HAPPY NEW YEAR................
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Globally mobile lifestyle......
The innovative designs of three Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) students are included in flat knitting machine builder Stoll's current Trend Collection for Autumn/Winter 2009-10, titled Nomads.These designs are the result of a competition held at FIT during the winter 2008 semester by Stoll America Knitting Machinery in the U.S. and Stoll's Germany-based Fashion and Technology department. The competition required FIT students to address the challenges of global mobility by designing garments that have multiple uses and function in a variety of climates. Stoll looked for designs with the sophistication necessary to provide its customers with up-to-date, innovative pieces that would also showcase the capabilities of Stoll's machines. From submissions of sketches by ten students, four designs by three students were selected for production. Casey Pyle, who graduated in 2008 with a degree in Fashion Design, created a catsuit that converts into a shoulder bag and a sweater that becomes a backpack. Hye Jin Choi, a 2008 Textile Development and Marketing graduate, designed a blouse that converts into a dress. Min Kwon, who is expected to graduate in 2009 with a degree in Fashion Design, contributed a top that can be worn as a skirt. Stoll provided both the expertise of its knitwear specialists and its extensive technology to help the three students turn their sketches into garments. The Nomads Trend Collection for Autumn/Winter 2009-10 can be downloaded and fabricated by Stoll customers. Jorg Hartmann, head of Fashion and Technology at Stoll, said, "We were very excited to see that a close cooperation between industry and education turned out to be equally beneficial. The students experienced a unique chance to work with knitwear specialists, and in exchange Stoll received valuable creative input from upcoming designers who challenged the technical capabilities of our equipment." "The winners of the Stoll's Trend Collection Autumn/Winter 2009-10 competition had the unique opportunity to collaborate with Stoll's development team in putting their designs into work," said Ann Denton, assistant professor, Textile Development and Marketing at FIT. "For a student pursuing a career in fashion, the experience of working side by side with industry professionals is extraordinarily valuable." Stoll has been working in close cooperation with FIT for over two decades as part of the company's global strategy to support educational institutions. "The Stoll-FIT collaboration has created a wealth of opportunities for FIT students," Denton added. "Our Fashion Design, Textile Development and Marketing, and Production Management students receive formal classroom training on Stoll M1 workstations in their knit classes. As part of their coursework, they develop a wide variety of fabrics and garments for production on our Stoll CMS machinery." In addition, many FIT students attend demonstrations of Stoll M1 and CMS equipment, allowing them to become increasingly familiar with the technology.
Stoll also has donated machinery and software to FIT's knitting lab, given talks at the college, trained faculty on software, provided technical assistance to students, and loaned a large library of samples for students to use as inspiration. "In the fields of knit design and product development, creativity alone is not sufficient," said Denton. "A strong command of knitting technology is also necessary, and FIT's ability to train students on state-of-the-art Stoll equipment is key to building this technical foundation. "When a creative individual has sophisticated technical skills, that person's design work can be tremendously exciting. In an increasingly competitive global economy, innovative design and product development is critically important to the fashion business. Stoll's longstanding collaboration with FIT helps build the skills our students need for career success in this challenging environment," Denton continued. Stoll is an international leading manufacturer of flat knitting machines and pattern preparation systems that looks back on a long and rich tradition. Now in its 135th year, the firm is owned by the fourth generation of the Stoll family. Today, Stoll employs a workforce of approximately 1,000 around the world. Of these, approximately 750 are based in Reutlingen, Germany. Flat knitting machine production takes place exclusively in Germany.Even the company's computers and control systems are developed and manufactured by Stoll. Overall, Stoll operates in more than 70 countries around the world and has sales offices in France, Italy, Japan, India, and the U.S. A Chinese subsidiary, the Stoll Fashion and Technology International Center, has been established in Shanghai. FIT, a leader in professional career-oriented education, is a selective college of art and design, business and technology of the State University of New York (SUNY), with 44 majors leading to the AAS, BFA, BS, MA, and MPS degrees. The college serves more than 10,000 students in such diverse areas as fashion design, advertising and marketing communications, toy design, home products development, and fashion merchandising management.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
How to Stop Living from Pay to Pay
just can't seem to get clear of your bills?
.Earn OK money but never seem to have any left over?
.Need help to get your debts off your back?
.Looking for a book on how to fix up your money life that talks to you and not at you?
.Well, you've got the right book!
In Greg Smith's latest money masterpiece you'll find ripping yarns, valuable how to's and plenty of helpful advice on how to get you out of the pay to pay cycle.
In fact, this book is just like having Greg sit down right next to you and chatting with you one to one about your money issues. He writes the way he talks, so get prepared for a good old chin wag and easy to read a book that you feel like you are actually having a conversation with. Not only is it relevant to you, it's down to earth, informative and at times funny.
Greg has written this book straight from the heart, as he knows all too well how it is to live from pay to pay as he candidly shares his story over the last ten years - showing that anyone (no matter what their income) can fall into the pay to pay cycle. As you will discover the key is to know what to do to get yourself out. And that's where this book comes in. Here you'll discover how to build up a whole stack of knowledge that will tell you what to do and how to do it. Plus be inspired to build your confidence with money.
No more scrimping and scraping or going without just to make it to the next pay day. Simply follow the easy to understand and implement advice and you will very quickly master how to break that vicious pay to pay cycle.
This book is going to have a huge impact on your life as you'll :
• Discover the psychological and external factors that influence your approach to money and help you understand why you do what you do with your money.
• Get greater direction in your life (or get you back on track) by learning how to identify the sort of goals you want to achieve (be they personal, professional and financial). And then find out the all important keys to putting action plans into place to make things happen.
• Find a method of managing your money flows that suits your day to day lifestyle so that you finally get a good handle on where every cent is coming from and going. Sounds like fun huh? There are also online spreadsheets to make calculations easy.
• Work out whether you are a 'Drunken Sailor, Greedy Grabber, Therapist or Entertainer' when it comes to you Spending Mindsets and learn how to improve your spending patterns on food, clothing, shelter, education, health, to travel and entertainment.
• Knock over your debts in times frames you could have only dreamed of using Greg's 'Debt Buster Program.
• Reacquaint yourself with the fine art of saving and wealth accumulation and learn how to develop a set of passive income streams that will ultimately give you the freedom to one day say 'ta ta' to your boss (in the nicest possible way of course!).
• Learn how to deal with those Money Monsters (ie unexpected bills, fines, loss of jobs etc). and 7 Deadly Money Sins (greed, envy etc) that can destabilize your delicate money balance.
• Also learn how to keep a good paperwork system and build a solid money team to keep you on track and your finances in good working order. As Greg says "the more time you spend on your money the more money you will have to spend!"
lifestyle fashion brand Stella McCartney announced their collaboration to develop and introduce a distinctive mobile advertising campaign
Millennial Media, Inc., the industry’s largest and fastest-growing mobile advertising networks company, and luxury lifestyle fashion brand Stella McCartney announced their collaboration to develop and introduce a distinctive mobile advertising campaign for holiday shoppers throughout North America. The campaign, which launches today, and continues through the end of January 2009, represents the fashion designer’s first foray into mobile marketing. In addition, the initiative plays a critical role in the company’s holiday-focused integrated marketing efforts, which also include print and online advertising, direct mail, in-store, point-of-purchase signage, channel marketing, and public relations programs. Created and implemented exclusively by Millennial Media, the campaign seeks to build awareness and consumer interest for the Stella McCartney spring and summer 2009 collections, while concurrently establishing a significant presence for the Stella McCartney brand on the mobile Web.The collections feature pieces with Stella McCartney’s signature style of sharp tailoring, natural confidence, and sexy femininity. The effort is specifically targeted at modern and style-conscious shoppers. “Stella McCartney is a luxury lifestyle brand, and this partnership, through a unique and unconventional campaign, is geared towards further strengthening the brand’s presence to a wider audience,” said Stella McCartney. “This initiative enables Stella McCartney to target, with a new approach, fashion consumers in the U.S., while also being true to the brand’s efforts in environmental responsibility since the campaign is digital and avoids any wastage.” “With in-market competition and global demand for luxury goods at unprecedented levels, the world’s most respected designers and luxury brands are recognizing that old-fashioned marketing tactics are no longer the most viable means of engaging target audiences, particularly in a world dominated by online and mobile device usage,” said Paul Palmieri, president and chief executive officer of Millennial Media, Inc.“As result, cutting-edge fashion houses such as Stella McCartney are readily embracing and committing to fresh, new initiatives, including mobile advertising, to strongly differentiate their brands and product lines from an increasingly-crowded field of luxury goods purveyors.""Moreover, mobile offers the added benefits of exceptional brand interaction and engagement through its ability to create distinctive, highly-personal user experiences, all of which other mediums cannot specifically offer to same extent.” For the launch of the campaign, a series of distinctive banner advertisements will be prominently placed on various mobile Web sites within Millennial Media’s premium mobile advertising network. This network is the largest in the U.S. with over three billion monthly impressions across more than 2,000 quality sites.
As consumers visit news and information sites on the mobile Web, they may click on any Stella McCartney banner to be immediately transported into an interactive fashion experience that closely replicates window shopping via a mobile device. In addition, the initiative offers shoppers an easy-to-use mobile store locator to pinpoint the closest Stella McCartney retail location, and a feature for subscribing to future news and information updates from the Stella McCartney brand. The primary product focus of the Stella McCartney business continues to be its successful core women’s ready-to-wear collection, but in recent years, the company has focused on putting in place the foundations for strategically important partnerships with specialists in their related domains. The company has also invested more heavily in the development of its accessories collections, while still respecting the brand’s principles to avoid use of leather and other animal products.
more...
About Stella McCartney ..
Stella Nina McCartney" (born 13 September 1971) is an English fashion designer. She is the daughter of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney and his first wife, rock photographer and animal rights activist Linda McCartney.
Early life
Stella McCartney was born in London, the second child of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney. She is named for her maternal great-grandmothers: both of Linda McCartney's grandmothers were named Stella. As a young girl, McCartney travelled the globe with her parents and their pop group Wings, along with her siblings: older half-sister Heather (who was legally adopted by Paul McCartney), older sister Mary, and younger brother James. According to her father, the name of Wings was inspired by Stella's difficult birth. As his daughter was being born by emergency caesarean section, Paul sat outside the operating room and prayed that she be born 'on the wings of an angel.' Wings toured from shortly after her birth in 1971 until 1980.
Despite their fame, the McCartneys wanted their children to lead as normal an existence as possible so Stella and her siblings attended the local state school in East Sussex. McCartney has said that while attending state school, she was a victim of bullying.
Career
Beginning
Stella McCartney became interested designing clothes at age 12, when she made her first jacket. Three years later, she interned for Christian Lacroix, working on his first fashion design collection, honing her skills on Savile Row for a number of years.
She studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in the early 1990s. Her graduation collection in 1995 was modelled by friends and supermodels Naomi Campbell, Yasmin Le Bon and Kate Moss – for free – at the graduation runway show. The collection was shown to a song penned by her famous father, called 'Stella May Day.' The show made front-page news, and the entire collection was sold to Tokio, a London boutique. The designs were licensed to Browns, Joseph, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.
In 1998 she designed her sister Mary's wedding dress for her wedding to television producer Alistair Donald.
As a strict vegetarian, McCartney does not use fur or leather in her designs and supports PETA. Some of McCartney's designs have text that elaborates on her 'no animal' policy; for example, one of her jackets for Adidas says, 'suitable for sporty vegetarians' on the sleeve. Her father is also known for supporting PETA by protesting against designers who use animal fur, and those who wear it.
As consumers visit news and information sites on the mobile Web, they may click on any Stella McCartney banner to be immediately transported into an interactive fashion experience that closely replicates window shopping via a mobile device. In addition, the initiative offers shoppers an easy-to-use mobile store locator to pinpoint the closest Stella McCartney retail location, and a feature for subscribing to future news and information updates from the Stella McCartney brand. The primary product focus of the Stella McCartney business continues to be its successful core women’s ready-to-wear collection, but in recent years, the company has focused on putting in place the foundations for strategically important partnerships with specialists in their related domains. The company has also invested more heavily in the development of its accessories collections, while still respecting the brand’s principles to avoid use of leather and other animal products.
more...
About Stella McCartney ..
Stella Nina McCartney" (born 13 September 1971) is an English fashion designer. She is the daughter of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney and his first wife, rock photographer and animal rights activist Linda McCartney.
Early life
Stella McCartney was born in London, the second child of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney. She is named for her maternal great-grandmothers: both of Linda McCartney's grandmothers were named Stella. As a young girl, McCartney travelled the globe with her parents and their pop group Wings, along with her siblings: older half-sister Heather (who was legally adopted by Paul McCartney), older sister Mary, and younger brother James. According to her father, the name of Wings was inspired by Stella's difficult birth. As his daughter was being born by emergency caesarean section, Paul sat outside the operating room and prayed that she be born 'on the wings of an angel.' Wings toured from shortly after her birth in 1971 until 1980.
Despite their fame, the McCartneys wanted their children to lead as normal an existence as possible so Stella and her siblings attended the local state school in East Sussex. McCartney has said that while attending state school, she was a victim of bullying.
Career
Beginning
Stella McCartney became interested designing clothes at age 12, when she made her first jacket. Three years later, she interned for Christian Lacroix, working on his first fashion design collection, honing her skills on Savile Row for a number of years.
She studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in the early 1990s. Her graduation collection in 1995 was modelled by friends and supermodels Naomi Campbell, Yasmin Le Bon and Kate Moss – for free – at the graduation runway show. The collection was shown to a song penned by her famous father, called 'Stella May Day.' The show made front-page news, and the entire collection was sold to Tokio, a London boutique. The designs were licensed to Browns, Joseph, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.
In 1998 she designed her sister Mary's wedding dress for her wedding to television producer Alistair Donald.
As a strict vegetarian, McCartney does not use fur or leather in her designs and supports PETA. Some of McCartney's designs have text that elaborates on her 'no animal' policy; for example, one of her jackets for Adidas says, 'suitable for sporty vegetarians' on the sleeve. Her father is also known for supporting PETA by protesting against designers who use animal fur, and those who wear it.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
What color is Jewish music?
What color is Jewish music? Jewish musicians are gravitating towards African American music, but the underlying issues aren't so black and white.In the last 2,As I was scrolling through the songs on my iPod the other day, I came to a personal epiphany. We Jews like African American music. I know this is nothing new. Where was I when jazz and the blues were new and big, or when rock and roll rose out of those jazz and blues cultures with plenty of Jewish musicians in the mix? Well, I wasn't born yet, so cut me a little slack. But this idea is two-fold: not only do we like black music, but Jewish musicians like playing black music. Sure, we dabble in other musical forms too, but the list of Jewish musicians who play what has traditionally been black music is long and impressive (think the Hip Hop Hoodios, So Called, Y-love, and the Beastie Boys).
Why does African American music appeal to us so much? It's possible we're tired of being seen as part of a non-descript white culture, or maybe we just like what we like (hip hop is popular and thriving; why wouldn't we like it?). But I'd be a disgrace to my Jewish upbringing if I didn't ask the underlying question: So what does it all mean?
Eric Goldstein, author of The Price of Whiteness: Jews, Race, and the American Identity, has suggested that Jews are now fighting against what they once sought as if it were the Holy Grail. After centuries of trying and succeeding to integrate into the white American majority, we're now looking for ways to retain some separation by means of borrowing from black culture. Lucky for us, hip-hop is popular with mainstream America while still retaining an aura of the ethnic outsider. It's a little convenient, and perhaps a little superficial, that we can take our cultural vitamins from black music and then eat our dinner with the white American majority.
But it's more than that. Jews have a long and complex history with black music tracing back through the blues-infused melodies of Bob Dylan and Billy Joel, to the swing era's Artie Shaw, to jazz enthusiast and innovator Irving Mills (a big-band era precursor of today's Jewish hip-hop moguls and managers). Though many times the effects of these musicians have been positive, the road hasn't always been pretty.
In 1927, Al Jolson (born Al Yoelson) starred in the first "talkie" movie, The Jazz Singer, playing a cantor's son who wanted to sing jazz. Jews were still struggling then to assimilate and become an accepted part of the white majority, so performers like Jolson happily catered to WASP bigotry using blackface, vaudeville, and humor to entertain whites. Though these methods were certainly crass and insensitive in today's terms, Jolson was just a performer, doing what performers did at the time. Clearly he is just one example, but the complex issues involved with Jolson's performances mirror the complexity of the relationship between Jewish musicians and black music.
Eric Goldstein, author of The Price of Whiteness: Jews, Race, and the American Identity, has suggested that Jews are now fighting against what they once sought as if it were the Holy Grail. After centuries of trying and succeeding to integrate into the white American majority, we're now looking for ways to retain some separation by means of borrowing from black culture. Lucky for us, hip-hop is popular with mainstream America while still retaining an aura of the ethnic outsider. It's a little convenient, and perhaps a little superficial, that we can take our cultural vitamins from black music and then eat our dinner with the white American majority.
But it's more than that. Jews have a long and complex history with black music tracing back through the blues-infused melodies of Bob Dylan and Billy Joel, to the swing era's Artie Shaw, to jazz enthusiast and innovator Irving Mills (a big-band era precursor of today's Jewish hip-hop moguls and managers). Though many times the effects of these musicians have been positive, the road hasn't always been pretty.
In 1927, Al Jolson (born Al Yoelson) starred in the first "talkie" movie, The Jazz Singer, playing a cantor's son who wanted to sing jazz. Jews were still struggling then to assimilate and become an accepted part of the white majority, so performers like Jolson happily catered to WASP bigotry using blackface, vaudeville, and humor to entertain whites. Though these methods were certainly crass and insensitive in today's terms, Jolson was just a performer, doing what performers did at the time. Clearly he is just one example, but the complex issues involved with Jolson's performances mirror the complexity of the relationship between Jewish musicians and black music.
Jewish musicians rock for Chanukah
In the last 2,000 years or so, the library of Christmas carols, jingles and Kenny G lounge hits has grown into a vast and almost unnavigable collection of cheer.
But, hark, the creators of Chanukah hits are making a Maccabean effort to catch up. Come sundown tonight, when the holiday starts, you can be shuffling numbers from klezmer to comic on your iPod dock as you prepare for the eight-day celebration.
This season's repertoire got a boost thanks in part to "Lights: Celebrate Hanukkah Live in Concert." The performance, filmed in Los Angeles in late October, has been replaying on PBS stations around the country, and the soundtrack is for sale on iTunes.
Produced and hosted by Craig Taubman, "Lights" featured guests including the Klezmatics, "Jewish Pavarotti" Alberto Mizrahi and saxophonist Dave Koz, and it turned the spotlight on local favorites Josh Nelson and Michelle Citrin, Brooklyn-based musicians who've made waves with radio-ready Jewish-themed music that embraces pop styles without straying from its roots.
Citrin, in particular, has charmed fans and become a YouTube favorite to the tune of 1.2 million hits and counting. Last year, she introduced her online persona, Rosh Hashanah Girl, and followed up this spring with her post-Passover tune "20 Things to Do With Matzah."
In preparation for the holidays, she created a music video entitled "Pass the Candle," cutting together video clips submitted by fans to show a shamash candle being passed through about four dozen homes, as well as trips and a Hollywood vacation, before it ends up back in her hands to complete the lighting of her menorah.
"There are a lot of other Jewish-themed videos that we found inappropriate or like they're trying too hard or it's really kitschy," Citrin tells us of her work with collaborator Will Levin, an animator. "We were looking for the kind of song we could have in the background at a holiday party."
Indeed, for many listeners the phrase "Chanukah song" instantly calls to mind the off-color kitsch of Adam Sandler, but Citrin boasts plenty of pretty, plaintive tunes in addition to her online opuses.
Likewise, even a new CD from one member of a comic family comes with hauntingly beautiful selections. Erran Baron Cohen, older brother of "Borat" creator and star Sacha Baron Cohen, released his "Songs in the Key of Hanukkah" in November, an electronica-influ enced collection laced with world beats.
"The idea was to update everything and sort of remix it — we have Y-Love, a New York-based rapper, rapping in Yiddish," Cohen tells us.
"A Chanukah tune like 'Dreidel' is very cool now. It's got this hip-hop groove but also a gypsy kind of feel." Cohen included collaborators such as Israeli singer Yasmin Levy, who performs a sultry "Ocho Kandelikas" in Ladino, a language derived from Old Spanish and influenced by Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic.
The track netted a rave review from Sheryl Crow, who called it her personal fave. The only downside of this holiday music diaspora? With Chanukah music growing faster than ever, it can't be long before celebrities get in on the mix — generating massive backlash.
Producer Marc Ronson recently told Rolling Stone that he's dreaming up a Chanukah album with Amy Winehouse.
"She's got songs called, like, 'Kosher Kisses' and 'Alone Under the Mistletoe,' " Ronson said. "She was kind of [bleep]ing around, but I was like ... 'We should do something.' "
But, hark, the creators of Chanukah hits are making a Maccabean effort to catch up. Come sundown tonight, when the holiday starts, you can be shuffling numbers from klezmer to comic on your iPod dock as you prepare for the eight-day celebration.
This season's repertoire got a boost thanks in part to "Lights: Celebrate Hanukkah Live in Concert." The performance, filmed in Los Angeles in late October, has been replaying on PBS stations around the country, and the soundtrack is for sale on iTunes.
Produced and hosted by Craig Taubman, "Lights" featured guests including the Klezmatics, "Jewish Pavarotti" Alberto Mizrahi and saxophonist Dave Koz, and it turned the spotlight on local favorites Josh Nelson and Michelle Citrin, Brooklyn-based musicians who've made waves with radio-ready Jewish-themed music that embraces pop styles without straying from its roots.
Citrin, in particular, has charmed fans and become a YouTube favorite to the tune of 1.2 million hits and counting. Last year, she introduced her online persona, Rosh Hashanah Girl, and followed up this spring with her post-Passover tune "20 Things to Do With Matzah."
In preparation for the holidays, she created a music video entitled "Pass the Candle," cutting together video clips submitted by fans to show a shamash candle being passed through about four dozen homes, as well as trips and a Hollywood vacation, before it ends up back in her hands to complete the lighting of her menorah.
"There are a lot of other Jewish-themed videos that we found inappropriate or like they're trying too hard or it's really kitschy," Citrin tells us of her work with collaborator Will Levin, an animator. "We were looking for the kind of song we could have in the background at a holiday party."
Indeed, for many listeners the phrase "Chanukah song" instantly calls to mind the off-color kitsch of Adam Sandler, but Citrin boasts plenty of pretty, plaintive tunes in addition to her online opuses.
Likewise, even a new CD from one member of a comic family comes with hauntingly beautiful selections. Erran Baron Cohen, older brother of "Borat" creator and star Sacha Baron Cohen, released his "Songs in the Key of Hanukkah" in November, an electronica-influ enced collection laced with world beats.
"The idea was to update everything and sort of remix it — we have Y-Love, a New York-based rapper, rapping in Yiddish," Cohen tells us.
"A Chanukah tune like 'Dreidel' is very cool now. It's got this hip-hop groove but also a gypsy kind of feel." Cohen included collaborators such as Israeli singer Yasmin Levy, who performs a sultry "Ocho Kandelikas" in Ladino, a language derived from Old Spanish and influenced by Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic.
The track netted a rave review from Sheryl Crow, who called it her personal fave. The only downside of this holiday music diaspora? With Chanukah music growing faster than ever, it can't be long before celebrities get in on the mix — generating massive backlash.
Producer Marc Ronson recently told Rolling Stone that he's dreaming up a Chanukah album with Amy Winehouse.
"She's got songs called, like, 'Kosher Kisses' and 'Alone Under the Mistletoe,' " Ronson said. "She was kind of [bleep]ing around, but I was like ... 'We should do something.' "
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Healthy Lifestyle Cuts Your Risk of Strokes Drastically
living a healthy lifestyle contributes to lower risks of contracting various serious illnesses, such as coronary heart disease, cancer and diabetes. But little had been proven about the link between healthy living and one’s risk of getting a stroke.This gap has been closed by the findings of a recent study conducted by the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health."This study shows that following a healthy lifestyle, which has been associated with up to 80 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease and 90 percent lower risk of diabetes, may also prevent more than half of ischemic strokes," said Dr. Stephanie E. Chiuve, leader of the study funded by the National Institutes of Health.Stroke – a major killer todayEach year, it is estimated that over 780,000 people in the United States alone suffer a stroke -- this works out to about one person every 40 seconds. Of this figure, about 600,000 are first-time occurrences.An ischemic stroke takes place when the blood supply to a part of the brain is reduced, and the affected brain tissue suffers dysfunction and necrosis. This could happen, for example, when a blood vessel becomes blocked. Ischemic strokes are the most common kind of stroke, with about 87% of all strokes estimated to be of this nature.When categorized separately from other cardiovascular diseases, strokes are the third highest killer in the United States today, behind cancer and heart disease.Details of Stroke StudyThis latest study, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, analyzed the living habits and health status of a total of 43,685 men as well as 71,243 women from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) and the Nurses’ Health Study respectively.The participants reported on their medical status and lifestyle factors every two years, with the males tracked from 1986 to 2002 and the females from 1984 to 2002. In the course of the respective periods, 994 men and 1,559 women suffered strokes, of which 600 and 853 respectively were ischemic strokes.In the study, a healthy or low-risk lifestyle was defined to contain the following elements:* maintenance of a healthy weight (body mass index less than 25);* at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day;* not smoking;* moderate drinking of alcohol; and* consumption of a relatively healthy diet, as indicated by a calculated healthy diet score. Some factors here include the consumption of good amounts of fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, chicken and fish, as well as low amounts of trans fats and saturated fats.Findings of the StudyThe results of the study were quite astonishing. Men who met all five healthy lifestyle criteria were 69% less likely to suffer any type of stroke and 80% less likely to get an ischemic stroke as compared to those who did not meet any of the five criteria.For women, the corresponding figures were 79% for any type of stroke and 81% for ischemic stroke.Further, it was estimated by the researchers that 52% of ischemic strokes suffered by men, as well as 35% of all strokes suffered by this group, could have been avoided by following a healthy lifestyle.As for the women, the proportions of ischemic and total strokes which might have been prevented through healthy living were estimated to be 54% and 47% respectively.ConclusionAll in all, the findings of the study revealed that people who fit the definition of having a healthy lifestyle were about 80% less likely to get an ischemic stroke, as compared to those who did not meet any of the five mentioned criteria.This has led the study team to conclude that “a low-risk lifestyle that is associated with a reduced risk of multiple chronic diseases also may be beneficial in the prevention of stroke, especially ischemic stroke”.Living a healthy lifestyle and having a decreased risk of killer diseases –- this is a relationship which many of us would have been convinced of through common sense alone. Now, with the release of these findings, we will all have one more concrete and proven reason to embark on a healthier lifestyle
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Avoid overdosing on fruit cake and candy canes.
DOCTORS issuing Christmas revellers with a bizarre warning this year - to avoid overdosing on fruit cake and candy canes.Australians have also been warned that fruit cake, cranberry sauce, candy canes and other Christmas foods are high in sugar and can be big contributors to tooth decay.
Hunter New England oral health clinical director Dr Lanny Chor said people not only ate more sugar but ate it more frequently during the Christmas period.
"Frequency is as bad as quantity because the constant sugar levels stop saliva from doing its job, which is keeping the right pH levels in the mouth,'' Dr Chor said.
"One of the problems with the Christmas cake, chocolate-coated peanuts, candy canes, glace cherries and champagne is that there is often a continual period of eating between Christmas and New Year, exposing teeth to continuous acid attacks.''
Recent World Health Organisation data showed Australians eat an average 63 kilograms of sugar each year - more than a kilogram a week.
"Over the Christmas period, eat sensibly, brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste, especially before sleeping, and invest in looking after your teeth for the long term,'' Dr Chor said.
The Australia Medical Association said many Australians also associated heavy drinking with the festive season, but urged people to have a good time without putting their health at risk.
"Excess alcohol consumption is responsible for billions of dollars worth of illness and tragedy in Australia each year,'' AMA president Dr Rosanna Capolingua said.
"Alcohol abuse is the cause of many chronic health problems including cardiovascular disease, obesity, liver disease, and brain damage, and can lead to serious health risks such as acute alcohol poisoning.
"In addition to what it's doing to your body, excessive drinking can be the cause of all kinds of accidents, and no one wants to spend any time in a hospital emergency department.''
Blogger to global novelist-Mieko Kawakami
Mieko Kawakami: From blogger to global novelist
Her latest novel won Japan's top prize for new fiction writers. Kawakami is one of an emerging group of young Japanese women writers.
Mieko Kawakami hops off her bicycle outside Tokyo's Mamehiko cafe and heads in for some iced tea and conversation. Casually dressed in a jean vest and flouncy skirt, she appears unrushed, despite being one of the most sought-after young authors in Japan this year. When a young man recognizes her, she happily chats briefly with him about the play he is writing.
Ms. Kawakami says that writing hit her life suddenly – much like a traffic collision. A singer and songwriter, she turned to poetry and blogging– not unusual in a country that leads the world with 1.5 million daily blog postings, and whose authors have been adept at parlaying Internet exposure into literary success.
Her first novel was formed from her blogs. Her fourth, "Breasts and Egg," was tapped for the Akutagawa Prize, Japan's top award for new fiction writers. That put her in the company of such internationally renowned authors as Haruki Murakami, whose work includes "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" and "Norwegian Wood."
Kawakami, whose work has been translated into Korean, German, and Chinese (but not yet English), is part of an edgy and unconventional generation of female writers who are tackling women's stories of marriage, divorce, friendship – and finding a receptive audience at home and abroad.
Interest in their work could be a small silver lining of Japan's "lost decade," whose economic doldrums upended long-standing social roles. In the process, says Rolands Kelts, author of "Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S.," another phenomenon developed: women unencumbered by traditional expectations and eager to tell stories once sidelined by establishment culture. They were also adept at tapping into new technologies – such as blogs and cellphones – to share them.
"A lot of what these women write feels fresh to Japanese readers and to readers around the world, who have seen Japanese women as eternally submissive and docile," says Mr. Kelts.
Indeed, says Masako Honda, professor emeritus of gender studies at Tokyo's Ochanomizu University, "Japanese women are writing good novels, and they're more aware of being accepted internationally. They created something different and succeeded at it."
In Kawakami's case, her edgy use of dialect made her blog stand out. "I grew up in Osaka, and I use very casual, local words," she says. "The style is difficult to translate – and to understand." But, she notes, she read books by J.D. Salinger and Kurt Vonnegut and understood them. "That is the magic that language has."
Motoyuki Shibata, a literature professor at the University of Tokyo, says her language reminds him of rock, or rap, because of its speed – but that her subjects are classical. "One of her most conspicuous qualities is her willingness to deal with big questions, such as what constitutes the self, what kind of relationship the self has with the world," he says.
As her work extends its reach, Kawakami speculates that her willingness to sharply challenge traditional perspectives is attractive. She laments that people don't plumb the depths of what's happening around them. "I'm here to shake that up," she says. "I use my novel as a tool to give others the opportunity to think about things they had never thought about."
Biography
Mieko Kawakami (born August 29, 1976) is a Japanese singer and writer from Osaka. She was awarded the 138th Akutagawa Prize for promising new writers of serious fiction (2007) for her novel Chichi to Ran ("Breasts and Egg"). Kawakami has released three albums and three singles as a singer. "Chichi to Ran" is her second novel. It describes the I concept and the relation between the heart and the body through three female characters.
References
"Singer Kawakami wins Akutagawa Prize" – Tokyograph (January 17, 2008) (Retrieved on January 26, 2008)
"Professional singer wins coveted Akutagawa literary award" – Mainichi – Daily News (January 17, 2008) (Retrieved on January 26, 2008)
"Akutagawa, Naoki prizes awarded" – The Japan Times (January 17, 2008) (Retrieved on January 26, 2008)
Her latest novel won Japan's top prize for new fiction writers. Kawakami is one of an emerging group of young Japanese women writers.
Mieko Kawakami hops off her bicycle outside Tokyo's Mamehiko cafe and heads in for some iced tea and conversation. Casually dressed in a jean vest and flouncy skirt, she appears unrushed, despite being one of the most sought-after young authors in Japan this year. When a young man recognizes her, she happily chats briefly with him about the play he is writing.
Ms. Kawakami says that writing hit her life suddenly – much like a traffic collision. A singer and songwriter, she turned to poetry and blogging– not unusual in a country that leads the world with 1.5 million daily blog postings, and whose authors have been adept at parlaying Internet exposure into literary success.
Her first novel was formed from her blogs. Her fourth, "Breasts and Egg," was tapped for the Akutagawa Prize, Japan's top award for new fiction writers. That put her in the company of such internationally renowned authors as Haruki Murakami, whose work includes "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" and "Norwegian Wood."
Kawakami, whose work has been translated into Korean, German, and Chinese (but not yet English), is part of an edgy and unconventional generation of female writers who are tackling women's stories of marriage, divorce, friendship – and finding a receptive audience at home and abroad.
Interest in their work could be a small silver lining of Japan's "lost decade," whose economic doldrums upended long-standing social roles. In the process, says Rolands Kelts, author of "Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S.," another phenomenon developed: women unencumbered by traditional expectations and eager to tell stories once sidelined by establishment culture. They were also adept at tapping into new technologies – such as blogs and cellphones – to share them.
"A lot of what these women write feels fresh to Japanese readers and to readers around the world, who have seen Japanese women as eternally submissive and docile," says Mr. Kelts.
Indeed, says Masako Honda, professor emeritus of gender studies at Tokyo's Ochanomizu University, "Japanese women are writing good novels, and they're more aware of being accepted internationally. They created something different and succeeded at it."
In Kawakami's case, her edgy use of dialect made her blog stand out. "I grew up in Osaka, and I use very casual, local words," she says. "The style is difficult to translate – and to understand." But, she notes, she read books by J.D. Salinger and Kurt Vonnegut and understood them. "That is the magic that language has."
Motoyuki Shibata, a literature professor at the University of Tokyo, says her language reminds him of rock, or rap, because of its speed – but that her subjects are classical. "One of her most conspicuous qualities is her willingness to deal with big questions, such as what constitutes the self, what kind of relationship the self has with the world," he says.
As her work extends its reach, Kawakami speculates that her willingness to sharply challenge traditional perspectives is attractive. She laments that people don't plumb the depths of what's happening around them. "I'm here to shake that up," she says. "I use my novel as a tool to give others the opportunity to think about things they had never thought about."
Biography
Mieko Kawakami (born August 29, 1976) is a Japanese singer and writer from Osaka. She was awarded the 138th Akutagawa Prize for promising new writers of serious fiction (2007) for her novel Chichi to Ran ("Breasts and Egg"). Kawakami has released three albums and three singles as a singer. "Chichi to Ran" is her second novel. It describes the I concept and the relation between the heart and the body through three female characters.
References
"Singer Kawakami wins Akutagawa Prize" – Tokyograph (January 17, 2008) (Retrieved on January 26, 2008)
"Professional singer wins coveted Akutagawa literary award" – Mainichi – Daily News (January 17, 2008) (Retrieved on January 26, 2008)
"Akutagawa, Naoki prizes awarded" – The Japan Times (January 17, 2008) (Retrieved on January 26, 2008)
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