2007-11-30 11:06:30musiccat

NPR_one laptop per child

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16739657

With the technology help, people can dream big and more and make them happen as much possible as they can. ”One laptop per child” is one good example. As like the guest describes that outside the class, it’s a book with sources from the world you can use. Although there are difficulties need to be dealt with, I do see the hope in the recent future. Think about that, without the hassle of recharging battery, you can really use it in many places in long hours. Self-supported function such as bar-tunning operation, in my opinion, is the best part of the computer. I really hope I could get one someday.

official site_one laptop per child
http://laptop.org/en/index.shtml
What would you do? Will you kill a cat threatening birds lives?
One bird-lover kills wild cats in order to saving the endangered species birds and ended up getting into a jail eventually.
Maybe the better way is to get cats away from birds. That’s the way you respect both lives of birds and cats.
Most of time, I’ve found out that people do many things only for their own good but ignoring others rights. They may take away one’s advantages to satisfy the other.
Eating a Lot of Meats Linked to Number of Cancers

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17122667

Morning Edition, December 11, 2007 · A new medical study links high consumption of red and processed meats to an increased risk of different forms of cancer. Health experts already knew red meat increased the risk of colon cancer. Now researchers have found an increased risk for a number of other cancers, as well.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute wanted to know which cancers other than colon cancer might be more common among big red meat eaters. To find out, they analyzed questionnaires from over a half-million men and women over the age of 50.

In questionnaires, people answered questions about their lifestyle, including what kind of meat they ate, and how often.

Epidemiologist Amanda Cross headed the eight-year study. During that time, she says, a little more than 53,000 cancer cases were diagnosed in the group.

To analyze the relationship between eating meat and cancer, Cross divided people into five groups, from the biggest meat eaters down to those who ate the least amount of meat, including a few vegetarians.

Red meat included all types of beef, pork and lamb. Processed meats included cold cuts and luncheon meats, as well as sausages, bacon and hot dogs — beef as well as turkey hot dogs.

”On a diet of 2,000 calories a day, which is average for a man,” Cross said, ”the lowest category of red meat was equal to three thin slices of ham or less, per day, and the highest category was approximately equivalent to 10 thin slices of ham, or a quarter-pounder or a small steak or pork chop a day.”

As expected, Cross found more cases of colon cancer among the big meat eaters. But she also found about the same increase in lung cancer with big meat eaters, as well as increases in cancers of the esophagus and liver. Among men, there was an increase in pancreatic cancer.

Researchers speculate that cancer results from several chemical compounds that are found in the meat itself. But they also believe some of the compounds develop during the process of cooking.

”Compounds that are formed during high-temperature cooking techniques have been shown to damage DNA in animal and in vitro studies,” Cross said.

Robyn Curran, a dietitian at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles who works with cancer patients, says results from studies like this don’t necessarily mean people should stay away from red meat altogether.

”In general, we don’t recommend necessarily excluding red meat from your diet unless (it’s a) personal choice,” Curran said. ”It does have a lot of good attributes, like iron and B vitamins, protein and so forth — particularly if leaner meats are selected.”

If people do choose to eat red meat, Curran says they should avoid high-temperature cooking like barbecuing and pan-frying, which cause cell-damaging compounds to form.

Grilling meat over a direct flame results in fat or meat juices dripping onto the hot fire. That creates flames that contain the harmful compounds, which can then adhere to the surface of the food. That process can happen with chicken and turkey as well as red meat.

”That’s why we recommend if you’re barbecuing, take particularly chicken, for example, you may want to microwave it halfway cooked, and then put it on barbecue,” Curran said. ”You don’t want to cook it the whole duration, because that really increases the risk of these compounds forming, which are known carcinogens.”

Curran says those who eat red meat should try to limit themselves to 8 to 11 ounces per week — the equivalent of about three hamburgers total.

The results of the research study led by Cross were published in the latest issue of PLoS Medicine.
Girls and Moms Respond to Teen Star’s Pregnancy

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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17525050

All Things Considered, December 21, 2007 · Tween star Jamie-Lynn Spears announced this week that she is pregnant. The 16-year-old is the star of Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101 and the younger sister of pop singer Britney Spears, and she plans to keep the baby.

What are girls and their moms making of the news? Denise Restauri, founder of AllyKatzz — a social networking Web site for girls ages 10 to 15 — and mother of a 14-year-old girl, says girls have had mixed reactions to the news. Restauri talks with Melissa Block.
Your Health
Red Meat, Fatty Foods May Up Cancer Recurrence
by Patti Neighmond

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12800972
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Morning Edition, August 15, 2007 · There’s significant evidence that diets high in red meat and fatty foods increase the risk of colon cancer. Now, research published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association provides evidence that this type of diet may also increase the risk of recurrence once colon cancer has been diagnosed.

Researchers from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston analyzed the diets of more than 1,000 patients with stage 3 colon cancer, meaning the cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes. The patients had surgery to remove the cancer, followed by chemotherapy.

Oncologist Jeffrey Meyerhardt headed the study, which asked patients about their diet during, and six months after, chemotherapy.