- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, an article in the Sacramento Bee may be making UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners feel a little puffed up. The story said the Sacramento Tree Foundation is copying the successful Master Gardener model, in which knowledgeable plant enthusiasts are trained and, in return, asked to give back community service hours.
The new program calls its volunteers "LEAF stewards." LEAF stands for Leading Education Awareness in Urban Forestry. LEAF stewards will conduct workshops, write articles about Sacramento Tree Foundation work and lead tree tours in the area, the story said.
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A story in the Sacramento Bee paints a lovely picture of local food production in a story under the title "Think globally, eat locally."
"The sun is coming up. Geese fly overhead. Wild turkeys meander amid the fruit trees, as (farmer Lisa) Tollefson picks sunflowers in the golden glow of dawn," goes the story, written by Stuart Leavenworth.
The article's vision of local farming wasn't entirely rose-colored. Indeed, it mentioned that Tollefson's partner, Steve Pilz, disrupted a yellow jacket nest while clearing brush and had to set traps for voracious gophers with his eye swollen by insect stings.
But the real juxtaposition comes in...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A story on the Medical News Today Web site says that an analysis by the UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health shows that California adults could avoid gaining 2.7 pounds a year if calories were posted on fast-food menu boards statewide.
The analysis combines findings of two studies, the article says:
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A 2008 New York City study found that patrons of fast-food restaurants where calorie counts were shown consumed 52 fewer calories per visit.
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A 2007 consumer survey shows that California adults who eat at fast-food chains do so an average of 3.4 times per week.
Doing...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A 4-H member who traveled to Australia this summer wrote a summary of her trip that was published today in the Lake County News. The writer, Kelsy Sills of Kelseyville, along with Kelsi Alexander and 4-H volunteer Sherry Falge were participating in the 4-H International Exchange Program.
Since Kelsey (and alternative spellings Kelsy and Kelsi) make repeated appearances in this story, I thought it would be interesting to check the meaning of the name. According to thinkbabynames.com, it is of Old English origin and means "victorious ship." It is also possibly a place name referring to "island."...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The groundbreaking research released by the UC Davis Department of Entomology yesterday at 2 p.m. was picked up by some prominent media outlets, including the New York Times and Reuters.
"We found that mosquitoes can smell DEET and they stay away from it," UC Davis entomology professor Walter Leal was quoted in the Reuters article. "DEET doesn't mask the smell of the host or jam the insect's senses. Mosquitoes don't like it because it smells bad to them."
Earlier research by scientists at Rockefeller University concluded that...