Google+ what?

I just made it into Google+, considered to be the Facebook rival. Wow!

So far, it has been a very protected system - by invitation only. Still not available in Google Apps and for Google Apps accounts. Quite frustrating on that front. I was lucky to get an invitation from a colleague.

But, is it a good thing to keep it so protected and keep potential users longing for the system? I wonder if that's a productive way of introducing a system for which success will depend on numbers at the end of the day. Google should learn from the past. Its search engine became popular and dominant simply because it was easily accessible to everyone - no restrictions. I feel that the same principle should apply to a social networking system.

I'll try it out for a couple of days and see whether it was worth the wait and convincing enough to switch from good ole FaceB.

Health Fact or Fiction?: Cellphone May Cause Cancer

Radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization. The agency now lists mobile phone use in the same “carcinogenic hazard” category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform. As of 2010, there were more than 303 million subscribers to cell phone service in the United States, according to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. Globally, the number of cell phone subscriptions is estimated to be 5 billion.

A team of 31 scientists from 14 countries, including the United States, made the decision after reviewing peer-reviewed studies on cell phone safety. The team found enough evidence to categorize personal exposure as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy. Concerns have been raised that this energy from cell phones may pose a cancer risk to users. The tissues next to where the phone is held absorb this energy. What that means is they found some evidence of increase in glioma and acoustic neuroma brain cancer for mobile phone users, but have not been able to draw conclusions for other types of cancers.

Radiofrequency energy is a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation; exposure depends upon the technology of the phone, distance between the phone’s antenna and the user, the extent and type of use, and distance of the user from base stations.

The Apple iPhone 4 safety manual says: When using iPhone near your body for voice calls or for wireless data transmission over a cellular network, keep iPhone at least 15 millimeters (5/8 inch) away from the body. BlackBerry Bold advises users to “keep the BlackBerry device at least 0.98 inch (25 millimeters) from your body when the BlackBerry device is transmitting.”

Finally, cell phones emit the most radiation when they are attempting to connect to cellular towers. A moving phone, or a phone in an area with a weak signal, has to work harder, giving of more radiation. So users can avoid using their cell phones in elevators, buildings and rural areas if they want to reduce their exposure, experts say.

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8958028018205241777

Save Lives in Drought-Stricken East Africa: You can donate to the World Food Programme

Save Lives in Drought-Stricken East Africa

The Horn of Africa crisis has become the very highest global humanitarian priority. With famine in southern Somalia and more than 11 million people in need of food assistance in the region, countless lives hang in the balance.

Your emergency donation allows us to reach more people on the edge of survival – especially women and children. Your support could not be more critical at this time. We urgently need more resources to expand our emergency relief operation.

Make a lifesaving donation today by filling out the form to your right. Any donation made through PayPal Checkout (below) will be directed to where it is needed most. Please note that monthly gifts may be directed to where most needed if funding needs shift in the future.

Read more --> https://www.wfp.org/donate/hoa_banners

Some facts about hunger... that you can help change

Some hunger facts, courtesy of the World Food Programme

TOP 4 HUNGER STATS

For more facts and figures visit --> http://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats

Don't be too busy to parent: Do Busy Schedules Mean Lax Parenting?

Don't be too busy to parent

It’s true that most workers spend more time with their colleagues than they do with their families. And with so many survivors of economic-downturn-induced layoffs handling the duties once carried out by two or even three people, family time is even more limited. Unfortunately, parents overcompensating for their absence are spoiling their kids, says Lori Gottlieb, a therapist and author of an article, “How to Land Your Kid in Therapy.” Child psychologist Dan Kindlon concurs. “We don’t set limits, because we want our kids to like us at every moment, even though it’s better for them if sometimes they can’t stand us,” says Kindlon.
 

Do Busy Schedules Mean Lax Parenting?

[extract from the Wall Street Journal]

By John J. Edwards III

Everett Collection

A scene from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

Are accommodating-to-a-fault parents raising a generation of over-entitled shrinking violets? Are our busy schedules causing us to coddle our kids during the limited time that we spend with them? That’s the theme of “How to Land Your Kid in Therapy,” the cover story in the current Atlantic magazine, which was a popular topic of conversation around the swimming pool this weekend.

  
Read on