Shaping good behavior - new Dog Tip

Shaping desired behavior involves breaking a behavior into small steps, taught one at a time with positive reinforcement.
Here's an example ... click here for this Dog Tipsheet.

Blog Appeal: blogging for business

Robin's cover story in the new April 2009 issue of HSMAI MR, the international hospitality journal. If you'd like a PDF, let me know. Here are links to the pages:
Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, and cover

The best medicine is cheap

“There is ever-increasing evidence that a higher consumption of Brassica vegetables may reduce the risk of several types of cancer,” according to researcher Robert Verpoorte. Vegetables in the Brassica family include broccoli, cabbage, kale and brussels sprouts. They're packed with disease-fighting phytochemicals as well as vitamins, minerals and fiber, according to a report presented in the latest edition of Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, a peer-reviewed journal of the Institute of Food Technologists.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Shop Cruelty-Free: New pocket guide

Newly updated pocket-size Cruelty-Free Shopping Guide. Free from NAVS at this webpage

Frogland Wants a King: Trippy 1922 flick

Stop-action animation by Ladislaw Starewich. 1922. Moral: be careful what you wish for.

Can’t hide B.O.

Research now proves what we already knew: it’s tougher to mask armpit odor from women. “It is quite difficult to block a woman’s awareness of body odor. In contrast, it seems rather easy to do so in men,” said Charles J. Wysocki, PhD, a behavioral neuroscientist at Monell. Evidently, females are more attuned to biologically relevant information in sweat when they are choosing a mate. (Image courtesy of FreeImages.co.uk)

Swashbucklin' Eco Warrior saving the high seas

Slobby Somali pirates don't hold a candle to swashbuckling eco warrior David de Rothschild, who's sailing by plastic boat to the humongous garbage patch aswirl in Pacific Ocean currents. And all the single ladies, this hunky banking heir has been dubbed a most eligible bachelor too. Click here

Broccoli sprout power

A pilot study suggests that eating two and a half ounces of broccoli sprouts daily for two months helps protect against the stomach bug H. pylori that causes gastritis, ulcers and even stomach cancer.

Eating a daily dose of broccoli sprouts reduced by more than 40 percent the level of HpSA, a highly specific measure of the presence of components of H. pylori. “[W]e identified a food that, if eaten regularly, might potentially have an effect on the cause of a lot of gastric problems and perhaps even ultimately help prevent stomach cancer,” says Jed W. Fahey, paper author/nutritional biochemist at the Johns Hopkins Cancer Chemoprotection Center. Co-researcher Paul Talalay (pictured with sprouts) is a pioneer in the healing foods movement who is such a believer that he patented a variety of broccoli sprouts.

Their previous studies suggested sulforaphane, a naturally occurring biochemical, is a potent antibiotic. Broccoli sprouts have a much higher concentration of sulforaphane than mature heads. Sulforaphane appears to trigger cells in the body to produce enzymes that protect against oxygen radicals, DNA-damaging chemicals, and inflammation.

Chop Shop worth watching

Great film shares lessons from the street, and worth watching it a second time with the filmmaker commentary. Some of the actors aren't actors by trade; they live/work on the streets. Excellent indie production made on location in Queens. Be sure to get the Ramin Bahrani production, not the sexploitation flick with the same title.

Cool idea for dog and film lovers

Award-winning filmmaker Rebecca Rodriguez isn't letting the flood of kudos for Coming Up Easy, her recent look at domestic violence, keep her from working on her new project, Good Dogs. To raise money for the film and raise awareness about the plight of homeless animals, she has come up with this novel idea. Check out her Good Dog effort here

Like a fine rind...

You know that white membrane between the rind and pulp of oranges, grapefruits and other citrus? Researchers recently confirmed it's good for you.

New York, New York - Gone ARTtistic

Robin's New York art romp piece in Art-tistics, an online publication for collectors, gallerists and others in the creative class. Click here

Image: Mural painted by SoHo artists for the New Yorker Hotel.

President's dog choice matters

If the Obamas choose a designer dog, more unethical breeders and puppy mills will cash in. Good Newsweek article on doing animals wrong. Click here

Perils of shopping while happy

A new study shows that happy consumers are likely to overlook their suspicions about sales pitches. The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Business study findings will appear July in Elsevier’s Journal of Consumer Psychology. The researchers exposed consumers to humorous or happy situations before surveying their responses to persuasive sales offers.

Add Flax to the Grocery List

More reasons to buy flax seeds (ground 'em up and sprinkle on salads) and flax seed oil. New research offers evidence that including flax in the diet may help prevent colorectal tumors or keep tumors from growing as quickly when they do form. The new South Dakota State University research results were published February in the peer-reviewed international journal Nutrition and Cancer.

Soap Smuggling - Everyday Eco-villians

Commonfolk smuggle soap across state borders to feed phospate addiction - details here

Foul Air Leads to Infertility?

Pollution may hit below the belt - details here

The Face on Your Plate

"Collective denial has been our modus operandi." Thoughtful WaPo book reviews on the prevailing "don't ask-don't tell" food culture sheds light on food that's bad for the eater as well as the eaten. Click here

Event Waste Rescue

Robin's April 5 Eco Simple column in the Examiner newspapers nationwide. The topic: Event Waste Rescue. Access the San Francisco edition by clicking the title above. SF edition: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=26&refresh=Zi5120yC1xN9&EID=9cd40f00-2f82-4181-a1be-e8d116e7a820&skip=
DC edition: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=42&refresh=7Ee1x0Z6Y31c&EID=9255354b-66ba-45f4-a509-5b3df379753c&skip=

Artful Spring Break in NYC

Click the title for Robin's April 3 article in Lenny Campello's Art News.

Image: Future New York, The City of Skyscrapers, 1910s. One of the postcards on view at the Met. Artist unknown. Photomechanical reproduction. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Walker Evans Archive.

Soy when young helps cut disease risk

Asian-American women who ate higher amounts of soy during childhood had a 58% reduced risk of breast cancer, according to a new study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Check this site for tasty recipes and soy health facts http://www.soyfoods.org

Possessive Dogs: Preventing and Stopping Resource Guarding

Resource guarding involves aggressive possessive behavior over food, treats, toys, objects, space, and/or humans.

Click the title above for the latest Dog Tip, which includes guidance, tip sheets and other resources from top dog behavior experts.

Are you making your dog aggressive?

Reported in Science Daily: In a year-long University of Pennsylvania survey of dog owners who use confrontational or aversive methods to train aggressive pets, veterinary researchers have found that most of these animals will continue to be aggressive unless training techniques are modified. See the story at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217141540.htm

Short animal shelter documentary

Click the headline above or this image to view a short film about realities faced at animal shelters. Without words, it gives voice to the voiceless who are at the mercy of human stewards of the earth.

Workouts and insomnia

Good sleep is key to good health. But half of women in a newly published survey reported having insomnia. Caffeine and stress contribute to “bad sleep hygiene,” but here’s another little-known factor we can do something about.

Body temperature drops about one degree during sleep. Don’t work out too close to bedtime, says Raul Noriega, manager of the Comprehensive Epilepsy and Sleep Disorders Center at Baylor Regional Medical Center. He says it takes e hours to cool down enough to get drowsy. Avoid that temptation to check the clock when having trouble sleeping – because even minor exertion consumes energy, which raises the body’s temperature, further delaying sleep.

Shreveport Chefs Gone Wild

Robin's article about healthy-meets-hedonistic southern cuisine in the editions of the Examiner nationwide. Click the headline above to access the DC edition.

How to Create a Nature Preserve at Home

This Sunday's Eco Simple column...in editions of the Examiner nationwide. Click the headline above to access the article.
Links to 2 of the editions (DC and San Francisco):

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?eid=c0b0ce47-fe80-4c27-bc9d-521dd4a447d5&pnum=30

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?eid=6490121b-f3de-4908-8429-2e7ca5093a1e&pnum=40

Bulk buyer alert: nutrients can decline quickly in potency

The recession is motivating more shoppers to stock up when fave foods go on sale. But beware: the potency of healthy nutrients can decline in short time. For example, new studies indicate degradation of the immunity-boosting antioxidant organic compounds called catechins in green tea leaves after long-term storage. And that olive oil sitting on your shelf may lose up to 40 percent of its health benefits within six months. These are among studies in the March 2009 Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists.

Safety Alert: Common Flea and Tick Products

Click the headline for this new report.

Dog Tip: Attention!

Click the headline above to access the tipsheet about getting your dog to pay attention. Can apply to your spouse, kids and others.

Albuquerque Vistas by Man and Nature

Click the headline for a just-published travel piece by Robin

Life, and Death, on a Factory Farm

Click the headline to a link about HBO's new undercover documentary, Death on a Factory Farm. That webpage links to schedule, video preview, and resources such as Humane Farming Association. BTW, you don't have to be into animal rights to take a stand against animal cruelty. See TIME for an interview with an undercover agent at http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1883742,00.html

Death by Plastic

Leatherback turtles survived the extinction of the dinosaurs. But they may not survive manmade plastic. “After reviewing the results of 371 necropsies since 1968, we discovered over one third of the turtles had ingested plastic,” said Dalhousie University biologist Mike James last week upon releasing the study based on post-mortem examinations. So when at the beach, or anywhere near the water, you can do these ancient mariners a favor by picking up trash. A bonus: bending burns calories and counts as exercise.

Downed Cow Legislative News

Long-accepted in this country has been the abuse of downer cattle—animals too sick or injured to walk. Wayne Pacelle, chief of the Humane Society of the United States, reports that on March 14, President Obama announced that the USDA was officially putting a stop to non-ambulatory cattle being mishandled on the way to slaughter plants. In December 2003, a downer cow tested positive for mad cow disease in Washington state; in response, some 50 nations banned U.S. beef imports, and the federal government tried in vain to recall meat. Economic fall-out of that incident: $11 billion. We oppose mistreatment and cruelty regardless of economic impact, but sadly in this world, animals suffer in silence while money talks.

Free Vegetarian Eating and Meal Planning Guide

It's Meat-out Week sponsored by FARM, In Defense of Animals, and other nonprofits...and it's always a good time to eat more healthily and humanely. Whether you want to cut back a little bit, try Meatless Mondays, or "meat-out" for good, go to www.VegKit.org to request a great, FREE 32-page Veg Starter Kit. You can also sign up for another freebie, Meatout Mondays, an upbeat weekly e-newsletter with delicious veg recipes and health news to help you and your family. Just click the title of this post to get there.

Book Review: Animals Make Us Human

Animals Make Us Human: Creating The Best Life for Animals by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson.

Autism has given the equivalent of a sixth sense to Temple Grandin, an expert in designing humane systems for handling animals used in agriculture. She has developed an uncommon affinity for understanding the sensibilities, sensitivities, motivations and fears of nonhuman animals. This 2009 book shares practical insights to help people better understand the animals in their lives, including dogs, cats, horses, pigs, cows, chickens, zoo inhabitants, and wildlife. As Grandin helps you learn about learning, you will experience flashes of insight page by page. You’ll discover the real reasons why negative reinforcement (such as in horse training) so often fails, what works better – and why. You’ll come to understand why nonhuman (and human) animals react to novel stimuli they way they do, the unfortunate widespread adoption of animal handling techniques that consistently backfire, core emotions such as fear and seeking – and why, and how, acting in anticipation of a reward is usually more motivating and triggers more brain activity than having the reward. Don’t read just read the parts about the species in your own life; nuggets of enlightenment abound.

For an alternative and enlightening view, please see the editorial by Jeffrey Masson and Jeff Nelson at http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/masson_grandin.htm

Must hear alt-Americana

William Elliott Whitmore is an alt-Americana voice that must be heard. From doubtfulsounds.wordpress.com: "[WEW's new album] Animals In The Dark takes a defiant stance against authority.... addressing current social and political themes, Whitmore frames them with a sound that is as old as the blues itself. The instruments are primarily acoustic with guitar, banjo and minimal drums.... His voice [sounds] like it contains the a century of dust and nicotine from the corners of rural America.”

Double Security Summit in DC

FOSE teamed up with GovSec at the Washington Convention Center to show off the latest tech advances for the public sector.
On view:
* IES Interactive Training (ies-usa.com) demonstrated their simulation programs, and dared put a high-caliber gun in the hands of Ms. Question Authority (me). Turns out that I’m a pretty good shot. Watch out, bad guys.

* T3 Motion Personal Mobility Vehicles. Segways, move over. These T3 plug-ins get 30 miles on a single change and go 25 miles an hour.

* 3-D TV!

5 easy green ways to save $ at home

Veggies protect your prostate (if you have one)

The Molecular Nutrition and Food Research just published data that suggests a diet high in vegetable intake can reduce the risk of prostate cancer. The primary mechanism of this protective vegetable effect is antioxidant protection against DNA and cell damage.

Trick New Bikes for Easier Commuting

Robin's Eco Simple column in this Sunday's Examiner (DC regional and San Francisco regional editions) ... two cool new bicycles to make self-powered commuting easier. The article appears on page 29 of the San Francisco and bay area editions, and in DC area editions including: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?eid=a6c97966-b6e5-461d-814e-600abef44cb2&pnum=44

Love Handles Put the Squeeze on Lungs

Another reason to battle bulging love handles: Not only is abdominal obesity associated with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and other health problems collectively known as “metabolic syndrome,” a new study indicates that a high waist circumference is strongly associated with decreased lung function.

Paris-based researchers analyzed data from more than 120,000 people and published the results this month in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The researchers adjusted for age, sex, BMI [body mass index], smoking history, alcohol consumption, exercise and cardiovascular history. Natalie Leone, M.D., of French National Institute for Health and Medical Research wrote: "We found a positive independent relationship between lung function impairment and metabolic syndrome due mainly to abdominal obesity.” They defined abdominal obesity as having a waist circumference greater than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men.

Home Sweet Savings

Click the link above to access Robin's latest Eco Simple column in editions of the Examiner nationwide, including DC and San Francisco. By the way, the price-per-square-foot of the featured home – Heather's Home – is ONLY $117!

Soybean dish lowers Alzheimer's and heart attack risk

Newswise - A vegan food renowned in Asia for its ability to protect against heart attacks also shows a powerful ability in lab experiments to prevent formation of the clumps of tangled protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease, scientists in Taiwan are reporting. Their study is in the Feb. 11 issue of ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Rita P. Y. Chen and colleagues point out that people in Asia have been eating natto — a fermented food made from boiled soybeans —for more than 1,000 years. Natto contains an enzyme, nattokinase, that has effects similar to clot-busting drugs used in heart disease.Nattokinase is sold a dietary supplement to improve the body’s circulatory system. The scientists term this the first study on whether nattokinase also can dissolve amyloids. Those tangled proteins are involved in Alzheimer’s disease and several other health problems.

In the study, the nattokinase degraded several kinds of amyloid fibrils, suggesting its possible use in the treatment of amyloid-related diseases. “Moreover, since natto has been ingested by humans for a long time, it would be worthwhile to carry out an epidemiological study on the rate of occurrence of various amyloid-related diseases in a population regularly consuming natto,” the scientists say.

Rain gardens: improve your yard, save our waterways

About rain gardens and how to make one - my Eco Simple column in the Feb. 8 Examiner ... DC, MD, Virginia and San Francisco editions. Access by clicking this post's title.

Link to the article in the DC edition: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?eid=21460818-da15-4092-b578-5009726b98ed&pnum=36

Valentine for your body and brain

Eating a Mediterranean diet appears to be associated with less risk of mild cognitive impairment—a stage between normal aging and dementia—or of transitioning from mild cognitive impairment into Alzheimer’s disease, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

“Among behavioral traits, diet may play an important role in the cause and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease,” explained Nikolaos Scarmeas, M.D., and Columbia University Medical Center research team in the article. Previous studies have shown a lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease among those who eat a Mediterranean diet, characterized by high intakes of vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereals and unsaturated fatty acids, low intakes of dairy products, meat and saturated fats and moderate alcohol consumption. While fish is also allowed on the Mediterranean diet, registered dietition Gail Nelson writes in VRG.org that you can get its healthy benefits (primarily omega-3 fatty acids) from fish-free foods such as flaxseed oil, ground flaxseed (good on salads), canola oil, soybean oil, soybeans, walnuts, walnut oil, and purslane.

The Mediterranean diet may improve cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels and blood vessel health overall, or reduce inflammation, all of which have been associated with mild cognitive impairment. Individual food components of the diet also may have an influence on cognitive risk. “For example, potentially beneficial effects for mild cognitive impairment or mild cognitive impairment conversion to Alzheimer’s disease have been reported for alcohol, fish, polyunsaturated fatty acids (also for age-related cognitive decline) and lower levels of saturated fatty acids,” noted the New York-based research.

Courting rituals in the wild

Cool examples of animal mating rituals shared by the National Wildlife Federation:

* Extreme makeover, avian edition: The male bower bird is a woman’s dream: he’s an excellent carpenter and fabulous decorator. He builds a stick structure called a bower and then decorates it to impress the ladies. He picks a monochromatic color scheme for his decor, which can include shells, feathers, flowers, and even bits of string, plastic and other man-made items – all to entice a female companion.

In spring, male house wrens migrate north a week or two before the females. They use that time to build multiple nests to impress the girls. When a female finally picks a male and one of his abodes, she moves in and rebuilds his “bachelor pad” nest.

* Flashy fake-out: Some insects take advantage of the visual displays of the opposite sex as a way to score a meal. Male fireflies flash their light and wait for the females hidden in the vegetation to flash back. One species has learned to mimic the return flash of the female of another species, and when the hopeful male shows up to introduce himself, she eats him, then goes on to mate with a male of her own species.

* Man-icures: To impress a particular gal, a male painted turtle swims to face her and then waves his long claws in her face in the hopes of turning her on.

* Wing bling: In the bird world, guys sport the fancy ornamentation. Females usually have drab, earthy colors – for camouflage as they sit on the nest. A male’s flashy feathers are an indication that he’s in good health and can father fit offspring with a good chance of survival.

Valentine from a Sexpert: Are *you* just not that into you?

He’s not chasing you? He's not calling you? He's avoiding you? These may be signs that a fairytale ending may elude you.

The concern goes beyond “He’s just not that into you.” May be that you’re not that into you.

Here’s a sexpert hypothesis on why women pursue Mr. Wrong: "Many women believe that they will be able to change a man's mind and persuade him to live happily ever after with her," said Domeena Renshaw, MD, author of Seven Weeks to Better Sex and director of Loyola University’s Health System Sex Clinic. "However, women cannot change men. They can only change how they react to them in this scenario."

Low self-esteem also may be to blame, notes Renshaw, whose less sexy title is professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. "Women send signals that they do not value themselves when they repeatedly engage in situations or relationships with men who are not interested.”
Women also may make excuses for the “unclear behavior” of love targets, because they haven’t accepted that their feelings are not mutual.

"I encourage women to concentrate on finding happiness within themselves rather than waiting for men to call or commit," said Renshaw.

Society sometimes suggests that a woman’s worth is measured by her ability to find and keep a man, even though long-entrenched custom has been to let the men court and call the women.

Here’s some self-love potion: "If women can learn to empower themselves, give themselves due credit and know when to walk away from a dysfunctional situation or relationship, it will free them up to meet someone who is genuinely interested," said Renshaw. "We should learn from experience and understand that healthy relationships are built on mutual respect and recognition."

Mayo Clinic thumbs-up for vegetarian eating

There’s more to being a vegetarian than cutting meat from the menu. The February issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource offers suggestions for a well-balanced vegetarian diet -- and some reasons why it’s worth considering.

The vegetarian menu emphasizes the food that U.S. dietary guidelines say all Americans should eat regularly -- fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and other legumes. Vegetarian diets often are lower in calories than the typical American diet. So it’s no surprise that on average, vegetarians are thinner than their nonvegetarian peers. And eating a mainly plant-based diet can reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.

The increasing variety of meat-free options makes the transition to vegetarian easier than ever before. With a little planning, a vegetarian diet can meet all nutritional needs. Important nutrients to include are:

Protein: Besides eggs and dairy products, you can get protein from soy products, legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Meatless products such as tofu dogs, soy burgers and texturized vegetable protein can be excellent sources of protein. Many meat substitutes, such as tofu and tempeh, are made from soybeans. Soy offers a balance of all essential amino acids, just as meat does. These meat substitutes often are lower in calories and saturated fat than meat.

Calcium: Low-fat dairy and dark green vegetables such as broccoli, collard greens and kale are good sources of calcium. Tofu enriched with calcium, fortified yogurt (available in soy-based) and juices also are options.

Vitamin B-12: This is found in animal products including milk, eggs and cheese. Those who eat only plant-based foods (vegans) can get B-12 from enriched cereals, fortified soy products or by taking a supplement.

Iron: Dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grain products, baked potatoes with skin, dark leafy vegetables and dried fruit are good sources of iron. Eating foods high in vitamin C (strawberries, citrus fruits) along with iron-rich foods can help increase iron absorption.

Zinc: Zinc is found in whole grains, soy products, legumes, nuts, wheat germ, mushrooms and peas. It’s also found in dairy foods and eggs.

Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource is published monthly. Revenue from subscriptions is used to support medical research at Mayo Clinic. Subscribe via 800-876-8633, extension 9751, or www.bookstore.mayoclinic.com.

30 reasons to try vegetarian eating

Watch more videos at PETA.org

Greener Cleaners

Click the title to access my column in the Sunday, Jan. 25 editions of the Examiner nationwide.

Diabetes Diet Instead of Drugs

In various editions of the Examiner newspaper nationwide. Click title above to access.

e-cycle used electronics - an easy guide

click title above for article appearing in Examiner editions nationwide

Gadgets for a Small Planet

Click the title to access the Tierneys' Examiner article on fun little energy-saving, money-saving, low-carb footprint gadgets.

Baltimore area editions: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?eid=f20281d3-5526-44be-890b-7b73133de2eb&pnum=44

DC area editions: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?eid=35fbc666-6258-4509-a5c4-87a07a19da3e&pnum=34

Also in San Fran and others. Plus, in the Examiner's nation online edition: http://www.dcexaminer.com/entertainment/Weve_got_you_covered_on_gifts__for_techies_who_love_the_planet_121408.html

Earth Care and Faith

click title for article that appeared in the Examiner nationwide. Another edition: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/pdfspool/7bed381c-ba46-44cb-9427-15606f38cff4.pdf

Exec Tech

Click on the links below to access Kevin Tierney and Robin Tierney's article, Gadgets for Execs on the Go:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/hsmai/mr_fall_08/#/36

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/hsmai/mr_fall_08/#/38

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/hsmai/mr_fall_08/#/40

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/hsmai/mr_fall_08/#/42/OnePage

Green Festival 2008

Click the link above for Robin's Eco Simple column on smart ideas from this year's Green Festival in DC. Article appeared in the Nov. 16 editions in DC/VA, Baltimore and San Francisco.

Bee-cology

In the Nov. 2 editions of the Examiner nationwide. Warning: my editors errer with photo selection. Should have pictured bees, not yellow jackets/wasps. Bees are the good guys who pollinate and make honey.

Super Foods!

Click the title above to access article that ran in the Oct. 30 Examiner newspapers.

Green your Halloween

Click the headline to see Robin's Oct. 18 Examiner article.

Cosmetics: More Than Skin Deep

Click for this week's Eco Simple column in the Examiner.

Let Fallen Leaves Lie

Eco Simple article in Oct. 5 editions of the Examiner nationwide - click the title above to access.

Agribusiness and Eco-nomics

In the San Francisco, Baltimore and other editions of the Examiner - Robin's Eco Simple column of Sept. 29. And you can access the online version at http://www.baltimoreexaminer.com/local/29950614.html

For an excellent 5-minute documentary about factory farming and a real look behind the scenes, please watch:

Get Unstuck from Depression and Anxiety - Without Drugs

Click the title-link above for Robin's Examiner piece on getting unstuck from depression and anxiety.

A link to the e-edition version: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?eid=cd140a7a-cee2-4c09-a481-1186c6dcd594&pnum=40

Ready, Set, Pedal - Quick-Start Bike Commuting Guide

This week in the Sunday Examiner editions nationwide: Robin's Quick-Start Bike Commuting Guide in Eco Simple, Sept. 21.

BrushFirebrand: Dana Ellyn, Conscientious Observer

Click the title above to access the article, which appears in the Sept. 16 edition of the Examiner newspapers. Also, another version of the article in the national online edition appears at this URL: http://www.dcexaminer.com/entertainment/Exhibit_shows_politics_through_artists_eyes__and_brush.html

Image: Trading Beauty Secrets by Dana Ellyn

Creative Class in D.C.: City Hall Art Collection

Click the title above to access the article, which appears in the Sept. 16 edition of the Examiner newspapers. Also, another version of the article in the national online edition appears at this URL: http://www.dcexaminer.com/entertainment/More_to_see_at_City_Hall_DCs_creative_class_runs_deep.html

Image: Percy Martin, Bushman Beginning a Dreamwalk

Selling Out to Win

Click on title for an article that says it all about ambition, political maneuvering and selling out.

Driving Sustainability Without Trading in Your Car

Click title above to access Robin's latest Eco Simple, which ran Sept 14 in various editions of the Examiner newspapers nationwide.

Hello Health: Digital-Age Doctoring

Click the title above to access Robin's Hello Health web 2.0 med care article running in various editions of today's Examiner.

Pro-life? Or Pro-paganda?

As a believer in the Ten Commandments, I get so dismayed with the perversion of pro-life as a campaign slogan. Wouldn't pro-life include acting humanely to feeling and thinking beings? And actually abiding by the original words of God to be good stewards of the Earth and all creatures?

Click the title above to watch this short video, which signals just a bit of the tax-funded anti-animal and anti-environment actions to come.

BEWARE of COUCH: Toxins and Your Pet

Click title above to access the article in the Sept 7 edition of the San Francisco Examiner. Also appeared in the national online edition Sept. 11 at http://www.dcexaminer.com/entertainment/28009109.html

Made in China ... red-hot art by Matt Sesow

Click title to access art article, which ran in the Sept 4 Examiner, DC, MD and VA editions. And here's an additional link to the article in the Examiner's national online edition (which is different from the "e-edition." http://www.dcexaminer.com/entertainment/27829569.html

CONTAGION: germ-free iconography

Click the title above to access this art article appearing in the Sept. 4 Examiner (DC, Virginia, and MD editions).

And a link to yet another edition, which features a different visual with the article. http://www.dcexaminer.com/entertainment/27831014.html

Grandma Knows Best: Gardening with, not against, Nature

Click the title for the latest Eco Simple column, which appears in the Sunday Aug 31 Examiner - at least in the West Coast and Baltimore region editions.

Weapons of Grass Destruction

Click title above to access the latest Eco Simple column in the Examiner newspapers nationwide. Topic: earth-friendlier, wallet-friendlier lawn care.

Links to the Baltimore edition (contains extra tips) and San Fran edition:

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=36&refresh=Mo3140xS0mJ7&EID=305144df-411c-4e15-86a7-2178d71db566&skip=

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?eid=179f897b-75cb-47c9-bc17-b57077c751ad&pnum=60

Back to School eco- and budget-minded

To access Eco Simple article in Aug 17 editions of the Examiner nationwide, click the title above. If that does not work, go to http://www.sfexaminer.com , look around the page for the link to online edition (it's called "today's edition" and migrants... today it's on the upper left), and find page 18 in the San Francisco edition.

Rude Rx!

Rude Rx! In the Examiner's editions nationwide Aug. 12. Click title above to access the DC edition.

Eco Deco - Stylish Reuse

Click title above to access Eco Simple column in Sunday Aug. 10 Examiner editions nationwide

Travel: The Lure of Hotel Lore

Click link for article

Subscribe to Local-Grown

Click the headline above to read Robin's Eco Simple column in the Sunday Aug 3 Examiner newspapers nationwide. Topic: Community Supported Agriculture - how these local food subscription groups work and what you get.