Swimming Pools & Cancer: The Surprising Way to Cut Your Risk

posted by Juliet Farmer September 9, 2010 at 8:57 PM in Healthy Living

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Fall is just around the corner, but that doesn't mean I'm getting out of the pool just yet. With a little luck and some good weather, I've got another good month of this healthy activity ahead of me.

I love swimming laps, and although I'm not fast, I aim for at least a mile a couple of times a week.

Because I'm paranoid about skin cancer, I always make sure I'm covered with sunscreen head to toe.

Imagine my surprise when I read that recent research indicates sunscreen often reacts with pool disinfectants, creating toxic chemicals capable of mutating genes, as well as causing conditions including asthma and bladder cancer.

3 Ways to Score Free (or Dirt Cheap) Cable TV

posted by Juliet Farmer August 5, 2010 at 1:10 PM in Home & Garden

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These days, I'm all about creative ways to cut costs. I'm willing to give up fancy vacations and new shoes, but when it comes to my love for television, I'm reluctant to cut the cord cable.

Thanks to technology being what it is these days, I can cut my cable bill down to almost nothing without sacrificing my addiction to Bravo's Lifetime's Project Runway, and MTV's Jersey Shore and The Hills (RIP).

Here are three ways to score free or almost free cable TV.

Labrador Retriever: A Canine Closer Look

posted by Juliet Farmer August 4, 2010 at 4:10 PM in Home & Garden

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When I first considered adopting a dog, it seems like everywhere I looked, there were Labrador retrievers.

My friends had one. My neighbors did, too. And don't even get me started about how many I saw when I was out on my walks (A LOT!).

It's no wonder the Labrador retriever canine breed is so popular, because they are some of the sweetest dogs I've ever met.

Recently I contacted Central California Labrador Retriever Rescue to find out more about these cute canines.

Building a Kinder, Gentler Mosquito

posted by Juliet Farmer August 3, 2010 at 5:55 PM in Healthy Living

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One of my favorite summertime activities involves sitting outside at dusk and enjoying a cool breeze, usually while sipping on an adult beverage.

Unfortunately, during the warm-weather months, these evening sojourns in my backyard are almost always cut short by the annoying buzz of mosquitoes. And I was already paranoid about West Nile Virus and heart worm (the former on my behalf, the latter on my dog's), but now I've also got malaria on my radar! Travelers can and still do come down with it.

Luckily, some scientists just created a malaria-proof mosquito.

Who Knew? Surprising Household Items You CAN Recycle

posted by Juliet Farmer August 3, 2010 at 1:10 PM in Home & Garden

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My husband likes to tease me because I'm an "over-recycler." Beyond the obvious, like pizza boxes, paper in any form, magazines, and plastic and glass bottles, I've been known toss in those zippered plastic bags that sheets come in and the plastic cover from inside yogurt containers, and yes, I even once placed some old binders in our recycle bin.

Apparently, I'm in need of some serious schooling in what can and cannot be recycled in the home, but I'm also not that far off the mark.

I live in eco-friendly Sacramento. There's a lot that can't be recycled. Like bottles that still have their caps and lids. If we don't remove them first, the recycle fairy doesn't either and those bottles end up in the regular trash.

But I found a lot of surprises in the CAN-recycle category, too. Read my list -- you might be surprised enough to place a call to your own municipality today.