Almas Dhrolia-Jiwani is being honoured with a Governor General's Caring Canadian Award
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Monday, October 27, 2008
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Friday, October 24, 2008
Allicin from Garlic Boosts Flow of Blood to Protect the Heart
By David Gutierrez
(Natural News) The chemical that causes garlic to give you bad breath may be the same one that protects your heart, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Allicin is produced when garlic is chopped, crushed or chewed. It further breaks down in the body into a variety of sulfur-containing compounds, some of which cause a strong odor typically associated with garlic breath. But hydrogen sulfide can also have a relaxing effect on blood vessels, lowering blood pressure and decreasing the risk of heart attacks. Lower blood pressure also allows the blood to carry more oxygen to the body's organs, improving overall health.
Researchers took blood vessels from rats and immersed them in a solution of crushed garlic juice. They observed a 72 percent reduction of tension in the blood vessels. In addition, red blood cells that were exposed to small quantities of crushed garlic juice were observed to start giving off hydrogen sulfide immediately. The researchers found that the chemical reaction causing the emission of hydrogen sulfide appeared to take place mostly on the surface of the cells.
"Our results suggest garlic in the diet is a very good thing," said lead researcher David Kraus. "Certainly in areas where garlic consumption is high, such as the Mediterranean and the Far East , there is a low incidence of cardiovascular disease."
Garlic is also known for its anti-cancer abilities. Used topically, crushed garlic eats away cancer tumors on the skin. Used internally, garlic halts the growth of cancer tumors throughout the body, functioning as a natural, non-prescription "chemotherapy" agent that has no negative side effects.
Garlic is strongest in its raw state. The longer garlic is cooked, the more of its healing photochemical are destroyed. To use garlic medicinally, use small amounts of it raw, or cook it minimally.
Read more...Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Bring in the women...
...When The Chips Are Down
NOW the women are taking over. It's typical; the men make the mess and the women come in to clean it up." This paper's views? No, the view of a government official in Iceland! Reason? The government's decision to appoint two women, Elín Sigfúsdóttir and Birna Einarsdóttir, chief executives of New Landsbanki and New Glitnir, the nationalised banks created in the wake of a banking crisis that has brought Iceland to the verge of bankruptcy. The three largest banks with a loan portfolio of about $61 billion, about 12 times the size of the economy, have collapsed, forcing the government to step in and take over. According to a government minister, the appointments are an attempt to signal a new culture within the banking system, one that is a break from the bonus-driven cowboy culture that had become par for the course during the past few years.For those who think Iceland is an exception, think back to our own experience not so long ago with Indian Bank. When the bank went into the red, thanks to shady lending practices, eroding even its deposits, who did the government of the day turn to? In an industry overwhelmingly dominated by men, especially at the top, it turned to a woman, Ranjana Kumar, to set it right. She took over the problem-ridden bank at a time when not a senior male banker or bureaucrat from the finance ministry was willing to touch it with a barge pole. Slowly but surely, she nursed it back to health. If today Indian Bank still quotes above its issue price, it is in large part due to the efforts of a woman. This is not to argue that merely being a woman ensures success. What helped, in the case of Indian Bank and is likely to make a difference in Iceland, is that the job was entrusted to women with sound knowledge of the sector. While the Icelandic duo is from within the ranks of the failed banks, Ranjana Kumar was a career banker. But the bottom line is the same — when the chips are down, bring in the women!
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Sunday, October 19, 2008
Help eliminate poverty – invest in women
When a woman prospers, a family prospers. When families prosper, communities prosper.
By Christine Grummfrom the October 17, 2008 edition
San Francisco - Those familiar with the issue of poverty might know that although women perform two-thirds of the world's unpaid labor and grow more than half the world's food, they represent 70 percent of those living in poverty.
But what is just coming into focus is that women represent an underutilized resource in alleviating that poverty. When government and philanthropic dollars are invested in financially disadvantaged women, the potential impact is vast.
Research shows that investing in women's education and leadership in Africa can increase agricultural yields by more than 20 percent there. It is estimated that for every year beyond fourth grade that girls attend school, their wages rise 21 percent. And in 2001 the United Nations reported that eliminating gender inequality in Latin America would increase national output by 5 percent.
On top of that, evidence from micro-credit lending indicates that women have superior repayment rates, invest more productively, and are more risk-averse than men in similar situations.
Through programs administered by an international alliance of nongovernmental organizations known as the Women's Funding Network and by other international organizations including UNIFEM, experience illustrates the effectiveness of investing in women. These programs support training and better working conditions for women. They also build entrepreneurship and support asset-building and financial literacy for them.
A hallmark of this work – and key to its effectiveness – is empowering women living in poverty to help direct funding, and to take leadership in the programs it makes possible.
In Washington, programs funded by the Washington Area Women's Foundation have helped low-income women in and around the area collectively increase their assets by $17 million in 2-1/2 years.
Consider Christine Walker, a single mother and university student earning less than $35,000 annually. She watched her personal debt mount even as she pursued the degree that would lead to a better-paying job. Thanks to two programs funded by the foundation, Christine learned how to save $4,000 in just six months. This has made it possible for her to earn her degree in public policy without having to use her credit card to cover school expenses.
Another program supported by the Washington foundation enabled Sharan Mitchell, recently released from prison, to train in construction. Within three months she was helping to build Washington's new baseball stadium and earning a steady paycheck.
On the other side of the globe, a UNIFEM-supported program in Taiwan proved a lifeline for a domestic worker from the Philippines. The program was designed to educate domestic workers about savings. As part of the program, the participants formed a savings club. Eventually they pooled their $19,000 in collective savings and bought a rice mill. One of the participants managed the mill, which soon employed four full-time workers and another four part-time workers during harvest. This woman has risen from domestic worker to manager, benefiting her family and those around her through her new economic impact. And she and the women who invested with her in the rice mill are now owners of an asset that promises to grow in value.
Evidence, and examples from women like these around the world, is both convincing and compelling. When a woman prospers, a family prospers. When families prosper, communities prosper.
Friday is World Poverty Day. You can take a stand by signing a petition against poverty online at the UN-affiliated website standagainstpoverty.org. Those policymakers looking to make an impact and those who control philanthropic funds around the world should recognize that the financial empowerment of women around the world is, yes, a matter of women's rights. But it is also a powerful way to change whole societies. Investing in women is the way to a better world.
• Christine Grumm is president and CEO of the Women's Funding Network, a global alliance of grantmaking organizations directing social investments for women.
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Thursday, October 9, 2008
Breakthrough: Protein that helps people hear found
London: A protein in the inner ear helps people differentiate between sounds and understand speech, French researchers reported in a finding that could help treat the hard of hearing.
The study also helps explain why some people have difficulty hearing in crowded restaurants or other noisy places, said Paul Avan, a researcher at the University of Auvergne, France. "This won't help cure deafness but will help diagnose why some people have hearing problems, especially in noisy places," Avan, who worked on the study, said.
The study, which used genetically engineered mice, looked at the part of the inner ear called the cochlea, which contains two types of sensory cells to detect sounds.
Scientists often study mice because of the biological similarities between the animals and humans. Until now people had thought that structures called ion channels found in the cells — which work like a microphone to transform sound into electrical messages — were mainly responsible for distorting sound in the ear.
Distortion is important because it allows people to pick out the correct sounds from a mixture of noises, such as it be competing conversations at a cocktail party.
But the researchers showed how a protein called stereocilin was keeping sensory cells intact and allowing the inner ear to properly distort sounds. The findings could help doctors fit certain people with special hearing aids that eliminate noise from certain directions.
"Until now it was thought that if the ion channels worked everything would be okay," Avan said. "We show that this is not the case. Sensitivity will be good but that does nothing if you don't understand anything if it is noisy around you." REUTERS
The study also helps explain why some people have difficulty hearing in crowded restaurants or other noisy places, said Paul Avan, a researcher at the University of Auvergne, France. "This won't help cure deafness but will help diagnose why some people have hearing problems, especially in noisy places," Avan, who worked on the study, said.
The study, which used genetically engineered mice, looked at the part of the inner ear called the cochlea, which contains two types of sensory cells to detect sounds.
Scientists often study mice because of the biological similarities between the animals and humans. Until now people had thought that structures called ion channels found in the cells — which work like a microphone to transform sound into electrical messages — were mainly responsible for distorting sound in the ear.
Distortion is important because it allows people to pick out the correct sounds from a mixture of noises, such as it be competing conversations at a cocktail party.
But the researchers showed how a protein called stereocilin was keeping sensory cells intact and allowing the inner ear to properly distort sounds. The findings could help doctors fit certain people with special hearing aids that eliminate noise from certain directions.
"Until now it was thought that if the ion channels worked everything would be okay," Avan said. "We show that this is not the case. Sensitivity will be good but that does nothing if you don't understand anything if it is noisy around you." REUTERS
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