More companies and recyclers are taking steps to ensure that old electronic devices such as TVs and computers aren't sent to poor countries.

    The Basel Action Network, a Seattle-based non-profit that largely exposed the overseas discarding (丢弃) of US electronic waste, on Thursday launched a programme to use third-party employees to certify (证实) recyclers who don't export dangerous electronic waste.

    The so-called e-Steward recyclers will also agree not to discard the waste in US landfills and agree to meet other criteria. The certification is intended to provide companies and consumers with some assurance that the waste, which can include toxins (毒素) such as lead and mercury, is disposed of safely.

    The Government Accountability Office, in a 2008 report, declared that US electronic waste was often disposed of unsafely in such countries as India. There, workers recycle gold, silver and copper from the waste, often in open-air acid baths.

    The Basel Network also says it won assurances from 13 organizations, including Samsung, Bank of America, Wells Far-go, that they'll use e-Steward recyclers whenever possible. Wells Fargo had already been using recyclers who declared not to export. So far, Basel has certified three recyclers and seven sites.

    Before e-stewards, even, companies that wanted to avoid export of electronic waste had to “hope for the best”, when, they handed their waste to recyclers, says Robert Houghton, president of Ohio-based recycler Redemtech. It is an e-Steward that counts major companies among its customers. “Now, they can get some proof,” Houghton says.

    Basel's standards compete with another set launched in January. It was made by industry and backed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

    That standard, called R-2, doesn't ban the export of dangerous electronic waste but requires that it be handled safely. Instead of a ban, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries says, efforts should be made to help poor countries develop safe recycling.

    Conventional wisdom says that hardship can make us old before our time. In fact, a new study suggests that violence not only leaves long-term scars on children's bodies, but also changes their DNA, causing changes that are equal to seven to ten years of premature aging.

    Scientists measured this by studying the ends of children's chromosomes (染色体), called telomeres (端粒), says Idan Shalev, lead author of a study published in Molecular Psychiatry.

    Telomeres are special DNA sequences (序列) which prevent the DNA in chromosomes from separating. They get shorter each time a cell divides, until a cell cannot divide any more and dies.

    Several factors have been found to shorten telomeres, including smoking, radiation and psychological stresses such as being treated badly when young and taking care of a chronically ill person.

    In this study, researchers examined whether exposure to violence could make children's telomeres shorten faster than normal. They interviewed the mothers of 236 children at ages 5, 7 and 10, asking whether the youngsters had been exposed to domestic violence between the mother and her partner; physical maltreatment by an adult; or bullying. Researchers measured the children's telomeres-in cells obtained by wiping the insides of their cheeks-at ages 5 and 10.

    Telomeres shortened faster in kids exposed to two or more types of violence, says Shalev. Unless that pattern changes, the study suggests, these kids could be expected to develop diseases of aging, such as heart attacks or memory loss, seven to 10 years earlier than their peers.

    Shalev says there is hope for these kids. His study found that, in rare cases, telomeres can lengthen. Better nutrition, exercise and stress reduction three things that may be able to lengthen telomeres, he says.

    The study confirms a small but growing number of studies suggesting that early childhood a adversity imprints itself in our chromosomes, says Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Harvard Medical School.

    Teens don't understand the big fuss (小题大做). As the first generation to grow up in a wired world they hardly know a time when computers weren't around, and they eagerly catch the chance to spend hours online, chatting with friends, so what?

    But researchers nationwide are increasingly worried that teens are becoming isolated, less skillful at person-to-per son relationships, and perhaps numb to the cheatings that are so much a part of the e-mail world. "And a teen's sense of self and values may be changed in a world where personal connections can be limitless," said Shetty Turkle.

    Another researcher, Robert Kraut, said he's worried about the "opportunity costs" of so much online time for youths. He found that teens who used computers, even just a few hours a week, showed increased signs of loneliness and social isolation. "Chatting online may be better than watching television, but it's worse than hanging out with real friends," he said.

    Today's teens, however, don't see anything strange in the fact that the computer takes up a central place in their social lives. "School is busy and full of pressure. There's almost no time to just hang out," said Parker Rice, 17 "Talking online is just to catch time."

    Teens say they feel good about what they say online or taking the lime to think about a reply. Some teens admit that asking someone for a date, or breaking up, can be easier in message form, though they don't want to do so. But they insist there's no harm.

    There are a couple different things that make ramen noodles an unhealthy choice. There's not much to these provision packets besides salt and carbohydrates. While those certainly get thrown around quite a bit as “bad-for-you” comments, you may not know how they actually harm your body. Firstly, there's the fact that most instant ramen servings contain over 1100 milligrams of sodium-that's approaching half of the maximum you should eat per day. When you take in that much sodium in a single sitting, your body overcompensates by holding more water. This can cause temporary water weight gain, leaving you feeling bloated(肿胀)and lacking in energy.

    But while you may feel bloated, chances are you won't feel full. Since the ramen contains lots of refined carbohydrates with virtually no protein or fiber, it's essentially the very definition of empty calories. And you've probably heard the song-and-dance about refined carbs; eating too much can lead your blood sugar to increase and then decrease, leaving you hungry and ready to eat again-which leads to weight gain.

    And, perhaps most upsetting of all, this quick-and-easy meal may stay with you much longer than you realize. Massachusetts General Hospital's Dr. Braden Kuo used a pill-sized camera to record the digestive tracts of volunteers who ate processed ramen noodles as well as fresh ones. With a video, Dr. Kuo was able to show that, after two hours when the fresh noodles were long gone, the ramen noodles were still there in the intestines.

    Doctors do know that years of eating the instant packets are linked to poor health. Another study, this one by the Harvard School of Public Health, assessed the long-term consequences of ramen consumption in South Korea, where it's a major course. They found that subjects, women in particular, who ate instant noodles at least twice a week had a 68 percent higher risk of diabetes and heart disease-than subjects who ate a more consistently natural diet.

    In short, eating ramen once in a while won't damage your health-as is true with most processed foods. But it's not something you should make a habit of-for your stomach and heart's sake.

Hello,

    The International Student Center has heard of several frauds(诈骗) that are targeting international students. Someone may call and say that they are from:

    •Immigration Canada

    •home country's Embassy

    •Canada Revenue Agency

    •Police Department

    In most situations, the caller will request that you make a payment or you will face serious consequences when returning to your home country. They may talk or threaten until you make a payment. While there is no way that these fraudsters can know you are an international student (they call Canadians too), here are some things that you should know in order to better protect yourself:

    UTSC provides you with FREE Immigration advising and application help (for Study &Work Permits, Visas, Permanent Residence, and Citizenship).

    Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)，and Canadian Border Services Agency ( CBSA) will not call you, and will not ask for money or personal information by phone. If you call them, you will have to identify yourself.

    Embassies will not threaten you to make a payment or request an investigation fee due to a fake (伪造的) passport.

    Never feel like you need to pay anyone money right away. Ask for an employee number and hang up. You can call back the company (find their number online) and ask about your situation to confirm.

    Be skeptical of anyone asking you to make a payment.

    Think twice before clicking the weblinks provided and make sure they will actually go where they say.

    If you feel that you have been the victim of a fraud, you should report this to the police in the region where you live (e.g. Toronto Police Services). You can also inform Campus Police.

    If you're not sure about something, WAIT. Come to the ISC (IC-350) and meet with a Transition Advisor. We can help you understand what's happening.

    Kendel Chitolie

    International Student Advisor, RISIA S700907

    International Student Centre

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