Best & Worst Cities for Air Quality

"Annual 'State of the Air' notes 186 million breathe unhealthy air at times" The American Lung Association "ranked the pollution levels of U.S. cities and counties based on air quality measurements that state and local agencies reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency between 2005 and 2007." The report also found that air in almost every major city reaches unhealthy levels at some point, leaving 60% of American's breathing polluted air.

The top 15 cleanest U.S. cities for particle pollution:

1 Cheyenne, Wyo.
2 Santa Fe-Espanola, N.M.
3 Honolulu, Hawaii
4 Great Falls, Mont.
4 Farmington, N.M.
6 Anchorage, Alaska
6 Tucson, Ariz.
8 Bismarck, N.D.
9 Flagstaff, Ariz.
9 Salinas, Calif.
11 Redding, Calif.
12 Fort Collins-Loveland, Colo.
13 Duluth, Minn.-Wis.
14 Colorado Springs, Colo.
14 Pueblo, Colo.

The top 15 U.S. cities most polluted by particle pollution:

1 Bakersfield, Calif.
2 Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa.
3 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.
4 Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
5 Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, Ala.
6 Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.
7 Fresno-Madera, Calif.
8 Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, Ohio-Ky.-Ind.
9 Detroit-Warren-Flint, Mich.
10 Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, Ohio
11 Charleston, W.Va.
11 Huntington-Ashland, W.Va.-Ky.-Ohio
11 Louisville-Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, Ky.-Ind.
14 Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley, Ga.
14 St.Louis-St.Charles-Farmington, Mo.-Ill.

Verizon to Sell an iPhone Sibling

Finally, an iPhone “lite” and an iPhone “media pad” may be offered to Verizon Wireless.

"A smaller, thinner iPhone “lite” and a “media pad” that could be used to make calls over Wi-Fi connection are in the works, according to a source who has seen the devices’ prototypes, BusinessWeek reported."

The media pad would be similar to the iPod touch, while the iPhone "lite" would be similar to AT&T's current iPhone

Plans are to make these products available as early as this summer.

Avoid Raw Alfalfa Sprouts

Not only do we have to be cautious about the Swine Flu, which doubled its outbreak overnight from 20 infected persons in the US to 40, but we must avoid eating raw alfalfa sprouts.

"Officials have received 31 reports of illness associated with eating raw alfalfa sprouts in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia." They are contaminated with a strain of salmonella

The contaminated sprouts were grown in several different states, which is leading people to believe there is a problem with the alfalfa seeds used to grow the sprouts.

Swine Flu

The swine flu has surfaced in places from the United States and as far as New Zealand. Cases in the US have sprung up in California, Kansas, Texas, Ohio, and New York. Those ill have been between the ages of 7 and 54.

Mexico has been the country with the most cases, including 86 deaths. "There, the disease has killed up to 86 people and likely sickened nearly 1,400 since April 13." The US has had 20 sicknesses and all patients have recovered with only one hospitalization. Around the world there have been cases reported, including: 13 cases in New Zealand, 6 in Canada, 7 in Spain, 1 in France, and 1 in Israel. It is believed that those who have traveled to Mexico recently have brought the flu back to their homelands.

The White House had announced that “It’s not a time to panic."

To learn more about the swine flu, click here for some more facts.

Earth Day 2009

What exactly is Earth Day anyways?

According to Wikipedia, it is "a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment." Tomorrow, April 22, marks the 39th Anniversary of this global holiday will also mark the the beginning of The Green Generation. The core principles of The Green Generation, include:

• renewable energy that will end our dependency on fossil fuels like coal
  

• responsible, sustainable consumption
  

• creating millions of "green jobs" to power our new green economy
  

Want to take a part in Earth Day?

• If you don't already, remember to recycle your paper, bottles, and cans.
  

• Clean up your yard!
  

• Call the Capitol switchboard at: 202 224 3121 and tell your member of Congress to support the Markey Climate Bill
  

"Earth Day Network believes the Markey-Waxman climate bill is a reasonable measure that moves the US toward a green energy future and new economy based on renewable energy that will go along way toward pollution reduction requirements for climate change."

Travel to Cuba

Last week, Obama announced he will allow Cuban Americans to visit their families in Cuba without limitations.

"House and Senate lawmakers have proposed lifting restrictions that prevent US citizens from traveling to Cuba for tourism." Cuba's doors have been shut to the US for more than 50 years. Currently, the easiest way for Americans to travel to Cuba is through Canada.

Once a hot destination for American tourists, has become a mystery to most. Having these limitations and restrictions lifted could mean an influx of capital for the Cuban economy. Some Cubans are weary of this change and hope that their homeland isn't transformed into a touristy destination, with Starbucks and McDonald's on every corner.

Mind-Altering Trips

Take a trip, without breaking the law...

Bolivia: Coca leaves, legal in some countries of South America before actually being processed into cocaine or crack cocaine. When held against the side of the cheek (similar to chewing tobacco), gives a mild high, mouth-numbing, and sense of well-being. Used frequently to alleviate altitude sickness.

Fiji: Traditional kava, a root ground into a powder, is strained through a sock and creates a waxy, pinkish-gray tea. It's potent effects create lucid dreams; its liquid numbs and coats the inside of your mouth and throat.

Mexico: Temezcal, or "sweat lodges", is an ancient Mesoamerican ritual where participants lie on the ground of an adobe hut around a fire. Here, a shaman creates a steam with medicinal herbs like aloe, sage, and chamomile. Expect complete bliss from a one-to-three hour ritual, where the temperature can range from 90-120 degrees Farenheit.

Amsterdam: Marijuana, legal to purchase and smoke/ingest in Amsterdam's coffee shops.

British Virgin Islands: Magic Mushrooms, hallucinations and laughter seem to happen after these unpleasant tasting mushrooms are eaten. Body highs, introspection, intense emotions, and a distortion of time come with the bad taste.


India: Bhang, marijuana buds and leaves are ground into a green paste and cooked with clarified butter, spices, and milk and then added to traditional drinks or pastries.

Paris: Absinthe, banned in France for nearly 100 years until 2001, adds a higher buzz than other alcohol.

Vietman: Cobra wine, a glass of super-potent rice moonshine, served with the still beating heart of a cobra (yes, a poisonous snake.)

Mexico: Peyote, a very intense psychotropic, can involve 15-hour hallucinations and some vomiting. Many say its like "an encounter with God and can bring you to a place of total harmony with yourself and the world around you."

Brazil: Ayahuasca, tea brewed from the vine of the ayahuasca plant and the leaves of the chacruna (a shrub from the coffee family), is known to cure emotional ailments. The tea contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT) will give you emotional highs similar to Ecstasy, lasting from 2 to 5 hours.

**I am in no way promoting drug usage of any sort. I am writing about these drugs based solely on research...wikipedia & MSNBC of course :)
NOTE: DO NOT TRY THESE AT HOME, THEY ARE NOT LEGAL IN THE UNITED STATES!!!

Interesting Things to Know

Some of this information is useless, but you may be able to use it to win Jeopardy one day...

• Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of cotton.

• The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper.

• The dot over the letter 'i' is called a 'tittle'.

• 315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.

• On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents, daily.

• Chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system; a few ounces will kill a small sized dog.

• Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.

• Most lipstick contains fish scales.

• Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

• Ketchup was sold in the 1830's as medicine.

• Upper and lower case letters are named 'upper' and 'lower' because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller, 'lower case' letters.

• Leonardo Da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.

• Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

• There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.

• There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and silver.

• Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.

• A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself to death.

• The mask used by Michael Myers in the original 'Halloween' was a Captain Kirk's mask painted white.

• If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.

• By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand.

• The phrase 'rule of thumb' is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

• Celery has negative calories... It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. It's the same with apples.

• Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.

• The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

Movement 2009: Detroit Electronic Music Festival

Detroit Electronic Music Festival, better known as DEMF, has been held in Detroit's Hart Plaza every Memorial Day Weekend since 2000. Musicians and DJs from around the world have performed at DEMF, "emphasizing the progressive qualities of the culture surrounding electronic music."





DEMF is financially supported by the City of Detroit, celebrating the birthplace of techno music.

This year's lineup includes many well-known DJs and musicians, including: Afrika Bambaataa, Benny Benassi, Carl Cox, and RJD2. Kevin Saunderson & Derrick May, the founders of techno music, also perform.

Weekend passes for May 23rd, 24th, and 25th are available for purchase at a discounted presale price of $40. To purchase your passes, click here

2-Seater Segway

Today, General Motors announced they would be teaming with Segway to develop a 200-mpg, 2-seat, 2-wheel scooter.

This project is known as: Project PUMA, for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility. Both companies hope to have cities or college campuses to set up "Puma travel lanes", similar to bicycle lanes.

The Pumas will be operated manually and not intended to be used on the highway. They would travel about 35 miles per hour and go up to 35 miles on a charge. Although there is a prototype and plans, "It's not going on sale anytime" soon says Chris Borroni-Bird, director of the project for GM.

EU Allowing In-Flight Cell Phone Usage

European Union officials say that the number of of aircrafts that allow passengers to use their cell phones while in the air will double by next year

Last year the EU allowed the "safe use" of cell phones during flights. Currently there are 27 aircrafts from British Airways, Ryanair, and Portugals' TAP offer a pay-for-service to use phones while in the skies.

The United States still bans the usage of cell phones while in flight.

We already have to put up with listening to crying babies, can you imagine sitting next to someone gabbing away on their cell phone?

Unemployment Reaches Record High

With IBM's 5,000 layoffs today (about 4% of its workforce) jobless claims are rising.

"For the 10th week in a row, the number of people receiving jobless benefits grew. It now stands at nearly 5.6 million, the government said — an indication that the labor market is still grim."

President Obama believes that it will take until the end of 2009 until intense hiring resumes.

"As a proportion of the work force, the number of people receiving benefits is at its highest level since May 1983, when the economy was recovering from a deep recession. The total of nearly 5.6 million is almost double what it was a year ago."

In this time of desperate need, just remember: "Unemployment is capitalism's way of getting you to plant a garden". - Orson Scott Card

Earth Hour

More than 2,000 cities around the world will turn their lights off for 60 minutes at 8 P.M. on March 29 to draw attention to climate change and global warming.

Hundreds of popular tourist landmarks and buildings around the world are participating in this event, some of them include...

• Paris: Eiffel Tower and the Cathedral of Notre Dame

• New York City: Broadway theaters, Rockefeller Center, the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building and the United Nations Headquarters.

• Boston: the signature CITGO sign in Kenmore Square, the lights at the Prudential Center and the John Hancock Tower

• Los Angeles: the Capitol Records Tower, the Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel, the "LAX" sign, the Getty Museum and the Griffith Park Observatory.

• London: City Hall and the London Eye

• Toronto: the signature Fairmont Royal York will illuminate its indoor pool area with more than 100 floating candles
  

• Great Pyramids of Giza, the Acropolis in Athens, Niagara Falls, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Chicago’s Sears Tower.

• Las Vegas, visible from space due to its lights, may be the most melodramatic of places to go dark. Casinos’ interior lights and slot machines will remain on, but the bright lights that light up all the casinos and buildings on the Strip will go dark for the hour. Even the famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, which has never been turned off, will be in darkness.
  

Take part in this effort and "black-out" at 8 P.M. on Saturday March 29.

Live 2 Give

The Live to Give Foundation is a non-profit charity that helps families during a time of need in a personal way. Live to Give is in competition with 7 other charities to receive a $10,000 grant from MiPro Consulting. This charity is most deserving of this money because its for a great cause, started by college students, and in competition with huge, national charities.

It takes just seconds to vote! Enter your information, scroll down & click the option next to "Live to Give" and then click submit.

Click here to vote for Live to Give and help them receive a $10,000 grant!

MiPro is looking to tally the votes on April 6th and announcing the winners April 13th.
Vote Now!

Click here to visit Live to Give's Website

Freshman in the Kitchen

Are you a college student who needs help cooking and is pressed for cash?

Freshman in the Kitchen, From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef, is a cookbook designed to help college students learn how to make meals for themselves. The cookbook starts off with easy recipes to get you used to cooking on your own. Towards the end of the book, recipes get progressively more intricate and voilà- you're a chef! Besides becoming a seasoned chef, you're going to be pleased at how much money you can save by making your own food and eating out less.

Featured on the Today Show April 17th, make sure to tune in (or at least DVR it.)

Click here to order your book now~!

Tweet Tweet

Is Facebook's new design boring you? Need to spice up your social networking? Check out twitter- a "free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time." At first I didn't understand what all the hype was about. Then I became addicted. You are even able to stay connected with your favorite celebs, I "follow" Justin Timberlake, Perez Hilton, and Chelsea Handler to name a few.

March Madness

Completely confused as to whats happening in College Basketball? My roommate came to me today with questions about March Madness, brackets, seeds, upsets, and overall what it all means.

Impress your boyfriend...

• March Madness: a popular term for season-ending basketball tournaments played in March, especially those conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and various state high school associations

• "The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single elimination tournament held every spring featuring 65 college basketball teams in the United States."

• bracket: the diagrammatic representation of the series of games played during a tournament usually leading to a single winner, are so named for their resemblance to square or curly brackets

• seed: ranking of a team, usually in a tournament (ex: in the Midwest, Louisville is a #1 seed, meaning that they are ranked first in their bracket for the tournament and played the #16 seed, which is Morehead State)
  

• upset: when a higher-seeded (better) team loses to a lower-seeded (inferior) one

Here are the important dates for the 2009 tournament:

Selection Sunday: March 15, 2009
Opening Round Game: March 17, 2009
First Round: March 19-20, 2009
Second Round: March 21-22, 2009
Third Round: March 26-27, 2009
Fourth Round: March 28-29, 2009
Final Four: April 4 & 6, 2009 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.

Click here for the most up to date bracket

GO MICHIGAN STATE!

What is Eaten in One Week Around The World

Germany: The Melander Family of Bargteheide

Food Expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07

United States: The Revis Family of North Carolina
Food Expenditure for one week: $341.98

Italy: The Manzo Family of Sicily
Food Expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11

Mexico: The Casales Family of Cuernavaca
Food Expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09

Poland: The Sobczynscy of Konstancin-Jeziorna
Food Expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27

Egypt: The Ahmed Family of Cairo
Food Expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53

Ecuador: The Ayme Family of Tingo
Food Expenditure for one week: $31.55



Bhutan: The Namgay Family of Shingkhey Village
Food Expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03



Chad: The Aboubakar Family of Breidjing Camp
Food Expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

New 4-Gig iPod Shuffle

A newer, better, smaller, and cheaper shuffle is set to hit stores this Thursday. The third-generation Shuffle, an aluminum rectangle less than 2 inches long, is half the size of the second-generation Shuffle. Its appearance is smaller, but it doubles in music storage space at 4 gigabytes (1,000 songs.) Apple had to remove most of the buttons from the body and build them into the headphone cord to make up for its small size.

It also has a new feature called VoiceOver, which at the push of a button, can speak the song and artist name that the owner has loaded onto the device. "Here's how it works: As you synchronize a new Shuffle using an updated version of iTunes, your PC or Mac looks at each track and playlist and creates a small file of a computerized voice speaking the title, artist or playlist name. If a song is in Spanish or Chinese, say, the software figures this out and speaks in the appropriate language. Apple says the device can handle 14 languages."

It comes in silver or black aluminum with a shiny stainless steel clip and is retailing for only $79.

iPhone free from AT&T?

Public interest groups, such as, the New America Foundation, the Consumers Union, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, along with with software provide Mozilla, MetroPCS and Leap Wireless International, are wanting to end the partnership between Apple and AT&T. These groups are taking their case to the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Copyright Office, and congressional leaders.

"The argument is that these and other "exclusivity" pairings are anti competitive and limit consumer choice." The Rural Cellular Association (RCA), which represents smaller carriers, is lobbying Congress to get involved and awaits a bill that bans exclusive carrier deals to be proposed in the near future.

Finally! Now I can get an iPhone to complete my iLife...