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Entry bubble Sunscreen: The secret to not looking like a lobster

By: Jess | April 30, 2009 | Category: Health

Sunscreen and sunglasses

In two days I will be leaving to go to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for vacation. I'm hoping I have nice weather so I can spend my days lounging in a beach chair with a good book soaking up the sun.

But because I'm ghastly pale and would rather not come off the beach charred and looking like a lobster, I plan to lather on the SPF. In my younger and perhaps dumber days, I would slather on some SPF4 once in the morning, bask in the sun all day (never re-applying of course because I was trying to get that sun-kissed tanned look) and as a result, spend many an uncomfortable night trying to ease the burn with globs of aloe.

Well, not this year. I'm making a pact with myself to not burn.

To prepare, I read the CDC's guidelines on buying, applying and re-applying sunscreen. I'll be chucking all my expired sunscreens and buying new ones with higher SPFs. My plan of attack is slather on a lotion in the morning with SPF 30 or higher and then tossing one of the sprays in my beach bag for during the day.

Because sunburn isn't the only safety issue I'm concerned about with a beach vacation, I read up on some other beach safety tips.

Do you have any beach safety tips to share with me before I hit the road?

| Post a Comment | View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: beach   beach_safety   jess   safety   skin   sunburn   sunscreen   tanning   vacation  

 

Entry bubble Recovery.gov Wants your Input

By: Colleen | April 29, 2009 | Category: Money

recovery.govSo, you know the government is trying to help the economy with a stimulus plan. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act lays out a plan to address the crisis through unemployment and welfare expansions, tax cuts, and investments in infrastructure, health care, education and energy.

But what does all that mean for you, your family, and your business?

Enter Recovery.gov—the website dedicated to explaining the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act step by step so you can easily find out how to use its benefits and programs to your advantage.

And now, Recovery.gov wants to know how else it can be of assistance to you. This week, Recovery.gov is hosting a nationwide live discussion to get your input on the site. To get things started, Recovery.gov is asking, "What ideas, tools, and approaches can make Recovery.gov a place where all citizens can transparently monitor the expenditure and use of recovery funds?"

Now is the time to add your two cents. Check out this video for additional information.

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: american_recovery_and_reinvestment_act   colleen   economy   recovery.gov   stimulus  

 

Entry bubble Swine Flu

By: Joanne | April 28, 2009 | Category: Health

Just when I thought that cold and flu season was over, here it is, swine flu. I’m sure that by now you’ve heard news reports of the outbreak of swine flu, first in Mexico, now there are reported cases in the United States and in other countries as well.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the swine flu  is a respiratory disease that is commonly found in pigs. Sometimes humans pick it up, and sometimes it can be transferred from person to person.

What should you do?

In the immortal words of Douglas Adams, don’t panic.

Stay informed. Know if there has been a swine flu outbreak where you live or where you’re planning to travel. The CDC is investigating and tracking the reported cases of swine flu. Also listen to reports and guidance from your state and local health agencies.

Wash your hands! I sound more and more like my mother, but she’s right, keeping your hands clean is an important step to reducing the spread of disease. Follow regular disease prevention steps like covering your coughs and sneezes, staying home when you’re sick, and practicing good health habits.

If you live in an area with an outbreak and you get sick with fever and respiratory symptoms, such as cough and runny nose, and possibly other symptoms, such as body aches, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, the CDC recommends you contact your health care provider.

| View Comments [9] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: epidemic   flu   influenza   joanne   pandemic   swine  

 

Entry bubble Cash for Clunkers?

By: Jake | April 27, 2009 | Category: Money

CarIt was a year ago this week that my car wouldn't start. My reliable car had become an unreliable clunker about a year before this and it finally decided to die. As a clunker it wasn't valuable for a trade in, so I waited for its final trip, called a charity company to haul it away and bought a new one.

If you want to get rid of a clunker, especially one that's a gas guzzler, the Accelerated Retirement of Inefficient Vehicles Act (ARIVA), known as the "Cash for Clunkers" bill, may provide you with another solution. It needs to be passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by the President first, but it would allow you to trade in your older, less fuel efficient car, truck or SUV for a cash voucher that you can use to buy a more energy efficient car. You could also redeem that voucher for transit fares with participating local public transportation agencies.

The last major action on the bill was in January when it was referred to the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, but there was some news about it last week.

What do you think of the "Cash for Clunkers" bill?

| View Comments [11] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: alternative_fuel   cash_for_clunkers   fuel_efficient   jake   new_car   trade_in  

 

Entry bubble Beautiful, Beneficial Trees

By: Ginger | April 24, 2009 | Category: General

Note: Gov Gab will be down for maintenance over the weekend. We will be back up Monday morning.

Majestic trees in a forestI used to have a friend who routinely griped about trees. She said they created a mess in her yard with the leaves. She had roots growing into her pipes that cost her money in plumbing. Over time, she removed most of the trees near her home. While I understand her argument, I just think cutting down a beautiful, healthy, majestic tree is not the answer. Living in Texas, I can’t imagine not having many trees strategically placed around my home to help reduce cooling costs by cooling our home naturally. They produce oxygen and serve as a home for many animals.

When my husband and I were looking for a house, we bypassed new homes because we couldn’t stand that there were no mature trees. The new houses to me just didn’t look as appealing as homes that had lovely adult trees. I find it disheartening that so many trees are destroyed to clear space to build homes. In fact, I am going to go out on a limb (sorry for the pun, but I think you will agree it was necessary) and say that I think real estate developers should be required, by law, to replace every tree they cut down for building purposes.

Earlier this week on Wednesday, Colleen shared a blog about Earth Day and Going Green. In keeping with the theme of doing good things for our planet and going green, this blog is dedicated to trees. The last Friday in the month of April is designated as National Arbor Day. According to the History of Arbor Day, the idea of Arbor Day came from J. Sterling Morton and was first adopted in Nebraska. At the time, trees were scarce on the Plains. They needed trees to act as windbreaks to keep soil in place. They served as fuel and building materials.

We now know that trees help remove CO2 from the air and help offset global warming. To see how trees help fight global warming and the effects of global warming on our trees, here are a couple of helpful resources:

It is important to keep the trees that we have healthy. Here are some resources that will help you to do that:

Throughout the country many schools encourage and educate children about the benefits of planting trees. Many state school districts Celebrate Arbor Day and Forestry with Youth. To see what your state or city is doing for Arbor Day, go to USA.gov and search on Arbor Day and the name of your state. Here is a sampling of some state activities celebrating Arbor Day:

| View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: ginger   global_warming   national_arbor_day   trees  

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