| Read this before you swipe! Debit-card dangers
First, some basics: A debit card looks just like your credit card, but works like an electronic check. The payment is deducted directly from your checking or savings account. When you use your debit card to purchase items, you or the cashier slides the card through a scanning machine that enables your bank to verify that the funds are available and then approve the transaction. Most debit cards can also be used to withdraw cash at ATMs, and can also look just like your ATM card (look at the face of the card to find the “debit" language). Debit cards are handy — so handy, in fact, that two-thirds of American households have them. They are more convenient to carry than cash or a bulky checkbook, plus swiping the card is easier and faster than writing a check. In addition, there are no interest payments.
Japan stocks dragged lower by real estate
U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday as investors shifted into defensive shares, especially drugmakers, and bargain-hunting picked up pace, but market players said Tokyo shares had risen on Wednesday in anticipation of such gains and had little energy to rise again. "There are still a lot of questions out there about what the economy will do and whether the United States is headed for a recession or not, so it's hard to buy actively," said Takashi Ushio, head of investment strategy at Marusan Securities. "The market is also waiting for the earnings results of large U.S. banks, which will be coming out next week." At 0121 GMT, the benchmark Nikkei (.N225: Quote, Profile, Research) was down by 0.63 percent at 14,506.76, a loss of 92.40 points. The broader TOPIX <.TOPX) was down 0.81 percent at 1,412.81.
Environmental Epigenetics Has Potential For Preventing And Treating ...
ScienceDaily (Feb. 6, 2008) New research on environmental influences on health and disease has begun to shed light on why genetically identical individuals demonstrate different characteristics, such as susceptibility to disease. Scientists have found that environmental exposure to nutritional, chemical and physical factors can alter the epigenome. Literally meaning "above the genome," the epigenome refers to differences in gene expression that are inherited without changing the sequence of DNA. .
From today, feel free to download another 25 million songs - legally
Nor is a lack of compatibility with the iPod player expected to put fans off. Apple is unlikely to allow tracks downloaded from its rival to be compatible with iPods, but, while the iPod is the most popular music player, it has not succeeded in dominating the market: sales of the iPod account for 50 million out of 130 million total digital player sales. Qtrax has also spoken of an "iPod solution", to be announced in April. Qtrax files contain Digital Rights Management software, allowing the company to see how many times a song has been downloaded and played. Artists, record companies and publishers will be paid in proportion to the popularity of their music, while also taking a cut of advertising revenues. The Qtrax team, which spent five years working on the system, promised a "game-changing" intervention in the declining recorded music market when the service was presented at the Midem music industry convention in Cannes.
More dairies go raw
Jill Ebbott, a holistic health counselor in Brookline, buys 8 gallons of unpasteurized milk a week for her household of three people, and she pours a splash in the bowls that her three dogs eat from. She says a year of drinking raw milk has cleared up her husband's allergies. "He suffered tree pollen allergies for 21 years," Ebbott said. "In the spring, he was swollen and oozing and had to wear mittens to bed so he didn't scratch himself too much. After 13 months on raw milk, his gut was rebalanced to such a degree that he was healed." The US Food and Drug Administration warns on its website that drinking unpasteurized milk is "like playing Russian roulette with your health," but Ebbott is part of a growing number of people who reject the long-held belief that pasteurized milk is better for you.
Some say plant prefers undocumented workers
Illegal immigrants say it's easy to get a job at House of Raeford Farms. Of 52 current and former Hispanic workers at House of Raeford who spoke to The Charlotte Observer about their legal status, 42 said they were in the country illegally. The company says it hires a high percentage of Hispanic workers. Company officials, though, say they don't hire illegal immigrants knowingly. But five current and former House of Raeford supervisors and human resources administrators, including two who were involved in hiring, said some of the company's managers know they employ undocumented workers. "If immigration came and looked at our files, they'd take half the plant," said Caitlyn Davis, a former Greenville plant human-resources employee. Former Greenville supervisors said the company prefers undocumented workers because they are less likely to question working conditions for fear of losing their jobs or being deported.
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