I’ve been on a mission to reduce chemicals in my household and have discovered how effective natural cleaners like baking soda and vinegar are.  My toilet actually sparkled and smelled clean, especially when adding a bit of lemon juice to the cocktail. I didn’t think it was possible, since they didn’t seem strong enough in my mind. 

A victim of mass marketing, I formerly believed that only strong-smelling chemical cleaners could get rid of grease, germs and soap scum. Then I wondered just how toxic these chemical cleaners are, including supposedly harmless ones like Windex glass cleaner and Sunlight Dish soap. How toxic? Try carcinogenic and asthma-inducing. 

These facts caught my attention in Wendy Mesley’s “Chasing the Cancer Answer” on CBC’s Marketplace. Wendy was diagnosed with cancer recently and began her own research on cancer-causing products. She interviewed Mae Burrows, Executive Director of the Labour Environmental Alliance Society (LEAS) located here in Vancouver. Burrows recommended the CancerSmart Consumers Guide which was researched and produced by the Society. The guide was created for consumers to more easily research the products they are buying so they are better informed of what goes into common household, beauty and food products. You can purchase the latest guide from their website for $12.60 and this money goes to support the Society since they are not-for-profit.

I couldn’t believe what I read in the Guide, just how many seemingly innocent and comforting products like Pledge (I loved the way lemon-waxy smell reminded me of my childhood when I helped my Mom clean) are incredibly toxic, containing chemicals such as isobutane, propane, butane, silicones and isoparaffinic hydrocarbon solvent. There’s also the hazardous effect on the environment to consider. All these products end up flushed away and carried via groundwater into rivers, where they can have devastating impacts on animals, birds and fish. 

More comforting smells for a lot of people are Plug-in and spray air fresheners. I get so angry at all the advertisements I see on television, trying to convince people that these air fresheners will actually “clean the air” (i.e. Febreeze), and that you need a strong, flowery smell to be clean and fresh. In actuality, the smell of clean doesn’t smell like anything. And you shouldn’t spray the air full of chemicals because these air fresheners contain formaldehyde and other chemicals that are asthma-triggers and human carcinogens.  The best way to get rid of odours is to actually clean your house, empty the kitchen garbage daily and ventilate with fresh air. 

Formaldehyde is also found in the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. This is scary since all the television ads show mothers using this product for their children’s toys and furniture.

Silica is another commonly-found chemical. It is a carcinogenic when it occurs as fine, respirable dust found in some abrasive cleaners, such as Ajax with bleach, Comet Powder with Clorinol and even Sunlight Laundry Detergent. Healthy alternatives for these cleaners are baking soda, vinegar, or Vim. Laundry detergent brands that are  don’t contain silica are All, Bold and Tide.  Silica is also found in little packets that come with jewellry boxes and furniture to absorb moisture. Even though it is contained in the packets, sometimes they have holes and leak, so it’s probably best to use rubber gloves when handling.

And then there is everyday food. Many people might not expect to find such toxic compounds in the food they eat. There are so many pesticides found in fruits and vegetables. The CancerSmart Consumer Guide refers to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), which screened hundreds of food samples for contaminants between 1994 and 1998. According to the Guide, some fruits and vegetables were contaminated with residues from ten or more different pesticides.

This Guide, along with other resources recommended by the LEAS website, convinced me to stop buying these chemical products and to give the all-natural ones a try. Cancer is in my family, so I’m not taking any more risks. 

More environmentally-friendly and affordable cleaning solutions can be seen on the mildly entertaining and often disgusting television show “How Clean Is Your House?”  If these natural elixirs can get the grime and feces off toilets that haven’t been cleaned in three or more years, it will work for yours.

More websites to visit are www.scorecard.org and www.environmentaldefence.ca

If you don’t have time to surf the net, here are some easy cleaning solutions for every day household cleaning using distilled vinegar.

Indoors:
-Wipe with full-strength vinegar to banish grease
-Dilute with water to remove grease and grime on mini-blinds
-Use full-strength to clean chrome fixtures and whiten grout
-Brew full-strength to clean your coffee maker or tea kettle 
-Dilute with water and use with a cloth to remove starch build-up from your iron
-Dilute with water and sprinkle on pet-stained carpet
-Mix with salt and baking soda to unclog drains
-Dilute with water and spray on mirrors and windows for a streak-free shine
-Mix with olive oil to remove glass water rings on wood furniture
-Mix with hot water and some liquid hand or dish soap to mop your floors.

And Outdoors:
-Spray full-strength to get rid of unwanted grass
-Use full-strength to clean your car’s windshield wiper blades and to remove lime stains

(Source: Kellen Communications Newswise)

 

Every few months, a group of friends and I try out a new restaurant in Vancouver and have our own little review ceremony afterwards. This month it was Tequila Kitchen, authentic Mexican cuisine in the heart of Yaletown.

Tequila Kitchen is a simple eatery, spacious and clean with a partially exposed half-moon kitchen. There is ample elbow room for big bustle potential, as it’s  wide open and breezy. The decor is warm yet simple and unpretentious with a lot of natural light. The staff all speak fluent Spanish, so the authentic, warm accent was a nice touch to the graceful service.

The main concept behind the restaurant is that of a “botana: meals served in sampler platters where friends can enjoy sharing many different menu items.” The menu is not another trio of El Paso salsa, salty guac and sour cream piled on top of a soggy burrito or enchilada swimming in a pool of refried beans. It’s authentic Mexican food, the real thing, how it’s eaten by locals in the land itself. 

The first appetizer on the list is the best, damn guacamole I’ve ever tasted – spicy and fresh with chopped tomatoes and a hint of lime scooped up with crispy, baked tortilla strips. It didn’t need any salsa or sour cream, it was so good on it’s own. My friend across from me enjoyed the Queso Fundido al Tequila – melted Mexican white cheese infused with tequila and garnished with fresh tomato, onion and Serrano chile. Being a huge cheese lover, I couldn’t help myself from giving in to the enticing aroma and reaching over (while asking permission) to dip my chips in the warm, gooey heaven.

My friends enjoyed entrees consisting of Pollo en Pipian Verde – chicken breasts in a green pumpkin seed sauce; Cordero en Salsa Borracha – braised lamb shank prepared in a spicy drunken sauce; and Pato en Salsa de Jamaica  –  slow roasted duck breast in a Hibiscus and Serrano chile glaze.

I tried the Manchamanteles – which literally translates as “tablecloth stainer” – oven-cooked pork in a blend of chiles and fruit sauce. It sounded so mouth wateringly soft and decadent, but I found the pork a bit tough and the sauce and rice were bland. But that was a great excuse to slather on more of that sassy guacamole to add some flavour.

But my favourite part of the night was the drinks (of course, one track mind). I started the evening with a TK Mojito, using Cazadores tequila instead of rum, muddled with raspberries, mint and sugar, topped off with soda. At first, I cringed at former memories of tequila coming straight back up as soon as I swallowed the brazen sap of the agave. But the waiter confidently reassured me that this tequila was pure, the best of the best, and promised a hangover and projectile-free experience. I conceeded and gave it a shot. I was suprised to find the mojito quite watered-down and lacking mojo, so I inquired about my drink of choice, the Cosmpolitan Martini. The waiter directed me to the Tequila Cosmo, which, according to the menu writer, is “the elegance of a NY City night club meets a humble atmosphere” – 1 ½ oz Cazadores Reposado, ½ oz Cointreau, and CranbeMexicanrry Juice. Still a little hesitant to try a stronger tequila mix, I gingerly sipped the fruity cocktail. It was delicious – smooth and refreshing all the way down, and it stayed down, so well I ordered another. And another.

Tequila is taken quite seriously here. It is not just a gimmick or a quick way to get wasted. The good quality stuff is like a fine wine or whisky, something to be savoured, sipped and treated with utmost respect. The waiter went on to tell me that the executive chef Juan Gonzalez wrote his university thesis on tequila, so he brings some serious knowledge to the bar.  Like the little known fact that tequila comes from the blue agave plant. Contrary to many misconceptions, it is not a cactus, but a plant with spear-shaped leaves and a pineapple-shaped heart called the “piña.”  

The bar serves 19 different kinds of high quality tequila, including the super-premium category that commands the same prices as a fine cognac, such as the Grand Patron Platinum.  All of their cocktails are made with tequila. They also serve Mexican beer and local B.C. and warm climate wines.

There are five different categories of tequila:
– blanco (or silver) 
– oro (gold), which is sweetened with caramel
– reposado (rested), which is aged in oak casks for two months to a year
– añejo (aged), aged in oak for more than a year
– maduro (extra-aged), aged at least three years

Most of my group left shortly after dinner, but a few of us lingered to savour our drinks. The waiters were very friendly, chatty and accommodating, not making us feel that we were in the way (even though we were, four of us taking up three large tables in the center of the restaurant, yapping and laughing loudly).

As I write this the next day, I am hangover free, and feeling great! I want more of this Mexican food, service, style and liquor all to myself, yet I’m willing to share with more of my friends, since that’s what Tequila Kitchen is all about. 

MORE TK RECIPES

MORE ABOUT TEQUILA

Newswise — On Leap Day, February 29th, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, and other city zoos will raise awareness of the global plight of amphibians by joining the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in welcoming 2008 as the Year of the Frog. Since 1980, scientists believe that at least 120 species of frogs, toads, salamanders and other amphibians have gone extinct; as many as half of the 6,000 remaining species may soon vanish unless immediate action is taken. Habitat loss, climate change, pollution and emergent disease have all contributed to this global extinction crisis. 

The Year of the Frog shows how the zoo community can play a leading role in bringing awareness to a critical conservation issue, and take an aggressive, hands-on approach to ensuring amphibian survival. 

Photo: Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society Panamanian golden frogs are bred at the Bronx Zoo as part of the “Amphibian Ark” 
project to save critically endangered species.

The Wildlife Conservation Society pledged its continuing participation in the Amphibian Ark – a global initiative to save hundreds of critically endangered amphibians from extinction through captive breeding in zoos. These efforts will preserve critically endangered frog species that could eventually be reintroduced into the wild.

At WCS’s zoos, several endangered amphibian species are being propagated already, including the Kihansi spray toad, once found only in an isolated river gorge in Tanzania. Though the species is believed extinct in the wild, WCS has been able to breed hundreds of these diminutive frogs in the hope they can one day be reintroduced into a restored ecosystem. Later this year, scientists from Tanzania’s University of Dar es Salaam will visit the Bronx Zoo to learn how to breed toads in their homeland. Endangered Puerto Rican crested toads and Wyoming toads propagated at WCS’s Central Park Zoo have already been successfully released back into the wild.

The Bronx Zoo will host “Keeper Chats” inside the World of Reptiles Herpetology at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. from Feb. 27th through March 2nd. In addition, visitors can also check out a newly installed video along with graphic displays that highlight the ongoing amphibian crisis, and the lifelike ceramic sculptures of frogs and toads by artist Priscilla Denachi Deichmann. Children will receive amphibian cards and coloring pages and see projected photos of some of the world’s most colorful amphibians.

But the stars of the day will be the diverse assortment of rare and colorful amphibians on exhibit which include spotted salamanders, tree frogs, Sonoran Desert toads, poison dart frogs, smooth sided toads, and the critically endangered Panamanian golden frog. The Bronx Zoo plans to add a new resident to the World of Reptiles this spring in the form of the popular coqui frogs from Puerto Rico, and will display amphibians in its Zoo Center building. At present, the zoo is home to more than 40 species of amphibians. To support amphibian awareness, the Zoo’s education department will feature frog themes throughout the year in its programs and events.

Other WCS facilities are leaping in too. A frog-themed activity area has opened in the Discovery Center at the Prospect Park Zoo, while an expanded amphibian exhibit is opening at the New York Aquarium. Meanwhile, the Central Park Zoo displays an Amphibian Crisis Center.

The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth. Visit: http://www.wcs.org

© 2008 Newswise.  All Rights Reserved

 

Year Of The Rat: Furry Creatures Are Misunderstood, Vet Says

 

Newswise — It’s the Chinese Year of the Rat, and if there’s ever been an animal that needed a total image makeover, it’s the rat.

Many people loathe rats and associate them with disease and filth – hardly a four-star recommendation for the furry creatures. But the truth is, they are highly intelligent animals, have been amazingly beneficial in medicine and can be very affectionate pets, says a Texas A&M University veterinarian and rat expert.

Dr. Kristina Kalivoda, a small animal instructor in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, believes rats are among the most misunderstood of all animals and are not the horror from the sewer people tend to think they are.

“Rats are very smart and are known for their problem-solving skills,” says Kalivoda, an admitted rat fan.

“Many people believe they are nasty, filthy creatures, and that’s not true at all. In fact, rats wash themselves several times a day, about as often as most cats.”

The name itself poses a rat problem.

Rats are rodents, and rodent comes from the Latin word meaning “to gnaw.” Rats do like to chew and they are constantly searching for food. They tend to live where humans live for two reasons – food and shelter.

They have been parodied by Hollywood – who can forget James Cagney’s immortal line, “You dirty rat!” – while last year’s hit film Ratatouille showed the humorous side of the creatures, and Disney’s Mickey Mouse has been appealing for decades, as have Tom and Jerry. Comedian David Letterman often jokes about New York City’s countless rats, bragging that “our rats can whip your honor students.”

Some rat facts include:

– Their lifespan is between 1-3 years;
– They have no gallbladder;
– Rats have a bellybutton;
– Rats can’t vomit;
– They are prolific breeders: A pair of rats can produce 15,000 descendants in their lifetime, and female rats spend almost their entire lives pregnant;
– Rat teeth are incredibly strong and can chew through walls, plumbing and even concrete.
– Rats come in different colors such as silver, blond, grey, black and albino. Some have short ears and some have floppy ears;
– The largest rat, the African rat, can be 3 feet in length – about the size of a small dog;
– Rats are expert swimmers;
– Rats can laugh and do so with a high chirping sound when amused.

“Rats are very smart and they can figure out things quickly,” Kalivoda adds. “If you put them in a maze, they can find their way out in no time at all. They are social creatures and can be very affectionate. They are also easily trained and many can do tricks.”

The difference between a rat and a mouse, Kalivoda explains, is size. Rats are much larger than mice, often three to four times as large, and mice don’t live as long as rats. Despite their frisky mannerisms, many rats have internal health issues, mainly cancerous tumors. Kalivoda says rats often develop mammary tumors or other cancers, and rats also frequently suffer from respiratory illnesses.

But their benefits in medicine have been phenomenal. In research laboratories around the world, rats have contributed to more cures than any other animal, and in that regard, have no doubt saved millions of lives.

“In my opinion, rats do a get a bad rap,” Kalivoda believes. “I can tell you firsthand that rats can make great, fun pets. A lot of people have rats as pets, and they will tell you they’re the best pets they’ve ever had.”

 

• © 2008 Newswise.  All Rights Reserved.

   

• My own comment is the dirt and waste they live in comes from humans, so their dirt is our dirt.

   

 

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After catching up on Meladuck’s ingenious yet elegant blog postings, I realized I never posted about my fabulous Mardi Gras celebration I threw way back in October. Well, I must profess that it was a bit of a murderous Mardi Gras. She summed it up nicely on her blog:

http://meladuck.blogspot.com/2007/10/mardi-great.html

Enjoy, laugh and be scared to come over to my place.