A cow caribu seen at the mine in NW Alaska, where I work. 

Source: code poet

We all want to be environmentally responsible now and move toward an eco-friendly lifestyle and most of us are willing to compromise to do so. However, there are many areas of our lives where compromise between ecology, comfort and pleasure, just doesn’t work.

One of these areas is fashion. We are all aware of both ethical and environmental concerns in the products that we but yet, many of us know that it is very difficult to feel confident if we don’t feel great in our clothes.

Eco-friendly clothes have been around since the sixties and many of us are put off by the notion of tie-died hemp shirts and other hippyesque eco-friendly clothing.

However, eco-friendly fabrics have moved a long way from hemp and grass skirts. On of the most surprising new eco-friendly fabrics is made from one of the most unlikely of materials - bamboo.

Whilst incredibly woody and strong material (bamboo is widely used for scaffolding in the far-east) it is also extremely versatile and makes the ideal fabric.

Bamboo clothing is also incredibly comfortable and looks and feels just like cotton. However, while cotton is farmed and grows only in certain areas, it is a limited resource. Bamboo though, grows anywhere.

Bamboo, is in actuality a grass and is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet (it grows several inches a day) so is highly sustainable. Furthermore it has some remarkable qualities. It is thermosensitive meaning it can store heat in cold temperatures whilst allows air to breathe through it, keeping you cool in the summer.

This make sit ideal for sports clothing and bamboo active wear is highly comfortable, stylish and perfect for most sporting activities.

It can also be used for almost any type of casual wear with bamboo clothing for men just as common as bamboo clothing for women.

Author: Richard N Williams

Richard Williams is interested in green innovations and writes about them. Please visit our website if you are interested in eco friendly clothes then please visit our eco-friendly products website.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

VideoTrace is a system for interactively generating realistic 3D models of objects from video—models that might be inserted into a video game, a simulation environment, or another video sequence. The user interacts with VideoTrace by tracing the shape of the object to be modelled over one or more frames of the video. By interpreting the sketch drawn by the user in light of 3D information obtained from computer vision techniques, a small number of simple 2D interactions can be used to generate a realistic 3D model. Each of the sketching operations in VideoTrace provides an intuitive and powerful means of modelling shape from video, and executes quickly enough to be used interactively. Immediate feedback allows the user to model rapidly those parts of the scene which are of interest and to the level of detail required. The combination of automated and manual reconstruction allows VideoTrace to model parts of the scene not visible, and to succeed in cases where purely automated approaches would fail..

Hack a cheap butane lighter and make the world’s first "flick-style" burning laser lighter! See the test results at the end, Get the parts to build your own at www.LaserDIY.com

There are those unexpected and always priceless moments, spent with female friends when you realize something significant is about to unfold.

The Meeting:

“I thought the meeting was on Thursday morning” Carol said.

“No, I think it was on Thursday but it changed to Friday - at least that was what I was told” I responded.

“Okay, well, I know it was originally on Friday but they changed it to Thursday - are you sure?” Carol asked.

“I just talked to Joan and she said it was Friday morning and to be downstairs by 6:45″ I confirmed.

At 6:45 Friday morning, with sleep lines still visible on our faces, four women met in the hotel lobby and quietly piled into a cab.? There was one more joining us but she was staying at the same hotel where our “Simply Fabulous Females” meeting was taking place. Joan gushed over the fact that it meant so much to her that we woke up at such an early hour and how she greatly appreciated our dedication. We responded with a resounding “we wouldn’t miss it for anything”.

Arriving at our destination, we are greeted by our other friend, Cathy who tells us that we need to go see the aquarium by the bar in the hotel. “When my husband and I came back last night after a cocktail party, we noticed the beautiful, colorful fish swimming around inside”. We all agreed that we would go see it after breakfast.

Five simply fabulous females approach the young lady at the hostess stand and ask if we can be seated with our group.? Apparently she doesn’t understand; grabs five menus and proceeds to sit us at a regular table.? Without caffeine, our slow brain cells haven’t kicked in yet.? But, it’s beginning to hit us - “I think you’re seating us in the wrong place, where are the Simply Fabulous Females meeting?” Joan asks the hostess.? She nervously smiles, leaves us to go check and returns with the restaurant manager.

As fate would have it, the meeting was indeed on Thursday - not Friday.? Joan was mortified and so embarrassed.? You know how women are, at least women who are also friends, we were forgiving and never once busted her for this faux pas - yeah right!

Thus began a morning filled with a lot of laughter and playful innuendos, “I didn’t know it was so bright this early in the morning”, “It’s okay Joan, we all wanted to smother our husbands as they slept so warm and peaceful” and “No one will know anything different” as a woman from the group passed by and said, “We missed you yesterday”.

We spent the morning poking fun at ourselves, discussing what was going on in our lives and reassuring Joan that we too made these menopausal faux pas on a regular basis.? As the last glass of orange juice was poured from the carafe, we raised our glasses, gave them a little clink and with determination not to have the time wasted, Joan declared this to be the first Kal?n Women, Houston Chapter meeting.

We rose from our chairs, said our goodbyes to Cathy and went in search of this beautiful aquarium she raved about.? What we found was indeed beautiful; a glass enclosure filled with glass fish, glass seaweed and glass bubbles…ahh isn’t it grand…this stage of life we are passing through…

Author: Sandra Levitin

Kalon Women invites you to submit your best quality original articles, poems, short stories and artwork to: Submissions to Kalon Women Magazine. To become part of this great community of women forty plus - Subscribe Today! Sandra Levitin is the Founder/President of Kalon Women, a monthly online magazine for women forty plus. Kalon Women’s vision is to be a powerful voice for all women 40+ as we face challenges unique to our generation. The mission of Kalon Women is to provide answers and raise awareness of issues and causes that affect us, so that our generation of women will be stronger from knowledge gained, and the generation of women who follow in our path will hopefully find it less rocky. The articles, stories, poetry and other written expressions in Kalon Women are created by real women 40+. Written to inspire, help and perhaps provide a few laughs to all “women of a certain age”. Retirement? Sandra has discovered that women do not retire in the traditional sense. Instead, she feels that we look for new challenges and then reinvent ourselves to meet them. It is then up to us, to reveal new meanings and truths to hold our attention and to grasp the true meaning of Kalon within ourselves.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

You have a vacation coming. Where do you go? A new travel wiki, No-Image, may help you answer that question….

No-Image provides information about different travel destinations - like Dubai and Madrid. Looking for something a little closer to home? How about San Antonio?

The wiki's entries give you an overview of the destination, some pre-surfed links to explore, and a list of specific attractions you'd want to visit if you went there. And because they're created by users (actual travelers instead of travel agents and hotel companies) you can feel more confident that you're being pointed in the right direction as you make your travel plans.

Best of all, when you get back from a vacation or trip you can put your own thoughts on the wiki at No-Image, adding to the wealth of information already available on the web.

Take a look at No-Image. It's probably the travel site you've been looking for.

© mujitra (´???)

By:  Lisa                        Source

Freight shipping is more than shipping from one location to another. If you or your company is in need of shipping a consignment, you need a good freight shipping service to do the work for you.

Getting freight shipping quotes over the Internet

If you are looking for freight shipping quotes, the Internet is the best place to start. There are several providers of freight shipping services online, but it is very important to make the right choice. It’s likely that a primary factor will be based on freight quotes. How do you get instant, online freight quotes? Nowadays, it’s fast and easy. There are online, shipping management services that allow you to search for reputable carriers, get multiple freight shipping quotes, and book your shipments. All you have to do is enter the shipment information, including weight, freight class, origin and destination information, and the insurable value of the items being shipped.

Do not submit the incorrect freight class or weight. If you do so, you may end up with an incorrect freight quote and be subjected to additional charges. Extra charges are often levied as a result of a re-weigh or re-classification of the freight. You’ll get accurate, real-time freight quotes from reputable carriers ONLY if you submit the correct weight and freight class for your shipment.

Other things you need to know about freight shipping

After you select the freight quote that fits your timing and budget, your item is almost ready to ship. When the carrier picks-up your freight, you need to provide the driver the bill of lading (BOL). The BOL is a contract for carriage between the shipper and the carrier and it provides a description of the item being shipped and any shipper instructions. It’s also a good idea to attach freight shipping labels to your item, in the unlikely event the BOL is lost by the carrier. With access to the Internet at your fingertips, getting freight quote has never been easier.

Search engine optimization or SEO is a kind of marketing campaign over the Internet. SEO is the buzzword when it comes to promoting your online business by increasing your website visibility. Increasing the flow of traffic and getting visitors to actually click on your site is a very serious issue. You need effective search engine optimization for promotion of your online business.

Golden tips on effective search engine optimization

There are several ways to have effective search engine optimization for promoting your online business by getting your site a good ranking on search engine results page. You may need help if this is your first venture in online business.

· It is important to check your website for dead links, good loading time, as well as cross-browser compatibility.

· The next step to effective SEO will be keyword optimizing your web pages. Ensure that highly searched keywords are placed in your title, web content, and meta tags. Internet users use keywords and keyphrases to search for information through search engines. This is why optimization of your website pages for top keywords is so important.

· It is important for you to provide quality content having keywords and keyphrases to help people search for and get access to your site.

· Have a list of the top keywords and keyphrases and then maintain a record of your ranking in the top 10 search engines. Keep monitoring and analyzing the record from time to time.

· If you have an online business and are into selling products, it is a good idea to offer something for free. You must know that the word “free” is among the highly searched words over the Internet.

· You can also develop quality links to your web pages from other sites that have a good ranking on the search engine results page.

· It is a vital task to ensure that your website is informative, user friendly and attractive. Make sure that your site has an easy to read font, proper layouts and clear navigation. A visitor to your site should be compelled to perform some action to get further information.

· You can try listing your website in top rated directories. There are several directories that list websites in related categories. Your job is to find the top most directories and submit your web pages under the categorized sections.

· Your web site should cater to the needs of your visitors. Do not try to attract bulk traffic to your website.

· Make sure you are updated with the latest SEO trends by going through articles, forums, and related guides.

Effective search engine optimization will get you success in online business. Make sure you do it the proper way and get good visibility for your site.

What do you understand by debt settlement? Well, it is a way of reducing debt, in which the creditor as well as the debtor agree and come to a settlement regarding the reduction of balance; the balance that has been decreased in this manner will be considered to be full payment. Debt settlement is also referred to as debt negotiation and debt arbitration.

Creditors can negotiate a reduction in balance when the debtor keeps making minimum monthly payments. When the debtor stops making payments, the balances continue to grow due to the late fees.

There are various debt negotiation companies which provide good service for getting a debt settlement. You can look up the website of a renowned debt negotiation company that will charge you after the debt settlement has been made.

How the debt negotiation companies work

Always look for a professional debt negotiation company for debt settlement. These companies provide a logical and legal way for debt settlement. They work with the consumers who cannot make settlement offers with credit card companies due to loss of cash. Debt negotiation companies make sure that you are saving a lot of money to settle the accounts in future by collecting a monthly fee for maintenance of the account.

A part of the monthly fee that you pay towards the “savings account” is taken to be a payment for the services of the debt negotiation company. Remember that these companies do not pay your creditors every month; all these companies do is put the money into your “trust”. Keep in mind that your creditors will not know of your dealings with your debt negotiation company.

Look for a debt negotiation company which is legal; you will know this by finding if the company uses a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insured company for the trust account. Make sure that you have access to the trust account online and for 24 hours every day.

It is also advisable to know that the debt negotiation companies do not take calls from the credit card companies and neither do they handle calls from the collection agencies. It is highly recommended that you find out the standing as well as practices of the debt negotiation company, so as to avoid being bogged down by debt and piling up of fees.

You can always make your own debt settlements by the advice provided on websites. However, if you are not confident a good debt negotiation company is always there to help you in debt settlement.

Homebake Pizza Company in Roncesvalles is totally a breath of fresh air in (or a splash of delicious tomato sauce). I tried it for the first time the other night and it proved to be an immediate cure for the dismay I experienced the last time I ordered delivery pizza.

Using organic flour doughs along with all fresh (many organic and gourmet) ingredients, Homebake Pizza Company brings a new twist to pizza options in Toronto. The catch? They make it, and you take it home and bake it. And devour it with delight. And vow to never again buy cardboard-like grocery store frozen pies or order nasty, soggy messes delivered to your door.

See my review of Homebake Pizza Company in the restaurant section.

By:  Jerrold                        Source