Popular Styles

China's metrosexual men revive luxury shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 05:20:00 -0800

China's metrosexual men revive luxury shopping - Let's hear it for the boys. China's fashion-forward men are snapping up Gucci and Burberry bags, driving a rebound in the luxury market months after a slow down in spending by the world's biggest luxury goods buyers spooked global investors.

Men account for about 55 percent of China's luxury goods market, well above the global average of 40 percent, according to research from brokerage CLSA, partly because businessmen often buy expensive gifts to curry favor with government officials or potential associates.

Reuters/Reuters - A man watches in front of a window display outside a Gucci store at Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district in Hong Kong January 17, 2013. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

Companies such as Burberry Group Plc which sell luxe clothing and accessories benefit from this gift-giving culture, and wealthy Chinese men's penchant for designer ware.

But they are also at risk of big sales swings because men are less likely than women to splurge on discretionary purchases in times of economic uncertainty, CLSA's research shows.

"Men are not prone to impulse shopping," said Mariana Kou, CLSA's consumer and gaming analyst in Hong Kong. "They tend to wait a little if the economy is pretty uncertain."

Chinese shoppers account for one-fourth of all luxury purchases globally and last year surpassed U.S. consumers to become the world's top spenders on luxury goods, according to consulting firm Bain & Co.

When China's economic growth slowed to a three-year low in the middle of last year, luxury demand dropped suddenly, sending shudders through a global market worth $280 billion last year according to Bain's estimates.

Burberry warned of weak sales in July and again in September, sparking fears of a sector-wide slump.

But as China's growth picked up to 7.9 percent in the fourth quarter after seven straight quarters of slowdown, sales rebounded. Burberry said last week its Asia-Pacific sales rose 15 percent in the three months to December, led by China and Hong Kong, while its European business was flat and the Americas up just 2 percent.

Sales of men's clothing were up more than 50 percent over the final three months of 2012, Burberry said, and men's accessories such as handbags rose nearly 40 percent.

"We remain very confident about the growth prospects for the China market generally," Burberry's Chief Financial Officer Stacey Cartwright said after the quarterly data was announced.

"Specifically quarter by quarter it's always difficult to call. We are encouraged by the rebound that we've seen in this quarter," she added.

HEY BIG SPENDER

Burberry's bounce-back lifted the shares of its high-end peers. The Dow Jones luxury index rose 2.1 percent last week and is up 6 percent so far this year, double the 3 percent rise in the broader MSCI world equity index in 2013. China's economic revival may help lift the sector further.

Just last week, customers toting paper bags bearing the logos of Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci, Prada and other global luxury brands were out in force at malls in Hong Kong and Macau, two nearby destinations for wealthy mainland Chinese shoppers.

Personal assistant Da Fei trailed behind his boss, a real estate businessman from Mongolia, carrying items from Hermes and Kenzo through the upscale One Central Macau shopping center in China's gambling capital.

"He likes to buy everything, particularly Hermes and Gucci," Da Fei said as his boss, decked out in salmon pink trousers and a black and white shirt, browsed inside a Kenzo store.

At the Gucci store in Macau's Wynn casino, four men clustered around a glass counter examining leather wallets, while seven other men browsed items such as the 6,000 patacas ($750) shoulder bags. Only two women were in the shop at the same time, while other customers queued up outside, waiting for security guards to let them in.

PARTY ON POST-CONGRESS

Luxury looks like it could stay strong through the first quarter, largely due to the Chinese New Year celebrations in February and then the National People's Congress in March, where government positions will be confirmed - and gifts bestowed.

Data from Hong Kong, a popular shopping destination for wealthy mainland Chinese, shows retail sales are starting to perk up. They jumped 9.5 percent on the year in November, with jewelry, watches and other valuables up 13.7 percent after a 2.9 percent decline in October.

About 3 million mainland Chinese visited Hong Kong in November, up 30 percent from a year earlier, according to the tourism board. Macau's numbers paled by comparison, with a 3 percent rise to 1.5 million mainland visitors for the month.

But with Beijing cracking down on corruption, retail watchers caution that China may not deliver the explosive growth that made it a vital market for luxury brands after the global financial crisis in 2008.

Chinese buyers backed away from buying bling before the once-a-decade Party Congress in October, when new leadership was announced, so the strong November figures from Hong Kong may reflect a burst of pent-up demand.

Sales of watches and pricey liquor took the biggest hit after the corruption crackdown, according to a survey from the Hurun Report, known for its annual China Rich List.

Consumers are also becoming more choosy and sophisticated, preferring more inconspicuous luxury goods to logo-centric names such as Louis Vuitton.

But with 1.3 billion consumers, many with a strong inclination for expensive brands that scream status, China remains a driving force in the luxury market.

"The intention to purchase is very high right across the board, from Coach to Bottega Veneta," said Shanghai-based author Paul French, chief China market strategist at Mintel, which specializes in Chinese consumer trends.

"I think the only reason there was a dip was because the gifting market, the corruption market was of course weak last year because you didn't know who to buy for." ( Reuters )

7 Strategies for Highly Effective New Year's Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Tue, 1 Jan 2013 06:48:00 -0800

7 Strategies for Highly Effective New Year's Resolutions - New Year’s Eve is just around the corner. It’s likely that at least one person will ask you what your resolutions are for the year ahead. Whether you like to make them or not, research has found that people who make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions. Yet as you know, it’s not so easy to keep your resolve as life returns to normal and your old habits of mind and action start testing your resolve and pulling you away from the new ones you resolved to create.

Change is difficult, yet as hard as it is, everyone has the ability to make and keep meaningful changes in their life, regardless of their age, or how well worn their habitual ways of engaging in the world.

Indeed there’s a science to success when it comes to achieving goals and making life changes – whether on January 1st or any other time of year. On the link below are 7 strategies to help you make the changes you want in the year ahead – including making the right resolutions to begin with. I hope you will read it, but more so, I hope you will apply them so that 2013 will truly be the best year of your life. Not because everything will go as you want, but because you be firmly at the helm of your own life – living by design rather than by default.

7 Strategies for Highly Effective New Year Resolutions.

1. Know Your Why.

For a resolution to stick, it has to be aligned with your core values. We all want to look better or get richer, but your resolutions have to go beyond superficial desires and connect with what truly matters most to you. In other words, you have to “Know your why” and feel truly passionate about the goals you set for yourself. If you don’t, then when the going gets tough or your alarm goes off at 5:30am, you won’t have the resolve to stick to your plan. Connect your resolutions to those things that give you a deeper sense of purpose and align with your core values. When your resolutions connect to a deeper sense of purpose, it compels you not to think small or play safe, but to dig deep and stay the course when the going gets tough – no matter how many hurdles.

2. Be Specific.

Resolutions to ‘eat better, get fitter, be happier, relax more or have better life balance’ are doomed for failure because they lack specificity. The more specific you are, the more likely you will be able to succeed. Describe your goals and resolutions in ways that allow you to track your progress and measure your success. For instance, if you want to build a better relationship with your partner, schedule at least one date night per month, or, as I’ve done with my husband, one weekend away – sans kids – per year. Likewise if you’re committed to a better health and exercise regime, schedule how many workouts you’ll fit into each week.

3. Don’t Just Think It, Ink it!

A Stanford University study found that when people wrote down their goal, it increased the probability of them achieving it by over 70%. But don’t just write down the specific goal, write down how you will feel when you’ve accomplished it. When you have finished penning your desires, jot down on sticky pads the words that inspire you most about your goal and put them around your home/office to remind you of why you are committed to doing what it takes to bring your goal into reality.

4. Design Your Environment.

Never underestimate the power of your environment to support or sabotage your success. Design your environment so that it’s hard NOT to do what you resolved. Create a progress chart, recruit a cheer squad among your family and friends, find someone to hold you accountable, hire a trainer, join a group, create a blog. Likewise, if there are people or things in your life that pull you down or off track, address them directly and set whatever boundaries you know you will need up front.

5. Narrow Your Efforts.

Trying to do too many things at once can make you so unfocused that you just bounce around like Tigger on Red Bull, not quite sure which direction you are going. Set yourself up for success and start with JUST ONE MAJOR UNDERTAKING come January 1st. Then break that goal down into small bite size steps. Small steps, strong start!

6. Focus On The Process.

It’s easy to get caught up in an initial wave of enthusiasm, only to come crashing down when your initial efforts don’t produce immediate and amazing results. So focus on the process itself, and develop greater competence of the actual activity, habit or skill you want to acquire. For instance, if you want to become more fit, focus on being able to jog a little bit further every time you go for a walk, rather than being able to run 5 miles within a week. PERSISTENCE ALWAYS PAYS OFF.

7. Forgive Your Failures.

Your setbacks and failures will not define your success in the year ahead or any year. HOW YOU RESPOND WILL. If you happen to mess up, lose your resolve, press the snooze button or revert to a familiar well-practiced behavior, don’t beat up on yourself. Okay, so you didn’t get to the gym like you’d planned. How about 5 minutes of stretching? When it comes to slipping up and tripping up, you are in good company. It happens to everyone. Just don’t let your mishaps, setbacks and failures mean more than they do. Reflect on the lessons they hold, make adjustments accordingly, then tap your inner John Wayne and get back in the saddle. Life rewards those who work at it. ( Forbes )

Know you're in a healthy relationship

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 23:13:00 -0800

Know you're in a healthy relationship - Everyone talks about being a good, healthy relationship. But what exactly does 'healthy' signify. Put simply, you are in a healthy relationship when you feel good about yourself when around your loved one and there is an equal amount of give and take between both the partners. Most important is the trust factor, you should feel safe around the other person and trust him/her with your secrets. Remember, healthy relationships evolve as each person evolves in his or her ability to be loving to both, themselves and each other.

Here are some important factors for a healthy relationship:

Kindness

Is kindness more important to each of you than having your way, being in control, or being right? Do you each receive joy out of being kind to each other? Being kind rather than controlling with each other is essential for a healthy relationship.

Spontaneous warmth and affection

This is an important factor. Affection and warmth toward each other help a couple to appreciate the essence of each other, rather than just pinpoint the faults. Consequently, it also helps strengthen the relationship as they are able to enjoy each other, both as individuals, and as a couple.

Laughter and fun

It's vital to the well being of your relationship that both of you laugh and play together. Learn to appreciate and enjoy each other's sense of humour, especially in the midst of difficulties. Both of you need to let down and be playful with each other, letting yourselves be like kids together, as laughter and fun play a huge role in a healthy relationship.

Enjoying time together and time apart

You may both be each other's favourite person to spend time with. However, it is also essential that you grow as individuals and spend quality time with yourself, indulging in your hobbies and passions.

Individual friends and interests

Some couples spend a lot of time together because they really enjoy it, while others spend a lot of time together out of fear of being alone. It is important for a healthy relationship for each person to have friends and interests, so that they are not dependent on each other. Dependency is not healthy in a relationship, especially emotionally.

Resolving conflicts

All relationships experience conflicts in some form or the other. It is not the conflict that is the issue, but how you deal with it. As a couple, you need to have a method for resolving conflict or else you will end up just sweeping aside. Also, if fighting is a part of how you deal with conflict, learn to fight fair, do not be hurtful or insulting.

Letting go of anger

If one or both of you get angry, do you hang on to it, punishing your partner with it, or can you easily let it go? In healthy relationships, both partners are able to quickly move on, back into kindness and affection.

Trust in your love

You need to trust each other that the love is solid, even in very difficult times. You need to know that you can mess up, fail, disappoint the other, emotionally hurt the other and that your love will still be there. This level of trust is essential for a healthy relationship.

Listening, understanding, accepting and learning

Even though you are a couple, each of you need to feel heard, understood and accepted. Share your secrets with your partner without the fear of being judged. Be interested in learning about yourselves and each other than in controlling each other. Listen to each other with an open heart and make the effort to understand your partner before judging each other or defending your actions.

Sexuality

Your sexual relationship needs to be warm and caring. Be sexually spontaneous and more importantly, talk with each other about what brings pleasure to each of you.

Freedom to be yourself

Just because you are a couple, it doesn't mean you have to be a mirror image of each other. Remember, you are individuals with your own personal choices and tastes. To be in a healthy relationship, you need to have the freedom to be yourself without the fear of being criticised. Learn to support each other in pursuing what brings you'll joy. After all, happy individuals make happy couples. ( indiatimes.com )

You, me and... no baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 23:02:00 -0800

You, me and... no baby! - Their passion for trekking brought them together. For Kamalika and Tapash of Kolkata, love blossomed during high-adrenalin training sessions of a mountaineering club. And despite being nine years apart, they knew they were meant to be together and take on some death defying adventures.

Married for almost two years now, the couple has taken the first step to realising their dream by floating an adventure sports company that takes groups on camping and trekking excursions. With more ambitious projects in the pipeline, they can't even consider having a child. Asks Kamalika, "Our lives are uncertain, what if we didn't return from an expedition? What would happen to our baby then?" She accompanies her husband on all his trips. "We want to explore a lot of places, and there is no question of bringing up a child for the heck of it," she reasons.

Hers is not a remote instance and a whole new tribe of fiercely independent couples today is choosing to not make babies and focus instead on their creative pursuits.

When Subroto Ghosh (name changed), 40, a journalist living in Pune gave marriage a shot last year, he had one thing very clear in his mind — no babies! And fortunately for him, his wife too came from the same school of thought. He is candid, "The thought of having an 18-year-old at the age of 58 is disturbing. A child should ideally be an independent adult before you retire." He adds, "My wife and I have erratic work schedules. I don't think we would have done justice by bringing another life to the world." To give a dimension to their marriage, the couple has adopted a cocker spaniel 'Belch', that by Subroto's own admission seeks as much attention as a child.

Until some years ago, couples who couldn't have kids were looked down upon, let alone those who chose to not have one. The perception has somewhat changed as more and more couples are opting to never become parents. Says Dr Rajendra Barve, psychologist at IIT Hospital, Mumbai, "These are couples who have found a purpose in life as against those who feel companionship is only about holidaying and partying. The latter usually end up having extra-marital affairs and eventually lose interest in their partner. Baby or no baby, it's about how creatively a couple is intimate with each other."

But for Abhay, 26, a marketing personnel based out of Bhopal, having children is an investment he is not willing to make. A year into marriage, both Abhay and his wife Rhea, have decided to steer clear of parenting. "Being responsible for someone throughout their life makes me jittery. Once you have a kid, you are grounded; either you or your spouse has to sacrifice a career to raise the child. Else, it would be unfair on the kid," shares Abhay. Like Subroto, the couple has adopted a labrador pup 'Foster' that keeps the household alive. 'When Rhea and I go out, Foster gets all sad and distant. It is a terrible feeling to leave him

behind, and we wonder how painful it would be were it our own kid," says he.

Perhaps a pet is easier to deal with and yet gives a high similar to raising a child. Vikram Karve, 54, who wrote a heart-warming short story on a Double Income No Kid (DINK) couple, is married for the last three decades and has grown up children. "We have an empty nest, which our pet beautifully fills up. But this is not to say that you should keep a pet instead of a baby. Those who get married should have kids as it is the kid that brings good vibes into the relationship," he avers.

According to Delhi-based sociologist Reeta Brara, couples not going for kids is a mere trend and not true across the board. Says she, "Blame it on today's self-indulgent lifestyles, where couples are not willing to share their resources even with kids. Young working women often think their career will take a backseat if they planned babies." But Reeta feels some unwed career-driven mothers such as Sushmita Sen are doing a great job of parenting, despite the odds.

Painter-curator, Alka Raghuvanshi, 48, who has married and divorced twice with no kids, is clear. "You can't divorce a child. From diapers to dentures it is a never-ending proposition. Women who say they can balance everything from career to kids, are lying to their teeth," she quips. Alka had lost a baby in her womb just a day before its birth from her first marriage. But she has no regrets, "After the incident I lost interest in having a baby and conveyed as much to my husband. I believe God willed me to not have kids. With a child around I couldn't have travelled the way I did, and painted with the same passion."

With mounting pressures of daily life, couples not willing to make an emotional and financial investment into parenting are on the rise. But how natural or unnatural is it for a couple to not have kids? "It's not a socio-culturally natural way of living," says Dr Bhavna Barmi, senior clinical psychologist and marital therapist at Escorts Heart Institute, "as physiologically, the body has a child-bearing capacity which should be optimised." ( indiatimes.com )

Whatever the decision, it's the 'little' joys that make up life!

Personalized Stem Cells One Step Closer to Reality

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 05:22:00 -0800

Personalized Stem Cells One Step Closer to Reality - For the first time, scientists have proven that embryonic-like stem cells that are specific to both a person and to a disease can be manufactured using adult human cells.

Personalized stem cells may be the holy grail of science because of their potential to treat and allow the study of a myriad of diseases and conditions. And while there are still a number of hurdles to clear before this advance can be applied to humans, in the clinical setting this latest step, some say, shows promise of eventual human therapies.

Researchers from Harvard and Columbia Universities used skin cells from two patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, to create stem cells and then reprogrammed them to morph into replacement motor neurons.

"It opens doors to making patient-specific stem cell lines," said Dr. Kevin Eggan, principle faculty member at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and lead author of a study that was released today in the journal Science. "You can use these cells to make the actual cell type for that person's disease."

People with ALS experience progressive degeneration in their motor neurons to the extent that the brain and spinal cord can no longer signal the body to move. Patients in later stages of the disease often become paralyzed.

Eggan and his colleague, Dr. Christopher Henderson, co-director of the Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease at Columbia University and the other lead author, stressed that their study shows "proof of principle" for how embryonic-like stem cells can be created from adult cells using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, a technique introduced widely last year.

Stem cell researchers not involved in the study called the advance promising.

"The hope for iPS cell technology is that you could create cells from your own body to treat your own defects," said Dr. Curt Freed, professor of medicine and pharmacology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "They are immunologically matched to yours."

But Freed pointed out that iPS derived stem cells will never be used for therapeutic purposes because the method requires using retroviral genes to copy the cells -- genes which result in cancer-producing cells.

A New Approach

The ideal scenario for stem cells would be to create them by injecting the desired DNA -- DNA that's free from genetic defects -- into human egg cells and letting them become stem cells before reprogramming them into specific cell types, a technique known as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). But getting human egg donations -- as well as funding for such research -- has been difficult for the researchers.

"The inability to have success with SCNT is wrapped up in logistical and political quagmires," Eggan said.

At the moment, the next step for this study is to determine how similar and different the new motor neurons from the iPS derived stem cells are from human motor neurons.

"We have the opportunity to study these motor neurons and see whether they behave in a manner that they do in the culture dish," Henderson said. "Although the promise of these ideas are there, there is much validation to do in terms of their potential to generate different types of neurons.... The [SCNT] embryonic stem cell model is really our gold standard."

But the discovery that only a few genes are necessary to nudge a human stem cell to develop into a specialized adult cell is encouraging. The finding also underscores the theory that almost any cell of any age in the body can be reprogrammed into any other type of cell, given the right genetic expression.

"It gets us closer to when we are able to use chemicals alone," Eggan said.

Not Ready for Clinical Setting... Yet

Rather than be used for therapy right now, Eggan and Henderson said that the cells they created will be most useful to study the nature and pathology of the disease, particularly in terms of determining what drugs might be effective to treat it.

"Studies... suggest that things are going wrong in those individuals far, far, far before they're ever outwardly sick," Eggan said, referring to a potentially fundamental difference between diseased neurons and normal neurons. "And it's those molecular correlates of disease which will be our first inroads into better understanding of the disease and then, in turn, treatment." ( abcnews.go.com )

Stem Cells For Beauty?

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 05:11:00 -0800

Stem Cells For Beauty? - The prospect is a tantalizing one. To erase wrinkles and fine lines, or to get bigger breasts, without cosmetic surgery. Forget silicone, forget collagen. All you would need is stem-cell therapy.

Realistically speaking, though, such applications remain a pipe dream.

Of course, it wouldn't be the first time a medical therapy had been bent in the direction of aesthetics. Take a look at Botox -- the deadly botulinum toxin initially used to treat spasms is now used to improve the appearance of frown lines.

And while stem-cell applications for the vanity market may have to wait, some researchers have begun to research the possibilities of stem cells in plastic and reconstructive medicine.

"Stem-cell research appears promising for medicine and particularly for plastic surgery," said Dr. Ronald Friedman, director of the West Plano Plastic Surgery Center and a board-certified plastic surgeon practicing in Plano, Tex.

"Hair follicular stem cells, tooth stem cells and skin stem cells all show therapeutic promise," said Denis English, editor in chief of the journal Stem Cells and Development and director of cell biology at the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. "These can restore hair to a bald man, teeth to those in need and skin to scarred patients."

The use of stem cells to regenerate tissue is believed to hold promise because stem cells can be nudged to develop into specialized cell types. And some researchers have turned an eye toward stem cells for this very purpose.

In October, a University of Pittsburgh team led by Dr. Peter Rubin received a three-year grant from the National Cancer Institute to explore the possibility of using stem cells derived from a patient's own fat. Rubin, assistant professor of plastic surgery and co-director of the university's Adipose Stem Cell Center, used those stem cells to create a durable, shaped piece of replacement tissue.

The research may one day allow breast cancer survivors to take advantage of a natural replacement after a mastectomy.

But with these possible applications in reconstruction, could cosmetic applications be far behind?

"Naturally, the public shows more interest in applications like breast augmentation," said Dr. Peter Costantino, director of the Center for Facial Reconstruction and Restoration at Roosevelt Hospital in New York.

"In our society, there is such a huge demand for these rejuvenation surgeries, despite their significant risks, that the pragmatist in me cannot deny the likelihood that it will not be long before someone offers a two-stage procedure starting with liposuction followed by injection of these autologous stem cells for breast augmentation or into the face to rejuvenate," said Dr. Daniel Salomon of the department of molecular and experimental medicine at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif.

Real-World Applications Still Far Off

Though initial research into the potential of stem cells in reconstructive surgery is promising, actual applications -- particularly those of a purely cosmetic nature -- are still distant.

"This is still very far in the future, except for tabloid speculation," said Dr. Garry Brody, professor emeritus of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. "By the time it becomes practical -- and affordable -- I suspect it will be beyond our lifetimes."

"Stem cells do have the potential to revolutionize things, but it is not "just around the corner,'" said Costantino. "You can't just inject 'fat' stem cells into a breast and just assume that it's going to make a nice-looking breast. You could just end up with something fairly lumpy and unappealing."

The cosmetic applications of stem cells are "25 to 30 years away, at the earliest," said Thoru Pederson of the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass.

Yet some studies are already under way.

"We are starting to see clinical trials with stem cells for reconstructive surgery," Rubin said. "A group from Japan reported on enriching liposuctioned fat with fat-derived stem cells and using the material successfully for breast enlargement."

Cosmetic Uses of Stem Cells a Low Priority

Most experts agree, however, that many other potentially curative and life-saving applications of stem cells take precedence over cosmetic uses.

"Applications to rejuvenation or enhanced personal appearance are much harder to justify at this point and will be driven more by market forces in affluent countries -- not just the U.S. certainly -- rather than by science," Salomon said.

"In my opinion, use of any cells for cosmetic surgery is still problematic," said Dr. Darwin Prockop, director of the Center for Gene Therapy at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. "The trials that can be justified are in patients with terminal diseases in which the potential risks and benefits are carefully evaluated."

"In all honesty, the more promising (and more quickly realized) aspects of stem cell use in plastic and reconstructive surgery will probably be in producing skin replacement grafts on a large scale," Costantino said. "This could help many, many burn and chronic wound patients."

But for now?

"Though there is an enormous amount of promise with stem cells in plastic and reconstructive surgery, the devil is in some pretty important details," Costantino said. ( abcnews.go.com )

Bride gets married while wearing £200,000 of solid gold jewellery

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 05:56:00 -0700

Bride gets married while wearing £200,000 of solid gold jewellery - Dazzling bird Liu Cheng spent an hour putting on more than five kilos of necklaces, bracelets, gems, and rings

Dazzling bride Liu Cheng made sure she would not be shown up on her big day by donning £200,000 of solid gold jewellery to walk down the aisle.

The one-woman Bling Dynasty, from Quanzhou in southern China's Fujian province, staggered to her groom with more than five kilos of necklaces, bracelets, gems, and rings dangling from her body.

Proud mum Lin Hu, who spent more than an hour helping her 26-year-old daughter get into her jewellery, explained: 'I wanted to make the day as special as I could for my girl.

Blinging: It took bride Liu Cheng, 26, more than an hour to get into her jewellery

Lucky charms: Gold is seen as a sign of good luck and good fortune at a wedding in China

'I've been collecting these pieces for years, and I got my relatives to do so as well because its important to show her new relatives that she comes from a good family.

'We would save money and when the gold price was low we would buy - and sometimes when it was high we would sell to have cash to buy more gold later - it worked really well.'

Dazzling: The bride was wearing more than five kilos of solid gold necklaces, bracelets, gems, and rings

Family values: The bride's mum Lin Hu said she and relatives have been collecting the gold pieces for years

Dynasty: Liu Cheng was married in Quanzhou in southern China's Fujian province

One local wedding planner explained: 'Gold is seen as a sign of good luck and good fortune at a wedding and a sign that the family of the bride is a good one - but this is right off the scale.'

Liu who gets to keep the gold said she might sell some of it - but would in any case in future only wear a few pieces at a time.

Going for gold: Liu Cheng's mum insisted they wanted her groom to know she was from a 'good' family'

Bargain: The family would sometimes sell the gold when the price was high so they could to buy more gold later

Small fortune: Liu gets to keep the gold that her family had bought but said she might sell some of it

Generation XXX

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 07:12:00 -0700

Generation XXX - Three young women from disparate backgrounds have one thing in common: They are bombarded daily by a culture that is saturated with sex -- from rap lyrics to the fashion industry to cyberporn.

Winnifred, 12, a precocious New York City girl on the cusp of adulthood, wears fish-net stockings and low-cut tops, striving to emulate her musical idol, Lady Gaga.

Laura, a 22-year-old kindergarten teacher from Alexandria, Va., saves her money for vaginal plastic surgery, convinced reducing the size of her labia will change her life.

New York City middle schooler Winnifred, 13, left, searches the internet with her friend, in the new film Sexy Baby.

Nichole, 32, of Clearwater, Fla., was once Nikita Kash, a stripper and pole dancer, but now, all she wants is to have a baby with the husband she met in the porn business.

Perhaps they do not represent typical American youth, but they all feel the pressure to be beautiful and to be sexy.

All three stories are intertwined in "Sexy Baby," an award-winning documentary about how technology and pornography are shaping the sexual identity of young girls.

With Facebook, smart phones and instant access to the Internet, a generation of children is getting their sex education from online porn.

The film, a first from former Miami Herald journalists Ronna Gradus and Jill Bauer, opens Oct. 19 in both New York City and Los Angeles before being released on VOD in November. It had its world premiere earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival.

"Porn isn't video anymore, it's on the Internet," Bauer, a former feature writer, told ABCNews.com. "It's one or two quick mouse taps away. And it's very different porn than it used to be. It's really, really angry and not for a woman's pleasure."

"We created the film for one thing -- to be a conversation starter," she said.

The directors avoid preachy judgment. Filming for three years, they heard from tweens, college students and parents who feel a sense of confusion in a world where sex means power.

The idea for the film began when Gradus, a photographer, was shooting a story on college bars and she noticed even the mainstream ones had stripper poles.

"All the girls were pole-dancing and their guy friends were treating them like strippers, putting dollar bills in their shorts," she said. "It was weird. No one was having fun -- it was autopilot behavior."

"We are all so desensitized," said Gradus. "To get any sort of attention, they have to put it all out there and one person works so hard outdoing the next."

In the film, viewers watch the maturation of Winnifred, the oldest of the three girls of Jeni and Ken. At 12, she is an agile gymnast and social justice advocate.

"We know more about Lindsay Lohan than Susan B. Anthony and Ruth Bader Ginsberg," she says confidently, acting out her own play in a middle-school theater group.

"We are the first generation to have what we have and no one to guide us," says Winnifred, a sassy tween. "We are pioneers."

Winnifred's 4-year-old sister Myrtle follows in her older sister's footsteps, lip syncing to Britney Spears and writhing her little body on the floor.

Their mother Jeni is part-amused, part-horrified raising her old-beyond-their-years daughters. "It scares the bejesus out of me," she says in the film.

Winnifred insists she is too scared to look at pornography, but her 12-year-old friend Danielle says she "bawled her eyes out" when she got a glimpse online of two men and a woman "ferociously banging each other."

By 13, Winnifred is consumed with her looks. The skirts get shorter and tighter. She primps for a seductive photo shoot with her girlfriend Olivia, later posting the images online.

"Every girl wants to feel sexy -- like Megan Fox," says Olivia, but after seeing a photo of herself in a bra go viral online, confesses, "I felt dirty afterwards."

Winnifred admits to spending "30 percent my life" on Facebook. Her parents, who are separated, ground Winnifred eight times in six months for abusing her computer privileges.

"Your Facebook photo isn't who you are, it's who you want to be," says Winnifred. "We make ourselves seem like we are up for anything, and in a way, all of this Internet stuff kind of traps you. You started an alter ego that has to be maintained and in a real way, it does kind of shape how you end up and how you actually are in real life."

"Sexy Baby" also follows Laura, a teacher who has been told by a former boyfriend that her labia looks like "roast beef -- a meat curtain."

She preps for a labiaplasty with Virginia plastic surgeon Dr. Bernard Stern, who says he performs five procedures a week.

"I have dreamt about this for two years," she tells him, hoping that the surgery to cut back her labia will make her more attractive to men. "I know I am doing the right thing."

Her mother comes along to support Laura, but is ambivalent. "You are perfect the way you are," she tells Laura, crying about her daughter's loss of innocence.

Pornography Confuses Young People

The young men who influence women like Laura have an unrealistic picture of what is normal, according to the film makers. "Some tell us they have never seen a bush (pubic hair)," said Bauer.

Laura never hesitated to participate in the film, even allowing them to film vaginal surgery, according to the directors.

"One would think it's so bizarre that someone would give you access to something like that, but it's emblematic of the day and age of reality TV we live in," said Bauer. "She didn't even think twice -- really."

Gradus said college men interviewed in the film were "seriously confused" and reported they often have "drunk sex" because they are "so afraid of it."

Because of their own age differences, Bauer and Gradus say their own lives are witness to the culture change.

"Both of us date, so we have a pretty good barometer," said Bauer, 49. "Our experience when we tell guys about the film is vastly different."

"You inevitably say it's about three women and one has surgery called labiaplasty," said Gradus, 34. "When Jill reports that to her dates, they ask, 'What's that?' and 'Why would anyone want that?' When I explain it to them, it ranges from "Oh, yeah, I know exactly what that is,' to 'My ex-girlfriend had that.'"

Even Nichole, the jaded stripper, who with her husband recruits talent for the industry, laments the prevalence of Internet porn.

"The adult entertainment world is infiltrating everything," she says in the film. "Billboards look like pornography and regular guys pull porn moves in bed. By high school they are stripping."

Teaching pole dancing to college students and young mothers, Nichole says her students, "want to be like Nikita Cash, but Nichole wants to be just like them."

Porn is "sport" sex, according to Nichole. "It's not making love, where you want to cry afterwards, it's so powerful."

And she has clear ideas about raising the child she delivers by the end of the film. "Porn is for adults, not for kids to learn about sex," she says. "It can't be their first experiences."

The directors were happily surprised by the positive reaction to their documentary, especially from Winnifred's mother Jeni, who exposed her family to intrusive cameras.

Jeni, 42, told ABCNews.com that parts of the film were hard to watch, but she thought it was "honest" and a good message for other parents struggling to raise children in the Internet age.

"It's naive as a parent to think you can completely protect them from the messages they receive, whether from Facebook, TV or advertising," she said. "You want to protect them because you know better and you don't want it to shape them and their viewpoints. But I have taken the opposite approach. If you can't beat them, join them in the discussion."

"When you have a 15 or 16-year-old, you can't always be looking over their shoulder," Jeni said. "It may be harder to do it that way than sticking your head in the sand." ( ABCNews.go.com )

Blog : Popular Styles | Generation XXX

Debate body language: A testy and tense exchange

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 03:56:00 -0700

Debate body language: A testy and tense exchange — Maybe it's a cliché to say the gloves came off in Tuesday's presidential debate. But then again, maybe not, since the candidates sometimes looked like they were actually about to start boxing.

It was a tense and testy exchange at New York's Hofstra University, featuring a newly energized and forceful President Barack Obama squaring off against a vigorous, stand-your-ground Mitt Romney. But the evening will also be remembered for giving the distinct impression that these candidates were liking each other less and less.

"I thought they were going to come to blows at one point," said Jonathan Paul, director of debate at Georgetown University.
"It looked like they were circling a boxing ring," said Lillian Glass, a body language coach in Los Angeles.
"I started thinking, here comes the Secret Service," quipped Jerry Shuster of the University of Pittsburgh.

One thing was clear: It was a distinctly different Obama than the one who gave a largely listless performance in the first debate. And there were differences, too, between Tuesday night's Romney and the more obviously confident one from the Denver debate.

Some impressions and assessments from analysts of political communication:

___

THE PRESIDENT LEARNED HIS LESSON

First, the obvious: This time around, Obama was unquestionably more forceful, aggressive and effective than before — all words that were used to describe challenger Romney in the first debate.

Want more adjectives? "He was more direct, detailed, engaged and focused," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a professor of political communication at the University of Pennsylvania. "Stylistically, there are cues that suggest leadership. Obama had them."

For Glass, the body language coach in Los Angeles, it was a simple result of Obama having learned his lesson. "He really learned well from his mistakes," she said.

___

A FREEING FORMAT

Another reason for the president's vastly improved performance was the format, some said. Obama appeared more comfortable with the town hall model — one that allowed him to engage with his questioners in the audience and roam around the stage, something he's good at. The lack of a desk or podium freed him, said Shuster: "He was very smooth in his ability to move around the floor."

As for Romney, though he gave as good as he got for much of the debate, "He seemed overanxious, ready to jump off his chair," Shuster said. "He seemed overanxious to make an argument."

___

HOW AGGRESSIVE IS TOO AGGRESSIVE?

There's a fine line between aggressive and rude, and it was approached at times.

"You'll get your chance in a moment. I'm still speaking," Romney said crisply when Obama was in mid-sentence at one point, evoking some gasps in the audience.

"This was on the line — it was the president of the United States," said veteran Hollywood publicist Michael Levine. "I mean, WHOA. It was very forceful, on the other hand." Levine felt the debate was a draw, between "two men, both very bright, very articulate, very earnest."

___

THE LIBYA MOMENT

Romney seemed to be waiting for the Libya question. And he was ready to pounce when an audience member asked about the terror attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya in Benghazi.

Romney said it took Obama a long time to admit the episode had been a terrorist attack, but Obama said he had said so the day after in an appearance in the Rose Garden. Moderator Candy Crowley of CNN agreed, saying the president had in fact done so. Obama replied, "Say that a little louder, Candy."

Romney had a point in that while Obama did refer to terrorism the day after, some in his administration repeatedly linked it to protests over an anti-Islamic video and took almost a month to acknowledge those protests never occurred. And the administration hasn't explained why it took so long for that correction to be made or how it came to believe that the attack evolved from an angry demonstration.

Still, the exchange about it appeared to hurt Romney going forward. "He seemed rattled after that," said Paul, the Georgetown coach.

Jamieson agreed. "Romney had trouble getting his footing back for a while."

Even worse for him, though, Jamieson said, will be the inevitable fallout from the exchange being played again and again on TV.

"There's the debate, and then there's the battle of control for the news agenda afterwards," she said. "This is the sound bite likely to be played, and every time it is, it will disadvantage Romney."

___

THE POLITICS OF FASHION

Some would say the candidates switched roles in terms of their debate performance; what's objectively true is that they switched tie colors, with Obama wearing red this time and Romney wearing blue. Is red warmer? Is blue cooler? Michelle Obama and Ann Romney, meanwhile, ignored both of those colors and turned heads by wearing the same shade of hot pink (likely a nod to October being breast cancer awareness month).

___

THE COMEDY QUOTIENT (OR IS 'BINDER' THE NEW BIG BIRD?)

There were a few amusing exchanges in the earlier debates, but the extremely tense nature of this one seemed to preclude that possibility. There wasn't really a "Big Bird" or a "malarkey" moment, and even Joe Biden would have found little to chuckle about.

But Big Bird may have ceded way in our pop-culture consciousness to a brand new expression: "Binders full of women."

It came when Romney was answering a question about fair pay for women. While Obama mentioned the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which he signed into law, Romney spoke of his efforts to hire women into his cabinet when he was Massachusetts governor. He said he asked women's groups to help and, he said, "They brought us whole binders full of women."

Within moments, of course, social media pounced with multiple Twitter hashtags and a meme that featured a widely circulated image of women in a loose-leaf binder.

As for Obama, his best comedy moment may have come, fittingly for the night, in the form of a dig.

Romney asked him if he had looked at his pension lately. Obama parried: "I don't look at my pension. It's not as big as yours, so it doesn't take as long."

The crowd broke the rules and laughed. Score one for the president. And look for a rematch on pensions, binders and maybe even a return of Big Bird when the two meet again next Monday. If the feisty, aggressive versions of both candidates turn up again, it'll be fun to watch. ( Associated Press )

Blog : Popular Styles | Debate body language: A testy and tense exchange

21-Years: Ian McLeod, Dad, Makes Time Lapse Video from Son's Portraits Taken Every Day

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 02:38:00 -0700

21-Years: Ian McLeod, Dad, Makes Time Lapse Video from Son's Portraits Taken Every Day - The video sequence opens gradually — frame after frame captures a tiny baby from the first day he entered the world at Harrogate General Hospital in Yorkshire, England. Then it races forward and literally becomes a life flashing before our eyes through pictures that Ian McCleod took of his son, Cory, essentially every day of his 21 years. He compiled the more than 7,500 images into a six-minute time-lapse sequence he posted on YouTube in late September. Cory's life, from birth to becoming a young man, has now been witnessed by more than 800,000 people around the world, and received 300,000 hits on one day alone in Japan.

McLeod tells the Yorkshire Post the project started as a "daft" idea conceived over a couple of drinks. "I was thinking I could do it for one or two years at most…But then you get to the point where you wonder if you'll regret it if you stop." He says it became like brushing his teeth.

Cory McLeod admits he didn't always love it when his dad tracked him down for their daily snap. "My dad has had to drive to a friend's house before. I got a bit of a stick [teased] for that," he told the Post. Eventually he came to see the project's significance. "I used to find it awkward, I didn't realize the value of it. It was only when I got to 16 or 17 that I started to appreciate it and realized what it could be." Even though he's now away from home studying at Leeds Metropolitan University, he says he plans on continuing to collaborate with his dad. "When do you stop? I don't think I can. We've come this far, we may as well carry on."

Although a few days are missing here and there (Ian McLeod slots in a sketch instead of inserting a photo from the wrong day to maintain the integrity of the concept) and a month was lost when the camera wouldn't wind, the chronicle is remarkably complete. McLeod started scanning the images a year ago—his son was born before the days of digital cameras—and he says it took him three months to digitize them all. "It's never been straightforward," he says. "We weren't organized. It's always been chaotic." For those of us whose photo albums contain gaps of more than a year, "21 Years" seems magnificently pulled together.

What's your favorite moment from the video? Please let us know in the comments below. ( Parenting )

Caught Off Guard by a Waiting Stripper

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 06:19:00 -0700

Caught Off Guard by a Waiting Stripper - When Brett goes out to eat in an Arab diner, he doesn't expect the dinner conversation to take a turn into the seedy underbelly of the stripping trade. So when an inquisitive waiter asks him to bare all, he blushes over his chicken 'shish-tawouk'. It turns out this American In Arabia prefers his chicken strippers fully (honey-mustard) dressed.

Saturday night and it was time to eat out with a friend. We picked a nice local eatery, and it was populated like every other restaurant in the Middle East: 3 or 4 Arab families, a table of ‘Borat’ stunt-doubles smoking us out, European tourists with their unkempt hair and waterproof pants/shorts, and then there was me.

The subject of male stripping as a trade strikes some people's fancy. (Image used for illustrative purposes)

Granted, I do look Anglo with my long hair and pointy nose, but at least it’s combed! In my mind, I am the cool American, privy to all the trends from Hollywood to Southern Sudan. Tonight, however, I was going to hear something completely new.

When the headwaiter approached our table, we gave him a hearty howdy at full volume, filling the loud foreigner stereotype well. But hey, I make it a rule to be nice to our garcon --- ‘Happy Waiter, Never Greater. Upset Server, Spit in My Burger’.

We engaged in the usual Arab to Westerner banter: “From where you are?” “I have uncle in New Jersey.” “How much do male strippers make?” I’m from Pennsylvania. Jersey's a cool place. What did you just say?

Just when I thought I had heard it all, from ‘I want to marry your sister’ to ‘the Holocaust never happened’, we got blindsided with this query. Our attendant went on to ask all sorts of heartfelt questions like ‘How does one get started in the Adult film business’ and ‘Do I (Brett) run into any of the porn actors or actresses on the street?’

Apparently, our garcon thought we Americans raise our kids to grow up to be doctors, lawyers or go-go dancers. My buddy and I were hoping for some chicken wings but now we have to protect this young man from a life of certain decadence.

I told him that these professionally naked people, regardless of how much money they make, are not happy. He countered that apparently male strippers are quite content, since he saw an interview on TV with one who was greatly enamored with his job, life and no doubt, his own hairless, oiled body.

On this point, I had to agree with my Salafi neighbor who won’t shake my hand: Curse you, MTV or whatever ridiculous channel that would produce a documentary about a tanned buffoon who gets paid to rhythmically disrobe!

The lingering question remained, why did he ask me about the Rated X lifestyle? Do I look like a porn watcher? Or, maybe, a male stripper? I have been hitting the gym pretty hard lately. But alas, I think the sad reality is two fold. First, no one would pay to see me dance in my boxers on any occasion.

But secondly, and much more importantly, my waiter, and my taxi driver and my accountant, and so many more, are just looking for a way out. He saw me as a resource to help him escape the small paychecks and glass ceilings of Arab world employment. And if his getaway meant stripping, he had one foot already out the pants.

My final advice was to keep your shirt on Ace. That meathead from the stripper interview is going nowhere, fast, and this life will have more opportunities than just nude aerobics for cash. After he served our salads, our waiter thanked us for the career advice and then asked if we wanted any dressing. I said, “I wish you would!”, stuck a folded dollar in his pocket and enoyed the rest of my meal. "Happy Waiter, ..." ( albawaba.com )

American in Arabia horses around Gangnam-style!

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 05:53:00 -0700

American in Arabia horses around Gangnam-style! - After less than 24 hours online, the Arab version of Gangnam style has gotten over 50k views and over 2k likes. This spoof actually mirrors the original quite well, particularly the shots taken at the horse farm.

N20, the comedy division of Kharabeesh of which I am a part, did add in some Arab flavor. So instead of people just running, Fadi chucks a rock. And instead of a pimped out convertible Mercedes, there’s a Kia Sephia in need of a good wash.

The beauty of it all is Arabs saying, ‘Hey, we can make fun of ourselves and be cool with it.” And my involvement with this team has shown me that these Arab comedians work hard and push the envelope just like any other artist.

The Arab Gangnam and American in Arabia have a dance off.

Being a part of the creative process as the weird dude in the yellow suit, my behind the scenes look at the making of this video should give anyone a new respect for online entertainers.

Take for example the scene shot in the pool. What the viewer sees is a total of 5 seconds of lead actor Ahmad Puck Khalidi, otherwise known as Father Glasses, singing and splashing in a nice, relaxing pool. What really happened is that he spent over half an hour straight in freezing cold water, waiting for the director to get a tripod and charge the battery. Even the saps in the background, including yours truly, had to freeze their tails off in the freezing depths of hell just for this 5-second shot.

A little fun fact about that scene is that the shot of Abu Nadarat doing somersaults in the water is actually a six foot five American in Arabia. Yes, I was Ahmed Puck’s body double.

My other five seconds of glory (I played the fly guy in the dance off) cost me about 30 bucks for my costume, a trip to the city center of Amman, and a total of 5 hours with prep and nailing down my dance moves.

So my total involvement in the Arab Gangnam re-make accounted for 10 seconds of the film and that took about 8 hours from my life. Imagine then the time the other guys invested into the project. Besides the two full days of shooting, there was costuming, licensing for filming, editing, etc..

Respect to my comedian brothers who break down stereotypes, work long days and all for the sake of creating art that heals, distracts or challenges the realities of the world in 2012. I can assure you they don’t do it for the money. Heck, I’m still out 20 Jordanian Dinar and all I got is an ugly jacket and skin tight red jeans.

Anti-Zionism, Gangnam-style

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 05:48:00 -0700

Anti-Zionism, Gangnam-style - Middle East politics have gone ‘Gangnam-Style’ with a YouTube video about Palestine to rival the South Korean hit. It’s a far cry from sharp suits and scantily clad ladies but Egyptian band, Baladeyat (Homies) Band have released an online smash hit.

The song, ‘Ana Sohyooni Wati” (I’m a Low-Life Zionist), has nearly 80,000 views despite the band being relative unknowns even in their own country. But the group, formed in 2008, say they weren’t looking to attack anyone with their lyrics.

The song discusses the occupation of Palestine but puts some distance between Zionists and the Jewish religion. Pretending to be a “mean Zionist”, the guys sing:

“Like the Christ, your blood in my hands will bleed, and I will fight all religions.”

The video itself features an unusual looking Santa Claus burning a crucifix and a Muslim crescent on a barbecue and using TV mics as guns.

The tune goes on to accuse Zionists of stealing gas reserves from Egypt, singing: “We took gas without an invoice and Arabs did nothing.” Critics say it is more of an attack on Hosni Mubarak than the current government under new president, Morsi but the group have still had to defend the lyrics, saying they are not referencing any “public figure either today or historically.”

Despite assurances that the song is not anti-Semitic, many people in the Middle East still equate Zionism with Judaism. As such, the song is certainly a controversial release at a time when anti-religious videos have caused outrage in the region and abroad.

Last month amateurish American B-movie ‘The Innocence of Muslims’ led to the deaths of four US embassy staff in Benghazi and violence in Yemen, Tunisia and Egypt. And just this week the Lebanese government banned Turkish movie ‘Fetih 1453’ from its cinemas after it was deemed offensive to Christians.

However, so far there has been no suggestion of YouTube pulling the surprising hit, leaving it to collect views and move up the online charts.

Gangnam style gets UN stamp of approval

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 05:20:00 -0700

Gangnam style gets UN stamp of approval - “Gangnam Style” has secured an unlikely accolade after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hailed South Korean rapper Psy’s global hit as a force for world peace.

Ban has found himself displaced as the best-known Korean on the planet by the astonishing success of the chubby rapper’s catchy video — and the veteran diplomat could not be more delighted.

South Korean singer Psy performs during his concert in central Seoul on Oct. 2, 2012. (Reuters)

“I have seen it several times,” the 68-year-old revealed in an interview with AFP on Tuesday, voicing his pride at the way Psy had brought Korean pop and the nation’s quirky sense of humor to a global audience via the Internet, where the video has been viewed more than 400 million times.

“I’m very proud that his performance has been loved and enjoyed by more than 400 million people,” Ban said. “It is amazing.”

The UN chief added: “There are no languages required in the musical world. That is the power of music, that is the power of the heart. “Through this promotion of arts we can better understand the culture and civilizations of other people.

“In this era of instability and intolerance we need to promote better understanding through the power of music. ( arabnews )

The 'bagel head', Japan's strange new beauty trend

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Mon, 1 Oct 2012 08:46:00 -0700

The 'bagel head', Japan's strange new beauty trend - Tattoos too passé? A hardcore new body-modification trend plants a lumpy welt right in the middle of the forehead

A glimpse of the unappetizing "bagel" that body-modification experts are creating in the foreheads of those who seek a cutting-edge look. Photo: YouTube

Insufficiently fulfilled by tattoos and piercings, Japanese body-art fans are taking things to another level with a bizarre practice called "bagel heading." As demonstrated on a new National Geographic show called Taboo (take a look below), a bagel-head artist gives a willing participant the look by pumping 400 cc of saline into his forehead until a large welt forms — then presses a finger into the lump to create a bagel hole-like dent. Unlike other forms of body modification, the procedure isn't permanent; the face bagel deflates in about a day as the body absorbs the saline. "People who like extreme body modification want to find their own way of doing things, and they're always looking for new ways to do that," Keroppy, a Japanese body modification artist, told Vice back in 2009. "The more progressive the scene gets, the more these people have to experiment and go their own way."

The reaction: First it was horn implants and eyeball tattoos, says Australia's Herald Sun. But this? It's a "hole" new trend. And, "oh boy, is it a lunch-ruiner," says Carmel Lobello at Death and Taxes. I'm not sure if one person getting paid to have the procedure done on television constitutes a trend, but it really does look like "bagels are bursting out of your brain." It's an intriguingly empty gesture, says Tracie Egan Morrissey at Jezebel, "There's no point to the whole thing, other than to wear a skin bagel." Watch it below: ( slate.com )

Thai sailors go "Gangnam Style" on YouTube video

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:37:00 -0700

Thai sailors go "Gangnam Style" on YouTube video — The "Gangnam Style" craze has reached Thailand's navy, which is among the latest to mimic the globally popular dance video.

In a video posted to YouTube, a few dozen smiling sailors from the Third Naval Area Command perform the rodeo-style dance and other hip-shaking moves at their base on the popular tourist island of Phuket.

Lt. Cmdr. Patiroop Khemtis said Friday officers took three days to film and edit the video, instructing participants to mimic the moves in the original video by South Korean singer PSY. It was shown at the base's annual party Wednesday and posted to YouTube the next day.

The video shows white-uniformed sailors in sunglasses galloping through their offices and officers in scuba gear shimmying up the beach.

The original "Gangnam Style" video had close to 300 million YouTube views as of Friday. ( Associated Press )

Gwen Stefani rocks cool optical illusion dress in London

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 01:02:00 -0700

Gwen Stefani rocks cool optical illusion dress in London - Gwen Stefani looked hot from any angle as she stepped out in a metallic optical illusion dress in London on Wednesday night. The No Doubt rocker, who turns 43 on October 1, paired her chic mini dress with footless tights, black heels, and a box clutch. The "I'm Just a Girl" singer and her bandmates are across the pond to promote their first album since 2001, Push and Shove, which was released this week.

A lot of things have changed in the last 11 years, and Stefani's personal life is no exception. She and Gavin Rossdale now have two sons, 6-year-old Kingston and 4-year-old Zuma, so recording new tunes meant that Stefani had to be creative with her schedule. "I would be up all night because my second baby [Zuma] didn't sleep, and he had a lot of ear infections," Stefani reveals in the latest issue of Marie Claire magazine. "Then I'd wake up in the morning and do my workout, which I always felt I had to do, and then meetings for my three clothing lines, and then hang out with my kids, take them to preschool, da-da-da. And then at 4 o'clock, I'd be like, 'All right, I'm out of here, I'm going to go to the studio' and try to write a record. Sit on the couch [with my bandmates] and be like, 'Let's do this now because I'm missing time with the kids; I could be having dinner with them and putting them to bed.' It was really hard."

Somehow, Stefani and the other members of No Doubt — who are all dads — made it work. They debuted a new song, "Easy," which Stefani considers her favorite from the album, as well as a video for the song "Push and Shove" this week. Check out the "Push and Shove" clip below: ( Celebrity Style )

Are Fat Men More Trustworthy?

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 06:57:00 -0700

Are Fat Men More Trustworthy? - Mitt might be easier to stomach if he had a stomach. - Julius Caesar was a chubby-chaser. If Will Shakespeare is to be believed, he would stride about the Forum making his predilections known to all and sundry:

Let me have men about me that are fat,

Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o' nights.

While fat was where it was at for old Jules, when it came to skinny dudes, he was positively discriminatory:

Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;

He thinks too much; such men are dangerous.

Back in the day, heft was associated with gravitas and power, leadership, and trust. Fat blokes, by their very physiques, projected monumental indestructability. Even when they were rotting with syphilis (Henry VIII) or prone to decapitating their spouses (Henry VIII, again) they were somehow preferable to those malevolent skinny fellows (Richard III). Obese monarchs and porky politicos loomed large on any podium or battlefield, and one imagines that when they delivered speeches their words boomed and reverberated to tremendous effect. Enough to make your jewelry rattle.

Photo illustration by Natalie Matthews-Ramo. Photograph of Romney by Nicholas Kamm/AFP/GettyImages. Photograph of large man by Pavel Losevsky/iStockphoto.

It’s hard to imagine a scrawny geezer having the same kind of impact. Imagine if Winston Churchill, instead of looking like Falstaff, were to have resembled Igor Stravinsky, or a Giacometti sculpture. I cannot help feeling his we-will-fight-on-the-beaches addresses to the nation would have been much less comforting.

Today’s landscape is different. Great fat men are thin on the ground. This represents something of a paradox. Obesity rates among the masses are soaring, but there are far fewer rotund bold-facers than there used to be. This is especially true in the world of entertainment. Yes we have Philip Seymour Hoffman—is he fat or just “husky”?—and the incredible James Gandolfini, but that’s about it. Some celebs like Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill debuted as fat and then sneakily lost the weight in order to get more roles.

Back when there were fewer overweight people around, being fat was a vaudevillian novelty. Heavyweights like W.C. Fields and Fatty Arbuckle were seen as special and, yes, as a barrel of laughs. As the century progressed, the entertainment industry became jammed-to-bursting with unapologetic tubsters, Hitchcock and Orson Welles among them. The list is a large one: Robert Morley, James Robertson Justice, Stubby Kaye, Rod Steiger, late Brando, y mas.

Here are my top five massively memorable movie moments from the golden age of galloping gourmands:

1. My all-time favorite silver-screen chubster is Sydney Greenstreet of Casablanca fame. No actor today could hold a candle to big Syd, and certainly none are as fat. In addition to being a great character actor, Mr. Greenstreet created a whole new genre: the extremely evil fat man. As the aptly named Mr. Gutman in The Maltese Falcon, he manages to be even more disturbing than Joel Cairo, the perfumed poseur played by Peter Lorre, and was deservedly nominated for an Academy Award for his efforts. The best scene is shot from in under Gutman’s gut:

2. The fabulously fat Syd occupies two of my picks. As Sheriff Titus Semple in Flamingo Road he sets about destroying honky-tonk-gal-made-good Lane Bellamy, played by Joan Crawford. She expresses her gratitude by—there’s no other way to describe it—slapping the shit out of him.

3. In Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Big Daddy’s spastic colon looms large. Burly Burl Ives sang folk ditties most of the time, but that did not stop him from knocking it out of the park with his nasty-ass depiction of a rage-filled cancer-riddled Southern patriarch.

4. Victor Buono was great as King Tut in the original Batman TV series, but his finest fat moment occurred when he played Bette Davis’ sweaty, anxious-but-amused musical arranger in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.

5. I see the exploding Mr. Creosote, played by Terry Jones in the movie Monty Python: The Meaning of Life, as a watershed moment. The end of an era. After this, there were no more iconic fat-for-the-sake-of-being-fat actors, unless you count Grizz on 30 Rock.

As I watched these old clips I found myself thinking of an English politician named Cyril Smith. Now deceased, M.P. Cyril was the Gutman/Creosote of the House of Commons. A 400-pounder, he never married, preferring to feast on his mum’s Yorkshire pudding. It was only after old Cyril popped his clogs that we faced the truth: Cyril was in the pocket of the asbestos industry.

Would Mitt Romney’s ratings improve if he packed on a few pounds like old Cyril? Might a little girth give him a dash of much-needed gravitas and halt his downward spiral? It might be worth a shot. His current retro-wholesome matinee idol shtick—I associate him with Rock Hudson’s wooden character in that strangely artificial Douglas Sirk movie The Magnificent Obsession—could use the realness of a beer belly.

However, I am not wildly optimistic that it would help. These days, fat and politics are unhappy bedfellows. Other than New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, there are no supersized politicians who spring to mind. The Churchill effect has expired. Now, being fat is associated with addiction and dropping dead. If Winnie were around today he would undoubtedly be found hula-hooping frantically outside Number 10, while guzzling Activia. What gave gravitas and prominence on a distant hilltop in ancient Rome is now merely a one-way ticket to audition for The Biggest Loser.

While I look back fondly at the era of the Greenstreets and the Big Daddies, I will, when the election finally rolls around, be putting my trust in the other bloke, the guy with the lean and hungry look. You know who I mean. ( slate.com )

Mystery Man Spells Out Heartbreak on His Van

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 01:29:00 -0700

Mystery Man Spells Out Heartbreak on His Van - In an age of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube videos, one man took an old-fashioned approach to making an appeal for love, spelling out his heart on the side of his van.

"Linda, I'm sorry," the message, written in bright orange capital letters on the side of a silver VW van, begins.

The man, whose identity remains a mystery, must have done something wrong because his love plea turns into an apology, asking Linda to "please come home and put this right."

The forlorn, but creative, plea ends with a bit of hope, in the form of a marriage proposal, with a "Will you marry me?" question right above the van's rear wheels.

The van was parked outside a busy industrial estate outside Shildon, County Durham, in the U.K., the Press Association reports. While there is no word on how this love story ends, the van itself has become a tourist attraction on its own.

British press report that traffic backed up outside the estate as drivers slowed down for a better look or even stopped to take a picture.

The van also caused commotion among the men and women who work at the estate with speculation over who the man and Linda could be and what the man may have done to warrant such a measure.

"When I saw it on my way into work this morning, I thought it was quite good. It's definitely a new way of saying sorry," Harvey Jayne, an estate worker, told the U.K.'s Daily Mail. "He's got to have done something very wrong." ( ABC News Blogs )

Acne-Plagued Teen Lands Spot on Fashion Week Runway

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 00:20:00 -0700

Acne-Plagued Teen Lands Spot on Fashion Week Runway - Cassandra Bankson, the teen whose makeup routine to cover up her acne-plagued skin made her into a YouTube sensation, started the next chapter of her life, landing a spot on the runway during New York Fashion Week.

A confident Bankson walked the runway at the Stacey Igel's "Boy Meets Girl" show in New York City Wednesday night, proudly putting a past of being bullied for her acne-ridden skin behind her.

"I'm a small town girl who sits in her living room and films videos all day and now…I'm in New YorkFashion Week," Bankson said backstage. "It's still a dream. I am so thankful."
The 19-year-old first achieved Internet stardom after posting makeup tutorials on YouTube with her concealing tips, revealing how she covered her acne-ridden skin before heading out to face the world. In the videos, Bankson talks to her 45 million viewers, first in full makeup, but then strips off the layers of foundation, concealer and powder to reveal pimples and blemishes.

"I had no idea so many people faced similar problems," she said. "My videos and definitely my 'GMA' appearance allowed me to connect with them."

Bankson appeared on "Good Morning America" back in December 2011 and told co-anchor Robin Roberts about the bullies who tormented her and how she dreaded leaving her house. Instead she would stay in, researching makeup techniques and practicing on herself. To get out of the misery she felt in high school, she also devoted herself to her studies and managed to graduate two years early.

"I was a total recluse. I didn't want to talk to or see anyone because of my skin," Bankson said. Now, she said those same bullies that tormented her in school and are friending her on Facebook.

Today, Bankson says her skin condition is 70 percent improved. She continues to pay regular visits to the dermatologist.

The young California native, now in her second year of college, says her journey has made want to pursue a career in dermatology so she can continue to help others with acne and other skin conditions. Until then, she plans to keep modeling. In addition to last night's runway show, through Explore Modeling, she has already shot ads with Bebe and Range Rover.

Although she's modeling, Bankson's message continues to be one of inner-beauty.

"Models shouldn't be modeling perfection because there is no such thing," she said. "We should be modeling our imperfections." ( ABC News Blogs )

Blog : Popular Styles | Acne-Plagued Teen Lands Spot on Fashion Week Runway

After Tonight, You Will Know Her Name

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Tue, 4 Sep 2012 16:25:00 -0700

After Tonight, You Will Know Her Name - Most people in the United States probably identify the singer Cher as the most popular woman with that first name. But soon, that could all change.

Tonight, Republicans believe one of their star candidates, Sher Valenzuela, will burst into the national spotlight when she delivers a primetime address during the Republican National Convention.

ABC OTUS News - After Tonight, You Will Know Her Name (ABC News)

Valenzuela, who is running for lieutenant governor of Delaware, is a small businesswoman who runs an industrial upholstery facility that manufactures everything from padding for Major League Baseball umpires to bulletproof vests for the Israeli military and protective covering for the U.S. military's Boeing V-22 Osprey.

Tonight, she has one of the best speaking slots. She is slated to address the convention for eight minutes beginning at 7:50 p.m. ET on the moral defense of free enterprise.

But her newfound glory hasn't excited everyone. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaragosa told reporters today in Tampa, Fla., "You can't just tout out a brown face or a Spanish surname and expect the people are going to vote for your party or your candidate."

Those comments were perceived as a direct assault on Valenzuela, whose husband, Eli, is Latino. Valenzuela is white.

Still, the mayor's comments didn't appear to faze Valenzuela.

"They've got a lot of things going on in their own state, in their own backyard," she told ABC News Tuesday afternoon. "We have enough to worry about with what's happening in our nation to worry about what's happening in California. Keep your feet grounded in your own backyard and together we're going to build communities that work."

Valenzuela, who has never before sought political office, drew a parallel between her candidacy and the leadership qualities of Mitt Romney.

"We're looking at somebody that has a solid understanding of what it means to balance a budget and who has a track record of supporting small businesses," she said. "I relate to what Gov. Romney brings. I know what it means to balance a budget. I know what it means to write a paycheck and not only cash one. I know what it means to create a job, and I know what it means to struggle with my business every day in terms of keeping our doors open any day but definitely in a difficult economy."

The convention's theme tonight, "We Built It," has also attracted some criticism toward Valenzuela, whose business employs about 70 people, because it accepted federal loans and contracts. Valenzuela said that when she launched her business from her garage, she applied for a Small Business Administration-backed loan.

"I had to put my house on the line for that loan and, thankfully, I didn't lose my house and, thankfully, I was able to create the jobs that I committed to provide," she said. "It's businesses versus big government. We don't need big government. We need a more efficient, lean government, and that's exactly the kind of government we intend to deliver."

"It doesn't matter if you have a D, or an I or an R after your name if you have a job - a J-O-B," she added. "It really matters to people that they have an opportunity to contribute to their economy in a very meaningful way, and this is outside party lines. So we believe that these are the solutions that America is craving."

So does she have any nerves heading into what is likely the biggest moment of her life?

"Of course," she laughed. "I wouldn't be human if I didn't say that was humbled by this, but I just expect to be myself - and everybody that's here, I'm sure, will relate to that." ( abc news )

Blog : Popular Styles | After Tonight, You Will Know Her Name

Don't Make Your Kids Creationists

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Tue, 4 Sep 2012 16:13:00 -0700

Don't Make Your Kids Creationists, Bill Nye Says - Science educator and former TV host Bill Nye has struck out against creationism in a new video, calling the worldview "untenable" and "inconsistent."

In a video posted on YouTube by Big Think, Nye said that rejection of evolution "holds everybody back," and urged adults to support the teaching of evolution in schools. Anti-evolution education bills are a perennial issue in state legislatures around the country.

"I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world, your world that's completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that's fine, but don't make your kids do it, because we need them," Nye said. "We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future."

Anti-evolution beliefs generally come in two flavors: creationism, which holds to a literal Biblical translation of the origin of life, and intelligent design, which can be more flexible about the timeline and methods but holds that a deity must have been involved in the creation of life.

Nye, who is most famous for hosting the children's show "Bill Nye the Science Guy" in the 1990s, did not mention any specific anti-evolution efforts by name, but according to the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), a nonprofit dedicated to promoting evidence-based science information in schools, multiple states are currently considering legislation that would limit the teaching of evolution.

In Missouri, for example, a new amendment to the state constitution states that no student should be compelled to participate in educational activities that violate his or her religious beliefs, a rule that education advocates fear could mean that children could skip vast swathes of important information in science class.

In Kentucky, GOP lawmakers have questioned state testing that includes questions on evolution, according to an Aug. 14 story in the Lexington Herald-Leader. Kentucky is the only state with a statute on the books allowing for teachers to teach Biblical creation theories, though a 2006 investigation by the Louisville Courier-Journal found no evidence that any schools were actually doing so, according to the NCSE.

Other laws try to work around the teaching of evolution without mentioning the controversy outright. This April, Tennessee instituted a new law requiring state and local education authorities to help teachers "find effective ways to present the science curriculum as it addresses scientific controversies." The bill mentions evaluating the "scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories," including such hot-button topics as evolution, global warming and human cloning.

In his new video, Nye argues that without an understanding of the timeline of evolution, the world becomes "a mystery instead of an exciting place."

"I mean, here are these ancient dinosaur bones or fossils, here is radioactivity, here are distant stars that are just like our star, but they're at a different point in their lifecycle," Nye said. "The idea of deep time, of this billions of years, explains so much of the world around us. If you try to ignore that, your world view just becomes crazy, just untenable, itself inconsistent." ( LiveScience.com )

Ten Things that Don't Age Well

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Tue, 4 Sep 2012 07:50:00 -0700

Ten Things that Don't Age Well - Like it or not, some inevitable signs of aging are hearing loss (huh?), memory lapses (who?), and increased Acid Reflux, thanks to the valve at the lower end of the esophagus that begins to relax on the job, allowing stomach acid to reflux, or flow backwards. Ouch. Inconvenient? Yes. But completely normal. Here are 10 bodily functions that change with age.

1. Eyes. "Can I have a light with that menu?" Once you reach age 40, you'll notice it's more difficult to focus on objects up close because of presbyopia -- a hardening of the lens inside your eye. When you first notice presbyopia you may be able to compensate by holding your reading material farther away or holding a light to it. Eventually you will need reading glasses, multifocal contact lenses, or multifocal eyeglasses.

2. Ears. "Say what?" Age-related hearing loss, or presbycusis, is the slow loss of hearing that occurs as people get older. Tiny hairs inside your ear help you hear and hearing loss occurs when the tiny hairs inside the ear are damaged or die. About half of all people over age 75 have some amount of age-related hearing loss.

3. Sclera. The whites, well the "off whites" of your eyes. The color of the sclera changes with age from bluish (in babies) to yellowish. This is likely because of accumulation of fat in the scleral tissue.

4. Skin, especially on the neck. Wrinkles on the neck show your age, no matter how many creams you've slathered on; the neck contains thinner skin, which is more sensitive to sun damage. The muscles and skin tissue supporting the neck area are also weaker, making neck skin more vulnerable to gravity over time.

5. Knees and Hips. Degenerative joint disease affects up to 80 percent of the elderly and can be debilitating. The only good news here is that some people who have knee and hip arthritis won't have any symptoms. Oh, and there is also the option of knee and hip replacement.

6. Talk to the thumb. Arthritis of the thumb occurs at the joint found at the base of the thumb, where the thumb meets the wrist. This joint, the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint, is important when trying to grip or pinch. Thumb arthritis is more common in women than men, and increases in frequency over the age of 40 years. Anti-inflammatories, splints and cortisone injections may help, and surgery only as a last resort.

7. Memory. "What was his name again?" Normal age-related memory loss doesn't prevent you from living a full and productive life. You might misplace your glasses or find that you need to make lists more often than in the past in order to remember appointments or tasks. That, my friends, is "normal" with aging.

8. The breasts. In your 50s and 60s, hormonal changes will cause the amount of fat in your breasts to decline, which will shrink your breasts. As women go through menopause, fat will replace most of the breast tissue and cause the breast to lose elasticity.

9. The valve at the end of your esophagus. "Why can't I eat Thai food anymore?" Reflux disease (GERD) is more common once you reach middle age and causes heartburn with spicy foods. As mentioned, the valve designed to keep acid in the stomach lets it flow backward, causing the pain and burning sensation you feel as the acid comes into contact with the delicate lining of the esophagus.

10. The pelvic floor. Ladies, do your Kegels. The pelvic floor is the muscles and ligaments that support the bladder, uterus, vagina and rectum, and it starts to fail as we get older. Symptoms include problems with urinary incontinence, and prolapse of the bladder or uterus. Counter these symptoms with Kegels. ( Healthy Living )

Blog : Popular Styles | Ten Things that Don't Age Well

Tattoo infections linked to manufacturers' ink

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:23:00 -0700

Tattoo infections linked to manufacturers' ink - Contaminated tattoo ink caused at least 22 skin and soft tissue infections last fall in four U.S. states, according to an analysis released on Wednesday.

The infections prompted an investigation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that uncovered 22 confirmed cases, 4 probable cases, and 27 possible cases of contamination-related infections in New York, Washington, Iowa and Colorado.

Products from four companies were implicated during the probe. None of the companies are identified in a CDC report, released in conjunction with a New England Journal of Medicine study of the New York cases.

A tattooed leg of a participant is pictured during the international AIDS conference at the week-long sex workers' freedom festival in Kolkata July 22, 2012. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri

"People who get tattoos must be made aware of this risk and seek medical attention" if they get a rash or other abnormalities as the site, according to a commentary in the journal from a team led by Pamela LeBlanc of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The bacteria reportedly got into the containers when the manufacturer used distilled or reverse-osmosis water, which is not necessarily sterile. In the New York case, which led to a recall by the Arizona-based manufacturer, the water was used to dilute black ink into various shades of gray.

The New York cases involved infection with a bug called Mycobacterium chelonae, which caused reddish or purple raised bumps in the areas tattooed with gray. The infection can mimic an allergic reaction and be difficult to treat.

"They were not getting better" with standard care, said Dr. Byron Kennedy of the Monroe County Department of Public Health, the chief author of the New England Journal of Medicine study. "You had some folks who were on treatment for 6 months or more."

The FDA does not directly regulate tattoo ink because it is regarded as a cosmetic, but it can intervene when a product has been adulterated or is regarded as unsafe.

Currently, no FDA regulation specifically requires tattoo ink to be sterile, but some local jurisdictions, such as Los Angeles County, do require that sterile water be used when inks are diluted, according to the CDC report.

CDC is encouraging doctors to keep track of such infections and report them to the FDA.

About one in five Americans has tattoos, according to a 2012 Harris Interactive poll.

‘GRAY WASH INK'

The case surfaced in January when the Monroe County Department of Public Health received a call from a dermatologist who was treating a persistent rash on the arm of a 20-year-old man.

The infection was traced back to an unnamed artist and a new, hand-blended "gray wash" ink designed to give shading and a three-dimensional quality to the image. The ink contained no lot number and came from black ink that had been diluted.

A check of other tattoo parlors in the county found that none had used the ink or reported a similar rash.

"This is an uncommon thing," Dr. Amy Derick, a dermatologist at Northwestern University in Chicago told Reuters Health. She coauthored a 2006 study of tattoo and piercing practices that found "the complication rate was pretty low."

"It's not super-dangerous, but it requires multiple months of antibiotics" that can be very expensive, she said. "Sometimes it needs to be cut out, so it's not desirable by any stretch."

The lesson for patients, said Kennedy, is "if they notice they have a rash that's not going away, they should go to their primary care provider and not just self-care." ( Reuters Health )

Blog : Popular Styles | Tattoo infections linked to manufacturers' ink

The Hidden Risks of Getting a Tattoo

noreply@blogger.com (Buya Khatib) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:17:00 -0700

The Hidden Risks of Getting a Tattoo - When a cluster of skin infections in upstate New York last fall led back to one tattoo artist, local public health officials took the usual step of investigating the artist's hygiene practices. They found that all of his equipment and methods were sanitary, but the nationally distributed ink he had been using, even in unopened bottles, wasn't.

Soon, similar investigations in Colorado, Washington and Iowa turned up harmful strains of bacteria in three other brands of ink. At least 22 skin infections across the four states were linked to contaminated ink, according to research reported Wednesday (Aug. 22) in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The offending pathogen in the New York outbreak was identified as Mycobacterium chelonae, a relative of the bacteria behind tuberculosis and leprosy that is commonly found in tap water. Though M. chelonae is usually harmless to people with normal immune systems, when it's escorted beneath the skin by a tattoo needle, it can cause a painful rash that can last for months, requiring strong antibiotic regimens and sometimes surgery to eradicate.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), past tattoo-related Mycobacterium infections likely arose from the use of unsterile water as a diluting agent in ink. And because the ink that caused the New York outbreak was "gray wash," pre-diluted black ink used for shading, the CDC has speculated that its manufacturer may not have been using sterile water.

So should Americans, one of five of whom now reportedly sport indelible ink, be afraid to get a new tat? Is there any way to be sure that a given manufacturer's tattoo ink is sterile?

The answer to the second question is a definite no. Currently, there is no FDA regulation requiring that tattoo inks be sterile, so a consumer only has a company's or an artist's assurance to go on. It is also worth noting that although a number of the color pigments used in tattoo ink have been approved by the FDA for use in cosmetics, not a single one has ever been approved for injection into the skin.

Because reporting is voluntary, there is not good data on how often tattoo-related skin infections occur, but if one decides to play the odds and join the millions of Americans who are already inked, there are a few precautionary steps that he or she can take to decrease the chances of an infection.

Along with watch-dogging artists during tattooings to ensure that they use sterile water for dilution and cleaning, the CDC recommends that a consumer only use tattoo parlors registered by local jurisdictions and request inks that are manufactured specifically for tattoos. If an infection does occur, the CDC advises seeking medical advice and notifying the tattoo artist as well as the FDA's Medwatch program. ( LiveScience.com )

Blog : Popular Styles | The Hidden Risks of Getting a Tattoo