Predicting the end of the world has almost certainly been going on since man began thinking, whenever that was. It is warned about in Revelations in the Bible, so that must be about 2,000 years ago.

Nonetheless, it is the predictions of Nostradamus that are the most well-known and most abundant. Some biographical records of Nostradamus’ life state that he was afraid of being victimized for heresy by the Inquisition, although neither prophecy nor astrology fell under their jurisdiction. He would have been in danger only if he had practiced magic to back up his predictions.

In fact, his contact with the Church as a prophet and a healer were always excellent. His brief imprisonment at Marignane in late 1561 came about purely because he had published his 1562 Almanac without the previous consent of a bishop, contravening a recent royal decree.

Here then are a few of the prophesies of the end of the world and the destruction of mankind.

December 21st, 22nd or 23rd 2012 are all possible dates for the ending of the world according to the ancient Mayan Calendar.

Bird baths can make an attractive feature in your yard or garden, unless of course you don’t properly maintain them. If you’re tired of the green algae and scum in your bird bath or worried about using a bleach solution to clean off stains, don’t stress over it. There are better solutions to maintain a healthy environment for your backyard visitors. A clean, healthy bird bath keeps the birds happy and frequently visiting.

The easiest way to keep green algae from building up in your bird bath is to use an all-natural product that prevents scum from forming. These environmentally friendly products won’t harm birds and they also won’t require constant maintenance.

Bioverse makes a Birdbath Water Cleaner that uses beneficial bacteria and enzymes to prevent stains, mineral deposits and organic build-up. The product reduces the excess nutrients in the water that causes the problems.

It is best to give your bird a thorough cleaning before using the product. However, be sure to avoid bleach or harsh chemicals, which can be harmful to birds and other animals. Simply empty the bird bath and scrub it well with a brush or sponge. A mixture of vinegar and water also may be helpful; and there are a few soy-based cleaners that won’t harm the birds. Some very mild detergents can be used, but some birds are sensitive to these, as well, so plain water is preferable.

The best-selling book on “popular mycology,” Mycelium Running, would be a useful reference book in every home, especially to anyone involved in farming (or gardening), forest management and environmental cleanup. The second half of the book is an instruction manual on growing delectable mushrooms for food and medicine.

The book is filled to the brim with valuable information on how to improve soils for farming, gardening and forestry; create simple, low-cost biofilters for waste water (mycofiltration); and clean up toxic waste (mycoremediation).

As an example, a method for building a mycofiltration bed to filter waste water is described in exacting detail. Dimensions, depth, layers and recommended materials and mushrooms are listed. This mycofiltration is useful, among other things, for filtering manure enriched farm runoff.

Not only does it solve the problem of farm runoff and E. coli contamination of nearby streams, it can also yield highly palatable food mushrooms, and the bed itself can be dug out every 2-3 years and then used as an excellent fertilizer for the farm.

Now that spring is fully blooming and temps across the entire country are getting hotter, it is time to think about lawn care, and more importantly, fertilization! But do you want to go natural or organic? Do you know what that really means? After all, organically treated lawns look much better when they are treated properly! Bet you didn’t know that!

Naturally treated or organically fertilized lawns respond just a little slower because organics need proper, prolonged heat in order to release their nitrogen and other nutrients into the soil. Traditional synthetic fertilizers, however, only need water to dissolve and hit the soil line. This means that organics won’t produce any results until later in the year. Organics, however, do have the advantage of being slow release, feeding the lawn over time.

Don’t worry though, because anyone who is in the lawn care business knows that organically treated lawns look much better in the long haul. This is because the slow release of nutrients helps the lawn to recover and build slowly, over time, which makes it stronger. Synthetically treated lawns, however, tend to green up fast and fade even faster. It’s like a sugar rush that only lasts for a short time and fades in a crash!

History reveals that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is a big evidence of a hydroponic garden. Moreover, the Aztec Indians in the now Mexico had a system of growing crops on rafts. These rafts are in shallow lakes that you can still see in floating gardens near Mexico City. Therefore, history shows the great significance of hydroponic system of growing plants even in ancient times.

Developments with hydroponics did not however take place in Europe until 1699 when Woodward discovered it. He found out that he can grow plants in a solution of water to which soil had been added.

On the other hand, Liebig, a German scientist, originated using nutrient solutions to study the nutritional requirements of plants in the 1850′s. It was then followed by Sachs in 1860. Knop also did some studies of nutrient elements in water solutions in 1861. They grew plants in nutrients-rich solutions with mineral salts. This does away with the soil as a main requirement for growing crops.

Many researches on the nutritional requirements of plants extended through even until the 1870′s. By 1925, practical applications of hydroponics were being introduced for the vast development in the greenhouse industry.