June 7, 2010
June 5, 2010
`Banks' allow members to pay with time, not cash
7:55 PM
Beena
ALLENTOWN, Pa. – No money? No problem! Pay with time, instead.
That's what Maria Villacreses did when the economy put a hitch in her wedding plans: She used "time dollars" on everything from a wedding-day makeover to an elaborate seven-layer cake.
In a modern twist on the ancient practice of barter, people like Villacreses are joining time banks to help them get the things they need or want without having to spend cash.
In a time bank, members get credit for services they provide to other members, from cooking to housekeeping to car rides to home repair. For each hour of work, one time dollar is deposited into a member's account, good for services offered by other members.
Scores of time banks are being started in hard-hit communities around the nation — and thousands of devotees are helping each other survive tough financial times.
"Even though we were planning to do something small and simple, it takes a lot of money, time and effort. Through time banking, I got a lot of help," said Villacreses, who belongs to Community Exchange, a 10-year-old time bank in Allentown, where 500 members offer everything from electrical work to tai chi.
As the economy recovers amid stubbornly high unemployment, newer banks with names like "Back On Track" have joined Community Exchange in offering an alternative to cash. Time Banks USA, an advocacy group in Washington, says interest in time banking has surged: About 115 now operate nationwide, with 100 more in early stages of development. Membership fluctuates but is believed to total more than 15,000.
"People see time banking as a way to deal with the economic pressures they are feeling," especially in places hit hardest by the recession, said Jen Moore, membership and outreach coordinator for Time Banks USA.
In Maine, where paper mills and shoe manufacturers have closed, time dollars buy everything from guitar lessons to yard work — even prayer. In California, they buy haircuts, tax help and aromatherapy. In Michigan, child care, plumbing and yoga.
In South Carolina, Back on Track Charleston was launched recently to help down-on-their-luck residents get, well, back on track. It's already got 80 members.
Winborne Evans relies on Back on Track to supply her with baby-sitting while she picks up extra shifts as a waitress. She's also using time dollars, which she earns by sitting for other members' kids, to help get her fledgling beekeeping business off the ground.
"Becoming a single mom recently ... I truly can't imagine where I would be without it, mostly because I can't afford a baby-sitter, and I can't afford to pay people to help me with my bees," said Evans, 29.
Unlike bartering, transactions in time banking are not usually reciprocal. Instead, Jane baby-sits for John, John fixes Mary's leaky faucet, Mary drives Tom to the doctor's office, and so on, all of them earning and spending time dollars. Their labor is valued equally: One hour is always worth one time dollar. (Time dollars are not taxable, according to Time Banks USA.)
People often join for economic reasons but wind up getting more out of it. Among the benefits: networking, getting to know neighbors, building a sense of community and keeping skills sharp.
"Part of it is very practical," said Judith Lasker, a professor at Lehigh University in Bethlehem who is co-writing a book on time banking. "There's another part of it that's very ideological. People believe the best way to survive in this crazy, unpredictable world is to forge local ties, support local economies ... and support local people in a variety of ways."
Services provided by Allentown's Community Exchange — including gardening, cleaning, cooking and transportation — have allowed 79-year-old Joan Stevenson to stay in her home and out of assisted living.
"I'm enriched by it, not only from the services I receive but by being able to contribute," said Stevenson, who earns time dollars by writing for the Community Exchange newsletter, hosting Community Exchange meetings at her house and helping other members with their resumes and job searches.
Time banks are labor intensive and can be difficult to keep going. Most of the successful ones eventually get a paid staff, either by raising grant money or affiliating with a larger organization. Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network, the Allentown region's largest employer, pays the small staff of Community Exchange.
Manager Laura Gutierrez said time banks are worth the effort.
"Since the economy has been poor, people need to be a little more creative about using resources within a community that might not have been considered resources in the past," she said.
Which is exactly what Villacreses did to salvage her wedding plans.
The 28-year-old, who is fluent in English and Spanish and earns time dollars as a medical interpreter and by offering rides and pet-sitting, thought she would have to scale back when her fiance's hours at work were cut in half. Then fellow Community Exchange members suggested she use time dollars to pay for services that would typically cost hundreds of dollars.
On the big day, the bride sat at her dining room table while a complete stranger, Marilyn Shive, did her makeup.
"Show me which colors you tend to like," said Shive, a Community Exchange member who sells beauty products.
As Shive applied foundation and eyeliner, another member of Community Exchange delivered the cake. Others brought food and decorated the sanctuary and reception hall. During the service, time bankers took photos and played the organ.
In all, the wedding cost about 200 time dollars. By spending her time wisely, Villacreses figures she saved about $2,000.
Source <http://news.yahoo.com>
June 2, 2010
Blood test for cancer detection before it starts
8:36 AM
Antoine
The new test, which replicates the cancer proteins that trigger the body’s response to the disease, has been developed by the University of Nottingham’s spin-out company Oncimmune Ltd. It will help detect cancer as much as five years earlier than testing methods like mammography and CT scans.
The blood test was developed from the early work of John Robertson, a world renowned breast cancer specialist and professor of surgery at Nottingham University. It is expected to change the current paradigm of diagnosis and treatment for most solid cancers such as lung, breast, ovarian, colon and prostate.
Initially, the blood test will be offered later this month via primary care physicians and pulmonologists in the United States for high risk asymptotic lung cancer patients as well as those who have indeterminate lung nodules. The test, which gives results within a week, will be introduced in the UK early next year.
“We believe this test, along with the others we will launch in the next few years, will lead to a better prognosis for a significant number of cancer sufferers,” according to Geoffrey Hamilton-Fairley, executive chairman of Oncimmune.
Initial research by Prof. Robertson was based on blood samples of breast cancer patients collected in Nottingham. His research revealed that cancer marker could be detected in some of the high-risk patients before they were subsequently diagnosed with cancer. Prof. Robertson showed that the test could have detected over half of the cancers up to four years before they were actually diagnosed.
http://www.asianage.com/newsmakers/%E2%80%98blood-test-cancer-detection-it-starts%E2%80%99-987
May 27, 2010
Apple passes Microsoft to be biggest tech company
3:41 PM
Beena
Apple has pushed past arch-rival Microsoft to become the world's biggest technology company.
Changes in the share price values of the two in Wednesday's choppy trading left the total value of Apple at $222bn (£154bn).
Microsoft is now valued by investors at $219bn.
However, Microsoft still enjoys higher profits than Apple. Its most recent annual net profit was $14.6bn (£10bn), compared with $5.7bn for Apple.
Microsoft also reported bigger full-year revenues of $58.4bn, with Apple on $36.5bn.
Apple's shares closed Wednesday trading down 0.4% at $244.11, while Microsoft fell by 4% to $25.01.
iPhone boost
The value of a listed company, known as market capitalisation, is calculated by multiplying the number of shares in a company by the current share price.
Apple, which makes computers, iPods, iPhones and now iPads, almost went out of business in the 1990s.
Its growth is partly owing to the launch of the iPod in 2001.
Although the iPod works with computers running Microsoft's Windows operating systems, it encouraged more people to to buy one of Apple's computers.
The big popularity of the iPhone, which has become a big seller since it was first released in 2007, has further boosted Apple's profits and revenues.
Read more HERE
May 23, 2010
Why Does Scratching Feel So Good?
10:05 AM
Beena
Have you ever wondered why scratching an itch feels so good?
Well, researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina may have finally answered that burning question.
“Our study shows for the first time how scratching may relieve itch,” said lead author Dr. Gil Yosipovitch in a news release.
“It’s important to understand the mechanism of relief so we can develop more effective treatments. For some people, itch is a chronic condition that affects overall health.”
For the study, researchers used functional magnetic response imaging (MRI) technology to monitor 13 healthy volunteers while they scratched on their lower leg with a small brush. The scratching went on for 30 seconds and was then stopped for 30 seconds — for a total of about five minutes.
“To our surprise, we found that areas of the brain associated with unpleasant or aversive emotions and memories became significantly less active during the scratching,” said Yosipovitch. “We know scratching is pleasurable, but we haven’t known why. It’s possible that scratching may suppress the emotional components of itch and bring about its relief.”
The reduced brain activity occurred in the anterior cingulate cortex, an area associated with aversion to unpleasant sensory experiences, and the posterior cingulate cortex, which is associated with memory. When participants reported that the scratching felt most intense, activation in these areas was lowest.
“This is the first real scientific evidence showing that itch may be inhibited by scratching,” he said. “Of course, scratching is not recommended because it can damage the skin. But understanding how the process works could lead to new treatments. For example, drugs that deactivate this part of the brain might be effective.”
Source <www.foxnews.com>
May 21, 2010
Bank that lends to the poor!
4:18 PM
Beena
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach. An old maxim-but one that
does not account for the likes of Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi
profes sor whose achievements are the stuff of lore among
development economists.
Yunus is the founder of Grameen Bank, a Bangladeshi credit
organisation that has pioneered lending to the rural poor and in the
process stood normal banking con ventions on their head.
The customers of Grameen (whose name means rural in Bengali) are
almost exclusively those who have no collateral to offer against their
loans. Yet defaults are so low its repayment rates would be the envy of
most mainstream lenders. "Compared to Grameen Bank," says Yunus,
"other banks look like charity outfits for the rich."
Two other things are immediately strik ing about Grameen. First, the
vast majority of its customers are women--a fact not unconnected with
the low number of de faults--and, second, its vision extends be yond
mere finance. Grameen is perhaps the only bank in the world that
encourages birth control, sanitation and a clean envi ronment as part of
its lending policy.
As a pioneer in the growing field of "micro-lending," Grameen has
shown that the rural poor --even in a country virtually synonymous
with deprivation--can make productive use of credit. To many, this
approach is a more effective antidote to poverty than traditional
giveaways.
The bank's success since it was set up in 1983 has spawned Grameen-
type institu tions in 30 countries. A group of seven US Congressmen
recently urged President Bill Clinton to make micro-enterprise
develop ment efforts, modelled specifically on Grameen, the
"hallmark" of his foreign-aid programme. Yunus already has the admi
ration of Clinton, who once met Yunus in Washington and deems him
worthy of a Nobel prize.
Read more HERE
