LONDON, Feb. 3 Health officials in England plan to lobby Parliament for fluoridation as an effective and inexpensive way to help prevent dental problems, it was reported.
Only two areas in England -- the northeast and the West Midlands -- currently have fluoride automatically added to their municipal water supplies, The Mail on Sunday reported.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson says the plan will help poorer children avoid developing dental cavities.
"I want the NHS to do much more to prevent rather than just treat disease," he was quoted as saying. "Fluoridation is an effective and relatively easy way to help address health inequalities, giving children from poorer backgrounds a dental health boost that can last a lifetime."
Proponents point to studies indicating that children living in non-fluoridated Manchester are twice as likely to have dental caries as children in Birmingham, where fluoride has been added to the water supply for over 40 years, the newspaper reported.

Stop Sign? Not in Her Vocabulary!

The actress, also appearing in Showtime's "Weeds," is smokin' hot these days, as high a dramatic highlight as the corn once soared in the mythical Kansas town in which her CBS series is set. If Bonnie Richmond were a real-life neighbor, would the actress who plays her go over to borrow a cup of some radioactive sugar? Would she confide in her?

"Absolutely," says Stern. "There's a strange phenomenon of people choosing to confide in deaf people; I know I'm not alone in this."

A willing ear? "I've had people tell me their life stories at random events like birthday parties or when I'm having a drink at a bar -- even on the dance floor at clubs."

Direct and dynamic, Stern doesn't dance around any topics. "My whole family is like that," she says of her parents and brother and sister, who are "forever curious about other people and their lives, which probably adds to that sense of profound attention." .

New concepts about landscape design

Smaller turf areas, low-volume irrigation systems, mulching and low-input plant care are important components of these energy-efficient landscapes. An example could be replacing a traditional high-maintenance lawn area with ground covers and easily maintained decks, terraces and patios of wood, brick, paving or stone.Gardeners are composting and recycling more, using less fertilizer and choosing environmentally friendly products for dealing with pests. Pest control now tends to utilize the concepts of Integrated Pest Management, where many strategies are employed (especially using plants that are less prone to problems) to manage pests; and pesticides whether organic or chemical are applied only when absolutely necessary. Its also appropriate to accept some level of pest damage to landscape plants.Many of us have decided it is OK to share our gardens with other creatures, and even create habitats to provide for their needs.

Hong Kong Ship Owners Post $80 Million to U.S. for San Francisco Bay ...

The crew of its ship Kriton routinely dumped sludge and bilge water into the sea without recording the discharges, prosecutors said.