Pankaj Shah Greendimes: A Forest that protects the environment from getting Spamitised

 It has been a more than decade since when we started using the email more intensively as the source for communication. The day to day world becoming more digitised, emails are becoming authentic idetntity and communication symbol of the individual The only one that still stops it from such is the Spam. These mails not only cause individual irrtations butalso they cause monetary loss to the individual. I was about to loose about 1000$ a eyear ago when I was just going to draft this amount to an unknown individual who asked me to send this so that he will be processing an amount of 1 million dollars that I won. In reality I never participated in such activity. I was stopped by one of my friend who said he too recieved the mail. I really hate such spam mails and was loking a way to resolve such issue. I can filter about 15 of such mails. But day by day my inbox gets flooded with thousand s of such mail.

Any ways I got a solution, thanks to Pankaj Shah who is running an organisation that really works out solution for the spam mails. He is the founder of GreenDimes, a small business with big plans to stop junk mail while aiding the environment.GreenDimes is one of several companies nationwide begun in recent years to organize information about a customer’s unsolicited credit card offers and money mailers, or no longer desired catalogs, and then perform the legwork to halt the flow.The company pledges to plant one tree a month for every person who registers. According to the WildWest Institute, an estimated 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce 4.5 million tons of junk mail, with 44 percent of that thrown away unopened. GreenDimes keeps a crawl running on its home page, <www.greendimes.com showing that more than 310,590 trees have been preserved, more than 4 million gallons of water saved and nearly 1.6 million pounds of junk mail stopped by its efforts.

How to Be a Healthy Vegetarian


By Ryel Kestano on September 28th, 2009

While certainly a topic of perennial and vehement debate, most nutritionists and studies agree that the human consumption of animal meat is part of a balanced diet. The proteins found in animal meat and fat contain all the essential amino acids the body needs to grow, and are often more easily assimilated by the body than proteins found in a vegetarian diet. Dr Weston Price, a leading researcher of traditional diets who conducted vast studies of indigenous tribes in the 1930s, found that animal meat and fat was the singular most important dietary component among the tribes he studied, inhabiting all extremes of conditions, from the coldest to the warmest regions on earth. However, it is absolutely possible to obtain all the necessary nutritional elements the body needs from a vegetarian diet. The problem is that many people choose to become vegetarians without spending time studying how to be a healthy vegetarian. Because it is harder to obtain all the necessary vitamins, minerals and proteins the body needs from a non-meat diet, it is important that vegetarians have a strong grasp of the right foods they must eat, as well as the quantity and combination of foods, in order to maintain a healthy, balanced nutritional composition.


Healthy vegetarians make a daily effort to monitor their nutritional intake, particularly in regard to certain vitamins that are more easily found in animal meat, most notably Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Calcium, Zinc, Riboflavin, Iron and especially Vitamin B-12. The right combination of foods is required so that the vitamins are activated and ingested in the right amounts. From a Chinese medicine perspective, which highly values a nutritional balance among foods that fall across the dietary spectrum, this article is invaluable in learning to become a healthy vegetarian.

One SIM and multiple phone networks


Posted by: anusharaji on: January 2, 2006


Now you can have multiple SIM cards in just a single mobile. So no more handling of multiple mobiles. Just a single superSIM vl do the job and ofcourse multiple phone numbers


With the SuperSIM package contains one SuperSIM which can store up to 16 numbers ( from the same or different networks) as well as the USB SIM card read/writer and software. On the phone you get a new Menu where you can change between Networks by just clicking at the Network of choice.


With 16 in1 Card are MultiSIM Reader/Writer with advanced system STK which can combine 16 most frequently used mobile numbers (SIM Cards) from different areas, countries or different network numbers in just one SuperSIM card. A smart design of this SuperSIM can now solve problems for people who own several mobile numbers and always wonder which one to bring when they go out. With the SuperSIM card, you can combine all your mobile numbers on one SIM card.


The operating process is very easy, with the software and the manual provided, you will be able to operate it and switch it to the number or network that you wish. This way, the problem of changing SIM cards and paying large amount of money on phone bills will be avoided. You are able to download and edit your SIM card’s phone book and SMS messages, change the PIN code of your card and do other useful functions.

Single cell phone multiple numbers (SIM method)



Two lines (two numbers) on one mobile phone is a popular demand. All non-ancient GSM phones support multiple lines, but it seems that no carrier in the world bother to support it. This is true a couple of years ago to last two years, not very true now, but the biggest and most popular carriers don't bother. Now still no US carrier bothers. Now the phones are so smart that you can do a lot of things to by pass the carriers, forcing some carriers to compete. The smaller carriers might just as well provide some fringe benefits to increase head count.



For GSM and 3G(UMTS) you can play around with the SIM cards. For other carriers, you can call via some calling card like services, or Internet services.



You can buy a super SIM card, together with a card reader and writer. You copy all your carrier SIM cards over to your own super SIM card. I heard that 3G SIM's are not possible to copy due to encryption. The original SIMs have to be compatible to your super SIM and to your phone, which makes this the most problematic method, though the most elegant.



The most common method is to get a dual-SIM adapter. I think Magicsim is the most common brand on eBay and I had one, long before they have a brand name and a website online. SIM's have some sort of standards, including V1, V2 and 3G. There are also different memory sizes, 32K, 64K to 128K (3G). Make sure that your phone is on the adapter compatible list. I don' t know if it's possible that some carrier SIM's can cause further compatibility problems. But I don't think it will be if your phone is a 3G or late GSM model.



There are two types of dual-SIM adapters. The simpler type looks like three SIM cards connected together. There are two holders for your carrier SIM cards. You insert the third card into the SIM compartment of your phone. This type requires that your battery compartment isn't too tight to contain the extra thickness of the SIM cards. You are OK if your phone is on the compatibility list. I would recommend this though I had the other type.



The second dual-SIM adapter requires you to cut out the central bit of your SIM cards, and put them into a SIM card that holds your two little cut out pieces. The adapter in the form of a SIM card is slightly thicker than an ordinary SIM card, so it might not fit if your SIM compartment is super thin. Or the contact may be loose so they provide you with sponge fillers for a tight fit.



The cut out type adapters sound dangerous and difficult. It's yes or no. SIM cards don't cost much if you know where to find, and if you have a plan your carrier may replace it for you. Unless you make very stupid cuts, even if the adapter doesn't work, they provide two holders for you to hold your cards for use as if they are not cut. I advise to get a SIM cutter, which I didn't. I just used a scissor. I intended to cut a little larger than the template, then gradually reduce the size to fit the adapter. But I ended up simply chopped off the excess with one simple cut per straight edge.



The two cut out SIM cards should look exactly like two miniature SIM cards, but not mine. After a little trimming they can go inside the adapter. But with some loose space one of the miniature card can move a little inside. It didn't work at first, or it didn't work reliably. But once I swapped the two miniature cards, they fit better and never gave me problems. Maybe after a year the SIM's are lose again. So I pull out and plug in the cards again and added the sponge filler to hold the cards tighter. It works fine now.



I brought a 64K SIM served by AT&T (previously Cingular). It was another eBay order without phone and plan. It was for the GoPhone, prepaid or with a monthly plan. It might be possible that the carrier may not activate some cards, they way they are sold or according to their serial numbers. My SIMs are OK but probably because I wanted to port my old phone number to the prepaid phone(!), I went through several operators. Virgin had better service and better deal, but they are not GSM, reselling Sprint airtime.



I had a carrier unlocked GSM phone for traveling. I don't think you need an unlock phone when you are using two SIMs from the same carrier. If you ask, a nice carrier may unlock the phone for you after 6 months. But most phones are trivial to unlock yourself. For Moto you only need to download some software to the PC and a standard mini USB cable. I don't know about the latest 3G phones but you always search unlock hacks specific for your phone. If you travel abroad those Blade Runner (the movie) type shops will unlock it for you free if you buy anything trivial.



Adapters cost little but you pay for those guys who buy it in bulk and resell on eBay. Same for SIM cards. US carriers don't sell SIM cards directly without anything to go with it. But somehow you can get it on eBay. Abroad, SIM cards with airtime are cheaper than refilling the airtime itself.



At any one time, only one SIM and one number is active. In the older adapters, you switch off the phone and then back on to switch SIM cards, hence your number. In the newer ones, you dial 001 and then hangup to use SIM card number one, and so on. With better compatibility, you can pick SIM1 or SIM2 on your phone menu. You can also rotate the cards at fixed intervals, x minutes for the 1st and y minutes for the 2nd. This way, you can receive all your voicemail and other alerts without having to manually switch the SIM cards. But I don't feel comfortable doing this. My adapter doesn't work in this mode anyway.



Normally you set your phone to forward on unavailable to the other number, so you will not miss any calls. But there are minor problems. You don't know if the call is forwarded or not. You just have the caller ID. So if you do not know the person, you don't know which number the caller called. And be very careful if your numbers aren't public. Your line 1 calls will be forwarded to line 2, and voice mail will be left on your line 2 account. The system default message is to announce your line 2 phone number, thought the caller called your line 1 number. The same problem occurs again if line 1 is supposed to be for John and line 2 for Peter. On the voice mail greetings you have to swap the greetings for John and Peter. But when you sometimes turned off the call forward for some reasons, you have to swap the greetings. So carrying two phones isn't a bad idea.



The cheapest way to keep an extra number this way is prepaid, roughly $100 a year or $25 for 3 months from various carriers, if you call very little. It's difficult to compare exactly because most have some refill bonus. Most carrier will allow you to go offline a few months while keeping your number. It's much cheaper if your usage patterns allow for that. AT&T (Cingular) has 3G, T-mobile still haven't make the announcement. And of course AT&T has the iPhone. With the constant cat and mouse unlock the iPhone game, no way AT&T is going to unlock your iPhone for your travels.



By the way, there are phones holding two SIM cards. But I bet they aren't too good as the demand is perhaps 1 in 1,000 or 100,000. And then there's a version of Blackberry from Verzion, which provides CDMA2000 technology, but also duals as a GSM phone for you to travel. Of course the GSM phone is unlocked for foreign carriers. And since you already picked Verizon, they are not afraid that you want to switch to GSM/3G carriers. But if money is no object, there are other more elegant ways to have a 2nd phone number with a smart phone.

The Internet or calling card like methods will be next.

Biofuels Boom Hits Bump in the Road

By Monica Patel




The recent outpouring of bad news about biofuels is impossible to ignore. The imminent death of biofuels — before they are fully born — is being predicted everywhere.

The current "food vs. fuel" debate, for example, alarmingly points to biofuels as the cause for current high food prices. On the environmental front, two articles in the journal Science recently argued that growing fuel could actually exacerbate global warming pollution. Yet, there is strong evidence, many still contend, that a biofuels boom, if done right, will benefit both the economy and the environment.

While they may play a role in food prices, biofuels are not the primary cause of the problem. Maximum estimates put their impact at one-third of the food inflation. Rising energy costs, poor weather conditions, pest and disease shocks, the decreasing value of the dollar, and increased demand for meat in developing countries, account for the bulk of food price inflation.

More critically, credible articles released earlier this year argue that growing fuel could actually aggravate the very environmental problem the alternative fuel is supposed to alleviate. The papers point out that if currently unmanaged forests or grasslands, or other pristine lands, were converted to agricultural lands to sustain the need for fuel crops, the overall carbon benefits derived from replacing fossil fuels with biofuels would be negated.

Alternative fuel proponents counter that biofuels are not inherently "good" or "bad" — it just depends on what fuels are grown, where, and how. Done wrong, they admit that biofuels are potentially disastrous for the economy and our environment. But done right, they contend that biofuels not only can fulfill their promise for agriculture, climate change and oil independence, they also can bolster the domestic auto industry and its leadership role in developing "flex-fuel" vehicles.

What would doing biofuels "right" look like? While corn ethanol has played an important role in getting the biofuels boom going, most experts now agree that future biofuels must be produced using less energy and fewer resources. One paper, "Land Clearing and the Biofuel Carbon Debt," offers a solution: make biofuels from waste biomass or perennials planted on abandoned agricultural lands. Biofuel made from such "cellulosic" sources — grasses, wastes or wood residues — not only offers immediate greenhouse gas advantages; it also avoids potential "food vs. fuel" conflicts.

Biofuels proponents also point out that consumers are already feeling some of the economic benefits of alternative fuels; they just don't know it. Yes, food prices are up in part due to corn being diverted to make ethanol, but consumers can't blame the biofuels boom for skyrocketing gas prices. According to an analysis released by Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., in March, "oil and gasoline prices would be about 15 percent higher if biofuel producers weren't increasing their output."



Monica Patel is Research Analyst and Advocate for the Ecology Center’s Clean Car Campaign.

Biofuels: A Good Fuel from the Bad & the Low-Carbon

Biofuels: The Good, the Bad & the Low-Carbon


Jump-Starting Michigan's Biofuels Industry

By Charles Griffith

Last summer, the Michigan Renewable Fuels Commission (RFC), appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, issued a broad set of recommendations intended to help jump-start the next-generation fuels industry within the state.

As a member of that Commission, I believe there are three key recommendations that deserve highlighting from an environmental perspective. These include: 1) the development of a low-carbon fuel strategy for renewable fuels; 2) the establishment of a next-generation renewable fuels feedstock program; and 3) the creation of a "Green Retailers" program for encouraging retail renewable fuel sales.



A Low Carbon Fuel Standard, such as the one now being developed in California, is a good way to approach biofuels. The policy requires that fuels contain decreasing amounts of carbon based on their lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. The lifecycle approach looks at the greenhouse gas emissions of the fuel from production to delivery, which includes direct land use changes resulting from fuel crop planting and protections for sensitive lands. A low-carbon standard avoids preference of one fuel over another, and allows the market to choose the most efficient combination of fuels and technologies that will meet a declining standard for the permitted carbon content. This performance-based approach would create a strong market for Michigan-based, cellulosic fuels and could even provide a boost to plug-in hybrid vehicles being developed by General Motors and others.



A complementary policy to speed up the production of new feedstocks for low carbon fuels in the state would provide farmers, the forestry industry, and others with incentives to transition to growing next-generation energy crops. A comprehensive incentive package recommended by the Commission includes payments to landowners who produce dedicated energy crops sustainably; tax incentives or loan guarantees for the purchase of new equipment; and research and technical assistance. By ensuring that biofuels are grown sustainably, and used to rebuild soil in marginal agricultural areas or to provide a sustainably harvested wood crop, Michigan could set a leadership path that other states would want to follow.



Finally, a "Green Retailers" program would ensure a growing market for renewable fuels in the state by helping to establish a fuel infrastructure for E85 and biodiesel that is currently lacking. The program would work by rewarding retail and wholesale outlets that sell a certain percentage of renewable fuels with a tax rebate. Ideally, such a program would be funded through a small tax increase on conventional petroleum fuels, thus providing further incentives for low-carbon fuels grown here in Michigan.



Lansing policymakers are now beginning to consider legislation to address the Renewable Fuels Commission's recommendations. Given the current interest and debate about the future of biofuels (see "Biofuels Boom Hits Bump in the Road"), the Michigan Legislature has a golden opportunity and a leadership moment.



Our political leaders can and should make a strong push to position our agricultural and auto industries to capture the market for low-carbon, environmentally sustainable fuels of the future. Michigan will have to move fast, however, since other states are already considering many of the policies outlined here.



Visit the Sustainable Biofuels section of the Clean Car Campaign on the Ecology Center web site.