Tunes for Troops: a gift of music

Kaylee Marie Radzyminski found a meaningful way to support the troops.  She began by collecting music for military personnel serving overseas because she had learned through contacts about the voracious appetite for good entertainment.  Her efforts yielded nearly 500 CDs in very little time.

Tunes 4 the Troops evolved from Kaylee Marie's original desire to find a unique way to help out.

As of January 21st, 2011, Tunes 4 the Troops has sent over 810,771 CDs and DVDs overseas with a value of more than $13.5 million dollars.

Kaylee Marie was eventually spotlighted as a CNN Hero.

Donations can be made here.

Find out about volunteering here.

Microfinancing Funds Dreams and Prosperity

Mireille Kimbekete Nzoumba lives in the Congo city of Brazzaville.  Just this week she received a small loan for $625 (USD).  The money will go to bolster her inventory and improve her business.  Besides being a small business owner and providing a service to her community, she is also a wife and mother of three small children.  Mireille is scheduled to have her loan repaid by July 2011.  One day she hopes to open a beauty school.

The nonprofit Kiva made the loan possible through money provided by generating a community of lenders who could be anyone.  Loans range from $25 dollars or less to a few thousand. So far Kiva has made more than $100 million dollars in micro-financing loans possible.  Find out how to lend here.

Invisible People: Raising Awareness

Meet Gerardo.  His own family turned him away as a teenager because he is gay.  It's hard to imagine a church rejecting someone in need, but apparently this is a common experience for LGBT youth who find themselves on the street.  

Invisible People (dot) TV wants you to see the faces and know the lives of homeless people.  From the site:

On the street I saw a small girl cold and shivering in a thin dress, with little hope of a decent meal. I became angry and said to God; “Why did you permit this? Why don’t you do something about it?” For a while God said nothing. That night he replied, quite suddenly:

“I certainly did something about it. I made you.”

New Tax Breaks for Small Business

 Recent health care and small business legislation could amount to a heftier 2010 tax refund to business owners. Credits plus capital investment and the cost of providing health insurance to employees are the items to pay attention to.

• Health Care Tax Credit-covering half of employee health coverage will yield a significant return.
• Health Insurance for the Self-Employed-insurance costs may be deducted from business profits and self-employment tax.
• The Section 179 provision-Up to $500,000 in equipment and software qualify as a write-off.
• Bonus Depreciation Extension-New equipment may be depreciated even if a business is in the red.
• Depreciation of New Company Car or Truck-an extra $8,000 is eligible for depreciation in addition to the first year depreciation.
• General Business Credit-Possible break on Alternative Minimum Tax

(Source: CNN Money)

India Pursues Tidal Energy

India jumps in the race with South Korea to build Asia's first tidal powered energy plant.

Atlantis Resources will build a 50MW tidal farm on India's west coast.  Actual construction could begin in 2012, and the facility could eventually provide four times the projected power services.  South Korea is also in the planning stages of several large facilities. 

The world's largest tidal station is in La Rance in France. It generates 240MW.

(BBC)

Coffee and Your Sex

When stress rachets up on the job, does coffee help?  Researchers at the University of Bristol in the UK were surprised to find the answer depends on what sex a person is.

Caffeine tended to undermine confidence in men; however, women worked in more collaborative ways with the energy boost provided by coffee.  The study suggests the difference between male and female coping strategies may be the reason.  Men employ a fight or flight type of behavior; whereas, women tend and befriend.

Find out more at Research Digest.

Migraines: Age Old Problem

Migraine headaches have plagued human beings for thousands of years as evidenced by descriptions in ancient medical texts.  Symptons can include nausea, vomiting, sustained stabbing pain, blurred vision, sensitivity to sound, and seeing flashes of light.

Stress, smells, and temperature changes can cause a migraine, but allergies to certain foods are often a factor.  (Source)

Some nutritional supplements are recommended to decrease the frequency of migraines: 

• Magnesium, generally about 300 milligrams per day
• Coenzyme Q10, generally about 300 milligrams per day
• Alpha-lipoic acid, generally about 600 milligrams per day
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2), generally about 400 milligrams per day
• Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), dose will vary with preparation

Migraines are one of the most common ailments treated in emergency rooms and doctor's offices.

Surprise! a 13th Zodiac Sign

Has this story been your water cooler topic of the day?

A 13th sign is being added to the Zodiac calendar to account for the Earth's shift over the last few thousand years.

Astronomer Park Kunkle says the signs you were born under are different now because a wobble on the planet's axis generated a one-month bump in star alignment.

Star gazers say "Earth is currently in a different spot in relation to the Sun, and its equatorial alignment has changed from 3,000 years ago when the study of astrology began -- back when 12 zodiac signs were assigned to 12 different periods of the year." (NBC 2 News)

Here's your real horoscope adjusted:

• Capricorn: Jan. 20 - Feb. 16 
• Aquarius: Feb. 16 - March 11
• Pisces: March 11- April 18
• Aries: April 18- May 13
• Taurus: May 13- June 21
• Gemini: June 21- July 20
• Cancer: July 20- Aug. 10
• Leo: Aug. 10- Sept. 16
• Virgo: Sept. 16- Oct. 30
• Libra: Oct. 30- Nov. 23
• Scorpio: Nov. 23- Nov. 29
• Ophiuchus: Nov. 29- Dec. 17
• Sagittarius: Dec. 17- Jan. 20

Enjoy. :-)

Europe Plans Tourism in Space

Astrium, Europe's largest space company, wants anyone to have the opportunity to see space.   The company is working on a vehicle similar to a jet that takes off from a runaway then relies on a rocket boost to climb above the atmosphere. Ten million euros will be spent on the program in 2011.

Ahead of the civilian race to space is the U.K.'s Richard Branson and his Virgin Galactic project.  VG's plans include a rocket plane called Enterprise which made in America.  Paying passengers will have the chance to leave the confines of gravity.

Enterprise is currently being tested and expected to make demonstration flights in 2011. 

(BBC News)

Mind on Music

 A new study shows the human mind reacts to music in the same way it appreciates good food.  Pleasure centers are stimulated in both the anticipation and hearing of instruments being played. Vocals were excluded to limit the study's focus and rule out human voices as the possible source of pleasure.

Researchers at McGill University in Quebec found a dopamine rush that explains the "chills" and emotional euphoria of the listening experience.

The findings are published in the journal of Nature Neuroscience.

(Source.)

ESP Study to Be Published in Prestigious Scientific Journal

 A respected psychology journal will publish research investigating the validity of extrasensory perception (ESP).  The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology has accepted the study from a Cornell emeritus professor, Dr. Daryl Bem.


The paper lends credibility to the notion that individuals possess the ability to sense future events, according to the author. 


Skeptics are weighing in to discredit the testing.  However, Bem reports several hundred requests from peers to see if his work can be validated.


Original NYT article.