What is Peat Moss? How Could It Harm the Environment?

Plants, Technology
[caption id="attachment_24609" align="alignright" width="480"] A beautiful peat moss bog.[/caption] Peat is composed largely of sphagnum and other mosses, although some other plant material may be included. Because these plants grow in wetlands, the abundance of water decaying plants breakdown slowly and without the presence of oxygen. That is, decomposition is anaerobic, more than aerobic. Commercializing Peat Moss Harvested peat is employed in a number of ways. Perhaps best known is its use as a soil amendment and in the manufacture of peat pots for seed germination. In some regions, dried peat is used for the generation of electric power. There might not be much impact from this, except over large periods of time, meters-deep peat bogs form. They become a valuable resource. However, the need for peat is sometimes less…
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Will the Real Anastasia Please Stand Up!

History
[caption id="attachment_6535" align="alignright" width="380"] Anastasia in Court 1910[/caption] The present inevitably retreats into the past. Yet past events snag public fancy and are featured in media productions. Such proved true of the young Grand Duchess Anastasia1 Nikolaevna Romanov (Великая Княжна Анастасия Николаевна Романова) of Russia. She was a daughter of Nicholas II, the last of the Russian Czars. Nicholas and his family were taken to be assassinated by the Bolshevik secret police. From Fantasy to Fact Not all the bodies were recovered. Missing were the bodies of one daughter, presumed to be Anastasia*, and the son, the Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich. Rumors circulated of Anastasia’s possible survival. Anastasia - Where? Claimants appeared, the most mysterious and deemed possible of these, was a woman. She eventually made Charlottesville, Virginia in the U.S.,…
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Beginner Level Russian Crossword

Language
[caption id="attachment_3187" align="alignright" width="480"] The Czar's Palace: Kremlin, Moscow, Russia[/caption] Would you care to play a simple beginner's level Russian crossword puzzle? If the solution is also provided? RUSSIA! It's an amazing, multicultural part of this diverse world. Although I cannot afford to visit Russia, I find its people, its history, and its language fascinating. Part of me would like to visit Russia, part of me wouldn't. It doesn't matter. The cost is prohibitive for me. All Things Russian Some time ago, while seeking beginning level Russian video and audio files, I discovered Natalia Worthington and her lovely Spoonful of Russian website. Since I benefited from her efforts, I thought I would contribute to it in some small way. Using Microsoft Word, I generated a beginner's level crossword puzzle. I…
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