LICHENS AND AIR POLLUTION

WELCOME! BEM-VINDOS! TO ECOLOGICAL DAY!

1. Sonia - Leaves of Grass2. Eduardo P.L.3. lizete vicari4. expresso da linha5. Pietro Brosio6. Elma - Caliandra do Cerrado7. Louise8. Louise9. noVÍ tá10. Paz's New York Minute11. Luci Lacey12. Adelino13. mischiefmari
14. Gepetto15. Maria Augusta16. JU Gioli17. Elizabeth schmid18. Luma Rosa19. Elizabeth20. Leandro Neres21. Denise BC22. Luiz Ramos23. Luiz Ramos24. ADRIANA MACEDO25. Rachel26. Long Island Daily Photo
27. Marcos Santos28. Miriam Salles29. Lídia - Silêncio Culpado30. Paula Martha31. Francine Esqueda32. vz33. Lucia Helena34. Astrid Annabelle35. tumbleweed36. Words about Water37.
You're next!

Do you see "this" in your garden or neighborhood? If your answer is YES, luck you! There is no air pollution around you!

Você vê "isto" em seu jardim ou redondezas? Se sua resposta for SIM, sorte sua! O ar está limpo e não há poluição!

Lichens are a successful alliance between a fungus and an alga. Each doing what it does best, and thriving as a result of a natural cooperation. They live as one organism, both inhabiting the same body. ""Many lichens are very sensitive to pollution in the air. When there are too many harmful things in the air, lichens die. If you live where there are many lichens it probably means the air is clean. But, if there are only a few lichens in your neighborhood, the air you are breathing is probably clogged with automobile fumes or industrial wastes.

Lichens are capable of inhabiting several ecosystems, due to their versatility, despite of the environmental conditions. They can live on rocks, ground, rind of trees, trunks and wood. Lichens are very good bio-indicators to survey the air pollution.

So, Lichens are important in many ways: Lichens are sensitive to pollution in the air and can tell us if the air is clear and clean; Drug companies make antibiotics from lichen substances; Some lichens make nitrogen in the air usable to plants; Lichens are homes for spiders, mites, lice and other insects; Lichens can be used as a natural dye to color wool; People eat lichens (careful - a few are poisonous, so don't experiment without adult help).

Os Líquens são seres vivos muito simples que se desenvolvem como lâminas ou placas de várias cores na superfície de árvores ou de pedras, expostas à umidade e ao sol. São geralmente estudados pelos botânicos, apesar de não serem verdadeiras plantas. Os líquens são uma simbiose – um organismo formado por um fungo (o micobionte) e uma alga ou cianobactéria (o fotobionte). Os líquens são muito sensíveis à poluição do ar. Quando há muitos poluentes no ar os líquens morrem. Se você mora num ambiente onde há muitos líquens, isso significa que o ar está limpo e não há poluição. Os líquens são indicadores biológicos importantes que permitem uma avaliação da qualidade do ambiente.

Os Líquens proliferam nos substractos mais variados: sobre rochas, solo, casca das árvores e madeira. Vivem em ambientes onde nem fungos nem as algas se desenvolveriam. Assim, toleram condições climáticas extremas. Os líquens, apesar de suportarem os rigores ambientais, são extremamente sensíveis aos agentes poluentes, podendo indicar a qualidade do ar e até a quantidade de metais pesados em áreas industriais, o que explica a não ocorrência destes seres vivos nas grandes cidades.

Outra utilidade dos líquens: eles são comestíveis, mas cuidado porque alguns são venenosos, assim não os experimente sem a ajuda de um expert no assunto. As indústrias farmacêuticas usam os líquens na fabricação de remédios e os líquens também podem ser usados para colorir lãs e tecidos.


Photos taken by myself in my garden
Click on photos to enlarge and to see better!

BLOG ANNIVERSARY THIRD

In September 29, I will celebrate the Third Anniversary of Leaves of Grass. I must to say that through blogging I've met a lot of nice, intelligent and funny people all around the world and it has been a great experience to me! I am having a wonderful and great time here!

To homage all my blogs friends I made this collage. My criterium was to pick up them from my links seeing on "Blogs I like to visit". This list is a work in progress, so I truly hope I did not forgot any person here.



About the photos, my criterium was to add a personal photo or a page's PrintScreen, when I could not find personal pictures to post. All pictures comes from friend's blogs and I sort them by alphabetic order. These photos has different sizes and I haven't the specific tool to make all them with the same sizes. So, the resulting image looks like a mosaic. I hope you like it.



Finally, I would like to thank you all my blog's friends who has been visiting, commenting and giving your lovely feedback.



No próximo dia 29 irei comemorar o Terceiro Aniversário do Leaves of Grass. Através do meu blog encontrei pessoas agradáveis, inteligentes, criativas e fiz reais amigos no mundo todo. Blogar tem sido uma experiência fantástica!



Para homenagear os meus amigos eu tive a idéia de fazer uma colagem. Meu critério foi buscá-los nos meus links, que estão no ítem “Blogs I like to visit”. Esta lista de links está sempre em movimento, assim, espero que eu não tenha esquecido de ninguém.



Quanto às fotos, meu critério foi adicionar à colagem fotos pessoais ou o PrintScreen da página, quando não encontrei uma foto adequada para postar. Elas foram copiadas dos blogs e estão dispostas em ordem alfabética. As fotos têm diferentes tamanhos e como eu não disponho de um programa específico para padronizá-las, o resultado foi um mosaico de fotos em diferentes dimensões. Espero que vocês gostem.



Finalmente, gostaria de agradecer a todos vocês meus amigos, que têm me visitado e feito generosos comentários.





Click on the pictures to enlarge and see better!

Abraham Lincoln, Adelino, A-Expression, Alcarwen, Alice, Alice, Amy, Andrea, Andrea, Ângela Ursa, Anna, Anny, Becca, Belinha, Britt-Arnhild, Carraol, Carrie, Cathy, Christine, Claude, Claudia, Claudia, Coca Cutie, Connie, Connie, Cris, Cris, Cuidado Rural, David, Deana, Debby, Denise.

Dot, Eduardo, Elaine, Elma, Ery Roberto, Fabrizio, Faye, Fénix, Fernanda, Fernando Zanforlin, Ferreira-Pinto, Fran, Francine, Francis, Francisco Coelho, Gattina, Gená, Gerald, Geraldine, Geraldo, Gina, Gisela, Gislene, Googs, Henrique, Herhimnbryn, Isabella, Isadora, Jake, Jan.



Janice, Jeanette, Jeanne, Jennie, Jilly, Jim&Peg, John, Jonas, Jorge, JU Gioli, Judith, Kenju, Julie, June, Jussara, Karen, Kate, Kay, Ken Mac, Kerri, Kitty, Kris, Laerte, Lara Berch, Lara, Laura, Leena, Leslee, Letitia, Lica.

Lídia, Liz, Lizete, Lloyd, Louise, Lucy, Lúcia Helena, Luísa, Luiz, Luma, LV2SCPBK, Lynette, Lynne, M.Kate, Madeleine, Marc, Marcos, Mari, Maria Augusta, Marie, Maristela, Mary, Mary Jo, Mary Osborn, Maurício, Max, Meow, Merisi, Ming the Merciless, Mischiefmari, Mrsnesbitt.

Nancy Bea, Naomi, Neva, Pam, Pat, Patricia, Paula, Paulo, Paz, Peri, Peter, Photo Cache, Pietro, Rachel, Rain, Rauf, Ricardo Filho, Robin Andrea, Ronnie, Rurality, São, Sara Louise, Scotty, Shammickite, Sonia Nascimento, Sonia Novaes, Sue, Susie, Suzann, Tabor, Tom, Trish, Vaggelis, Val, Valter, Vi Leardi, Walter Jeffries, Wendy, Wiley Luke, Your EG Tour Guide.





These friends haven't updating or closed their blogs and I miss them very much. Estes amigos não estão mais atualizando ou fecharam os seus blogs. Eu tenho saudade deles.

Heloise, JG and Jude.

Paula Hagar just updated her blog Apprentice of Wonder.

Minha amiga Heloise tem agora um novo blog: Rio em Disco .

My friend Heloise has now a new blog: Rio em Disco .

UPDATE 1

Estou muito grata ao Luiz Ramos, do Natural Shot Photos por esta carinhosa homenagem ao meu blog!

Thank you Luiz Ramos, from Natural Shot Photos for this nice homage to my blog!

UPDATE 2

Muito obrigada Ery Roberto, do Infinito Positivo, por ter criado esta linda e muito original imagem para comemorar o aniversário do blog!

Thank you so much Ery Roberto, from Infinito Positivo, for this gorgeous and very original image created by him to homage my blog's anniversary!

Muito obrigada Lucy, do Hippos, por ter feito um Post muito especial dedicado ao meu blog e também pela divulgação do Ecological Day no próximo dia 2 de Outubro.

Thank you so much Lucy, from Hippos, for the homage on a special Post and also for divulge Ecological Day, next October 2.

Muito obrigada Paz, do Paz's New York Minute, que publicou uma nota em sua página, elogiando o meu blog e convidando os seus leitores para uma visita.

Thank you so much Paz, from Paz's New York Minute, for the compliment to my blog and for the note inviting her friends to make me a visit.

UPDATE 3

Muito obrigada Eduardo, do Varal de Idéias por ter feito um Post muito especial homenageando os três anos do Leaves of Grass.

Thank you so much Eduardo, from Varal de Idéias, for the homage on a special Post about the three years of Leaves of Grass.

Muito obrigada JU Gioli, do Só Poesias e outros ítens... por ter criado esta linda colagem para homenagear o aniversário do meu blog.

Thank you so much JU Gioli, from, Só Poesias e outros ítens... for this gorgeous collage created by her to homage my blog anniversary.

UPDATE 4

Muito obrigada, Luma, do blog "Luz de Luma, yes party!" que postou uma carinhosa nota em seu blog a respeito do nome do Leaves of Grass. Ela supõe que eu deva ter me inspirado no livro de Walt Whitman. Ela acertou! No post Leaves of Grass and the poet Walt Whitman eu explico a origem do nome do meu blog.



Thank you so much Luma, from "Luz de Luma, yes party!" for your nice note on her blog about the name of Leaves of Grass. She guess if I was inspired by the book of Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass. She is right! On the post Leaves of Grass and the poet Walt Whitman I explain the origin of my Blog's name.



Muito obrigada, Anny, do Blog Linha por ter feito um post muito especial homenageando o Leaves of Grass e falando também do livro de Walt Whitman, que ela gosta muito.



Thank you so much, Anny, from Blog Linha for the homage on a special Post to Leaves of Grass. She also talks about the book of Walt Whitman that she loves so much.

THE BRIDGE AND THE SKY

Welcome to Sky Watch Friday

Photos By Carlos A. Mascaro

Ponte Estaiada Octávio Frias de Oliveira, in São Paulo. (14/Aug/2008)

A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns (normally referred to as towers or pylons), with cables supporting the bridge deck. There are two major classes of cable-stayed bridges: In a harp design, the cables are made nearly parallel by attaching cables to various points on the tower(s) so that the height of attachment of each cable on the tower is similar to the distance from the tower along the roadway to its lower attachment. In a fan design, the cables all connect to or pass over the top of the tower(s). Cable-stayed bridges can be dated back to the 1784 design of a timber bridge by German carpenter C.T. Loescher. Many early suspension bridges were of hybrid suspension and cable-stayed construction, including the 1817 footbridge at Dryburgh Abbey, and the later Albert Bridge (1872) and Brooklyn Bridge (1883). (Wikipedia)



Who was Octavio Frias de Oliveira (August 5, 1912–29 April 2007). He was a Brazilian executive who built Grupo Folha, one of Brazil's largest media empires. Frias founded Grupo Folha in 1962 with his business partner Carlos Caldeira Filho. They own or control newspapers Folha de São Paulo (Newspaper), Agora, and Valor Econômico, publisher Publifolha, distributor Transfolha, and Brazil’s biggest online portal, Universo Online (Internet).

Peugeot shows new 908 HY diesel-hybrid Le Mans racer!

In the current world of big time international endurance racing, two cars stand head and shoulders above the rest, the Audi R10 TDI and the Peugeot 908 HDi. Put these two Le Mans Prototype class 1 cars, both powered by 5.5L turbo diesel V12s, on a wide open track and nothing can run with them. With Formula 1 introducing hybrid kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) in 2009 and the American Le Mans Series introducing a Green Challenge award, Peugeot has decided to take the next step with its program. The French manufacturer is using the last race of the 2008 Le Mans Series at Sliverstone to unveil a demonstrator called the 908 HY which may foreshadow the next generation of its Le Mans challenger. The 908 HY adds a 60 kW electric motor, a set of lithium ion battery packs and corresponding power electronics. The diesel hybrid system will allow the car to operate in electric-only mode in the pits, and get a power boost on the track thanks to recaptured kinetic energy. The current demonstrator has a net weight gain of 45 kg (99 lbs) compared to the standard car. Whether Peugeot runs a car based on this powertrain depends on the ACO, the organization that sets the rules for Le Mans.

Peugeot shows new 908 HY diesel-hybrid Le Mans racer!

In the current world of big time international endurance racing, two cars stand head and shoulders above the rest, the Audi R10 TDI and the Peugeot 908 HDi. Put these two Le Mans Prototype class 1 cars, both powered by 5.5L turbo diesel V12s, on a wide open track and nothing can run with them. With Formula 1 introducing hybrid kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) in 2009 and the American Le Mans Series introducing a Green Challenge award, Peugeot has decided to take the next step with its program. The French manufacturer is using the last race of the 2008 Le Mans Series at Sliverstone to unveil a demonstrator called the 908 HY which may foreshadow the next generation of its Le Mans challenger. The 908 HY adds a 60 kW electric motor, a set of lithium ion battery packs and corresponding power electronics. The diesel hybrid system will allow the car to operate in electric-only mode in the pits, and get a power boost on the track thanks to recaptured kinetic energy. The current demonstrator has a net weight gain of 45 kg (99 lbs) compared to the standard car. Whether Peugeot runs a car based on this powertrain depends on the ACO, the organization that sets the rules for Le Mans.

New Honda City unveiled in Thailand - is this the look of the new Insight?

The new Honda Insight concept was teased last week in advance of the vehicle's unveiling at the Paris Motor Show next month. We don't know that the production version will look like, but it'll be similar in some ways to the concept and different in others. That's a cop out, sure, but what else is there to know? How about by taking a look at the 2009 Honda City, which was just unveiled in Thailand and is based on the Fit/Jazz. An anonymous poster wrote to Carscoop that, "We'll definitely see a variant of this in the US. It'll have a slightly different profile from the c-pillar back, be a hatchback and will be called the 'Insight.' Due at dealers in April..."

Last year, Honda became one of the first international automakers to take advantage of Thailand's financial aid packages to get more green cars built domestically. As to what the local vehicles might reveal about Honda's global line-up, go ahead and compare the two cars in high-resolution galleries below. Do you think that anonymous is right? Thanks to Rob for the tip.

Gallery: 2009 Honda City

New Honda City unveiled in Thailand - is this the look of the new Insight?

The new Honda Insight concept was teased last week in advance of the vehicle's unveiling at the Paris Motor Show next month. We don't know that the production version will look like, but it'll be similar in some ways to the concept and different in others. That's a cop out, sure, but what else is there to know? How about by taking a look at the 2009 Honda City, which was just unveiled in Thailand and is based on the Fit/Jazz. An anonymous poster wrote to Carscoop that, "We'll definitely see a variant of this in the US. It'll have a slightly different profile from the c-pillar back, be a hatchback and will be called the 'Insight.' Due at dealers in April..."

Last year, Honda became one of the first international automakers to take advantage of Thailand's financial aid packages to get more green cars built domestically. As to what the local vehicles might reveal about Honda's global line-up, go ahead and compare the two cars in high-resolution galleries below. Do you think that anonymous is right? Thanks to Rob for the tip.

Gallery: 2009 Honda City

Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid to launch in June 2009 in Europe

Mercedes-Benz hasn't publicly announced an official on-sale date yet for its first hybrid models beyond the first half of 2009. However, BusinessWeek is reporting that the S400 BlueHybrid will go on sale in Europe in June 2009. The big gas-electric luxury sedan is due to arrive on U.S. roads one year from now. The S400 will use a lithium-ion battery pack and will likely be the first from a major automaker to do so. With a current U.S. base price of $86,700 for an S550, it's not quite clear where the hybrid will fit in the U.S. lineup. The S400 will pair the 3.5L V6 that is not available in the U.S. S-Class with the Daimler/BMW mild hybrid system. BusinessWeek reports the system will command a premium of less than €10,000 (I should hope so, since that's almost what Lexus charges for the full hybrid system on the LS600h). On the plus side, the Mercedes should get significantly better fuel economy than the Lexus. Mercedes is claiming 29.8 mpg (U.S.) for the hybrid although it remains to be seen how it will fare on the EPA cycle.

Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid to launch in June 2009 in Europe

Mercedes-Benz hasn't publicly announced an official on-sale date yet for its first hybrid models beyond the first half of 2009. However, BusinessWeek is reporting that the S400 BlueHybrid will go on sale in Europe in June 2009. The big gas-electric luxury sedan is due to arrive on U.S. roads one year from now. The S400 will use a lithium-ion battery pack and will likely be the first from a major automaker to do so. With a current U.S. base price of $86,700 for an S550, it's not quite clear where the hybrid will fit in the U.S. lineup. The S400 will pair the 3.5L V6 that is not available in the U.S. S-Class with the Daimler/BMW mild hybrid system. BusinessWeek reports the system will command a premium of less than €10,000 (I should hope so, since that's almost what Lexus charges for the full hybrid system on the LS600h). On the plus side, the Mercedes should get significantly better fuel economy than the Lexus. Mercedes is claiming 29.8 mpg (U.S.) for the hybrid although it remains to be seen how it will fare on the EPA cycle.

Rain Supreme: Big surprises at soaked Italian Grand Prix (SPOILER ALERT)

Racing fans are used to tuning in on the Saturday of a grand prix weekend to find the words "Scuderia" and "Ferrari" at the top of the qualifying list. But interrupted by the words "Toro Rosso"? Never. But that was only the first of many surprises at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel shockingly secured his first pole position thanks to some exceedingly brilliant driving joined with good strategy on the part of his Ferrari-powered Scuderia Toro Rosso team, which wisely stuck with the extreme wet tires on the rain-soaked Monza circuit while others experimented with intermediate treads. The young German's unprecedented qualifying performance put him in the record books as the youngest driver ever to secure a pole position, supplanting Fernando Alonso's previous record. But with so many other drivers with more experience and backed by teams with immensely bigger budgets, surely Vettel's lead would quickly be stolen by an established front-runner. Wouldn't it? Follow the jump to find out.

Gallery: 2008 Italian Grand Prix

Rain Supreme: Big surprises at soaked Italian Grand Prix (SPOILER ALERT)

Racing fans are used to tuning in on the Saturday of a grand prix weekend to find the words "Scuderia" and "Ferrari" at the top of the qualifying list. But interrupted by the words "Toro Rosso"? Never. But that was only the first of many surprises at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel shockingly secured his first pole position thanks to some exceedingly brilliant driving joined with good strategy on the part of his Ferrari-powered Scuderia Toro Rosso team, which wisely stuck with the extreme wet tires on the rain-soaked Monza circuit while others experimented with intermediate treads. The young German's unprecedented qualifying performance put him in the record books as the youngest driver ever to secure a pole position, supplanting Fernando Alonso's previous record. But with so many other drivers with more experience and backed by teams with immensely bigger budgets, surely Vettel's lead would quickly be stolen by an established front-runner. Wouldn't it? Follow the jump to find out.

Gallery: 2008 Italian Grand Prix