BandSlam!

In the 1996 debate over the Endangered Species Act in the United States,  the religious right was as fervent as the green left in defending tough legal protections for at risk species.

In Canada, the phenomenon seems most developed on the West Coast, notably among Anglican evangelicals. The largest Anglican church in Vancouver, St. John’s Shaughnessy, which is a perpetual thorn in the side of liberal bishops on many social and theological issues, is hosting a “Visions for the Earth” conference April 17, the day before Earth Day, sponsored by Vision TV, and with help from the Earthhouse Collective.

As New York approaches the 100th anniversary of his election as governor, the state has another chief executive, George E. Pataki who embodies the progressive policies of “TR,” who finds inspiration in his words and deeds (as well as in the portrait of Roosevelt on the wall of his Capitol office), and who, like Roosevelt, is guiding New York into a new century amid major environmental initiatives.

Camcorders have been around for more than a decade and about one of every four American families owns one. The reason is simple: With the press of a button, a child’s first steps or first birthday party get recorded forever on videotape. And talk about instant gratification – you don’t even need to go to a one-hour photo store. You just play the tape back through your television and everyone’s an immediate star. In addition to taping family, friends, and faraway places, camcorders also come in handy for a more pragmatic purpose. When used for recording your home and its contents, videotape can help your insurance agent to expedite a claim if an accident occurs.

At this time of year, with graduations, weddings, and family vacations looming, if you don’t already have a camcorder, now may be a good time to consider buying one, especially considering the current Diiva technology. And the best news is that these devices have gotten smaller, more lightweight, easier to operate, and more affordable than ever before. (more…)

Controlling snoring is very tough task but still you have to try your best because your partner gets very disturbed with your loud noises. All the remedies for snoring are effective but it all depends upon the reason that is causing snoring. There are different reasons for different people and I will address the most common reasons that cause snoring. On top of the list is problem of weight because it is observed that mostly overweight people snore more than average people. To control this kind of snoring that happens due to extra weight, you have to exercise and maintain a healthy diet. This small change in routine will eventually get you rid of it. Secondly people that smoke and drink heavily often snore more.

Quitting drinking and smoking may not be possible for you but you can at least make sure that you do not drink or smoke before you go to sleep. If you can stop smoking before 2-3 hours of going to bed then it can help you to minimize snoring. Lastly you can change your position while sleeping and it will also help you to control snoring. Keep a relaxed and comfortable position and especially pay attention to the position of your neck and shoulders. Remember that the answer to the question: “How do I stop snoring?” is much easier if you have the right device or mouthpiece(or snoring mouth guard, depending on your semantic preference) for you. (more…)

To many retired or soon-to-retire couples, a reverse mortgage may sound like a fairy-tale ending to a lifetime of hard work. Reverse mortgages allow homeowners to use their house as collateral in order to establish a credit line to draw against as needed or to collect monthly payments of a few hundred dollars to more than $1,000. This cash, when added to pensions and Social Security disbursements, can make life more comfortable and more secure for people in their golden years. Yet while they may have the flavor of “icing on the cake,” reverse mortgages are legally binding financial arrangements – not magic – and they are not for everyone.

Available from an increasing number of sources, but not from every type of lender and not in every state, a reverse mortgage is a way for older homeowners to access the accumulated equity in their homes. Homeowners 62 years old and older can opt to borrow, in cash, a portion of their house’s equity on a periodic basis. With that cash, they can pay bills, buy clothes and personal items for themselves or their children or grandchildren, or apply it to the purchase of something special. (more…)

Or are they wildflowers? One person’s bane is another’s cherished bouquet.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” as the old saying goes, and so I am reminded by my three-year-old daughter as she erupts into screams of delight at the sight of our front yard abloom with a multitude of riotous dandelions. “Sunflowers!” she shouts. Eagerly, she recruits her two-year-old sister to assist in gathering a bouquet for Morn. Hand in hand, they dash about the yard, hardly knowing where to start, each sunny blossom as enticing as the next. After several minutes they return, each clutching a handful of twisted stems with golden heads, which they thrust into my reluctant palm.

“Put them on your desk, Mommy – in a cup of water in case they get thirsty,” my preschooler instructs me. I don’t have the heart to tell my daughters that (more…)

In 1988 the Alberta government granted to Daishowa Canada (a predecessor to Daishowa-Marubeni) logging rights to a massive tract of land east of Peace River in exchange for building a $650-million pulp mill. However, the tract included a 4,000-square-mile area claimed by the Lubicon, who were in the midst of a 50-year-old land claims dispute with Ottawa and the province.

It came as no surprise last June when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration decided to embrace Internet mail standards as a means to improve communications between nine centers across the country. After all, thanks to a crazy constellation of proprietary E-mail packages, it was not uncommon for NASA messages to vanish into a black hole as employees tried to beam them from one center to another.

What was notable, however, were the mail brands NASA certified to fit its new Internet messaging model. One came squarely from the Internet (more…)