. The word pasilla is translated as “little raisins” in Spanish. Another common name is pablano peppers. And the dried version is call ancho and are used to make Mexican mole sauce.
These peppers has an interesting taste that many would describe as earthy. But I say it taste like a good green vegetable with some heat. It’s not as hot as jalepeno, but has enough heat to keep it interesting.
Pasilla peppers are great stuffed because they have thick skin and good amount of space to fill. I actually prefer stuffed pasilla over stuffed bell peppers. I also think they are good slightly steamed or grilled and added to sandwiches.
In Mexico, they like to coat it with whipped eggs and fried them. Just like French toast but with a pepper.
Another new favorite Mexican pepper of mine is now Anaheim pepper. In this photo they look almost like Jalepeno, but it’s really almost two times larger and has barely any heat.
They have light green skin and are long and narrow. They are great when added to omelets or salads. I also like them slightly steamed as they don’t lose their crunch.
I found these at the local grocery store. I would like to have tried these locally when they are in season. But I’m sure these were farmed in Mexico.
As with many vegetables and produce sold these days, it’s best to soak them in a mixture of vinegar and water before serving. Rinse and clean well.
I’ve been looking for an environmentally friendlier laundry detergent for some time now. And this ECOS brand is just the right laundry detergent for my laundry needs. And the fact that Costco had it for such a great price was another plus.
Magnolia & Lillies is made with 100% natural coconut kernel oil-based surfactant, horsetail plant, lavender, coconut based fabric softener, essential oils of magnolias and lilies, with purified water. Image and info from Ecos.
At first I was thinking how could this natural stuff compete with the commercial brand like Tide.
Maybe it wouldn’t even clean as well? But I was surprised to know that it did it’s job very well. ECOS laundry detergent also has a built-in soy based fabric softener and cellulose based optical brightener.
And it’s not just good for laundry, but better for the environment too. It’s free of SLS (Sodium laurel sulfate) and is vegetable based with other natural ingredients such as essential oils and plant material.
Since I am not a fan of lavender, I was happy they had other selections too. The one I got was magnolia and lily, it has a nice and light scent that is not overpowering like many commercial brands.
