What is poverty?

Many of us always ask why and what is poverty. When we say poverty, it is dealing of the condition of being poor. Being poor means a person is lacking of money or property or he is needy, penniless with little or no money or property. If you own nothing at all or having not enough necessities in your life then you will be consider poor or in the stage of poverty and it is the main problem of the whole world.

What causes Poverty?

Well first of all if you mismanage the money then it will be simply gonna be gone in months, days or seconds. If you abuse of oneself  like drugs, gambling, smoking, women, revelers or wild parties then you will be poor sooner or later if you cannot handle it.

Another thing is lack of knowledge. You need to have enough knowledge of all the things around you and what are the consequences in every thing that you made and you need to have a solution in every problem you take.

The worst one is laziness. If you practice this then don’t expect for any money that will come into your life. You need to think that if you will not work then you cannot eat and provide something for yourself and your family so bare in your mind that being lazy is one of the main reasons why poverty exist. If just people are hard worker except for people who are disable then you will not experience poverty.

If it’s time to put down new floor coverings in your home, take the time to do your homework before you go blindly replacing what you have with more of the same. Options in today’s flooring market include carpeting, vinyl, ceramic tile, hardwood and laminate.

Carpeting is nice to walk on, it gives your home a warm and friendly feeling, and looks good, at least in the beginning. However, it requires frequent cleanings which can be rather costly. Repeated cleanings may also eventually take the stiffness out of carpeting as well as the vibrant look that it initially had. Carpet may become rather downtrodden in certain high-traffic areas as well, and is especially prone to staining.

Vinyl can also show traffic pattern wear, and if you drop something sharp on it such as a knife or glass that breaks, an actual cut can occur in the vinyl. Also those that have decorative creases or indentations may look very nice, but it can become a nightmare to keep those little cracks and crevices clean.

The biggest complaints from people who have ceramic tile in their homes seem to be about the difficulty in keeping the grout between the tiles clean and also how uncomfortable they are to stand on for any amount of time, due to the hardness of the ceramic tile itself.

Hardwood floors are quite beautiful but need to be refinished at times, especially if you’re moving into an older home that hasn’t kept the floors up over the years. Refinishing hardwood can be quite a costly home repair  item.

This brings us then to the new laminate floor coverings available on the market today. There are the traditional styles that look like a hardwood floor but there are also ones that look like vinyl or ceramic tile. The laminate floor coverings are very durable. They are so resistant to scratches, in fact, that you can actually move your furniture across them without leaving a mark on the laminate.

Simple dusting or sweeping with a vacuum will take care of your day to day cleaning and occasional damp mopping will clean up everything else. Laminate won’t stain which is especially important if you have pets or small children. Spills can be cleaned up with a damp cloth and you’ll never know they even happened. Many of the newer laminate floor coverings are waterproof and can be used in kitchen and baths without worry.

Installation can be done professionally, but many do-it-yourselvers are able to install laminate floors themselves thus saving a considerable amount on the cost. Generally, unless it’s carpeting, the old flooring doesn’t even have to be removed. The new laminate can be put right over the top of it, thus eliminating the expense of doing the removal as well as the added expense of disposing of the old flooring. In comparison to the cost of most other types of floor coverings, laminate is very competitive and will probably outlast many of them as well, making it even more cost-effective.

So as you can see, laminate floor coverings have many wonderful attributes going for them. One of the best, however, is how beautiful they look in your home. By adding a few area rugs, you’ll have the warm feel of carpeting but still be able to enjoy freedom from worrying about keeping your floors clean. Bring on the dirty shoes, pets, cooking messes, or kids’ escapades. None of these will bother you if you have laminate flooring since most clean-ups can easily be handled with no lasting effects.

For many of us that enjoy the great outdoors and wildlife, there is an area close to home that we often overlook when studying nature…our own backyards!  Yes, some of the most interesting forms of wildlife, the feathered and furred, can be found right outside your back door.

My own little wildlife haven is nestled in the suburbs, just outside center city Philadelphia.  It is a residential area bordered by busy streets and heavy traffic.  The street outside my door is bursting with traffic at least 16 hours a day.  However, the roar of buses, cars, and trucks, has little or no effect on the many animals that make our home-their home.

Unfortunately, in this day and age, because of over-development and crowding, many animals have learned to adapt and live in close proximity to people.  And for those of us that enjoy sharing our space with these intelligent and sometimes industrious creatures, we can derive much enjoyment from them, if we are careful and observant.

On almost any given morning just before sunrise, my yard plays host to a multitude of varying animals.  Some like the raccoon have been busy all night searching for food, while countless feisty squirrels are just awakening to start their busy day.  When the raccoon is about to retire for the day, the squirrels are starting their day.  The squirrels day is a busy one and their survival depends upon their success.  The chilly days of autumn are becoming shorter now and this triggers the squirrels instinct to find and store food for the long winter months ahead.

Another patient but busy little body is the eastern cottontail rabbit.  Every morning scattered about our lawn is a family of rabbits chewing away on a vast menu of grass and other green goodies.  Like the squirrels, the rabbits have become accustomed to my wife and I, and politely ignore our presence.  I find it fun watching the tiny newborns as they romp and eat alongside their mother.   Its also interesting to see how easily they get along with the more energetic and industrious squirrels.

Not all of our backyard wildlife are frequent visitors.  For example, I like to classify some of these critters as interlopers, or species,” just passing through.”  We don’t always see the raccoon or the opossum as often as  the rabbits and squirrels, but nonetheless, they make their presence known, and we see enough of them to enjoy their antics.

The slow moving opossum with its lack of keen vision saunters about our yard as though it is intoxicated, but this hardly impedes its ability to find food, even under the worst conditions.  The raccoon, that clever little masked bandit, is readily adept at opening trash cans to get whatever morsels it might offer.  One of my daily chores each day is to place the lid back on the trash can and replace the scattered food the raccoon refused to eat from its menu.  He is smart enough to sense that I like him, and on some nights will raid my trash can while I am watching him.  His antics are hilarious and we really enjoy his company.

Then there is the colorful variety of birds that fill our yard with their melodic chirps and beautiful songs.  We have robins, mockingbirds, blue jays, sparrows, juncos, finches and catbirds.   One of my favorite birds is the mourning dove.  Its song is sad and doesn’t seem to fit the beauty of this friendly bird, that returns each year to use the same nest to raise its young.

Sometimes, on occasion,  we have the opportunity to see an owl or hawk interrupt its journey to seek rest in a nearby tree.  They are a large and imposing figure as opposed to the songbirds, who immediately sound the alarm and vacate the area until the raptors move on.

In the winter months we miss our feathered friends when they migrate, but leave plenty of food in our feeders for those too old or weak to make the long journey.  This provides us with an opportunity to share the company of our avian friends all year long.

The natural world is fascinating and has much to offer us if we know where to find and enjoy it.  In this case, there are no travel plans needed, no reservations or expense, you need only step out your back door to discover and share one of nature’s greatest treasures.

All of us, as a rule, are afraid of snakes. But do you know that certain species of snakes are afraid of human beings too? One such species is the garden snakes or gardener snakes. As the name suggests, garden snakes are usually found in the gardens in our homes.

As soon as a garden snake sees a person approaching it, it hides in the grass or shrubs in the garden. Most gardeners cannot spot garden snakes as they are green and remain invisible in the grass. The only way gardeners come to know of their existence is through their skins that they discard periodically.

The reason why garden snakes are green is that most snakes are of the color of their environment. They can be observed only if they make any movement and this happens when they hear any sound such as the footsteps of someone approaching. If you are watchful, you can spot the flash of their movement as they quickly go out your sight once again.

Since garden snakes do not harm you and your pets, it is better that you should allow them live unharmed.

What do garden snakes eat?

Garden snakes, like all other snakes, are carnivorous which means they live on animals. They catch their preys whenever they find the opportunity. Generally they eat whatever comes in their way, worms that eat leaves and stems of small plants. They also eat creatures like snails, slugs, earthworms, leeches and spiders.

Garden snakes eat rodents like mice like all other species of snakes. Garden snakes like to live near the water bodies.

They also feed upon the amphibious and aquatic animals such as toads, frogs, salamanders, fish, and tadpoles. Even though toads have poisonous skins, garden snakes can eat them with immunity. They also eat small mammals, small birds and lizards. Sometimes, they eat eggs and carrion.

Clouds bring us rain, thunder and lightning. How many of us know what clouds are and how they are formed?

Clouds consist of millions of condensed water droplets as well as ice crystals that are suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of earth. The water droplets floating as clouds are made of various shapes and sizes.

Clouds form over other planets well. We often see the pictures of clouds on other planets such as Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

Clouds are formed when air and more so warm air comes in contact with a cool surface. The air absorbs the water vapor and is cooled below its saturation point. When the cool air rises into the atmosphere, the condensed cotton like mass so formed is called cloud. Clouds are also formed by a process called convection which is caused by the warming of surface by insulation.

Sometimes the air blowing over the hotter surface becomes warm and light. When it reaches the watery or colder regions, it absorbs the water content. This is the reason why cloud formation takes place along the cold and warm fronts. Clouds also form on mountains.

Another process of cloud formation is based upon ice memory. When the air reaches those clay areas where the temperature is minus ten degrees Celsius, it forms into clouds around the same clay at minus five degree Celsius.

The colors of the clouds vary from cloud to cloud. Sometimes the color of the clouds helps us to predict weather. According to weather lore, if the clouds are red during day time, they predict bad weather, and if they are red at night, it would be fair weather. The white color of the clouds indicates that they were formed with warm air which contained water vapor. Other colors of the clouds are blue, green and yellow.

Although people may tend to reject these stories in weather lore as unscientific and figment of imagination, it has been proved by lengthy observations that predictions made by folklore on the basis of the color of the clouds prove fairly correct.

A cattail marsh is basically any low lying area that holds water long enough for soft stemmed plant life to take root.  Marshes can form in the backbay of a river, or on the edge of a lake, or in a flooded meadow. Marshes can form and flourish for years, or disappear in a relatively short period of time.  The life of the marsh depends on a variety of environmental factors that impact its existence.

Over time, nature exerts its influence on the marsh and the bottom of the marsh may build up as sediment flows in from upland streams and settles around the stems of plant life.  When plants and animals die, they add to the growing accumulation of sediment.  Eventually, the marsh becomes so shallow from the sediment that the water may dry completely, making it difficult for the cattails and other aquatic life to survive.

When the marsh dries out and cracks in the sun, the plants and dead animals begin to decompose.  The vast amount of seeds that have been buried in the marsh for years, are in turn nourished by the plant and animal matter, and start to grow a rich green carpet in the marsh.  Plants compete for sunlight, space and nutrients and also add to the growing garden of the marsh.

The various sedges and grasses will be the dominant plant life as a result of the new environment.  If for some reason enough water doesn’t form in the marsh, it may then be transformed into a swampy area or a sphagnum bog.  If an adequate mix of rain and upland water returns to the marsh, then cattails and other water plants will once again be the dominant aquatic life.

The fuzzy brown “punk” or “cat-o-nine-tails,” as the cattails are commonly referred to, is the mainstay or icon of the marsh.  These tall, rangy plants, contain more than 250,000 seeds packed tightly within its seedhead.  When caught in a strong wind the seeds will spread and start a new cattail colony wherever the seeds fall and take root.  Like many other plants, the seeds can also be carried when they stick to the fur, feathers, and feet of animals as they traverse the marsh.

Some of the plants you might find in and around a cattail marsh are;  jewelweed, water willows, arrowhead, pickerelweed, wild rice, water celery and duckweed.  Some of these plants that survive cold weather also provide warmth and shelter to animals during the winter months.

Some of the wildlife you may find in and around the cattail marsh are: muskrats, canada geese, mallard ducks, red winged blackbirds, northern harriers, cottontail rabbits, turtles, and the eastern snipe.

Cattail marshes are very common throughout much of the eastern United States.  They can be found from Maine in the north to Florida in the south and west from Ohio to Wisconsin.

Have you ever thought that the US ever had so many days we celebrate? I have written about 38, but going over and over again to learn about history, I’m learning there are many new holidays and days coming to our calendar soon. Here are a few of the calendar days as well as federal days.

a. Thanksgiving                                                              
b. Christmas                                                                      
c. Independence day                                      
d. Memorial day                                                          
e. Labor day                                                             
f. mothers day                                                
g. fathers day                                                       
h. Valentines day                                                     
i. Hanukkah
j. Kwanzaa
k. Uniform holidays bill
l. Veterans day
m. New years day
n. Martin Luther king Jr.
o. Inauguration Day
p. Columbus Day
q. Columbus Day
r. Washington’s Birthday
s. Constitution Day and Citizenship Day
t. Flag Day
u. National Grandparents’ Day
v. Wright Brothers Day
w. Patriot Day
x. Thomas Jefferson’s birthday
y. Peace Officers Memorial Day
z. Parents’ Day

1a. Law Day, U.S.A. (May 1)
2b. Leif Erikson Day                                                                        
3c. Constitution Day and Citizenship Day (September 17)
4d. Child Health Day
5e. Ash Wednesday
6f. Groundhog day
7g. ST. Patrick’s day
8h. April fools day
9i. Good Friday
10j. Easter
11k. Boss’s day
12l. Earth day

The transition forest is the area where two very different forest types overlap.  The snowy needleleaf forests start in northern Canada and work their way down to their southern limits in the United States.  The broadleaf forests of the eastern United States extend as far north as they can and intersect with the needleleaf forests thus the term, “Transition Forest.”

This unique relationship also has an impact on the various animals that inhabit this area.  There is a distinct variety of wildlife, flowers, plants and insects that live there.  For example, only in this transition forest, could snowshoe hares from the north, run alongside eastern cottontail rabbits from the south.  Plant species vary accordingly in some areas and you can find spruce-fir forests among the northern peaks, but below you can also find forests of oak and hickory trees.

The famous sugar maple tree is probably the most dominant tree, occupying more than half of the transition forest.  There are also yellow birch, eastern hemlock, and American beech trees, that cover large portions of the forest.  The transition forest covers a huge area and what you see depends on where you are within the forest.

Some of the common plants available are black cherry, northern red oak, elderberry and mountain laurel.  You can also find trilliums, white baneberry, and Canada mayflower in abundance there.  The combination of of densely populated evergreens and hemlocks provide feeding and nesting sites, as well as shelter for many animals of the forest.

The wildlife inhabiting the area can be just as varied as the plant life.  There are deer mice, gray squirrels, northern and southern flying squirrels, gray fox, wood frogs, salamanders, porcupines, grouse and several species of hawks.

Another important part of the transition forest is the forest floor itself.  The forest floor here remains moist, due to the shade and fallen leaves of the larger trees.  This is important and beneficial to species like the lungless salamanders, (which must keep their skin moist in order to breathe) and other reptiles and rodents.  Fallen trees and hollow logs make favorable homes for cavity dwelling animals and birds.

If you’re like me, and love to hike and explore, you may want to plan a visit to this beautiful, vast, area.  There is certainly a treasure trove of places and sights to see that you will never forget.   You may want to plan your trip in the autumn of the year…the view is breathtaking!

Where To Find This Habitat:

Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Wisconsin, N. Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and W. Virginia.

Consignment stores are becoming even more popular with the economy in trouble and the need for environmental change more apparent. These stores are good for consumers and people who want to do their part to help.

For Consumers

Consignment stores have clothes, electronics, baby items, and furniture. You can outfit your whole apartment with quality merchandise by shopping at the local consignment store. It is possible to find name brand items very inexpensively.

Items of Interest for Consumers

Baby Clothes: People who are short of cash because they’ve been laid off still need clothes for their children. Check the consignment shops that are close by. Many times people give brand new baby clothes away because they received too many for their child and the child outgrew them before they were even worn.

School Supplies: Backpacks for school can be found at consignment shops, along with sneakers, lunchboxes, and desk lamps. Check with your local consignment shop the next time you are back to school shopping.

Furniture: You may even find the perfect desk for the lamp to sit on at a consignment shop. It is becoming more popular for people to donate or resell furniture than throw it away. It is a great way to recycle something and know it is being put to good use.

For Contributors

Never throw anything away before checking with your local consignment shop. It may be there is a need for the items that you aren’t aware of. Just think how your old stuff could benefit someone in need, and it’s better than adding more junk to landfills.

Items Consignment Shops Need From You

Furniture: A new family just starting out doesn’t have much money, especially in today’s economy. If you have a crib or bassinet, baby clothes, diaper pail; anything you no longer need, sell it through a consignment shop. The new family will be able to give their baby all it needs at a decent price with your help.

Clothes: Children outgrow clothes quickly. Some parents can’t afford to go to the mall and buy new clothes after every growth spurt. The next time your children outgrow their clothes, put them up for sale at the consignment shop.

Exercise Equipment: People with certain health conditions are encouraged to exercise. Many times these same people are on a fixed income and can’t afford a gym membership or expensive equipment. They might be able to buy something to help at a consignment shop however. If you have exercise equipment that’s just sitting around collecting dust, take it to the consignment shop. Sell it for a reasonable amount so someone who really needs it can benefit.

Electronics: Old radios you no longer use would be greatly appreciated by a family that can’t afford cable or satellite television. It affords them the ability to entertain their family in some fashion. Listening to the radio is something most of us take for granted, but some people find it a luxury. Don’t throw your old radio away; sell it at the consignment shop for a dollar or two.

The same goes for old televisions. If you are upgrading, put the old set at the consignment shop. Price it reasonably and it will sell in no time.

Other electronics that are always needed in consignment shops are: computers, hair dryers, clocks, and phones.

Toys: There is great demand for toys at consignment shops. Every family wants to give their children toys at one time or another. Around the holidays will be the best time to sell toys at the consignment shop. Make sure the toys are in good condition with everything working correctly so the children won’t be disappointed.

You won’t get rich selling things through a consignment shop, but that’s not really the point. Think of it in terms of helping your fellow man, affording a man the ability to give his family what they need, or a mother the comfort of knowing she can find clothes for her children. Remember that you are recycling and doing your part for the planet. Sure you’ll make a few bucks, but the satisfaction you receive from knowing you helped another person, and the environment, are worth so much more.

Asbestos is found in the ground all over the world. It is a naturally occurring, fibrous mineral identifiable only under a microscope. They are light but very dangerous substances. Asbestos affects about 1.3 million employees in construction and general industry today.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer associated with asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma is a protective lining that covers most of the body’s internal organs. When cells found in the mesothelioma become abnormal and divide without control and spread to other parts of the body. These cancerous cells damage tissues and organs of the body.

The cancer affecting the lung cavity is known as pleural mesothelioma.

The cancer affecting the heart cavity is known as pericardial mesothelioma.

The cancer affecting abdominal cavity is known as peritoneal mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is typically difficult to diagnose and treat due to its uncommon nature. People exposed to asbestos to the slightest extent are at the highest risk for developing this cancer.

A person exposed to asbestos will come up with the disease at the age of 55 to 70 years almost 30 to 40 years after his exposure to asbestos. Hence, the people who have worked with asbestos in the, almost 30 to 40 years ago are at the highest risk from being infected with the disease. These people were exposed to the dangerous asbestos and were not provided with adequate protection against them. Because the disease takes decades to develop fully it is not possible to diagnose the disease during the service of the employees. It is only after their retirement that the symptoms prop up.

Not only the person working with asbestos is exposed to the risk but also those coming in contact with him have equal chances of developing the disease.

Mesothelioma is diagnosed by biopsy. A tissue sample is examined for the presence of the mesothelioma.

Treatment for mesothelioma is chemotherapy, surgery, palliative therapy, and radiation therapy. Researches are still in progress to discover a more effective and successful treatment for mesothelioma at the later stage of the disease.