“Relaxnews” - New 'environmentally friendly' search engine donates profits to charity

Relaxnews

Friday, 4 March 2011

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/new-environmentally-friendly-search-engine-donates-profits-to-charity-2232007.html

Nonprofit organization Carbonfund.org announced on March 2 the launch of www.envirosearch.org, a new 'environmentally friendly' search engine.

Launched by Carbonfund.org, which supports third-party renewable energy and reforestation projects around the world, the free online search engine is powered by Bing and hosts sponsored advertisements through Yahoo!.

The revenue generated by these advertisements is then donated by Carbonfund.org to environmental projects around the world, including the Haiti Reforestation Initiative, and the India Mangrove Project.

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“Victoria Summerley” - Dark side of the bloom: how spring turned black

A new fashion for flowers is striking a bold posy in garden centres

By Victoria Summerley

Saturday, 5 March 2011

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/dark-side-of-the-bloom-how-spring-turned-black-2232959.html

Viola Bowles Black and Petunia Black Velvet. Commercial breeders will cross different varieties of plants to increase the level of pigments

It sounds like a thriller, or perhaps a novel by Alexandre Dumas pere. In fact, the black petunia is this year's bedding plant sensation, going on sale nationwide in garden centres and plant catalogues this week.

Petunia Black Velvet, to use its official name, is the latest in a series of black-flowered or dark-leaved plants to come on to the market.

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“Dr. Mercola” - 7 Foods for Better Sex

Posted By Dr. Mercola | March 04 2011

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/04/7-foods-for-better-sex.aspx

Health.com lists some of the food ingredients that are not only historically considered to be aphrodisiacs, but have modern-day science backing up their claims:

1. Avocados

Avocados are rich in heart-healthy fats, and anything that keeps your heart beating strong helps keep blood flowing to the right places.

1. Almonds

Almonds are nutrient-dense and rich in trace minerals that are important for sexual health and reproduction, such as zinc, selenium, and vitamin E.

1. Strawberries

Strawberries are an excellent source of folic acid, a B vitamin that helps ward off birth defects and may also be tied to higher sperm counts.

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“Dr. Mercola” - What is the Most Dangerous Food Additive?

Posted By Dr. Mercola | March 04 2011

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/04/new-diet-sodas-can-cause-strokes.aspx

A new study concludes that there could be negative consequences associated with artificial sugar substitutes -- including a much higher risk of strokes.

The study is somewhat controversial; some critics have argued that since the participants voluntarily reported how much diet soda they consumed, the results do not come from a rigorously controlled setting.

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“Abby Phillips” - At Miami school, Barack Obama praises Jeb Bush

By ABBY PHILLIP | 3/4/11 6:11 PM EST

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/50695.html

MIAMI – Seeking support for increasing the country’s investment in education, President Barack Obama appeared at a high school here on Friday with an unlikely ally he described as a “champion of education reform” - Jeb Bush, the former Republican governor of Florida.

Obama chose Central Miami Senior High School at Bush’s suggestion for a rare moment of bipartisan collaboration on an education agenda that, at least in general terms, the two can agree on.

 “I decided to come here to Miami Central to kick off education month, because you’re doing what I challenged states to do shortly after I took office and that is turning America’s lowest performing schools around,” Obama said.

Obama said Bush “is someone who championed reform when he was in office, someone who is now championing reform as a private citizen.” And he called for a bipartisan effort to end to the “status quo” in education, using the example that he and Bush set in their appearance together.

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“Sahil Kapur” - Exclusive: Ohio anti-union bill may curtail benefits for unmarried live-in couples

By Sahil Kapur

Friday, March 4th, 2011 -- 12:52 pm

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/04/ohio-anti-union-bill-may-curtail-benefits-for-unmarried-live-in-couples/

Buried in a newly-passed Ohio bill stripping the collective bargaining rights of public employee unions is language that could curtail benefits for unmarried domestic couples who work for the state, regardless of sexual orientation.

The provision appears just below language forcefully restating the same-sex marriage ban in the state, an apparent legal formality for legislation amending existing Ohio code.

Section 3101.01 of the GOP-led bill states that a "marriage may only be entered into by one man and one woman... Any marriage between persons of the same sex is against the strong public policy of this state."

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“Sahil Kapur” - Orrin Hatch: Health law ‘a lot worse’ than ‘an awful piece of crap’

By Sahil Kapur

Friday, March 4th, 2011 -- 10:18 am

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/04/orrin-hatch-health-law-a-lot-worse-than-an-awful-piece-of-crap/

After Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) made profane remarks criticizing the health care overhaul last Friday, he apologized for it. But now, he says the law is even "worse" than he described.

In widely-reported remarks at Utah State University, Hatch called the Affordable Care Act a "one-size-fits-all federal government dumb-ass program" and "an awful piece of crap." He later apologized for his choice of words.

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“Sean Alfano” - Unemployment rate dips to 8.9%, the lowest in nearly two years, 192,000 jobs created last month

BY Sean Alfano

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/03/04/2011-03-04_unemployment_rate_dips_to_89_the_lowest_in_nearly_two_years_192000_jobs_created_.html

In order to make a real dent in the unemployment rate, economists estimate that at least 300,000 jobs need to be created each month.

The U.S. unemployment rate dipped to 8.9% in March, the lowest mark in nearly two years, according to the latest report from the Labor Department on Friday.

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"David Swanson" - Will Sweden Kill Assange?

OpEdNews

Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Will-Sweden-Kill-Assange-by-David-Swanson-110302-681.html

March 2, 2011 By David Swanson Sweden banned censorship and guaranteed free speech in 1766, 10 years before the Declaration of Independence in the American British colonies, and -- apart from shameful episodes of caving in to dictatorships and Nazis -- has pretty well kept it in place. Sweden banned the death penalty and has not used it since 1910. Now, Sweden has an opportunity to punish the speech of a Nobel Peace Prize nominee with the death penalty by extraditing Julian Assange to the United States to be put on trial.

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"Ethan A. Huff" - MSNBC poll: Nearly everyone supports mandatory GMO labeling

by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

http://www.naturalnews.com/031569_GMO_GMOs_food.html

(NaturalNews) A recent MSNBC Health poll that asked the question, "Do you believe genetically modified foods should be labeled?" concluded with overwhelming public support for transparency in food labeling. Nearly 90 percent of respondents, representing more than 9,000 votes, answered "Yes. It's an ethical issue -- consumers should be informed so they can make a choice."

"It's outrageous that [GMOs] are not currently required to be labeled," expressed one voter in the MSNBC poll. "A free market depends on open information from which to base decisions."

"If the FDA is so confident in GE products, then they should proudly advertise it and let 'We The People' decide whether we'll buy it," said another poll voter.

In virtually every GMO poll conducted, respondents have expressed aggressive opposition. An ABC poll on the subject found that 93 percent of respondents supported mandatory GMO labeling, while more than half said they believe GMOs are patently unsafe. And another poll recently conducted by CBS and The New York Times revealed 87 percent support for GMO labeling requirements.

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