Basket-Weaving 101

Henrietta makes a top panel

The three “R’s” of ecology (Recycle – Reduce – Reuse) all get together in this home project that I found in today’s news featured in The Star online (Malaysia). The article has you take the classifieds (or any newspaper section!), fold, weave and “sew” the sides with string, and what do you have? A basket just the right size to for you to put in – what else?- your newspaper!
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An apple a day

Crab apple
There’s little on the web about Quercegen Pharma, based in Newton, MA, however yesterday, Appalachian State University (Boone, NC) announced reception of a $1.027 million grant by Quercegen Pharma to continue their research of the health benefits of quercetin. If you are in the Boone, NC area: to participate in the study, e-mail asuresearch@appstate.edu

This is the largest one-year research grant awarded to the university and will involve the largest number of test subjects—1,000 participants over the next year.

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Tonal language

Are you tonedeaf? Does it matter? [Well, it does to these people.] Music therapy is beneficial to health, if you are an active (musical) or passive (nonmusical) participant, according to a Los Angeles Times article today. It goes on to say not all studies on music therapy are clear, but brain studies show that the “ancient” part of the human brain that governs basic drives such as hunger, thirst and sex also ‘lights up’ to music.
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