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" As colorful as the rainbow and as sparkling as fine leaded crystal, gemstones have captured the imaginations and desires of men and perhaps especially, women, for ages. The pursuit of gems have become the subject of legends, fairy tales, epics, and major motion pictures ("Romancing the Stone", for one). Today, more fine gemstone specimens are available to the average person than at any time in history. "

" MyPyramid Tracker is an online dietary and physical activity assessment tool that provides information on your diet quality, physical activity status, related nutrition messages, and links to nutrient and physical activity information. The Food Calories/Energy Balance feature automatically calculates your energy balance by subtracting the energy you expend from physical activity from your food calories/energy intake. Use of this tool helps you better understand your energy balance status and enhances the link between good nutrition and regular physical activity. Keep track of your energy balance history and view it up to one year. MyPyramid Tracker translates the principles of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other nutrition standards developed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. Click here for a NEW tutorial on MyPyramid Tracker. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0535 (expiration date: June 30, 2009). The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 31.5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. "

all kinds of statistics, facts and info about Bedford

"The Bedford Volunteer Fire Department is located in the City of Bedford, VA approximately 25 miles east of Roanoke and 20 miles west of Lynchburg. Organized in 1888, the Bedford Volunteer Fire Department was Bedford City and County's only organized fire protection until 1952. With a first due response area of 182 square miles; the largest first due response area in Bedford County, the Bedford Volunteer Fire Department remains the busiest fire department each year. With a roster of fifty active firefighters, the department operates nine pieces of apparatus and responds to an average of 900 calls each year."

"On average, each man, woman and child in America generates or makes about 4.5 pounds of trash every day. That comes out to more than 1,500 pounds per person, per year! Some of the solid waste is reused or recycled, but as we learned in the Education Department, most of it is buried in landfills. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has found that the kinds of things Americans throw away can be placed into main classes or categories. "

"If your habits resemble those of average Americans, you generate about 4.6 pounds of solid trash per day. This adds up to big trouble for the environment. Americans are generating waste products faster than nature can break them down and using up resources faster than they can be replaced. How can we find ways to meet our current economic and social needs without compromising the ability of our children, and our children's children, to do the same? Our success will depend on understanding the difference between * Sustainable practices: practices that provide ongoing economic and social benefits without degrading the environment. * Unsustainable practices: "quick fixes" that fill an immediate need for resources. Over time, however, these practices deplete or damage natural resources so they cannot be used or enjoyed by future generations. In this exhibit, you can find out how to improve next year's environmental record. You'll learn how waste is handled now and how some communities are doing it better. In the activities, you can test your knowledge about hazardous waste we generate in our homes and try to shrink a landfill. "

new type of weather website, with interactive weather graphs that allow you to pan and zoom through the entire history of any weather station on earth. Get multiple forecasts for the current location, overlaid on records and averages to put it all in context.