Chatham dentist starts candy buy back program

Allyson Hurley wants unopened Halloween candy for the troops

CHATHAM – Local dentist Dr. Allyson Hurley has a soft spot in her heart for the American troops overseas and doesn’t want to see soft spots in her young patients teeth.

That is why she is sponsoring the Halloween Buy Back Candy Program, which has caught on nationwide.

“The troops really need and love our support and children really need healthy teeth,” said Hurley. “We will purchase left over Halloween candy for $1 per pound. It will help the troops and help keep children’s teeth cavity free.”

Her nephew serves in the Army as a Black Hawk helicopter mechanic with the 160th Special Operations Unit and has served multiple times in Iraq, Korea, and Afghanistan.

This Halloween, Hurley would like all Chatham children to donate unopened candy that she will send to the troops.

“In addition to the candy,” she said. “Donations of Chap Stick, sun screen and baby wipes are also greatly appreciated by the troops.”

Hurley has mounted, along with dentists nationwide, the Halloween Buy Back Candy Program at her office in downtown Chatham.

“Kids can still have the fun of trick or treating, receive cash for their candy, as well as get a free toothbrush and coupons from area merchants,” she said.

According to the buy back program Web site, the program is “a growing national movement of dentists who buy or collect Halloween candy from kids and then ship the treats to support our troops overseas.”

Cavities are the most prevalent childhood disease today, according to the buy back program Web site. Each year across the world, kids consume two percent more sugar than the year before. That’s 50 million tons of sugar annually, the Web site claims. Sugar also contributes to hyperactivity and some candies can harm teeth or braces, according to the buy back program.

As responsible dentists, the Web site noted, Halloween Candy Buy Back dentists have found a way to keep the fun in the holiday, while helping kids and our overseas troops.

“Candy can hurt the teeth and waistline, can lead to hyperactivity and the breaking of teeth and orthodontic wires,” Hurley said. “And the prescriptions for insulin and Ritalin for children under 12-years-old have more than doubled since 2004.”

Anyone interested in participating may bring unopened Halloween candy to Hurley’s office, 585 Main Street in Chatham between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday Nov. 1, and between 3 and 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2. The candy will be shipped through Operation Gratitude, which donates care packages to the American troops.

On Sunday, the National Guard will be on site at Hurley’s office with an Army vehicle, she said.

“We will have goodie bags with local merchant coupons inside,” Hurley said. “The community is getting involved. The PTO is involved and the Girl Scouts are helping me on Sunday.”

Hurley’s practice emphasizes general family dental care, as well as cosmetic procedures. The program is open to everyone, and is not restricted to Hurley’s patients.

The dentist is also promoting Operation Gratitude.

“I want the men and women over seas to know that we care and appreciate what they are doing for us here,” said Hurley.

Hurley said the items sent to the men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan have saved troops lives.

“Who would have guessed that sending a care package through Operation Gratitude to our troops overseas would literally saves lives,” Hurley said. “Carolyn Blashek, founder and head of Operation Gratitude, has received letters thanking her for the gift boxes, but these gifts turned out to save lives.”

Hurley went on to say that soldiers tell stories about sharing candy and Beanie Babies with local children and the children then telling the troops where field mines were placed, where IEDs were placed and where “the bad guys live.”

“This shared kindness saved countless lives,” Hurley said. “Carolyn started this program six years ago to let the troops know that they are remembered and appreciated.”

Hurley would also like to support the troops with a letter writing campaign and suggested people visit the Operation Gratitude Web site, which recommends writing to the troops with an upbeat and positive attitude of gratitude.

For more information, call Hurley’s office at (973) 635-0698 or visit her Web site at www.allysonhurley.com. For information on writing the troops, visit the Operation Gratitude Web site at www.opgratitude.com.

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Dancers gear up for opening

HA NOI — More than 5,000 artists and dancers will participate in the 50-minute opening ceremony at the Asian Indoor Games’ at My Dinh National Stadium tomorrow.

The games will be the second biggest regional sporting event that Viet Nam has hosted since the Southeast Asian Games took place in the country six years ago.

More than 4,000 athletes, coaches and officials from 43 countries and territories will also march during the procession.

The national stadium has been outfitted with a 400sqm and a 100s.qm stage for the event.

The opening ceremony will feature horse dances from Thanh Hoa Province; Luc Cung Hoa Dang, a traditional Buddhist and royal dance; a gong performance from the Central Highlands; and a boat race from the Cuu Long (Mekong) River delta.

The performance will be directed by People’s Artist Le Tien Tho, which will be accompanied by a script from Nguyen Khac Phuc.

According to the organising committee of the event, the opening ceremony cost approximately VND40 billion (US$2.2 million) and will close with a 15-minute fireworks display at the 40,000-seat stadium tomorrow night.

As scheduled, 30,000 tickets, which cost VND100,000 ($5.6) to VND200,000 ($11), were put on sale on Tuesday.

More than 4,000 athletes, coaches and officials have registered to compete in 20 official sporting events.

Ha Noi will be the main venue for 11 of the events, with HCM City, Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong and Quang Ninh hosting additional events.

Viet Nam has invested more than $100 million in infrastructure for the event venues in participating cities.

The closing ceremony will be held at the Indoor Athletics Centre on November 8.

History

At the previous indoor games in Macau, China, Viet Nam ranked 13th in the events’ overall medal tally – with two gold, five silver and 11 bronze medals.

At the first Asian Indoor Games in Thailand in 2005, Viet Nam sent a 15-member squad to compete in six of the 15 events, which brought home one silver and one bronze medal.

The Asian Indoor Games is a biennial competition held by the Olympic Council of Asia for its 45 National Olympic Committee members and is designed to encourage young Asians to participate in a wider range of sports.

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Study Finds One in 10 Koreans Immune to H1N1 Virus

More than 11 percent of Koreans were immune to the H1N1 virus even before it began spreading this year, a study finds. Experts attribute the immunity to a similar flu that swept the nation before 1956.

Twenty-three out of 200 Koreans tested positive for antibodies against the virus, according to the study submitted Monday to Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Hyun-heui by the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The KCDC research was done in August and September with serum collected for a nutrition study in 2008, so the samples were not exposed to the strain of flu virus that began spreading rapidly in May.

Dr. Kim Woo-joo of Korea University Hospital said the current H1N1 virus is the same type of virus that caused the Spanish Flu pandemic that spread throughout the world, including Korea, between 1918 and 1956. "People born before 1956 who contracted the Spanish Flu or were vaccinated for it could have developed antibodies," he said.

Although most of the people who have died from the current flu outbreak were over 65 years old, 88 percent of the 27,006 Koreans infected with the virus are 30 years old or younger. Those over 60 account for just 1.7 percent of the infections.

"The U.S. Centers for Disease Control conducted a test using blood samples collected before the outbreak began in May and found that 33 percent of Americans aged 52 or older were found to be immune to the H1N1 virus," Dr. Kim said.

Kang Chun, a director of the influenza virus team at the KCDC, said, "The latest experiment involved only few samples, and we need to conduct a broader test using more blood samples by age groups."

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Japanese solar car wins Global Green Challenge

A solar car made by students from Japan’s Tokai University was announced the winner of the 3,000 km Global Green Challenge 2009.

The race, which saw entries from across the globe, started in Australia’s northern city of Darwin on October 24 and took entrants across the country’s vast deserts and past some of its most famous locations.

The winning team crossed the finish line yesterday at 3.39pm local time in the South Australian capital of Adelaide.

In what appeared to be a near faultless run over the 3,000 kilometre distance from the Darwin, Tokai University team’s first and only reported issue occurred in the final stage of the journey when car, known as the Tokai Challenger, suffered a flat tyre, 2824 kilometres from the Darwin start. They finished a day ahead of other entrants and the official closing date of the race.

The victory by Tokai Challenger is the first by a Japanese team since 1996 when the event was won by Honda Dream II. Honda also won the previous event in 1993.

The Global Green Challenge in its former guise as the World Solar Challenge was first run in 1987 and has been conducted every two years since. This year the race was expanded to include production and prototype eco friendly vehicles that are, or soon will be available to car buying public.

Other entrants included the world’s fastest all electric sports car the Tesla, a Honda ‘postie bike’ run on alcohol fuel entered by Top Gear Australia, Deep Green Research has entered an electric Honda, motoring writer Peter McKay drove a Fords Fiesta Econetic and a Suzuki Alto was steered by Carsguide’s Karla Pincott and writer Feann Torr.

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Exhibition Opens for a Good Cause in Ulaanbaatar

An Art exhibition made by the students of the Adolescent Development Center will open its doors, on October 28th, 2009, at the Amsterdam Cafe in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The exhibition of handcrafted felt Art will feature the work of students and teacher Dolgormaa Orsoo.

“This event will help raise money for the center, which aims to educate and assist adolescent girls who have come from abusive or impoverished families.” organizers said.

This exhibition has been jointly organized and sponsored by the Adolescent Development Center, the Amirlan Art Group and hosted by Amsterdam Cafe.

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Free access to night theatres in Bucharest on Wednesday

de C.B. HotNews.ro - Marţi, 27 octombrie 2009, 9:37

Theatre lovers in Bucharest have been granted free access to theatre plays and to the National Centre for Dance on Wednesday night, after 10 p.m. The "Night Theatre" is organised by the local council through ArCuB centre for cultural projects.

Romanian news agency Agerpres informs that Teatrul de Comedie, Teatrul Odeon, Teatrul Mic, Teatrul Foarte Mic, Teatrul Metropolis, Teatrul Natioal, Teatrul Nottara, Teatrul Act, Teatrul Bulandra, Teatrul Luni from Green Hours, La Scena, Teatrul Montage from Galerie and the National Centre for Dance have joined the Night Theatre project.

The National Centre for Dance has prepared three shows: ""Lulu’s Room", by Mihaela Dancs, "Stage Psychosis", conceived and performed by Carmen Cotofana, and "Dance a Playful Body", conceived by Andreea Novac and Istvan Teglas, the latter also performing.

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Britons find home is where the honey is

The ancient art of beekeeping is enjoying a renaissance in Britain, fuelled by concerns about the provenance of food and the desire to do something for the environment.

In tiny urban gardens, Britons are doing their bit to counter the mysterious worldwide decline of bees -- they are starting to keep their own.

The ancient art of beekeeping is enjoying a renaissance in Britain, fuelled by concerns about the provenance of food and the desire to do something for the environment.

Jon Harris, 43, was a bee novice just seven months ago.

Now, with hundreds of bees buzzing around him in his white protective suit, he lifts the frames out of the hive in his compact back garden in Brixton, south London, and gives a satisfied smile at what he finds.

"That honeycomb is just amazing," he said, brushing off the remaining bees to reveal the white-crusted product of the busy insects' magic.

Harris has enjoyed a bumper first summer with his hive, harvesting 20 kilogrammes (45 pounds) of honey -- "which goes to prove there is something around here they love."

Bees don't need pastures of wild flowers to find nectar -- the hedgerows and bushes alongside the railway line behind his house are a perfect substitute. But they will happily fly up to four miles (6.5 kilometres) looking for food.

Hot bee in the city

When Harris was made redundant from his job as a retail buying manager in March, he found he had time on his hands. He had always wanted to keep bees but he thought his garden was too small for a hive.

A one-day course on urban beekeeping set him on the right path.

"As long as you have enough room for a hive, you've got enough room to keep bees," he said. "It is one of those hobbies that gets you outdoors and it actually gets you involved with something natural as opposed to doing a pottery course or a photography course."

While bees are thriving in this one London garden, globally they are in trouble.

In September, experts gathered in the southern French city of Montpellier for the 41st world apiculture conference, Apimondia, to ponder why parts of North America and Europe, and now also Asia, have been struck by Colony Collapse Disorder, which can wipe out up to 90 percent of a bee community.

Chris Deaves, chair of education at the British Beekeepers' Association, said a combination of factors was probably to blame.

"The decline is real," he said. "In the UK last winter we lost about 21 percent (of the population). The winter before it was about 25 to 30 percent. It is probable that the cause is multi-layered."

Some experts say the blood-sucking varroa mite could be to blame but pesticides, viruses and industrialised farming are also suspected to be attacking and weakening bee communities.

"It is rather like a human being,” Deaves said, “when you are rundown you may start to exhibit the effects of the flu."

Bee-licious

But his smile returns when he reflects on the newfound public enthusiasm for his passion in Britain.

"The interest in beekeeping is growing very, very rapidly," he said. "Perhaps it is because of the feeling that everybody has to do something to make the planet a better place to live," especially in polluted cities. "You can't keep cows or sheep (in a city) but you can keep bees.”

He added that people are also concerned about having the capability to create food in the UK. People are increasingly worried about where their food comes from and how many air miles were involved in getting it to the dinner table.

Back in Brixton, Jon Harris' honey has travelled just a few steps from the garden to his kitchen.

He slices the honeycomb, takes a taste and licks his lips.

"It has got a very minty, eucalyptus-y taste to it when it comes out,” he said. “That dies back a bit. But it is probably the best honey I have tasted."

Robert Leslie/AFP/Expatica

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Santa Cruz County schools get $332,000 boost from fundraiser that offered a Toyota

By ADAM HARJU

SANTA CRUZ -- The principal of the school that sold the grand prize raffle ticket in this year's Drive For Schools fundraiser is ecstatic, she said, because the win may help them raise more funds next year.

And the winner, Deborah Berkson of Santa Cruz, is happy to take the $25,000.

"Maybe we'll sell more tickets next year because one of our students sold the winning one this year," said Pamela Randall, principal of Del Mar Elementary School in Live Oak. The school earned $5,510 from ticket sales.

"Our level of participation has increased every year," she said of the 400-student school with 19 classrooms.

Randall said fundraisers such as Drive For Schools are important in today's funding environment because of state and federal cuts.

"We are using the funds raised during this one for classroom supplies," she said.

The organizer of the fundraiser, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, said $332,000 was raised for area schools during the last four weeks, with all of it going straight into participating schools' coffers.

"The great part about this one is all of the money stays with the schools," Boardwalk spokesman Kris Reyes said.

Some 62 schools participated in the fifth annual event, which has raised over $1 million since its inception in 2005.

Valencia Elementary in Aptos raised the most with $24,000. Main Street School raised $18,000 and Tierra Pacifica charter school netted $16,000.

The Drive For Schools fundraiser concluded Sunday with Berkson choosing to take the $25,000 in cash instead of the 2010 Toyota Prius offered as the prize.

Berkson, a computer software developer in Scotts Valley, said she took the money instead of the hybrid car because she already has a reliable vehicle.

The raffle winner has a son, Malachi Allen, 12, at Shoreline Middle School who also attended Del Mar. She said she took part in the fundraiser for philanthropic reasons.

"When I bought the ticket, it wasn't about winning prizes," she said. "It was about helping the schools because things are so tight for them right now."

Reyes said the Boardwalk hopes to hold the fundraiser again next year.

"This is a special fundraiser for us as schools need as much help as they can get, especially now because so many extracurricular activities are being cut," Reyes said.

Berkson said she will use the money to take friends out, to go on a vacation with her family and to start a college fund for her son.

All of the costs associated with putting on the fundraiser were paid by the Boardwalk, while Toyota of Santa Cruz donated the Prius. A complete list of winners can be found at www.beachboardwalk.com/driveforschools.

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Common Weed Could Provide Clues On Aging And Cancer

ScienceDaily (Oct. 26, 2009)

A common weed and human cancer cells could provide some very uncommon details about DNA structure and its relationship with telomeres and how they affect cellular aging and cancer, according to a team led by scientists from Texas A&M University and the University of Cincinnati (UC).

For the study, the multi-institutional team examined the telomeres of Arabidopsis, a plant found throughout the world, and discovered a new set of essential telomere proteins. The team then identified the human counterpart, a discovery that could be beneficial in understanding human cancers and cellular aging. Their work is published in the current issue of the journal "Molecular Cell" and was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Dorothy Shippen, professor of biophysics and biochemistry at Texas A&M, and Carolyn Price, professor of cancer and cell biology at the UC College of Medicine, served as co-corresponding authors of the study.

Telomeres are located at each end of a chromosome and are composed of DNA and protein. Their main function is to protect the ends of the chromosome, but they also play a key role in cell division. Researchers also believe they play a key role in cellular lifespan.

"We found that removal of the plant telomere proteins caused rampant end-to-end joining of chromosomes and dramatic defects in plant development," explains Shippen.

"The Cincinnati team then showed that removal of one of the human proteins from human cancer cells caused wide-spread DNA damage and complete loss of some telomeres."

Price adds, "We know that telomeres act as a protective cap for chromosomes and these caps are needed to stop chromosome fusions. We also know that telomere length determines how many times a cell can divide.

"However, we still don't fully understand how the cap structure prevents chromosome joining or regulates telomere length. This is important because problems in telomere maintenance lead to diseases such as cancer, premature aging syndromes, aplastic anemia and pulmonary fibrosis. The discovery of a new protein complex that is required to maintain the protective telomere cap is very exciting and should open up new research avenues related to human disease."

The Arabidopsis plant is found worldwide and is related to the cabbage, radish and mustard plant family. Because of its genetic makeup, it has been used for decades as a model organism for studies in the cellular and molecular biology of flowering plants.

The multi-institutional research team says these findings open up new doors on several fronts, leading to an "evolutionary bridge" in current work on telomeres.

"At the very least, it will give us a better understanding of the fundamental composition of telomeres and how they function," Shippen notes.

"This could give us a new window in defining the role or roles telomeres play in safeguarding our DNA."

"It could also give us new insight into how damaged telomeres block cell division," Price adds. "These new proteins seem to function in replication of DNA at the chromosome end, so further study may also give clues into how the protective caps work when a cell divides.

"These are all questions that we need to be answered if we are to fully understand the role of telomeres in human health."

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The world's smallest working train set... it's the size of a fingernail

By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE

Measuring a tiny eighth of an inch by quarter of an inch, this carefully crafted piece of engineering is the world's smallest working train model.

The five-carriage train, which is 35,200 times smaller than a real train, nips around an oval route even taking in a ride through a tunnel on its three-quarter inch track.

Created by New Jersey train enthusiast David Smith, the miniscule model was built using nothing more fancy than a craft knife and a steady hand.

Powered by a standard two-inch-long rotating motor head and carved out of moldable plastic, the model train cost David just over £6 to make.

'The motor can be bought from K-Mart or any hobby store in America,' says David.

'There is a slight optical illusion with this train model though.

'There are no tracks and the train and carriages are carved out of plastic stuck atop the motor.

'This gives the impression of a train following the oval track.

'But, still, it is impressively small.'

With James River Branch still under construction, David has yet to install the tiny model train inside the model shop in his model village.

'To get a sense of scale you have to remember that the River Branch project is being built to the scale of 1-220,' says David.

'It has taken up two-and-a half-years of my life and is going to be very impressive once it is finished.'

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Joshua Bell Raises Funds in Warsaw

Virtuoso violinist performs at charity concert

Joshua Bell, the American-born violin prodigy who has performed with some of the best orchestras in the world, appeared in Warsaw yesterday evening at a charity concert. The packed performance at the Warsaw Opera House was staged to raise funds for the planned Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

Bell performed Johannes Brahms' music during the concert, which raised several hundred thousand dollars for the museum. He was accompanied by the Opera House orchestra, which was directed by Israeli conductor Gabriel Chmura. The steep ticket prices (the most expensive tickets ever sold in Poland - 350 euro within Poland, 500 euro for other European nationalities, $1,500 in the U.S.) did not deter attendance, and the orchestra performed in front of a full house.

The museum had sought funding for years, but construction began on the Jewish Museum just three months ago. Construction of the museum is due for completion in March 2012, and the ambitious project will guide visitors through the thousand-year heritage of the country's once sizeable Jewish population, most of whom perished or fled Poland during the Second World War.

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