Human urine as a safe, inexpensive fertilizer for food crops Researchers in Finland are reporting successful use of an unlikely fertilizer for farm fields that is inexpensive, abundantly available, and undeniably organic -- human urine. Their report on use of urine to fertilize cabbage crops is scheduled for the Oct. 31 issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Despite the 'yuk!' factor, urine from healthy individuals is virtually sterile, free of bacteria or viruses. Naturally rich in nitrogen and other nutrients, urine has been used as fertilizer since ancient times. In the new study, Surendra K. The analysis showed that growth and biomass were slightly higher with urine than with conventional fertilizer. Source: ACS Explore further: Potent, puzzling and (now less) toxic: Team discovers how antifungal drug works
compost - to pee or not to pee - Soil Forum Regarding germs in the compost bin; I almost never wear gloves when I'm composting or gardening. I never think to put them on. My hands go from garden soil with lots of compost, to compost bin, to working in the house doing sheetrocking, etc. I was working in the compost bin last year, moving a pile from one bin to another when I banged my right hand on the splintery piece of scrap plywood that has been one side of a bin for eight years. A chunk of wood got jammed through my thumbnail. I went to the doc-in-the-box the next day and they numbed the thumb and pulled that chunk out of the thumbnail. There was no infection afterward. Two weeks ago, I shot a brad through the tip of my left finger. I cut one end of the brad off, and carefully rotated that curved end out of my finger. It never got infected, despite the constant exposure to garden soil, compost, sheetrock dirt, etc. We don't get infected from eating yogurt or cheese, or fresh bread.
raised garden beds: hugelkultur instead of irrigation raised garden bed hugelkultur after one month raised garden bed hugelkultur after one year raised garden bed hugelkultur after two years raised garden bed hugelkultur after twenty years It's a german word and some people can say it all german-ish. I learned this high-falootin word at my permaculture training. Hugelkultur is nothing more than making raised garden beds filled with rotten wood. I do think there are some considerations to keep in mind. Another thing to keep in mind is that wood is high in carbon and will consume nitrogen to do the compost thing. Pine and fir will have some levels of tanins in them, but I'm guessing that most of that will be gone when the wood has been dead for a few years. In the drawings at right, the artist is trying to show that while the wood decomposes and shrinks, the leaves, duff and accumulating organic matter from above will take it's place.
How to Save Your Money And Your Life By Doug Casey, Casey Research I think there are really only two good reasons for having a significant amount of money: To maintain a high standard of living and to ensure your personal freedom. There are other, lesser reasons, of course, including: to prove you can do it, to compensate for failings in other things, to impress others, to leave a legacy, to help perpetuate your genes, or maybe because you just can't think of something better to do with your time. But I'll put aside those lesser motives, which I tend to view as psychological foibles. As you know, I believe we're into at least the fourth year of what I call The Greater Depression. Real Reasons for Optimism There are reasons for optimism, of course, and at least two of them make sense. The first is that every individual wants to improve his economic status. The second reason for optimism is the development of technology – which is the ability to manipulate the material world to suit our desires. Real Reasons for Pessimism
Six Easy Networking Tips for Introverts I’ll confess up-front; I’m an introvert. I spend a lot of time on my own – and I find it tiring to be around lots of other people. Being an introvert actually works out pretty well for me. I’m a writer, so a big part of my day involves sitting at my computer, working alone. When I do work with other people as a writing coach, it’s usually one-on-one (I can cope with one other person!) Of course, I can’t spend the whole of my life alone or with just close friends and family. In both my professional and personal life, I get out there and meet people from time to time. #1: Get to Know People Beforehand One of the many things I love about the internet is that it makes it incredibly easy for me, an introvert, to strike up a connection with total strangers. How do you find people who’ll be at the event? Forums or similar on the event’s website Twitter – search for the name of the event Blog posts – is anyone you know going? Find out the dress code in advance. The same applies to networking.
How to Gain Respect and Make Professional Connections No matter how talented or smart you are, if you can’t communicate effectively with others it will be difficult to get a job, retain clients, and have productive relationships. It’s a delicate process. Communication can be a hectic two-way street with messages coming and going between sender and receiver. If you aren’t paying attention, you’ll miss a queue and in turn, send a response that isn’t ideal. Listen, some people are born with that ‘gift’. Here’s how to make professional connections. Focus on first impressions and non-verbal behaviorCommunication is both verbal and nonverbal. Nonverbal communication is the real key to gauging what someone is thinking and how they are feeling, so make sure you’re sending the right message from the get go.Adapt to match their behavior and emotionsTo make a connection with someone, be aware of their state of mind and personality. This offers a feeling of comfort and safety, where it becomes easier for the other person to open-up and act natural.
Personal Branding Done Right By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth So what’s the big deal about personal branding? The mere mention of this topic sparks intense emotions and frothy debate. The legions of personal branding advocates believe it’s the great brand equalizer, and the growing constituency of disgruntled adversaries see it as little more than the latest form of snake-oil. I have written often on the subject of personal branding, and some of my practice focuses on shaping the personal brands of executives and entrepreneurs. Want to build a strong personal brand? Let me break it down as simply as I can…There are two types of personal brands: 1.) To be clear, I have nothing against leveraging the positioning and promotion of real talent/ability, or up-and-coming talent/ability, but I have everything against blatant self-promotion by those who pretend to be something they are not. So what’s the big deal you ask? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6 Ways to Establish Yourself as an Industry Thought Leader So how exactly do you gain credibility as an industry thought leader ? Here are 6 things you can do to start establishing yourself as a trusted expert in your industry. It's no surprise that they all have to do with content creation ... 6 Ways to Become an Industry Thought Leader 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Leave Promotion at the Door I've said it a few times throughout this blog post, but it's important to emphasize that one of the keys to becoming an authentic thought leader in your industry is to leave promotion at the door. On the other hand, if people start to trust you and respect you as an industry thought leader, the indirect result will be greater trust in the products and services you have to offer, and ultimately, more business! In what other ways can you exhibit your industry thought leadership ? Photo Credit: Jacob Boetter
The 12 Habits of Highly Connective People Anil Dash at Gel 2011 from Gel Conference on Vimeo. I started the day watching this video from Gel 2011. I love stories like Anil Dash's because I experienced myself the power of networks. Especially after moving continents and starting from zero, alone. Few things give you more joy than doing a good deed. Often that goodness comes from introducing someone to something or someone else, and that someone else doing the same -- and so on. Understanding the importance and power of networks, combined with new tools is our lifeline. That's what true connections can do. A couple of months back, I wrote a post about follow through, which is the secret to successful networking. Make it a habit, and you will see how quickly it yields results. (1.) believe you can make a difference in case you were wondering if this is only touchy-feely, look at how Dana White built a UFC empire out of his desire to connect with fans. (2.) think knowledge as a service it's an overused expression, it really does apply.
10 Step Beginners Guide to Blogging Your Personal Brand 1) Learn about blogging Before you even start a blog around your brand, introduce yourself to the concept. It helps to know what you’re getting into before you rush in and “only fools rush in” as they say. If you want to know the difference between traditional media and social media, check out this New York Times article (static), followed by a New York Times blog post (dynamic) on the same topic. You can also view the Wikipedia definition of “blog,” which contains the history, types of blogs and how they have blurred the roles in media. 2) Listen to current conversations In order to start a successful blog, you need to know what you’re getting yourself into and what has already been talked about in the blogosphere. Google Reader: I use Google Reader as a way to collectively gather all news and information related to my interests, such as recruitment, marketing, branding, social media and public relations. 3) Take a niche 4) Get your equipment ready 5) Pick your logo and theme Best practice
Welcome to the ManKind Project | Changing the world, one man at a time. | Men's Issues | Men's Support | Men's Community Idaho Observer: How to remove mercury and other heavy metals from your body – safely and inexpensively From the September 2007 Idaho Observer: How to remove mercury and other heavy metals from your body – safely and inexpensively Due to the enormity of the problem of heavy metal poisoning in today’s world, and the fact that entire books have been written on this subject, this column will attempt to bring to light some of the methods people have successfully employed to regain their health without going bankrupt in the process. By Ingri Cassel In the July, 2007, Back to Basics column we covered the devastating effects of mercury poisoning and the fact that many Americans experience the effects of mercury being slowly released on a daily basis from dental fillings. Due to this fact, the most important step to take in removing mercury from your body is to safely remove the mercury amalgams. Simply removing them is NOT a safe method. This is undoubtedly the most expensive part of detoxing from mercury—removing the source that is in your mouth. Chemistry professor Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. www.autism.com