In April of 1815 on Sumbawa Island in the area we know call Indonesia, an event occurred that influenced literary and movie history. Mount Tambora blew its top with such incredible force and spewed out so much volcanic ash that it continued to impact the world’s climate the following year. In North America and Europe,
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Although most popular histories track the invention of sunscreen back to the 1930s, recently translated papyri and tomb walls in Egypt may push that date back by a few thousand years. Giving it a little thought, I guess it just makes sense that the ancient Egyptians would have worked out a potion or two to protect their skins from damaging rays of the sun. Let’s face it, building massive monuments on a sizzling day in North Africa is bound to takes it toll on delicate human flesh. If you think assembling a raised garden bed
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Astronomers and almanacs tell me that spring will have sprung in the Northern Hemisphere at 1:14 AM, Eastern Daylight Time, on March 20, 2012. To the best of my knowledge, no trumpet calls or ringing bells will herald the arrival of the Vernal Equinox, but, despite that fact, it is still one of those magic times on our gardening calendar. Spring! Although this winter has been pretty mild in most sections of the country, I still take a measure of comfort in the calendar confirmation of the arrival of warmer temperatures and longer periods of
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Would a burst of minty freshness feel good right about now? If the mere thought of peppermint or spearmint gets your taste buds tingling, odds are good that you’re an avid fan of mint and will, no matter what I say, insist on planting some in your survival garden. But before you decide which section of this year’s garden is going to be devoted to your favorite herb, I’d like to ask you a few questions. How many family members share your mint-loving gene? Will you and your crew consume a lot of mint over
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Two weeks ago, as I was finishing up the piece on “Savory Herbs and Unsavory Weather,” I decided that today’s column would focus on invasive herbs. Unfortunately, another potential invasion has caused me to put that plan on the back burner. This invasion is so imminent that I can’t wait two weeks to give you the news. Because I was caught napping, I barely have one week to help spread the alarm. When it comes to genetically modified crops and their associated herbicides, Monsanto and Roundup certainly dominate the discussion. This is only natural. Monsanto’s
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Except for a few short-lived cold snaps, it has been a pretty mild winter here in North Carolina. From what I’ve been hearing, the same can be said for most of the United States. Of course, those of us who have been around a while know that it doesn’t take much for mild to turn wild when it comes to weather in February. All you need is a quick shift in the jet stream and, suddenly, arctic air is getting friendly with a moisture-packed storm system to send frozen precipitation your way. So, I guess
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A portion of the town of Scarborough is perched upon limestone cliffs towering over the North Sea in the English county of North Yorkshire. With a population of about 50,000 souls, it is, these days, the largest holiday resort on the Yorkshire coast. Of course, hosting holidays are nothing new to the ancient town of Scarborough. No one is actually sure how long people have been living in the area that is now called Scarborough. Archaeologists have dug up evidence of several settlements in that neck of the woods going back to the Bronze and
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The first phase of the American professional football playoffs are now history. Four games in two days have narrowed the potential championship contenders down to eight teams. After next weekend’s games, only four teams will remain. Two more games will be played to bring us to the point where we know which two teams will face each other in The Big Game on February 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana. American professional football, like the American dollar, contains four quarters. Theoretically, each gridiron quarter is fifteen minutes long. In reality, with commercials, time outs, huddles, muddles, and
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As 2011 draws to a close, many of us have begun planning our 2012 gardens. Many of you have probably already harvested and stored seeds from this year’s crop and are looking into ordering heirloom seeds for veggies that you’d like to try growing for the first time this spring. The arrival of winter gives us time to repair our equipment, sharpen our hoes, and check our supplies. In addition to laying in a good supply of a naturally balanced organic fertilizer like Protogrow, many gardeners stock up on organic pesticides while their garden is
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Old Man Winter generally arrives pretty late in my neck of the woods. Although the nights are starting to get a bit chilly here in North Carolina, I’m still growing some healthy root vegetables and a variety of greens in my survival garden. One of my most eye-catching crops during the cool weather months just
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For many years, Americans have enjoyed basic freedoms like freedom of speech... freedom to choose how they spend their money... and freedom to travel without restriction. But with each passing year, we see the rapid erosion of these freedoms. As power-hungry politicians become more brazen in their pursuit of total control, our freedoms are becoming more tightly restricted -- or, in some cases, legislated away entirely. For proof, look at what’s happened during the last few years...
The Amazing "Aztec Super-Food" Used By Top Survivalists For Mission-Critical Strength And Endurance!In the remote Copper Canyons of the Mexican state of Chihuahua, the isolated tribe of Tarahumara Indians is known for a remarkable feat. They run! They run hundreds of miles … without injury and without rest. Their legendary endurance puts gold medal Olympic marathon runners to shame. The Tarahumara not only run long distances, they also routinely scale mountains in mere hours, just for the fun of it. They sprint on foot to catch animals for their dinner… and consider it a playful diversion. The Tarahumara are believed to be among the healthiest human beings on earth!
"God's Miracle Dust" Because It's The Single Greatest Off-The-Grid Story Ever Told!We live in a time when it's impossible to escape dangerous chemicals. They're in our homes, our food, our soil, our water, and our air. They're so much a part of our lives that we think nothing of it. It's high time we think about it a little more. There are over 70,000 chemicals in use today and their cumulative effects on human health have never really been studied. In fact, very few of them have even been studied individually for safety. Should we be worried?
The Single Best "Just In Case" Place In The WorldFor many years now, there has been much talk that the ancient Mayans predicted the end of the world with their Long Count calendar. It has even been refined down to a specific date when humanity is supposed to cease to exist… December 21, 2012 This doomsday message has become quite popular. So much so, the subject has spawned hundreds of thousands of websites and blogs, several mainstream books… and at least a couple of movies… including… a major motion picture by Mel Gibson titled, Apocalypto. The supposed cause (or causes) of this wanton, wholesale destruction ranges from a Planet “X” near flyby… to a “killer” solar flare… to geomagnetic reversal… to… a half-dozen (or more) other things. Any one of which, alone, would have catastrophic effects.
