latest
As adults approach their golden years, the homes they once thought of as sanctuaries can become unsafe. Families wrestle with the decision to keep parents and grandparents in their homes or move them into assisted living facilities or other senior residences.
Read moreManaging one’s time can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. As a result, adults with hectic schedules and multiple responsibilities may pine for an extra hour or two in the day. While it’s impossible to extend a day from 24 to 26 hours, there are ways for busy men and women to create more time in their day.
Read more
In today’s constant contact, cell-phone celebrated, digital world, most people can go days or even weeks without spending any time in natural sunlight. Instead, we eat breakfast inside, or on the go, only to race to an office, filled with artificial light and plastic plants, for 8 to 10 hours a day. It’s no wonder why Americans’ mental health is suffering.Compare that hectic routine to those memorable moments when you’re able to sit quietly, let the sunshine warm your face, hear the birds, and allow nature to envelope you. While everyone longs for less stress, actually relaxing can be dauntingly stressful!However, a new study out of the United Kingdom sheds light on one way people can de-stress: bird watching. The study finds that people who watch birds from their home have lower depression, anxiety, and stress compared to those that live in less leafy areas that have fewer birds. People "felt relaxed and connected to nature when they watched birds in their garden," researchers say. These feelings increased with the level of bird feeding in the yard, they add. Specifically, the number of birds people might see was directly associated with better mental health. "This study starts to unpick the role that some key components of nature play for our mental well-being. Birds around the home and nature in general, show great promise in preventive health care, making cities healthier, happier places to live.," says lead researcher Dr. Daniel Cox from the University of Exeter.Dr. Tina Phillips, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, agrees. "Overwhelmingly, studies show that people feed birds because it makes them feel more relaxed, that it’s something they’re interested in and ultimately something that makes them feel good."If you want to disconnect from the digital world and relieve some daily stress and anxiety, getting outside, bird watching could be the key to increasing your mindful, mental health. Since studies reveal the more birds you see, the less likely you are to be stressed and anxious, it’s important to attract as many birds as possible.The first step to attracting birds is to use an all-purpose tube feeder, which is the number one feeder choice, allowing birds to feed from multiple ports. Cole’s Wild Bird Products, Co. offers the Terrific Tube feeder, it’s made to last with state-of-the-art materials that prevent warping and discoloration and it features a "Quick Clean" removable base, so cleaning is super simple. Natural grip perch covers mimic the feel of a real branch, which encourages longer feeding times.Once you have the right feeder, you’ll need reliable seed that will bring birds to your backyard to deliver that dose of stress relief we all desire. According to Elaine Cole, President and owner of Cole’s, the quality of birdseed will determine how many feathered friends will flock to your backyard.Unlike other birdseed mixes, which typically contain cheap filler seed like milo and wheat, Cole’s selects only the top 1 to 2 percent of the highest quality seeds birds like to eat. Plus, Cole’s doesn’t add pesticides or chemicals, preferring instead to keep the seed as close to its natural state as possible."If you use inferior seed, you’re not going to like the results. Our seed is specifically formulated to attract the greatest number, variety, and species of birds. Birds are picky and birdseed matters. If you use cheap feed, they won’t hesitate look for something else they prefer. Birds are like people, give them what they like to eat and they’ll come back and bring their friends." Cole said.Since we’ve learned that the more birds we attract, the more stress-free we’ll be, it makes good sense to use the best bird feed you can buy. Cole’s Special Feeder, attracts the greatest number of wild birds than any other mix out there. Add Cole’s Blue Ribbon blend, which attracts the greatest variety of wild birds to the mix, and you’ve got the perfect prescription to help calm your anxiety and stress. At the heart of it, everyone wants less stress and anxiety. Once you start watching birds in action, they’ll engage your attention in a way that keeps you in the moment, a state that provides mental relief. Admiring their beauty, listening to their sweet song and enjoying their antics will calm your overactive mind and bring joy and renewal. For more information on top quality feed and feeders, please visit: Cole’s website.
Read moreThey might be pint-size, but their water needs are not. Kids, experts say, should be just as properly hydrated as adults, if not more so.
Read more
Throughout the years, technology has improved drastically – creating machines and devices that were unimaginable 50 years ago. And perhaps the most advanced and interesting of society’s technological advancements is robots – but it is also the most misunderstood.In fact, according to recent Pew Research, more than 70 percent of Americans express concern about a world in which machines perform many of the tasks done by humans.Fortunately, there are people who believe humans and robots can coexist and work together in harmony and are working to debunk many of the fears people have about them.Mouser Electronics Inc., a leading semiconductor and electronics component distributor based in Fort Worth, TX, and celebrity engineer Grant Imahara, have teamed up again for the fourth consecutive year for their Empowering Innovation Together program.This year’s program is called Generation Robot, which features five videos filmed across the world, including in the U.S., Germany and Japan. Mouser’s goal is to reach innovators around the globe by showing how robots have a positive impact on humanity and change how people see the possibility of interacting with them.Throughout the Generation Robot series, the entire spectrum of robotics will be examined, as will the understanding of how robots not only have a technological impact on society, but also a social and moral one.The video series begins with the Imahara visiting the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines at Georgia Tech and speaking with the executive director, Dr. Magnus Egerstedt. There, he explores several aspects of robots, such as the basics of the machines, myths and misconceptions, as well as the hopes for, and fears of, the advancement of robot technology.In the video, Dr. Egerstedt mentions that robots used to be about mechanical engineering, but now modern robots involve psychology, because these machines will be working along with humans and thus they need to understand people.The second video, which takes place in Augsburg, Germany, dives into the real meaning of robots and humans working together, as well as the way this interaction will benefit society.The third video, which comes out in mid-July, will focus on the all-robotstaffed hotel in Nagasaki, Japan, where Imahara investigates the way robots behave utilizing only artificial intelligence.
Read moreMaybe it’s time to reconsider what you thought you knew about Millennials.
Read moreing Cen with cleaning your home, it doesn’t mean that you’re 0 While the spring season might be synonymous tackling it in the right way. So, if you’re concerned about the allergens in your home, getting rid of a dust bunny (or two) and Fido’s ferocious dander may not be enough.In fact, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) supports this claim, stating, "When it comes to cleaning, many people may actually be doing it wrong, stirring up the very allergens they are trying to remove from their homes."However, while keeping up with cleaning is vital for controlling indoor allergens, there is such a thing as being too diligent. Take Jesse Tyler Ferguson, an actor on the hit show "Modern Family," who lives with allergies himself. Ferguson thought that obsessively cleaning his space was the way to go."Everyone knows I’m a neat freak, [but] I learned from AAFA ter that, like most of America, I was actually doing some things wrong and stirring up allergens instead of removing them," he said. "Now I look for Certified asthma and allergy-friendly products like Febreze Fabric Refresher Allergen Reducer (Unscented) and Swiffer Dry Dusters and Sweepers (Unscented) to help me clean the right way and reduce common allergens in my home."The asthmaand allergy-friendly Certification Program was created by AAFA and the international research organization, Allergy Standards Limited (ASL), as the first program of its kind in the U.S. in order to reduce confusion about product claims targeting the asthma and allergy market, raise standards for these products, encourage innovation in the production of these products and raise issue awareness about asthma andallergic diseases.With these things in mind, Laura Dellutri, cleaning expert and author of "White Couch with Kids?" and "Speed Cleaning 101," offers the following tips revealing the places inanimate allergens — from pollen, pet dander and dust mite matter — may be accumulating and some cleaning advice that can help you remove them:* Window dressing. Everyone cleans their windows, but few remember to dust window blinds and drapes — places that can be havens for dust mite matter and other inanimate allergens. Using a Swiffer Duster (unscented, of course) can trap inanimate allergens two times more than a typical dusting cloth and three times more than a feather duster because it picks up dust and locks it away with thousands of flexible, fluffy fibers, designed to reach into nooks and crannies.* Favor your fabrics. You may clean your couches, decorative pillows, upholstered furniture and carpets with a quick vacuum, fluff of a pillow or dusting. But spraying these hard-to-wash fabrics with something like Febreze Fabric Refresher Allergen Reducer (unscented) can help reduce inanimate allergens that can become airborne from fabrics as well. This nifty product reduces up to 95 percent of inanimate allergens like pollen, pet dander and dust mite matter that can become trapped in fabrics and soft surfaces.* Clean smarter, not harder. Technology can be a beautiful thing, and it has revolutionized household cleaning with lots of gadgets and tools that make cleaning easier, faster and more effective. For instance, when it comes to removing inanimate allergens from your wood floors, using a Swiffer Dry Sweeper to trap and lock the dirt and dust, is two times more effective than a typical dusting cloth. For more information, visit febreze.com and swiffer. com.
Read more
It would seem that public hygiene protocol is not something easily forgotten since it is a standard taught since kindergarten, underscored in middle school, and essential to get your college diploma. Yet there are times, more often than we’d like to admit, that we may know the “do’s” and “don’ts” of social proprieties, but choose not to embrace them.
Read more