In a report that may bolster public policy efforts to get Americans to reduce the amount of salt in their diets, scientists writing in The New England Journal of Medicine conclude that lowering the amount of salt people eat by even a small amount could reduce cases of heart disease, stroke and heart attacks as much as reductions in smoking, obesity and cholesterol levels. If everyone consumed half a teaspoon less salt per day, there would be between 54,000 and 99,000 fewer heart attacks each year and between 44,000 and 92,000 fewer deaths, according to the study, which was conducted by scientists at University of California San Francisco, Stanford University Medical Center and Columbia University Medical Center. The report comes as health authorities at federal, state and municipal levels are considering policies that would have the effect of pressuring food companies to reduce salt in processed foods, which are considered to be the source of much of the salt Americans eat. New York City has announced an initiative to urge food manufacturers and restaurant chains to reduce salt in their products nationwide by 25 percent over the next five years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/health/nutrition/21salt.html

The American Discovery Trail crosses the middle of our country from coast to coast. See a map at: http://www.discoverytrail.org/states/index.html
The American Discovery Trail (ADT) is a new breed of national trail — part city, part small town, part forest, part mountains, part desert — all in one trail. Its 6,800+ miles of continuous, multi-use trail stretches from Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware, to Pt. Reyes National Seashore, California . It reaches across America, linking community to community in the first coast to coast, non-motorized trail. The ADT provides trail users the opportunity to journey into the heart of all that is uniquely American — its culture, heritage, landscape and spirit. http://www.discoverytrail.org/about/index.html

Homes built before 1776
Savannah's oldest house is two bedrooms with four fireplaces, built-in bookshelves, carriage house and a formal garden.
http://elaineseabolt.harrynorman.com/GA/Savannah/31401/homes-for-sale/122-E-Oglethorpe-Ave-40666736
Moses Cleaveland bought the house next to the one where he was born and raised in Canterbury, Conn., in 1796, shortly after returning from his expedition to "New Connecticut" (Northeast Ohio), where he surveyed his namesake city and surrounding lands. He paid $4,300 for the two-story house built in 1740. The sturdy post-and-beam construction outlived Cleaveland and successive owners for another 183 years but by 1979 had fallen into disrepair -- its "residents" including a dead cow in one room and motorcycle in another -- and was slated for demolition. A couple in Hudson, Ohio heard about the house, bought and dismantled the structure, then had it shipped in pieces by railroad for reassembly in 1980 on Stow Road in Hudson. http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2009/06/moses_cleavelands_restored_174.html
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Medway Plantation is rich in history and offers a unique and elegant lifestyle. Dating to 1686, the main house is the oldest masonry structure in South Carolina. It was rebuilt in 1704, had substantial additions made in 1855, and was completely renovated in 1929. http://www.christiesgreatestates.com/properties/view_4685/
Source: The Week Magazine February 12, 2010

New on LLRX.com - Business Intelligence Online Resources
Business Intelligence Online Resources: This extensive guide by search expert Marcus P. Zillman includes a wide range of sources designed to serve as a foundation for knowledge discovery specific to business intelligence resources on the Internet.

PBS - Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier
"Within a single generation, digital media and the World Wide Web have transformed virtually every aspect of modern culture, from the way we learn and work to the ways in which we socialize and even conduct war. But is the technology moving faster than we can adapt to it? And is our 24/7 wired world causing us to lose as much as we've gained? In Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier, FRONTLINE presents an in-depth exploration of what it means to be human in a 21st-century digital world. Continuing a line of investigation she began with the 2008 FRONTLINE report Growing Up Online, award-winning producer Rachel Dretzin embarks on a journey to understand the implications of living in a world consumed by technology and the impact that this constant connectivity may have on future generations. "I'm amazed at the things my kids are able to do online, but I'm also a little bit panicked when I realize that no one seems to know where all this technology is taking us, or its long-term effects," says Dretzin."

Neanderthals lived in Europe for hundreds of thousands of years but eventually were replaced by modern humans from Africa, who apparently were smarter. Scientists working in Spain say they've got evidence of some pretty sophisticated Neanderthal inventions — body ornaments and cosmetics. Read more and see related NPR stories at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122466430
The Arctic tern, a sea bird famous for its long-distance migrations between the North and South Poles makes the equivalent of three round trips to the Moon in its lifetime, scientists have found. The Arctic tern makes a return trip of around 44,000 miles from pole to pole each year, flying between its breeding grounds in Greenland in the north and the Weddell Sea on the shores of Antarctica in the far south, in a lifetime spent in perpetual summer. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/pole-to-pole-the-extraordinary-migration-of-the-arctic-tern-1864824.html

Lost crops of the Andes
naranjilla-lulo http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1398&page=266
passion fruit http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1398&page=286
potatoes http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1398&page=92#
Each entry has several pages of detailed drawings--many other foods are listed.

LYNNE'S TIPS
• I've said it many times but it's worth repeating: if you have an Asian market in your area, lucky you. Take advantage of all it offers. You'll find many of the ingredients for this salad there: fish sauce, noodles, Thai basil and other greens.
• Asian fish sauce keeps a year or more in the refrigerator. I like the brand with 3 crabs on the label, but others are fine, too. Since fish sauce is loaded with umami, that substance that lifts every flavor it comes in contact with, try a few drops in salad dressings and anything else that will end up on your plate. Incongruous as it sounds, a few drops (maybe a 1/4 teaspoon) in a pot of Italian tomato sauce or a French stew makes a difference.
• Napa cabbage (also called Chinese cabbage) has crinkly, pale green leaves tightly packed into an oblong head. Its mild, sweet flavor make it a versatile choice for soups, salads, and stir-fries. You could substitute bok choy if napa cabbage isn't available. The Splendid Table February 3, 2010