Toxins in "Everyday" Products

Did you know that the harmful components in many household and personal care helpers can cause dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, and eye, skin, and respiratory tract infections?

No one likes a cheater, especially those who take advantage of a program that is designed to help people. The Food Stamp Program is just such a program.

EPA's new Greenhouse Gas Calculator helps you turn greenhouse gas savings into more easily understood everyday terms.

A work permit or Youth Employment Certificate (YEC) is required for all youth employed under 18 years of age.

Easy changes you can make to help lower your utility bills.

There are a number of pests that find their way into items stored on our kitchen or pantry shelves, and it is often difficult, if not impossible, to tell when the item becomes infested.

If you are wondering who is on your election ballot? Here's how to find out.

Asheville Humane Society will have you singing When Irish Eyes are Smiling during its St. Catrick’s Day celebration.

This week we are featuring some Asheville Humane Society animals that need a loving home.

Congratulations to Jackie Drake of Enka for her Easy Butter Mints recipe!

What do broccoli, brown rice, and baked beans have in common? They're good sources of blood-pressure-friendly protein.

Because not just any kind of protein will do when you're trying to keep blood pressure under control. A diet high in vegetable protein -- not animal protein -- is key.

Amino Acids: The Answer?

Researchers aren't sure why veggie protein lowers blood pressure, but they suspect that the amino acids in veggies may simply be kinder, somehow, to blood pressure than the amino acids in animal protein. (Check out the top 10 most nutritious vegetables.) And the magnesium and other good-for-you nutrients found in veggies may enhance the blood-pressure-friendly effects by interacting synergistically with the amino acids. (Find more food sources of magnesium with this online tool.)

Source: www.realage.com

The 15th Annual Organic Growers School is taking place Saturday, March 8 at Blue Ridge Community College near Flat Rock. The event provides practical region-appropriate organic growing and permaculture workshops, as well as a seed exchange and trade show.

This year’s school offers 70 different class sessions plus several half-day hands-on workshops.

Cost:

• $40 if you pre-register by Feb. 28
• $55 after February

You can download the class schedule and register on line at www.organicgrowersschool.org.

The Buncombe Soil Water Conservation District will hold its annual tree seedling sale beginning February 28 at the Jesse Israel and Sons Nursery at the North Carolina Farmers’ Market. Sale hours are:

• February 28, 1 - 4:30pm
• February 29 & March 1, 9am - 4:30pm

Seedlings will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Advance orders will not be taken this year. Eastern White Pine seedlings are 25¢ each and the hardwood species are 75¢ each.

For more information, call the Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District at 250-4785.

• Clean a glass coffee pot - Fill it with a quarter cup of table salt and a dozen ice cubes. Swish the mixture around, let it sit for half an hour. Fill it with cold water and rinse.
• Clean tarnished copper - Fill a 16-ounce spray bottle with hot white vinegar and 3 tablespoons of salt. Spray it into the copper, let sit briefly, then rub clean. (Don’t use on lacquered copper.)
• Clean artificial flowers - Put them in a bag of salt and shake the bag.
• Pick up a dropped egg - If an egg breaks on the kitchen floor, sprinkle it with salt. Leave it for 20 minutes, then wipe it up.

For more tips, call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522.

Watch out for an email attack circulating that is related to the recent lunar eclipse. The email contains a message indicating that there is a video of the lunar eclipse available and instructs users to follow a link to download the video.

If a user clicks on this link, an executable file will be downloaded that contains a Trojan program. This Trojan program may allow an attacker to take control of an affected system.

Source: www.us-cert.gov