A few nice Healthy Drinking Water images I found:

March 2010


Image by Old Shoe Woman
A mosaic of my March 2010 self-portraits. During March, I walked to the mailbox and back; went to the fitness center and worked out with my trainer; drank water; went to Milledgeville, Americus, Atlanta, Cleveland, TN; ate healthy food that I cooked; line danced; drank Nespresso with frothed milk, practiced songs and then sang in my first cousin’s 50th celebration; attended church; got a new point/shoot camera, and took a bunch of pictures.

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys

Refreshing C Twist 2of7


Image by Food Thinkers
Remember the slogan, “Obey your thirst?” from the Sprite campaign a while back? Well, this drink puts a twist to a lemon beverage. It is made out of healthy, real fruit from your juicer, but it tastes similar to the caffeine-free lemon-lime soda. Tartness from the lemon combined with sweet grape and apple juice quenches your thirst in a hurry.

www.foodthinkers.com/2010/04/refreshing-c-twist/

Refreshing C-Twist

Ingredients

2 apples
2 large clusters of grapes
2 lemons
optional: ¼ cup sparkling water for fizz

Instructions

Make sure you remove the zest from the lemon, and the stems from the grapes and apples. Alternate fruits as you feed them into the feedtube. This allows all the flavors to combine naturally. Run the sparkling water through the juicer at the very end to ensure all the juices come through. Pour over ice and enjoy with a straw. Your thirst will soon subside and your energy will increase.

Some cool Healthy Drinking Water images:

MyWeek_July_30_2008


Image by be OH be
This week my wife and I drove with my parents to the north fork of Long Island to be with my brother and his family. We celebrated my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary.

This picture was taken at the farm where we stayed. The property has been in my sister-in-law’s family since before the nation was founded. There is a family burial plot on the land that holds quite a few of her ancestors.

While we were up there we got to swim alongside jellyfish and minnows in the chilly waters of The Atlantic Ocean. We also took a dip in the warmer and calmer Gardiner’s Bay. We dined on fresh lobster one evening and drank a healthy amount of wine.

My 4 year old nephew was charming, hilarious, precocious, and ever curious. He enjoys the same low budget, Japanese horror/sci-fi programs that my brother and I did and loves the original Star Wars movies. I never tired of listening to him squeal at every single wave that crashed against him on the beach.

01.03.07


Image by teh scrivener
She is my clock.

I eat, drink, shower, think, rest, read, dream around her schedule. When her flailing arms settle to her sides, I am allowed moments of respite where I can fold back into myself and take stock of all the things I was before she came.

I can, but I don’t.

I tell myself that it’s perfectly healthy to take a deep breath and give an exhale of relief when she has quieted down. I assure the worryself that I do not have to feel guilty for feeling a certain joy when she is silent in her room, when she is not in my sight. I give myself permission to just let go; I can be unencumbered for just a bit, a tiny bit, of time.

I can, but I can’t.

Because there are bottles to be washed clothes to be folded toys to be picked up cribs and playpens to be readied animals to be watered anger to swallow loneliness to hide fear to be tucked away anxiety to be culled silence to be maintained shame to be nurtured regret to be remembered.

These are the torture devices that allow me to play the martyr: the soap, my blood; my mind, my cage.

A few nice Healthy Drinking Water images I found:

Ivy gourd , Coccinia grandis ‘s flower…Hoa Mảnh Bát …


Image by Vietnam Plants & America plants
Vietnamese named : dây Mảnh Bát, dây Bình Bát
English names : Ivy Gourd, Baby Water Melon, Baby Gourd.
Scientist name : Coccinia grandis (L.) J. Voigt
Synonyms :
Family : Cucurbitaceae . Họ Bầu Bí

Searched from :

**** VIETGLE.VN.
www.vietgle.vn/trithucviet/detail.aspx?pid=N0JDQjBCMDkwNg…
Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt – Mảnh bát, Dây bình bát.
Cây thảo nhẵn và mảnh, mọc leo cao, đôi khi dài tới 5m hay hơn. Lá hình 5 cạnh, có răng, rộng 5 – 8cm, hình tim ở gốc, rất nhẵn, chia 5 thùy hình tam giác, có mũi nhọn cứng; tua cuốn đơn.
Hoa đực và hoa cái giống nhau, mọc đơn độc hay xếp lại hai cái một ở nách lá, có cuống dài 2cm. Quả hình trứng ngược hoặc thuôn, dài 5cm, rộng 2,5cm, khi chín có màu đỏ và thịt quả đỏ chứa nhiều hạt.
Loài của Ấn Độ, Nam Trung Quốc, Việt Nam, Malaixia,… cũng gặp nhiều ở châu Phi và Trung Mỹ. Ở nước ta cây mọc từ Quảng Ninh, Nam Hà, Ninh Bình, Thừa Thiên – Huế, Quảng Nam, Khánh Hòa, Lâm Đồng vào tới An Giang.

Mọc hoang trên nương rẫy, bờ rào, lùm bụi từ vùng thấp tới vùng cao 1500m.
Ra hoa kết quả gần như quanh năm.
Lá non và quả dùng làm rau ăn. Ở Campuchia, người ta dùng dịch chiết từ thân cây để trị bệnh đau giác mạc. Ở Ấn Độ người ta dùng dịch lá và rễ trị bệnh đái đường và cả cây để làm thuốc trị bệnh lậu. Lá dùng đắp ở ngoài da trị phát ban da, trị ghẻ lở, mụn nhọt, các vết thương và các vết cắn của rắn rết. Ở Inđônêxia, người ta còn dùng cây làm thuốc trị bệnh đậu mùa, đau dạ dày và ruột.

**** VHO.VN.
vho.vn/view.htm?ID=2628&keyword=Ghẻ

Bộ phận dùng: Lá, rễ và toàn cây – Folium, Radix et Herba Cocciniae Grandis thường có tên là Hồng qua.

Nơi sống và thu hái: Loài phân bố ở Ấn Ðộ, Nam Trung Quốc, Việt Nam, Malaixia… Mọc hoang trên nương rẫy, ở rào, lùm bụi từ vùng thấp tới vùng cao 1500m khắp nước ta. Có thể thu hái các bộ phận của cây quanh năm.

Thành phần hoá học: Cây chứa enzym hormon và vết của alcaloid. Dịch lá chứa một một amylase. Rễ chứa acetat lupeol và aceta B-amyril và B-sitosterod. Quả non (của thứ cây đắng) chứa lypeol, B-amyrin và cả cucurbitacin B-glucosid.

Tính vị, tác dụng: Vỏ và rễ có tác dụng xổ, rễ hạ nhiệt; lá hạ nhiệt, dùng ngoài chống ngứa, tiêu viêm, quả trị đái đường.

Công dụng, chỉ định và phối hợp: Lá non và quả dùng làm rau ăn.

Ở Ấn Ðộ dịch lá và rễ dùng trị bệnh đái đường.

Ở Campuchia người ta dùng dịch chiết từ thân cây để trị bệnh đau giác mạc.

Ở Ấn Ðộ người ta dùng cả cây để làm thuốc trị bệnh lậu. Lá dùng đắp ở ngoài da trị phát ban da, trị ghẻ lở, mụn nhọt, các vết thương và các vết cắn của rắn rết.

Ở Inđônêxia, người ta còn dùng cây làm thuốc trị bệnh đậu mùa, đau dạ dày và ruột.

Dân gian dùng củ ngâm rượu bóp chữa sưng đau hay các khớp bị viêm; có người dùng dây. Lá Mảnh bát phối hợp với Bùm sụm, Cỏ mầm trầu, Dền gai, mỗi thứ một nắm sắc uống để trị huyết áp.

____________________________________________________________

**** WIKI
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinia_grandis
The Ivy Gourd (Coccinia grandis), also called tindora (tindori, tindoori), parwal, kundru, tondli (तोंडली in Marathi), toroda/kunduri (oriya), ghiloda, kundri, kowai, kovai, kovakkai (Malayalam – കോവയ്ക്ക),kovakka (Tamil), dondakaya (Telugu – దొండకాయ), tondekayi (Kannada – ತೊಂಡೆಕಾಯಿ), manoli, tindla, gentleman’s toes (compare lady’s fingers), tendli, thendli, thainli, tam lueng (ตำลึง), baby watermelon or little gourd (Sanskrit name : Bimbi बिम्बी ) is a tropical vine.

Botany

Coccinia grandis botanical description "Dioecious perennial herbaceous vine. Stems mostly glabrous, produced annually from a tuberous rootstock; tendrils simple, axillary. Leaves alternate, simple, blade broadly ovate, 5-lobed, 5-9 x 4–9 cm, acute and mucronate at the apex, cordate with a broad sinus at the base; surfaces glabrous or scaly, with 3-8 glands near the base; margins denticulate; petiole 1–5 cm long. Inflorescence usually of solitary, axillary flowers. Calyx of 5 subulate, recurved lobes 2-5mm long on the hypanthium; peduncle 1–5 cm long. Corolla campanulate, white, 3-4.5 cm long, deeply divided into 5 ovate lobes. Stamens 3, present as staminodes in female flowers. Ovary inferior. Fruit a smooth, bright red, ovoid to ellipsoid berry 2.5–6 cm long" (PIER, 2001).Synonyms of botanical name "" cephalandra indica"

Geographic Spread

Coccinia grandis native range includes: Africa and Asia; India, Philippines, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, eastern Papua New Guinea, Northern Territories (Australia) (PIER, 2003). It documented introduced range includes: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, Saipan, Hawai‘i, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu (PIER, 2003).
Seeds or fragments of the vine can be relocated and lead to viable offspring. This can occur when humans transport organic debris or equipment containing C. grandis. Once Ivy Gourd is established, it is presumed that it is spread by birds, rats and other mammals.In Hawaii PIER (2001) suggests that the fruit may be dispersed by pigs. Long distance dispersal is most commonly carried out by humans due to its culinary uses or by mistake.
Regarded as very invasive and is on the Hawaii State Noxious Weed List, Ivy gourd can grow up to four inches per day.Coccinia grows in dense blankets that shade other plants from sunlight and high-jacking nutrients. Native to tropical Africa and Asia, it was introduced to Hawai’i as a back yard food crop. It is sometimes tolerated along garden fences and other outdoor features because of its attractive white flowers. It has escaped to become a vigorous pest in Hawai’i, Florida, Australia, and Texas. In Hawai’i, this plant has spread quickly through Manoa Valley to Punchbowl and into Waimanalo, Oahu, and also into Kona area, Hawai’i. Ivy Gourd’s environmental effects are that it smothers and forms a dense canopy killing vegetation underneath. (NMC Crees, 1997).

Weed Control

There are both physical and chemical recommendations for control of Ivy Gourd. It is very difficult to control this plant physically except for bagging fruits. Hand-harvesting normally does not kill the plant but rather breaks the vine blankets into smaller pieces and the plant is able to reestablish when it touches the ground. These methods can make the infestation worse and further the need for more rigorous control methods. Picking the fruit and placing them in plastic bags can help decrease the seed back that is present with the soil. It is reported by PIER, that when utilizing chemical controls, that Ivy Gourd responded well to a thin-lined bark application of 100% Garlon 4 (triclopyr), leaving plants in place so as not to translocate the herbicide or spread the pest. It is applied multiple times until the vine dies. In Hawaii several species of insect have been introduced with the purpose of being a biocontrol. Two weevils, Acythopeus burkhartorum and A. cocciniae, were introduced by the DOA to Oahu and Hawai’i. African vine moths (Melittia oedipus) were also released onto Oahu and Maui. On the island of Maui it appears that the A. cocciniae is established and are damaging leaves. The larva feed on the plant and the adults chew holes in the leaves. The moth has yet to appear successful in its purpose.

Cultivation

Cultivation in Southeast Asia, ivy gourd is grown for its edible young shoots and edible fruits (Linney 1986).

Medicinal Value

The website Gardenbed.com (2001) describes ivy gourd’s various medicinal qualities as follows "The juice of the roots and leaves is used in the treatment of diabetes. The leaves are used as a poultice in treating skin eruptions. The plant is used as a laxative. It is used internally in the treatment of gonorrhea. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the plant have shown hypoglycaemic principles."
Ivy gourd extracts and other forms of the plant can be purchase online and healthfood stores with. It is claimed that these products help regulate blood sugar levels. It is said that compounds with the plant inhibits the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate which supports the body’s own regulatory system and promotes a more balanced and healthy body. Therefore it is sometimes recommended for diabetic patients. These claims have not been supported but currently there is quite a bit of research focused on the medical properties of this plant. We can use all body parts for as medicinal purpose. So it can use for hypoglycaemic case, as anioxident, as immune grower….etc. Some counties in Asia like Thailand they prepare traditional tonic like drinks for medicinal aspects.

Recipes
The website Gardenbed.com (2001) reports, "Young leaves and long slender stem tops are cooked and eaten as a potherb or added to soups. Young and tender green fruits are eaten raw in salads or cooked and added to curries. Ripe scarlet fruit is eaten raw."
There are a variety of recipes from all over the world that list Ivy Gourd as the main ingredient. It is often compared to bitter melon. The fruit is commonly eaten in Indian cuisine. Natives of Thailand, Indonesia, and other southeast Asian countries also consume the fruit and leaves. Cultivation of ivy gourd in home gardens has been encouraged in Thailand due to its being a good source of several micronutrients, including vitamins A and C.
It is eaten as a curry, by deep-frying it; stuffing it with masala and sauteing it ; or boiling it first in a cooker and then frying it. It is also used in sambar, a vegetable and lentil-based soup.

Nutrition
Ivy gourd is rich in beta-carotene

Leaves of Coccinia grandis …Lá của dây Mảnh Bát …


Image by Vietnam Plants & America plants
Vietnamese named : dây Mảnh Bát, dây Bình Bát
English names : Ivy Gourd, Baby Water Melon, Baby Gourd.
Scientist name : Coccinia grandis (L.) J. Voigt
Synonyms :
Family : Cucurbitaceae . Họ Bầu Bí

Searched from :

**** VIETGLE.VN.
www.vietgle.vn/trithucviet/detail.aspx?pid=N0JDQjBCMDkwNg…
Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt – Mảnh bát, Dây bình bát.
Cây thảo nhẵn và mảnh, mọc leo cao, đôi khi dài tới 5m hay hơn. Lá hình 5 cạnh, có răng, rộng 5 – 8cm, hình tim ở gốc, rất nhẵn, chia 5 thùy hình tam giác, có mũi nhọn cứng; tua cuốn đơn.
Hoa đực và hoa cái giống nhau, mọc đơn độc hay xếp lại hai cái một ở nách lá, có cuống dài 2cm. Quả hình trứng ngược hoặc thuôn, dài 5cm, rộng 2,5cm, khi chín có màu đỏ và thịt quả đỏ chứa nhiều hạt.
Loài của Ấn Độ, Nam Trung Quốc, Việt Nam, Malaixia,… cũng gặp nhiều ở châu Phi và Trung Mỹ. Ở nước ta cây mọc từ Quảng Ninh, Nam Hà, Ninh Bình, Thừa Thiên – Huế, Quảng Nam, Khánh Hòa, Lâm Đồng vào tới An Giang.

Mọc hoang trên nương rẫy, bờ rào, lùm bụi từ vùng thấp tới vùng cao 1500m.
Ra hoa kết quả gần như quanh năm.
Lá non và quả dùng làm rau ăn. Ở Campuchia, người ta dùng dịch chiết từ thân cây để trị bệnh đau giác mạc. Ở Ấn Độ người ta dùng dịch lá và rễ trị bệnh đái đường và cả cây để làm thuốc trị bệnh lậu. Lá dùng đắp ở ngoài da trị phát ban da, trị ghẻ lở, mụn nhọt, các vết thương và các vết cắn của rắn rết. Ở Inđônêxia, người ta còn dùng cây làm thuốc trị bệnh đậu mùa, đau dạ dày và ruột.

**** VHO.VN.
vho.vn/view.htm?ID=2628&keyword=Ghẻ

Bộ phận dùng: Lá, rễ và toàn cây – Folium, Radix et Herba Cocciniae Grandis thường có tên là Hồng qua.

Nơi sống và thu hái: Loài phân bố ở Ấn Ðộ, Nam Trung Quốc, Việt Nam, Malaixia… Mọc hoang trên nương rẫy, ở rào, lùm bụi từ vùng thấp tới vùng cao 1500m khắp nước ta. Có thể thu hái các bộ phận của cây quanh năm.

Thành phần hoá học: Cây chứa enzym hormon và vết của alcaloid. Dịch lá chứa một một amylase. Rễ chứa acetat lupeol và aceta B-amyril và B-sitosterod. Quả non (của thứ cây đắng) chứa lypeol, B-amyrin và cả cucurbitacin B-glucosid.

Tính vị, tác dụng: Vỏ và rễ có tác dụng xổ, rễ hạ nhiệt; lá hạ nhiệt, dùng ngoài chống ngứa, tiêu viêm, quả trị đái đường.

Công dụng, chỉ định và phối hợp: Lá non và quả dùng làm rau ăn.

Ở Ấn Ðộ dịch lá và rễ dùng trị bệnh đái đường.

Ở Campuchia người ta dùng dịch chiết từ thân cây để trị bệnh đau giác mạc.

Ở Ấn Ðộ người ta dùng cả cây để làm thuốc trị bệnh lậu. Lá dùng đắp ở ngoài da trị phát ban da, trị ghẻ lở, mụn nhọt, các vết thương và các vết cắn của rắn rết.

Ở Inđônêxia, người ta còn dùng cây làm thuốc trị bệnh đậu mùa, đau dạ dày và ruột.

Dân gian dùng củ ngâm rượu bóp chữa sưng đau hay các khớp bị viêm; có người dùng dây. Lá Mảnh bát phối hợp với Bùm sụm, Cỏ mầm trầu, Dền gai, mỗi thứ một nắm sắc uống để trị huyết áp.

____________________________________________________________

**** WIKI
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinia_grandis
The Ivy Gourd (Coccinia grandis), also called tindora (tindori, tindoori), parwal, kundru, tondli (तोंडली in Marathi), toroda/kunduri (oriya), ghiloda, kundri, kowai, kovai, kovakkai (Malayalam – കോവയ്ക്ക),kovakka (Tamil), dondakaya (Telugu – దొండకాయ), tondekayi (Kannada – ತೊಂಡೆಕಾಯಿ), manoli, tindla, gentleman’s toes (compare lady’s fingers), tendli, thendli, thainli, tam lueng (ตำลึง), baby watermelon or little gourd (Sanskrit name : Bimbi बिम्बी ) is a tropical vine.

Botany

Coccinia grandis botanical description "Dioecious perennial herbaceous vine. Stems mostly glabrous, produced annually from a tuberous rootstock; tendrils simple, axillary. Leaves alternate, simple, blade broadly ovate, 5-lobed, 5-9 x 4–9 cm, acute and mucronate at the apex, cordate with a broad sinus at the base; surfaces glabrous or scaly, with 3-8 glands near the base; margins denticulate; petiole 1–5 cm long. Inflorescence usually of solitary, axillary flowers. Calyx of 5 subulate, recurved lobes 2-5mm long on the hypanthium; peduncle 1–5 cm long. Corolla campanulate, white, 3-4.5 cm long, deeply divided into 5 ovate lobes. Stamens 3, present as staminodes in female flowers. Ovary inferior. Fruit a smooth, bright red, ovoid to ellipsoid berry 2.5–6 cm long" (PIER, 2001).Synonyms of botanical name "" cephalandra indica"

Geographic Spread

Coccinia grandis native range includes: Africa and Asia; India, Philippines, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, eastern Papua New Guinea, Northern Territories (Australia) (PIER, 2003). It documented introduced range includes: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, Saipan, Hawai‘i, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu (PIER, 2003).
Seeds or fragments of the vine can be relocated and lead to viable offspring. This can occur when humans transport organic debris or equipment containing C. grandis. Once Ivy Gourd is established, it is presumed that it is spread by birds, rats and other mammals.In Hawaii PIER (2001) suggests that the fruit may be dispersed by pigs. Long distance dispersal is most commonly carried out by humans due to its culinary uses or by mistake.
Regarded as very invasive and is on the Hawaii State Noxious Weed List, Ivy gourd can grow up to four inches per day.Coccinia grows in dense blankets that shade other plants from sunlight and high-jacking nutrients. Native to tropical Africa and Asia, it was introduced to Hawai’i as a back yard food crop. It is sometimes tolerated along garden fences and other outdoor features because of its attractive white flowers. It has escaped to become a vigorous pest in Hawai’i, Florida, Australia, and Texas. In Hawai’i, this plant has spread quickly through Manoa Valley to Punchbowl and into Waimanalo, Oahu, and also into Kona area, Hawai’i. Ivy Gourd’s environmental effects are that it smothers and forms a dense canopy killing vegetation underneath. (NMC Crees, 1997).

Weed Control

There are both physical and chemical recommendations for control of Ivy Gourd. It is very difficult to control this plant physically except for bagging fruits. Hand-harvesting normally does not kill the plant but rather breaks the vine blankets into smaller pieces and the plant is able to reestablish when it touches the ground. These methods can make the infestation worse and further the need for more rigorous control methods. Picking the fruit and placing them in plastic bags can help decrease the seed back that is present with the soil. It is reported by PIER, that when utilizing chemical controls, that Ivy Gourd responded well to a thin-lined bark application of 100% Garlon 4 (triclopyr), leaving plants in place so as not to translocate the herbicide or spread the pest. It is applied multiple times until the vine dies. In Hawaii several species of insect have been introduced with the purpose of being a biocontrol. Two weevils, Acythopeus burkhartorum and A. cocciniae, were introduced by the DOA to Oahu and Hawai’i. African vine moths (Melittia oedipus) were also released onto Oahu and Maui. On the island of Maui it appears that the A. cocciniae is established and are damaging leaves. The larva feed on the plant and the adults chew holes in the leaves. The moth has yet to appear successful in its purpose.

Cultivation

Cultivation in Southeast Asia, ivy gourd is grown for its edible young shoots and edible fruits (Linney 1986).

Medicinal Value

The website Gardenbed.com (2001) describes ivy gourd’s various medicinal qualities as follows "The juice of the roots and leaves is used in the treatment of diabetes. The leaves are used as a poultice in treating skin eruptions. The plant is used as a laxative. It is used internally in the treatment of gonorrhea. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the plant have shown hypoglycaemic principles."
Ivy gourd extracts and other forms of the plant can be purchase online and healthfood stores with. It is claimed that these products help regulate blood sugar levels. It is said that compounds with the plant inhibits the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate which supports the body’s own regulatory system and promotes a more balanced and healthy body. Therefore it is sometimes recommended for diabetic patients. These claims have not been supported but currently there is quite a bit of research focused on the medical properties of this plant. We can use all body parts for as medicinal purpose. So it can use for hypoglycaemic case, as anioxident, as immune grower….etc. Some counties in Asia like Thailand they prepare traditional tonic like drinks for medicinal aspects.

Recipes
The website Gardenbed.com (2001) reports, "Young leaves and long slender stem tops are cooked and eaten as a potherb or added to soups. Young and tender green fruits are eaten raw in salads or cooked and added to curries. Ripe scarlet fruit is eaten raw."
There are a variety of recipes from all over the world that list Ivy Gourd as the main ingredient. It is often compared to bitter melon. The fruit is commonly eaten in Indian cuisine. Natives of Thailand, Indonesia, and other southeast Asian countries also consume the fruit and leaves. Cultivation of ivy gourd in home gardens has been encouraged in Thailand due to its being a good source of several micronutrients, including vitamins A and C.
It is eaten as a curry, by deep-frying it; stuffing it with masala and sauteing it ; or boiling it first in a cooker and then frying it. It is also used in sambar, a vegetable and lentil-based soup.

Nutrition
Ivy gourd is rich in beta-carotene