Certain foods common in Middle East diets are better at minimizing the symptoms of herpes, a sexually transmitted viral infection that causes painful lesions on the mouth and genitals.
Good news for ecosexuals looking for more natural ways to promote intimate wellbeing: promising research suggests that an herb indigenous to mainland Europe and Asia, known as Tansy, may provide natural relief for the symptoms of herpes. The joint research project between groups in Greenwich and Spain found that Tansy, a plant commonly known as Mugwort or Golden Buttons, has several compounds that may act as antioxidants.
Herpes Basics
Herpes is caused by either of two main viruses, herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex 2 (HSV-2). Most genital lesions are attributed to HSV-1, with HSV-2 causing most cases of oral (mouth and lips) lesions, though this is not always the case. Transmission of either virus occurs through the exchange of fluids during unprotected oral, genital or anal sex, and either virus has been found to cause outbreaks on the mouth, lips and genital-perineum region in men and women.
Oftentimes, an individual will be infected but never show an outbreak: such people are called carriers. In Israel, its been estimated that 78% of infected individuals are asymptomatic, meaning they test positive for HSV-1 or HSV-2, but have never developed any outward signs of infection. For more on herpes infection rates, read Prevalence of Herpes in the Middle East.
The most effective way to known whether you have herpes is to get a ‘serum’ test, something that needs to be ordered by a physician, to determine the presence of antibodies to the herpes virus in the blood.
Generally, women are more susceptible to infections than men because their reproductive systems provide a moist environment that allow for the easier transmission and spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Using certain types of condoms (latex for example) provide an excellent barrier method for preventing infections, and Greenprophet.com reported on a condom company, Love begins with L, that manufactures, sells and distributes eco-friendly condoms.
Science Daily.com reports on the value of antioxidants in treating skin lesions, such as those incurred during a herpes outbreak.
“Antioxidants are important for healing wounds and can be used to treat the skin eruptions and blister-like lesions or cold sores that are the symptoms of herpes. The drugs currently available to treat the disease are becoming less effective as the virus is developing resistance to them. Diseases such as genital herpes are also increasing due to immunosuppressive illnesses such as AIDS.”
Such studies are timely for many reasons. As traditional medicines lose efficacy, and natural remedies gain in popularity, research into natural remedies are “proving the scientific basis for many traditional medicinal plants,” explained Dr. Solomon Habtemariam from the School of Science at the University of Greenwich at Medway, one of the lead researchers.
“We are now able to identify even more structurally complex natural products and those that are present in plants in minute concentrations with our state-of-the-art analytical facilities. In collaboration with our international partners, we are searching for novel antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective agents from natural sources,” Dr. Habtemariam said.
The bad news is that once someone has been infected with HSV-1 or HSV-2, there is no known ‘cure.’ The primary objective becomes two-fold: limit outbreaks and prevent transmission of the herpes virus. For example, someone with a cold sore on their lips should avoid kissing anyone, particularly children, infants or other immuno-compromised individuals, as in rare case, acute herpes infections have been known to be fatal.
It’s imperative that couples, even those in monogamous relationships, use a barrier method (such as condoms) when engaged in sexual activity, especially if one partner is infected. Even if no oral or genital lesions are noted, the virus can still be passed from one person to another.
Besides tansy, olive oil and tea tree oil may help sooth skin outbreaks. Keep the skin dry, reduce stress, and avoid artificial sweeteners such as aspartame which have been linked to increased numbers of outbreaks (possibly because of lower immune system response).
Finally, diets high in lysine and low in arginine (both common amino acids) may help some sufferers. Typical Middle East foods such as fish, chicken, beef, lamb, milk and cheese products are preferred, while those with herpes infections should avoid chocolate, coconut, oats, whole wheat, white flour, peanuts, soybeans and wheat germ.
2011年8月31日星期三
2011年8月30日星期二
'I' is for illness and infection
Your children could be bringing home more than just homework during the first few weeks of school.
Skin rashes, cold sores, strep throat and more are among the illnesses that spread easily in the classroom, where kids are in close quarters.
Though many common childhood infections are contagious, they generally aren't debilitating. What's more, there are steps parents can take to help prevent their kids from getting sick.
Frequent handwashing can significantly reduce the risk of contracting many infections, said Dr. Kate Cronan, an emergency room pediatrician at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and medical editor of KidsHealth.org, the website launched by the Nemours Foundation and headquartered at the hospital.
"The sooner parents start teaching children about hand washing, the better -- you want to teach kids at ages 4 or 5 on how to properly wash their hands," Cronan said. "They'll need supervision at the beginning, but teaching them makes it more likely that it will become a habit."
Carol Crowder said her four oldest children have dealt with pinkeye, strep throat, head lice and pneumonia over the years. So her youngest -- 6-year-old Jake -- has already been educated on the importance of washing his hands to help avoid illness as he starts kindergarten at Southern Elementary School in New Castle.
"I've also told him not to sit next to any other kids who appear sick," said Crowder, who lives in Augustine Beach.
Below are 10 common childhood infections and illnesses you should be aware of, with some helpful tips on how to treat them.
Cold sores
What it is: Cold sores are small red or purplish blisters that appear on the outer edge of the lip.
How it is spread: A type of herpes causes cold sores, but it has nothing to do with a sexually transmitted disease. Children can get the sores by kissing or sharing eating utensils with someone who is infected. The sores can be painful and can last as long as two weeks, according to MayoClinic.com.
"If a little child touches another person who has it and then touched their own mouth, they could possibly get cold sores," Cronan said.
Skin rashes, cold sores, strep throat and more are among the illnesses that spread easily in the classroom, where kids are in close quarters.
Though many common childhood infections are contagious, they generally aren't debilitating. What's more, there are steps parents can take to help prevent their kids from getting sick.
Frequent handwashing can significantly reduce the risk of contracting many infections, said Dr. Kate Cronan, an emergency room pediatrician at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and medical editor of KidsHealth.org, the website launched by the Nemours Foundation and headquartered at the hospital.
"The sooner parents start teaching children about hand washing, the better -- you want to teach kids at ages 4 or 5 on how to properly wash their hands," Cronan said. "They'll need supervision at the beginning, but teaching them makes it more likely that it will become a habit."
Carol Crowder said her four oldest children have dealt with pinkeye, strep throat, head lice and pneumonia over the years. So her youngest -- 6-year-old Jake -- has already been educated on the importance of washing his hands to help avoid illness as he starts kindergarten at Southern Elementary School in New Castle.
"I've also told him not to sit next to any other kids who appear sick," said Crowder, who lives in Augustine Beach.
Below are 10 common childhood infections and illnesses you should be aware of, with some helpful tips on how to treat them.
Cold sores
What it is: Cold sores are small red or purplish blisters that appear on the outer edge of the lip.
How it is spread: A type of herpes causes cold sores, but it has nothing to do with a sexually transmitted disease. Children can get the sores by kissing or sharing eating utensils with someone who is infected. The sores can be painful and can last as long as two weeks, according to MayoClinic.com.
"If a little child touches another person who has it and then touched their own mouth, they could possibly get cold sores," Cronan said.
2011年8月29日星期一
Health Care
Kaiser Permanente’s Vallejo Medical Center presented a $735,966 check to the city of Vallejo to support the city’s Neighborhood Policing Project. On hand for the ceremony was Bernard Tyson, president and COO of Kaiser Permanente and Max Villalobo, senior vice president of Kaiser’s Napa-Solano service area, along with the Vallejo City Council. The grant will be used to pay for the annual salary, benefits , overhead and equipment for one new police officer as part of a three-year program. The officer will be housed at Kaiser’s Vallejo Medical Center but will serve the North Vallejo area. The grant will also provide the city with the funds it needs to participate in a federal grant that will allow the department to hire three new officers (one of which will participate in the North Vallejo community policing program). The goal of the grant is to help implement a comprehensive neighborhood policing program within the North Vallejo neighborhood that will enhance the safety and well-being of the entire community.
Sonoma-based Forces of Nature, a pharmaceutical company and manufacturer of medicine that uses certified organic ingredients, introduces its Control line, 14 USDA Certified Organic and FDA Registered topical medicines that target seven hard-to-treat conditions. They include: acne, herpes cold sores (caused by the herpes simplex virus) and scars. Each medicine uses a two-in-one approach that merges the soothing nature of botanicals with recognized and established homeopathic drugs. The Control line is currently available at select Whole Foods Market stores and is rolling out in independent natural retailers nationwide.
The North Bay Leadership Council welcomed Burr Pilger Mayer as its newest board member. Carol Spindler O’Hara will be the board representative and serve on NBLC’s Executive Committee. ”Ms. O’Hara is the managing partner of BPM’s North Bay Offices and the Assurance Services Practice. Ms. O’Hara brings more than 20 years of professional experience, delivering services to a wide spectrum of companies, including nonprofit, financial services, hospitality, winery & vineyard, manufacturing, health care, government and real estate. Prior to joining BPM, Ms. O’Hara spent 18 years, seven as a partner, with KPMG in San Francisco and London. Her responsibilities included overseeing services to the fourth largest U.S. Bank. She also serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the Santa Rosa Symphony and was a 2011 Women in Business honoree by the North Bay Business Journal. Ms. O’Hara’s alternate will be Ted Grafe, the North Bay Market Manager for BPM. Mr. Grafe is responsible for marketing, business development and community relations. Prior to joining BPM, Mr. Grafe directed the media bureau for a national marketing agency based in San Francisco serving professional service industry clients including law firms, accounting firms and financial services companies. He is a graduate of Leadership Santa Rosa Class XXIV, Board Member of Schools Plus, Advancement Committee Member at Cardinal Newman High School, Steering Committee Member of the Wine Symposium Group, Past-Board President of Tomorrow’s Leaders Today (TLT) and Recipient of the North Bay Business Journal’s Forty-Under-40 Award. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and public relations from the University of Oregon in Eugene.
Sonoma-based Forces of Nature, a pharmaceutical company and manufacturer of medicine that uses certified organic ingredients, introduces its Control line, 14 USDA Certified Organic and FDA Registered topical medicines that target seven hard-to-treat conditions. They include: acne, herpes cold sores (caused by the herpes simplex virus) and scars. Each medicine uses a two-in-one approach that merges the soothing nature of botanicals with recognized and established homeopathic drugs. The Control line is currently available at select Whole Foods Market stores and is rolling out in independent natural retailers nationwide.
The North Bay Leadership Council welcomed Burr Pilger Mayer as its newest board member. Carol Spindler O’Hara will be the board representative and serve on NBLC’s Executive Committee. ”Ms. O’Hara is the managing partner of BPM’s North Bay Offices and the Assurance Services Practice. Ms. O’Hara brings more than 20 years of professional experience, delivering services to a wide spectrum of companies, including nonprofit, financial services, hospitality, winery & vineyard, manufacturing, health care, government and real estate. Prior to joining BPM, Ms. O’Hara spent 18 years, seven as a partner, with KPMG in San Francisco and London. Her responsibilities included overseeing services to the fourth largest U.S. Bank. She also serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the Santa Rosa Symphony and was a 2011 Women in Business honoree by the North Bay Business Journal. Ms. O’Hara’s alternate will be Ted Grafe, the North Bay Market Manager for BPM. Mr. Grafe is responsible for marketing, business development and community relations. Prior to joining BPM, Mr. Grafe directed the media bureau for a national marketing agency based in San Francisco serving professional service industry clients including law firms, accounting firms and financial services companies. He is a graduate of Leadership Santa Rosa Class XXIV, Board Member of Schools Plus, Advancement Committee Member at Cardinal Newman High School, Steering Committee Member of the Wine Symposium Group, Past-Board President of Tomorrow’s Leaders Today (TLT) and Recipient of the North Bay Business Journal’s Forty-Under-40 Award. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and public relations from the University of Oregon in Eugene.
2011年8月28日星期日
Home remedies from Daadi’s diary
My three-year-old suffers from atrange, but not uncommon, allergy. Anything cold, mildly sour, or crumbly, leaves him with a terrible cough, painful tonsils, and a high fever. After trying repeated courses of antibiotics with little effect, I started to look into alternative remedies. Little did I know that the solution lay right under my nose! My grandmothers have a treasure trove of tried and tested home remedies for treating many of the common ailments we face. Since I started using them for my son, he has been enjoying ice cream, milkshakes and fries without so much as a slight cough. He can also play in the rain, without fear of allergies. Some of these ‘totkas’ helped change my son’s life, and I hope they can do the same for you and your loved ones.
Honey cough syrup: 1tsp honey+ pinch black salt (kala namak) + pinch turmeric (haldi). Warm up slightly and take to relieve coughing and pain. If you take this as soon as you feel pain swallowing — which usually indicates the onset of a sore throat — you may avoid the infection altogether. It works for me!
This ‘medicine’ tastes quite good — my kids love it. The dosage, however, has to be reduced for them: a couple of drops of the mixture should be enough.
Honey and ginger brew: Add 1 tsp ginger juice and the juice of one lemon (or half an orange) to 1 cup of hot water. Add honey to sweeten. Sip slowly, letting it rest in the back of your throat between sips, to provide immediate relief from pain and irritation. This concoction worked wonderfully every time my brother had a tonsils infection.
Snorting water: This is extremely effective for clearing the airways. It may be a little painful for the first 5 seconds, but gives instant relief so it’s well worth a try. Mix 1 tsp salt in a bowl of warm water. Take a handful and ‘inhale’ it through your nose, as far as you can. After a couple of times you’ll figure out how to take the water in your nose and out of the mouth. I know it sounds disgusting but it works like magic! Repeat at least 8 to 10 times. Warm salt water loosens the mucus, which you can then easily blow out through your nose. This gives immediate results.
Massage oil with carom seeds (ajwain): Simmer 1 tsp ajwain in half a cup of olive oil over a very low flame (a high flame will cause the oil to ignite) until the seeds are completely burnt. Cool and strain into an airtight container for storage. It works so well I always keep some in store.
Massage warm oil on the throat area, and wrap around a piece of cloth — great for curbing night-time coughing. For wheezing, massage onto the chest area (front and back) and wear an extra layer of clothing. To clear the nasal passages, massage onto the bridge of the nose and forehead, and wrap a scarf around your head. This will clear up a stuffy nose; especially important for getting much needed sleep! This remedy is great for young children who can’t expectorate mucus.
Masala tea: My father drinks this whenever he feels a sore throat coming on and it always helps. Put 2 cloves (long), 2 whole black peppers, a one-inch piece of cinnamon (dalcheeni) and some chopped ginger in a cup of water, and slowly bring to boil. Make your choice of tea with this water, and enjoy.
Take steam. Hot vapours help clear the air passages, and release mucus. Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil, or menthol, for better results. Studies have shown taking steam shortens the duration of a throat infection.
Other remedies: Gargling with salt and water is a common remedy for a sore throat. Add ½ tsp turmeric, a pinch of cayenne pepper and an aspirin to increase its effectiveness tenfold.
A slightly odd, but effective, remedy calls for a cloth soaked in cold water, placed on your throat, and wrapped around with another piece of cloth. Leave overnight. This works as the cold compress draws blood to the region, and expedites the healing process.
If you can tolerate the taste, suck on raw garlic; otherwise eat it mixed with food. It is a natural antibiotic, excellent for fighting all kinds of infections.
Honey cough syrup: 1tsp honey+ pinch black salt (kala namak) + pinch turmeric (haldi). Warm up slightly and take to relieve coughing and pain. If you take this as soon as you feel pain swallowing — which usually indicates the onset of a sore throat — you may avoid the infection altogether. It works for me!
This ‘medicine’ tastes quite good — my kids love it. The dosage, however, has to be reduced for them: a couple of drops of the mixture should be enough.
Honey and ginger brew: Add 1 tsp ginger juice and the juice of one lemon (or half an orange) to 1 cup of hot water. Add honey to sweeten. Sip slowly, letting it rest in the back of your throat between sips, to provide immediate relief from pain and irritation. This concoction worked wonderfully every time my brother had a tonsils infection.
Snorting water: This is extremely effective for clearing the airways. It may be a little painful for the first 5 seconds, but gives instant relief so it’s well worth a try. Mix 1 tsp salt in a bowl of warm water. Take a handful and ‘inhale’ it through your nose, as far as you can. After a couple of times you’ll figure out how to take the water in your nose and out of the mouth. I know it sounds disgusting but it works like magic! Repeat at least 8 to 10 times. Warm salt water loosens the mucus, which you can then easily blow out through your nose. This gives immediate results.
Massage oil with carom seeds (ajwain): Simmer 1 tsp ajwain in half a cup of olive oil over a very low flame (a high flame will cause the oil to ignite) until the seeds are completely burnt. Cool and strain into an airtight container for storage. It works so well I always keep some in store.
Massage warm oil on the throat area, and wrap around a piece of cloth — great for curbing night-time coughing. For wheezing, massage onto the chest area (front and back) and wear an extra layer of clothing. To clear the nasal passages, massage onto the bridge of the nose and forehead, and wrap a scarf around your head. This will clear up a stuffy nose; especially important for getting much needed sleep! This remedy is great for young children who can’t expectorate mucus.
Masala tea: My father drinks this whenever he feels a sore throat coming on and it always helps. Put 2 cloves (long), 2 whole black peppers, a one-inch piece of cinnamon (dalcheeni) and some chopped ginger in a cup of water, and slowly bring to boil. Make your choice of tea with this water, and enjoy.
Take steam. Hot vapours help clear the air passages, and release mucus. Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil, or menthol, for better results. Studies have shown taking steam shortens the duration of a throat infection.
Other remedies: Gargling with salt and water is a common remedy for a sore throat. Add ½ tsp turmeric, a pinch of cayenne pepper and an aspirin to increase its effectiveness tenfold.
A slightly odd, but effective, remedy calls for a cloth soaked in cold water, placed on your throat, and wrapped around with another piece of cloth. Leave overnight. This works as the cold compress draws blood to the region, and expedites the healing process.
If you can tolerate the taste, suck on raw garlic; otherwise eat it mixed with food. It is a natural antibiotic, excellent for fighting all kinds of infections.
2011年8月25日星期四
New Vegetarian Campaign Seeks To Get More Vegan Options In Restaurants
Try as I might, I tend to have a hard time not getting annoyed with vegans and vegetarians. It might not be right, but there’s something about those morally superior, animal loving bastards that just gets on my nerves. Even the passive ones that don’t shove veganism down my throat act as a sort of cold-sore under my tongue; but hey, better that than being sent emails titled “Check this out!” that end up featuring the entrails of fallen cows spread over a chicken pen while the chickens are bled out by way of ball-point pens.
The Washington City Paper did a story on a new “kill em with kindness” method being used by those who want to see more vegetarian and vegan options on menus. The plan is to leave a small card on the bill directing the server to give the card to the manager of the restaurant. From there, if the card is not thrown away, the idea is that it will help promote the inclusion of more vegan-friendly items on the menu.
My initial reaction is something like: If you choose to be vegan, order a salad. Your choice is not our problem. How about offering more options to those with allergies to wheat? That’s a problem that is slowly coming into the limelight as the allergy becomes more well known. Still, I respect that this method isn’t belligerent, or even that annoying, really. If a restaurant wants to make some vegan options available, more power to them. If not, than they understand they’d be forfeiting the less than five percent of Americans that follow a vegetarian diet - and that’s just the way it is.
The Washington City Paper did a story on a new “kill em with kindness” method being used by those who want to see more vegetarian and vegan options on menus. The plan is to leave a small card on the bill directing the server to give the card to the manager of the restaurant. From there, if the card is not thrown away, the idea is that it will help promote the inclusion of more vegan-friendly items on the menu.
My initial reaction is something like: If you choose to be vegan, order a salad. Your choice is not our problem. How about offering more options to those with allergies to wheat? That’s a problem that is slowly coming into the limelight as the allergy becomes more well known. Still, I respect that this method isn’t belligerent, or even that annoying, really. If a restaurant wants to make some vegan options available, more power to them. If not, than they understand they’d be forfeiting the less than five percent of Americans that follow a vegetarian diet - and that’s just the way it is.
2011年8月24日星期三
Chronic herpes infection may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease
It is now being suggested that a chronic infection of Herpes (HSV-1) may be a contributing factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Gene-Eden-VIR is the first antiviral natural remedy scientifically designed to boost the immune system against the Herpes Simplex strain linked to AD, as well as against other herpes strains.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by progressive memory loss and severe cognitive impairment.
The Herpes Simplex virus (HSV-1), the virus behind cold sores, is a major cause of the insoluble protein plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's disease sufferers says another article published on Sciencedaily.com.
Thus, it makes sense to take Gene-Eden-VIR. This all natural remedy has scientifically been designed to help your own body maintain low concentrations of the latent (chronic) herpes virus.
By helping your own body’s immune system to maintain low numbers of the HSV-1 virus, you are also lowering your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
That is why Gene-Eden-VIR is such an important product. polyDNA understands that the question on everyone’s mind is whether its natural, antiviral remedy is truly effective against a chronic herpes infection.
Gene-Eden-VIR is highly effective against latent viruses; each ingredient was selected through a scientific approach. PolyDNA scientists scanned thousands of scientific and medical papers published in various medical and scientific journals around the world in order to identify the safest, most effective natural ingredients that target the latent (chronic) herpes virus.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by progressive memory loss and severe cognitive impairment.
The Herpes Simplex virus (HSV-1), the virus behind cold sores, is a major cause of the insoluble protein plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's disease sufferers says another article published on Sciencedaily.com.
Thus, it makes sense to take Gene-Eden-VIR. This all natural remedy has scientifically been designed to help your own body maintain low concentrations of the latent (chronic) herpes virus.
By helping your own body’s immune system to maintain low numbers of the HSV-1 virus, you are also lowering your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
That is why Gene-Eden-VIR is such an important product. polyDNA understands that the question on everyone’s mind is whether its natural, antiviral remedy is truly effective against a chronic herpes infection.
Gene-Eden-VIR is highly effective against latent viruses; each ingredient was selected through a scientific approach. PolyDNA scientists scanned thousands of scientific and medical papers published in various medical and scientific journals around the world in order to identify the safest, most effective natural ingredients that target the latent (chronic) herpes virus.
2011年8月23日星期二
Fine line between protecting children and overreacting to health problem
This is both a medical question and a sociocultural question. As a parent, this is, then, a delicate question. A balancing act.
A review of medical information websites is both useful and frustrating. The public information I've researched agrees on the following:
Herpes simplex 1 (oral herpes) is a virus. Most people contract the virus in infancy or childhood. Once contracted, the virus remains forever. Person to person, however, there is great variability in how the virus then behaves. Lots of people are permanently asymptomatic. Others have occasional outbreaks. Some have frequent outbreaks. When the virus is dormant, the risk of contagion is virtually nil.
During a herpes outbreak, the virus is contagious. More troublesome is the occasion of asymptomatic viral shedding, when a patient is contagious but shows no symptoms of outbreak. In a world of public school and play dates, there is no way to be alerted to this situation.
The frustrating part is the wide range of medical opinions about the "where and how" of catching this virus. The obvious situation is easy to avoid: no mucous membrane contact with a contagious person. Since children don't tend to kiss each other, we can breathe easy. But my research turned up conflicting opinions about other risks of transmission. One doctor writes: "Despite popular myth, it is almost impossible to catch herpes from surfaces, towels, or washcloths." Another medical site says that you can catch the virus through skin-to-skin contact. And still another says you can catch the virus from "eating from the same utensil or sharing a towel."
So, medically speaking, we're stuck between what we "know we know" -- remind your children not to make out with children who have open cold sores! -- and sorting out the equation of other relative risks we're willing to assume.
In quality parenting, there's a line between faithfully educating and protecting our children from risk/harm and teaching them to be obsessive about germs, cleanliness and the normal risks of living. I'm not saying anybody made me The Decider about this line. Just saying that there is a line. On the one hand, I want my children to be safe, to live responsibly and to value their health. On the other hand, I want them to thrive, to live well and happily. This requires risk.
I think the option of "politely passing" on a play date with a child who has a herpes outbreak is not one of the options. I'm not trying to be funny, but, in our culture, it is unlikely that you'd call another parent to inquire about the children getting together, but "tag" the invitation with "but first let me ask if your child has herpes simplex 1 and is he/she currently having an outbreak?" I'm saying you're not going to know about this unless and until you see that the child is having an outbreak. Which is when you're going to have to deal with it, either by assuming the risk, or by taking the child back home and explaining to the parent(s) your grounds for doing so.
A review of medical information websites is both useful and frustrating. The public information I've researched agrees on the following:
Herpes simplex 1 (oral herpes) is a virus. Most people contract the virus in infancy or childhood. Once contracted, the virus remains forever. Person to person, however, there is great variability in how the virus then behaves. Lots of people are permanently asymptomatic. Others have occasional outbreaks. Some have frequent outbreaks. When the virus is dormant, the risk of contagion is virtually nil.
During a herpes outbreak, the virus is contagious. More troublesome is the occasion of asymptomatic viral shedding, when a patient is contagious but shows no symptoms of outbreak. In a world of public school and play dates, there is no way to be alerted to this situation.
The frustrating part is the wide range of medical opinions about the "where and how" of catching this virus. The obvious situation is easy to avoid: no mucous membrane contact with a contagious person. Since children don't tend to kiss each other, we can breathe easy. But my research turned up conflicting opinions about other risks of transmission. One doctor writes: "Despite popular myth, it is almost impossible to catch herpes from surfaces, towels, or washcloths." Another medical site says that you can catch the virus through skin-to-skin contact. And still another says you can catch the virus from "eating from the same utensil or sharing a towel."
So, medically speaking, we're stuck between what we "know we know" -- remind your children not to make out with children who have open cold sores! -- and sorting out the equation of other relative risks we're willing to assume.
In quality parenting, there's a line between faithfully educating and protecting our children from risk/harm and teaching them to be obsessive about germs, cleanliness and the normal risks of living. I'm not saying anybody made me The Decider about this line. Just saying that there is a line. On the one hand, I want my children to be safe, to live responsibly and to value their health. On the other hand, I want them to thrive, to live well and happily. This requires risk.
I think the option of "politely passing" on a play date with a child who has a herpes outbreak is not one of the options. I'm not trying to be funny, but, in our culture, it is unlikely that you'd call another parent to inquire about the children getting together, but "tag" the invitation with "but first let me ask if your child has herpes simplex 1 and is he/she currently having an outbreak?" I'm saying you're not going to know about this unless and until you see that the child is having an outbreak. Which is when you're going to have to deal with it, either by assuming the risk, or by taking the child back home and explaining to the parent(s) your grounds for doing so.
2011年8月22日星期一
5 things you should never do if you have genital herpes
NEVER have sex if you have symptoms, except with the person from whom you got it (or you gave it to). When both partners have the same virus they don’t reinfect each other.
NEVER have unprotected sexual intercourse with a comparative stranger.
NEVER have oral-genital sex if you have a cold sore.
NEVER be dishonest about your herpes. It’s best to be open about herpes simplex and tell your partner. And you must avoid skin contact when the virus is active. It may be easier to explain that you sometimes get cold sores on your genitals.
NEVER hesitate giving your GP details of all possible infected partners.
NEVER have unprotected sexual intercourse with a comparative stranger.
NEVER have oral-genital sex if you have a cold sore.
NEVER be dishonest about your herpes. It’s best to be open about herpes simplex and tell your partner. And you must avoid skin contact when the virus is active. It may be easier to explain that you sometimes get cold sores on your genitals.
NEVER hesitate giving your GP details of all possible infected partners.
2011年8月21日星期日
Model philosophy: All in a day's work
Penny Pickard has a cold. She's had it, she says, as she offers tea and coffee, for a week. Sniff, sniff, she goes, as I follow her into the tiny, startlingly bare kitchen of her North Shore home. With the door open to the still chilly morning, it's not warm in what is usually the warmest room. In the dimly lit lounge, in a jar on a low coffee table, a couple of sweet joss sticks burn but can't quite disguise the smell of mid-winter damp.
We decide to sit outside on the stoop, in a couple of ageing cane chairs. Hers is bathed in a watery sunlight but she still curls herself up with her legs tucked under her bum and warms her hands with her tea cup.
She's dressed in jeans and a baby blue argyle sweater. Her blond hair, which belongs to a waif, looks like it might still be in bed. There is what looks like a small cold sore on her top lip. She's wearing no makeup.
Now you may think, given what I've just told you that, that there is not a hell of lot that's glamorous about Penny Pickard, one of New Zealand most successful models. At least, not this day. But you'd be wrong.
She manages to project - and perhaps this ability goes as far back as her grunge-styled début shoot in the 1990s - a low-key allure and a casual grace, even when slouched in a chair with mussed hair and a cold sore.
She has, even when she's not trying, a model's magnetism.
It is this Pickard has brought to photo shoots in New York, London, Milan and Auckland for more than a decade and half. It is this she will once again show when she walks the runways of New Zealand Fashion Week the week after next. It is this she's brought to recent shoots for Salasai and Stolen Girlfriends Club, the cover of last month's Good Health magazine and to TV's New Zealand's Next Top Model, where she's been seen handing out advice to the latest crop of wannabes.
But then Pickard, in the small and no doubt perfectly formed world of modelling, is as near to a star as it is possible to be in New Zealand. According to local fashion blogger Isaac Hinden-Miller, Pickard has graced the cover of the country's premier fashion magazine Fashion Quarterly more times than any other model. Indeed, he wrote recently on his popular Isaac Likes blog, Pickard is "probably the closest thing we've ever had to a modern-day Kiwi supermodel, besides Emily Baker".
So really it should come as no surprise, given her reputation, given her experience, they she might be able to pull off poise even when slouched in a chair. For her, that comes off-the-peg. It's her views on the business of modelling which are, well, a little more bespoke.
Of course it happened on High St. If Auckland fashion has a heart, it probably beats on poncy Ponsonby Rd. But I'd wager its soul is to be found in that narrow central city street that's so brief it almost ends before it begins.
It was in High St that Pickard was "discovered", though of course she'd been in existence for sometime. She was at the end of her 4th form year and was shopping with her sister when Glenn Hunt, from the now-defunct style bible Pavement, spotted her. Hunt sent his girlfriend over with a proposition: was Pickard interested in modelling for a Pavement fashion spread? As it happened, she was. What the 14-year-old from Papakura wasn't quite ready for was the speed of what happened next.
The Pavement shoot - which became the cover - took place in January 1994. By early May she'd had modelled in Sydney, and by the end of May she was in New York.
"[Famed New York model agent] Eileen Ford saw the Pavement pictures and said 'she's got that look of the moment'," Pickard recalls. "It was 1994, the whole grunge movement thing was big, know what I mean - it was all greasy hair and no makeup. That was the thing. I definitely embodied that and loved that style. [Ford] said 'bring her over'.
"I was definitely aware of the modelling world. I was obsessed with Kate Moss, loved Face magazine and definitely thought that life would be really, really cool. And I loved it, I loved the attention that I was getting in New Zealand but as soon as I got to New York, I kind of freaked out because I was away from my family. I was super-sheltered. I think Glenn was a little bit shocked to have this hysterically crying 14-year-old that he had to drag around the city. But I think after two weeks I was really starting to enjoy myself."
We decide to sit outside on the stoop, in a couple of ageing cane chairs. Hers is bathed in a watery sunlight but she still curls herself up with her legs tucked under her bum and warms her hands with her tea cup.
She's dressed in jeans and a baby blue argyle sweater. Her blond hair, which belongs to a waif, looks like it might still be in bed. There is what looks like a small cold sore on her top lip. She's wearing no makeup.
Now you may think, given what I've just told you that, that there is not a hell of lot that's glamorous about Penny Pickard, one of New Zealand most successful models. At least, not this day. But you'd be wrong.
She manages to project - and perhaps this ability goes as far back as her grunge-styled début shoot in the 1990s - a low-key allure and a casual grace, even when slouched in a chair with mussed hair and a cold sore.
She has, even when she's not trying, a model's magnetism.
It is this Pickard has brought to photo shoots in New York, London, Milan and Auckland for more than a decade and half. It is this she will once again show when she walks the runways of New Zealand Fashion Week the week after next. It is this she's brought to recent shoots for Salasai and Stolen Girlfriends Club, the cover of last month's Good Health magazine and to TV's New Zealand's Next Top Model, where she's been seen handing out advice to the latest crop of wannabes.
But then Pickard, in the small and no doubt perfectly formed world of modelling, is as near to a star as it is possible to be in New Zealand. According to local fashion blogger Isaac Hinden-Miller, Pickard has graced the cover of the country's premier fashion magazine Fashion Quarterly more times than any other model. Indeed, he wrote recently on his popular Isaac Likes blog, Pickard is "probably the closest thing we've ever had to a modern-day Kiwi supermodel, besides Emily Baker".
So really it should come as no surprise, given her reputation, given her experience, they she might be able to pull off poise even when slouched in a chair. For her, that comes off-the-peg. It's her views on the business of modelling which are, well, a little more bespoke.
Of course it happened on High St. If Auckland fashion has a heart, it probably beats on poncy Ponsonby Rd. But I'd wager its soul is to be found in that narrow central city street that's so brief it almost ends before it begins.
It was in High St that Pickard was "discovered", though of course she'd been in existence for sometime. She was at the end of her 4th form year and was shopping with her sister when Glenn Hunt, from the now-defunct style bible Pavement, spotted her. Hunt sent his girlfriend over with a proposition: was Pickard interested in modelling for a Pavement fashion spread? As it happened, she was. What the 14-year-old from Papakura wasn't quite ready for was the speed of what happened next.
The Pavement shoot - which became the cover - took place in January 1994. By early May she'd had modelled in Sydney, and by the end of May she was in New York.
"[Famed New York model agent] Eileen Ford saw the Pavement pictures and said 'she's got that look of the moment'," Pickard recalls. "It was 1994, the whole grunge movement thing was big, know what I mean - it was all greasy hair and no makeup. That was the thing. I definitely embodied that and loved that style. [Ford] said 'bring her over'.
"I was definitely aware of the modelling world. I was obsessed with Kate Moss, loved Face magazine and definitely thought that life would be really, really cool. And I loved it, I loved the attention that I was getting in New Zealand but as soon as I got to New York, I kind of freaked out because I was away from my family. I was super-sheltered. I think Glenn was a little bit shocked to have this hysterically crying 14-year-old that he had to drag around the city. But I think after two weeks I was really starting to enjoy myself."
2011年8月18日星期四
Afexa Announces Results of a Clinical Trial of DilexaponanTM for Cholesterol Management
This open label and proof of concept study explored the safety and optimum dosing range for Dilexaponan in 39 patients with elevated total cholesterol levels. The study was led by principal investigator Dr. Richard Lewanczuk, Professor, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Alberta, in collaboration with Dr. Jay Udani, Assistant Clinical Professor, UCLA, CEO, Medicus Research LLC.
The results, awaiting final peer review, demonstrated that patients taking Dilexaponan had favourable changes in multiple cholesterol measures. All Dilexaponan doses tested (0.333, 1, and 2 g/day) were equally effective in significantly reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol after a two month treatment duration versus baseline (p<0.05). There were also significant and positive time-dependent decreases in the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and ratio of LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol compared to baseline (p<0.05) for each dose tested. Dilexaponan was generally well tolerated.
Dr. Lewanczuk said, "The results of this pilot study are encouraging and indicate the potential of Dilexaponan to aid in the management of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. There is a pressing need to provide patients with additional safe and effective options for modulating LDL and HDL cholesterol levels."
The Company is currently exploring the potential for Dilexaponan development as a botanical drug in the U.S. and as an NHP (Natural Health Product) in Canada. Dr. Jacqueline Shan, Afexa's Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer said, "We are pleased with the outcome of this trial and the data confirm the positive findings of earlier pre-clinical studies. A subsequent clinical study to further explore Dilexaponan in this population is planned to initiate by the end of this fiscal year."
According to the American Heart Association, approximately 44% of U.S. adults have unhealthy total cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dL or higher. While therapeutic options are available to lower LDL levels, in nearly two thirds of affected adults, this condition is not effectively managed. Cholesterol plays a critical role in the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease and is one of the major controllable risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Favourably modulating cholesterol, including reducing blood levels of LDL cholesterol, is known to be one of the most effective strategies for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
The trial received authorization from Health Canada and all required Health Research Ethics Board.
Afexa Life Sciences Inc., founded in 1992, strives to deliver the most trusted health brand on the planet through pioneering evidence-based natural medicines that empower people to achieve their health potential. The Company's patented ChemBioPrint discovery and standardization technology enables the development of effective and safe medicines from complex natural sources, while ensuring reliable health benefits and batch-to-batch consistency. COLD-FX, a ChemBioPrint product, is the Company's flagship product and Canada's leading over-the-counter (OTC) cold and flu remedy. It is officially indicated in Canada to help reduce the frequency, severity and duration of cold and flu symptoms by boosting the immune system. COLD-FX products have product licenses (NPN) and are supported by scientific evidence, including randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials. The Company recently licensed and launched COLDSORE-FX in Canada. The Company also has a range of polymolecular drugs at various clinical and pre-clinical development stages. This product pipeline includes COLD-FX pediatric, AFX-2 for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Dilexaponan for cholesterol management, HT-1001 for Oxidative Stress and a product for blood glucose management.
The results, awaiting final peer review, demonstrated that patients taking Dilexaponan had favourable changes in multiple cholesterol measures. All Dilexaponan doses tested (0.333, 1, and 2 g/day) were equally effective in significantly reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol after a two month treatment duration versus baseline (p<0.05). There were also significant and positive time-dependent decreases in the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and ratio of LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol compared to baseline (p<0.05) for each dose tested. Dilexaponan was generally well tolerated.
Dr. Lewanczuk said, "The results of this pilot study are encouraging and indicate the potential of Dilexaponan to aid in the management of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. There is a pressing need to provide patients with additional safe and effective options for modulating LDL and HDL cholesterol levels."
The Company is currently exploring the potential for Dilexaponan development as a botanical drug in the U.S. and as an NHP (Natural Health Product) in Canada. Dr. Jacqueline Shan, Afexa's Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer said, "We are pleased with the outcome of this trial and the data confirm the positive findings of earlier pre-clinical studies. A subsequent clinical study to further explore Dilexaponan in this population is planned to initiate by the end of this fiscal year."
According to the American Heart Association, approximately 44% of U.S. adults have unhealthy total cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dL or higher. While therapeutic options are available to lower LDL levels, in nearly two thirds of affected adults, this condition is not effectively managed. Cholesterol plays a critical role in the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease and is one of the major controllable risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Favourably modulating cholesterol, including reducing blood levels of LDL cholesterol, is known to be one of the most effective strategies for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
The trial received authorization from Health Canada and all required Health Research Ethics Board.
Afexa Life Sciences Inc., founded in 1992, strives to deliver the most trusted health brand on the planet through pioneering evidence-based natural medicines that empower people to achieve their health potential. The Company's patented ChemBioPrint discovery and standardization technology enables the development of effective and safe medicines from complex natural sources, while ensuring reliable health benefits and batch-to-batch consistency. COLD-FX, a ChemBioPrint product, is the Company's flagship product and Canada's leading over-the-counter (OTC) cold and flu remedy. It is officially indicated in Canada to help reduce the frequency, severity and duration of cold and flu symptoms by boosting the immune system. COLD-FX products have product licenses (NPN) and are supported by scientific evidence, including randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials. The Company recently licensed and launched COLDSORE-FX in Canada. The Company also has a range of polymolecular drugs at various clinical and pre-clinical development stages. This product pipeline includes COLD-FX pediatric, AFX-2 for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Dilexaponan for cholesterol management, HT-1001 for Oxidative Stress and a product for blood glucose management.
2011年8月16日星期二
Main drivers of residential solar installations are state
Because of this, the main drivers of residential solar installations are state and federal incentives that help defray those costs, yet even these are in jeopardy as governments at all levels slash budgets. Everyone in the country can take advantage of a federal renewable energy tax credit; this reduces the costs of a solar installation by 30 percent, and since 2009 there is no maximum on the total amount. Beyond that, several states dominate the market because their incentives are so strong.
The California Solar Initiative has helped make the country’s biggest state also the biggest residential solar market. So far, more than 50,Traditional kidney stone claim to clean all the air in a room.000 installed systems have a total capacity of more than 240 megawatts; another 10,000 applications are waiting to add another 50 megawatts to the total. The initiative allows homeowners an upfront rebate based on how many installed megawatts the state has — the idea being that as the market takes off and as costs of solar drop, people will need less government help to prosper and the rebate will drop in value. At the moment, the initiative is in step 8 out of 10, meaning that a residential system can get back 35 cents per watt; this is down from $2.50 per watt when the program began. A typical installation ranges from two to 10 kilowatts, meaning the rebate can be upward of $2,000.
While California matches its sunny reputation with a relatively strong solar market, other states have emerged as less likely solar powerhouses. New Jersey trails only California in total installed solar power, and as of late July the state surpassed 10,000 total installed solar arrays. The bulk of the market is for commercial-sized projects, like a giant 9 megawatt array on the roof of the Gloucester Marine Terminal, but state policies have also pushed residential solar. However, under Gov. Chris Christie,These girls have never had a cube puzzle in their lives! New Jersey ended its upfront rebate program last year, although it still offers ongoing incentives through the Solar Renewable Energy Certificates program. Christie also abandoned the previous administration’s goal of getting 30 percent of the state’s power from renewable sources by 2020, reducing that target to 22.5 percent.
Looking a few years out, the federal 30 percent tax credit for commercial solar projects will drop to 10 percent in 2016, and may disappear altogether for residential projects. The unanswered question is whether the solar industry can thrive without such strong federal and state financial incentives.
Some experts, though, don’t think the incentives are the only driver of the residential solar market. According to Michael Woodhouse, an analyst with the National Renewal Energy Laboratory, the economics of solar photovoltaics are better than many make them out to be.
“When people say PV will never compete without subsidies, that is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me,” Woodhouse said. “That’s a really incomplete picture.” The key, he said, is to look at the cost of electricity on a regional and state level rather than overall. Woodhouse has conducted analyses of several specific locales. For example, in Santa Barbara, California, he said that right now,If so, you may have a zentai . when the 30 percent federal tax credit for solar is included, residential solar power costs about 13.8 cents per kilowatt-hour. The average price of electricity across the state,then used cut pieces of Aion Kinah garden hose to get through the electric fence. meanwhile – meaning, from all sources – is 15.1 cents per kilowatt-hour. In other words, solar power might already have achieved “grid parity” in Santa Barbara.Flossie was one of a group of four chickens in a impact socket .
In other places, solar power is not close to grid parity. In St. Louis, Missouri, the cost of residential solar power is more than double the 8-cent per kilowatt-hour average of traditional electricity sources.
The California Solar Initiative has helped make the country’s biggest state also the biggest residential solar market. So far, more than 50,Traditional kidney stone claim to clean all the air in a room.000 installed systems have a total capacity of more than 240 megawatts; another 10,000 applications are waiting to add another 50 megawatts to the total. The initiative allows homeowners an upfront rebate based on how many installed megawatts the state has — the idea being that as the market takes off and as costs of solar drop, people will need less government help to prosper and the rebate will drop in value. At the moment, the initiative is in step 8 out of 10, meaning that a residential system can get back 35 cents per watt; this is down from $2.50 per watt when the program began. A typical installation ranges from two to 10 kilowatts, meaning the rebate can be upward of $2,000.
While California matches its sunny reputation with a relatively strong solar market, other states have emerged as less likely solar powerhouses. New Jersey trails only California in total installed solar power, and as of late July the state surpassed 10,000 total installed solar arrays. The bulk of the market is for commercial-sized projects, like a giant 9 megawatt array on the roof of the Gloucester Marine Terminal, but state policies have also pushed residential solar. However, under Gov. Chris Christie,These girls have never had a cube puzzle in their lives! New Jersey ended its upfront rebate program last year, although it still offers ongoing incentives through the Solar Renewable Energy Certificates program. Christie also abandoned the previous administration’s goal of getting 30 percent of the state’s power from renewable sources by 2020, reducing that target to 22.5 percent.
Looking a few years out, the federal 30 percent tax credit for commercial solar projects will drop to 10 percent in 2016, and may disappear altogether for residential projects. The unanswered question is whether the solar industry can thrive without such strong federal and state financial incentives.
Some experts, though, don’t think the incentives are the only driver of the residential solar market. According to Michael Woodhouse, an analyst with the National Renewal Energy Laboratory, the economics of solar photovoltaics are better than many make them out to be.
“When people say PV will never compete without subsidies, that is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me,” Woodhouse said. “That’s a really incomplete picture.” The key, he said, is to look at the cost of electricity on a regional and state level rather than overall. Woodhouse has conducted analyses of several specific locales. For example, in Santa Barbara, California, he said that right now,If so, you may have a zentai . when the 30 percent federal tax credit for solar is included, residential solar power costs about 13.8 cents per kilowatt-hour. The average price of electricity across the state,then used cut pieces of Aion Kinah garden hose to get through the electric fence. meanwhile – meaning, from all sources – is 15.1 cents per kilowatt-hour. In other words, solar power might already have achieved “grid parity” in Santa Barbara.Flossie was one of a group of four chickens in a impact socket .
In other places, solar power is not close to grid parity. In St. Louis, Missouri, the cost of residential solar power is more than double the 8-cent per kilowatt-hour average of traditional electricity sources.
Enfield's STR, Solar Panel Film Maker
That none of the other offers came close to $275 million didn't hurt, either.
STR will use the cash, and the nearly $100 million it had on hand, to pay a big tax bill and to pay off about $236 million in debt, incurred earlier when a private equity firm borrowed to take STR private in 2007. UL insisted it no longer hold overseas, especially in China,These girls have never had a cube puzzle in their lives! the cash generated by the testing division. That means those profits are now subject to U.S.Traditional kidney stone claim to clean all the air in a room. corporate income tax.
STR returned as a publicly traded company in 2009. Its stock closed at $12.15 a share Tuesday, up 5 percent on the acquisition news, in trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
"We weren't choking on our debt, but … we do get rid of paying interest, and we do get rid of the restrictive covenants," Morris said.
The company has also been investing actively. It is spending $30 million to build a factory in China this year. It bought a Windsor factory to provide room for growth and consolidate production now done in Enfield and Somers. It makes a highly technical plastic that shields the cells inside a solar panel from the damage that water, hail and even strong sunlight can do.
The company had $372 million in revenue last year, with $113 million from the division that's being sold. In the first half of this year, solar sales were almost $140 million, and quality assurance was nearly $56 million.
The new Windsor factory's opening date has slipped — a year ago, the company said it would be opening next month — and so has the hiring associated with the project. STR Solar President Bob Yorgensen said then he anticipated hiring about a dozen chemists,Great Rubber offers oil painting supplies keychains, some shipping and receiving workers, some process engineers and maintenance engineers, and more than 150 production workers.
"The solar market is very, very slow right now," Morris said, which means hiring has been delayed, but the company might be ready to act in late 2011 or in 2012.
Morris said even though a Malaysia plant was already serving Chinese solar panel factories, the business is booming so much there that the company needed to build a plant.
"The demand in China is very strong, the global manufacturing base for solar modules has moved to China," he said. "There's new entrants every day, and they start out big out there. Our customers in China do not want to be served from 8,000 miles away.100 promotional usb was used to link the lamps together."
Sajeev Jesudas, president of UL verification services, said his company was pleased to acquire the STR division at a fair price. STR is a market leader in product safety testing for toys, textiles and furniture, areas UL didn't cover until this acquisition. UL mostly tests electric appliances and consumer electronics. Now the company will be able to offer big-box stores a complete service.If so, you may have a zentai .
STR will use the cash, and the nearly $100 million it had on hand, to pay a big tax bill and to pay off about $236 million in debt, incurred earlier when a private equity firm borrowed to take STR private in 2007. UL insisted it no longer hold overseas, especially in China,These girls have never had a cube puzzle in their lives! the cash generated by the testing division. That means those profits are now subject to U.S.Traditional kidney stone claim to clean all the air in a room. corporate income tax.
STR returned as a publicly traded company in 2009. Its stock closed at $12.15 a share Tuesday, up 5 percent on the acquisition news, in trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
"We weren't choking on our debt, but … we do get rid of paying interest, and we do get rid of the restrictive covenants," Morris said.
The company has also been investing actively. It is spending $30 million to build a factory in China this year. It bought a Windsor factory to provide room for growth and consolidate production now done in Enfield and Somers. It makes a highly technical plastic that shields the cells inside a solar panel from the damage that water, hail and even strong sunlight can do.
The company had $372 million in revenue last year, with $113 million from the division that's being sold. In the first half of this year, solar sales were almost $140 million, and quality assurance was nearly $56 million.
The new Windsor factory's opening date has slipped — a year ago, the company said it would be opening next month — and so has the hiring associated with the project. STR Solar President Bob Yorgensen said then he anticipated hiring about a dozen chemists,Great Rubber offers oil painting supplies keychains, some shipping and receiving workers, some process engineers and maintenance engineers, and more than 150 production workers.
"The solar market is very, very slow right now," Morris said, which means hiring has been delayed, but the company might be ready to act in late 2011 or in 2012.
Morris said even though a Malaysia plant was already serving Chinese solar panel factories, the business is booming so much there that the company needed to build a plant.
"The demand in China is very strong, the global manufacturing base for solar modules has moved to China," he said. "There's new entrants every day, and they start out big out there. Our customers in China do not want to be served from 8,000 miles away.100 promotional usb was used to link the lamps together."
Sajeev Jesudas, president of UL verification services, said his company was pleased to acquire the STR division at a fair price. STR is a market leader in product safety testing for toys, textiles and furniture, areas UL didn't cover until this acquisition. UL mostly tests electric appliances and consumer electronics. Now the company will be able to offer big-box stores a complete service.If so, you may have a zentai .
2011年8月15日星期一
49 Uses for Tea
I get through the sleepless days of being a stay-at-home dad, freelance writer and DIY remodeler with copious quantities of tea. Tea may seem very British and girly, but I drink Celestial Seasonings Morning Thunder tea in a big beer stein. I assure you it is all mucho macho, as the kids say. I mean there's a freakin' buffalo on the tea box. Doesn't get more manly - or American - than that.
I also hate to throw out anything I could reuse or recycle. So I scoured the Internet to find 50 uses for used tea bags and tea, other the primary functions of keeping me hydrated and awake. With thanks to "Reader's Digest" and "Mental Floss" magazines, the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House, Chinaculture.org and several bloggers and Web forums, here is the definitive list of other uses for tea. We can't vouch for all these home remedies, as we aren't able to test all 50 of these items, so let us know how they work. Also tell us if we missed anything.
1. Clean carpets: Clean up musty, dirty carpets by sprinkling dry, used green tea leaves on the carpet. Let them work their magic for about 10 minutes, then vacuum them up.
2. Clean antique rugs: Delicate Persian and Oriental rugs can also benefit from a sprinkling of tea leaves. In this case, sprinkle nearly dry, used whole tea leaves on the rugs, and gently sweep them away.
3. Shine wood floors: The tannins in black tea can help shine and color hardwood flooring. Follow your regular floor cleaning routine by carefully rubbing some brewed tea into the floor (don't use too much water on hardwood flooring) and letting it air dry.
4. Polish furniture: Brewed tea also can help clean and shine wood furniture. Dip a soft cloth in a small amount of tea, and use it to wipe down the tables, chairs and more.
5. Clean mirrors and windows: Tea can remove stubborn, greasy fingerprints from glass, and make it sparkle. Simply rub a damp teabag on the glass or fill a spray bottle with brewed tea.
6. Clean toilet stains: Rumor has it that used tea bags can magically remove stubborn stains in the bottom of the toilet bowl. Just leave them in the toilet for several hours, then flush the toilet and brush the bowl.
7. Get rid of fishy smells: Rinse your hands with tea after eating or preparing fish (or other stinky foods) to eliminate odors.
I also hate to throw out anything I could reuse or recycle. So I scoured the Internet to find 50 uses for used tea bags and tea, other the primary functions of keeping me hydrated and awake. With thanks to "Reader's Digest" and "Mental Floss" magazines, the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House, Chinaculture.org and several bloggers and Web forums, here is the definitive list of other uses for tea. We can't vouch for all these home remedies, as we aren't able to test all 50 of these items, so let us know how they work. Also tell us if we missed anything.
1. Clean carpets: Clean up musty, dirty carpets by sprinkling dry, used green tea leaves on the carpet. Let them work their magic for about 10 minutes, then vacuum them up.
2. Clean antique rugs: Delicate Persian and Oriental rugs can also benefit from a sprinkling of tea leaves. In this case, sprinkle nearly dry, used whole tea leaves on the rugs, and gently sweep them away.
3. Shine wood floors: The tannins in black tea can help shine and color hardwood flooring. Follow your regular floor cleaning routine by carefully rubbing some brewed tea into the floor (don't use too much water on hardwood flooring) and letting it air dry.
4. Polish furniture: Brewed tea also can help clean and shine wood furniture. Dip a soft cloth in a small amount of tea, and use it to wipe down the tables, chairs and more.
5. Clean mirrors and windows: Tea can remove stubborn, greasy fingerprints from glass, and make it sparkle. Simply rub a damp teabag on the glass or fill a spray bottle with brewed tea.
6. Clean toilet stains: Rumor has it that used tea bags can magically remove stubborn stains in the bottom of the toilet bowl. Just leave them in the toilet for several hours, then flush the toilet and brush the bowl.
7. Get rid of fishy smells: Rinse your hands with tea after eating or preparing fish (or other stinky foods) to eliminate odors.
2011年8月14日星期日
Health benefits of hot peppers
There are many health Benefits of Hot Chili Peppers. The properties of Chili peppers are the reasons why it is beneficial to our health.
The potent chemical found in Chile peppers is called capsaicin. This substance can both survive cooking and freezing processes.
The smaller the chili, they have larger amount of seeds and veins and these are the parts that contain up to 80% of the capsaicin in chili.
Capsaicin triggers the brain to kick out flood of endorphins, those natural pain killers that promote a sense of well being and stimulation.
The best antidote to combat the fire of chilis is dairy products such as milk, yogurt, or even ice cream.
Starchy foods like white bread, mashed potato or cooked white rice also have a neutralizing effect on the natural alkaloids of capsaicin.
Alcoholic beverages (as a haram food) are just about the worst thing to drink when consuming chili because they tend to increase the absorption rate of capsaicin within the body.
Here is another health benefit of Chili peppers to our body. Red Chili pepper gives amazing relief to rheumatoid arthritis.
Cayenne pepper brings down blood sugar levels, lowers cholesterol, prevents blood clots, halts bleeding quickly, knocks out cold and flu miseries.
It also reduces risk of heart diseases and tuberculosis. In addition it is an ulcer healer.
The internal consumption of capsicum stimulates the gut's mucosal cells which release more slimy mucous that neatly coats the intestines, including sores and bleeding ulcers.
It also keeps your toes warm in winter. Sprinkle cayenne pepper in your socks to keep your toes warm. It is also a sure cure for drowsiness by nibbling homemade cookies with dried chili added to the recipe.
You can make salve for sprain and bruises by adding ground hot peppers to the melted Vaseline, which is then mixed well and cooked until it congeals.
This ointment is applied once daily or once every 2 weeks directly to the injured area.
And additional bonus, chili pepper as they say, help you to stay trim and not gain weight if you have in your cabinet kitchen a collection of small bottles of different hot sauces, ready to use with your food.
Experts say one should not too much of pepper in order to prevent it’s over dosage and possible health problems such as itching and palpitation.
The potent chemical found in Chile peppers is called capsaicin. This substance can both survive cooking and freezing processes.
The smaller the chili, they have larger amount of seeds and veins and these are the parts that contain up to 80% of the capsaicin in chili.
Capsaicin triggers the brain to kick out flood of endorphins, those natural pain killers that promote a sense of well being and stimulation.
The best antidote to combat the fire of chilis is dairy products such as milk, yogurt, or even ice cream.
Starchy foods like white bread, mashed potato or cooked white rice also have a neutralizing effect on the natural alkaloids of capsaicin.
Alcoholic beverages (as a haram food) are just about the worst thing to drink when consuming chili because they tend to increase the absorption rate of capsaicin within the body.
Here is another health benefit of Chili peppers to our body. Red Chili pepper gives amazing relief to rheumatoid arthritis.
Cayenne pepper brings down blood sugar levels, lowers cholesterol, prevents blood clots, halts bleeding quickly, knocks out cold and flu miseries.
It also reduces risk of heart diseases and tuberculosis. In addition it is an ulcer healer.
The internal consumption of capsicum stimulates the gut's mucosal cells which release more slimy mucous that neatly coats the intestines, including sores and bleeding ulcers.
It also keeps your toes warm in winter. Sprinkle cayenne pepper in your socks to keep your toes warm. It is also a sure cure for drowsiness by nibbling homemade cookies with dried chili added to the recipe.
You can make salve for sprain and bruises by adding ground hot peppers to the melted Vaseline, which is then mixed well and cooked until it congeals.
This ointment is applied once daily or once every 2 weeks directly to the injured area.
And additional bonus, chili pepper as they say, help you to stay trim and not gain weight if you have in your cabinet kitchen a collection of small bottles of different hot sauces, ready to use with your food.
Experts say one should not too much of pepper in order to prevent it’s over dosage and possible health problems such as itching and palpitation.
2011年8月11日星期四
A miracle drug that can cure any viral infection developed
In what might be the greatest medical discovery since penicillin, scientists have developed a broad-spectrum drug which they claim can cure everything -- from the common cold to HIV to almost any other virus one can think of.
A team of researchers at the the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US created the drug, known by the acronym DRACO, which homes in on infected cells and makes them self-destruct.
Its hit list includes human rhinoviruses -- the bugs that cause half of colds in adults and almost all colds in children -- flu, polio, a stomach bug and deadly dengue fever, the
researchers said.
But DRACO, they said, is also expected to zap measles and German measles, cold sores, rabies and even HIV -- and could be on pharmacy shelves in a decade, the Daily Mail reported.
Lead researcher Mike Rider said: "It's certainly possible that there's some virus that we aren't able to treat but we haven’t found it yet.
"The discovery of antibiotics revolutionised the treatment of bacterial infections and we hope that this will revolutionise the treatment of viral infections. There aren't very many anti-viral drugs out there at the moment."
In lab tests, DRACO killed 15 viruses, including germs behind the common cold and two types of flu. It also saved the lives of mice given a dose of flu that should have killed
them.
Amazingly, it's found to be working so quickly that if taken early enough it should stop any symptoms from appearing.
Tests showed that it also wards off viruses, meaning it could stop people from becoming ill in the first place, the researchers reported in the journal PLoS ONE.
A team of researchers at the the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US created the drug, known by the acronym DRACO, which homes in on infected cells and makes them self-destruct.
Its hit list includes human rhinoviruses -- the bugs that cause half of colds in adults and almost all colds in children -- flu, polio, a stomach bug and deadly dengue fever, the
researchers said.
But DRACO, they said, is also expected to zap measles and German measles, cold sores, rabies and even HIV -- and could be on pharmacy shelves in a decade, the Daily Mail reported.
Lead researcher Mike Rider said: "It's certainly possible that there's some virus that we aren't able to treat but we haven’t found it yet.
"The discovery of antibiotics revolutionised the treatment of bacterial infections and we hope that this will revolutionise the treatment of viral infections. There aren't very many anti-viral drugs out there at the moment."
In lab tests, DRACO killed 15 viruses, including germs behind the common cold and two types of flu. It also saved the lives of mice given a dose of flu that should have killed
them.
Amazingly, it's found to be working so quickly that if taken early enough it should stop any symptoms from appearing.
Tests showed that it also wards off viruses, meaning it could stop people from becoming ill in the first place, the researchers reported in the journal PLoS ONE.
2011年8月10日星期三
Greatest discovery since penicillin: A cure for everything - from colds to HIV
Scientists may have found a cure for the common cold, flu, HIV – and almost any other virus you can think of.
A drug that homes in on infected cells and makes them self-destruct has been created in the laboratory.
Its hit list includes human rhinoviruses – the bugs behind half of colds in adults and almost all colds in children – flu, polio, a stomach bug and deadly dengue fever.
But the drug, known by the acronym DRACO, is also expected to zap measles and German measles, cold sores, rabies and even HIV – and could be on pharmacy shelves in a decade.
Researcher Mike Rider said: ‘It’s certainly possible that there’s some virus that we aren’t able to treat but we haven’t found it yet.
'The discovery of antibiotics revolutionised the treatment of bacterial infections and we hope that this will revolutionise the treatment of viral infections.
‘There aren’t very many anti-viral drugs out there at the moment.’
Dr Rider, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S., has exploited cells’ natural defences against infection.
When viruses infect the body, they hijack cells’ internal machinery to make copy after copy of themselves. During this procedure they create long double-stranded strings of the genetic material RNA.
Our cells usually defend themselves by making proteins that latch on to the RNA and stop the virus from breeding.
But many viruses can outsmart this defence system.
So Dr Rider has also harnessed a second natural process called apoptosis, in which diseased cells commit suicide.
A drug that homes in on infected cells and makes them self-destruct has been created in the laboratory.
Its hit list includes human rhinoviruses – the bugs behind half of colds in adults and almost all colds in children – flu, polio, a stomach bug and deadly dengue fever.
But the drug, known by the acronym DRACO, is also expected to zap measles and German measles, cold sores, rabies and even HIV – and could be on pharmacy shelves in a decade.
Researcher Mike Rider said: ‘It’s certainly possible that there’s some virus that we aren’t able to treat but we haven’t found it yet.
'The discovery of antibiotics revolutionised the treatment of bacterial infections and we hope that this will revolutionise the treatment of viral infections.
‘There aren’t very many anti-viral drugs out there at the moment.’
Dr Rider, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S., has exploited cells’ natural defences against infection.
When viruses infect the body, they hijack cells’ internal machinery to make copy after copy of themselves. During this procedure they create long double-stranded strings of the genetic material RNA.
Our cells usually defend themselves by making proteins that latch on to the RNA and stop the virus from breeding.
But many viruses can outsmart this defence system.
So Dr Rider has also harnessed a second natural process called apoptosis, in which diseased cells commit suicide.
2011年8月9日星期二
Who’s the Heroine of The Help?
If you haven’t already read The Help, chances are you know someone in a book club who has. Kathryn Stockett’s novel about white women and their black maids in 1960s Jackson, Miss. has been a massive bestseller since its release in February 2009 and continues to sit pretty at the top of the charts.
But as widely beloved as the novel has been, it’s also been shadowed by controversy. After all, The Help is a book written by a white woman, in which a young, privileged white woman empowers and elevates a town’s black population by getting a book published about their experiences. The black characters’ thick dialect raised some eyebrows (“I reckon that’s the risk you run, letting somebody else raise you chilluns”), and a lawsuit filed by an African-American nanny and housekeeper who claims Stockett appropriated her identity exacerbated the book’s already “squicky” racial politics, as Salon’s Laura Miller called them.
Audiences will have another opportunity to appraise Stockett’s Jackson when the film adaptation of The Help, directed by Tate Taylor, opens in theaters tomorrow. The movie is getting a push from many African-American groups and community leaders, including the chairwoman of the NAACP, who tout the film as a rare example of a high-profile, mainstream entertainment starring strong black women. If the screening I saw last week is any indication, the brightly colored drama is guaranteed to be an audience pleaser, and it comes with an unimpeachable moral message: It’s bad to be a racist. But critics are asking: Just how progressive is it?
One of the key questions is to what extent the film represents Skeeter Phelan—the young Junior League member who is one of the novel’s three narrators, along with maids Aibileen and Minny—as some kind of savior of the women whose experiences she documents in her book. Several critics have grouped the movie with films like Mississippi Burning, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Blind Side, which see “racial progress as the province of white do-gooderism,” as Wesley Morris wrote today in the Boston Globe.
Unavoidably, the film flattens out some of the nuance of the 464-page book. In the novel, Stockett (perhaps hoping to sidestep accusations of Mary Sue-ism) complicates the notion that Skeeter is the story’s heroine by making it clear that Skeeter’s personal career ambitions, as much as—if not more than—her social conscience are what push her to interview her friends and neighbors’ domestic employees. In the film, however, the moral lines are much more brightly drawn. In the novel, Skeeter’s sense of injustice on behalf of Jackson’s maids takes time to kindle, but here her crusading sensibility is established right off the bat. (We know she’s an unconventional thinker because she has wild, curly hair, unlike her peers, with their Stepford bouffants.) The villain Hilly Holbrook, as played by Bryce Dallas Howard, practically glows with cartoonish evil. (We know she’s rotten inside because she gets cold sores.) A character who, in the novel, is both a fine person and a racist—and allowed to inhabit both of those seemingly contradictory roles—gets an over-the-top redemption in the movie. It’s enjoyable, as melodrama can be, and undeniably powerful, but the film doesn’t always capture the “nuanced humanity” that filmmaker and author Nelson George calls for in a New York Times essay about Hollywood depictions of civil rights struggles.
But as widely beloved as the novel has been, it’s also been shadowed by controversy. After all, The Help is a book written by a white woman, in which a young, privileged white woman empowers and elevates a town’s black population by getting a book published about their experiences. The black characters’ thick dialect raised some eyebrows (“I reckon that’s the risk you run, letting somebody else raise you chilluns”), and a lawsuit filed by an African-American nanny and housekeeper who claims Stockett appropriated her identity exacerbated the book’s already “squicky” racial politics, as Salon’s Laura Miller called them.
Audiences will have another opportunity to appraise Stockett’s Jackson when the film adaptation of The Help, directed by Tate Taylor, opens in theaters tomorrow. The movie is getting a push from many African-American groups and community leaders, including the chairwoman of the NAACP, who tout the film as a rare example of a high-profile, mainstream entertainment starring strong black women. If the screening I saw last week is any indication, the brightly colored drama is guaranteed to be an audience pleaser, and it comes with an unimpeachable moral message: It’s bad to be a racist. But critics are asking: Just how progressive is it?
One of the key questions is to what extent the film represents Skeeter Phelan—the young Junior League member who is one of the novel’s three narrators, along with maids Aibileen and Minny—as some kind of savior of the women whose experiences she documents in her book. Several critics have grouped the movie with films like Mississippi Burning, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Blind Side, which see “racial progress as the province of white do-gooderism,” as Wesley Morris wrote today in the Boston Globe.
Unavoidably, the film flattens out some of the nuance of the 464-page book. In the novel, Stockett (perhaps hoping to sidestep accusations of Mary Sue-ism) complicates the notion that Skeeter is the story’s heroine by making it clear that Skeeter’s personal career ambitions, as much as—if not more than—her social conscience are what push her to interview her friends and neighbors’ domestic employees. In the film, however, the moral lines are much more brightly drawn. In the novel, Skeeter’s sense of injustice on behalf of Jackson’s maids takes time to kindle, but here her crusading sensibility is established right off the bat. (We know she’s an unconventional thinker because she has wild, curly hair, unlike her peers, with their Stepford bouffants.) The villain Hilly Holbrook, as played by Bryce Dallas Howard, practically glows with cartoonish evil. (We know she’s rotten inside because she gets cold sores.) A character who, in the novel, is both a fine person and a racist—and allowed to inhabit both of those seemingly contradictory roles—gets an over-the-top redemption in the movie. It’s enjoyable, as melodrama can be, and undeniably powerful, but the film doesn’t always capture the “nuanced humanity” that filmmaker and author Nelson George calls for in a New York Times essay about Hollywood depictions of civil rights struggles.
2011年8月8日星期一
Talks About Her 50/50 Role and Producing RESTLESS
In the drama The Help, set in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960′s and adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name, actress Bryce Dallas Howard plays the film’s bitchy antagonist Hilly Holbrook. A villain who believes in her own self-righteousness and who has no idea that she is doing anything wrong, Hilly has the charisma needed for other women to follow her, but is also ice-cold and viciously cruel, if you cross her. Convinced she is justified, even though she is deeply misguided, Hilly’s actions cause Aibileen (Viola Davis) to go to Skeeter (Emma Stone) to share her stories about being a maid for wealthy white families for a secret writing project that the aspiring journalist is working on. While that unlikely friendship puts them all at risk, it also changes their lives in extraordinary ways that none of them ever could have imagined.
At the film’s press day, Bryce Dallas Howard talked about how much she wanted to be a part of such a fantastic project, how daunting it was to live up to the expectations of the fans of the book, making the character into a real woman instead of a two-dimensional villain, the fun and freedom of playing a bitch, and the honor she felt in working with Sissy Spacek, Viola Davis and Allison Janney. She also talked about taking on a dramedy with 50/50, in which she plays Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s girlfriend, and the experience she had producing the Gus Van Sant film Restless, due out in September. Check out what she had to say after the jump:
Question: Was this a project that was an easy decision to sign on for?
the-help-movie-image-viola-davis-bryce-dallas-howard-01BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD: I auditioned for this. I really wanted to be in this. I hadn’t read the book. I heard about it, read the script and drove to the audition. On the way to the audition, I was talking to my mom and she asked me what I was auditioning for, and I told her it was The Help, and she had just read it in her book group and said it was extraordinary. The really eerie thing was that she was like, “What character are you gonna be auditioning for?,” and I said, “Hilly,” and without missing a beat, she said, “Oh, you’ll be perfect!” She experienced me at 15, so I understand what she’s talking about. She’s one of the only people who has seen that side of extreme rudeness. So then, after I auditioned, I thankfully heard pretty soon that I was being invited into the movie. Then, I read the book from there. So, I wanted to do it, and then after being offered it and reading the book, there was just no way that I wouldn’t have wanted to be a part of it. Even if I hadn’t read the book, there would have been no hesitancy. It was such a fantastic screenplay.
Was it daunting to take on this character and live up to the expectations of all the fans of the book?
HOWARD: When I was reading the script, and when reading the book, there’s a responsibility to create these as three-dimensional characters and not have Hilly Holbrook be some kind of Cruella DeVille, two-dimensional villain. I wanted to make her into a real woman because people were like that.
How much fun is it to play a bitch?
The-Help-movie-posterHOWARD: It’s fun to play a bitch. There’s a lot of freedom when you’re playing a character like that. You don’t need to worry about being likeable or appealing, or anything like that. I really, really, really enjoyed playing this character, and there were some tough things about her as well. It’s not like you’re playing some fantasy bad girl. She’s a genuinely evil person. It was like nothing that I had ever had the chance to do before. I’ve played a vampire (in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse), but that’s more of a mythological character.
This was the first real person that I’ve played that’s despicable. She’s a real person and there’s a psychology behind her behavior. It’s not like she’s a sociopath or anything, which I felt was scarier. She had justified her actions and she felt like she was right, but she was a really cruel individual. Of course, she was racist, but she didn’t perceive herself as being that way. Above all, what she was, was ignorant. She actually thought what she was doing was right for her children, for her future, for her way of life. She was protecting something. When that dawned on me, that was really scary. She actually thought she was right, and women like that actually believe that what they’re doing is good.
How do you make that real, in today’s context?
HOWARD: For me, because the hardest thing for me to get behind was understanding how she could possibly think this way, I created actual stories of moments in her life that became the moments that she decided, “Oh, this is the way it needs to be.” For instance, she has a cold sore, at one point, so I just created this circumstance where she kept getting cold sores and she went to a doctor and said, “Why am I getting these cold sores?,” and the doctor handed her a pamphlet and said, “Have you ever used a bathroom that was maybe used by a black person?” And, she read the pamphlet about the importance of separate bathrooms, which is where she learned that from. I created this backstory where she learned that from a doctor. Those pamphlets were handed out and people were told that kind of information. That doesn’t make her an innocent, at all, whatsoever, but for myself, I had to create those moments in her history that amounted to a person that believed that what she was doing was right.
What was it like to work with Sissy Spacek and Viola Davis?
HOWARD: This is such an obvious thing to say, but it’s an honor. It really is. The thing that’s tough for me is to get over the fact that I’m working with them because you spend a significant period of time being in awe of them. I felt the same way about Allison Janney. These are powerhouse women, and have such tremendous talent and such integrity as individuals. I felt really, really lucky to work with them. You don’t want to mess up when you’re in a scene with them, at all.
At the film’s press day, Bryce Dallas Howard talked about how much she wanted to be a part of such a fantastic project, how daunting it was to live up to the expectations of the fans of the book, making the character into a real woman instead of a two-dimensional villain, the fun and freedom of playing a bitch, and the honor she felt in working with Sissy Spacek, Viola Davis and Allison Janney. She also talked about taking on a dramedy with 50/50, in which she plays Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s girlfriend, and the experience she had producing the Gus Van Sant film Restless, due out in September. Check out what she had to say after the jump:
Question: Was this a project that was an easy decision to sign on for?
the-help-movie-image-viola-davis-bryce-dallas-howard-01BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD: I auditioned for this. I really wanted to be in this. I hadn’t read the book. I heard about it, read the script and drove to the audition. On the way to the audition, I was talking to my mom and she asked me what I was auditioning for, and I told her it was The Help, and she had just read it in her book group and said it was extraordinary. The really eerie thing was that she was like, “What character are you gonna be auditioning for?,” and I said, “Hilly,” and without missing a beat, she said, “Oh, you’ll be perfect!” She experienced me at 15, so I understand what she’s talking about. She’s one of the only people who has seen that side of extreme rudeness. So then, after I auditioned, I thankfully heard pretty soon that I was being invited into the movie. Then, I read the book from there. So, I wanted to do it, and then after being offered it and reading the book, there was just no way that I wouldn’t have wanted to be a part of it. Even if I hadn’t read the book, there would have been no hesitancy. It was such a fantastic screenplay.
Was it daunting to take on this character and live up to the expectations of all the fans of the book?
HOWARD: When I was reading the script, and when reading the book, there’s a responsibility to create these as three-dimensional characters and not have Hilly Holbrook be some kind of Cruella DeVille, two-dimensional villain. I wanted to make her into a real woman because people were like that.
How much fun is it to play a bitch?
The-Help-movie-posterHOWARD: It’s fun to play a bitch. There’s a lot of freedom when you’re playing a character like that. You don’t need to worry about being likeable or appealing, or anything like that. I really, really, really enjoyed playing this character, and there were some tough things about her as well. It’s not like you’re playing some fantasy bad girl. She’s a genuinely evil person. It was like nothing that I had ever had the chance to do before. I’ve played a vampire (in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse), but that’s more of a mythological character.
This was the first real person that I’ve played that’s despicable. She’s a real person and there’s a psychology behind her behavior. It’s not like she’s a sociopath or anything, which I felt was scarier. She had justified her actions and she felt like she was right, but she was a really cruel individual. Of course, she was racist, but she didn’t perceive herself as being that way. Above all, what she was, was ignorant. She actually thought what she was doing was right for her children, for her future, for her way of life. She was protecting something. When that dawned on me, that was really scary. She actually thought she was right, and women like that actually believe that what they’re doing is good.
How do you make that real, in today’s context?
HOWARD: For me, because the hardest thing for me to get behind was understanding how she could possibly think this way, I created actual stories of moments in her life that became the moments that she decided, “Oh, this is the way it needs to be.” For instance, she has a cold sore, at one point, so I just created this circumstance where she kept getting cold sores and she went to a doctor and said, “Why am I getting these cold sores?,” and the doctor handed her a pamphlet and said, “Have you ever used a bathroom that was maybe used by a black person?” And, she read the pamphlet about the importance of separate bathrooms, which is where she learned that from. I created this backstory where she learned that from a doctor. Those pamphlets were handed out and people were told that kind of information. That doesn’t make her an innocent, at all, whatsoever, but for myself, I had to create those moments in her history that amounted to a person that believed that what she was doing was right.
What was it like to work with Sissy Spacek and Viola Davis?
HOWARD: This is such an obvious thing to say, but it’s an honor. It really is. The thing that’s tough for me is to get over the fact that I’m working with them because you spend a significant period of time being in awe of them. I felt the same way about Allison Janney. These are powerhouse women, and have such tremendous talent and such integrity as individuals. I felt really, really lucky to work with them. You don’t want to mess up when you’re in a scene with them, at all.
2011年8月7日星期日
The real reason hypochondriacs drive doctors crazy
Hypochondriacs often provide comic relief in TV and film (see stubbornly bedridden Cameron at the beginning of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" or Melman the anxious pill-popping giraffe in "Madagascar"). The doctor-patient relationship itself is also played for laughs: "Scrubs," for instance, featured a recurring character named Harvey Corman whom an irritated Dr. Cox greets in one episode with his incurable bite: "And what imaginary disease is ailing you this time, my friend?" For a physician, these sorts of patients are frustrating to deal with, but not because their problem is a joke.
Real hypochondria, which today we believe is a form of extreme anxiety connected to depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, is serious, costly and debilitating. A brief perusal of hypochondria message boards will show you how terrifying the disorder really is. Driven by the frightening and unwavering conviction that every twinge, tingle and ache is a mortal threat, these patients can't stop calling 911, making doctor's appointments and demanding test upon test, drug upon drug. It adds up: Collectively, hypochondriacs cost our health system some $20 billion a year.
Modern culture provides fertile ground for this sort of anxiety. Google any ache or pain you might have, and you'll find a long list of life-threatening diagnoses. The term "cyberchondria" has been coined to describe those who spend too much time "e-searching" ailments. A Microsoft study revealed that half of the company's employees interrupted their day at some point to search for medical information online. More troublingly, researchers found that these searches often popped up the worst possible diagnoses. There's even an iPhone app that caters directly to the hypochondriac.
Real hypochondria, which today we believe is a form of extreme anxiety connected to depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, is serious, costly and debilitating. A brief perusal of hypochondria message boards will show you how terrifying the disorder really is. Driven by the frightening and unwavering conviction that every twinge, tingle and ache is a mortal threat, these patients can't stop calling 911, making doctor's appointments and demanding test upon test, drug upon drug. It adds up: Collectively, hypochondriacs cost our health system some $20 billion a year.
Modern culture provides fertile ground for this sort of anxiety. Google any ache or pain you might have, and you'll find a long list of life-threatening diagnoses. The term "cyberchondria" has been coined to describe those who spend too much time "e-searching" ailments. A Microsoft study revealed that half of the company's employees interrupted their day at some point to search for medical information online. More troublingly, researchers found that these searches often popped up the worst possible diagnoses. There's even an iPhone app that caters directly to the hypochondriac.
2011年8月3日星期三
Two Cold Cases Cracked Thanks to DNA Evidence
A Virginia inmate has pleaded guilty to a 1993 sexual assault on Manhattan’s Lower East Side after his DNA was matched last year to a sample taken more than 17 years ago, Manhattan prosecutors said.
Alberto Barriera, who is serving a seven-year sentence in Virginia on state narcotics charges, admitted to rape in the first degree and is expected to be sentenced to 10 years to 20 years in prison later this month. He will serve his sentence in New York after completing his Virginia prison term.
What makes the case particularly interesting is that his DNA sample was entered into a national database by Virgina officials last year after his conviction there and matched to the New York case in March 2010.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said the case highlights the need for DNA to be collected from all persons convicted under New York’s penal laws. Barriera might have been identified earlier if that was the case: he was convicted of misdemeanors in New York in 1999 and in 2004, Vance said.
“If New York State law had been amended to include DNA collection upon all convictions, this case would have been solved years earlier,” Vance said. It is our hope that today’s conviction brings a measure of closure to the woman who survived this attack, and assurance to victims still waiting that we will pursue these cases for as long as it takes to bring justice.”
Prosecutors had alleged that Barriera attacked a 16-year-old when she returned to her home on the Lower East Side in December 1993, robbing, violently choking and sexually assaulting her. A rape kit was prepared after the incident, but not analyzed until 2002. A grand jury indicted him as a “John Doe,” based on the DNA profile, in 2003 before the 10-year statute of limitations expired, Vance said.
A lawyer for Barriera didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Incredibly, there is another case in the news today involving similar facts.
Police investigators in Illinois were able to use DNA evidence on a bedspread used by a woman raped and murdered in 1976 to apprehend an inmate, already in prison on another murder charge, the Chicago Tribune reports, noting that the inmate told a judge that he would plead guilty to the 1976 crime.
Alberto Barriera, who is serving a seven-year sentence in Virginia on state narcotics charges, admitted to rape in the first degree and is expected to be sentenced to 10 years to 20 years in prison later this month. He will serve his sentence in New York after completing his Virginia prison term.
What makes the case particularly interesting is that his DNA sample was entered into a national database by Virgina officials last year after his conviction there and matched to the New York case in March 2010.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said the case highlights the need for DNA to be collected from all persons convicted under New York’s penal laws. Barriera might have been identified earlier if that was the case: he was convicted of misdemeanors in New York in 1999 and in 2004, Vance said.
“If New York State law had been amended to include DNA collection upon all convictions, this case would have been solved years earlier,” Vance said. It is our hope that today’s conviction brings a measure of closure to the woman who survived this attack, and assurance to victims still waiting that we will pursue these cases for as long as it takes to bring justice.”
Prosecutors had alleged that Barriera attacked a 16-year-old when she returned to her home on the Lower East Side in December 1993, robbing, violently choking and sexually assaulting her. A rape kit was prepared after the incident, but not analyzed until 2002. A grand jury indicted him as a “John Doe,” based on the DNA profile, in 2003 before the 10-year statute of limitations expired, Vance said.
A lawyer for Barriera didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Incredibly, there is another case in the news today involving similar facts.
Police investigators in Illinois were able to use DNA evidence on a bedspread used by a woman raped and murdered in 1976 to apprehend an inmate, already in prison on another murder charge, the Chicago Tribune reports, noting that the inmate told a judge that he would plead guilty to the 1976 crime.
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