EU bans South African citrus imports over disease fears [ An1malPet5 ]

By Charlie Dunmore

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union on Thursday banned most imports of South African citrus for the remainder of this year over fears that a fungal disease found in dozens of shipments could spread to the 28-nation bloc.

The ban follows the interception of 36 citrus consignments this year from the EU’s chief summer supplier that were contaminated with the fungal black spot disease, which is not currently found in Europe.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that the European Commission was set to propose the ban following pressure from citrus growers in southern Europe.

“The introduction of citrus black spot into the EU territory would pose a serious threat to the EU’s citrus-producing areas. For that reason, it is necessary to further restrict the import of citrus fruit from South Africa,” the Commission said in a statement confirming the move.

The ban will apply to all South African citrus shipments from regions where the disease is present, which covers the bulk of the country’s production.

Initially the ban will apply only to the 2012-2013 harvest, which ended in October. It will, therefore, have little immediate impact because the exports to Europe dry up around October anyway.

But EU officials have warned that the restrictions could be extended into next year if an ongoing study by the bloc’s food safety watchdog finds that the disease could take hold in Europe’s estimated 500,000 hectares of citrus groves.

That would threaten South Africa’s 600,000 tonnes of citrus fruit exports to Europe each year – mainly oranges, lemons, limes and tangerines – worth some 1 billion euros ($ 1.3 billion).

South Africa supplies about a third of the bloc’s total citrus imports and is the main source of oranges for the juice drunk by consumers in Britain, Germany and France during the European summer months.

The ban comes at a sensitive time, because the European Union is seeking South Africa’s support to unlock stalled trade deals with sub-Saharan Africa.

While harmless to humans, citrus black spot causes unsightly lesions on the fruit and leaves, reducing both harvest quality and quantity. There is no known cure, but fungicides can be used to control the spread of the disease.

It is found in many citrus-growing regions in the southern hemisphere as well as in China and the United States but has never established itself in Europe.

In a draft scientific opinion published in July, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said the chance of citrus black spot taking in hold in Europe was “moderately likely”.

But it added there was a high level of uncertainty due to a lack of knowledge over how the disease would respond to the EU climate.

EFSA’s assessment is due to be completed by the end of this year.

(editing by Jane Baird)

• South African
• European Union

//

Continue reading →

Some South African clinics running short of HIV/AIDS drugs: MSF [ An1malPet5 ]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – One in five South African clinics are running short of life-saving HIV/AIDS drugs, affecting nearly half a million people and undermining the success of the world’s largest treatment program, medical charities said on Thursday.

With about 6 million people infected with the virus – more than 10 percent of the population – South Africa carries the world’s heaviest HIV/AIDS caseload and has around 2.5 million people taking antiretroviral (ARV) drugs daily.

However, the huge numbers are causing the system to creak, health researchers say.

Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières surveyed more than 2,300 of South Africa’s 3,800 public health facilities and found that one in five had either run short or run out of drugs in the previous three months.

Of the affected clinics, catering for 420,000 patients, 20 percent said they had had to turn away patients, putting the effectiveness of the ARV treatment plan at risk, MSF said.

“The sheer scale of the problem shows stock-outs to be one of the principal barriers to maintaining an effective treatment program,” said Anele Yawa of the Treatment Action Campaign, an HIV/AIDS advocacy group that took part in the research.

The health ministry acknowledged some problems but said MSF was exaggerating the situation.

“When you are running a project as big as this, you’re likely to have some challenges,” said health ministry spokesman Joe Maila. “We accept there’s a problem but the level at which they pitched it is an extreme over-exaggeration.”

A year ago, South Africa awarded a $ 667 million two-year contract to pharmaceutical firms including Aspen Pharmacare, Abbott Laboratories and Adcock Ingram to supply HIV/AIDS medication.

(Reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng; Editing by Ed Cropley)

• Health
• Disease & Medical Conditions
• South African
• Médecins Sans Frontières

//

Continue reading →

Tank Top TV lets you find where to stream or download box sets, instantly [ An1malPet5 ]

By Luke Edwards | Pocket-lint – 

Tank Top TV is a website that houses links to over 2500 digital TV box sets. It’s a bit like a Google search that only links to videos and has everything you could want to watch. That’s over 73,000 episodes of TV at your fingertips.

Imagine you want to watch a box set your mate has recommended. When you search on Google you’ll be met with countless websites selling the physical box set. What if you want to watch it now? Check Netflix and Lovefilm? Then what? Blinkbox, iTunes, iPlayer, NOW TV? It’s going to take a while. So Tank Top TV has taken the leg work out and put them all in one place.

Once you’ve found a box set, from searching or just browsing, all the links to where that can be streamed or downloaded from are right there. It’s simple and easy. Obviously with illegal downloading as an option for many this might simply serve as a menu, but for those willing to pay it’s a great way to find and access shows instantly.

This is an expansion to the company’s current list of over 13,000 digitally available movies also listed on the site.

Tank Top TV CEO and co-founder Liz Rice says: “Our free listings offer a clear choice of TV favourites, hidden gems people may have missed and currently popular shows. They can either be viewed immediately or added to a watch list for later.”

Check it out for yourself at the link below.

© copyright Pocket-lint 2013

//

Continue reading →

Britain announces independent review of plain tobacco packaging [ An1malPet5 ]

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain announced an independent review of tobacco packaging on Thursday and said it was ready to introduce new laws banning branding on cigarette packets if the report found sufficient evidence to support it.

The government, which in July delayed a decision on the issue, said the review was due to report back in March 2014 and would look into whether standardized packaging is likely to have an effect on public health, particularly in relation to children.

The long-standing debate on the issue pits health campaigners, who back the move, against big tobacco firms which say it would put jobs at risk and encourage smuggling. In Britain, the subject has also prompted criticism from the opposition Labour party over the extent to which the tobacco industry is able to influence government policy.

The news hit stocks of British tobacco firms. British American Tobacco shares were down 0.9 percent at 3243.5 pence at 5:09 a.m. ET, while smaller rival Imperial Tobacco Group’s shares were down 2.5 percent at 2304 pence.

After a lengthy public consultation, Prime Minister David Cameron in July delayed a move to force manufacturers to sell tobacco in plain packets, saying he wanted to see more evidence from other countries on the effectiveness of such a move.

Almost exactly a year ago, Australia passed a law saying cigarettes must be sold in dark brown packets with no colors or logos, with the name of the product printed in a standardized small font.

(Reporting by William James; editing by Stephen Addison)

• Politics & Government

//

Continue reading →

Britain announces independent review of plain tobacco packaging [ An1malPet5 ]

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain launched an independent review on tobacco packaging on Thursday and said it was ready to introduce new laws banning branding on cigarette packets if the report found sufficient evidence to support it.

The government, which in July delayed a decision on the issue, said the review was due to report back in March 2014 and would look into whether standardised packaging is likely to have an effect on public health, and particularly in relation to children.

(Reporting by William James; editing by Stephen Addison)

• Politics & Government

//

Continue reading →

Travel agent Thomas Cook makes first profit since 2010 [ An1malPet5 ]

//

Continue reading →

Britain set to review cigarette packaging: media [ An1malPet5 ]

(Reuters) – The UK government is set to announce a review of cigarette packaging in an effort to deter youngsters from smoking, British media reports said on Wednesday citing sources.

The David Cameron government in July delayed plans to ban company branding on cigarette packets, a move that was strongly criticised by health campaigners.

The government distanced itself earlier, saying it wanted to first see the impact of a similar decision in Australia.

The Times on Wednesday reported that the British government will announce a review, the findings of which are expected to strongly back the case for plain packaging, and plain cigarette packets are expected to be on shop shelves before the 2015 election.

“We need immediate legislation for standard cigarette packaging, not another review. The Government needs to stand up to the tobacco industry’s vested interests,” Labour Party’s Shadow Public Health Minister Luciana Berger said on Wednesday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said in July that plain packaging would increase the impact of health warnings, stop consumers from thinking some products were less harmful, and make tobacco products less attractive for adults and children.

Six million people die every year from smoking and the toll is projected to rise to eight million by 2030, according to the WHO.

(Reporting by Aashika Jain in Bangalore. Editing by Andre Grenon)

• Politics & Government

//

Continue reading →

Kim Kardashian lässt Kleidung auf eBay für Charity ve [ An1malPet5 ]

von






Cinya Burton






| Übersetzt von Elke Bernd

23. November 2013 – 00:04

Victoria Beckham ist nicht die Einzige, die ausgemistete Kleidungsstücke (und Schuhe!) für einen guten Zweck spendet. Auch Kim Kardashian lässt auf eBay Kleider aus ihrer Garderobe versteigern, um Opfern des Taifuns in den Philippinen zu helfen.

Auf ihrer Webseite fordert sie:

„Hi Leute, diese Auktion liegt mir sehr am Herzen, da ein Teil des Erlöses dieser eBay-Versteigerung an das International Medical Corps geht, eine Wohltätigkeitsorganisation, die Familien, die auf entfernten Inseln leben, nicht nur medizinisch, sondern auch mit Grundlebensmitteln, sauberem Trinkwasser und wichtigen Medikamenten versorgen wird. Die Einnahmen kommen den Gemeinden, mit denen sie auf den Philippinen zusammenarbeiten, zugute und werden den Überlebenden des Taifuns Zugang zu medizinischer Versorgung bieten und somit Leben retten. Meine Gedanken und Gebete sind bei den Taifun-Opfern. Werft einen Blick auf meine eBay-Auktion und unterstützt diejenigen auf den Philippinen, die unsere Hilfe benötigen. Xo.”

Kim teilt neues Foto von Baby Norths „Mädeltag”

Was es zu ersteigern gibt? Alles was das Designerklamotten-Herz begehrt, angefangen von einem blaugrünen Bleistiftrock von L’Wren Scott, bis hin zu einer Spitzen-Bluse von Dolce & Gabbana. Und selbstverständlich gibt es auch eine Vielzahl weißer Outfits (ihre aktuelle Lieblingsfarbe!), inklusive einem Kleid aus der Kardashian Kollection.

Kim Kardashians Stil nach der Geburt

VIDEOS:

//

Continue reading →

Scott Morrison in Nauru TV news report – video [ An1malPet5 ]

A recording of a Nauruan TV news report shows the minister for immigration and border protection, Scott Morrison, addressing a group of asylum seekers who had been transferred to Nauru detention. Morrison informs them they will not be settled in Australia and should pass on the message to family and friends. The video was reportedly filmed from Nauruan television in October

• Source: Bronwyn McNamee
• Length: 3min 52sec
• theguardian.com
• Thursday 28 November 2013

//

Continue reading →

U.S. judge dismisses Apple consumer lawsuit over data privacy [ An1malPet5 ]

By Casey Sullivan | Reuters – 

By Casey Sullivan

(Reuters) – A California federal judge has dismissed a consumer lawsuit over data privacy against Apple Inc, saying the plaintiffs had failed to show they had relied on any alleged company misrepresentations and that they had suffered harm.

The four plaintiffs claimed in 2011 that Apple had violated its privacy policy, saying the iPhone maker had designed its iOS environment to easily transmit personal information to third parties that collect and analyze such data without user consent or detection.

They also claimed that they suffered damages by paying too much money for their iPhones and by losing storage space, among other things, according to court documents.

U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh in San Jose, California dismissed the case.

“Plaintiffs must be able to provide some evidence that they saw one or more of Apple’s alleged misrepresentations, that they actually relied on those misrepresentations, and that they were harmed thereby,” Koh said in the November 25 ruling.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs and Apple either did not respond to requests for comment or declined to comment.

The case is one part of nationwide litigation Koh is overseeing that consolidates 19 related lawsuits.

The case is In re Apple Inc. iPhone/iPad Application Consumer Privacy Litigation, 11-md-02250, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Jose).

(Reporting by Casey Sullivan; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

//

Continue reading →

U.S. judge dismisses Apple consumer lawsuit over data privacy [ An1malPet5 ]

By Casey Sullivan | Reuters – 

By Casey Sullivan

(Reuters) – A California federal judge has dismissed a consumer lawsuit over data privacy against Apple Inc, saying the plaintiffs had failed to show they had relied on any alleged company misrepresentations and that they had suffered harm.

The four plaintiffs claimed in 2011 that Apple had violated its privacy policy, saying the iPhone maker had designed its iOS environment to easily transmit personal information to third parties that collect and analyze such data without user consent or detection.

They also claimed that they suffered damages by paying too much money for their iPhones and by losing storage space, among other things, according to court documents.

U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh in San Jose, California dismissed the case.

“Plaintiffs must be able to provide some evidence that they saw one or more of Apple’s alleged misrepresentations, that they actually relied on those misrepresentations, and that they were harmed thereby,” Koh said in the November 25 ruling.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs and Apple either did not respond to requests for comment or declined to comment.

The case is one part of nationwide litigation Koh is overseeing that consolidates 19 related lawsuits.

The case is In re Apple Inc. iPhone/iPad Application Consumer Privacy Litigation, 11-md-02250, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Jose).

(Reporting by Casey Sullivan; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

//

Continue reading →

Troubled HealthCare.gov to switch website hosting to HP [ An1malPet5 ]

By Margaret Chadbourn and Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The agency in charge of the troubled HealthCare.gov website said on Wednesday is it switching providers of Web hosting services, the latest change for the website at the heart of President Barack Obama’s health care reforms.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said it is replacing data center services from Verizon Communications Inc’s Terremark subsidiary, with services from Hewlett-Packard Co.

Terremark’s data center experienced issues in late October that caused outages across the system, prompting embattled Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to phone Verizon’s chief executive to discuss the problems.

Obama and Sebelius had promised the website would make it easy to shop for health insurance required under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.

Instead, slow response times, error messages and outages like the ones seen at Terremark’s data center meant few Americans have been able to enroll so far.

The disaster has fueled Republican criticism of the law, and alarmed Democrats who supported it. The administration has had to scramble to make fixes in the hopes enough Americans sign up by deadlines in December and March.

Both Verizon and HP declined comment on the contract change, as did the White House, which referred questions about the contract to CMS.

CMS said its contract with Terremark had been set to end in March 2014. Last summer, several months before the botched October 1 launch of HealthCare.gov, the agency issued a “task order” asking for bids. HP was awarded that contract, a CMS spokesman said in a statement.

The contract change was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Now, CMS needs to transition its data center to HP at a time when it is just beginning to dig out from a mountain of problems with the website, which is designed to let consumers shop for health insurance required under Obama’s signature health care law.

The complexity of the switch between data center providers could be an additional challenge for the project. A CMS spokesman did not respond to questions about whether the transition would affect the website.

The Obama administration has said it plans to have the website working smoothly for most users by this weekend.

Part of that upgrade involves doubling capacity so the website can handle 50,000 users at once.

A source close to the project, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there are some concerns about the website’s ability to handle so many users because of problems with switches and servers maintained by Terremark.

“CMS has begun the necessary activities to transition the data center over to HP. We are working to ensure a smooth transition between the two contractors,” the CMS spokesman said in a statement.

Verizon has received $ 55.4 million for its work on the healthcare marketplaces since its contract started in 2011, according to federal contracting records.

(Additional reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Christopher Wilson and Lisa Shumaker)

• Government
• Barack Obama
• Verizon Communications Inc
• Kathleen Sebelius
• Terremark
• Web hosting services

//

Continue reading →

Typhoon aid appeal response hailed [ An1malPet5 ]

Press Association – 

Tech-savvy Britons have donated a record £6 million to Philippines typhoon victims via tablets and smartphones.

The new method of donating has helped pushed the Disasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC) overall donation total to £65 million.

The DEC said when its appeal was launched over two weeks ago, more than £750,000 was raised via text messages alone in the first hour. In comparison, roughly £100,000 was raised during the same period for the East Africa crisis.

Further text donation surges followed, including during an England football fixture on November 15 and an appeal on X Factor.

The charity said the push towards mobile donations represents an overall trend towards electronic donations.

The DEC said £3.5 million donations have been through tablets, £1.3 million via texts and £5.7 million through PayPal, which included £1.75 from tablets and smart phones.

“It is now even easier to make a donation to DEC appeals wherever and whenever you want,” DEC Head of Fundraising Adil Husseini said.

“We have made sure there are a number of different ways to quickly and efficiently give money so that it can be raised as fast as possible and ensure that aid reaches people in desperate need right now.

“We have seen that sending text donations is increasingly popular, and offering people the choice to give via PayPal accounts has also made the process of donating via mobiles, tablets and computers much faster and hassle free for many.

“More than one million people have given money since the appeal began, and the public’s generous donations have helped enabled our member aid agencies to reach hundreds of thousands of people in the Philippines who have had their lives torn apart by this disaster.”

The DEC said a £25 donation would buy water purification tablets for 10 families for a month, £50 would feed a family for two weeks, while £100 would buy emergency shelter and bedding for one family.

//

Continue reading →

Dear @LuckyDiamond – What should I get my best cat fr [ An1malPet5 ]

Cats go wild for catnip!

If you have a doggy dilemma or  a confused cat looking for advice, don't hesistate to ask Dearlucky.com @ lucky@animalfair.com. Baby Hope has taken on the legacy of Lucky – she has been around the block so no worries she is just as clever and can answer all your questions!

Dear Lucky,
Chanukah is here, and I cannot decide what present to get for my new best friend Kitty Kat. Being a puppy, I know what kind of presents dogs like, but I have no idea what to get for a cat. Do you have any suggestions?

–Brody, Dayton, OH

Dear Brody,

Happy Chanukah! I used to have the toughest time trying to buy presents for my dear cat pal, Pasha, but I'd like to think that I've become quite an expert over the years. Cats love catnip. If you see anything with catnip stuffed in it, buy it! I'm sure Kitty Kat will have a lot of fun with her new present! Good luck! In fact, buy eight of them!

For the Best that Pet Lifestyle and Animal Welfare has to offer follow Wendy Diamond on Facebook, Twitter, and right here at AnimalFair.com!

Bark about it!

comments

Tags: animal fair, catnip, chanukah, dear lucky, lucky diamond, wendy diamond

jQuery(".gmframe").load(function (){jQuery(this).remove();});

Continue reading →

Giving Thanks for the Service of Alzheimer’s Caregivers This Holiday Season [ An1malPet5 ]

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, many people are taking the time to give thanks for those they have in their lives. While some may be giving thanks to friends, family or co-workers this holiday season, for others, this is a time to reflect on the work done by professional caregivers. There are millions of families in the United States who have a loved one with Alzheimer’s, and the nation has seen first-hand the work that caregivers do, and now is a great time to reflect on their work and give thanks to all these selfless individuals do.

November is not only the month of Thanksgiving, but it is also National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Caregiver month. For the millions of families who have a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, the caregivers that help care for these individuals are some of the most important people to give thanks for this holiday season. These special individuals do a great deal to help individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and their families. There are more than 15 million Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers living in the United States today and they all provide an often overlooked service that truly helps change the lives of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease.

These are the individuals that not only help take care of the daily health needs of Alzheimer’s patients, but these are the individuals that provide Alzheimer’s patients with much needed love and support. Alzheimer’s disease not only presents many changes for the diagnosed individual and their loved ones, but for caregivers as well, who must change and adapt nearly everyday to meet the unique demands of their role. Being an Alzheimer’s caregiver is a position that comes with a great deal of stress, yet these dedicated individuals still find themselves working around the clock to meet the full time demands of being a caregiver. These caregivers act as a friend, companion, caretaker, support system and more to those with Alzheimer’s disease and they become an important part of these individuals’ lives.

For many Alzheimer’s patients, their caregivers become family to them. Whether the caregiver is a professional, family member or friend, they must dedicate themselves to helping these individuals and their family members handle their everyday tasks, recall important memories and cope with the stress that comes with having dementia. Alzheimer’s is a heartbreaking disease that impacts the lives of millions, but its repercussions would be much more severe if it weren’t for the dedicated support of these caregivers.

The holidays can be a particularly difficult time for those living with a family member with Alzheimer’s disease. This holiday season spend time to not only give thanks for the friends and family around you but for the Alzheimer’s caregivers that help keep these loved ones happy and healthy during this most wonderful time of the year.

 

Follow Eric J. Hall on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/ericjhall2

//

Continue reading →

US abortions had slower decline in 2010 than 2009 [ An1malPet5 ]

ATLANTA (AP) — U.S. abortions have continued to decline, but not quite as steeply as before.

The number and rate of reported abortions fell 3 percent in 2010, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Those statistics had fallen 5 percent in 2009 — the biggest one-year decrease in a decade.

Before 2009, abortions seemed to have leveled off. Some experts attributed the recent numbers to better use of contraception and a tough economic environment for raising children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday released the latest statistics, drawing from about 45 states and cities that sent in data consistently for at least 10 years. They reported about 753,000 abortions in 2010. About 60 percent of the women were in their 20s.

___

Online:

CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwr_ss/ss_cvol.html

//

Continue reading →

Turning to the Bible for Weight Loss with the Daniel Diet [ An1malPet5 ]

The Daniel Fast is a bible-based diet that is growing in popularity among Christians.

Getty Images

The new bible for dieting is, for many, the Bible.

The Daniel Diet, inspired by the Biblical prophet Daniel, has become a popular diet among some U.S. Protestant congregations to help encourage healthy eating.

According to two passages in the Bible, Daniel fasted twice. During the first fast, he ate only vegetables and water to set himself apart for God. For a second fast mentioned in a later chapter, Daniel stopped eating meat, wine and other rich foods.

Pastors across the country are encouraging their congregations to participate in similar fasts or diets inspired by these passages to kick start weight loss and to strengthen their faith.

In Hawaii, the First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu at Ko’olau holds an annual 21 “Daniel Fast” for congregants to not only encourage healthy eating, but to help people keep their faith by refocusing their attention on their diet.

Diet and Weightloss News

“We hope the Fast[sic] will help reset your spiritual compass, which can get rusty and out of whack because of everyday cares and concerns,” First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu Pastor Dan Chun wrote on his diet support website.

The Saddleback Church, which has a congregation of at least 20,000, has launched a website and book, co-written by head pastor Rick Warren, to promote a long term version of the diet renamed “The Daniel Plan.”

At a rally for the Daniel Plan last year, Warren said he was inspired to start the fast after performing 800 baptisms in one day and realizing most people he baptized were overweight.

“I had this thought, it wasn’t very spiritual, but it was ‘We’re all fat,’” said Warren.

Although the Saddleback church version of the Daniel Plan has specific diet directions, most versions of the Daniel diet are slightly improvised since the Bible doesn’t give exactly detailed instructions. Versions of the fast include eating only raw vegetables or fruits for 10-21 days with water.

Jessica Bennett, a dietician at Vanderbilt Medical Center, said she believes that trying a version of the Daniel diet can potentially kick start healthier habits or weight loss for some people.

“I definitely think it makes people more aware of what they’re eating and what they’re putting in their body,” said Bennett. “I say more power to them.”

Bennett does caution that very strict versions of the diet could be frustrating for people, since it will drastically change their diet quickly. Although she says by being a group setting, people on the diet can draw strength and support from one another.

“Most congregations tend to bond over food and people tend to go to lunch or dinner right after church,” said Bennett. By focusing on the social aspect, people don’t fixate on food restrictions. “People can tell me exactly what they ate or lunch or dinner but can’t tell me what the conversation was. They’re focusing too much on food.”

Additionally Bennett said these diets might be particularly helpful for certain subsections of the U.S. Protestant congregations, since some studies have found that people of certain Protestant faiths are more likely to be overweight.

A 2006 study found that Baptist women tended to have a higher BMI (Body Mass Index) than other women not part of that religion and a 2003 study found that conservative Protestant men tended to have a higher BMI.

As for people using fasts to strengthen their faith, Bennett said one reason people may feel closer to God is that they no longer have food to rely on as a coping mechanism.

“I think also people use foods to deal with emotions and things in their life,” said Bennett. “If they’re looking to God instead they may feel a closer relationship.”

Summer Diet Tips That Work in the Fall

//

Continue reading →

Pig-Out Prophylaxis [ An1malPet5 ]

The average American gains between 1 and 3 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas — more if you’re already overweight. It’s a scary statistic. Parties, family gatherings, stress, alcohol and fatigue are all to blame. Being inundated with goodies — gingerbread cookies fresh from the oven, caramel covered anything and (my all time favorite) pecan pie with vanilla ice cream — is also a factor, generating nostalgia for the good old days when we were young and well care for.

When stress rises during the holidays we are especially vulnerable to overeating foods we associate with fond memories.

With all the cheer and good will in the air, the holidays often raise expectations and lead to wishful thinking. Maybe your usually grumpy mother-in-law will recognize how wonderful you are, your boss will give you that well-deserved raise or everyone in your family will get along. The reality may be disappointing and all the more painful during the holidays.

Overeating can be thought of as a form of self-medicating, but it is short-lived and inevitably followed by self-loathing and guilt. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way.

Here are a few tips for keeping things in perspective this holiday season:

Make a list of your stress triggers:
Have an alternative: Instead of turning to food for comfort, consider calling a friend, listening to your favorite song, looking at a photograph of someone you love, leafing through an art book or a magazine or going for a walk.

Beware the collective holiday mindset:
“Life is on hold until Jan. 1.” Don’t skip the gym or eat the second piece of pie. Make a pact to exercise with a few friends. Encouragement and support will keep you going.

Keep a log of every morsel you put in your mouth:
Record your calories, exercise and weight every day. Self-monitoring is an effective tool. There are easy-to-use apps that do this.

Survey the entire buffet before serving yourself:
You will eat less.

Rest:
There is a link between lack of sleep and weight gain.

Savor it:
Rushing through a meal makes you more prone to heartburn, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Relish each bite. Not only will you eat less, you’ll spend more time with friends and loved ones.

And now a success story:

I have a friend who gained 8 to 10 pounds every holiday season for 10 years. She referred to it as her “month-long feeding frenzy.” Holiday cookies and hot chocolate were her weakness and conjured up memories of Christmas spent in Vermont as a child.

Last year she decided to break this destructive pattern. She set a realistic goal to gain less than three pounds. She woke up an hour earlier each morning to walk to work; she skipped a few holiday parties; she kept a food diary, and she and a friend joined a local program that delivers food to homebound elderly New Yorkers (running up and down the stairs of walk-ups was an added exercise benefit).

She actually lost one pound. Jan. 1 was a New Year for her in more ways than one.

 

Follow Samantha Boardman MD on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/@sambmd

//

Continue reading →

Gamers face queue marathon for PS4 [ An1malPet5 ]

Press Association – 

UK gamers eager to get their hands on the new PlayStation 4 console will begin queuing up in central London from tomorrow morning.

The games device is officially launched in the UK on Friday, but Sony has announced those who have not already pre-ordered a console will be able to buy one at a midnight launch event being held at the PS4 Lounge #4ThePlayers event in Covent Garden.

Launch day pre-orders for the console sold out in August. The consoles available at the PS4 lounge will be on a first come, first served basis from midnight and are tipped to be the last opportunity to have one before Christmas without preordering.

Gamers queuing for their consoles from Thursday morning will be treated to a performance by rapper Tinie Tempah and will be given Domino’s Pizza and Red Bull to keep their energy up during what will be a long wait.

Sony UK & Ireland managing director Fergal Gara said the event was a ray of hope for gamers who did not preorder.

“We really wanted to offer some way for people to buy on launch day, and this is a fantastic opportunity for anyone that hasn’t already pre-ordered to get their hands on a PS4 on day one,” he said.

“The excitement in the run-up to our UK launch has been phenomenal, and we want to thank gamers for their support by giving them the chance to take a PS4 home at the earliest opportunity.”

Martyn Gibbs, CEO of retailer GAME, said the excitement for the PS4 launch was “absolutely massive”.

“We’re stepping into the next generation of gaming and this really is a fundamental shift for the industry,” he said.

“The PS4 launch is going to surpass anything Playstation has done before – our pre-order numbers are around four times higher than the PS3 and we’re seeing those numbers grow every day.

“We’re delighted that we are able to bring additional last-minute stock to the UK market and keep delivering for the UK gaming communities and we can’t wait for the official launch.”

The PS4 is being marketed as 10 times faster than its predecessor, the PlayStation 3, which was released in 2006.

It features a Blu-Ray/DVD optical drive, digital video recording, 8GB DDR5 RAM, an 8 core single-chip x86 AMD “Jaguar” CPU, AMD Radeon graphics core next engine GPU, 500GB removable hard drive and internal power supply.

The new console launches across the UK on November 29, priced at £349, with over 400 stores hosting special midnight openings on November 28.

//

Continue reading →

Patients, be wary of herbal supplements sold in bottles – Delmarva Now [ An1malPet5 ]

Continue reading →

Dear Cancer, This Is How You’ve Made Me Thankful [ An1malPet5 ]

Zoe Lintzeris

Earlier last month, I once again experienced the profound shock of losing a close family member to cancer. And the emotions which I have experienced again and again flooded back to me in a wave of tears, grief, and despair. The left side of my brain was wracked — I tried to find the logic as to why cancer seemed to be everywhere and attacking my family. I tried to handle and understand the news yet again: It’s our ethnicity and genes. Maybe it’s our diet. Maybe it’s from growing up in a city. My thoughts ran amuck.

My aunt wasn’t the first person I lost to cancer from my family. I lost another aunt, my father’s sister, four years prior — from the same cancer. There are the brave others in my family who have been diagnosed in the past six years and are in remission, having triumphed over a disease that makes our eyes widen and our hearts crumble upon hearing that initial diagnosis. But they’ve prevailed and, to me, are the strongest people I know.

The abhorrent feelings I have toward this disease are always unmasked upon hearing the news: It’s a blur of death, it’s the word ‘cancer’ and what it does to the psyche, it’s silence, it’s grief, it’s a void that will never be filled. But rather than go into a bitter entanglement of thoughts and a somewhat useless diatribe (because, let’s face it, it’s all been said before) about the disease, I would like to take a different approach.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and the holiday season, witnessing everyone gathering with their families, friends and even strangers, I want to explain how cancer has made me thankful… for life.

For background’s sake, my one aunt encouraged me to pursue my love of art. She was devoted to the subject her whole life, teaching art to thousands of kids at a Catholic high school. Almost coincidentally, my other aunt taught music for decades at a public elementary and middle school, and led the junior choir at church, along with countless other projects. It’s so obvious that their influence is likely unparalleled as they helped kids and teens crack open their brains and discover a surreal world of colors, notes and sounds. I was merely one of them.

Their influence continued into my adulthood — post-piano lessons, chorus rehearsals and carrying around a sketchbook. I’d had dreams of moving to New York City and becoming a writer and artist since I was a teenager, and these two women backed me 100 percent. My last phone call with my one aunt involved me telling her about a job interview in SoHo. She was in the hospital then, and unbeknown to me, she was slowly fighting her last fight. I could hear that life in her voice — the cheer, the joy, the laughter — and feel her smile through the phone. Then, a few weeks later, she was gone.

Witnessing the painful rounds of chemo, the nausea, the weight loss and appetite suppression, words of hope and strength were always offered to me on a silver platter — from my two aunts. I couldn’t help but feel it should have been the other way around, in that I should have been offering words of hope and encouragement to them. But no, these warriors of a perpetual and terminal illness kept smiling, kept their strength and more importantly, dished out their love and almost never showed their agony.

In response to cancer affecting my family, I go to the doctor twice a year and have every test imaginable — I consider it preventative and no one could persuade me otherwise. I have never been diagnosed with cancer, but I refuse to live my life in fear that I could have it someday. I really never understood why one must ‘not sweat the small stuff’, but my aunts leaving this earth made me realize I should take the time to smell the roses, the fresh brewing coffee, and see my family smiling gathered around a table. I can enjoy the fact that when I put my mind to something, I can do it — like moving to New York 12 years after having an epiphany. It’s called living life.

My aunts lived life — and loved life. Even though their lives were cut short by a disease where a cure is hopefully a stone’s throw away, they made me realize that it’s all about loving the large moments and savoring the small ones, such as holding hands with a loved one, meeting up with a long-lost friend for a drink, or watching the colorful leaves swirl in a circle while sitting alone on a park bench.

Cancer made me see that this is what it — life — is all about.

It’s not about a job, a massive checking account, dollar signs or mobbing department stores for sales. It’s about finding and grasping love and happiness, and it exists in all of us — through our friendships, our intimate relationships, and our families. In recognizing this, cancer allowed me to retain the one drop of optimism I had left, and catapult it to the forefront of my now-core.

So, on this Thanksgiving, I give thanks to my family members who have fought against cancer — to those who beat it and those who fought until the end. My two aunts showed me that life is worth living and should be savored daily, hourly and in mere moments. I will never see them again, but those mere moments, hours and days that I had with them continue to embolden my life.

And I couldn’t be more thankful.

 

//

Continue reading →

O2 to offer PS4 bundle that includes Sony Xperia Z1, could be last chance to get one before Christmas [ An1malPet5 ]

By Rik Henderson | Pocket-lint – 

O2 has announced that it will be carrying limited stock of the PlayStation 4 in 65 of its high stores up and down the UK. However, it won’t be selling the next-generation games console on its own.

Instead, it will be available through the network as part of a bundle that includes a Sony Xperia Z1 smartphone, a 5-inch Android handset that is currently the brand’s flagship device.

READ: Sony Xperia Z1 review

The bundle also includes Killzone: Shadow Fall, one of the first-party launch titles, 12 months free access to PlayStation Plus, which would normally set you back £39.99, and unlimited minutes, texts and 1GB of data on the phone’s price plan.

This is all available for an £89.99 upfront cost and then £52 a month for a 24-month contract.

READ: PlayStation 4 review

The plan is part of the O2 Refresh tariff, which splits the amount you pay for the phone and the minutes, texts and data. Therefore you can upgrade early – before the 24-month contract is up – by paying the remaining balance on just the phone, not the whole contract.

The limited stock of PS4 consoles will be available from UK launch day, Friday, 24 November. Check with O2 for a list of participating stores.

© copyright Pocket-lint 2013

//

Continue reading →

O2 to offer PS4 bundle that includes Sony Xperia Z1, could be last chance to get one before Christmas [ An1malPet5 ]

By Rik Henderson | Pocket-lint – 

O2 has announced that it will be carrying limited stock of the PlayStation 4 in 65 of its high stores up and down the UK. However, it won’t be selling the next-generation games console on its own.

Instead, it will be available through the network as part of a bundle that includes a Sony Xperia Z1 smartphone, a 5-inch Android handset that is currently the brand’s flagship device.

READ: Sony Xperia Z1 review

The bundle also includes Killzone: Shadow Fall, one of the first-party launch titles, 12 months free access to PlayStation Plus, which would normally set you back £39.99, and unlimited minutes, texts and 1GB of data on the phone’s price plan.

This is all available for an £89.99 upfront cost and then £52 a month for a 24-month contract.

READ: PlayStation 4 review

The plan is part of the O2 Refresh tariff, which splits the amount you pay for the phone and the minutes, texts and data. Therefore you can upgrade early – before the 24-month contract is up – by paying the remaining balance on just the phone, not the whole contract.

The limited stock of PS4 consoles will be available from UK launch day, Friday, 24 November. Check with O2 for a list of participating stores.

© copyright Pocket-lint 2013

//

Continue reading →

Now TV box gets 4oD to expand catch-up and on demand offering [ An1malPet5 ]

By Rik Henderson | Pocket-lint – 

Owners of a Now TV set-top-box will find a new app alongside the existing catch-up and on demand offerings from BBC iPlayer and Demand 5. Channel 4′s 4oD service is now accessible through the box, leaving just ITV as the last major terrestrial TV broadcaster in the UK to be featured.

The Now TV box, which costs £9.99, hooks up to the internet and provides over-the-top access to Sky’s Now TV subscription service.

As well as on demand and live streamed movies, the Now TV service also offers an Entertainment Month Pass, which is a non-contract subscription to a wide variety of channels, including Sky One and Sky Atlantic.

READ: Now TV box review

Sports programming can also be accessed on a pay-per-view basis, whereby you pay for access to all Sky Sports channels for a day. If you just want to watch one football match, for example, this allows you to do so without having to pay for a full satellite or cable subscription.

The Sky Movies Month Pass costs £8.99 a month for access to all movie channels and the films individually to stream when you want. The Sky Sports Day Pass costs £9.99. And the Now TV Entertainment Month Pass costs £4.99 a month at present, as an introductory price.

You do not have to pay for access to 4oD, BBC iPlayer or Demand 5.

© copyright Pocket-lint 2013

//

Continue reading →

South Africa’s Adcock says CFR takeover vital to its survival [ An1malPet5 ]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African drug maker Adcock Ingram said a $ 1.2 billion takeover by Chile’s CFR Pharmaceuticals, which is opposed by its biggest shareholder, was vital to its long-term survival.

State pension fund Public Investment Corporation (PIC) is opposing CFR’s cash-and-shares offer because of concerns about foreign control and the share component of the deal, a source familiar with the fund’s thinking said earlier this month.

Adcock, South Africa’s second-largest drug maker by market value, on Tuesday said it needed to pursue a tie-up with an international pharmaceutical company to compete with larger rivals.

With 90 percent of sales made at home, Adcock has been dwarfed by rival Aspen Pharmacare, which has made an aggressive push into overseas markets via acquisitions in recent years.

“The continuing consolidation of the global pharmaceutical market has again challenged the long-term sustainability of Adcock Ingram’s business,” Adcock said.

Santiago-based CFR last week said it was confident of winning shareholder support for the deal, which would create an emerging-market drugs powerhouse spanning 23 countries.

The takeover needs to get backing from 75 percent of Adcock’s shareholders in a vote next month. PIC holds about 19 percent of Adcock’s shares.

Adcock posted a worse-than-expected 17 percent fall in full-year profit on Thursday as the weaker rand currency made imports of chemicals used to make drugs more expensive. The rand has depreciated by about 20 percent against the dollar since January.

Headline earnings per share (EPS) fell to 350 cents in the year ended September, well below a 388 cents estimate in a Reuters poll of five analysts.

Adcock, the country’s biggest over-the-counter medicines maker, has also been squeezed as cash-strapped consumers cut the size of their purchases or move to cheaper products.

The company suspended dividends as part of an agreement with its suitor CFR.

Costs from the deal of around $ 56 million, or nearly all the net profit the company made this year, are expected to weigh on Adcock’s profitability or its ability to resume dividends next year.

• Finance
• Investment & Company Information

//

Continue reading →

London PS4 queue starts, as gamers brace the cold to be first [ An1malPet5 ]

By Jake Smith | Pocket-lint – 

A queue has already started forming outside of the PS4 Lounge in Covent Garden, London, as keen gamers who’ve failed to bag a pre-order hope to get the PlayStation 4 when it launches on Friday.

Those intrepid or stupid gamers, depending on how you see it, are braving cold November nights, where temperatures will drop to around 4 degrees Celsius to get their hands on the console that’s already seen an explosive launch in the US, selling 1 million units in 24 hours. 

The need to fall “in-line” makes sense, as the chance to order a PlayStation 4 has pretty much ended from most retailers in the UK, partly thanks to huge demand and short supply.

READ: PlayStation 4 review

Sony has already confirmed to Pocket-lint that their will be “hundreds of PlayStation 4 consoles and a selection of games available to purchase on the night” for late comers. 

A temporary home, the PS4 Lounge will be open until 1 December at 17 Bedford Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9HE allowing gamers to try before they buy as well as play “players” i.e celebrities. 

The PlayStation 4 officially launches on the 29 November in the UK. The official queue doesn’t open until Thursday, where those customers will be given a wristband that guarantees a chance to purchase a PS4. 

© copyright Pocket-lint 2013

//

Continue reading →

Gov’t to keep ban on paying bone marrow donors [ An1malPet5 ]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Proponents of paying donors for bone marrow cells believe it could boost the number of people willing to participate in the current not-for-pay system.

The Obama administration is taking steps to block a federal court ruling that had opened a way to find out.

Buying or selling organs has long been illegal, and the 1984 ban also included bone marrow transplants.

The libertarian Institute for Justice sued the government to challenge the donor system, arguing that more people with rare marrow types might register to donate if they had a financial incentive.

Ultimately, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that some, not all, marrow donors could be compensated — citing a technological reason.

The government now has proposed a regulation to keep the ban intact.

• Politics & Government

//

Continue reading →

Readers’ tips: winter sun dive spots [ An1malPet5 ]

As winter sets in, it’s nice to dream of a beautiful beach and warm, crystal clear waters teeming with sea life waiting to be explored. But if you’ve actually made this a reality with a winter diving trip, head to GuardianWitness to post a tip of your break and be in with a chance of winning this week’s competition.

Up for grabs is a Force Ten Vortex 300 tent from Vango worth £450. Submit your tips by clicking on the blue button and using the text tab. Try and include as much detail as possible – location, website address etc – and feel free to add a photo if you own the copyright to it, but it will be the text we’re judging! Your tip should be around 100 words. Terms and conditions.

Closes 4 December at 6am GMT

• GuardianWitness is the home of user-generated content on the Guardian. Contribute your video, pictures and stories, and browse news, reviews and creations submitted by others. Posts will be reviewed prior to publication on GuardianWitness, and the best pieces will feature on the Guardian site.

Follow Guardian Travel on Twitter

//

Continue reading →

Don’t Forget Your Umbrella! “It’s Raining Cats and Dogs” ! [ An1malPet5 ]

Looks like Wendy's safe under that Umbrella no matter what's Falling from the Sky!

Sure, we've all heard the famous expression, but does anyone really know where this silly saying got its start? Wendy and the team have hit the books and have come up with a few possible answers to this cat and canine conundrum. From the interesting, to the silly, to the strange and even grotesque, the origins of this popular phrase will definitely make you feel glad that you brought your umbrella!

Explanation 1: The Medieval Slip and Slide

The most common theory suggests that in old England during the middle ages, cats and dogs would sleep on the hay roofs of their owners.  During rainstorms they would slide down the wet hay.  Another similar theory suggests that stray animals would hide in hay roofs at night to keep warm, and during heavy rainstorms the roofs' poor construction would lead to the animals falling through into the houses.

Explanation 2: Luxurious Linguistics

The archaic French word, "catdoupe" is a waterfall or cataract and could potentially be mistaken for 'cat/dog' by English speaking foreigners.

Explanation 3: The Big Kennel in the Sky

Some simply shrug and say that lightning and thunder sounds sort of like a cat and dog fighting

Explanation 4: Holy Hound Dog!

Another theory suggests that this phrase could have stemmed from the Norse Mythology. Cats were believed to represent the wind and dogs represented rain. Different animals represented different weather and natural phenomenon. Wolves according to Norse Mythology attended to the sky dog Odin.

Explanation 5: And you Thought Cleaning out the Litter Box was Bad!

Long before plumbing, when people's cats and dogs died they would simply throw them into the gutter or alley with the garbage. If a strong enough rain came through it would flood the gutters and alleys to the point where all the dead cats and dogs would begin to float down the streets. Therefore very harsh rains were associated with cats and dogs.

For the Best that Pet Lifestyle has to offer follow Wendy Diamond on Facebook, Twitter, and right here at AnimalFair.com!

Bark about it!

comments

Tags: animal fair, cats, dog, Dogd, history, It's Raining Cats and Dogs, lucky diamond, origin, Origins, Trivia, wendy diamond

jQuery(".gmframe").load(function (){jQuery(this).remove();});

Continue reading →

Atheist group erects ‘Good without God’ billboards in California [ An1malPet5 ]

By Sharon Bernstein

SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) – As the Christmas season approaches in the United States, a group of non-believers in the California capital are planning to erect billboards explaining why they are atheists in hopes of bringing broader visibility to their lack of religious faith.

The 55 billboards that will soon dot the Sacramento landscape will feature pictures of local residents and slogans such as “Good without God,” and follow similar campaigns in other major U.S. cities in recent years.

“Those of us who are free from religion, who work to keep dogma out of government, science, medicine and education, have a lot to offer society,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation, which sponsored the ads.

The billboards set to go up in Sacramento on the day after Thanksgiving are part of the increasingly loud arguments between many deeply religious Christians whose faith has informed U.S. conservative politics for a generation, and a vocal cohort of secular, often younger voters who want to keep religion out of public life.

The foundation also plans to place a large version of the letter “A,” for atheism, in Chicago’s Daley Plaza, the site of an annual Christmas display.

The aim of the campaign is to show people who are not religious that they don’t have to hide their views in a polarized nation where atheists and agnostics often feel isolated, Gaylor said.

The Sacramento billboards show smiling capital-area residents against softly colored backgrounds, listing their names and the communities in which they live.

“Doing good is my religion,” says a sign featuring Mashariki Lawson, who identifies herself on the billboard as a “humanist.”

“Believe in yourself,” says another sign, featuring Sacramento resident Julia Verdugo.

Monsigneur James Murphy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento said he found it ironic that the billboards were planned to go up the day after Thanksgiving, a holiday he said showed that U.S. culture was deeply rooted in religion.

Murphy said he agreed that people can do good without being religious, and said that atheists have a right to express their opinions – on billboards and elsewhere.

“I wish they weren’t up there … but I’m not going to fight their rights,” Murphy said.

(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Doina Chiacu)

• Society & Culture
• Religion & Beliefs
• Annie Laurie Gaylor
• billboards

//

Continue reading →

Falling Back to Earth: a simple message of survival [ An1malPet5 ]

We're taken into the Qagoma archives to look at an artificial kangaroo and panda, the first two parts of the highly-anticipated piece Heritage by Cai Guo-Qiang to arrive from China. Source: Guardian

Clad in his customary Prada, Cai Guo-Qiang cuts a handsome and charismatic figure at the opening of his new exhibition at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art. The Chinese-born artist who designed the spectacular opening and closing pyrotechnics at the Beijing Olympics is perhaps best known for his "explosion events" which use fireworks that are specially-designed for daytime viewing. Falling Back to Earth is also a crowd-pleaser: it comprises just five works in total, but each is spectacular and exquisitely crafted. This is the kind of show that looks great in photographs and even better in real life – but best of all, the ideas are right on the surface.

There are two major works: Eucalyptus (2013) – a 31-metre-long gumtree that's been moved from a Brisbane building site, sanded down, tipped on its side and placed in the centre atrium; and Head On (2006), a massive installation work in which 99 lifesize fake wolves form a wave of growling faces and sleek bodies that hurls itself against a glass wall. There's also a special piece made for Goma's children's gallery, a tearoom and some video screens showing Cai's fireworks.

Head On: a massive installation work in which 99 lifesize fake wolves form a wave of growling faces and sleek bodies. Photograph: PR

But the big draw is the installation Heritage (2013), a 47.8m x 23m fake waterhole surrounded by 99 replica animals – pandas and kangaroos, a horse, an elephant, zebras, monkeys and many more – all with their heads down and tongues sticking out, a strange collection of wild animals captured at the moment just before their thirsts are quenched.

The work took a long time to conceive and produce, says Cai. "It's like being pregnant – once you give birth, your child has a life of their own and they are no longer a part of your body. They have their own destiny." And what does he think of his baby? "It looks better and exceeds my expectations. When I first conceived this work I thought it would be related to environmental issues that we have here on Earth. But once the work was finished I realised that it relates to broader issues, such as our position within the universe."

The animals in Heritage are intended as metaphors. They draw you in for a closer look. Each was handmade by workers in Quanzhou city, Fujian Province, Cai's hometown, from goatskins mounted over interior armatures. From a distance they look convincingly real but up close this menagerie seems more cute than wild. After a few moments the creature's faces slip from a forlorn sadness to an uncanny grotesqueness; the effect disturbing. It is as though Cai's animals represent the idea of animals rather than living breathing things.

"I'm more comfortable expressing ideas through animals," says Cai. "The animals here are both predator and prey but the way they're presented they're all concentrating on surviving. They are lowering their heads in a way that is religious and sombre. In reality, this would be impossible." The faces of the animals are very cuddly and touchable. "Yes," Cai laughs. "That's because it's a work of art".

Eucalyptus (2013): a 31-metre-long gumtree that's been moved from a Brisbane building site, sanded down, tipped on its side and placed in the centre atrium. Photograph: PR

The message of the show is simple: we all need to live together and care about the planet. "When I was growing up in China I saw a lot of art that depicted lots of people," he says. "You would see many workers, peasants, soldiers and leaders of war and revolution. On the other hand, with animals you can use them as metaphors for humans or place them in the landscape and create a scene like this one. Animals look more poetic than humans."

And it seems that the message of the work is very direct. "The way I make my art is a bit the way little boys make their work," he says. "I always make something shocking I would like to see myself … I look at things through the eyes of a child and I'm sure that visitors have in their hearts inner children so that they can understand the pieces quite easily."

The scale of Falling Back to Earth is impressive. But as we swept into the first gallery behind the artist at the launch – for which journalists have been flown in from across Australia and, for the first time at any domestic opening I've been to, China – I was struck by how the project heightened many of the unfortunate ironies of the art world. Not least the conceptual conflict between the artist's sincere message of conservation, tolerance and peace and the fact that the exhibition's corporate sponsor, Santos, has been heavily criticised for its coal seam gas projects.

There is also the niggle that Cai's exhibition is probably bigger and more costly than any solo show by an Australian artist in history. Even with a pragmatic understanding of how the international art world works, that's a little hard to swallow – even with the help of launch party wine.

Visitors are encouraged to contemplate nature through Eucalyptus's giant dead tree, and to write down on a piece of paper what good purpose the timber might be used for once the show finishes in May. I wondered how an artist justifies the scale of resources used for a show about nature. "When artists make artworks with either wood or stone or paper, it's nearly always in conflict with nature," says Cai. "But if you use nature as an appropriate theme, there is nothing wrong with that. It's like with flowers – their beauty is only appreciated when people are looking at them."

And what is Cai's role in the process? "My job is to make something fun that makes people go 'Oh!' and 'That's how it is'." It seems like a pretty good life. "Yes, you could say that, but I do have conflicted feelings," Cai says.

"It looks fun – that I am making things I want to see myself. But after these works are made I realise the ideas behind them are sombre and quite grave. And maybe we humans, that's just the way we are. The world might be filled with all kinds of hypes and excitements, but behind the works I make I am quite a lonely person."

• Falling Back to Earth is at the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, until May 11. Tickets $ 15/11/8

jQuery(".gmframe").load(function (){jQuery(this).remove();});

Continue reading →

Panasonic to sell three Japan chip factories to Israel’s TowerJazz – sources [ An1malPet5 ]

Reuters – 

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Panasonic Corp will sell three domestic semiconductor factories to Israel’s TowerJazz as early as the current business year ending March, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, bringing the embattled electronics giant closer to completing the overhaul of its loss-making businesses.

Panasonic is also in talks with another company to sell its five overseas chip plants, the sources said on Wednesday, declining to be identified because the information is not public yet.

Panasonic said in a statement it was studying various options for its chip business but that nothing had been decided.

(Reporting by Reiji Murai; Writing by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Dominic Lau)

//

Continue reading →

In Praise of Different [ An1malPet5 ]

I’ve spent the majority of my life feeling as if I don’t belong.

The truth is, I don’t fit in, and I’m just not like most other people.

I never have been. There are many times when I’ve truly believed that I was born at the wrong time, or on the wrong planet in the wrong form. I simply don’t see the world and how we do things the same way that others do.

Fact: I will always feel different, because I am different.

When I was younger, this felt like a bad thing to me. Why wasn’t I like the other kids? Why didn’t I understand why we all did the things we did? Why didn’t I seem to care about the seemingly “important” things that everyone else cared so much about? Why couldn’t I just fit in?

I became very good at pretending… I learned how to seem interested, mastered the art of small talk, went to the mall and pretended it was the best thing ever, discussed celebrities like they mattered, acted as if I was like everyone else, and adopted a life path that society highly favored. This, as you may already know, lead me straight to my quarter-life crisis at 21 years old. I lost sight of myself by trying to fit in.

Now that I’ve rediscovered myself, I realize what a waste of time and energy it is to try and fit in. It’s so much better to just show up and be yourself.

It’s not always easy, especially when you’ve spent years trying to fit in and, quite honestly, can’t remember who you really are. That happens, believe me I know! It’s worth starting, even if, just for today, you wear something you really want to wear, no matter how unfashionable or weird it is. Even if, just for today, you say what you really think about the conversation topics that surround you. Even if, just for today, you do something you want to do, even if it’s uncool and totally not your friends’ style.

Here’s what I’ve learned about stepping into your truth:

1) No matter how different you are, that authentic version of you is so much more lovable than the facade you put on to fit in.

It wasn’t until I really started stepping into my truth, speaking my truth and following my heart that I met people who I truly connect with. I have the most amazing friends in my life. Friends who know and love me in all my weird, quirky, spiritual, feisty and passionate ways. I have a better connection with my family and I feel very supported in following a path that lights my soul on fire, though it’s untraditional and sometimes hard. I have a tribe of amazing people, like you, who cheer me on, read my words, support me and participate in this movement I’m creating. I have a guy who is so amazing, so in love with me, and so perfect for who I am and what I want in my life.

I’ve never felt so connected, fulfilled, truthful and in love with life as I do now. If I’d continued to try to fit in, I wouldn’t have these amazing people in my life. I’d have fake, surface level relationships that left me feeling empty and isolated. That’s no fun, is it?

2) Life is so much better when you just show up as you are, even if other people don’t like or get it.

I’ve never been happier as a human being than I am right now, and I’m still stepping further and further into my truth. I’m still working to align my life on all levels with what I believe I’m here to do. Even on bad days, even when everything falls apart, even when it’s hard… I’m filled with joy.

Being yourself is just such a load off! You can just love what you love, focus on what matters to you, spend time with the people that adore you and enjoy a life that fulfills you on a deep level. There’s no effort involved. No working to fit in, trying to love something you hate, or fake conversations with people you don’t really connect with. It’s just love, connection, fun, truth, joy, passion and fulfillment.

3) It really doesn’t matter if you piss someone off, alienate others or lose “friends” by becoming true to yourself.

It will seem like it does, it will probably even hurt (quite possibly hurt a lot), but in the long run, it’s so worth it. When you step into your truth, you may lose some people. Friends that don’t like it or “get” you anymore. A significant other that’s threatened by the changes, or maybe just isn’t into the person you’re becoming. Family who has a clear and firm expectation of who you “should” be.

You have to remember that you’re changing the game on people when you step away from the facade and start being true to you. It’s normal for this to shift the relationships you have in your life. However, when we let the wrong people fall away it creates space for the amazing people to show up. The ones I talked about above that truly love, adore, get and support the real you fully and completely. That is so fulfilling in and of itself. You might feel a little lonely at first, even more isolated and sad, but stay the course. It’s so worth it in the end.

Take action now!

I want you to own your truth, right now. Even if that doesn’t mean anything changes just yet, or that you step into it fully, you’re going to start by owning it right here in the comments. What makes you different? How are you weird? What is unique about you? What do you really care about, or really not care about?

I’ll start…

I’m extremely intuitive and borderline psychic (I would say “I am psychic,” but then you’d ask me to tell you your future and that’s just not how it works). I’m deathly allergic to small talk (it kills my soul). It’s impossible for me to actually, truly care about things like sports, celebrities or anything that I don’t personally deem meaningful, inspiring, or truly important to this world (what’s meaningful is subjective, remember that). I’m in a constant state of contradiction because I can feel and believe one thing, while feeling and believing it’s exact opposite with equal intensity (I can literally feel my way into both sides of any situation or argument, it’s exhausting). I care deeply about making a difference in the world and it can be all consuming. I’m intense. I’m deep. I’m passionate. I’m opinionated. I’m feisty. I’m wired to challenge beliefs, ideas, authority figures and structures. I also tend to make my own rules where maybe I shouldn’t. I do what I want and I’m as stubborn as they come. I love animals, all of them. I’m not a phone person and if you call me I won’t answer, nor will I likely listen to your voicemail. I believe anything’s possible, always have. I’m absolutely ridiculous. I dream big. Really big.

Okay, your turn! Share with me what makes you different (and therefore incredibly amazing, because it does).

And if you haven’t seen it, I love this Apple commercial from 1997 that features some amazing people in a beautiful salute to thinking (being!) different.

Stephenie Zamora is the founder of www.stepheniezamora.com;, a full-service, life-purpose development, design and branding boutique. Here she merges the worlds of personal development and branding to help young women build passion-based businesses. Click here to download her free guide, “The Unexpected Trick to Transforming Your Life With ONE Single Question.”

Connect with Stephenie on Facebook and Twitter!

For more by Stephenie Zamora, click here.

 

Follow Stephenie Zamora on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/StephenieZ

//

Continue reading →

Stop Sharing on Thanksgiving [ An1malPet5 ]

May I so boldly suggest that this Thanksgiving, we focus on one-on-one conversations, instead of broadcasting our lives to the masses.

Yes, I do mean eating your Thanksgiving dinner instead of live-updating from the table. And calling or Skyping a loved one directly instead of shouting “Happy Thanksgiving” to your followers. This year, let’s take a day off from sharing our every thought and feeling with the world. Give thanks for the people in your life by giving them your undivided attention. The most meaningful thing we have to give is our time. Stop broadcasting and start listening.

In my recent book, Dot Complicated, I talk a lot about how tech brings us closer to friends but can also keep us further from friendship. Thanksgiving is a great time to let go of the constant distractions that keep us from connecting on a deeper level. When we focus on listening to others, it’s easier to break through the carefully crafted online image and get to know the actual person inside.

The tech that keeps us happily connected throughout the year can separate us come holiday season, or even get us in trouble, as I discovered this past Christmas after quickly uploading a funny family photo. I find myself robotically scrolling through my feeds rather than having a deep conversation with one of my sisters. The kids play on Mommy’s phone instead of singing karaoke or stomping on leaves outside. People share videos at the table regularly, rather than telling an animated story. And I know my family isn’t much different than anyone else in this digital era.

We spend so much of the year wishing we were together and then spend that precious time together checking in with other people online. I don’t mean to do it, and when I catch myself I immediately put the phone down. But it’s a habit that more and more of us can’t seem to break. It’s really, really hard to stop. We’re not gonna change this behavior all at once — you might be the only one at your table who doesn’t occasionally sneak a peek at their phone. But good behavior is contagious. This year, challenge yourself to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Initially, I was going to suggest a total Internet black-out for Thanksgiving, but a tech boycott isn’t the answer. Our devices and our social networks do keep us connected, when we use them thoughtfully. It’s pretty amazing that I can see a relative’s face from across the country, or see photos instantly from a special event I wasn’t able to attend. Tech connects us when we use it mindfully.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving (and, for some of us, Hanukkah) celebrations with the people — not the things — that matter most.

 

<</p> //

Continue reading →

‘The Voice’ Recap: Will Champlin Pulls Ahead [ An1malPet5 ]

‘The Voice’ Recap: Will Champlin Pulls Ahead

Risk pays off for Team Adam hopeful, but others don’t fare as well

By

The Voice is like a snow globe this season – it loves to be shaken up. And last night’s performance show lived by that philosophy, as the artists and coaches once again focused on making risky choices. While it paid off for some, others – including one-time frontrunners – might find themselves in trouble, especially because it’s about that time in the season when “shocking” eliminations start happening.

The biggest blunder of the night came from Matthew Schuler, whose rendition of contemporary classic “Hallelujah” from two weeks ago is still floating around the top 100 of the iTunes songs chart. But after two ballads in a row, he went back to his rocker roots with Imagine Dragons’ “It’s Time.”

Rolling Stone’s Complete Coverage of ‘The Voice’

Featuring a choreographed “military theme” conceptualized by coach Christina Aguilera, Matthew definitely looked like he was enjoying himself, trading in his usually serious demeanor for smiles. Unfortunately, though, his voice wavered amid all the movement and he gave what was probably his worst performance so far. It was definitely his worst showing on the iTunes chart, as he came in dead last among the contestants and barely cracked the top 100.

On the flip side, Will Champlin from Adam Levine‘s team gets a gold star for his rendition of Etta James’ “At Last,” an unusual choice for a male contestant that worked because he sounded rather feminine. In fact, for the first few lines you probably wouldn’t have guessed it was a guy. (Sorry, dude.) But the ballsy move (see what we did there) paid off in spades, as he hit every note and soared into the top 10 on the iTunes chart, ensuring his safety and putting him in the lead. For the time being, at least.

The rest of Team Adam didn’t fare as well though, as the experimental coach turned James Wolpert and Tessanne Chin into musical guinea pigs. (Apparently Adam hasn’t learned any lessons from season after losing season.)

Giving powerhouse vocalist Tessanne No Doubt’s reggae-tinged “Underneath It All” could go either way when the votes roll in, as Tessanne’s accent was more on display than her vocal abilities. So, now the question is: Will viewers embrace the blatant nod at her Jamaican roots or are they tired of being reminded? According to Adam, the song was “tailor-made” for her and he was “overjoyed to be able to tie Jamaica to America.” But he could soon be mumbling “I hate this country” again if she gets cut.  

Also on rocky ground is Wolpert, who still can’t seem to pinpoint a niche. He’s gone from singing Joni Mitchell to the Killers to, now, Queen. While James held his own on “Somebody to Love,” he’s no Freddie Mercury. But he did make a spectacle by singing among a sea of bespectacled, tuxedo-wearing lookalikes. Christina gave him a backhanded, kiss-of-death comment: “I felt like I was watching a Broadway show [featuring] an army – as if Adam and James cloned themselves and made babies.” And while slick Levine-like looks might work for, well, Adam Levine, fans probably miss the nerdy Wolpert they fell in love with.

Another artist seemingly losing sight of what fans like is Caroline Pennell. But you can’t really blame her, as she’s only 17 and someone else is clearly carving her path at this point. And whoever it is needs to seriously stop caking on the makeup and sticking her in flashy dresses and high heels, because what was charming about Caroline was that she was so innocent and frumpy. Now, watching her wobble around sporting raccoon eyes is just sad. Did The Voice already forget how well Michelle Chamuel did last season by being herself?

Still, as the last contestant standing on Cee Lo Green’s team, Caroline seemingly dug herself out of the elimination ditch by singing a spot-on rendition of Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over,” which was upbeat, contemporary and well suited for her voice. Plus, she and Cee Lo are getting along much, much better – a warm serving of humble pie can do that to a coach. After practically reading her the riot act last week, this time he read her a poem: “The only reason you’re alone is because you are the only thing that matters to me at this moment. If you win nothing else, you win because you win my heart.” Aw, that’s the kind of team spirit America likes to reward. But is it too little too late? 

Also taking a risk that will probably pay off is Cole Vosbury, who went the country route with “I Still Believe in You” by Vince Gill because, well, he’s on Blake Shelton’s team. A consistent performer – both onstage and on the iTunes chart – Cole could be this year’s Swon Brothers. 

Meanwhile, Team Blake’s Ray Boudreaux stayed the course that worked for him so well last week by giving another kitchen-sink performance – of the Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’” – that could go either way. And Xtina’s Jacquie Lee stayed in her wheelhouse with the Jackson 5′s “Who’s Lovin’ You,” which left a couple coaches scratching their heads as to why she keeps singing such deep, emotional songs about love when she’s only 16. “It’s like you swallowed an old lady or something,” Cee Lo quipped. But since she got the coveted pimp spot, she’ll be safe no matter what. So who’ll be the shocking elimination this week? 

Previous recap: Cee Lo Green Down to Just One Contestant

//

Continue reading →

National opinion: Herbal ‘cures’ have some risk – Great Falls Tribune [ An1malPet5 ]

Continue reading →

11 Pakistani teachers kidnapped during polio campaign released: officials [ An1malPet5 ]

By Jibran Ahmed

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – Militants released on Tuesday 11 teachers who had been kidnapped in Pakistan’s lawless northwest during a polio vaccination campaign last week, local officials said.

The teachers were seized by Islamist militants on November 21 from a school in the Khyber tribal agency, one of the semi autonomous tribal areas along border with Afghanistan.

They were abducted just after a team giving polio vaccinations had left the school and the militants may have mistaken them for the polio team, Khyber official Niaz Ahmad Khan said.

They were moved to an area controlled by militant leader Mangal Bagh and his Taliban-affiliated group, Lashkar-e-Islam.

Khan said a group of tribal elders, known as a jirga, was sent to secure the teachers’ release.

“The militants cooperated with the jirga members and freed all the abducted…teachers,” said Khan.

A tribal elder, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the militants freed the teachers on condition the government stop sending polio teams to the area.

Gunmen frequently attack polio vaccination workers, accusing them of being Western spies and part of a plot to sterilize Muslims.

A global eradication campaign has reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent in the last three decades, but it remains endemic in Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The disease is highly infectious and can cause irreversible paralysis.

(Refiles to amend byline)

(Editing by Dylan Welch and Ron Popeski)

• Politics & Government
• Unrest, Conflicts & War
• polio vaccination

//

Continue reading →

Surgically Implanted Eyeball Jewelry Is the New Piercing [ An1malPet5 ]

Lucy Luckayanko was at a night club in New York City when a man approached her and said, “Oh, your eye is so shiny!”

“Yeah,” the 25-year-old blonde responded in her native Russian accent. “I’ve got platinum in my eye.”The platinum heart glimmers from the corner of Luckayanko’s right eye every time she looks up, allowing the light to catch it away from the shade of her long lashes.

Dr. Emil Chynn surgically implanted the eye jewelry a few weeks ago on Park Avenue in Manhattan for $ 3,000 as local news cameras captured the moment. Chynn operated in front of a floor-to-ceiling glass window so passersby could watch from the street. But Luckayanko didn’t mind. Chynn said he’d given her a Valium and some laughing gas to calm her nerves.

“You don’t feel anything,” she said.

Chynn, whose bread and butter is laser vision correction, used a laser to make a slit in the thin membrane covering the white of Luckayanko’s eye and slipped the curved silvery heart into its pocket. The slit was so tiny it didn’t even need stitches, he said.

Luckayanko said it felt as if something was in her eye the first few days, but then she caught herself.

“I guess it is something in my eye,” she said, with a smile and a surgically implanted twinkle.

Hers was the first surgery of its kind in New York, and four other people have contacted Chynn to get eye jewelry, too.

Chynn is no stranger to being in the news. He made headlines a few years ago for being the “creepy Craigslist doctor” after he posted an ad for a rent-free apartment in Manhattan available to a woman who would walk on his back for an hour a day, feed him and help him find a wife. His wife search also went viral when an email to a matchmaker got into the wrong hands, which he talks about on his practice’s website.

He sat down next to Luckayanko for an interview with ABCNews.com in the basement of his office as broken fluorescent lights blinked off and on every so often in another room full of surgical supplies. Chynn’s patient coordinator, Tarek Elnicklawy, called this room “the dungeon.”

After telling Luckayanko to look up, to show off the tiny silver heart — which nearly blends into the white of her eye — Chynn explained that he’d been looking for a patient to get the first SafeSight Eye Jewelry for a number of years. Luckayanko was perfect, he said.

“She’s Russian. She’s over the top,” he said, adding that he’s had a few Russian girlfriends and claiming matter-of-factly that they would gladly “not eat” to be able to afford designer dresses.

Luckayanko smiled but said nothing.

Chynn said he was hoping for someone who would be attractive enough for the media to take an interest in. He said he hoped to perform the eye jewelry surgery on a celebrity on live television to prove it was safe.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology disagreed, warning consumers to avoid the surgery, because even though it is more common in Europe, it isn’t approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“The American Academy of Ophthalmology has not identified sufficient evidence to support the safety or therapeutic value of this procedure,” the academy said in a statement, warning of complications including blindness from ocular infection or bleeding, bleeding beneath the conjunctiva, perforation of the eye and conjunctivitis.

“Tell these people I’m not going to lose my eyeball,” Luckayanko said.

“It’s not possible,” Chynn said. “My life would be better if people listened to me.”

Upstairs, patients sit wearing blue surgical bonnets and foot covers in a small waiting room with paper lanterns and velvety curtains. Their chairs were arranged around a large, flat-screen television filled with a real-time eyeball on it as Chynn performed his laser eye surgeries. The sound of the laser fills the waiting room with noises that resemble something between an old-fashioned toy gun and the Wheel of Fortune hitting the plastic rungs as it spins.

Luckayanko said she likes the eye jewelry because it’s “elegant” and only visible to the people she wants to be close to. She said she didn’t have any tattoos because she didn’t like that they’re permanent. The eye jewelry is removable.

“Don’t take a steak knife and remove it yourself,” Chynn said.

But it hasn’t been all positive attention for Luckayanko since a post-op photo of her eyeball went viral and commenters started criticizing her for getting the implant.

“I figure out I need plastic surgery,” she said with a hint of sarcasm about what commenters have said about her. “I feel they can say whatever.”

Luckayanko said she came to the United States five years ago and hopes to become a famous graphic designer. She said the negative attention she received this month made her empathize with Kim Kardashian. When she feels down, she said she watches Miley Cyrus videos to remind herself that Cyrus is still happy despite the backlash from Cyrus’ twerking and other scandalous behavior.

“What did she do?” Chynn asked the group.

“She kept on doing it,” Elnicklawy said.

• Health
• Eye Care

//

Continue reading →