Nov 15 2008
RamblerHappy Saturday! Good News for November 15, 2008
Weekend greetings to you! It’s scary how quickly the weekend rolls around again. Does anyone else think so? I mean…I like slowing down on the weekends, but the weeks are just flying by so quickly!
Here is your weekly dose of GOOD NEWS. Nice to focus on some good for a change. Sorely needed these days. Enjoy!
Extra Cash? Turn in Your Techno-Junk for Money
Brandon Mendelson is a struggling grad student at SUNY Albany.
Last week, he began using his Facebook page to advertise for empty ink cartridges and old cell phones from friends, fellow students and other people who are too busy to properly dispose of them. He plans to stockpile the donated items in a cardboard box and recycle the material with a few of the rising number of companies that offer dollars for e-waste.
As the economy tightens, more consumers are scrounging their junk drawers and bedroom closets in search of recyclable objects…including: desktop computers, digital cameras, gaming consoles, and cell phones.
RadioShack recently began an electronics trade-in program that enables consumers to use an online calculator to estimate the value of their aging electronics, including GPS devices, MP3 players, wireless phones, notebook computers and tech products. If the consumer agrees with assessed prices they see for their entered gadgets, they can ship them to the company for free. RadioShack will then send them a company gift card.
How much is the financial crunch spurring a an electronic recycling boom? Between 1999 and 2005, Americans recycled about 15 percent of their outdated or broken digital items. In 2007, Americans recycled 18 percent of their old items. This past July and August alone, Toshiba paid its e-recycling users $8,448 for their unwanted items and the company says 90 percent of the people who use the program are seeking cash.
Music to Your Ears and Music For Your Heart, Too
Songs that make our hearts soar can make them stronger too. When people listen to their favorite music, their blood vessels dilate in a similar way to when laughing, or taking blood medications.
Blood vessels opened up significantly and can be compared to how the vessels open with other activities like exercise. A similar effect has been observed with drugs such as statins and ACE inhibitors.
When blood vessels open more blood flows more smoothly and is less likely to form the blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes. Elastic vessels also resist the hardening activity of atherosclerosis.
Elementary Students Join in Pennies for Peace Program
Students at Franklin Township Elementary School are learning the power of a single penny.
They are participating in the Pennies for Peace program and have been collecting pennies to provide schooling to children in remote mountain regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The pennies being raised are going to be able to make a remarkable difference because in these two countries a single penny can purchase a pencil and $1 will pay for a day of school for one child. $12 will cover one year of education for one student.
Pennies for Peace is a program of Central Asia Institute and was founded by Greg Mortensen in 1996.
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