Guinness Awards Record for Most Expensive Perfume

SMELL CAN CONTROL YOUR MIND

Rose is a rose, and a perfume is a perfume, right? Well, not if it's the "World's Most Expensive Perfume." Clive Christian No. 1 was awarded the Guinness World Record for being the most expensive perfume on Saturday, Dec. 8, at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York.

Composed of the rarest ingredients in the world with no regard to their cost, No. 1, which has been produced by Clive Christian for the past six years, retails for $2,350for 30ml of the pure perfume. Only 1000 bottles each of the men's and women's perfumes are released each year.

The single most expensive bottle of the Clive Christian perfume, the No. 1 Imperial Majesty bottle made of Baccarat Crystal and inset with a white diamond on the neck, was on display Saturday as well at Saks. Valued at over $200,000, only 10 bottles were ever produced.

Fans of No. 1 include Sir Elton John, who used the scent to perfume the gardens at his White Tie and Tiara Ball and Katie Holmes, who wore it on her wedding day for her marriage to Tom Cruise.

Clive Christian flew in from London to receive the official award from Guinness World Records. When his company acquired the Crown Perfumery in 1999, the British perfume company originally established in 1872 granted the crown of excellence by Queen Victoria, he set out to revive the company's history of luxury by creating the most exquisite perfumes, though he said they never set out to break the world record.

"The brief that was given to them for No. 1 was that they had to produce the best possible perfume that was known to mankind, and they were to ignore all costs and buy whatever they considered would produce the best results, even taking into account that it might not be sustainable," said Christian. "In other words, next year, we may not be able to do it. Nobody has ever done that. No. 1 does change, year by year."

"The by-product of that is that it became ridiculously expensive to actually produce that," continued Christian. "We didn't expect it to be as well-received as it has been, which goes to show that if you produce something so well, the world will respond well to it."

Christian said the two ingredients in particular make this perfume so expensive. Natural aged sandalwood from India, for example, which is so prized it is regulated by the Indian government, is an ingredient in No. 1.

Tahitian vanilla is another, which Christian explained goes through a labor-intensive process to procure.

"The vanilla pods ferment, and then tiny crystals form on the outside of the pod, and we actually reap the perfume of the vanilla, from those crystals - not actually from the pods," said Christian.

Though Christian may be the man behind the world's most lavish scent, one of his favorite scents doesn't hail from an exotic locale or rare flower, though you might be hard-pressed to find such a smell today.

"A great smell and sensation was when I was a child," said Christian. "They used to have over a railway line, those metal bridges that you don't have any more. And when they had a steam train, if you stood, directly above it, as the steam train went through it, you were covered in steam, so it was quite an experience. You had the smell of the steam, and of the carbon, and the different goings on, and that was a powerful, energetic smell."

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Save Money with a Homemade Holiday this Christmas
I doubt anyone would contest the idea that Christmas is becoming more commercialized than in the past. Christmas decorations adorn the stores before Halloween has come and gone.

For many people, the rush to start the holiday season did not bring warm feelings of holiday cheer. Instead, the mental cash register starts ringing and the financial obligations of Christmas become a heavy burden. Thus, many people are often depressed throughout the holidays

For many, 2007 has been a difficult year economically. Keeping food on the table has been the priority; forget having anything extra to spend for Christmas. In fact, a family I know, who have 4 small children, says that Santa is not coming to their house this year.

How sad that Christmas has become a time of financial burden. So, I am going to take an idea from a reader’s recent comment, and suggest a homemade holiday.

First, may I suggest reading Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder? Once you read how last century’s families had to live during the holidays; most of us will actually feel wealthy. Next, I want to suggest some good Christmas ideas that will not result in a slew of bills come January:

Cookies: Who doesn’t like to eat? Make a plate of Christmas goodies to give to friends and family this holiday season. It is a thoughtful gift that took you time, because you cared, yet cost very little.

Christmas Cards: Make the cards this year. Especially if you have children, make homemade Christmas cards. As a mom, an Aunt, a daughter, and a friend, I love handmade cards. For every card, the giver has shared his/her heart. It is not a present pulled off the shelf out of a sense of obligation.

IOUs: I mentioned this in a previous post. If my daughter gave me an IOU to cook supper one night, do a chore, or something else, I would be touched, and her wallet would not get thinner.

Crafts: One year, I made Christmas tree ornaments. You can make them from family photos and things you probably already have around the house. If you crochet, you can make snowflakes, bells, angels, and more with a little crochet thread and time. You don’t even have to buy the starch to make them stiff and formed. Boiled equal parts of water and sugar will do the trick. (Sticky at first, the dry ornaments will no longer be sugary to the touch.)

Cocoa: Make batches of homemade cocoa mix, put it in a decorate jar. It can make a yummy gift for months to come.

Okay, now I am passing the baton. We already have great ideas from one reader who wants to bring the Joy of Christmas before the financial burden. What are your ideas? How are you making a homemade holiday this year?

nutrition affect central nervous system development from birth

Diet for Brain Development, From the Beginning
Studies looking into how diet and nutrition affect central nervous system development from birth are being conducted by Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded scientists. They are using noninvasive tools to assess infant, toddler and school-aged children's psychological, neurological and physiological development, as well as other brain-related functions.

Healthy newborns soak up information from their surroundings while their developing brains sprout billions of nerve cell connections, or synapses. The brain's "hardwiring" actually starts in the womb, directed by the growing fetus' genetic game plan acquired from both parents. Good nutrition is key to supporting the growth of this network of neurons from the beginning.

ARS, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency, is funding research at the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (ACNC), which is managed cooperatively by ARS and the Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Ark.

Among other projects, Terry Pivik, a psychophysiologist who heads the ACNC's Brain Function Laboratory, and Janet Gilchrist, who heads the ACNC's Clinical Nutrition Unit, are interested in defining best feeding practices for brain development among infants and children.

For a project called The Beginnings Study, researchers are using measures of brain activity, behavior and growth to study hundreds of infants who have been reared exclusively on one of the three most commonly fed infant diets: breast milk, cow's milk formula or soy-based formula.

So far, preliminary results indicate that there are slight cognitive and language advantages among the breast-fed infants at 6 and 12 months, compared with infants in the two formula-fed groups. The researchers caution that these differences will require further evaluation in the context of other contributory factors. The study will continue for several more years.

Brain development continues throughout early childhood and is now believed to undergo a second wave of dramatic functional changes during adolescence, according to experts.

Researchers have found a possible link between lung cancer and a lack of exposure

LUNG CANCER LINKED TO LACK OF SUN

Researchers have found a possible link between lung cancer and a lack of exposure to sunlight. The study by the University of California, San Diego, discovered that vitamin D - which is produced in the body when exposed to sunlight - can help prevent cancer. Experts found lung cancer rates were highest in countries furthest from the equator, where exposure to sunlight is lowest and they warned that although sunlight is still a major cause of skin cancer, in small doses it also has many positive effects.

Americans are more determined to shape up their flabby finances in 2008 than their bodies

Americans put finances ahead of fitness

After a year of record mortgage foreclosures and slumping home prices, Americans are more determined to shape up their flabby finances in 2008 than their bodies, according to a study released by Countrywide Bank on Tuesday.

Some 67 percent of the 1,002 adults surveyed nationwide said that becoming financially fit is a top New Year's resolution, while 57 percent are committed to becoming physically fit in 2008.

"The results of the survey are an indicator that people are finally putting financial health on par with physical health," said clinical psychologist Dr. Melody Alderman in a statement from Countrywide.

By gender, women are more insecure about their finances, with 37 percent saying they are financially fit, compared with 55 percent for men. Dads are more confident about finances than moms, and single people feel more secure than the married.

Geographically, U.S. Northeasterners felt better about their money, with 52 percent saying their are financially fit. The Midwest and South were tied at the bottom with 43 percent feeling secure about finances.

Countrywide Bank is part of Countrywide Financial Corp , the largest mortgage lender in the United States with a big stake in the troubled subprime mortgage market. It has been battered by escalating loan defaults.

Science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke listed three wishes on his 90th birthday:

At 90, Sci-fi Guru Wishes that E.T. Would Call

Science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke listed three wishes on his 90th birthday: for the world to embrace cleaner energy resources, for a lasting peace in his adopted home, Sri Lanka, and for evidence of extraterrestrial beings.

"I have always believed that we are not alone in this universe," Clarke said in a speech to a small gathering of scientists, astronauts and government officials Sunday in Colombo where he lives.

Humans are waiting until extraterrestrial beings "call us or give us a sign," he said. "We have no way of guessing when this might happen. I hope sooner rather than later."

Clarke has written more than 100 sci-fi books, including "2001: A Space Odyssey." His fiction predicted space travel before rockets were even test-fired and envisioned computers dominating ordinary lives.

On a different note, and just a day after delegates at a U.N. conference in Indonesia agreed to a blueprint for fighting global warming by 2009, he urged the world to consider switching to environmentally friendly fuels.

"I would like to see us kicking our current addiction to oil and adopt clean energy resources," Clarke said.

The British-born author moved to Sri Lanka in 1954 and became a resident guest — meaning he can stay permanently without a resident visa — in 1975. Since then, an ethnic conflict has flared and continues to rage between government forces and Tamil Tiger separatists on the tropical island. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting.

"I have been living in Sri Lanka for 50 years and half that time I have been a sad witness to the bitter conflict that divides my adopted country," Clarke said. "I dearly wish to see a lasting peace being established in Sri Lanka. Peace just cannot be wished, it requires a great deal of hard work, courage and persistence."

Clarke, who suffers from post-polio syndrome and is confined to a wheelchair, cut a cake with "Happy Birthday Sir Arthur" written on it, as Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse, visiting astronauts and scientists sang "Happy Birthday." He was knighted in 1998.

Russian Alexei Leonov, who took the first walk in space in March 1965 and was a guest at Clarke's birthday tea party Sunday, gave him a medal from the Federation of Cosmonauts of Russia.

"Sometimes I am asked how I would like to be remembered," Clarke said. "I have had a diverse career as a writer, underwater explorer and space promoter. Of all these I would like to be remembered as a writer."

Pro Bowl voters honored the memory of Sean Taylor.

Sean Taylor Makes Pro Bowl Posthumously

Pro Bowl voters honored the memory of Sean Taylor. They also used a lot of votes on Dallas Cowboys and none on the NFC South, which didn't get a player into the league's all-star game.

Taylor, who died Nov. 27 after being shot during a burglary at his home in Florida, was voted the starting free safety on the NFC team. He was having an outstanding season and was one of the leading vote-getters among fans at the time of his death.

"It is well-deserved," Redskins center Casey Rabach said. "If he would have been able to finish the season, he would have been in there. It just shows the respect everybody around the league had for him and what a great player he was."

Taylor is the only player known to have made an all-star team posthumously in any sport other than goaltender Pelle Lindbergh was voted to the NHL All-Star game in February 1986. He had been killed in an auto accident in November 1985 after playing eight games for the Philadelphia Flyers, for whom he had won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie the previous season.

Both conferences were dominated by players from the teams at the top of the standings, none more than Dallas, which had 11 voted to the team by fans, players and coaches for the game to be played in Honolulu on Feb. 10. Unbeaten New England had eight, including Tom Brady and Randy Moss, but also linebacker Mike Vrabel, who made it to the game for the first time in 11 NFL seasons.

Still, Jacksonville was ignored although the Jaguars are 10-4 and on the verge of clinching a playoff spot in the AFC. So were all four teams in the NFC South, plus Detroit and the New York Jets.

Dallas' contingent included the obvious: quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Terrell Owens. And with the Cowboys at 12-2, the fans came out for more of their favorites on "America's Team."

One of the Cowboys, running back Marion Barber, is not a starter for Dallas, although he leads the team with 871 yards rushing. That's 315 more than starter Julius Jones, but is just seventh in the NFC, although Barber does have 11 touchdowns.

Green Bay, tied with Dallas at the top of the NFC, had four players on the team, including Brett Favre, who will start at quarterback. It is the ninth Pro Bowl for the 38-year-old Favre, his first since 2003.

San Diego, like New England, had eight players chosen. Minnesota was second in the NFC with seven, including rookie Adrian Peterson, who leads the conference in rushing.

Redemption also was a theme.

Jared Allen of Kansas City, suspended for the first two games of the season after multiple drunken driving convictions, will be a starting defensive end for the AFC.

"I was always raised that a man has to have great character," said Allen, whose suspension was reduced from four games to two by commissioner Roger Goodell after he promised to stop drinking.

"The measure of a man is what you do when no one is around and how you handle adversity. You can go two ways. You can bury yourself and just use it as a crutch and an excuse. Or it can motivate you and you can prove everybody wrong by working hard."

Albert Haynesworth of Tennessee, suspended for five games by Goodell last season after stomping on the head of Dallas' Andre Gurode during a game, made the AFC team at defensive tackle. He will play against Gurode, the starting center for the NFC.

"The season I wanted to have this year was one to rewrite the history books on me, so that people would remember me as a good football player, not for what happened last year, having the longest suspension," said Haynesworth, whose contract is up after this season and is expected to be a prize free agent if he doesn't re-sign with the Titans.

One of those left off the team was Fred Taylor of Jacksonville, who has had four straight 100-yard rushing games and has 1,091 yards rushing and has a 5.1-yard average per carry while splitting time with Maurice Jones-Drew.

Fred Taylor is the 18th leading rusher in NFL history, but has never been to the Pro Bowl. That makes him the only one of the top 43 rushers in history not to make it to the league's all-star game.

He anticipated that last week.

"Whatever happens, happens," he said. "They've got to tally up the votes, and however it comes out, I've got to live with it. I've always felt like I'm Pro Bowl-quality, so everything else doesn't matter."

Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio refused to lobby for votes for his players and ended up with no Pro Bowlers on a team that right now is one of the NFL's five best.

"Hometown people want to get their hometown guys in," coach Del Rio said last week. "When you get a bunch in, you can say we're the greatest, and if you don't, you think you got robbed. It's the same everywhere."

The three backs chosen ahead of Fred Taylor were LaDainian Tomlinson of San Diego, Willie Parker of Pittsburgh and Joseph Addai of Indianapolis. Parker and Tomlinson have gained more yards than Taylor, but Parker is averaging 4.1 and Tomlinson, last season's league MVP, is averaging 4.7.

Addai, one of five Colts on the AFC squad, has 1,019 yards rushing, 72 yards fewer than Taylor and an average of 4.1 yards per carry, a full yard less than the 31-year-old Jacksonville star.

Three rookies made the NFC team: Peterson, who is third in the NFL with 1,278 yards rushing and first among regular backs with a 5.9 average; linebacker Patrick Willis of San Francisco; and Dallas placekicker Nick Folk.

The Pro Bowl selection also proves that you don't have to be a high draft choice from a big school to make it.

There are three undrafted free agents from Kent State on the AFC team. One is tight end Antonio Gates of San Diego, on the AFC team for the fourth straight year. The others are linebacker James Harrison of Pittsburgh and return man Joshua Cribbs of Cleveland.

There are 18 first-timers on the AFC team, 11 in the NFC. Offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden of Baltimore was voted to his 11th straight Pro Bowl in his 12th season.