Peanuts for preventing nut allergy

An increasing number of children are allergic to some kind of nut, with potentially fatal consequences. About 20% seem to "grow out of" their allergy in time, though there is a chance the allergy may come back. Now scientists have found this chance can be lowered -- by eating peanuts.

Studying 68 children who had outgrown a peanut allergy, researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Maryland, USA, found none of those who regularly ate peanut products redeveloped an allergy, whereas those who did have a recurrence had seldom eaten peanuts. This suggests children who've outgrown an allergy should eat peanuts at least once a month, but consult your doctor first. » Continue reading

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Placing AdSense Ads in the middle of Blogger posts

Hackman has an interesting hack to place AdSense ads right in the middle of your blogger posts. In this hack, Hackman places a HTML comment at the desired location in the post body while composing the post. Then using JavaScript he moves the contents before the HTML comment to a blank <div> tag before the AdSense code.

Hackman's hack is meant to work with the classic templates of Blogger. I have tweaked it a little to make it work for the new Blogger (layout) template. Here you go...

Find the <data:post.body/> tag in your new Blogger (layout) template and replace it with (Use copy-paste as some text below might be out of view):

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'>

<div expr:id='"adsensical" + data:post.id + "start"'></div>

<div style="margin:5px 0 -5px 10px">
<!--PLACE YOUR AD CODE HERE-->
</div>

&lt;div id="adsensical<data:post.id/>end">
&lt;div id="adsensical<data:post.id/>body">
</b:if>
<data:post.body/>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'>
&lt;/div>
&lt;/div>

<script language="JavaScript">&lt;!--
//AdSensical Place Ads in Middle of Blogger Posts
//By hackman_3vilGuy http://adsensical-adsense.blogspot.com
//hackman {AT}caller {DOT}me {DOT}uk
//Modified for New Blogger (Layout) Template by Aziz (http://hashout.blogspot.com/)
topbit=document.getElementById("adsensical<data:post.id/>start");
bottombit=document.getElementById("adsensical<data:post.id/>end");
s=document.getElementById("adsensical<data:post.id/>body").innerHTML;
var regexIndex=s.search(/&lt;!--adsense-->/igm);
if(regexIndex>0) {topbit.innerHTML=s.substr(0,regexIndex);bottombit.innerHTML=s.substr(regexIndex+14);}
//-->
</script>
</b:if>

Now just replace <!--PLACE YOUR AD CODE HERE--> with your AdSense JavaScript code which you got from AdSense Setup and place <!--adsense--> anywhere within your post where you want the ad to appear (Make sure you insert it in Edit HTML mode).

The above code displays ads only on item (post) pages. If you want to display the ads on main or archive pages also, just remove the <b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'> and </b:if> tags. AdSense will automatically display only the first three ads on the page (in order of its appearance in the HTML) including the ones outside the posts section.

If you do not insert the HTML comment into your post content (HTML), then the ads will appear before the post body, but after the post title.

If you would like to see it working live before you begin implementing it on your blog, take a look here.

Related posts:

• How to place google adsense code on web pages
  
• How to insert Google Adsense ads before or after each post in the new Blogger (Layout) template

» Continue reading

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More reasons to drink tea

Scientists can't stop finding health benefits for tea. Tests at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, suggest that tea, and particularly green tea, may improve your memory and slow the onset of Alzheimer's.

A previous study in Chicago of people prone to tension headaches found that caffeine alone gave as much pain relief as ibuprofen. And a team in Illinois have found that polyphenols in black tea stop plaque forming on your teeth, and reduce the level of cavity-forming acids. » Continue reading

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Is your computer data safe?

Shielding your home computer from online threats is easier than you think. Try these simple defensive steps:

Update your OS. Whether you use the Windows or Mac operating system (OS), it must be updated regularly to shore up your computer's defenses. On a PC, go to "Windows Update" under the Start icon and click to install all security-related updates. On a Mac, go to "Software Update" in your system Preferences (OS X) or under Control Panels (OS 9). Set the feature to update automatically each week.

Install a firewall. Hackers can enter your computer if you don't have a firewall in place, such as ZoneAlarm (free), which can warn you each time your computer accesses the Web.

Install antivirus software. You need the most up-to-date anti-virus programs to ensure your hard drive and e-mail are uninfected. Two popular brands are Symentec's Norton AntiVirus and McAfee's Internet Security Suite. Run the software weekly.

Fight spyware. Spyware enters your computer when you're online, and reports your activities to companies that then try to sell you products. To remove spyware, download an anti-spyware program such as Ad-Aware (free). Run the program daily.

Change web browsers. Viruses that enter your PC via Internet Explorer can do serious damage. Consider trying a free alternative such as Mozilla Firefox. » Continue reading

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Mighty 'Clay'

Acme Brick is celebrating its 116th year with a surprise. In fact the surprise weighs 2,722 kg. It is 'Baby Clay' -- the world's largest brick. This 'Baby' is 116 inches long -- one inch for every year that Acme has been in business. This giant brick, which will compete for an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records, is 39 inches tall and 39 inches wide.

The brick was made with clay from each of Acme's 23 brick plants and took 13 months to be completed. » Continue reading

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Have a Mostly Sunny Day!

A radio alarm clock may be fine for many of us, but not for Douglas Le Comte, a meteorologist and Weatherwise magazine contributor. He uses the Wireless Forecast Station. It can wake you up, display a 24-hour forecast, show barometric pressure and its trend, and give you a wireless temperature reading from another location, like the garage. » Continue reading

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Stealth Shopping on the Web

Protecting your privacy is harder when shopping online because you're asked to fork over sensitive data. Here's what Jay Foley at the Identity Theft Resource Centre suggests to minimize exposure:

Change your identity. Create a new email address exclusively for online stores that require one. This dummy address will wind up receiving future junk emails. Then each week, trash all the spam from your "shopping" address.

Look for the lock. Before filling out any on-screen form asking for credit card data, verify that you're at a secure Web page. The URL in the field at the top of your screen should begin with "https://" and look for a locked padlock icon in the lower-left corner of the screen.

Send spies packing. If you download free software, "spyware" may have been secretly attached by a third party to monitor your surfing habits. Spychecker.com offers free software that detects and removes spyware from your hard drive. » Continue reading

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