Blue color seductive woman

Chest healthy standard

2008-04-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

The adult female chest healthy standard has following seven: the 1, chest measurement and the hips approximately same or are slightly small. between the 2, about nipple's widths and face's width is equal. the 3, breasts assume the cone or the hemispheroid, tall and sturdy, willowy. on 4, nipple micro dynasties, outward. the 5, about breast's central points to lower jaw's length, are equal to the lower jaw to the top of the head length. 6, breast's diameters approximately 18~20 centimeters. 7, about nipples and collar bone's central segment present triangles. the breast very dials the plentiful degree, usually uses “the link to be bad” expressed. Namely the breast is highest sticks out a chest measurement, with breast under difference of the chest measurement. The international general standard divides into the following seven levels: a level, the B level, the C level, the D level, the E level, the F level, the G level, respectively are 10 centimeter, 13 centimeter, 15 centimeter, 17 centimeter, 20 centimeter, 22 centimeter, above 25 centimeters.

The sentiment to the deep place needs to understand how to protect itself

2008-04-19T00:45:00.000-07:00

The modern human nature idea is having the earth-shaking change, the sex act had become the social common phenomenon before the wedding. Every year will have a vacation, will reach from now on the stream of people venereal diseases' peak. The urgent matter is needs to understand how to protect itself and opposite party is exempt from the injury. bride's side - - - the female needs to withstand sex act's immediate consequence - - - to be pregnant! The unmarried female must alone withstand from society's public opinion and the pressure. For some people do not let the human know, after undergoing the stream of people surgery, goes to work immediately, the study, serious influence state of health restoration. The medical research and the clinical material indicated that the stream of people may cause the volume of menstrual flow to the female to be few, the menopause, the nature are desolate, are sterile, the pregnancy easy to cause the miscarriage, the endometriosis sickness, the reproductive organ inflammation, the placenta praevia, the placental adherence to implant, the womb perforation, the post-natal massive hemorrhage once more, even to cause cervical cancer and so on. Some people do not dare the hospital stream of people, looks for these quack doctor, executes the technique extremely under the unscientific condition, causes the reproductive organ to receive the very big damage, some even lost one's life! groom's family - - - you know? The sex act bred before the wedding the bitter fruit will have the possibility person's pain which for a lifetime will love to you! Moreover the bride's side vagina infects the inflammation, you also by the cross infection. countermeasure 1, endures difficultly “runs a red light” the sentiment to the thickness when to control self, in addition in the network disseminates the sexual knowledge to contain errors many, many person thinking menstrual period sexual intercourse is safest, therefore requests to have a sexual intercourse. This time the menstrual period endometrium falls off, the uterine cavity surface forms the injured area, crosses when the sex life leads easily the bacterium, goes against the flow, but on enters the womb, thus causes in the palace cavity to infect, sends the adnexitis pelvic inflammatory disease. 2, attention health groom's family, if does not pay attention to the health, will take into the bacterium feminine vagina and the urethra, will cause wife's urine road infection gynecology department inflammation. Therefore, two experts indicated that before each time the sex life, male and female both sides must clean the external genital organs, before particularly the groom's family each time sexual intercourse, certainly must turn the wrapper washes cleanly, by against leads the wrapper filthy bacterium wife's vagina and the urethra. after has a sexual intercourse, urinates immediately, in order to flushes in the urine road's dunghill, the inflammatory secretion as well as the bacterium. May coordinate massive drinking water, increases the urination quantity.

Are You a Candidate for a Cervical Cancer Vaccine?

2008-02-16T22:42:00.000-08:00

Globally, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women, and in the U.S., nearly 4,000 women will die from the disease this year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Consequently, doctors and public-health experts are touting the new vaccine as a landmark drug in women’s health.
The vaccine is targeted to females 9 to 26 years old—the only age range tested in the drug’s preliminary research trials. The hitch is this: Cervical cancer typically occurs in midlife, with nearly half of the women diagnosed with the disease being between the ages of 35 and 55, according to the CDC.
The hailed advent of Gardasil, produced by pharmaceutical giant Merck, has left many women wondering whether this drug is only for the innocent young, or if it could also safeguard mature and sexually active women who are at a higher risk for cervical cancer.
Experts weigh in on who may and may not benefit from the vaccine.
Partial Immunity Better Than None
HPV is a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different strains. “You can get infected with one of these strains on your first sexual encounter, and it is not easy for your doctor to tell if you are infected,” says Dr. Harry Hull, the state epidemiologist from the Minnesota Department of Health. Dr. Hull is also one of 15 experts on the CDC’s immunization advisory committee, which will endorse federal recommendations for Gardasil later this month. These recommendations mandate how and when the vaccine should be administered, who should get it and if it is a mandatory or voluntary immunization.
If a woman is infected with an HPV strain before receiving the vaccine, future immunity against that strain is impossible. As a consequence, sexually active women and women already infected with HPV strains are not ideal candidates for the vaccine, says Dr. Hull.
But women within these categories shouldn’t discount the drug just yet. Among the many HPV strains, only four cause nearly all of the world’s cervical cancers and genital warts: Types 16 and 18, and Types 6 and 11, respectively. Gardasil is designed to target these. “So even if you've been infected with one of these strains, you are still going to benefit from vaccination against the other three strains,” says Dr. Hull.
So sexually active women may not achieve total immunity, but partial immunity is certainly better than none.
Off-Label Prescription
Gardasil is licensed only for females ages 9 to 26, and it will take years for Merck to test the vaccine’s efficacy on a broader age range. Until then, doctors may choose to prescribe Gardasil for women beyond the age of 26, but only if the conditions are right. “This means that the patient has had normal Pap smears all of her life and there is no evidence that she is infected with an HPV strain,” says Dr. Bradley Busacco, a gynecologist and obstetrician in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Not all physicians will feel comfortable prescribing the vaccine off-label. (Off-label means that the drug will be used in a way that is not specifically endorsed by its manufacturer—in this case, prescribing it for women exceeding Merck’s age recommendations.) Women beyond the age of 26 who wish to be vaccinated must discuss their medical history and the issue of off-label prescribing with their gynecologist.
Women in older age demographics may soon have another option for cervical cancer protection. By the year’s end, the FDA is expected to review and approve a second HPV vaccine, Cervarix (produced by GlaxoSmithKline). Initial studies indicate that Cervarix is safe and effective against HPV infection in women age 15 to 55 years. Unlike Gardasil, GlaxoSmithKline’s drug is not designed to immunize against genital warts, but it will protect women against the two leading cancer-causing HPV strains: Types 16 and 18. Previous infection of one of these HPV strains will compromise Cervarix’s immunity, and previous infection of both of these HPV strains will negate the vaccine’s immunity
Men: Important Members of the HPV-Infected Population
Due to a lack of research, boys and young men, even older men, are not immediate candidates for the HPV vaccines. But males are important members of the HPV-infected population, and they should not be overlooked, says one of the vaccine’s inventors, Shin-je Ghim. “Men move the virus from one woman to another. They also run the risk of contracting genital warts,” says Ghim, who is an assistant professor of immunology at the University of Louisville. “I think it would be nice if boys were immunized not only for themselves, but for their future partners, too.”
According to Merck, that day may not be far off. The company is currently testing Gardasil’s efficacy on young males, and it anticipates results within the next year or two, says Kelley Dougherty, director of public affairs for Merck vaccines.
Pregnancy
Gardasil is a pregnancy Category B drug. Studies have shown the vaccine to be safe and effective in reproduction experiments involving female rats, but Merck must conduct more human reproduction studies before recommending Gardasil during pregnancy, says Dougherty.
The vaccine is administered in a series of three injections spaced over six months, and if a woman becomes pregnant during that time frame, she should discontinue the series until her pregnancy ends. Women can then resume the vaccination where they left off. There is no need to restart the series.
In regards to Cervarix, it is too soon in the drug’s development process to make any pregnancy recommendations, according to Danielle Halstrom, director of product communications for GlaxoSmithKline.
How Early Can You Vaccinate?
Scientists have not examined Gardasil’s effectiveness on children below age 9, but there is little need to vaccinate children at birth, assures Professor Ghim. “Sexual activity—not age—is the major factor in deciding when to vaccinate someone.”
Preliminary studies indicate that Gardasil guarantees HPV immunity for at least five years and Cervarix will protect patients for at least four and a half years. Yet, researchers do not know the exact endpoints of immunity for either vaccine. Children vaccinated at birth may need a booster shot to bolster their immunity before becoming sexually active. As a result, immunization experts recommend that parents wait to vaccinate their children until they are closer to the age of sexual activity. Merck is currently conducting trials to track Gardasil’s staying power, and GlaxoSmithKline has similar longevity tests underway.
Mixing Gardasil and Cervarix
If booster shots are necessary to sustain immunity throughout a person’s lifetime, doctors will need to know if Gardasil and Cervarix are compatible vaccines. To date this issue is a matter of speculation, not hard science. “So far, nobody’s looked at mixing the two drugs,” says epidemiologist Hull. “I think that there will be some studies done on this in the future, but it probably won’t be a problem,” he says. “Gardasil and Cervarix are very closely related products.
“The bottom line is that women who may be or who already are sexually active should be encouraged to get vaccinated for HPV,” says Dr. Hull. “Immunization will save lives.”

Lust For The Long Haul

2007-11-01T00:43:00.001-07:00

When my husband and I started dating, we quickly became one of those
obnoxious couples who couldn't keep their hands off each other. We kissed every
time we stopped at a crosswalk -- in New York, that's a lot. At Starbucks we
were so grotesque -- staring into each other's eyes, stroking each other's arms
-- that when the branch removed its tables and converted to carryout, we
wondered if we were the reason. Once, during a protracted public goodbye, a
group of teenagers actually screeched at us to get a room.

We did more than that. We got married. Like most couples in the throes of
passion, we were smug, convinced that all the cliches about things slowing down
described partners who weren't meant to be together in the first place. But
slowly, things did cool off. We still loved one another, still held hands. But
the crosswalk kissing and the subway platform clinches faded away. Instead of
long weekend mornings in bed, we started getting up early and going to the
gym.

I couldn't help (a) noticing, and (b) torturing myself about what it meant.
You'd have to be hiding under a rock for the last decade not to know that half
of all marriages now end in divorce, and that sexual difficulties are one of the
leading complaints of unhappy couples. Was this how it begins?

It's some consolation that many other Americans face the same question. In
the benchmark survey of desire, roughly one-third of all adults reported having
some kind of sexual problem during the previous year. Some pundits blame gender
politics, job stress and cultural changes. Others, more cynical, point to the
monotony of marriage. But these plausible (and socially acceptable) explanations
obscure a more disquieting truth. Sex, and more importantly, intimacy, are
grown-up skills, and most of us, metaphorically speaking, are still in junior
high. We're still clinging to the idea of romance, when real intimacy requires
something a lot more difficult: pushing past your own limits to become a more
fully developed human being.

Conventional wisdom holds that an intimate couple thinks pretty much the same
way about most things. You connect seamlessly -- especially in bed. But
according to the radical ideas of the marital and sex therapist David Schnarch,
we've got it all backward. "Sex is inherently based on intimacy. The problem is
that most people have a very misguided idea of what intimacy means," he says.
"There's this idea that your partner is going to make you feel good and validate
you." It's our cultural template for "true" love. Think Tom Cruise in Jerry
McGuire declaring his love for Renee Zellweger: "You complete me," he says,
with trembling lip.

Except that no one has a marriage like that. What's more, says Schnarch, no
one should. Sure, the you-complete-me stuff works fine in the beginning. It's
even fun. Like two people cinched together for a three-legged race, there is
satisfaction in getting the groove of operating side-by-side with perfect
fluidity. But when you try to keep those tethers on indefinitely, reality
intrudes. Two people aren't going to agree on every move. And they'll get tired
of always accommodating the other -- by keeping quiet, by moving the same way,
by propping the other one up.

Sooner or later, a lot of these three-legged marriages wind up in gridlock:
Each partner is increasingly frustrated by the other's apparent unwillingness to
get on the same page -- and each becomes increasingly annoyed and worried about
it. It's in this juncture, where the conflict between real intimacy and wishful
thinking rears its head, that many of us notice the sex ain't what it used to
be. But while we fear that this is the beginning of the end, Schnarch says it's
often when things finally start to go right. It means marriage is beginning the
relentless process of doing what it's supposed to do, nudging us away from the
Renee-Tom model of partnership and forcing us to figure out who we are as
individuals.

Real intimacy is frightening. It requires a kind of openness, honesty and
self-respect that most of us aren't used to. But Schnarch's 30 years of
counseling couples has convinced him that it's worth it. A truly intimate
connection between adults is less volatile, because couples aren't ticked off
about what their partner is or isn't doing to prop them up. It's more solid,
because it's based on reality. "Ultimately, you get through gridlock and get to
a place of more honest self-disclosure, where the focus is on being known,
rather than being validated," he says. Best of all, the sex often becomes more
relaxed, creative and connected. Literally and figuratively, no one's hiding in
the dark anymore.

Learning the Language of Sex

When couples do try to address their sexual problems, they often focus on
mechanics: Viagra, lingerie, trying out new positions. But sex -- even terrible
sex -- isn't engineering, says Schnarch. It's a language, and its content is
everything else happening in the marriage. The woman who doesn't say a word but
barely opens her knees for her husband is actually speaking volumes. Ditto the
man who is so intent upon pleasing his unpleasable wife that he frequently loses
his erection. "Even the way couples avoid having sex is a window into who they
are together," he says.

Often, sexual disconnect has a similar refrain: I can't show you who I really
am. People's mistaken ideas about intimacy have made them overly reliant on a
partner for their own sense of self. You demand that your partner approve of
you, and you begin to count on him or her to reassure you that you're normal and
that your feelings are valid. This makes it difficult to be completely open or
honest with each other anymore. One or both of you begins to feel suffocated,
and the intense vulnerability of sexual passion that was so easy in the early
days becomes impossible.

Tammy, 36, and her husband, Jack, 34, struggled for years with mismatched
sexual desire. Jack wanted to have sex all the time. Tammy avoided it. "I pretty
much didn't care if I never had sex again," she says now. For her marriage's
sake, she'd tried supplements and testosterone cream to increase her desire.
They hadn't worked. Nor had a therapist who'd advised Tammy to try a little
novelty -- like running a hairbrush all over her husband's body. "I already
didn't want to have sex," says Tammy, still irritated, "and I definitely didn't
want to do that." By the time they wound up at Schnarch's office, they were
inches away from divorce.

Through three intensive days in therapy, it became obvious that Tammy's
problem wasn't biological. Jack was needy, emotionally, and looked to Tammy to
make him feel better, in and out of bed. Tammy, like many women, played the
caregiver role to the hilt. She was a teacher, she had two small children, and
she was even contemplating a new career as a nurse.

They began to realize, with Schnarch's guidance, that although they felt
estranged from each other, they were in fact completely interdependent. Jack
didn't know how to soothe himself when he was feeling anxious. He looked to
Tammy, and to sex, for that. For her part, Tammy had no idea how to take care of
her own feelings, or even what they were. Nor did she have the energy, because
so much went to propping up Jack. In some unconscious way, by avoiding sex with
him, she was saying no more.

For their relationship to survive, each needed to take a step back and change
how they individually dealt with their own emotions, rather than leaning on --
and resenting -- the other. Jack had to learn to deal with his neediness on his
own, and recognize that he couldn't expect his wife to do it for him. Tammy had
to figure out who she was and what she wanted, or live her life without really
ever knowing herself -- much less getting to be known by anyone else. And she
had to speak up when she disagreed, rather than keep quiet in order to not rock
the boat.

A year later, Tammy and Jack are utterly honest with each other. No hiding.
"Before we would just not talk about any of our problems because we didn't want
to get each other upset," Tammy says. Now, she says, they always say what they
are thinking or feeling, regardless of the reaction they anticipate. "It can be
very uncomfortable," she admits. "And I'm still working on tact." But in their
case, she says, it changed everything. Over the course of several months spent
learning to be themselves together, Tammy's sex drive returned. They're happier
than they've ever been, she says: "We just renewed our vows in Vegas."

How Sex Makes Grown-Ups

Schnarch's way of thinking about the interdependence of sex and intimacy is a
big shift from the traditional focus on anxiety as a primary cause of sexual
difficulty. Problems in the bedroom are too often seen as distinct from the
emotional struggles of marriage and partnership. But Schnarch -- and a few other
therapists -- have developed an alternative view, one that puts partnership at
the heart of sexuality and puts both sexuality and intimacy at the center of
human development. Sexual difficulties are a kind of emotional Rorschach test
that offers a glimpse into not just the dynamics of the relationship, but the
continuing agenda of growing into a fully autonomous human being.

Schnarch says that what happens with many troubled couples is analogous to
what happens in children as they mature emotionally. A key developmental task of
adolescence is to form separate and unique identities from our parents. (That's
what the dismissive remarks and the skin piercings are all about.) We assume
that by the time we're married, we're past all that. Not true, says Schnarch.
We've merely switched our focus from our parents to our spouses. Temporarily,
some of us adopt joined-at-the-hip intimacy as an archetype of marriage. But the
rebelliousness, the need to separate ourselves, kicks in again. You know it,
Schnarch says, when you begin to find yourself more at odds with your partner
and less sexually attracted to each other than you used to be.

Or you know it when you engage in something he calls arguing about reality.
That is, you both experience an event -- a movie, or a remembered moment from
your past together. But you see it in entirely different ways, and you can't
stop arguing until one of you caves in. Schnarch describes one couple's memories
of the birth of their first child. The wife thought it was the closest moment
they'd ever shared -- but her husband remembered being nauseated by the blood.
Their contradictory views of this event became part of a bitter argument that
surfaced again and again. Because neither of them would accept the other's point
of view, they felt that they were drifting apart. In Schnarch's view, this
difference of opinion was normal, not an indication that their relationship was
falling apart. They are, after all, two different people.

Schnarch's treatment usually involves intense four-day sessions, and doesn't
lend itself to quick tips. All the same, there are basic behavioral shifts that
he finds can benefit many unhappy couples. They all involve the same process:
Each partner takes responsibility for his or her own emotions and learns to
tolerate the idea that his or her partner is not a spiritual twin. That means no
longer expecting a partner to validate you -- so that he or she can admit that
sometimes your ideas are half-baked, rather than always reassuring you that
you're right. You examine your own behavior and see what you expect others to do
for you that you could be doing on your own -- for example, learning to feel
good about yourself without requiring someone else's praise and compliments.

But don't expect your partner to applaud when you tell the truth about
yourself. Learn to lick your own wounds -- it's not your partner's job to soothe
you, it's yours. Try to tell the truth for the right reason. Being honest
doesn't mean being vindictive. "The idea is that you are telling each other the
truth, even when it is difficult, out of caring and commitment, not because
you're pissed off and want to carve each other up," he says. The irony, says
Schnarch, is that rather than increasing conflict between couples -- as you
would think might happen -- emotional honesty has the opposite effect. The issue
is no longer about what your partner does or doesn't do: You can accept that
they, like all people, have their own limitations and failings. Instead, the
focus shifts to you, and whether you're being a grown-up -- or not.

The Joys of Adulthood

Schnarch is still something of a maverick in the field of sex therapy. Talk
to 10 sex therapists (I did), and you'll get 10 strong opinions. Some think he's
done the sex and marital therapy version of cracking the code of DNA. Others
find his ideas interesting, but don't believe that they apply to all couples.
Many say they incorporate a little of what he preaches into their practice --
like a spice in a tomato sauce." The Atlanta-based marital therapist Frank
Pittman, author of a self-help book called Grow Up: How Taking Responsibility
Can Make You a Happy Adult, is one whose approach resembles Schnarch's.
"What he's doing is teaching people the joys of adulthood," he says, "of the
wonderful things that can happen in a relationship when you take responsibility
for yourself, whether you've got your pants on at the moment or not."

The reward for all of this hard work, say Schnarch, Pittman and others, is a
kind of intimacy that helps you be more of the person you want to be and
supports an intense lifelong bond. In return you are seen, known and understood
-- truly -- for who you are. And loved and desired, to boot. It's a rare thing,
perhaps the most powerful connection we can hope for.

With this outing of yourself, so to speak, goes a greater freedom in bed.
You're no longer pretending. Schnarch considers the ability, for example, to
look into your partner's eyes while engaged in a sexual act or in the midst of
orgasm to be the height of intimacy. It's an act of mutual self-revelation that
cannot be matched almost anywhere else in life. "Once people try it, they
totally get what real intimacy is about," he says.

Eye-to-eye sex is not for the faint of heart. Even Schnarch's wife,
psychologist Ruth Morehouse, who now works with him as a marital and sex
therapist and uses his techniques, confesses to having had her doubts. At the
time that her husband was developing his ideas in the 1980s, she says, she
wasn't crazy about them. She describes herself at that time as fairly reliant on
others to give her great feedback about herself, personally and professionally.
She wasn't too keen to grow up, in the way her husband advocated. And the
eyes-open thing, well. "At first, I was mad at him for even suggesting that this
is something that people were supposed to do," says Morehouse. "It was a stretch
for me. At first, I literally couldn't keep my eyes open. After a couple of
times, I was able to do it, and it made sex more emotional and meaningful. It's
now a routine part of my sex life."

Does this mean that all sexual issues can be solved this way? Probably not.
Growing up won't do a lot for a faulty blood vessel that's contributing to an
erection problem. Or for the couple who are genuinely exhausted from chasing
small children around all day. But it maps out some promising new territory,
where personal growth and existential concerns become as much a part of sexual
therapy as do anxiety and pathology. Schnarch is creating a new way of thinking
built on growth and possibilities. Making relationships, and sex, better. How
could anyone not be fascinated by the potential?

As for me, I suspect I still have a lot of growing up to do. (Arguing about
reality? Guilty.) And I haven't dared bring up the idea of eyes-open sex with my
husband yet, for fear he'll take me up on it. I have a feeling I'd have to keep
my eyes open with pliers. But I am intrigued. And now, as I stand on subway
platforms or street corners, watching couples who really ought to get a room
groping one another without shame, I don't feel as if I've been banished to the
land of slippers and ratty bathrobes. Because according to Schnarch's model, in
which sex only gets better as you get older and wiser, I'm ahead of the game. Or
at least those couples. And that makes me feel smug all over again.

Sex and Your Psyche

2007-11-01T00:42:00.002-07:00

You know the cliche: a woman is so uninterested in sex that she makes a
shopping list while making love. Jennifer and Laura Berman see such women all
the time, and it's frustration—not boredom—that brings them to the Bermans' new
clinic at UCLA.

"I was talking to a woman earlier today about her low libido, which was a
result of the fact that she can't reach orgasm," says psychologist Laura Berman,
Ph.D., who with her sister, urologist Jennifer Berman, M.D., is a founder and
codirector of the Center for Women's Urology and Sexual Medicine clinic.
"Because she can't reach orgasm, sex is frustrating. She feels a hopeless,
fatalistic complacency about her sex life. When she's having sex, her partner
picks up on that and feels rejected and angry, or notices she's withdrawing.
Then intimacy starts to break down. Her partner feels less intimate because
there's less sex, and she feels less sexual because there's less intimacy. The
whole thing starts to break down."

Acknowledgement of sexual dysfunction in America is booming. But with all the
attention on Viagra and prostate problems in men, most people would probably
never guess that more women than men suffer from sexual dysfunction. According
to an article in the Journal of the American Medical
Association, as many as 43 percent of women have some form of difficulty in
their sexual function, as opposed to 31 percent of men.

And yet female sexuality has taken a back seat to the penis. Before Viagra,
medicine was doing everything from penile injections to wire and balloon
implants to raise flagging erections, while female sexual dysfunction was almost
exclusively treated as a mental problem. "Women were often told it was all in
their head, and they just needed to relax," says Laura.

The Bermans want to change that. They are at the forefront of forging a
mind-body perspective of female sexuality. The Bermans want the medical
community and the public to recognize that female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is a
problem that may have physical as well as emotional components. To spread their
message, they have appeared twice on Oprah,
have made numerous appearances on Good Morning
America and have written a book, For Women
Only.

"Female sexual dysfunction is a problem that can affect your sense of
well-being," explains Jennifer. "And for years people have been working in a
vacuum in the sex and psychotherapy realms and the medical community. Now we are
putting it all together."

No single problem makes up female sexual dysfunction. A recent article in the
Journal of Urology defined FSD as including
such varied troubles as a lack of sexual desire so great that it causes personal
distress, an inability of the genitals to become adequately lubricated,
difficulty in reaching orgasm even after sufficient stimulation and a persistent
genital pain associated with intercourse. "We see women ranging from their early
twenties to their mid-seventies with all types of problems," Laura says, "most
of which have both medical and emotional bases to them." The physical causes of
FSD can range from having too little testosterone or estrogen in the blood to
severed nerves as a result of pelvic surgery to taking such medications as
antihistamines or serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Prozac and Zoloft. The
psychological factors, Laura says, can include sexual history issues,
relationship problems and depression.

The Bermans codirected the Women's Sexual Health Clinic at Boston University
Medical Center for three years before starting the UCLA clinic this year. At
present, they can see only eight patients a day, but each one receives a full
consultation the first day. Laura gives an extensive evaluation to assess the
psychological component of each woman's sexuality.

"Basically, it's a sex history," Laura says. "We talk about the presenting
problem, its history, what she's done to address it in her relationship, how
she's coped with it, how it has impacted the way she feels about herself. We
also address earlier sexual development, unresolved sexual abuse or trauma,
values around sexuality, body image, self-stimulation, whether the problem is
situational or across the board, whether it's lifelong or acquired." After the
evaluation, Laura recommends possible solutions. "There is some psycho-education
in there, where I'll work with her around vibrators or videos or things to try,
and talk about addressing sex therapy."

Afterward, the patient is given a physiological evaluation. Different probes
are used to determine vaginal pH balance, the degree of clitoral and labial
sensation and the amount of vaginal elasticity. "Then we give the patient a pair
of 3-D goggles with surround sound and a vibrator and ask them to watch an
erotic video and stimulate themselves to measure lubrication and pelvic blood
flow," Jennifer says.

The identification of FSD has been called everything from the final frontier
of the women's movement to an attempt by the patriarchy to shackle women's
sexuality. But given the success that drugs such as Viagra have had in reversing
male sexual dysfunction, the Bermans found an unexpected amount of criticism
from their peers. "The resistance we got from the rest of the medical community
early on was surprising to us," Laura says, explaining that the urological field
in particular has been dominated by men.

Clearly, the Bermans will need hard data to win over their critics. Their
UCLA facility is enabling the Bermans to conduct some of the first systematic
psychological and physiological research on the factors that inhibit female
sexual function. One of their first studies suggests that the pharmaco-sexual
revolution that helped some men overcome their sexual dysfunction may prove less
effective for women. Their initial study of the effects of Viagra on women found
that Viagra did increase blood flow to genitalia and thereby facilitate sex, but
women who took the drug said it provided little in the way of arousal. In short,
subjects' bodies might have been ready, but their minds were not.

"Viagra worked half as often in the women with an unresolved sexual abuse
history as in those without it," Laura says. "So it's just not going to work
alone. Women experience sexuality in a context, and no amount of medication is
going to mask psychologically rooted, or emotionally or relationally rooted
sexual problems." Laura believes the results of the Viagra study counter those
who contend that FSD is simply a tool of pharmaceutical companies to
"medicalize" female sexuality.

"I'm less concerned about it, because I'm aware that it won't work," she
says. "And in some respects, pharmaceutical companies are closing the divide
between the mind and body camps of FSD. Clinical trials of new drugs for FSD are
requiring psychologists to screen participants, and that is an acknowledgement
that an accurate assessment of a drug's efficacy requires a consideration of the
test subjects' feelings about sex. So these physicians who may not be motivated
to bring on a sex therapist are now motivated to participate in a clinical
trial, and then that model becomes the norm."

Currently, the sisters are working on MRI studies of the brain's response to
sexual arousal, the place where mind and body meet. And although there is a lot
more research to be done on FSD, identifying it as a problem has already made a
significant impact on how women perceive their sexuality. "Women now feel more
comfortable going to their doctors, and they're not taking no for an answer, not
being told to just go home and have a glass of wine," explains Laura. "They feel
more entitled to their sexual function."

His & Hers: How To Have Them

Hers: a female orgasm can be frustratingly evasive. While about 85 to 90
percent of women are capable of having an orgasm, according to Beverly Whipple,
Ph.D., vice president of the World Association for Sexology, only about
one-third have had one during intercourse. That said, it's important to remember
that orgasm should never be the goal.

"In goal-oriented sexual interactions, each step leads to the top step, or
the big "O"—orgasm," says Whipple. "Goal-oriented people who don't reach the top
step don't feel very good about the process that has occurred. Whereas for
people who are pleasure oriented, any activity can be an end in itself; it
doesn't have to lead to something else. Sometimes, we're very satisfied holding
hands or cuddling. There would be a lot more pleasure in this world if people
would just focus on the process."

Whipple also points out that the psychological ramifications of dissatisfying
sexual interactions are not often suffered alone; they can cause distress in
both partners. "If one person in a relationship is goal-oriented and the other
is pleasure-oriented, and neither is aware of their own orientation, they don't
communicate that with their partner," she explains. "A lot of relationship
problems can develop. In my workshops with couples, I help them be aware of how
they view sexual interactions and then communicate this with their partner."

Types of Orgasm

Clitoral Orgasm

The most common, they result from directly stimulating the clitoris and
surrounding tissue. What many people don't realize is that the majority of the
clitoris is actually hidden inside the woman's body. Recently, Australian
urologist Helen O'Connell, M.M.E.D., studied cadavers and 3-D photography and
found that the clitoris is attached to an inner mound of erectile tissue the
size of your first thumb joint. That tissue has two legs or crura that extend
another 11 centimeters. In addition, two clitoral bulbs—also composed of
erectile tissue—run down the area just outside the vagina.

O'Connell's findings, published in the Journal of
Urology, show that this erectile tissue, plus the surrounding muscle
tissue, all contribute to orgasmic muscle spasms. With so much tissue involved
in a clitoral orgasm, it's no wonder they're the easiest to have.

Pelvic Floor or Vaginal Orgasms

These occur through stimulating the G-spot, or putting pressure on the cervix
(the opening into the uterus) and/or the anterior vaginal wall. Located halfway
between the pubic bone and the cervix, the sensitive G-spot—named after its
discoverer, German physician Ernest Grafenberg—is a mass of spongy tissue that
swells when stimulated. Because it's difficult to locate, experts have developed
a few guiding techniques:

Lying on her back, the woman tilts her pelvis upward so that
her vulva presses flat against her partner's pelvic bone. According to the
Bermans, this allows the penis to make contact with the G-spot, simultaneously
stimulating the clitoris. Putting pillows beneath her buttocks makes angling her
pelvis easier.
Whipple suggests placing two fingers inside the vagina and
moving them in a beckoning motion. The fingertips should stroke the frontal
vaginal wall, just where the G-spot is located.

The Blended Orgasm

This can be attained through a combination of the first two.

Her Benefits

Pain relief: Orgasms help alleviate menstrual cramps. In
addition, studies have shown that a woman's pain threshold increases
substantially during orgasm.
Enhanced mood: According to University of Virginia
researchers, orgasms boost levels of the female sex hormone estrogen, which in
turn betters your mood and helps ease premenstrual symptoms. They also release
endorphins, the body's natural painkillers and depression fighters.
Increased intimacy: Oxytocin, a hormone that promotes
feelings of intimacy, jumps to five times its normal level during climax.
Easier rest: Oxytocin also induces drowsiness. For women,
sleepiness comes about 20 to 30 minutes after orgasm. Men, on the other hand,
usually drift off after only two to five minutes.
Less stress: Stress in women is highly correlated with
arousal difficulties, lack of libido and anorgasmia, the inability to reach
orgasm, according to one 1999 study in the Journal of the American Medical
Association. Just 20 minutes of intercourse, however, releases the
lust-enhancing hormone dopamine, triggering a relaxation response that lasts up
to two hours.

Physiologically speaking, male and female orgasms are surprisingly similar.
The related problems men and women experience, however, are distinctly
different.

"There are men who can't orgasm, but I think it's less than I percent of
men," says Jed Kaminetsky, M.D., a professor of urology at New York University
and director of the school's male sexual dysfunction clinic. "That's a much less
common problem than premature ejaculation."

A study published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association found that premature ejaculation is even more common
than erectile dysfunction, especially among younger men. As with most
sex-related problems, it affects both partners—some studies suggest that nearly
30 percent of couples report premature ejaculation as the most prevalent sexual
problem in their relationship. One major obstacle to treating it is simply
defining the problem to begin with.

"It depends on the relationship," Kaminetsky explains. "If a woman takes an
hour to orgasm and the man can last 40 minutes, that's premature ejaculation for
that couple." At the other extreme, one minute is too short an amount of time
for most couples. "Not too many women are going to climax within a minute."

Kaminetsky also sees truth in Whipple's assessment of goal-oriented versus
pleasure-oriented interactions. "Men are very goal oriented; they see a task and
they want to successfully perform that task," he says. "Often that task is to
make their partner have an orgasm. If the woman knows that, she feels like a
laboratory animal—it's not a very sexy thing. That's why women fake orgasms,
which is a sign of lack of communication in a relationship."

Premature Ejaculation

Rarely a physiological problem, premature ejaculation can result from
over-excitement, positioning or rate of intercourse. "The roots of it go back to
the way men learn to orgasm, which is typically through masturbation," suggests
Kaminetsky. "A lot of young boys masturbate quickly, because they don't want
their mom to walk in on them. It becomes a trained behavior." To treat premature
ejaculation, experts suggest changing positions, breathing deeply, thinking
about something other than sex or simply stopping for a moment. Here, Kaminetsky
offers two additional techniques for delaying orgasm:

Practice this before reaching "ejaculatory inevitability,"
the point when ejaculation cannot be stopped; most men recognize it as a
sensation of deep warmth or pleasure: Squeeze the head of the penis for about
four seconds or until the sensation subsides, then resume.
During intercourse, the man should press his pelvic bone
against the woman's and rock rather than thrust his body. "It won't be as
stimulating for him so he'll last longer, and it may be more stimulating for the
woman."

His Benefits

Long life: Men who have two or more orgasms a week tend to
live significantly longer than do those who have only one or none, according to
research at Cardiff University in Wales.
Less cancer: Breast cancer is rare in men, but once
developed, the mortality rate is high. Fortunately, a study published in the
British Journal of Cancer found that men who have more than six orgasms a month
are significantly less likely to develop breast cancer than are those who have
less frequent sex.
Healthy hearts: A study of 2,500 men at the University of
Bristol and Queens University of Belfast found that men who have at least three
or more orgasms a week are 50 percent less likely to die from heart failure or
coronary heart disease.
Good health: Having sex once or twice a week also fights off
the flu and other viruses by strengthening the immune system, psychologists at
the University of Pennsylvania recently found.
Youthful looks: A study of 3,500 aging people at the Royal
Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland found that those who looked the youngest also had
the most vigorous sex life. The effects were even greater if the subjects were
emotionally satisfied as well.

Getting Close And Personal

Bee, 25, Copywriter

Masturbating is the easiest way for women to learn how to have an orgasm.
Women who masturbate will be a lot more likely to have an orgasm during sex. I
think it helps you learn the actual mechanics of what turns you on, where things
need to happen.

Because the guy isn't going to know that; there's no reason he would. Every
woman is different. Also, the bonding that goes on during sex seems most extreme
with an orgasm. It's kind of like one or both people have gone completely over
the edge; they're suspended in the other person's grasp, and they're completely
surrendered to it. That intensifies any connection.

Gabriel, 25, Musician

There are guys who don't get a rise out of giving a woman an orgasm and would
just prefer not to have someone else there. I've even heard some guys say they
have better orgasms during masturbation than sex. The mere thought of it
astounds me, but it makes sense if a guy has a fear of intimacy or, even more, a
fear of performing. It probably takes away from his own orgasm if he's overly
concerned with his sexual performance or whether or not she's having one. It's
ironic, because an orgasm during sex is enhanced when it's with someone you
truly care about.

Getting Close and Personal

Kamara, 27, Musician

I'm amazed when I talk to anyone who claims to have never had an orgasm,
probably because I just can't imagine not having them or not being able to have
them. At the same time, it doesn't surprise me: I was raised in a very
conservative religious atmosphere that actually called masturbation "self
abuse," and all sexuality—not to mention orgasms—was beautiful and good only if
it happened in a marriage bed. It takes awhile to expel the load of guilt that
piles up around your sexuality if you're raised in that kind of culture, and I'm
sure some people never do. But there was no way I wasn't going to aim for the
prize once I knew what it felt like. Maybe it depends on your sexual drive—for
me the drive was strong enough that I could never feel guilty about an orgasm
for long.

Steven, 28, Veterinarian

Some guys think sex has to include an orgasm. Orgasms are great, but there's
so much more to sex. An orgasm is more of a physical experience; I guess there
is an emotional aspect, but it's over in a second. I think anybody can give you
an orgasm, but it's the person there after the orgasm that matters. But I think
I'm the exception.

Does Orgasm Equal Sex?

Our ever-changing definition of sex may hinge more on the climax than on the
act itself; Psychologist L.M. Bogart, Ph.D., gave Kent State students a list of
scenarios in which "Jim" and "Susie" engaged in vaginal, anal or oral
intercourse and either did or did not achieve orgasm. Vaginal intercourse was
considered sex 97 percent of the time, followed by anal intercourse (93 percent)
and oral sex (44 percent). Researchers were surprised to find that orgasm
occurrence dictated whether or not the activity was considered sex. Although the
woman was more likely to label vaginal intercourse sex if neither partner
climaxed, when it came to oral sex, the recipient was more likely to consider it
sex than the partner performing the act, especially if the recipient achieved
orgasm—because the stimulator was unlikely to achieve orgasm. For anal sex, it
was more likely to be called sex if Jim had the orgasm, but it was sex to Susie
regardless of whether she achieved orgasm. In general, the lack of orgasm for
women was less likely to affect her labeling the act sex. Although most sex
therapists argue against using orgasm as an end-all definition of sex, Bogart's
study indicates that orgasm is still an important gauge by which we measure
sexual activity.

Aphrodisiacs That Really Work

2007-11-01T00:42:00.001-07:00

For as long as humans have been having sex, they've been trying to get in the
mood--or get their partners in the mood. And if necessity is the mother of
invention, it's no surprise that humans have developed a wide variety of creative
solutions for the old "I've-got-a-headache" problem.

The most recent solution, of course, is Viagra. But in ancient India, a young
man who proved passionless in the sack might have tried goat testicles boiled in
milk. Oysters are another common turn-on; the Roman satirist Juvenal was the
first to note their seductive qualities. In medieval times, honeyed mead was the
equivalent of Bud Lite for loosening up carousing swains.

Fresh snake blood is still revered as a stimulant in parts of Asia, as are
bat blood, reindeer penises, shark fins and ground rhino horns. And what
sad-sack hasn't at least contemplated Spanish Fly? It's not a fly at all,
actually, but the dried remains of beetles, which irritate the male urogenital
tract, causing a prolonged erection--and potentially causing serious discomfort
and even death, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

In
Pictures: Ten Aphrodisiacs That Work

Beyond their collective exoticism, the only thing the above have in common is
that they don't work. Named for Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sex and beauty,
an aphrodisiac is just about anything that awakens or increases sexual
desire--be it your own, or the object of your desire's. In reality, however,
most aphrodisiacs are folklore at best and hazardous to your health at worst. As
the Food and Drug Administration has declared: "There is no scientific proof
that any over-the-counter aphrodisiacs work to treat sexual dysfunction."

But there is still some hope for those seeking a libido boost. The herbal
supplement Ginkgo
Biloba is being studied by the Office of Dietary Supplements, a subsidiary
of the National Institute of Health, as a treatment for erectile dysfunction.
The FDA has called animal studies of yohimbine "encouraging." Derived from the
bark of an African tree, yohimbe has been used as a sexual stimulant for
centuries. But the FDA notes that animal studies can't be used to prove
effectiveness in humans.

Even when aphrodisiacs do show promise, they don't always work for everybody.
Sexual desire is rooted in the mind more than the genitals. One person's fantasy
could be another's turn-off. "We're all unique individuals, and we all respond
differently to different things," says Dr. Beverly Whipple, a professor emerita
at Rutgers University and author of, most recently, The Science of Orgasm.

At the root of human sexual desire is the "core erotic personality"--a.k.a.
"sexual template"--which, in a nutshell, is whatever gets you off. "Everyone has
in their mind an image of someone or thing they find sexually desirous,"
explains Dr. William Granzig, dean of clinical sexology at Maimonides University
in North Miami Beach and president of the American Board of Sexology.

That image might be a person of specific age, race or hair color, or it might
be every person. It could be a fondness for a particular style of dress, objects
such as women's shoes or fur-lined handcuffs, or behavior such as cross-dressing
or exhibitionism. Whatever it is in particular, the sexual template is believed
to develop early on during a childhood erotic experience--perhaps as early as
age three or four--and it sticks with you for life.

The difficulty of maintaining sexual desire over the long term, of course, is
that if your partner falls outside of your sexual template--or you fall outside
theirs--sooner or later one of you could lose interest. "Many people whose
template is not, say, age-specific, can have great sex throughout their lives,"
notes Granzig. "But if you're only attracted to 20-year-olds, once your partner
hits 30, your desire will decrease. Unless, of course, you can figure out some
ways to spice things up."

Spicing things up is where sex gets complicated, because men and women
sometimes have wildly divergent desires. For men, a sexy photo is often enough to get blood flowing in the right direction. For
women, pornography can be a major turn-off. Orgasms are also less central to
women, who sometimes need full body stimulation, not to mention mental
seduction, in order to achieve climax. "There are just so many variables that go
beyond the physical in sex for women," says Dr. Janice Epp, a clinical
sexologist at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San
Francisco.

There are also a host of external nuisances that weigh heavily upon sexual
desire--and that may dampen the mood. Studies routinely rank American culture as
one of the most sexually repressed in the world thanks to its forbidding
Judeo-Christian origins, high incidence of sexual problems and dysfunction, and
a lingering Puritan discomfort with the very topic of sex.

And while Europeans take mandatory month-long vacations, Americans routinely
work 60-hour weeks, and stretch their ten vacation days over the entire year.
With the demands of our modern day technological society, it's little wonder the
search for aphrodisiacs continues. "I see a lot of highly evolved, highly
skilled people who are losing desire because they have such an overriding focus
on their profession," says Epp, who works in Silicon Valley. "For them, the
temptation to believe that there's a magic pill that will make them desirous of
sex again is very strong."

Inspired by the phenomenal success of Viagra, which rang up over $1.6 billion
in sales for Pfizer in 2005, it's perhaps not surprising that there has been a
recent push to find more pharmaceutical remedies for flagging sexual desire.
It's a focus that throws many in the sex field into apoplexy. "The idea that you
can just give someone a pill, and they'll be interested in sex is like putting a
band-aid on a tumor," says Epp.

In the end, the only truly effective aphrodisiac seems to be that's been
working for humans all along. "Your biggest sex organ is the one between your
ears," says Dr. Granzig. "What is desire, after all, other than the hope that
you can fulfill your sexual fantasies? And that's all in your mind."

How To Spice Up Your Sex Life

2007-11-01T00:41:00.002-07:00

Since the dawn of time, people have looked toward elixirs and potions to
improve their sex lives. Why else, after all, would one consume ground tiger
penis, horny goat weed and Spanish Fly?

Perhaps because nearly one in five men in the U.S. suffer from erectile
dysfunction, according to a recent study in the American Journal of
Medicine. Some researchers have estimated that as many as 40% of U.S. women
have low libido or inability to reach orgasm. Most quick fixes simply don't
work, and some, like Spanish Fly, a supposed aphrodisiac derived from beetles
that can cause kidney damage, are harmful.

In Pictures: Thirteen Steps To Better Sex

But modern medicine has found ways--both proven and experimental--to improve
your sex life. One place to start: old-fashioned remedies, which some say work
best. Regular exercise can actually improve erectile function in
most men, says Andrew McCullough, a urologist at New York University Medical
Center--and we're talking jogging, not the acrobatic feats found in the back of
a magazine. Not particularly athletic? Therapists say that paying attention to
your feelings is as important as any pill, nose spray or cream.

"Have a really wonderful role-play with your partner, have a really great
dinner out or watch a romantic movie together," says Robert Dunlap, who has
researched aphrodisiacs at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality
in San Francisco. "The greatest aphrodisiac is your mind."

Hope In A Bottle

But that's not stopping the $600
billion global pharmaceutical industry from trying to think up new sex drugs.
Viagra, the little blue pill Pfizer launched a decade ago, brings in $1.7
billion in sales every year. Cialis, the longer-acting imitator made by Eli
Lilly, rakes in another $1 billion, with several hundred million more for
Levitra, from Bayer and Schering-Plough. Other remedies increase blood flow,
like the penis injection Caverject, and bring in $30 million more.

A product that could improve women's sexual function might bring in even more
money, if it were truly effective. So far, though, companies have been
unsuccessful. Viagra failed in tests on women. Procter & Gamble tried to
push a testosterone patch for female sexual dysfunction through the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) but in 2004 the agency balked, citing a lack of
long-term safety data.

Now the idea of using testosterone as a sex-booster for women is being pushed
by Lincolnshire, Ill.-based BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Its LibiGel is rubbed
on the upper arm daily, delivering testosterone, which is thought to increase
libido, to the bloodstream over time. The company just began late-stage trials,
and, after discussions with the FDA, will start a big safety trial before
submitting data to regulators in 2009.

Palatin Technologies, of Cranbury, N.J., is trying to get in on the game,
developing a nose spray, called bremelanotide, to treat men and women with
sexual dysfunction. Applied 10 to 15 minutes prior to sex, it travels through
the central nervous system to increase blood flow in the penile or vaginal
tissue. The company hopes to get FDA approval for men in 2009 and women around
2011. "On the female front, we've got a chance to be first to market," says CEO
Carl Spana. "People wonder how many women will come in for treatment, but my gut
tells me they will come in."

What Really Works
Right now, the treatment available for
women with female sexual dysfunction that has been reviewed by the FDA is a
handheld vacuum that can be used with a doctor's prescription to increase blood
flow to the clitoris. Called Eros Therapy, it is made by NuGyn of Minnesota.
Devices such as this go through fewer hurdles than drugs; the Eros device has
been tested in several dozen people, compared with hundreds for a pill such as
Viagra.

Joy Davidson, a Manhattan-based certified sex therapist, worries that all
this technology may cause some people to ignore important cultural factors that
can cause sexual dysfunction. "There are agendas here that are not health-based,
they're profit-based," she says. "If you're not looking at these elements--the
emotional, psychological and cultural--then giving somebody a so-called magic
pill is not going to solve the problem."

Future Fixes
Meanwhile, drug researchers keep coming up
with even more out-there approaches. For instance, a gene therapy, which seeks
to fix erectile function by altering the DNA of cells in the penis, then
injecting them back in to the patient. It should work for six months, according
to inventor Arnold Melman, the researcher at New York's Albert Einstein College
of Medicine. He has co-founded a tiny biotech, Ion Channel Innovations, to
develop the product, which even he doesn't expect to reach the market before
2012. No gene therapy has ever been approved.

"People always say gene therapy doesn't work, but at one point it will," says
Melman. "We think this is the one."

On call: Wife’s disinterest in sex

2007-11-01T00:41:00.001-07:00

On call

Wife’s disinterest in sex

Q.My wife and I, who both read your column, have
always enjoyed our intimate relations. Since she went through the change last
year, however, she’s lost interest in sex. She’s only 53, and although I’m 8
years older, I’m as amorous as ever. Do you have any suggestions for us?

A.We’re glad to have you both as readers; in many
households, after all, it’s women who watch over men’s health.

Doctors have learned a lot about the male sexual response in the Viagra era,
but there is less information about female sexuality. Menopause signals an
abrupt drop in female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, but that
shouldn’t affect the female sex drive. In fact, libido depends on
testosterone, the male hormone, in both men and women.
Testosterone levels are very much lower in women than men, but they drop even
lower as menopause approaches, then remain stable during and after menopause as
the adrenal glands continue to produce small amounts of male hormones. Still,
some women are testosterone deficient and might benefit from testosterone
therapy. Unfortunately, however, data are scant, and much more research is
needed to learn if testosterone is safe and effective — and if it is, which
women should receive it and what dose and preparations are best. At present,
those answers are a long way off; in fact, the same questions about testosterone
replacement remain to be answered for men.

Another area for research is the use of Viagra for women. An early trial
found the drug safe but not beneficial for healthy postmenopausal women. More
research is under way, and other drugs are being developed for sexual
dysfunction in both genders. The FDA has already approved a hand-held
battery-powered clitoral stimulator for women with sexual dysfunction. Your
wife’s problem, though, may be a good deal simpler. Postmenopausal women who do
not take hormone therapy (and with research showing more harm than good, most
should not) develop vaginal dryness, which can make intercourse unpleasant or
even painful. So a simple place to start would be a nonprescription vaginal
lubricant such as Replens. If that doesn’t help, your wife should ask herself if
she might be feeling subtle stress or unhappiness or if she may be reacting to
personal, marital, or family conflicts. Her doctor may be able to help her sort
out possible physiological and psychological issues.

Discuss the problem with your wife frankly, but be patient and supportive,
always looking for mutually satisfactory ways to achieve intimacy and express
love and affection.

Sexual Assault - The Danger of STDs

2007-10-31T00:15:00.001-07:00

You'll also be tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including
gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital herpes, syphilis, and AIDS. If the rapist has an
STD, there's a reasonable chance that he has passed it on to you through his
semen or blood.

It takes 3 to 5 days to get the results back from initial STD testing. You'll
also need follow-up tests 90 days later. Because of the chance that you were
exposed to gonorrhea or chlamydia, the doctor will probably start treatment
without waiting for the test results.

Symptoms of gonorrhea, if left untreated may be very mild, and you might not
even notice them. You may have some abdominal pain, burning during urination,
and a vaginal discharge. It is possible to get a gonorrhea infection in your
mouth or anus, as well as in your vagina.

With chlamydia, you may notice a thin discharge from your vagina, as well as
stomach pain and a burning sensation when you urinate some time after the
exposure.

Trichomoniasis and vaginosis are forms of vaginal inflammation that can be
caused by sexually transmitted organisms. They produce burning and itching
sensations, odor, and a discharge.

In women, STD symptoms are not as noticeable as they are in men, and some
types show no early warning signs at all. You should report anything
unusual?discomfort or discharge, for example?to your doctor.

Syphilis begins with genital sores?which may go unnoticed?and progresses into
flu-like symptoms. This disease is so contagious that it can be passed on just
by kissing, and, if left untreated, it will eventually attack other organs,
causing heart trouble, blindness, and severe mental illness. For more on this
and other STDs, see "Coming to Terms with Sexually Transmitted Disease."

Dos and Don'ts After an Assault

DO...

Seek medical help as soon as possible
Bring a change of clothes to the emergency room
Get tested for sexually transmitted disease
Inquire about emergency contraception
Remember that what you say to medical personnel could be used in
court

DON'T...

Shower...
Douche, or...
Change clothes until after the exam
Hesitate to call the police

AIDS?acquired immune deficiency syndrome?leads to the total destruction of
the immune system, but unless you get tested, you can carry the HIV virus that
causes it for years without knowing it. You may be tested for the virus at the
emergency room. If the results are negative, you'll learn the good news fairly
quickly, sometimes within an hour. Positive results take longer because they
must be confirmed by a second test. Finding out that you have this dreaded
illness could be devastating, but it's still better to know. Doctors do have
drugs that can stave off the disease. For more information, see "The Persistent
Threat of AIDS."

If there is even a remote chance that you have gotten HIV or another STD,
it's best to abstain completely from sex until you're sure you don't have it. If
you do have sex, be sure to use a condom to help avoid the possibility of
passing on HIV or other serious STDs to your partner.

Sex and Your Psyche

2007-10-31T00:14:00.002-07:00

You know the cliche: a woman is so uninterested in sex that she makes a
shopping list while making love. Jennifer and Laura Berman see such women all
the time, and it's frustration--not boredom--that brings them to the Bermans'
new clinic at UCLA.

Acknowledgement of sexual dysfunction in America is booming. But with all the
attention on Viagra and prostate problems in men, most people would probably
never guess that more women than men suffer from sexual dysfunction. According
to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, as many as 43
percent of women have some form of difficulty in their sexual function, as
opposed to 31 percent of men.

The Bermans want to change that. They are at the forefront of forging a
mind-body perspective of female sexuality. The Bermans want the medical
community and the public to recognize that female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is a
problem that may have physical as well as emotional components. To spread their
message, they have appeared twice on Oprah, have made numerous appearances on
Good Morning America and have written a book, For Women Only.

No single problem makes up female sexual dysfunction. A recent article in the
Journal of Urology defined FSD as including such varied troubles as a lack of
sexual desire so great that it causes personal distress, an inability of the
genitals to become adequately lubricated, difficulty in reaching orgasm even
after sufficient stimulation and a persistent genital pain associated with
intercourse. "We see women ranging from their early twenties to their
mid-seventies with all types of problems," Laura says, "most of which have both
medical and emotional bases to them." The physical causes of FSD can range from
having too little testosterone or estrogen in the blood to severed nerves as a
result of pelvic surgery to taking such medications as antihistamines or
serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Prozac and Zoloft. The psychological
factors, Laura says, can include sexual history issues, relationship problems
and depression.

READ MORE ABOUT IT: For Women Only: A Revolutionary Guide to Overcoming
Sexual Dysfunction and Reclaiming Your Sex Life Jennifer Berman, M.D., and Laura
Berman, Ph.D. (Henry Holt & Co., 2001)

HIS & HERS... and how to have them

"In goal-oriented sexual interactions, each step leads to the top step, or
the big "O"--orgasm," says Whipple. "Goal-oriented people who don't reach the
top step don't feel very good about the process that has occurred. Whereas for
people who are pleasure oriented, any activity can be an end in itself; it
doesn't have to lead to something else. Sometimes, we're very satisfied holding
hands or cuddling. There would be a lot more pleasure in this world if people
would just focus on the process."

TYPES OF ORGASM

Clitoral Orgasm

The most common, they result from directly stimulating the clitoris and
surrounding tissue. What many people don't realize is that the majority of the
clitoris is actually hidden inside the woman's body. Recently, Australian
urologist Helen O'Connell, M.M.E.D., studied cadavers and 3-D photography and
found that the clitoris is attached to an inner mound of erectile tissue the
size of your first thumb joint. That tissue has two legs or crura that extend
another 11 centimeters. In addition, two clitoral bulbs--also composed of
erectile tissue--run down the area just outside the vagina.

O'Connell's findings, published in the Journal of Urology, show that this
erectile tissue, plus the surrounding muscle tissue, all contribute to orgasmic
muscle spasms. With so much tissue involved in a clitoral orgasm, it's no wonder
they're the easiest to have.

Pelvic Floor or Vaginal Orgasms

These occur through stimulating the G-spot, or putting pressure on the cervix
(the opening into the uterus) and/or the anterior vaginal wall. Located halfway
between the pubic bone and the cervix, the sensitive G-spot--named after its
discoverer, German physician Ernest Grafenberg--is a mass of spongy tissue that
swells when stimulated. Because it's difficult to locate, experts have developed
a few guiding techniques:

o Lying on her back, the woman tilts her pelvis upward so that her vulva
presses flat against her partner's pelvic bone. According to the Bermans, this
allows the penis to make contact with the G-spot, simultaneously stimulating the
clitoris. Putting pillows beneath her buttocks makes angling her pelvis easier.

o Whipple suggests placing two fingers inside the vagina and moving them in a
beckoning motion. The fingertips should stroke the frontal vaginal wall, just
where the G-spot is located.

The Blended Orgasm

This can be attained through a combination of the first two.

HER BENEFITS

o Pain relief: Orgasms help alleviate menstrual cramps. In addition, studies
have shown that a woman's pain threshold increases substantially during orgasm.

o Enhanced mood: According to University of Virginia researchers, orgasms
boost levels of the female sex hormone estrogen, which in turn betters your mood
and helps ease premenstrual symptoms. They also release endorphins, the body's
natural painkillers and depression fighters.

o Increased intimacy: Oxytocin, a hormone that promotes feelings of intimacy,
jumps to five times its normal level during climax.

o Easier rest: Oxytocin also induces drowsiness. For women, sleepiness comes
about 20 to 30 minutes after orgasm. Men, on the other hand, usually drift off
after only two to five minutes.

o Less stress: Stress in women is highly correlated with arousal
difficulties, lack of libido and anorgasmia, the inability to reach orgasm,
according to one 1999 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Just 20 minutes of intercourse, however, releases the lust-enhancing hormone
dopamine, triggering a relaxation response that lasts up to two hours.

His Physiologically speaking, male and female orgasms are surprisingly
similar. The related problems men and women experience, however, are distinctly
different.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found
that premature ejaculation is even more common than erectile dysfunction,
especially among younger men. As with most sex-related problems, it affects both
partners--some studies suggest that nearly 30 percent of couples report
premature ejaculation as the most prevalent sexual problem in their
relationship. One major obstacle to treating it is simply defining the problem
to begin with.

Kaminetsky also sees truth in Whipple's assessment of goal-oriented versus
pleasure-oriented interactions. "Men are very goal oriented; they see a task and
they want to successfully perform that task," he says. "Often that task is to
make their partner have an orgasm. If the woman knows that, she feels like a
laboratory animal--it's not a very sexy thing. That's why women fake orgasms,
which is a sign of lack of communication in a relationship."

PREMATURE EJACULATION

o Practice this before reaching "ejaculatory inevitability," the point when
ejaculation cannot be stopped; most men recognize it as a sensation of deep
warmth or pleasure: Squeeze the head of the penis for about four seconds or
until the sensation subsides, then resume.

o During intercourse, the man should press his pelvic bone against the
woman's and rock rather than thrust his body. "It won't be as stimulating for
him so he'll last longer, and it may be more stimulating for the woman."

HIS BENEFITS

o Long life: Men who have two or more orgasms a week tend to live
significantly longer than do those who have only one or none, according to
research at Cardiff University in Wales.

o Less cancer: Breast cancer is rare in men, but once developed, the
mortality rate is high. Fortunately, a study published in the British Journal of
Cancer found that men who have more than six orgasms a month are significantly
less likely to develop breast cancer than are those who have less frequent sex.

o Healthy hearts: A study of 2,500 men at the University of Bristol and
Queens University of Belfast found that men who have at least three or more
orgasms a week are 50 percent less likely to die from heart failure or coronary
heart disease.

o Good health: Having sex once or twice a week also fights off the flu and
other viruses by strengthening the immune system, psychologists at the
University of Pennsylvania recently found.

o Youthful looks: A study of 3,500 aging people at the Royal Edinburgh
Hospital in Scotland found that those who looked the youngest also had the most
vigorous sex life. The effects were even greater if the subjects were
emotionally satisfied as well.

READ MORE ABOUT IT: The Good Girl's Guide to Bad Girl Sex Barbara Keesling,
Ph.D. (M. Evan and Co., 2001)

Sexual Fitness: 7 Essential Elements of Optimizing Your Sensuality,
Satisfaction and Well-Being Hank C.K. Wuh, M.D. (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2001)

GETTING CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Bee, 25, Copywriter

Gabriel, 25, Musician

GETTING CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Kamara, 27, Musician

I'm amazed when I talk to anyone who claims to have never had an orgasm,
probably because I just can't imagine not having them or not being able to have
them. At the same time, it doesn't surprise me: I was raised in a very
conservative religious atmosphere that actually called masturbation "self
abuse," and all sexuality--not to mention orgasms--was beautiful and good only
if it happened in a marriage bed. It takes awhile to expel the load of guilt
that piles up around your sexuality if you're raised in that kind of culture,
and I'm sure some people never do. But there was no way I wasn't going to aim
for the prize once I knew what it felt like. Maybe it depends on your sexual
drive--for me the drive was strong enough that I could never feel guilty about
an orgasm for long.

Steven, 28, Veterinarian

DOES ORGASM EQUAL SEX?

Our ever-changing definition of sex may hinge more on the climax than on the
act itself; Psychologist L.M. Bogart, Ph.D., gave Kent State students a list of
scenarios in which "Jim" and "Susie" engaged in vaginal, anal or oral
intercourse and either did or did not achieve orgasm. Vaginal intercourse was
considered sex 97 percent of the time, followed by anal intercourse (93 percent)
and oral sex (44 percent). Researchers were surprised to find that orgasm
occurrence dictated whether or not the activity was considered sex. Although the
woman was more likely to label vaginal intercourse sex if neither partner
climaxed, when it came to oral sex, the recipient was more likely to consider it
sex than the partner performing the act, especially if the recipient achieved
orgasm--because the stimulator was unlikely to achieve orgasm. For anal sex, it
was more likely to be called sex if Jim had the orgasm, but it was sex to Susie
regardless of whether she achieved orgasm. In general, the lack of orgasm for
women was less likely to affect her labeling the act sex. Although most sex
therapists argue against using orgasm as an end-all definition of sex, Bogart's
study indicates that orgasm is still an important gauge by which we measure
sexual activity.

Like a Sex Machine

2007-10-31T00:14:00.001-07:00

At last, women may have their answer to Viagra. The EROS Clitoral Therapy
Device (EROS-CTD) is the first product developed to treat female sexual arousal
disorder (FSAD). Characterized by diminished sexual sensation, FSAD affects
approximately 43% of American women. It results from inadequate blood flow to
the clitoris and can cause a host of other difficulties, including lack of
desire and difficulty achieving orgasm.

Enter EROS, a clitoral suction device that draws blood to the clitoris to
trigger sexual arousal and enhance orgasms. In a study presented recently at an
American Urological Association conference, 80% of FSAD sufferers reported
improved sexual satisfaction after using EROS before intercourse. But EROS is no
mere sex toy, says Kevin Billups, Ph.D., an urologist and one of the study's
researchers. "People say, 'Oh, this is just a fancy vibrator'--but it isn't," he
explains. "It's a physiological device."

Because FSAD can also hurt relationships by causing lowered self-esteem,
depression and poor body image, "women suffering with sexual dysfunction may
have a relationship in crisis," says Laura Berman, Ph.D., a female sexual
dysfunction expert. She suggests these women consider using EROS in conjunction
with professional counseling. And the best news may be yet to come: Women who
used EROS regularly reported enhanced sexual satisfaction even after they
stopped using it.

Senior dating: Resuming sexual activity later in life

2007-10-31T00:13:00.000-07:00

I am a 76-year-old female. I've
not been sexually active in many years. But I'm in a relationship now and wonder
if I will be able to resume sexual activity again at this late time?

You will be happy to learn that you can resume sexual activity — as
long as you're willing to invest a little time and patience.

As women age, they experience several changes in their vaginal area. The
vagina and vaginal opening often become smaller, especially when estrogen levels
are low. As a result, it often takes longer for the vagina to swell and
lubricate when you're sexually aroused. Together these changes can make
intercourse painful.

The good news is that there are steps you can take to make sexual intercourse
more comfortable, including:

Longer foreplay. Foreplay helps stimulate natural
lubrication.
Over-the-counter lubricants. Products such as K-Y
Lubricating Jelly and Glide are available for this purpose.
Topical estrogen treatment. For some women, treatment with
vaginal estrogen creams is the best way to increase natural lubrication.

If a woman hasn't had intercourse for a while, it will take time to stretch
out the vagina so that it can accommodate a penis. Talk to your partner about
what works best. You may want to try different sexual positions or different
times of day.

You should also keep in mind that sex is more than intercourse. Touching and
cuddling are an important part of sexual activity. Communicating with your
partner is the best way to achieve sexual satisfaction.

Work Your Mind, Not Just Your Body

2007-10-28T23:53:00.001-07:00

Fitness isn’t just physical: Change your thoughts, and you change your world.
-Norman Vincent Peale

Of course we can all agree that
gaining and losing weight, exercise, diet, strength, and flexibility are all a
part of fitness. But what about body image, self-esteem, aging, relationships,
success, and happiness? They are all related, all connected, and fitness in
all areas is important if you want true and total fitness.

But you may
say, “I just want to lose 20 lbs, if I do I will feel better about myself and I
will be happy.” Maybe in the short term, but honestly, if we don’t address our
mental and emotional fitness (and we can do it while working on the physical),
there is very little chance of: a) keeping the weight off, b) feeling good about
yourself, and c) improving every other area of your life.

Let’s not waste
time on changing our bodies when they will only change back if we don’t change
our minds, too. Let’s work "out" and work "in" at the same time. Changing your
mind – and you must, because if you have been trying to lose weight, but cannot,
there is something inside of you that is disallowing it. You can change this
pattern, improve your self-esteem, increase your joy, and change your body for
good by focusing on changing your mind, too. This is training for
life.

Work-ins will recondition your mind, improve your attitude, change
your perception and stimulate motivation at the same time you are conditioning
your body for weight loss, shaping, strength and endurance.

If you repeat
a positive statement over and over to yourself – like a mantra, your mind will
change, the same way your body does, even if you don’t believe it. Like lifting
a weight over an over, your muscle changes – even if you don’t believe
it.

Try it – what have you got to lose? Say, “I am ready for my body to
be healthier, leaner, and stronger. I love it already."
Say it over and over
while you are walking or running or doing any exercise.

Pick a statement
that works for you – something positive and in the present tense. For more
work-ins suggestions, check out my new book, Training for Life.

Changing the 'Fat is OK' Equation

2007-10-28T23:52:00.000-07:00

Watch out – we’re headed for trouble bigger than we have ever seen, no pun
intended.

I have talked about this before, but it’s worth discussing
again: Every year Americans spend more and more money – billions of dollars - on
weight loss remedies, and every year we are still fatter. There is something
morbidly wrong with this equation. And it gets worse!

We are beginning to
see that as women (men, too, but most studies are done on women) find themselves
further and further from the way they ideally want to look, they have to find
ways to cope (other than eating) with the discomfort.

Eating is a temporary comfort but then makes the problem worse, so new coping
mechanisms are being found like taking on the “if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em,”
attitude. Women may feel like they have lost the battle to look like the girls
in magazines, so they’re going the other way - the fat and happy, or “I’m so OK
with it,” team.

It is understandable and natural to look for ways
to fit in and feel better about oneself. We all need to find a way to
feel OK – even when we feel terrible.

But this is creating a new
phenomenon called fat talk, where women support each other by cutting themselves
down. And because they are all fat – it’s OK. Since they self-deprecate, as a
way of bonding and supporting each other, they all feel better and fit
in.

Yes – we need to find support, and comfort, but not for staying
unhealthily overweight, and not for giving up.

We have to right this
wrong turn or being OK with being unhealthy will be a new part of the
upside-down equation mentioned above: Every year Americans are heavier and more
unhealthy, and every year they are more and more OK with it.

Wouldn't it be Nice if it Were All so Simple?

2007-10-28T23:51:00.000-07:00

As your coach, I am your biggest supporter. My goal is to help you become
fitter, healthier, more empowered, and more successful in every area of your
life.

I want to help you become the happiest you have ever been, and the best that
you can be – not just physically. Remember, we are in Training for Life! I’ll
pull out the stops and give you programs, ideas, information, and tips that will
help you get to new heights of fitness and happiness. I’ll do all I can to
motivate you, so that you stay on your path to fitter living, higher self
esteem, and a healthier perspective overall. But I am not a genie, you still
have to do the work.

And guess what, I don’t think it’s easy. Though the steps I am asking you to
take are very straightforward, change can be very difficult. Changing the
outside by exercising more and eating less is simple, effective, and realistic.
But the simple facts are (obviously) not so simple – if they were, we’d all be
happy, healthy, slim, and successful.

There’s more to it – even when you are able to make a physical change -
it’s only a part of the equation. No physical change will be permanent unless we
mentally change, as well. So think of what we are doing as a process – a total
reconditioning process.

Here are a few tips to keep you moving forward and chin up:

1. If you think of setbacks as slips, you’ll just get up, brush yourself off
and keep moving forward, instead of starting over (with a long self-destructive
break in between).

2. Stay on the road, even if you take a detour, see yourself as moving ahead,
making progress by learning lessons.

3. Do something. If you feel stalled, or off course, make every effort to do
something – any little thing that you know is beneficial, healthy, and good for
you - because there is no way to change if you don’t change anything.

4. Never give up. It will click in, something will change, you’ll get there,
but that can only happen if you don’t give up.

Stop Living in the Negative. Start Taking Care of Yourself

2007-10-28T23:50:00.000-07:00

Total health and total fitness are one and the same to me. You must be
mentally, physically, and emotionally fit/healthy to embrace, enjoy, and make
the most out of your life.

That being said, what are you doing to enhance your level of fitness, or, to
look at the other side of the coin, what are you not doing that is causing you
to be unhealthy, or unfit? To get the most out of your life – you’ve got to
stop! Face it, we only have control over the few things in life that, well, we
actually have control over. It’s a bummer, but it’s true.

So much in life feels, seems, and probably is, out of your control – but when
it comes to your health – there is a lot you can do – or stop not doing –
to be fitter, get healthier, and enjoy your life more. "Those who think they
have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for
illness." - Edward Stanley

Exercise more - this you have control over. Do it. You need to do aerobic and
resistance/weight bearing exercise regularly. Walking is a fantastic exercise
(and anybody can do it!), it is weight bearing and aerobic and will keep your
muscles and bones strong and your heart cardiovascularly fit. Walking is great
for losing weight, improving circulation, relieving stress, and helping you
sleep better.

So why don’t people exercise regularly? Probably for the same reasons that
people don’t eat well, though they know they should. Eat well – this, too, you
have control over, so do it. To start, simply eat less processed and packaged
foods and more fresh fruits, vegetables and fish. Stop drinking sugary (and
diet) drinks, and drink more water.

Cut out fried, starchy and preserved foods and stop supersizing. Look at your
plate and remember that the stomach your food is about to enter is only about
the size of your fist - so ease up on the portions. But you know all this – so
why oh why can’t you/we stick to a healthy diet and regular exercise?

Your psyche: this is the all-important wild card. This is the thing that no
one wants to talk about because, well, we haven’t quite figured out how to make
it work for us. Well, some of us have, sort of.

We know that using repetition for mental conditioning (changing your mind)
works, so feed your mind positive images and thoughts of where you want to be,
how you want to look, and what you want to do, throughout the day. Stop harping
on what you don’t have – express your wants as desire, not coming from a place
of lack.

We also know that you have to believe what you are saying way deep down
inside for it to really manifest in your life, so say it, live it, and do what
you can (like exercise, eat and spend money wisely) to feed your subconscious
the messages that you do want to be healthy, thin, prosperous, and happy.

And we know that if you live in the negative, you will stay in the negative,
so stop berating yourself, stop not taking care of yourself, and stop putting
everyone else’s needs ahead of yours. Maybe it is easy to say – hard to do – but
it’s worth a go if you really want to change.

Believe it or Not...

2007-10-28T23:48:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, with all I know, and all I do - I overate this past
holiday season - and it sucks! It feels bad all around - physically and mentally
– immediately, and later, too.

Did you pig out? Why do you think we do? Here’s why, I think, and three
things that I believe will help us so that we never do it again. Maybe you
didn’t overdo it with food and/or drink this year. I hope you didn’t, and so,
were able to escape the physical discomfort and emotional remorse that seem to
be equal partners in the practice of eating way beyond contentment.

I had that terrible night’s sleep, that next day food hangover, that praying
for relief and restraint at my next party, and the fear that no matter how hard
I wished it not to happen again, it very likely would – probably at my next big
social/eating shindig.

The terrible truth is, I sort of thought myself "above" all that. I fancied
myself immune from overindulgence/over-consumption/out-of-control eating, since
much of the time I feel that I am. But, oh, how wrong I can be about me. I am no
more immune or above these very human behaviors, which so brilliantly mask other
feelings and behaviors - like social discomfort, anxiety and shyness – than I am
able to spread my wings and fly.

I have come to realize that the (over) eating – though partially just
fall-out from the holiday party/delectable food choice madness – is more - for
me. I do recognize that “stuffing” myself is sometimes more about what I am
trying to avoid than what I seem to be enjoying (and ingesting).

In fact, I think for the most part I am just plain uncomfortable, shy, or out
of sorts in the environment I find myself in, and somehow can’t imagine how to,
or remember (in that moment) how to make myself feel better, so I eat lots and
lots of delicious treats.

This gives me something to do, focus on, and even enjoy in the short term,
but then I feel full, numb, and tired. And though I can barely feel the original
un-ease for the new discomfort I have caused myself (mission accomplished?), I
am now unhappy with my choices, uncomfortable in my clothes, and wishing I had
stopped, slowed down, or taken a detour of some kind so as to NOT have gotten
myself into this uncomfortable space.

How do we do it differently? Truth be told – I do know a better way than the
way I went this past holiday season. And though what I am about to tell you
sounds ridiculously simple (and at the same time weirdly difficult), I am pretty
sure that if you and I follow these few tips next year (or next weekend), we
won’t have to endure any more holiday/food hangovers.

1. Predict and Prepare. We already know that social gatherings/parties make
us somewhat uneasy, so, Think/Plan food choices – a) take a bird’s eye look at
the food and choose what you will eat (plan it in your head, then make a plate)
rather than grazing at will and unconsciously devouring delicacies until you
have had way too much, b) take someone with you that will make you, and the
party, more comfortable, and fun for you, c) share your feelings with that
person, or someone else at the event that you can confide in (trust me, more
people than you know feel this dis-ease at parties). If you can do this, the
feelings won’t fester and get worse as the night goes on.

2. Discuss it with a trusted friend before and after and Write about it too.
I have one friend who knows me better than anyone and when I tell her what is,
or has been going on with me, she can usually say something like: this has
happened to you before – remember when…and at that point I can start to see a
pattern and look for ways (often with my trusted friend’s help) to remedy my
actions and soothe and change my feelings and actions. Then I write. Even if I
feel I have nothing to write, I sit with pen and paper and try to express my
feelings, ask for help, even just describe it all on the page so that maybe
something is illuminated, something I need to know, something that I can learn
from. This way, I don’t just change the behavior for one party – I change the
behavior.

3. Don’t go to the other extreme – don’t put yourself on a crazy crash diet
or punish yourself in any other way to try to compensate for whatever has
occurred. Let it go. You will prolong the negative feelings and even exacerbate
the entire event if you take yourself out for a beating after you have already
done something that makes you feel badly about you. Take compassionate, useful,
and productive steps (as mentioned above), and move on with the knowing that you
have made progress in preventing this from happening again.

You really don’t have to have the same negative experience ever again –
especially if you follow the suggestions in No. 1 and No. 2 above. It’s 2007
and, well, every day is a new day and a new opportunity to start over. And you
know how I talk about Staying on the Road, and not starting and
stopping your training. You know that my belief and training practices for
Training For Life are all about the flow and continuum of conditioning that we
must adhere to in order to best train for the longest, most important event of
all – our lives.

But we do have, within each day, and each week, the opportunity to begin
again – and this is very much a part of Staying on the Road and Training For
Life – it is refinement that I am proposing rather than the screw up/fall off
the wagon/begin again on Monday way. Look at your life and train with me as
though the goodness of your life depended on it – because it does.

Everything that we train for – whether it is weight loss or more comfortable
eating practices – affects the quality of life that we live every day - so what
could be more important than Training for Life? Happy Trails and Have a Great
Week - Debbie Rocker

A Better Way to Do This Fitness Thing

2007-10-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

Is that all there is?

Body image, gaining and losing weight, exercise,
self-esteem, diet, physical fitness, aging, relationships, strength, happiness
and success all have a fitness element. So why do we think of fitness as
physical? I think it is because weight loss/body image/dieting is such a big
part of our culture and our lives.

But you can do the physical work –
lose the weight, exercise, and eat well as a part of fitness and achieve
fitness in all of the other areas too – without a lot of extra work.

In fact your workout should include another component – one that not only
helps you get better, and longer lasting, physical results. You need to include
"workins" in your workouts.

This is training for life.

A
workin will help recondition your mind, improve your attitude, change your
perception and stimulate motivation at the same time you are conditioning your
body for weight loss, shaping, strength and endurance.

Repeat a positive
statement over and over to yourself – like a mantra, and like building a muscle,
if you lift a weight enough times, your muscle will change, it will become
stronger and more shapely, whether you believe in the action or not.

Your Mind: More Powerful Than Your Body

2007-10-27T19:36:00.001-07:00

When it comes to "starting," there is no tomorrow, only today, since when you
get to tomorrow, it’s today. Live in today, take action today, and don’t wait
for anything for your (new and improved) life to begin!

Forget the “it‘s
summer, get ready for your bikini" crap, it’s life, get into shape for that!
Mentally, emotionally, and physically conditioning ourselves for the most
important event of all – life – that is what I am concerned with. So, if it
is fitness you want for this summer and beyond, true and total fitness, let’s
get started.

You will have to clean out the junk food – now. It’s putting
excess weight on your body and numbing your mind. Sugar is disorienting and a
trigger (for most of us), and any “trigger” foods, food that make you want to
keep eating (chips, cookies, ice cream), must go.

If you really want to “clean house” whether you want to lose weight or not,
try no sugar, no dairy for 60 days – that’ll give you an efficiently working
physical body and mental acuity like you have never known.

Now, write down everything you want – don’t hold back, write it all down.
This is the way to activate your dreams - think about them. Then you must do
things that help you believe that they are possible, for example, cleaning out
the clutter in the cupboards and starting to exercise regularly.

Now I know you say, “If I do those things, of course I’ll get fitter, it has
nothing to do with my mental state.” But how many times have you tried to lose
weight by dieting and exercise? Many, I am sure. And many more times the process
has failed you.

You must use your mind to carry you over the "lack of belief in your ability
to accomplish your goals" state that you, and most of us, are in much of the
time. And if you haven’t lost the weight as quickly as you had hoped (or as fast
as your friend did), don't stop. Some of us have more mental undoing to
accomplish than others.

You must stay focused on your goal – and this I know can be harder than
giving up sugar - but it is the one thing that we neglect to do when trying to
affect a true, lasting change for ourselves – we neglect to use our minds, as
well as our bodies.
So write what you are going for down, think about it
often, and see it happening in your mind for you!

How Well Does Your Body Adapt to Tougher Workouts?

2007-10-27T19:35:00.002-07:00

Do you ever feel that life could be easier? That each day is a
little harder? Life can, at times, be that way.

There is a Navy SEAL saying (from their training programs) that goes "the
only easy day was yeaterday."

Although most of us do not want to become Navy SEALS, nor could we even if we
tried, there are some lessons to be learned from them about training and
conditioning the human body (and mind), and the role of adaptation.

Becoming a Navy SEAL, one of the true military physical and mental elites,
takes over six months of specialized training. They push their bodies to the
breakpoint on a daily basis, and it's even tougher on their minds and emotions.
The dropout rate is extremely high, but those who survive are transformed
forever.

There are no easy days or easy weeks. "Hell week" is one of the toughest
make-or-break periods. During those five days, the SEALS in training are
subjected to extreme conditions, constant physical and mental challenges.
Amongst the highlights, five days with about four hours sleep - total.

The waking hours are spent sandy and wet, constantly carrying heavy loads, or
being immersed in icy water till hypothermia starts to set in - then back to
breakneck calisthenics and physical activity to "warm back up."

They emerge from Hell week, and the even tougher weeks and months to follow,
amongst the fittest, toughest human beings on the planet. The only "easy" days
are the ones behind them.

The so-called BUD/S training provides great lessons in adaptation. Some break
down, some get stronger, and many experience both simultaneously. What does this
mean for you?

Are your workouts hard enough? Do you challenge yourself, or have you gotten
into a bit of a lull? Have you hit a plateau? In my next blog entry I'll talk
about the adaptation process and how you can make it work for you.

How to Have the Body You Want

2007-10-27T19:35:00.001-07:00

Obviously, you want to have what you want – don’t you?
Then why are you
not able to have the body that you want, or the job that you want, or the
relationship that you want - why don’t you have the life you want?

You
are conflicted. Truly, you think you want something but then you think
(consciously or unconsciously) of all the reasons why you can’t have it. You
think about what has happened in the past, and that discounts your thoughts of
what it is you want.

So, you must believe that you can have it. Here is
where the struggle comes. You are, I am guessing, based on your past
experiences, convinced that you cannot improve your fitness, change your diet,
change your job, lose the weight, and so forth, since every time you have tried
in the past, it hasn’t worked, or lasted.

Here’s what you must do to get
the body you want:

1. Continue to have the desire. Think it, wish it, and see it (in detail) for
yourself.

2. Make small changes in your diet and exercise program,
changes that you will be able to do now. Don’t commit to an unrealistic exercise
plan; just do what you truly know you can do, like 20 minutes every morning,
or three days a week.

And make minor alterations in your diet like reducing the amount on your
plate, cutting out dessert, reducing the number of sodas that you drink in a
day.

3. Keep your vision intact. Even if your actions falter, do not let
that throw you for an emotional loop. Stay focused on what you want.

You
will soon have the desire and the belief, and changes will occur, don’t give
up.

Change Can Be a Good Thing

2007-10-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

Different Strokes:

We are all so different. Some of
us like change - some don't. Some of us are detail oriented, some not. When it
comes to health and fitness, some of us like to strive for improvement; others
are OK being OK.

Just a Few Things, Though:
1.
You don't have to feel awful about yourself to want to be better, and, always
striving for better isn't necessarily the only, or best, way to get there.

Upgrading is a good thing. Challenging ourselves, striving for more is
something that most of us can benefit from. And if it's not your thing, for
whatever reason, you may want to step out of your comfort zone for just a second
and see what it feels like to try something new.

On the other hand, if you are always looking for the next best way to get
fitter, eat healthier, or take 20 seconds off of your 10k time, maybe stepping
out of your comfort zone, and letting it be for a bit isn't such a bad idea.
Challenge is good, ease and relaxation are good, and change is good.

2. You don't have to be thin to be healthy. The goal is not to be thin;
it is to be healthy and happy. So, if you don't feel happy, and you aren't
healthy, be you thin, obese, or somewhere in between, a lifestyle change is
definitely in order.

3. Don't overwhelm yourself. When you look at the whole picture - whatever it
is you are dealing with - it can seem overwhelming, but change can be done
gradually or in broad strokes (different strokes for...you know). You can make
important and beneficial changes in the way that suits you best, I'll show you
in my next post.

4. An important hint - the way that suits you best, in fact, may be the way
that you haven't yet tried, and the way that you think doesn't suit you at all.
Sometimes, changing the way we approach change is the fastest way to break
through a barrier and get where you want to go.

5. For next time - how to do what you want to do. Until then, positive
thoughts please, keep seeing visions of you successfully doing, achieving
whatever your goal is.

Eat Right, Stay Fit

2007-10-27T19:33:00.003-07:00

I recall as a small child going outside to play with friends and neighbors
from morning til night. Often I would even skip meals because I wanted to
continue whatever activity I was engrossed in at the time.

However, nowadays our surroundings and situations have changed so much that
parents can no longer trust that children playing outside will be safe without
supervision.

Each week, my three-year-old and I attend a children's gymnastics class at a
local fitness center. My son absolutely loves this class, and it's his
hands-down favorite of all the activities we do together. He looks forward to
going to gymnastics every week and asks almost daily if today is the day he gets
to go to class.

I am thrilled that he enjoys this activity so much. He gets to play and be
active while learning to pay attention to his instructors, follow simple
directions, and develop his agility and balance. And as we participate in this
activity each week, I've gotten to thinking about other low-cost ways to support
our children in being more active in their daily lives:

Make family time an activity time.
Consider walking or biking to do errands instead of always taking the car.
Find local hiking trails to enjoy with your children.
Join a group that focuses on physical activity, such as the YMCA or a hiking
club.
Invite one of your children's friends to participate in your next activity.

Remember to make activity fun for your children and, as a parent, be your
children's role model by keeping active yourself.

Making Fitness Part of Health Care

2007-10-27T19:33:00.001-07:00

In an uncharacteristically noncompetitive manner, a consortium of Japanese
electronics companies - including Mitsubishi, Citizen, Sharp, and Hitachi -
have teamed up to establish a uniform standard for networking health care
equipment.

The goal is to allow cardio exercise devices like treadmills and elliptical
machines to interact with heart rate, blood pressure and other monitors to
produce an overall real-time profile graphing how an individual's training
affects his or her health.

At first glance this mechanization of health
indices looked a bit Big Brotherish, but as I thought about it, I realized that
this was something that might be helpful to me.

After a high-blood-pressure diagnosis a few years ago and some modest but
noticeable side effects from the medication (Cozaar) I was put on to control it,
I have worked to control my pressure through modifications in my diet and
exercise.

I now monitor my pressure regularly with a home cuff. It's not
cumbersome or unpleasant, but I did find it difficult to determine precisely
what triggered spikes or dips in my pressure. So I got a heart rate monitor to
track how my cardio training sessions would affect my pressure. My
non-scientific analysis seems to indicate that my workouts have a positive
effect on lowering my pressure - but not consistently.

I also occasionally use a pedometer to check out if I'm anywhere near to
approaching the 10,000 to 12,000 steps-a-day goal that Mark Fenton, the former
coach of the U.S. race walking team, says is optimal for health. And another
member of my family checks blood-glucose levels six times a day.

We could use a simple, one-stop way to integrate all our
respective data into a computer that would create an individual profile that
would allow us to easily monitor the results of our activities over
time.

Wouldn't it be nice if more companies followed the lead set by
the Japanese companies, and we could coordinate our fitness activities
seamlessly with our health care?

Imagine if, before our annual
physical, we could send our doctor a readout of our prior six months' profile so
he or she could see precisely what had affected our blood pressure or
cholesterol readings? Don't you wish insurance companies and HMOs would support
home diagnostic tools as integrated as this?

Exercises to Add on Years

2007-10-27T19:32:00.002-07:00

It's feeling like spring outside, and after months of inactivity, now seems
like the right time to start getting physically active. Read on to find the
numerous benefits of exercise to your health and
longevity.

Activate Your Health with Exercise
Yes,
exercise will give you a fit physique, but the benefits of daily exercise are
much more. Regular exercise can help promote physiological wellbeing, strengthen
the immune system, maintain joint mobility, increase energy - the list goes on
and on.

In fact, research with humans has confirmed that the more active you are,
the longer you will live. In one study, the group that burned more than
3,500 calories a week lived the longest. Then it should come as no surprise that
caged animals have more health problems and live a shorter life than free-range
animals. So get out there and get active - your body will thank you for years to
come!

Aerobics for a Healthy Heart
Your heart is a
muscular organ that is responsible for pumping the blood's nutrients and oxygen
throughout your body, while simultaneously transporting waste products for
elimination. The stronger your heart, the more tolerance you will have for
stress and strain.

Strengthen your heart muscle by increasing your pulse rate to between 60 and
80 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR) when you exercise. (Hint: you can
find your MHR by subtracting your age from 220. For example, if you are 40, your
MHR is 180 beats per minute.

Your optimal range of 60 to 80 percent would be calculated as 108 to 144
beats per minute.) Practice an aerobic activity at this rate for 30 minutes a
day, three to four times a week to keep your heart pumping strong.

Aerobic exercises that focus on increasing cardiovascular endurance include
bicycling, lap swimming, walking, and running. Frequent and consistent aerobic
exercise has been found helpful in preventing or treating such serious
conditions as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes,
insomnia, and depression.

Build Your Bones
As we age,
osteoporosis sets in and our bones begin losing calcium and become brittle. This
condition affects the majority of the world's population over age 70. No amount
of calcium and vitamin D supplements will cure the condition; we must engage in
exercise that exerts weight on the bones.

Look, for instance, at the experience of the astronauts. When astronauts were
subjected to weightlessness in space, they underwent much more rapid bone loss
than they would have on earth because there was no gravity to put weight on
their bones.

A good way to help restore calcium to the bones is with moderate load-bearing
exercises - but don't worry about becoming a professional weight lifter! Even
walking will have you bearing a moderate amount of weight and increasing bone
density.

I hope this article finds you feeling fit and healthy throughout
your days! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and
longevity tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live
happy!

Water Facts: Bottled or Tap?

2007-10-27T19:32:00.001-07:00

Bottled water has become the fastest growing commercial beverage sold in the
United States. In 2005, Americans spent nearly $10 billion on bottled water. And
now we are seeing ads for bottled water containing several added (and unneeded)
vitamins.

This got me thinking about the origin of the oft-cited notion that we need to
drink at least eight glasses of water — presumably in eight-ounce glasses —
a day. I can understand taking a bottle of water along on a long hike or 20-mile
bicycle ride. But it's hard for me to keep a straight face when I see grown
adults sucking on bottles of water in the course of ordinary activities.

Do all these water-bottle-toting folks know something we don't about the
benefits of guzzling large amounts of H2O? Or is this another trendy accessory
to help us feel better about ourselves, not founded on medical fact?

Several years ago, a report from the Institute of Medicine set the record
straight about how much water we should be drinking. It didn't state the number
of glasses of water we should drink; rather, it recommended a total daily intake
of about 91 ounces of water for women and a total of 125 ounces of water for
men.

About 80 percent of this total water can come from beverages like milk, fruit
juices, coffee, tea, and beer, not just from drinking water. The remaining 20
percent can come from soups and the water contained in fruits and
vegetables.

Should we be counting water consumption like calories? No. According to the
IOM report, thirst is an adequate guide for almost all healthy people for
meeting their daily needs. The report set no upper limit on fluid intake, but
noted that excessive amounts can be dangerous.

Aggressive advertising by the bottled water industry, urging us to drink more
water to ensure good health, may help to maintain the "eight glasses of water a
day" myth. Surely these ads partly explain why so many otherwise-sensible people
find it necessary to carry a bottle of water while attending business meetings
or walking down the street.

OK, perhaps they're thinking that bottled water is better than tap water. But
is it really? The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) created the
policies regulating the industry and claims that bottled water is subject to
more aggressive quality standards than tap water. The IBWA, however, isn't quite
an unbiased source of safety information for the industry.

To date, no independent investigation has shown that bottled water passes
more safety and health checks than tap water. In fact, the National Resources
Defense Council (NRDC) tested 103 brands of bottled water and concluded there
was no assurance that water out of a bottle is cleaner or safer than water from
the tap. Another of their conclusions didn't surprise me either: They estimated
that 25 percent or more of bottled water is nothing more than tap water.

Given the lack of objective research or evidence to favor bottled water over
tap water, the decision on which to drink comes down to an individual choice.
However, two things we know for certain: bottled water is more convenient and
more expensive than tap water.

The NRDC reported that a five-year supply of bottled water cost over $1,000
compared with $1.65 for the same amount of tap water. Not to mention the
environmental impact of the many discarded plastic water bottles that are not
recycled.

If you feel the convenience is worth the cost, by all means choose bottled
water; but don't feel compelled to drink a lot of it to maintain good health.

Exercises to Add on Years

Reclaim Your Body Step by Step

2007-10-27T19:31:00.002-07:00

Reclaim your body and your excitement about life.

When you are unhappily focused on the body you don’t have, or the state of
health that you are not in, you are reminding yourself over and over, basically
convincing yourself, that this is your physical state.

And it is - and it doesn’t change - because you are reinforcing the negative
state that you are in. And then there is further reinforcement when you start an
exercise plan, and quit because you don’t see immediate results, which is
something that we are being sold and told by the media. "Get instant results
with this diet, lose weight immediately with this plan."

Or you try another new diet and then give it up because it’s not working, or
too difficult to adhere to, and once again you reinforce that diets don’t work.
If you still don’t feel or look the way that you want to – you have probably
tried everything.

And because you have tried so many diets, joined so many gyms, taken so many
classes and still have not found your happiest, healthiest, self, you certainly
have reason to be convinced that nothing is going to change.

With that, you have little chance of making strides toward change in the area
of health and fitness – and you keep proving that over and over. But you can
change, things can be different - I have a plan.

Step 1. Accept where you are today. That’s right
- surrender, give in, and just say, "OK, I accept that this is where I am
today." You are not giving up – you are giving in – to the truth. Stop fighting
it and being negative about it, just be OK with it for now.

Step 2. Be thankful for all that is good in your life. Find
some things that you like about yourself and your life and focus intently on
those. Generate a feeling of love and generosity toward yourself and the doors
to change will open.

Step 3. Know that things can change. If you don’t believe it
now (and you probably don’t, given all that has happened in the past), you will,
if you dedicate as much time, thought, and energy as you did to feeling
negative, to thinking and then feeling positive. Fake it in the beginning, just
keep saying (with a smile on your face and hope in your heart), "I can
change, it’s my choice."

You must reinforce over and over, convince yourself that you can change by
reprogramming your mind. Don’t stop until you feel the love.

Step 4. Be open to a new you with new desires and feelings.
Whatever you do, don’t fight it when the urge strikes you to start taking better
care of yourself.

That’s right; before you know it you’ll be eating less junk – or just eating
less. You’ll be wanting to move your body more, so look for new
exercise tips here – they’re coming.

Peace and Happy Trails. Debbie Rocker

For the New You, Focus on 'Happy'

2007-10-27T19:31:00.001-07:00

It may sound trite, but it’s useful: If you can find a way to feel good right
now, regardless of what you want to accomplish, separate from all that you think
you need to change, it will help bring about change, very positive change, in
your life.

Assuming you want to improve your health, lose weight, stop
eating something or start doing something, the best thing you can do to get on
track right now is stop thinking about the problem.

Start focusing on happy thoughts, and I would imagine that the new you –
whatever and whoever that is, will make you happy, so think about
him/her.

Try these "WorkIns":

1. Imagine yourself as the person
you want to be, doing the things you want to do, looking the way you want to
look. If this doesn’t make you happy, then you have been misleading yourself
because there is no point to being that person if it isn’t going to make you
happy.

So fixate on it, feel it, focus on him/her daily, hourly, constantly. Feel
what it will be like to be that person, and if it makes you feel good – then
think about it more and more and more.

2. Make a happy list every day. List on a piece of paper all of the things
that you are proud of, happy about, grateful for.

You will be inspired
to do something if you really do these “workins” consistently. You may
spontaneously desire different foods; you may all of a sudden love exercising.
You may find a new job, meet someone special, get introduced to someone or
something that changes your life to ultimately bring every part of you –
physically, mentally and emotionally in line with the happy you.

Men and Women - Different to the Bone, Part 2

2007-10-27T19:26:00.002-07:00

In my last blog entry I focused on certain differences between men and women in terms
of musculoskeletal health, disease and injury. Here's more to ponder and comment
on:

Women are more likely to develop bunions (that bump on the inner side of the
foot near the big toe - where the big toe also shifts and starts pointing
outward rather than straight ahead, resulting in a deformed looking forefoot and
difficulty finding comfortable shoes- or ones that fit). Genetics are an issue
with bunion development, but the bigger factor is related to women's shoewear -
especially when they are ill-fitting in the toe box. Women bring much of this
upon themselves - or do we blame the fashion/shoewear industry?
Men's and women's muscles are identical! Pound for pound, men and women are
equally strong. However, because men have more muscle tissue (due to their size
and also the hormone testosterone) they will usually be "stronger." Strength
training is probably even more important for women (to protect their bones and
prevent osteoporosis). Men and women will both get stronger with weight training
(at any age), but men (especially when younger) will grow more muscle because of
the hormone testosterone. It is impossible for most women to get "muscle-bound"
with weight training - so ladies, please don't be afraid to start lifting - and
do it regularly!
Women are more likely to develop arthritis (although it is also very common
in men) and be more likely to need knee joint replacement surgery. More on that
later.

How do women fare (compared to men) after joint replacement surgery? Do they
enjoy the same high success rates? Do they have more complications?

Do women need a different design in their joint replacement? In my next blog
entry I'll explore this very area of controversy in the world of joint
replacement and orthopedic surgery.

Try This One-Minute Calf Massage

2007-10-27T19:26:00.001-07:00

Pregnant women, runners, walkers, or anyone who has to stand for long periods
of time will love this! A few minutes of attention to the calf muscles gets the
circulation moving through tired, achy legs.

1. Positioning: Have your partner lie down on his or her back with one leg
bent (foot flat on the floor, knee pointing up) and the other leg straight,
relaxing on the floor.

Go ahead and sit on the foot of the bent leg (you can put a pillow over the
foot if you want) and hold the knee stable with one of your hands. Let your
partner know that you will hold on to the knee so they can relax the bent leg
without feeling like it's going to fall to one side.

2. Keep one of your hands supporting the knee at all times. With the other
hand reach around to the calf muscles, grab on to a big hunk and start squeezing
and releasing. Work at a nice, steady rhythm, squeezing and releasing, working
your way from the back of the knee all the way down to the ankle. (Make sure
you're not pinching the skin, but rather compressing big chunks of muscle.
Pinching doesn't feel good - compression does!)

3. Be thorough - get the whole back side of the lower leg. Even though the
calf muscles really only go half way down the lower leg, continue all the way to
the ankles to include the Achilles tendon area. It needs the work, too.

4. Spend about 30 seconds massaging the lower leg. Then, supporting the
underside of the knee with one hand, straighten the leg, putting it down on the
floor. Repeat on the other leg.

5. After one minute, you're done! Now switch places with your partner so that
you get a chance to receive. Have your partner massage your calf muscles in the
same fashion.

Want the Truth? You Can Start Fresh

2007-10-27T19:25:00.002-07:00

What’s your truth?

Are you doing as much as you can do? You know if
you are eating a lot of junk, and not exercising. You know if you spend a lot of
time in your head making excuses or beating yourself up. A lot of what we do is
counterproductive – so, let’s start new.

Start from scratch - today.
Clean your slate, forget the old and bring in the new.

The way everything
is packaged and marketed these days, it’s hard to decipher what really is
healthy. But almost everything we buy is processed, packaged and sealed “for
your benefit."

Hint: Sliced turkey or ham from a deli package is not fresh meat or poultry.
Pastries, cookies and packaged cereal, for the most part, are not whole grains.
Portions are a factor, too - eat moderate portions – that is – not eating until
you are stuffed (like supersizing meals and drinks).

Make a change.
Cook/prepare your meals from fresh (or fresh-frozed) ingredients – buy some
fish, cook some brown rice, make a salad from fresh vegetables and eat fresh
fruit for a snack.

And instead of beating yourself up for whatever you
ate before, try: “Wouldn’t it be nice if eating healthy foods was my first
choice?” or “Wouldn’t it be fantastic if I no longer wanted junk foods?” or “How
amazing would it be if I stopped eating before I got full?” Say these to
yourself over and over every day, all week, and I think you’ll notice a
change.

And how about this? Exercise two times this week. Do two
25-minute walks. Walk easily for five minutes, enjoying the day, warming up
your body, and then increase your intensity, walking with enough effort to feel
yourself breathing deeply for 15 minutes, then take a five-minute victory
walk home enjoying the fact that you did it.

Emotional Stress Inhibits Physical Healing

2007-10-27T19:25:00.001-07:00

A recent report from Ohio State University evaluated whether or not emotional
stress affected healing. Forty-two married couples participated in the research
project in which they received small blisters on their skin (ouch!) and then
engaged in either a loving, supportive conversation or an angry, hostile
disagreement.

The researchers measured the concentration of immunological chemicals in the
blood and tracked how long it took for the wounds to heal. The results showed
that one hostile interaction slowed healing by almost 24 hours.

In other studies, medical scientists have demonstrated that in addition to
high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking, hostility is an independent
risk factor for heart attacks.

Hostility means that you carry the belief that you are always carrying more
than your fair share, that other people cannot be trusted to meet your needs,
and that having an anger outburst is an acceptable way to express your
frustration.

If you score in the highest ranges of hostility, your risk of a heart attack
is as great as if you smoke a pack of cigarettes per day. Some studies suggest
that psychological stress accounts for 30 percent of the risk for a heart
attack.

We now have scientific evidence that bringing peace into your life is not
only good for your relationships, but also good for your body. If we needed
another good reason to bring peace to the world, we now have it.

Work Your Mind, Not Just Your Body

2007-10-27T19:24:00.001-07:00

Got Support? Get it Now!

2007-10-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

The S word, support, we need it badly when we are trying to do something new,
different, and outside our comfort zones.

If you are trying to get
fitter, lose weight, give up sugar, get on an exercise program and stay with it,
it is my personal and professional opinion that support is essential to your
success.

And of course you have heard this before, but maybe this time
you’ll try it. Call a friend right now and tell her/him exactly what you want to
accomplish. Keep it small in the beginning, like, I am going to walk for 20
minutes every morning before I go to work – and I’d like to call you to report
my progress - period.

What you need to know are the details – you walk at
a strong pace, strong enough to get your heart rate up (so you are breathing
deeply) and break a sweat. You only think about one workout at a time, not, "how
will I do this everyday," and you call your friend everyday, no matter what, to
check in.

Soon, you’ll be telling her how much better you feel and how much better you
look in your clothes, and she’ll probably want to start doing it with
you.

The ultimate supporter is one who sees you as you are, and hears
your deep desire to be better. It could be your friend, a parent, or maybe
someone you have met online who is doing the same thing. Get support and
become accountable to someone else.

The most important thing for us all
is that we find a way to feel happy now, while we are becoming the best we can
be. Today is your life, not tomorrow or next month when your pants fit better or
you’ve landed a better job.

Today is when you need to feel good about yourself, and making a move toward
feeling better by increasing your level of health and fitness is huge! Whether
you are going to be walking for 20 minutes everyday or getting rid of something
that isn’t working in your life (be it chocolate or an unkind person), make that
commitment to yourself and someone else, and you will immediately feel better
knowing that you are taking action, and becoming more mindful and committed to
you.

1. Make your decision now. What is the one most important thing that
must change in your life?
2. What one thing can you do daily to change
it?
3. Call someone now, and commit it to him/her.
4. And be happy – you
are doing it.

Fitness and Good Health: The Tricks That Work are Free

2007-10-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

How is it possible that every year Americans spend more money on diet and
weight loss aids and, research shows, every year we get fatter?

Something
is not working. So let’s stop doing it. Stop buying every new weight loss
remedy. Stop eating low-fat, low-carb, sugar-free and so on, because there
are no free lunches, so to speak. None of this is calorie-free. Stop saying
you’ll exercise tomorrow.

Get back to basics, start at the beginning, do
the things that actually work – and remember, they’re free!

I know
it’s almost too simple to say but:

Add 20-30 minutes of exercise to your
day. I want to get up in the morning and take a 20-minute walk –
period. Walk away from your house for 10 and then 10 minutes back and you
have just done 20 minutes of calorie-burning aerobic training. Or, if you are
really pressed for time in the a.m., on your lunch break, break a little sweat
(nothing radical), just walk at a steady pace for 20 minutes.

Reduce your food intake; eat less at every meal. At home, prepare a dish of
food that is moderately sized, a small (4-5 oz) portion of protein and
vegetables and maybe a little soup or a salad (in a small salad bowl) to start.
At a restaurant – plan to take some home. Ask the waiter for a take-away
container when you order, and make a habit of taking part of your meal
home.

Keep it simple so you will really do it – daily – and things will
change. Give it 14 days and report back to me – I’d love to hear what you
think.

Cruise Rolls Out 'Lions for Lambs'

2007-10-22T05:47:00.002-07:00

As a flurry of films about Iraq and terrorism march in and out of theaters
this fall, one title with major stars and major political attitude faces a
rather unique marketing challenge.

Tom
Cruise produced "Lions for Lambs,"
in which he also stars with Robert Redford (who
also directed) and Meryl
Streep. It is a remarkably strident political work that takes dead aim at
the Bush White House and assails post-9/11 foreign policy, especially the wars
in Afghanistan and Iraq, putting its stars on the frontlines in this era's
fiercest political debate. Early indications suggest it isn't yet clear how
Cruise will package his own views.

Signaling a return to the big screen after an eventful absence, Cruise made
his first public appearance for "Lions" at a packed screening Thursday night.
The event was a fund-raiser for the Pelham Picture House, a 1920s theater just
outside New York.

In a Q&A moderated by Peter Travers of Rolling Stone, Cruise and
screenwriter Joe Carnahan spoke about the film's impassioned critique of the
government's strategy. Originally conceived as a stage play, the film blends
three storylines: Cruise as a rightwing senator doing an interview with TV
journalist Streep; Redford as a college professor teaching one of his students
about the importance of political engagement; and a more cinematic look at the
battlefield consequences in Afghanistan.

Related feature: Hollywood brings the
war home

The $35 million film has the political thrust of a vintage Costas-Gavras
film, so there was no avoiding the matter at the Q&A.

Yet Cruise didn't exactly morph into Tim
Robbins, preferring to stay largely above the fray and offering measured
comments that the film was trying to "open up serious questions for the
audience" and that the script was "timely." It was clear that he hadn't decided
exactly what positions to stake out and was using the event as a rehearsal for
his views, which will certainly face scrutiny in the next two weeks.

When Cruise has voiced his personal opinions in recent years -- about
Scientology or depression, for example -- it has cost him in the public eye. His
public comments during the launches of "War of the Worlds" and "Mission:
Impossible 3" got him into hot water with his fans and the industry that had
made him a top draw for two-plus decades.

Carnahan was far blunter at the Q&A, saying he felt the film argued that
the politics and strategy of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were wrongheaded
and that the media led the public down a false path. Whenever Travers or an
audience member lobbed a question at the pair about a specific political point,
Carnahan jumped in.

"Lions" is Cruise's first release since being ejected from the Paramount lot
and seeing his formerly unassailable image seriously bruised in the media. It is
also the first release from MGM's newly reactivated United Artists label, with
which Cruise and longtime producing partner Paula Wagner forged a relationship
one year ago. He is producing and starring in UA pics, while she is serving as
its chief executive.

Cruise said he had made the film out of deep respect for Redford's body of
work, which he said had inspired him since "Ordinary People." According to
Carnahan, Streep saw the script first and then helped get first Redford and then
Cruise into the fold.

Wearing his producer-mogul hat, Cruise endorsed the pic as "the kind of film
United Artists should be making," which suggested the film's politics appealed
to him at least on that level. As one of the film's guiding hands off-camera, it
is fairly remarkable that Cruise would cast himself in the right-winger role. At
most other times in his career, the 45-year-old Cruise might have played any of
the pic's other roles.

From Pelham, Cruise and Carnahan immediately embarked on a European
promotional swing, where the film is aiming to garner support ahead of its Nov.
1 berth as the opening film at the AFI fest. Premieres at the London Film
Festival tonight and the Rome fest Tuesday night will be followed by other
screenings across Europe.

Those guiding the film's campaign said the gameplan all along had been to
avoid conventional options like Toronto and try to build a singular profile
centered on the film's three stars. Trailers and TV spots also underplay the
intense political content and instead sell the stars. The one-sheet, with the
stars faces against a white background, bears the tagline, "If you don't stand
for something, you'll fall for anything."

The star treatment was certainly accorded Cruise at the Pelham screening
Thursday. The event was technically off-limits to the press and was therefore
dominated by worshipful fans who didn't press Cruise the way he is likely to be
once the film's opening arrives.

Lost amid the political intrigue was one interesting revelation that usually,
when it involves a top star, is capable of being a story unto itself: Cruise
said what he really wants to do is direct.

Vampires Sink Teeth Into Movie Audiences

2007-10-22T05:47:00.001-07:00

LOS ANGELES -- The horror tale "30 Days of Night" had three days of
box-office bite. The Sony fright flick, with Josh Hartnett leading Alaskans against
ravenous vampires that turn up for the prolonged winter darkness, debuted as the
weekend's No. 1 movie with $16 million, according to studio estimates
Sunday.

Audiences continued to choose merriment over misery as the latest crop of
sober Academy Awards hopefuls, among them Ben Affleck's "Gone Baby Gone," Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal's "Rendition" and Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro's "Things We Lost in the Fire," debuted
with so-so to dismal numbers.

Whether it's the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, deadly news out of Pakistan
and Myanmar or Friday's stock market tumble, moviegoers seem disinterested in
more bad news at theaters with films about child-kidnapping, torture, widowhood
and heroin addiction.

"Fall is the season of the serious movie, and it seems like audiences in a
way are resisting the serious movie right now," said Paul Dergarabedian,
president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "Audiences are finding their
horror or their intensity in real life, and they're not looking for it in the
movies."

Other escapist fare joined "30 Days of Night" at the top of the box-office
chart. "Tyler Perry's Why
Did I Get Married?", the Lionsgate release that was the previous weekend's
No. 1 flick, slipped to second place with $12.1 million, raising its total to
$38.9 million.

Disney's family comedy "The Game Plan" held up well at No. 3
with $8.1 million, lifting its four-week total to $69.2 million.

Affleck made his directing debut with Miramax's "Gone Baby Gone," which
debuted at No. 5 with $6 million.

The critically acclaimed movie stars the filmmaker's brother, Casey Affleck, as a private
detective trying to solve a young girl's abduction.

Coming in on par with "Gone Baby Gone" was Fox Atomic's "The Comebacks," a lowbrow spoof of
sports movies that opened at No. 6 with $5.85 million.

New Line's "Rendition," starring Witherspoon and Gyllenhaal in the story of
an Egyptian-born man detained and tortured under suspicion of terrorism,
premiered at No. 9 with $4.2 million.

The DreamWorks-Paramount release "Things We Lost in the Fire," with Berry as
a widow who takes in her husband's drug-addicted best friend (Del Toro), opened
far outside the top-10 with $1.6 million.

Further proof that movie fans want fun over adversity: a 3-D version of
Disney's Halloween perennial "Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before
Christmas" was No. 8 with $5.1 million and had a better rate of return
per-theater than any of the new wide releases.

Playing in 564 cinemas, "Nightmare Before Christmas" averaged $9,122,
compared to $5,604 in 2,855 locations for "30 Days of Night;" $3,503 in 1,713
sites for "Gone Baby Gone;" $1,856 in 2,250 theaters for "Rendition" and $1,405
in 1,142 cinemas for "Things We Lost in the Fire."

"There's just so much serious fare. We have overloaded the marketplace with
this highbrow, serious product," said Chris Aronson, senior vice president of
distribution for 20th Century Fox. "The audience is saying, 'Give me something
to have some fun with.'"

While fun movies ruled, the overall box office skidded for the fifth-straight
weekend. The top-12 movies took in $79.7 million, down 10 percent from the same
weekend last year.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian
theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released
Monday.

1. "30 Days of Night," $16 million.

2. "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?", $12.1 million.

3. "The Game Plan," $8.1 million.

4. "Michael Clayton,"
$7.1 million.

5. "Gone Baby Gone," $6 million.

6. "The Comebacks," $5.85 million.

7. "We Own the Night," $5.5 million.

8. "Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas," $5.1 million.

9. "Rendition," $4.2 million.

10. "The Heartbreak
Kid," $3.9 million.

Chan Tells Aspiring Actors to Be Natural

2007-10-22T05:40:00.002-07:00

HONG KONG -- Jackie
Chan to aspiring action stars: Don't bow to me. Chan said in a blog entry on
his Web site Sunday that he's not a fan of the way disciples greet their masters
in kung fu movies by grasping a clenched fist in a prayer-like gesture, then
bowing their heads.

The veteran actor said he had noticed the move in audition video clips for
his Chinese talent show "The Disciple."

"Some preliminary competitors would introduce themselves the old-period kung
fu way: the fist of one hand clenched firmly, the palm of the other wrapped on
top, head slightly bowed, then saying, 'All the heroes here today, please advise
and correct my wrongdoings,'" Chan wrote.

He called the greeting "old-fashioned and definitely not what I'm looking
for."

"I think actors of today should adapt to situations appropriately, like using
old-fashioned terms for old-fashioned movies or using modern-day speech for
modern-day films. Actors shouldn't mix old-fashioned speech with modern-day
films. It just doesn't fit," Chan said.

He said actors who adapt to the times will enjoy a wider range of roles.

Chan also said he didn't launch "The Disciple" — jointly produced by Chan and
a Beijing TV Station called BTV — to scout for the next kung fu superstar, but
rather to spot people with talent to become genuinely skilled "action
artists."

Beyonce Launches World Tour in Ethiopia

2007-10-22T05:40:00.001-07:00

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Beyonce Knowles began her world tour in
front of an audience of 5,000 fans in Ethiopia, a country usually unimpressed by
Western music.

The 26-year-old Texan R&B singer gave a spirited two-hour performance in
the Ethiopian capital Saturday evening, as part of the country's yearlong
celebration of its 2,000th year according to the Coptic calendar.

Addis Ababa hosted L.A. -based hip-hop group the Black Eyed Peas in September, but
the reception was tepid.

Photos: Beyonce
Knowles

Beyonce's opening act, multi-platinum-selli ng rapper Ludacris, also received lukewarm
reaction.

But something about Beyonce seems to have struck a chord in Ethiopia, where
even young Ethiopians are steadfast fans of tunes sung in the national language,
Amharic. The audience was ecstatic when she came onstage for her concert, which
included many ballads from her recent release, "B-day."

"Rap music doesn't suit Ethiopia," said Michael Melake, a 36-year-old local
music promoter. "Ethiopians need a melody. Rap music is all about the message
and we don't identify with that. It's all about the black American experience,
and we don't relate to that."

Enoch Nicano, a 30-year-old nightclub owner, provided a slightly simpler
explanation for Beyonce's fan base in Ethiopia.

"She's hot," he said, then paused to reconsider. "She's more than hot."

In a country where many women wear simple white dresses with colored stripes
at the hemline and sleeves, all made from local cotton, Beyonce's outfits were
covered in sequins or shiny, space-age material — from a modern interpretation
of a hula girl with shiny black tendrils replacing the grass skirt to a
high-necked Victorian-style top.

Despite — or perhaps because of — her outfits, many in the crowd appeared to
genuinely enjoy Beyonce's performance.

Concert organizers were a little more delicate about why Ethiopians are so
fond of the singer.

"Because she loves Ethiopia," said Mulugeta Aserate, a member of Ethiopia's
millennium secretariat.

The singer conveyed that herself, showing genuine emotion before closing the
show to deafening applause.

"I want to thank you," she told the screaming crowd.

"You have been one of the best audiences of my lifetime."

Lawyer: Spears Regains Child Visitation

2007-10-22T05:39:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES -- Britney
Spears has regained temporary visitation rights of her sons, her attorney
said Sunday.

"Yes, she has visitation with the children," her lawyer, Anne Kiley, said in
an e-mail to The Associated Press without elaborating.

Spears was spotted driving with the boys, Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, on
Saturday in the San Fernando Valley, People magazine reported on its Web
site.

A presumed court-appointed monitor was in the passenger seat of the white
Mercedes convertible, and her sons were in the back seat, the magazine
reported.

Photos: Britney
Spears

Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon had told Spears on Wednesday that
she could not visit her two young children without a parenting coach present
until she complies with a court order.

The mandate did not spell out what directives Spears failed to comply
with.

Among other things, Gordon ordered her to undergo random weekly drug testing,
citing evidence that Spears engaged in "habitual, frequent and continuous use of
controlled substances and alcohol."

A hearing on the matter was scheduled for Oct. 26.

Wednesday's ruling followed an emergency hearing, the latest in a custody
battle between Spears and ex-husband Kevin
Federline.

A phone message left with Federline's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, was not
immediately returned Sunday.

Video: Watch Britney run over photographer's foot

Big Debate: Should celebs be
driving?

Publicist: Wagoner Has Lung Cancer

2007-10-22T05:38:00.000-07:00

Porter Wagoner has lung cancer and remains hospitalized in serious condition,
a publicist for the country singer said Sunday.

His Nashville publicist, Darlene Bieber, said she had no further information
about his condition.

The 80-year-old singer in May celebrated his 50th year at the Grand Ole Opry,
the long-running live country music show.

Wagoner, known for his rhinestone stage outfits, helped launch the career of
Dolly Parton by hiring her as his duet partner in 1967.

Parton visited Wagoner in the hospital last week and pledged to sing with him
again, Opry spokeswoman Jessie Schmidt had said Friday.

Wagoner's career took an upturn this year when he signed with ANTI-records,
an eclectic Los Angeles label best known for alt-rock acts such as Tom Waits,
Nick Cave and Neko Case. He and partner Marty Stuart released the album
"Wagonmaster," earning Wagoner some of the best reviews of his career.

Wagoner was the opening act for the White Stripes at a sold-out show at
Madison Square Garden in Manhattan this summer.

Wagoner was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002. He and Parton
were the Country Music Association's duo of the year in 1970 and 1971, recording
hits including "The Last Thing on My Mind."

His other hits include "Carroll County Accident," "A Satisfied Mind,"
"Company's Comin'," "Skid Row Joe," "Misery Loves Company" and a country version
of "Green Green Grass of Home."

(This version CORRECTS the day the publicist spoke to Sunday, instead of
Saturday.)

'Sex' and the City of Tabloid Rumors

2007-10-21T03:08:00.000-07:00

With the "Sex and the
City" movie shooting on the streets of New York, it's no surprise the film
has become catnip for the city's fashion, high-society, publishing and tabloid
realms.

And that's resulted in seemingly endless leaks of photos, gossip and possible
key plot points. The parade of paparazzi shots and "if A, then therefore B" plot
deductions have created a rubber-neck fascination not seen since "The Devil Wears
Prada."

New Line, while limiting official set access, has done little to shield the
production from looky-loos. But as with the shoot of the final scene of "The Sopranos," which became
a New York media obsession five months before the finale aired,
hyperknowledgeable fans -- many of whom oversee celebrity media coverage -- have
strung together several plot points.

Among the possible scoops: Carrie marries Big, and Charlotte finally has a
baby. And could there be a flashback?

Gawker.com waggishly anointed the production "The Most Important Movie Ever
Shot in New York," running a dozen fan-on-the-street updates in the past month.
Ditto the tabs, which have festooned their pages with giddy headlines and
"candid" shots of Chris
Noth, Sarah Jessica Parker and
the gals.

Some of the tips are obviously coming from fashion designers angling for
coverage.

But some appear to be coming from the production itself, even though New Line
is officially mum.

As far as managing the proliferation of photos, film vets who have been
through similar highly conspicuous location shoots say there are two basic
options to manage the keen interest: Strictly limit photos to only a handful of
official shots, or flood the market by allowing unfettered paparazzi.

In media-centric New York, things seem to have defaulted to the latter
option.

Sam Thielman contributed to this report.

Dolly Visits Ex-Duet Partner in Hospital

2007-10-21T03:07:00.002-07:00

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Dolly
Parton visited former duet partner and longtime Opry performer Porter Wagoner in the hospital
and pledged to sing with him again.

Wagoner, 80, is being treated for an undisclosed ailment and is in serious
condition. Parton stopped by to see him Friday.

"She told him she'd be back to see him again, and would sing with him the
first night he returns to the Grand Ole Opry," said Jessie Schmidt, spokeswoman
for the country music show.

Parton described Wagoner as very weak but said he "had his wits and joked
around," Schmidt said.

Wagoner, who has performed at the Opry for 50 years, helped launch Parton's
career by hiring her as his duet partner in 1967.

He was admitted to the hospital earlier this week.

Maher Boots Protester From Audience

2007-10-21T03:07:00.001-07:00

LOS ANGELES -- Bill
Maher can add "security guard" to his job description alongside comedian and
political commentator.

Maher on Friday night helped security remove a rowdy protester from the
studio during his weekly HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher," and
it was all captured on live television.

Maher was talking science during one of his weekly panel discussions when a
protester in his audience stood up, held up a smuggled-in sign reading "9/11 is
a cover up fraud" and shouted comments to the same effect.

The host tried to shout down the audience member, who only became more
agitated.

"Do we have some (expletive) security in this building," Maher yelled, "or do
I have to come down there and kick his (expletive)?"

When security reached the man's aisle and the man resisted leaving, Maher ran
into the seats and helped them push him out the door, shouting "Out! Out!
Out!"

Several other protesters, sprinkled throughout the audience, then stood up
and shouted.

"This isn't the Iowa Caucus, OK, we're not here to debate," Maher shouted
with most of his audience cheering him on. "This is the problem with live
television."

The incident was shown live on the East Coast, and the network appeared to
show the entire affair unedited for the taped-delayed West Coast version.

After the instigators were ejected, Maher told his panelists — MSNBC's Chris
Matthews, Los Angeles Times columnist Joel Stein and Congresswoman Sheila
Jackson — that they often linger outside his studio to share 9/11 conspiracy
theories with him and try to get into the show.

"It's the only time I defend Bush," he said.

"I'm thinking about firing my audience department," he added.

Regular audience members found the ruckus thrilling.

"We picked a very exciting night to be here," Eliot Stein, a 54-year-old high
school teacher, said via cell phone.

"There's few live TV shows anymore, and here you got to see, it was like a
movie. It was great."

Phone and e-mail messages left with HBO officials late Friday were not
immediately returned.

'High School Musical' Destined for Stage

2007-10-21T03:06:00.001-07:00

NEW YORK -- Sing out Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay and Ryan. Even before "High School Musical"
became the celluloid Holy Grail of entertainment for adolescent girls
everywhere, the idea of a stage version was being contemplated by the folks at
Disney.

At first, though, the Mouse House didn't realize the popularity of its TV
movie could translate into a big-budget, Broadway-style touring show. It was
thinking schools and amateur groups.

"I knew there was a lot of excitement about it at the Disney Channel," says
Steve Fickinger, a Disney Theatrical vice president in charge of creating
properties for licensing to schools, amateur groups and professional
theaters.

"We got the rights to do a stage adaptation before it aired on television —
which made us look incredibly prescient," he says with a laugh. "Its charms were
obvious. ... As the film went on to be a sensation and then a phenomenon, we
realized we had a terrific opportunity on our hands."

For those who haven't heard of it (and there must be a handful somewhere),
"High School Musical" celebrates the aspirations of high-school students —
whether they are jocks, brainiacs (the musicals' term for smart kids) or
thespians (those who star in the drama club's yearly show).

The plot concerns what happens when a jock, Troy, and a brainiac, Gabriella,
try out for the annual high school musical, incurring the wrath of the school's
perennial drama-club stars, Sharpay and her twin brother, Ryan. Follow your
dreams, the musical says, no matter where they may take you.

The film was first televised in January 2006 on the Disney Channel and, boom,
staggering success for the movie and its subsequent, best-selling CD.

But would enthusiasm for "High School Musical" last? Fickinger wasn't
sure.

"Nobody is 100 percent certain what the shelf life of a phenomenon is,"
Fickinger says.

"So I was aggressive about wanting to get (a stage version) into schools as
quickly as possible."

Fickinger took what was normally a 16- to 24-month development period and
compressed it into six months. A book adaptation was quickly done by David
Simpatico as was a music adaptation by Bryan Louiselle, who also wrote two new
songs.

By June 2006, Disney executives were watching a reading in New York of the
stage version, done by young performers from different Broadway and off-Broadway
shows such as "Wicked," "Tarzan," "The Lion King" and "Altar Boyz."

"Immediately, we could see that it had a freshness and an appeal," Fickinger
said. "Nobody in the room — because it basically was just Disney folks in the
audience — was under 22 or 23. Everyone was laughing and cheering and had a lump
in their throats."

A plan was quickly put together to have the show to schools by fall 2006. So
on the Web site of Music Theatre International (which licenses Disney shows) a
note went up: "If you're interested in doing it in your school or in your
amateur group, please send us an e-mail."

Disney got 15,000 e-mails, meaning interest was LARGE.

At the same time, professional companies began to show interest. So together
with Thomas Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical, Fickinger devised a plan
for professional productions. They chose six theaters (of widely different
sizes), which specifically were for children or had strong youth programs.

One of the first to do the show was Atlanta's Theater of the Stars at the
mammoth, nearly 4,000-seat Fox Theatre. It put together a production, directed
by Jeff Calhoun, which used actors cast in New York and some 25-30 children from
the Atlanta area as part of the show.

Calhoun, who directed the 1994 Broadway revival of "Grease" as well as Deaf
West's acclaimed production of "Big River," was astonished at its first
performance there. As the house lights dimmed, the audience erupted with
cheers.

"I wasn't ready for that," he recalls. "I started to get nervous. I thought,
'Oh my God, that's because of the movie, that's why they are clapping like that.
What happens when they realize that it's different.' But by the end, they were
standing and cheering just as loud. It was a big relief."

But then, a week earlier, the Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis, one
of the country's premier family theaters, opened its production to strong
reviews including a rave in Variety, the show-biz Bible.

Disney was so pleased with the responses, it decided to tour the show itself
— using much of the Atlanta production and again with Calhoun directing. It's
now pretty much booked through 2008, and that's besides the more than 2,000 high
school and amateur productions that have been done over the past year.

"High School Musical" reminded Calhoun of his own road to a theater
career.

"I was the football quarterback who also choreographed the high school
musical," recalls Calhoun, who first danced on Broadway in the early 1980s
before graduating to choreography and directing. "The movie really did resonate
with me. I was a mix between Troy and Ryan because I had to leave football
practice on Wednesdays an hour early to go to tap-dance class."

When Calhoun took on "High School Musical," he didn't know of the movie's
iconic status; he hadn't even seen the movie all the way through. "I didn't
really finish the film until after I staged my version," he says.

Calhoun said his job was physicalizing the story and songs put together by
Simpatico and Louiselle. "The key, or course, is the moving lockers" — the
ubiquitous storage units found in every high school and which form a prominent
scenic component of the musical.

"The kiss of death for this show would have been automation. As soon as
something starts to move by itself or come out of the floor, it would feel
overproduced," the director adds. "For 'High School Musical' to work, you have
to have the feeling of 'let's put on a show.' But at the same time, that's very
deceptive because it's a very big, complicated show made to look very simple by
kids just pushing around some locker units."

Casting also is big, with more than 30 performers, most of them young.
Calhoun thinks John Jeffrey Martin (Troy) and Arielle Jacobs (Gabriella) will be
big stars.

Jacobs, who grew up in the Bay area of San Francisco and in Princeton, N.J.,
says she felt a kinship to Gabriella. "I'm generally pretty quiet and I was a
brainiac in school, so I'm really good at playing characters who feel
misunderstood and quiet," she says.

The actress calls the show's message "universal — it's a great story about
peer pressure and fighting to be who you are and following your passions even
though they may be different from everyone else's."

Ellen Harvey concurs. She plays Ms. Darbus, the excitable drama teacher who
fiercely believes in the magic of theater.

"Kids are up against so much these days between what is going on in the world
and what their parents may be going through, job-wise or whatever. ... And if
the message of this piece can resonate with them and encourage them to be their
own person — be true to yourself — I think it's incredibly positive," Harvey
says.

From a performer's perspective, the anticipation before each performance is
wonderful, too, according to Harvey.

"The kids are so ready for a good time when they get there, although they are
not seeing the same thing they watched on the DVD. ... What amazes me most is
the rapt silence. There is a potential for a lot of fidgeting if you don't hold
an audience, especially a younger audience. And they are just so into it. Even
mouthing along with the words," Harvey explains.

Both Jacobs and Harvey are veterans of signing autographs at the stage door —
on theater programs, T-shirts, ticket stubs as well as photos from kids' own
productions of "High School Musical."

"This is part of the memory they are going to carry away with them of what it
was like to go to the theater," Harvey said.

After one performance, a 6-year-old confided to Harvey, "You were my
favorite."

"Man, I got the best job," Harvey says with obvious satisfaction.

Allan Houston ends comeback attempt

2007-10-21T03:05:00.000-07:00

Allan Houston ended his comeback attempt with the New York Knicks on
Saturday, saving Isiah Thomas from possibly having to cut one of the top scorers
in franchise history.

Houston rejoined his former team late last week, two years after he was
forced to retire because of chronic knee pain. However, the Knicks already had
the maximum 15 players under contract, and Thomas said he only gave the
36-year-old guard an invite to camp because of his history in New York.

Houston's chances were even slimmer because he didn't join the team until 10
days after practices began. He cited the timing issue in his decision to walk
away again.

"While my body and my knees, in particular, feel fine, I know what is
required for me to be truly effective in the NBA again, and it involves a timing
and progression that would not be fair to Isiah and the Knicks right now,"
Houston said in a statement released by the Knicks. "With the season opening
less than two weeks away, I think it is best for the team to move on without me.
I appreciate the opportunity that Isiah and the Knicks have given me, and I wish
the team nothing but success."

Houston played only six minutes in his lone preseason appearance Wednesday at
Boston, then sat out a game at New Jersey the next night.

Houston spent nine seasons with the Knicks and is fourth on the team's career
scoring list. He said upon his return that he didn't think he would try to latch
on with another team if he didn't stick with the Knicks.

Nuggets suspend J.R. Smith for 3 games

2007-10-21T03:04:00.000-07:00

Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith was suspended for the first three games of
the regular season "for conduct detrimental to the team."

Nuggets player personnel director Mark Warkentien declined on Saturday to
specify Smith's transgression.

"I take full responsibility for my actions that led to this suspension,"
Smith said in an apology distributed by the team. "I realize that the
organization wants to help me become not only a better player, but also the best
person I can off the court.

"I apologize to my teammates, the coaching staff, my family and Nuggets fans.
I promise to learn from this situation and look forward to returning shortly and
being the best teammate I possibly can."

Smith served a 10-game suspension last year for his role in a fight with the
New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden and was injured in a car crash last
summer in New Jersey that killed his friend, Andre Bell, 21.

Smith, who drew coach George Karl's ire last year for firing up long
jumpshots in the playoffs, will miss Denver's opener Oct. 31 against Seattle, as
well as games at Minnesota on Nov. 2 and home against New Orleans on Nov.
4.

Candidates selected for China's Party central committee

2007-10-20T01:58:00.001-07:00

All candidates to enter the central committee and central discipline
commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) have been selected, waiting for
a formal vote on Sunday at the concluding session of the 17th CPC National
Congress, Xinhua has learnt.

More than 2,200 Party delegates selected the
candidates for members and alternate members of the CPC Central Committee and
members of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on Friday and
Saturday through a secret multi-candidate vote.

The list and numbers of the chosen candidates are not
known, but they will have a high chance to become members and alternate members
of the central committee, and members of the central discipline commission, as
was the case at previous Party congresses.

The primary elections were conducted on a
differential basis. Analysts say the ratio of losers may be higher than that in
the 16th Party congress five years ago.

At the 16th Party congress in 2002, ten nominees lost
in the primary vote for candidates of central committee members, marking a 5.1
percent. Another seven people, or 5.8 percent of the nominees, lost in the vote
for candidates of members of the central discipline commission.

The proportion of the dropouts in the alternate
members primary election was 5.7 percent in 2002, which translates into nine
persons.

The Party Constitution rules that "The highest
leading body of the Party is the National Congress and the Central Committee
elected by it." It also stipulates: "The Political Bureau, the Standing
Committee of the Political Bureau and the General Secretary of the Central
Committee of the Party are elected by the Central Committee in plenary session."

In this sense, the top leadership lineup will be
formed at the first plenary session of the newly-elected CPC Central Committee.
Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau are expected to meet
the press on Monday following the plenum.

U.S. explains errant flight of nukes

2007-10-20T01:57:00.001-07:00

The U.S. Air Force said on Friday that the incident of mishandling nuclear
warheads in August was an "unacceptable mistake" of a sort that had never
happened before.

Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne made the first
explicit confirmation on the incident at a Pentagon press conference, saying
that the military would "make all appropriate changes to ensure this has a
minimal chance of ever happening again."

A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber. The U.S. Defense
Department official confirmed Wednesday that a B-52 bomber had been mistakenly
loaded with nuclear weapons and flown over American sky.
(AFP File Photo)

In the Aug. 29-30 incident, six nuclear warheads on
air-launched cruise missiles were improperly handled and procedures were not
followed when they were loaded on a B-52 bomber and flown from Minot Air Force
Base, in the northern U.S. state of North Dakota, to Barksdale Air Force Base,
in the southern state of Louisiana. The incident is considered as the worst
known violation of nuclear security rules in decades.

Maj. Gen. Richard Newton, the Air Force deputy chief
of staff for operations, said at the press conference that the incident was
resulted from "unprecedented string of procedural errors."

The airmen failed to conduct a required inspection of
the missiles before they were loaded aboard the B-52 bomber, which "was a
failure to follow procedures, procedures that have proven to be sound," Newton
said.

After landing at Barksdale, the B-52 sat on a runway
for hours with the missiles but the breach was unnoticed. After 36 hours the
missiles were finally secured in a proper way.

"There has been an erosion of adherence to
weapons-handling standards at Minot Air Force Base and Barksdale Air Force
Base," Newton said.

The explanation for the incident was concluded after
a six-week Air Force investigation.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said at a press
conference on Thursday that he also asked for an outside inquiry to determine
whether the incident exposes a larger security problem on weapon transferring.

The Air Force has taken some remedy measures
including ordering a comprehensive review of procedures base by base and
relieving four military officers who were held accountable for the
incident.

Britain's Northern Rock chairman steps down

2007-10-20T01:56:00.000-07:00

Chairman Matt Ridley of the troubled British bank Northern Rock has stepped
down over his role in the bank's near collapse last month, the bank announced
Friday.

The time is right to accept the resignation of
Ridley, the bank said.

Bryan Sanderson, a former chairman of Standard
Chartered, would take over as chairman of the bank as soon as he has been
approved by the Financial Services Authority, the bank said.

Ridley had offered to resign in September but was
asked to remain in his post to testify before a parliamentary committee this
week.

He was accused of "damaging the good name of British
banking" by the committee of MPs.

Ridley told the Treasury Select Committee on Tuesday
that the bank had been hit by "wholly unexpected" events and he defended the way
he and his colleagues had been running the bank.

"We were subject to a completely unprecedented and
unpredictable closure of the world credit markets," he said, defending the
bank's policy of borrowing large sums of money on the financial markets to lend
as mortgages to house buyers.

Northern Rock's business model proved vulnerable when
the summer's turmoil on financial markets due to problems in the US sub prime
mortgage market made banks more reluctant to lend to each other.

Northern Rock was forced to seek emergency funding
from the Bank of England. When this was made public, thousands of savers queued
to withdraw money totaling more than 2 billion pound sterling, which was 8
percent of deposits the bank held.

Northern Rock has until February next year to assess
options for its future, including a sale. So far it has received approaches from
several groups including a consortium led by Richard Branson's Virgin
Group.

T.I. Asks for Bond While He Awaits Trial

2007-10-20T00:20:00.001-07:00

T.I.'s lawyers asked a federal judge Friday to release the rapper on $2.2
million bond and allow him to have monitored home confinement while he awaits
trial on weapons charges.

Defense attorney Ed Garland proposed putting a person in T.I.'s home 24 hours
a day to monitor activities there.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman said he will reserve his ruling on the
singer's bond request until Oct. 26, when T.I.'s lawyers are expected to present
a home monitor who must be approved by the court, pretrial services officials
and prosecutors.

T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, would also have to submit to
electronic monitoring. Only those on a preapproved list of visitors would be
able to enter the home. Harris would surrender his passport and his right to
drive, and would submit to random searches of the home and random drug
screening.

Several record company executives, including some from Atlantic Records and
Warner Music Group, were seated in the courtroom. Officials said they were
prepared to offer signature bond on Harris' behalf in excess of $1 million.

Prosecutors countered that because of Harris' criminal history and because he
was arrested while allegedly trying to buy machine guns and silencers, he poses
a flight risk and danger to the community.

Harris was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on weapons charges,
including possession of machine guns.

His indictment followed his arrest last Saturday for allegedly possessing
unregistered machine guns and silencers and of being a convicted felon in
possession of firearms.

Harris, 27, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each
count

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Britney Spears Appears to Hit Paparazzo

2007-10-20T00:19:00.000-07:00

It might just be Britney Spears' latest hit.

Hours after losing visitation rights with her two young sons, the struggling
pop star apparently ran over the foot of a photographer for celebrity Web site
TMZ.com. Spears was driving away from a Beverly Hills medical building, her car
surrounded by photographers, when the incident occurred about 5 p.m.
Thursday.

Messages left with her attorney weren't immediately returned.

Video posted on the Hollywood.TV Web site shows elements of the incident but
not the tire rolling over the cameraman's foot.

The video shows Spears beginning to pull out of the structure when her car is
surrounded by more than a dozen photographers. The car comes to a stop.

Spears honks and the car lurches forward a few feet. Shouting is heard, and
the camera jerks around as fellow photographers appear to help a man up.

Spears drives off and seconds later video shows what appears to be a tire
mark on the photographer's sock. The man, wearing sandals with white socks,
doesn't respond to questions from the others as he walks away, apparently
unhurt.

TMZ supervising producer Gillian Sheldon confirmed Friday that the
photographer was employed by the Web site. She said there were no plans to file
a police report. In a statement released by TMZ, the photographer indicated he
wasn't angry.

"Things happen at certain times and she was just a little impatient," said
the man, whose name wasn't released. "She got a little impatient for whatever
reason. I say let bygones be bygones."

On its Web site Friday, TMZ said it was putting the photographer's sock on
e-Bay, and proceeds would go to the Children's Defense Fund in Spears' name.

Earlier Thursday, Spears, 25, learned she can no longer visit her two
preschool-age sons, who are in the custody of ex-husband Kevin Federline, until
she complies with an order from Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon.

Gordon's ruling didn't spell out what directives Spears had defied, but a
hearing was scheduled for Oct.

26.

Previously, though, Gordon has ordered Spears to undergo random drug and
alcohol testing twice a week and to meet weekly with a "parenting coach."

Spears faces charges of hit and run and driving without a valid license as
the result of an Aug. 6 parking lot mishap.

In that incident, paparazzi photographed Spears steering her car into another
vehicle as she tried to park in a space in a Studio City lot. The video showed
her walking away after assessing the damage to her own car.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed.

Pine Joins `Trek' Cast As Young Kirk

2007-10-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

The bridge of the starship Enterprise is filling up.

Chris Pine, who had been in talks to join the cast of J.J. Abrams' "Star
Trek" flick, will play the young James Kirk, while Karl Urban will take on the
role of Dr. Leonard McCoy, distributor Paramount confirmed Thursday.

They join previously announced cast members Zachary Quinto as Vulcan
scientist Spock, Simon Pegg as engineer Scotty, John Cho as helmsman Sulu, Zoe
Saldana as communications officer Uhura and Anton Yelchin as navigator
Chekov.

Leonard Nimoy, who played Enterprise science officer Spock in the 1960s TV
series and six "Star Trek" feature films, also will appear as an older version
of the Vulcan.

Eric Bana, the star of Steven Spielberg's "Munich" and Ang Lee's "Hulk," is
playing a villain in the "Trek" film, which begins shooting in November and is
due out in December 2008.

Abrams, creator of "Lost" and director of "Mission: Impossible III," is
keeping the plot secret for the film that follows the early days of the "Star
Trek" crew, which was led by William Shatner as the bold Capt. Kirk.

Pine's credits include the movies "Smokin' Aces" and "Just My Luck," while
Urban appeared in two of the "The Lord of the Rings" movies and "The Bourne
Supremacy."

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed.

Ellen DeGeneres' Pooch Gets New Home

2007-10-20T00:17:00.000-07:00

The pooch at the center of the dog-adoption drama between Ellen DeGeneres and
an animal rescue agency has found a new home. Iggy was placed with a new family
earlier this week, a spokesman for the agency's owners said Friday.

"We're not revealing the family's identity to protect their privacy,"
attorney Keith A. Fink told The Associated Press. "The dog is fine."

The tug of war over the little dog named Iggy began after DeGeneres, who had
initially adopted the terrier mix, gave the dog to her hairstylist after Iggy
couldn't get along with her cats.

Marina Batkis and Vanessa Chekroun, who own the nonprofit Mutts and Moms
adoption agency, said DeGeneres violated her signed agreement, which called for
Iggy to be returned if things didn't work out.

Iggy was removed from the hairstylist's home on Sunday during a confrontation
that DeGeneres said left the woman's daughters in tears.

After DeGeneres opened Tuesday's show with a tearful plea for the dog's
return, Batkis said she and Chekroun were deluged with angry messages and phone
calls, including death threats.

"Ellen sitting in her yacht, sipping cognac, and these two women are
devastated," Fink said Friday.

DeGeneres, meanwhile, was so upset by the incident that she canceled tapings
of Friday's and Monday's shows. Reruns were scheduled to air in their place.

On Thursday's show, DeGeneres said things had "gotten out of hand" and she
urged people to calm down.

"I want nothing, nothing more than that dog returned to that family," she
said. "But you don't resort to violence.

So anybody out there, please stop that. Please don't threaten or do
whatever."

A message left Friday for DeGeneres attorney Kevin Yorn was not immediately
returned.

Trump Disses Jolie's Beauty, Clooney's Size

2007-10-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

If, as Keats said, beauty is truth and truth beauty, is Donald
Trump a big fat liar? Could be, based on the newest object of his ire, the
empirically attractive Angelina
Jolie.

"Angelina Jolie is sort of amazing because everyone thinks she's like this
great beauty," the self-promotion-addicted tycoon told Larry King earlier this
week while shilling his new book, which shall remain nameless so as not to help
the boorish. "And I'm not saying she's an unattractive woman, but she's not [a]
beauty, by any stretch of the imagination."

And just in case you're wondering how the Donald, a man who wears a
bedraggled muskrat on his head and calls it a comb-over, is able to judge
someone else's comeliness, just let him explain.

"I really understand beauty," he swaggers. "And I will tell you, she's not --
I do own Miss Universe. I do own Miss USA. I mean, I own a lot of different
things. I do understand beauty, and she's not."

Sure, some might take issue with Trump comparing the sash-wearing,
swimsuit-competing contestants in his cheese-tastic pageants to Brad Pitt's
more glamorous half, but perhaps if he repeats himself enough, it'll start to
sound true.

"And now she's like this great beauty who is representing world peace and the
United Nations.

It's called give me a break," gripes Melania's less pouty and squinty half.
"But she's not -- in terms of beauty -- she's not a great beauty. She's a nice
looking woman. She's OK. But she's not a great beauty."

Or hey, maybe if he brings up that long-ago lip-lock Jolie infamously shared
on Oscar night with brother James Haven, that'll help prove his point.

"And I remember at the Academy Awards a few years ago she was Frenching her
brother. She was giving her brother lip kisses like I never saw before in my
life," he rambles. "And she had just said she made love to Billy Bob Thornton in
the back of the limousine on the way over. And I wouldn't want to shake her
hand, by the way."

Continues the apparent germ-phobe, "And now she's representing the United
Nations and world peace. I don't get it."

Not that he's unimpressed with what Angelina has accomplished,
image-wise.

"Oh, by the way, she's done an amazing transformation. I give her credit," he
allows. "If you would have had the things and done the things that she did, and
to be this representative of women and the world, is incredible. So I give her
great credit. She's done one of the great transformations I've ever seen."

While it's a good bet Jolie will give as much thought to these ungentlemanly
comments as she does to one of Shiloh's poopy diapers, the onetime Sexiest Woman
Alive isn't alone in the Donald's dissing.

Also failing to meet his expectations: reigning (and two-time) Sexiest Man
Alive George
Clooney, whom he's met exactly once.

"The perception of George Clooney is he's a big, strong handsome guy," says
Trump. "And he was very little when I met him. It's OK. Nothing wrong with it.
He's doing just fine."

And even though size really (really) doesn't matter when it comes to
comparing Clooney to Trump, for the record, the debonair, salt-and-pepper-topped
megastar is only about three inches shorter than the mouthy, 6-foot-2 mogul.

Wrapup of Entertainment Quotes

2007-10-19T02:36:00.002-07:00

"Let me just say this, it's gotten out of hand. I want nothing, nothing more
than that dog returned to that family. But you don't resort to violence. So
anybody out there, please stop that." Ellen DeGeneres,
on her canine controversy. A pet rescue agency received death threats this week
after taking back the dog that DeGeneres adopted and later gave away to her
hairdresser.

___

"I don't feel that kind of passion to do a role and be great coming from
those guys, because if it was there, they would do it! I mean, they're all in a
position to do it." Francis Ford
Coppola, on Al Pacino, Robert De Niro
and Jack
Nicholson.

___

"I don't just love him, I like him. We are an oddly good match." Pamela Anderson,
on her husband, Rick Salomon, who is best known for making a sex tape with Paris Hilton.

___

"I'm saddened anytime I hear of a hip-hopper being locked up or somehow
stunted in his life or his growth. I hope he wasn't into nothing crazy." Rapper
KRS-One, on fellow rapper T.I.'s arrest on firearms charges.

___

"In the beginning part of wanting to be a director was just a natural
extension of acting. But now this feels like what I am, or what I want to be,
it's so satisfying and exhilarating." Ben Affleck, on
his new role as director.

___

"I can't stop touring, and I won't. I believe I have a responsibility to play
for people." Eric
Clapton.

___

"After nearly 15 minutes of soul-searching, I have heard the call." Stephen
Colbert, announcing his candidacy for president on "The Colbert Report."

___

"I've had my heart broken since my divorce. That's OK. I believe you fall in
love more than once and get your heart broken more than once." Jessica Simpson,
in an interview with In Style magazine.

___

"Every single person in the music industry knows if they had a chance like
(`American Idol'), they'd take it. And I'm sorry, anybody who says I took a
shortcut, they are insane." Carrie Underwood, in an interview with Entertainment
Weekly magazine.

DeGeneres Cancels Tapings After Dog Flap

2007-10-19T02:36:00.001-07:00

Ellen DeGeneres' talk show was put on hold for a day because of her
emotionally wrenching dog-adoption drama. "It's been a long week and a tough
week and we decided to take a long weekend and be back on Tuesday," said Laura
Mandel, a spokeswoman for Telepictures Productions, which produces "The Ellen
DeGeneres Show."

DeGeneres was scheduled Thursday to tape shows to air Friday and Monday.
Instead, the tapings were canceled and reruns featuring Jessica Alba and Queen
Latifah will air on those days. A new show is planned Tuesday.

The battle over Iggy, a Brussels Griffon mix terrier, pitted DeGeneres
against an animal rescue agency and, at one point, had her in tears on her show.
The agency's owners complained of receiving death threats over the dispute.

Iggy had been adopted by DeGeneres and then given to her hairstylist's family
after the dog, despite training, couldn't get along with the comedian's cats,
her publicist has said.

Marina Batkis and Vanessa Chekroun, owners of the nonprofit Mutts and Moms
agency, claimed that DeGeneres violated the adoption agreement by not informing
them that she was giving the dog away and removed Iggy from the hairstylist's
home Sunday.

DeGeneres' partner, actress Portia de Rossi, signed the agreement that also
listed DeGeneres' name.

DeGeneres pleaded for Iggy's return to the hairstylist on Tuesday's show. She
said her hairdresser's daughters, ages 11 and 12, were heartbroken when the dog
was taken away.

But Mutts and Moms were adamant about their decision, and a spokesman for
Batkis said she wouldn't be "bullied around by the Ellen DeGenereses of the
world."

At a taping of the show Wednesday, DeGeneres told the audience she wouldn't
talk about the matter again unless Iggy was returned to her hairdresser.

Stern Wants Smith's Daughter As Heir

2007-10-19T02:35:00.002-07:00

Anna Nicole Smith's former attorney and companion filed papers Thursday
arguing that the late model's daughter is the sole beneficiary to her estate,
though the child is not mentioned in the will.

The will, drafted long before Dannielynn was born in September 2006, wasn't
updated before Smith's Feb. 8 drug overdose death in a Florida hotel at age 39.
Smith had intended to include her, Howard K. Stern said in papers filed in Los
Angeles Superior Court.

She told her estate attorney in the years before her daughter's birth that
"although she did not expect to have any children in the future, if she did, she
wanted them to share equally in the trust," according to court papers.

The will left all Smith's assets to her son, Daniel, who was her only child
when the document was drafted. He died three days after Dannielynn was born.

Dannielynn lives with her father, photographer Larry Birkhead, who was
established as her parent through DNA testing that settled a paternity dispute
with Stern. Stern is the will's executor.

Smith's assets were estimated at $710,000 when the will was filed in May, but
as the widow of Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II, she had been fighting
Marshall's family for years over his estimated $500 million fortune. How much of
that money, if any, eventually goes to Dannielynn could depend on the outcome of
the legal dispute.

Also on Thursday, a Superior Court judge refused to throw out a preliminary
injunction barring a Texas doctor and his wife from releasing a 1994 videotape
documenting breast augmentation surgery for Smith.

The injunction was sought by Stern, who says Smith never consented to having
her surgery recorded and that the doctor, Gerald Wayne Johnson, sent a tape of
the procedure to a memorabilia dealer.

Seinfeld Was 'Sensitive' in High School Entertainment News Gossip

2007-10-19T02:35:00.001-07:00

Jerry Seinfeld says he felt out of place among the popular kids at his Long
Island high school. "I kind of took myself out of the kind of main cliques of
the school, because I didn't feel comfortable," Seinfeld tells Parade.com.

"I was kind of sensitive, and I couldn't take the scapegoating and the
roughhousing and the cigarettes and the `let's get beers.' It wasn't for me,
that world," says the 53-year-old comic, who graduated from Massapequa High in
1972.

"So I would find some nerdy kid, you know, who seemed bright, and I would
just hang out with that kid. It was either that, or looking for a touch football
game, or basketball or baseball, just always trying to get a game going."

Seinfeld is now part of Hollywood's cool crowd filthy rich from "Seinfeld"
reruns and soon in theaters with the animated "Bee Movie," which he produced,
co-wrote and stars in (at least his voice does).

Seinfeld says he became fully committed to a career in comedy as a
twentysomething doing stand-up in New York.

"Even if I could just make enough to buy a loaf of bread and not starve to
death, (being a comedian) would be the greatest adventure that I could ever go
on."

Review: `Road' a Maudlin Melodrama

2007-10-19T02:34:00.000-07:00

"Reservation Road" is essentially a made-for-Lifetime melodrama with higher
aspirations because of its award-winning cast.

Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly, Mark Ruffalo and even Mira Sorvino who
actually has been relegated to such cable flicks more than a decade after her
"Mighty Aphrodite" Oscar are all better than the material.

Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda") directed and co-wrote the script with John
Burnham Schwartz, based on Schwartz's 1998 novel, about two families whose lives
are connected by a fatal car accident.

Perfect Connecticut couple Ethan and Grace Learner (Phoenix and Connelly) are
driving home one September night from watching their 10-year-old son Josh (Sean
Curley) play the cello at a school concert. Also in the car is Josh's younger
sister, Emma (Elle Fanning). On the way, they stop at a gas station along the
titular dark, winding road.

At the same time, screwed-up, divorced lawyer Dwight Arno (Ruffalo) is
driving home from a game at Fenway Park with his 11-year-old son, Lucas (Eddie
Alderson), a die-hard Red Sox fan. (The story has been moved up to play out
during Boston's 2004 run toward the World Series.) They also end up on
Reservation Road.

Josh
has gotten out of the car and is meandering on the side of the road at the exact
moment that Dwight is speeding around a corner and not paying attention. He hits
the boy then, in a panic, he speeds off. It takes the whole movie for him to
admit to the crime, leading to a totally implausible, violent showdown between
the two suburban dads.

But first, we must sit and watch as these people's lives intersect through an
extraordinary series of coincidences which make it seem as if there's only one
law firm and one music teacher in their idyllic New England town.

Sorvino plays Dwight's ex-wife, Ruth, who was Josh's cello instructor and who
offers to tutor young Emma on the piano after his death. It's a thankless role,
requiring her to nag at her ex and grudgingly give in to his requests to spend
more quality time with his son watching baseball, something he'd rather do than
face his looming conscience.

Meanwhile, at the understandably devastated Learner household, college
professor Ethan trolls the Internet seeking validation for his vengeful urges,
while Grace screeches and cries (Connelly's role is also strangely underwritten
such a waste of the depth of her talent). Both responses end up feeling
painfully maudlin.

Frustrated with the police department's inability to find the hit-and-run
driver, Ethan runs around town playing amateur detective, then seeks the help of
a law firm to mount a civil case. Guess which lawyer is assigned to help him?
The twist doesn't add tension it's just a ridiculous distraction.

Certainly everyone reacts differently to loss, which George acknowledges, but
he merely goes through the motions and offers no insight. He also makes it
obvious whom we're meant to root for from the start. The Learners are an ideal
family; Dwight, meanwhile, is so unreliable, it's a wonder he made it through
law school. There's little exploration of the potential shades of gray in his
motivation he's a bad guy, and that's it. Even an actor like Ruffalo with a
capacity for subtlety and ambiguity can't do much with that (though he does have
a couple of good scenes in which Dwight tries to reconnect with his son).

Baseball serves as such a prevalent thread throughout that fans of the sport
may find themselves rooting for Dwight to make it long enough to see his beloved
team win before having to atone for his sins. As Bill Simmons says, then he can
die in peace.

"Reservation Road," a Focus Features release, is rated R for language and
some disturbing images. Running time: 102 minutes. One and a half stars out of
four.

___

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for
children.

PG-13 Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13.
Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 No one under 17 admitted.

Ellen DeGeneres to Stop Dog Pleas

2007-10-19T02:33:00.002-07:00

Ellen DeGeneres says she's done talking about her canine dilemma and is
pleading for calm, saying on her show that the controversy surrounding an
adopted dog has "gotten out of hand."

During a Wednesday taping of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," to be aired
Thursday, DeGeneres told viewers she wouldn't speak again until the dog, Iggy,
is returned to DeGeneres' hairdresser and the woman's young daughters.

The dispute erupted last month when DeGeneres and her partner adopted Iggy, a
black Brussels Griffon mix terrier. When Iggy wasn't able to get along with
DeGeneres' cats, the couple gave the dog to DeGeneres' hairdresser.

Mutts and Moms, the nonprofit dog-rescue organization that originally gave
DeGeneres the dog, later took it back, saying the talk show host had violated
the adoption agreement by not informing them that she was giving the dog away.
That set off a firestorm of nasty e-mails and threats directed at the agency
after DeGeneres shared the blow by blow with viewers on her show this week.

"Let me just say this, it's gotten out of hand," DeGeneres said on the
segment to air Thursday. "I want nothing, nothing more than that dog returned to
that family. But you don't resort to violence. So anybody out there, please stop
that. Please don't threaten or do whatever."

The angry calls got so bad that Marina Batkis, co-owner of the dog rescue
organization, said she had to close her business and stay home Wednesday, a day
after DeGeneres broadcast a tearful, televised plea for the dog to be returned
to her hairdresser and the woman's daughters.

"My life is being threatened. This is horrible," a tearful Batkis said
outside her home.

DeGeneres has acknowledged she erred but said her hairdresser and her family
shouldn't be punished. Batkis has refused to back down.

"If Ellen wants to place dogs and decide what's a good home, then she should
start her own rescue group," she told "Inside Edition." "But I'm the one doing
this and I know what I'm doing."

DeGeneres said several agencies had offered to provide the family another
dog, even one that looked like Iggy.

"And unfortunately, Ruby, the little girl, doesn't want another dog, she
wants Iggy," said DeGeneres on the show to air Thursday. "It's not a toy that's
broken that you can replace. It's a dog."

Norman Mailer in Hospital After Surgery

2007-10-19T02:33:00.001-07:00

Norman Mailer is recovering in a hospital after surgery to remove scar tissue
around his lung, his daughter-in-law said Wednesday.

"He's been getting better every time I see him," Salina Mailer said. She
didn't recall the date of the operation at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.

Mailer, 84, gained instant literary acclaim with his first book, "The Naked
and the Dead," published in 1948 and based in part on his experience as an Army
infantryman in the Philippines.

He won Pulitzer Prizes for "The Armies of the Night" and "The Executioner's
Song." His latest book, "The Castle in the Forest," was published this
year.

1 Crew Member Injured in Letterman Fire

2007-10-19T02:30:00.000-07:00

A "Late Show With David Letterman" crew member was briefly hospitalized for
smoke inhalation in a small electrical fire at the building that houses the Ed
Sullivan Theater.

Fire officials responded about 10 a.m. Wednesday after a report of an odor of
smoke inside the building at 1697 Broadway, where Letterman does his late-night
talk show at the historic 80-year-old theater. According to CBS, one crew member
was taken to a hospital as a precaution, but then released.

A small fire that originated inside an air conditioning unit was blamed for
the smoke. No other injuries were reported, and the Letterman taping with guests
Rebecca Romijn, Jimmy Walker and LeAnn Rimes wasn't delayed.

"Everyone was OK, and they actually believe the fire was started by a
disgruntled audience," Letterman joked on the show.

Down goes No. 2

2007-10-19T02:24:00.000-07:00

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) -- South Florida slogged off the field in the midst of
another Rutgers celebration, white and green dots in a sea of red.

The second-ranked Bulls' unexpected ascent into college football's elite had
been snarled by a team that's getting good at taking out national title
contenders.

Third-string quarterback Andrew DePaola threw a 15-yard touchdown pass off a
fake field goal to give the Scarlet Knights the lead in the third quarter and
Rutgers also used a fake punt to set up an early field goal in its 30-27 victory
Thursday night.

Ray Rice provided a more conventional 181 yards on 39 carries for Rutgers
(5-2, 2-1 Big East) and Mike Teel threw two touchdown passes to Tiquan
Underwood.

"We just went out there and played our best football," Rice said.

South Florida became the third No. 2 team to lose in the last three weeks.

"I thought we had a chip on our shoulders tonight," Bulls cornerback Trae
Williams said. "That we would prove something to the nation. That we are
deserving of the ranking. Obviously, we didn't get it done tonight."

The Bulls (6-1, 1-1) had their eight-game winning streak come to an end, no
doubt to the delight of Boston College, LSU, Oklahoma and the rest of the teams
hoping to grab the second spot in the BCS standings USF held this week.

Matt Grothe threw for 247 yards and a touchdown and ran for 58 yards, but
Rutgers' defense swarmed South Florida's multitalented quarterback in the second
half and sacked him seven times in the game.

A week after No. 2 California lost to Oregon State and two weeks after
then-No. 2 Southern California was upset by Stanford, the Bulls became the 11th
Top 10 team to fall to an unranked opponent this season. There are five
undefeated teams left in major college football.

"Personally, rankings don't mean that much when you're on the field," Bulls
receiver Marcus Edwards said. "All that stuff goes out the window. It comes down
to who scores the most points and they scored more than we did tonight."

Rutgers, which started the season ranked 16th but fell out after two straight
losses last month, might not be unranked much longer.

Jeremy Ito lined a career-long 51 yard field with 11:59 left in the fourth
quarter to give Rutgers a 30-20 lead.

Grothe's gang wasn't done. He led the Bulls on a 70-yard touchdown drive that
Mike Ford capped with a 1-yard run with 9:16 left to make it 30-27.

When USF linebacker Ben Moffitt recovered Rice's fumble near midfield with
4:11 left, the Bulls were in business at the Rutgers 40. But Brandon Renkart
sacked Grothe on the first play, and the Bulls were forced to punt.

"We had the ball at the 50, down by three and their defense came up to play,"
USF coach Jim Leavitt said. "Give them credit. Give them a lot of credit. They
did it twice."

Rutgers was unable to kill the clock and the Bulls got one more shot to keep
their perfect season alive, starting at the Rutgers 49.

On the first play, freshman Joe Lefeged came on a safety blitz and sacked
Grothe from the blind side. On fourth-and-22, Amarri Jackson caught a pass down
the sideline beyond the first down marker, but the play was wiped out by an
offensive pass interference call because the receiver pushed off.

The last gasp came on a fourth-and-37 from the Rutgers 24. Grothe heaved a
desperation pass into traffic and Rutgers defensive back Zaire Kitchen
intercepted.

For the second straight season Rutgers came up with a huge victory on a
Thursday night at home. Last year it was then-No. 3 Louisville, at the time the
highest ranked opponent Rutgers had ever beaten.

Not anymore. This win set off another party on the field, though not quite as
wild as last year's after beating Louisville.

After reaching the rankings for first time in the 11-year history of South
Florida football earlier this season, the Bulls shot up the charts behind a
quick and hard-hitting defense and Grothe's dynamic playmaking.

In this topsy-turvy season, the Bulls' national title hopes can't quite be
put to rest. But they took a major hit.

The Scarlet Knights, last season's surprise team from the Big East, gave
their season a much-needed jolt.

With Rutgers up 20-17 midway through the third quarter, Rutgers defensive
back Devin McCourty blocked a field goal to preserve the lead.

Rice and Teel responded with a drive that stalled at the USF 15. Ito came out
to attempt a 32-yard field goal, but Rutgers coach Greg Schiano had something
else in mind.

"We haven't done a lot of that around here," Schiano said. "Thank God it
worked."

DePaola, the holder, took the snap and rolled right, barely avoiding a sack,
and floated his first career pass into the outstretched arms of Kevin Brock. The
tight end scooted into the end zone with 4:09 left in the third to give Rutgers
a 27-17 lead.

"We run it in practice a lot," DePaola said. "When they called it I just
said, `All right let's go execute it like in practice. It's no different."'

Rutgers used a trick play on its first drive, too.

Ito lined up to punt but instead lofted a perfect pass over a USF defender to
James Townsend for a 36-yard gain to the Bulls 13. That set up Ito's 26-yard
field goal.

Rutgers scored more points than any team had against USF this season and kept
defensive end George Selvie, the nation's leader with 11.5 sacks, away from
Teel.

USF hadn't allowed a runner to reach 100 yards in the 14 games since Rice
went for 202 in the Scarlet Knights' 22-20 win last year. Rice had 94 at
halftime Thursday night.

"When my number's called," Rice said, "I'm going to do whatever it
takes."

Bucks' loss overshadows Yi's record rebounds

2007-10-18T01:51:00.000-07:00

Yi
Jianlian shows his talent in grabbing rebounds on the NBA court, but the player
is unable to save the Bucks from a defeat to Denver Nuggets on Wednesday,
October 17, 2007. [Photo:
Osports.cn]

Oct. 18 - Chinese NBA rookie Yi
Jianlian slashed nine points in a Milwaukee Bucks' 104-78 defeat to Denver
Nuggets on Wednesday.

The brightest spot of the 7-foot-6 player's achievements in the game was
his 7 rebounds, a record high number in the past four matches.

The Bucks were vigorous in offensive after the game began, but the
players failed to shoot straight and lagged behind 22-26 by the end of the first
quarter.

To everyone's surprise, the four-point gap was the nearest distance in
the match that Yi and his teammates could never move within in the following
time.

The Nuggets made it 49-43 by half time and hammered the edge with 82-58
before the final period that ended with performance between substitute players
from the two sides.

China promises anti-doping, clean Olympics

2007-10-18T01:50:00.000-07:00

BEIJING, Oct. 18 - China's top sports
official promised the country will strictly ban doping and assist the
International Olympic Committee to host "clean" Games.

"China will strictly ban drugs in sport and step up censor," said Liu
Peng, head of the State Administration of Sport. "Athletes involved in doping
will be severely penalized."

Liu, a delegate to the week-long 17th National Congress of the Communist
Party of China, said China pays close attention to anti-doping and has banned
exhilarant in its sports law.

Liu said his administration and all its provincial branches have signed
anti-doping contracts with their athletes.

The Chinese team to next year's Games will consist of 570 athletes, the
largest ever in China's Olympic history, he said.

China sent a 300-strong team to the Athens Games in 2004.

In preparations for the Beijing Games, he said China is building a new
testing base with a state-of-the-art lab and facilities. "Very soon we'll
inaugurate a national anti-doping agency."

During a recent visit to China, World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound
confirmed the country's efforts in fighting against drugs in sport and said
China "stands as a model to the world".

Olympic torch ready to Mt. Qomolangma

2007-10-18T01:49:00.000-07:00

Resting
places had been built for the mountaineers who will undertake the mission of the
2008 Olympic torch relay on the Mt. Qomolangma by May 30, 2007.

BEIJING, Oct. 18 - China's top sports
official said on Wednesday the Olympic torch is ready to be relayed to Mount
Qomolangma, the world's tallest peak.

"We're fully prepared for that," head of the General Administration of
Sport Liu Peng said during the ongoing 17th National Congress of the Communist
Party of China (CPC).

He said China had solemnly promised the world it would relay the torch to
Mount Qomolangma upon its application to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. "We will
live up to the commitment."

Liu said he sees no problem for Chinese mountaineers to scale the world's
summit for the torch relay.

Chinese athletes have advantages in mountaineering, a sport that has more
than 40 years of history in China, he said. "Many Chinese athletes, men and
women, have climbed up the mount. Some reached the peak more than once."

The Tibetan mountaineering team have so far mounted all the world's 14
mountains exceeding 8,000 meters tall, Liu told journalists at a briefing.

He said Chinese scientists have made technological advancements to
protect the Olympic flame from low temperature, low oxygen, low pressure and
strong gales. "We've also solved technological difficulties to ensure TV signal
relays on the plateau."

A Chinese survey in 2005 found Mount Qomolangma, known to westerners as
Mount Everest, stands 8844.43 meters above sea level. It straddles the border
between China's Tibet Autonomous Region and Nepal.

Chinese music to be played in space

2007-10-18T01:48:00.002-07:00

Chinanews, Shanghai, Oct 18 – China's
first moon probe satellite Chang'e No. 1 will be sent to space soon. Along with
the satellite, 30 classical Chinese songs and music pieces will also be sent to
space. These songs include My Lovely Hometown (Shui Bu Shuo An Jia Xiang
Hao), Moonlight over Erquan Springs, Ode to the Yellow River,
The Butterfly Lovers, etc, the Shanghai Evening Post reported.

These songs and music pieces will be played by Chang'e No. 1 after the
satellite reaches its destined orbit, which is 380,000 kilometers away from the
earth. By then, Chinese people can hear these songs sent via satellite
transmission for the first time in radio, TV or online.

The 30 songs and music pieces are selected through a nationwide public
vote. In July 2006, secretary general of the Commission of Science, Technology
and Industry for National Defense (COSTIND) Huang Qiang, who is also COSTIND's
spokesperson, announced COSTIND's decision that Chang'e No. 1 satellite will
carry 30 songs and music pieces into space for its launch, and people across the
country could select their favorites and recommend them to COSTIND during a
nationwide campaign for the selection.

At that time, COSTIND's Moon Exploration Engineering Center recommended
more than 150 songs and music pieces as candidates. They included China's
national anthem, Peking opera Drunken Beauty, a piece of Huangmei opera,
traditional Chinese song Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon and pop song
Wish You Everything Good (Zhu Ni Ping An), etc

With three rounds of selections, the organizer of the event then
publicized their criteria on how a candidate song could be selected – that the
theme of the song should be related with one's love for the motherland, the
Yellow River, Yangtze River, the moon, or the national cultural heritage
included in the first batch of UN cultural heritage list; the song could also be
classical Chinese songs, traditional opera arias, or children's songs; these
songs should also reflect overseas Chinese people's love for their motherland.
With these criteria, some 30 songs and music pieces were finally selected. Apart
from traditional songs like The Butterfly Lovers and My Lovely
Hometown, there are also some songs produced in recent years, including
Loving China (Ai Wo Zhong Hua), Singing for Our Motherland (Ge
Chang Zu Guo), etc. In addition to these 30, the song March of the
Volunteers and The East is Red (Dong Fang Hong) were also selected.
The former song is China's national anthem and the latter was once played on
China's first manmade satellite DFH-1. The two songs have been selected because
of their special historical significance.

China Unicom launches 3G service in Macao

2007-10-18T01:48:00.001-07:00

BEIJING, Oct.18 - China Unicom has
launched its first ever 3G mobile phone service in Macao, the company announced
on Wednesday.

The service features high-speed data transmissions that can allow users
to watch videos, play 3D games, and conduct video conferences.

The company's 3G license is based on the US-developed CDMA2000 (code
division multiple access) technology.

In 2006, China Unicom won the bid by default since it was the only CDMA
provider in Macao while four other rivals were bidding for another license based
on Europe's WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) technology.

Two cell phones numbers, one for the mainland and one for Macao, were
embedded in one SIM (subscriber identity model) card, which can save on
expensive international roaming fees for customers who travel to the Chinese
mainland, said China Unicom.

Fixed fees would be charged according to services used.

China issues guidelines for biosafety

2007-10-18T01:47:00.000-07:00

Chinanews, Beijing, Oct 18 – Chinese
government has issued some guidelines to make sure that biological researches,
especially those on transgenic biological products, are ethical and safe, said
Li Xueyong, vice minister of science and technology, in a CPC 17th National
Congress press conference held on Tuesday.

In answering reporters' questions, Li said that China had a very clear
stance on the development of stem cells and transgenic bilological products,
that China would actively promote related researches and attach great importance
to biosafety. At the same time, China would work hard to promote the
industrialization of biological researches.

However, these researches might sometimes involve ethical issues, an
issue to which Chinese government has also attached great importance. On this
question, Chinese government has already issued some guidelines to make sure
that biological researches, especially those on transgenic biological products,
are ethical and safe, Li noted.　

Stage art from China hit the world

2007-10-18T01:46:00.000-07:00

Chinanews, Shanghai, October 18 – The
9th Shanghai International Performance Trade Fair was kicked off in Shanghai
Exhibition Center on October 16, with original Chinese stage arts being among
the hottest ones.

Performance organizers and producers from all over the world have come to
the fair, forming several huge exhibiting zones.

Only a few years ago, Chinese stage arts were considered as nothing but
box office poison by performance organizers worldwide, but now they have become
the favorite of audiences both at home and abroad.

Take the traditional songs and morin khuur performance as an
example, which is very rare in Western countries. A performance organizer
produced a Mongolian traditional dance show in North European countries and it
was a great hit.

“Chinese stage arts have become more and more exciting,” said a
performance organizer from the US. Since 1 or 2 years ago, artists from China
have successfully won the heart of American audiences and critics.

“I hope I can discover more performances saturated with both traditional
Chinese flavor and modern tang this time,” said the organizer.

Long Firecracker to break Guinness World Record

2007-10-18T01:45:00.000-07:00

Chinanews, Changsha, Oct. 18 – A
20.08-km-long string of firecrackers made in Liuyang, Hunan Province will be
fired on Oct. 26, on the Liuyang-Dayao Highway.

Chen Xingyou, a local official, said that 35 firecracker producers had
made some 50 experiments to guarantee the successful making of the firecrackers.

Currently the firecrackers are still under production, and 500 workers
will put the long string of firecrackers on the road on that day. Thousands of
local citizens will watch this splendid sight.

A local official said that firing of the firecrackers will last for in
80-90 minutes, and he thought viewing the sight from a distance would be better.

Women white collars in Shanghai reluctant to cook

2007-10-18T01:44:00.002-07:00

Chinanews, Shanghai, Oct. 18 – A
latest survey launched by Shanghai Jiaotong University revealed that women white
collars in Shanghai are more reluctant to do the cooking than those in Beijing
and Guangzhou.

White collars aged between 25 and 40 participated in the survey. In
Shanghai, women prefer to eat out, while in Beijing and Guangzhou, nearly half
of women white collars cook at home.

The survey also shows that only 39% of Shanghai women white collars enjoy
cooking, and this number in Beijing and Guangzhou is both 60%. Cai Meiqin, a
professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University, said that Shanghai women thought
cooking was complicated, and disliked smoke in kitchens.

Special wedding goods popular in Tianjin

2007-10-18T01:44:00.001-07:00

Chinanews, Tianjin, October 18 –
Special wedding goods like butterfly boxes, candy towers, customizable table
decorations, etc, are very popular among young couples in Tianjin, for they can
make their wedding ceremonies unique and unforgettable.

For example, the butterfly box can release hundreds of colorful
butterflies when opened, to create a rosy and romantic scene.

Luminous glass tower is another hit, which holds candles on it. Luminous
signposts can be seen at many weddings, too, where they are illumined one after
another as the young couple walking into the wedding hall.

Customized candy packages are perhaps the most variable items at
weddings. The most popular ones include jade boxes, silk boxes decorated with
pretty laces, and the boxes that hold the photos of the newlyweds.

Jinan parents encourage kids to go dating in college

2007-10-18T01:43:00.000-07:00

Chinanews, Jinan, October 18 – Ms Du,
who works in a law firm in Jinan, Shandong Province, was very glad to hear that
her daughter, a college junior, had her first boyfriend, and happiness was
shared by her husband.

Traditionally, Chinese believe it is improper for young people not well
settled into careers of their own to think about love affair, but today they
find it in a different light, as it has become more and more difficult for young
people to find marriage partners after their heart after they leave college.

“Just take a look at those over-crowded dating parties today and you’ll
know it is necessary for young people to think about marriage early. By the way,
I know several good girls without boyfriend,” said Du.

“We thought that there would be nothing to worry about if my kid works
hard enough, but now he is just too busy to have a girlfriend,” complained
another parent.

According to several dating agencies in Jinan, a lot of parents of young
people in their early 20s have already signed up for services of the matchmaking
agencies. The situation is really difficult.

Socialist democracy to be promoted

2007-10-18T01:42:00.000-07:00

Oct.18 - The Party will further
increase transparency in the selection and promotion of cadres as part of its
efforts to promote socialist democracy, a senior official with the Organization
Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said
Wednesday.

"We will actively explore a mechanism for cadre selection that ensures
people's right to know, participate in, choose and supervise so that the
selection reflects the wishes of common people," Ouyang Song, the department's
deputy head, said at a news conference on the sidelines of the ongoing 17th CPC
National Congress.

His department is mainly in charge of the Party's personnel affairs. The
congress, scheduled to last until Sunday, is set to elect the Party's 17th
Central Committee - that will decide the CPC's new leadership lineup for the
coming five years - and a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The electoral procedures are still under discussion among about 2,200
delegates to the congress but candidates for the Central Committee membership or
alternate membership would be more than the seats, he said.

Members of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau will be elected by
the new Central Committee.

Ouyang noted the CPC has adopted a series of effective measures in cadre
selections, ranging from democratic recommendation and assessment to opinion
polls, with a view to letting common people decide who should be elected.

CPC Central Committee General Secretary Hu Jintao, in his report to the
congress on Monday, mentioned "democracy" at least 60 times while expounding on
political restructuring.

Hu said that the CPC will "expand intra-Party democracy to develop
people's democracy" by increasing transparency in Party affairs and "opposing
and preventing arbitrary decision-making by an individual or a minority of
people".

Ouyang said the CPC has steadily "advanced the reform of the intra-Party
election system in the election of new leading bodies, improved the nomination
method and expanded the scope and proportion of competitive elections."

The number of candidates was 15 percent more than the delegates to the
17th Party congress. At the national congress five years ago, the margin was 10
percent.

Even bolder steps have been taken in the election of grassroots CPC
organizations with Party secretaries directly elected in more than 200 townships
in Chongqing Municipality, Sichuan and Hubei provinces.

Ouyang said supervision over cadres has been strengthened - 9,378
officials were penalized between 2003 and 2006 for violating rules in
recruitment, promotion and management of personnel.

He did not elaborate on the cases, which often involve corruption or
under-the-table deals to secure promotions or recruit people with connections.

Election procedures set for personnel reshuffle

2007-10-18T01:41:00.000-07:00

Hu
Jintao(C) presides over the second meeting of presidium of the 17th National
Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the Great Hall of the People
in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 17, 2007. The seven-day 17th CPC National
Congress opened in Beijing on Oct. 15.
(Xinhua)

BEIJING, Oct. 18 - The 17th National
Congress of the Communist Party of China will first hold a primary election
before a final ballot to choose members of a new CPC central committee and its
discipline commission, the presidium of the congress decided here Wednesday.

The 237-member presidium to oversee the congress held its second meeting
at the Great Hall of the People Wednesday afternoon, and adopted the electoral
procedure that has been in practice since the 13th party congress in 1987,
Xinhua was informed.

The presidium meeting, presided over by Hu Jintao, endorsed a proposed
name-list of nominees for the candidates of members and alternate members of the
central committee, and members of the central discipline commission. The
name-list will be submitted to all delegations to the congress for
consideration.

A name-list of ballot scrutineers was also accepted by the presidium, and
will be ratified by the congress before the final vote begins.

Zeng Qinghong, secretary-general of the congress, briefed the presidium
on the name-list of nominees.

In addition, the presidium adopted draft resolutions on the report made
by Hu Jintao on behalf of the 16th CPC Central Committee, the report of the
Central Discipline Commission and amendments to the party constitution. The
resolutions are to be submitted to delegates for consideration.

The presidium represents people of different aspects, consisting of
members of the Political Bureau of the 16th CPC Central Committee, retired party
veterans, leading officials of ministries and provincial-level localities,
military officers and grassroots party members.

Among the presidium are 29-year-old table tennis Olympic champion Wang
Nan, China's first astronaut in space Yang Liwei, outstanding female judge Song
Yushui, and "National Model Worker" bridge crane-driver Xu Zhenchao.

The personnel reshuffle is one of the most important agenda of party
congress. The CPC party constitution rules that all elections should be carried
out through secret ballot.

The primary election system was first introduced into party congress in
1956 when the 8th national party congress was held. Then at the 13th national
congress in 1987, the differential voting system was adopted.

At that congress, five percent of nominees lost in the primary election
for candidates of members of central committee, and 12 percent of nominees lost
in the election for candidates of alternate members.

The margin of elimination in the vote of the 14th and 15th national
congresses were not released. The 16th party congress, however, recorded a
margin of elimination at a little more than five percent.

At the 16th party congress in 2002, members of the central committee were
elected with a 5.1 percent margin, and alternate members of the central
committee, 5.7 percent. Seven people lost in the primary vote for members of the
Central Discipline Commission, marking a 5.8 percent margin.

Ye Duchu, a senior party expert with the Central Party School, said he
expected the margin of elimination this year to remain similar to that of the
15th and 16th party congresses, although some others have speculated that the
margin this time may be higher.

"The 15th and 16th party congresses adopted a margin of around five
percent, and I think the 17th congress will follow suit," Ye said.

Hu Jintao said in his report to the congress that the party should
"expand intra-party democracy."

"We will reform the intra-Party electoral system and improve the system
for nominating candidates and electoral methods," he said in the report.

In choosing delegates prior to the congress, all 38 constituencies
adopted a 15 percent margin in the elections, five percentage points higher than
that in 2002.

Who would become top party leaders of China will not be known until next
Tuesday, when the newly-elected members of the Standing Committee of the
Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee meet with the press.

Product quality being ensured

2007-10-18T01:40:00.000-07:00

Oct.18 - The country is enforcing
strict export standards to regain full consumer confidence in Chinese products
after reports of substandard goods, a top product safety official said
yesterday.

Despite a wave of recalls, orders for Chinese toys are on the rise in the
run-up to Christmas, said Li Changjiang, minister of the General Administration
of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

He made the remarks during a group interview on the sidelines of the
ongoing 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Li said factory owners in the manufacturing heartland of Guangdong
Province told him that business was booming and "the workers have to work
overtime to meet the order deadlines".

"The number of orders for toys shows that companies are still happy to
manufacture in China," Li said. "Most of the toys exports are of good quality
and substandard goods constitute only a tiny part".

Li said the authorities will step up supervision and intensify crackdowns
on illegally-made products.

"China will provide safe and reliable toys to children around the world,"
he said.

Li urged importers to buy more Chinese toys, adding: "I wish children
around the world a Merry Christmas."

According to Li, officials have taken substantive measures to ensure that
goods are made by certified manufacturers with quality materials.

The State Council, or the Cabinet, launched a four-month nationwide
product and food safety campaign in August.

There are checks at various stages of production, Li said, and
authorities will also make it easier for exporters with good quality records to
quickly pass customs inspections.

He noted that quality problems are a global issue and criticized some
media and foreign governments for "playing up the issue".

"I am sorry to see that some countries have used this (product quality
issue) for trade protectionism and trade conflicts," Li said.

"It not only affects China but also benefits no other country," Li said,
commenting on price rises of toys in some countries as a result of short supply.

"I heard that the prices of Barbie dolls in the American market are
expected to rise 10 percent. The restrictions on Chinese products are not
conducive to the local market and people," he said, apparently referring to the
United States.

China is the world's largest toy manufacturer, and exports about 20
billion toys every year, contributing to nearly 60 percent of global toy trade.
But it has come under the spotlight amid a spate of export toy recalls this
year.

The world's biggest toymaker, Mattel Inc, recalled about 21 million of
its Chinese-made toys. A senior Mattel executive last month apologized to China
for the trouble the recall had caused, an action Li praised.

"We think this is a practical and responsible attitude."

Li said that 87 percent of Mattel's recalled toys had design problems.

"But of course, some of the recalled toys have excessive lead," he said,
adding that inspections of lead paint will be strengthened to meet advanced
global standards.

Li said Beijing and Washington have been in close contact on the quality
issue.

"This month, I will send my deputy to talk with officials with the US
Food and Drug Administration... on signing a memorandum on food safety," Li
said.

Securities joint ventures to be approved

2007-10-18T01:39:00.002-07:00

Oct. 18 - China will soon resume
accepting applications for Sino-foreign securities joint ventures, a leading
regulator said Wednesday.

"We have always welcomed and encouraged the establishment of Sino-foreign
joint-venture securities firms," Tu Guangshao, vice-chairman of the China
Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), said on the sidelines of the 17th
National Congress of the CPC.

However, the approval of such institutions was suspended last year due to
the restructuring of local securities houses, Tu said, adding that the reshuffle
had been basically completed.

The CSRC will gradually expand the business scope of these firms, but Tu
did not offer a timetable.

Currently, joint ventures are allowed to engage only in underwriting and
are barred from brokerage and asset management businesses.

Goldman Sachs and UBS were the early birds in the Chinese market.

Goldman Sachs holds a 33-percent stake in Goldman Sachs Gaohua
Securities, while UBS last year managed to establish UBS Securities with Beijing
Securities prior to the one-year moratorium.

An evaluation of the operations of the UBS Securities and Goldman Sachs
Gaohua will be carried out, Tu said, while expressing his hope the two could be
successful not only in the short term, but also in the long run.

Tu said his agency is working on the rules for foreign investment in the
securities industry, but declined to reveal whether they will be released before
the end of the year.

In his report, President Hu Jintao called for everyone to stick to the
opening-up policy and the securities industry should also follow this path, Tu
said.

During a meeting in May with US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson,
Vice-Premier Wu Yi pledged to open the Chinese securities industry to overseas
firms to comply with World Trade Organization rules.

Foreign investment banks are eager to make inroads into China, whose
stock market is on a remarkable bull run.

Stock investment accounts have reached 128 million and market
capitalization is now 28.58 trillion yuan ($3.8 trillion), giving Chinese
brokerages their biggest profits in a decade.

Granting entry to overseas investment banks is only part of the opening
up of the financial market.

"The country should in a gradual manner allow Chinese citizens to invest
in overseas markets, which is a general trend," he said.

That will help alleviate the pressure brought about by excessive
liquidity and expand people's investment channels, he said. However, overseas
investment is a complex issue and more studies are needed, including how to
protect investors.

On individuals' direct investment in the Hong Kong stock market, Tu said
preparations were under way and will be launched when ready.

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange said in August that
individuals will be allowed to buy stocks in Hong Kong through Bank of China
branches in Tianjin Municipality in a pilot scheme.

China issues regulations on pet dog clothes

2007-10-18T01:39:00.001-07:00

Chinanews, Beijing, Oct 18 – As it is
getting cooler in Beijing, many pet dogs have begun to wear clothes. In order to
raise the quality of pet dog clothes, China Textile Association recently
published some rules to set industrial standards on such clothes for the first
time in history. The rules will start to take effect next month, the Legal
Evening News reported.

The rules clearly specify the outer look quality standards that pet dog
clothes should meet and some of the criteria that pet clothes should meet in
their physical and chemical makings. According to the rules, the raw materials
used for such pet clothes should meet related national or industrial standards
and a pet dog garment can only contain one flaw at most, although the flaws may
vary from uneven clothes thickness to oil or rust stains, or color patches.

In order to make sure that dogs wear their clothes comfortably, the rules
say that the collarband should be neat and the neck should be made
appropriately. The collar button should be placed at the right place and the
clothes should not lose color or become too large or small after being washed.

Considering that dogs move around very often, the rules specify that the
sewing made to the clothes should be good and the decorations on the clothes
should be durable.

According to the rules, the sewing slots should remain invisible. This
will make the clothes look nicer.

With autumn coming, various kinds of pet clothes are being sold in the
market now. The prices of these clothes vary, depending on the brand names and
the materials used.

Clothes made in China are safe - NZ official

2007-10-17T06:09:00.001-07:00

BEIJING, Oct. 17 - The General
Manager of the New Zealand Ministry of Consumer Affairs Liz MacPherson has
informed China's commerce counselor Liu Linlin that clothes made in China are
safe after testing them for formaldehyde, China's quality control administration
said on Tuesday.

MacPherson said the ministry collected 100 samples of clothing and asked
independent labs to carry out the tests. Of all the samples, 84 percent were
manufactured in China, seven percent in New Zealand and nine percent in other
countries. The proportions were decided on the basis of the market share of the
clothes in New Zealand, she said.

Excluding one overlapping sample, 97 samples met the international
standard by having a formaldehyde concentration of far less than 200 ppm. The
formaldehyde concentration in 2 samples, one from China, reached 250 ppm but was
reduced to 54 ppm by washing, so these two kinds of clothes should be labeled
with warnings like "pre-wash before use", according to the test results.

MacPherson said the results proved that clothes made in China are safe
and New Zealand would publicize the results to clarify the facts.

She also said children's pajama exports from China were safe and reminded
parents in New Zealand to read the labels carefully before buying and using
them.

In August, New Zealand launched an investigation into children's pajamas
made in China after two complaints involving children who suffered burns while
wearing the pajamas. The test results from an independent laboratory released by
New Zealand's Commerce Commission proved that the pajamas produced in China were
up to safety standards.

CITIC bidding for stake in US investment bank

2007-10-17T06:08:00.000-07:00

Oct. 17 - Leading financial firm
China CITIC Group (CITIC) is bidding for a stake in Bear Stearns, one of Wall
Street's top investment banks, top officials said Tuesday in Beijing.

Jiang Dingzhi, vice-chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission,
and Chang Zhenming, president of CITIC Group, said the group is keen on a stake
in the US bank.

Neither Jiang, speaking on the sidelines of the Communist Party of
China's (CPC) 17th National Congress on efforts by Chinese financial companies
to expand abroad, nor Chang would reveal any more details such as the size of
the stake or the price.

Bear Stearns ranked 7th among Wall Street investment banks by revenue
before it suffered the hardest from the US subprime credit crisis, which has
caused its market value to drop as much as 25 percent this year to $17.4
billion.

Warren Buffett, the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc, is
also interested in buying a stake in Bear Stearns, the New York Times reported
on September 26. Other potential investors are Bank of America Corp, Wachovia
Corp and China Construction Bank.

"At the moment, Bear Stearns is a bargain," Arthur Lau of JF Asset
Management in Hong Kong told Bloomberg. For China, it's important to have a
platform to learn more about investment banking, he said.

Wu Yonggang, an analyst with Shanghai-based Guotai Junan Securities, said
buying a stake in Bear Stearns will help CITIC connect the booming domestic
capital market with the United States.

CITIC owns 26 percent of CITIC Securities, the Chinese brokerage whose
market value has more than quadrupled this year to $50 billion, making it Asia's
largest securities firm. The company also controls 62 percent of China CITIC
Bank Corp, which raised $5.95 billion in a Hong Kong initial share sale in May.

"By expanding overseas, CITIC will gain valuable experience in a leading
investment bank," Wu said.

"But Chinese companies are not familiar with the overseas market or
international merger and acquisition issues, and that could be a disadvantage, "
he warned.

China Minsheng Banking Corp, the mainland's first privately owned bank,
said earlier this month said it may buy a stake in UCBH Holdings Inc, the
biggest bank serving the Chinese community in the United States.

Chinese shares hit another record high

2007-10-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

BEIJING, Oct. 17 - China's main stock
index on Tuesday closed on 6092.06 points, up 1.03 percent on the previous day,
after reaching as high as 6,124.04 in the middle of trading.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index broke the 6,000-point mark for the
first time on Monday.

Turnover, however, fell to 163.5 billion yuan from 195.3 billion yuan.

The Shenzhen Component Index on the smaller market began its trading on
19,139.93 points and closed on 19,358.44 points, up 1.41 percent.

The bourse's turnover shrank to 67.1 billion yuan from 77.5 billion yuan
on Monday.

The new record was achieved largely due to strong performances by banking
and coal mining shares.

China Merchants rose by 2.3 percent to 42.08 yuan; Bank of China jumped
7.7 percent to 7.04 yuan and Bank of Nanjing rose 8.1percent to 21.54 yuan.

China Construction Bank Corp rose 0.18 yuan to 10.13 yuan and Industrial
and Commercial Bank of China was up 0.29 yuan to 8.15 yuan.

Shanxi Xishan Coal and Electricity Power hit the 10 percent daily cap to
end at 74.80 yuan while Yanzhou Coal Mining rose 5.2 percent to 26.95 yuan. (One
U.S. dollar equals 7.51 yuan)

Shanghai tycoon buys island in Dubai

2007-10-17T06:06:00.000-07:00

Chinanews, Shanghai, Oct 17 – The
Shanghai Zhongzhou Investment Group recently signed an agreement with Naheel
Company in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates. The agreement allowed the Chinese
company to spend 28 million US dollars buying an island in Dubai. The Shanghai
company wants to copy the city layout of Shanghai on the foreign land. This is
the second largest investment project that a Chinese company has made in Dubai.
Earlier, a Chinese businessman from Wenzhou had purchased a national television
station in the United Arab Emirates.

The Shanghai Zhongzhou Investment Group plans to build a river on the
island. The river will be connected to the ocean and flows in an S-shape, which
is, in every way, very similar to the Huangpu River in Shanghai. Visitors can
travel to the island by boat or helicopter. The preliminary work for the project
will be completed by the end of this year and the project will start next year.
The project will take two years to finish. On Tuesday, the Chinese company held
a ceremony to mark the unveiling of the design map for the “Shanghai island”.

Apart from the river, the Shanghai Zhongzhou Investment Group will build
three bridges across the river. The three bridges might look very similar to the
Nanpu, Yangpu and Xupu bridges in Shanghai. With these efforts, it is hoped that
the island can display the unique architectural style in Shanghai, a style that
combines Oriental with Western flavor. The company also plans to build some
streets on both sides of the river. These streets will be built in a way that
will reflect Shanghai's typical folk culture and its business tradition, said
Mr. Huang, assistant manager of the Shanghai Zhongzhou Investment Group.

Premier underscores emancipation of mind

2007-10-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

Wen
Jiabao joins panel discussion of the Sichuan delegation. He has called for
unswerving emancipation of the mind to boost socialism with Chinese
characteristics. (Xinhua Photo)

BEIJING, Oct. 17 - Chinese Premier
Wen Jiabao has called for unswerving emancipation of the mind to boost socialism
with Chinese characteristics at the ongoing 17th National Congress of the
Communist Party of China (CPC).

Attending discussions of the Sichuan delegation to the congress on Monday
and Tuesday, Wen said practice is the sole criterion when seeking what is truth.

To emancipate the mind, Wen said, the Party must actively explore and
innovate in the practice and theoretical development of building socialism, and
boldly learn from all intellectual achievements made by the human society.

What is socialism and how to build socialism are two major questions the
Party faces in the emancipation of the mind, Wen said.

He called on sustained efforts to push forward economic and political
restructuring, saying only if the country genuinely, constantly and fully
reforms and opens itself to the outside world would China have a bright future.

The most important work for implementing the scientific outlook on
development and building the harmonious society is to put people first, develop
democracy, improve legal system and coordinate the relations between urban and
rural areas, between different regions and between economic growth and social
development, Wen said.

It has never been an easy job to build a moderately prosperous society in
a country with a population of more than 1.3 billion, and bettering socialism is
a cause costing generations of efforts, he said.

Hu joins CPC delegates in discussion

2007-10-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

Hu
Jintao joins a panel discussion with delegates of Jiangsu province on Tuesday.
He listens to the delegates talk about social and economic development in the
rich eastern province, and discuss his report delivered at the start of the
Party congress on Monday. (Xinhua Photo)

BEIJING, Oct. 17 - Hu Jintao took a
commoner's approach on Tuesday while he joined the Jiangsu delegation to the
17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to listen to the
delegates talk about social and economic development in the rich eastern
province, and discuss his report delivered at the start of the Party congress on
Monday.

Jiangsu's Party chief Li Yuanchao and other officials praised the
country's past five years as "having maintained sustainable, fast, coordinated
and healthy development" and "having improved the lives of ordinary people",
citing the province's own growth in the meantime.

Hu urged the province to fully exploit its advantages and take the lead
in transforming the mode of economic growth in accordance with the Scientific
Outlook on Development.

"We stress sound and rapid development, better quality, efficiency and an
enlightened approach to development that results in expanded production, a
better life and sound ecological and environmental conditions," he said.

Delegate Wu Renbao, former Party chief of Huaxi Village, China's richest,
spoke highly of the Party congress. "The report is comprehensible to ordinary
farmers," he said.

"I would like to keep working although I'm old," 79-year-old Wu said.
Hearing that, Hu Jintao was the first to applaud with a broad smile.

Chen Qiuyan, who cleans the sewage treatment system in Xuzhou City, was
excited about her second meeting with Hu. "We will carefully study and put into
practice the essence of the congress," she said.

Hu visited Chen and her colleagues during a visit to Jiangsu in 1996.

"Please forward my best regards to your colleagues," said Hu. "I hope
your working and living conditions have improved with the past decade's economic
growth and hope you'll do an even better job," Hu said with a gentle voice.

Toward the end of the two-hour discussion, Hu said that the report he
made on behalf of the 16th CPC Central Committee is a product of democracy and
crystallizes the collective wisdom of the entire Party and all the Chinese
people.

After deliberations and revisions at the Party congress, the report will
become a political proclamation and action plan to guide the Party in uniting
all the Chinese people to seek better development along the path of building
socialism with Chinese characteristics, Hu said.

Five changes of the personality of Chinese

2007-10-17T06:03:00.001-07:00

Chinanews, Beijing October 17 - A
joint research conducted by Zhang Jianxin, a researcher of the Institute of
Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and several scientists from the
Chinese University of Hong Kong finds that Chinese people have become more
practical, responsible and emotional than 10 year ago.

Traditionally Chinese are said to be conservative, firm, filial and a
little bit cynical. However, under the impact of modernization, their image has
greatly changed while they are seeking a balance between tradition and modern
lifestyle.

With the pace of life becomes faster, Chinese people tend to be more
“aggressive”, which also makes them appreciate responsibility better. Besides,
they are better at expressing themselves, and they have become more emotional,
too.

Compared with the result of a similar research conducted in 1992, the
Chinese at the present time are more practical. Apparently, one has to be
practical to survive the fast-changing society today.

On the other hand, more Chinese dare to become leaders than before, as
quite a large proportion of them have started businesses of their own.

Now most Chinese appreciate the current harmonious environment, and they
will still pay more attention to building their interpersonal relations, instead
of developing personalities of individuals

Wild elephant in Xishuangbanna injures 3 persons

2007-10-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

Chinanews, Kunming, Oct. 17 – A wild
elephant in Yunnan’s Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture injured 3 persons
on last Friday.

A witness said that the wild elephant rushed onto a highway in
Xishuangbanna Prefecture, and hit a Ford car with its nose. The driver and two
passengers were injured. Local government has sent out workers to track down the
elephant, because they thought it had also injured itself.

FM: 3 Chinese students attacked, injured in Ukraine

2007-10-17T06:01:00.000-07:00

BEIJING, Oct.17 - Three Chinese
students were injured on Sunday during an attack by unidentified people in
Ukraine's capital Kiev, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao
confirmed here Tuesday.

The three female students, wounded by knife, were sent to a local
hospital and have been out of danger, Liu said.

He said China is highly concerned over this case and urged the Ukrainian
side to seize and punish the attackers at an early date, and to take effective
measures to safeguard the safety of Chinese students.

The Ukrainian side pledged to thoroughly investigate this case and take
measures to prevent recurrence of similar incidents, Liu said.

Tianjin citizens don't like adult-like kids

2007-10-17T06:00:00.001-07:00

Chinanews, Tianjin, October 17 –
Tianjin Municipal Academy of Social Sciences has done a research to find the
adults view on kids, finding that 76.4% of the respondents complain about
today’s kids being too “mature.” 15.3% of the respondents are even shocked by
kids when they talk and act like adults.

Most of the respondents are parents in their 30s or 40s. 26.3% of them
believe kids today are more mature than the kids of 10 years ago, when the word
“mature” absolutely had a derogatory meaning if used to say of a child. Today,
most kids will take this word as a praise, for it means that they are more sleek
and usually have a higher prestige among their friends.

By the way, most teachers in elementary schools and junior highs
appreciate “mature” students, for they make their teaching jobs easier.

Today many kids have already learned the importance of good personal
relations, especially with authorities.

Is it really good for kids to lose their innocence so early? This is the
question.

Beijing to invest 2 bln yuan on quadrangles

2007-10-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

Chinanews, Beijing, Oct. 17 – Liu Qi,
Beijing’s Party Chief and delegate to the ongoing session of the 17th National
Congress of the Communist Party of China, said on Monday that Beijing will
invest 2 billion yuan on renovating its Siheyuan (quadrangles or courtyard
houses). He also said that the government will help poor people to gain access
to apartment houses.

Liu said that it is crucial to solve the current problem of high housing
price. He said that the government is also trying to develop low-price apartment
houses, at the same time endeavoring to improve people’s living conditions in
quadrangles

Fudan students pay close attention to Nobel Prizes

2007-10-17T05:55:00.000-07:00

Chinanews, Shanghai, October 17 –
Fudan University in Shanghai recently conducted a survey on the students’
attitude toward the recently awarded Nobel Prizes, finding that more than 91% of
the students have paid close attention to them.

About 61% of the students said that they had acquired the information
about the prizes via the Internet or newspapers, another 24% had the event one
of the major chat topics among friends or with their teachers, the rest claimed
that they had known the event from the university BBS.

When asked “What do you think about the fact that no Chinese mainlanders
have ever been awarded the Nobel Prize,” 61% of the respondents believe the
examination-oriented education system in the Chinese mainland should be blamed,
as it harms creativity and restrains the personality of individuals.

Chang'e No.1 satellite ready for launch

2007-10-17T05:54:00.002-07:00

Chinanews, Beijing, Oct 17 – Chang'e
No. 1 satellite and the carrier rocket that will be used to send Chang'e into
space have been placed in the Xichang Satellite Launching Center. At present,
the satellite has been injected with enough fuels and has been connected to the
carrier rocket, said Zhang Qingwei, director of the Commission of Science,
Technology and Industry for National Defense, on Tuesday.

In the next step, scientists will test to make sure that the satellite,
the carrier rocket and all the launching system can function well. Since this
will be the first time for China to send a satellite to the moon, some tasks
which will be carried out in the moon will be difficult to be simulated on the
earth. The moon is located some 380,000 kilometers away from the earth, it might
be difficult for scientists to monitor exactly the flying speed, the location
and the shape of the satellite in space during the launch. “This requires that
scientists should have a high skill in accomplishing the tasks, ” Zhang said.

To cite an example, Zhang said when the satellite shifts from the earth
orbit to the moon orbit, scientists should be able to make the satellite stop at
the last point so that it can make the transition correctly. If scientists can't
do it in time, the satellite might then fly out of the moon orbit. In order to
make sure that everything can go well as planned, scientists are still doing
research about this.

“In order to avoid these risks, we have devoted more efforts to analyzing
the possible technical risks and we have to work out several hundred different
schemes to counter them. At the same time, we will try to make use of some
global space network resources to make sure that the launching can be a
success,” Zhang noted.

“Although there might be great risks, we are still confident that the
launching can be successful. We hope that people from all walks of life can
understand us and support our work,” Zhang said.

Three years ago, China approved Chang'e No. 1 moon probe project. Over
the past three years, Chinese scientists and engineers have worked hard to
obtain several key technologies related with the project. The Chang’e No.1 moon
probe satellite is expected to be launched in late October, Zhang said.

China produces a cooking robot

2007-10-17T05:54:00.001-07:00

Chinanews, Shenzhen, Oct 17 – A
cooking robot recently made in China was demonstrating its cooking skills to
people on Monday at a press release held by its maker, the Shenzhen Fanxing
Technology Co., Ltd.

At the press release, the robot showed to people that it could make over
1,000 dishes with different local flavors. Give it the ingredients and press the
start button and the dish can be made ready in less than five minutes. Two
experts from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Cai Hegao and Wang Zicai, a
Shandong cuisine chef Gao Bingyi and a Sichuan cuisine chef Shi Zhengliang
arrived at the scene to judge its work.

The cooking robot, called AIC (AICookingrobot) or “Ai Ke” in Chinese, was
made by the Shenzhen Fanxing Technology Co., Ltd., with an investment of some 2
million yuan. The company had spent four years to make it. It was the fruit of
modern electronic engineering science and Chinese cooking science. This is the
first robot in the world that can make Chinese dishes, said Liu Xinyu, president
of the Shenzhen Fanxing Technology Co., Ltd.

The making technology of the robot has been acknowledged by the National
Science and Technology Commission as a scientific achievement. Cai Hegao, one of
the experts in the evaluation group, predicted that the cooking robot would have
a promising prospect after it was launched in the market. The robot can boost
the development of Chinese fast food industry and it demonstrates that Chinese
dishes can also be made through a machine processing method, Cai said.

The cooking robot may be available in the market by mid next year. It
will be first used in the commercial market before entering Chinese families,
Liu added.

China hopes to cooperate in space

2007-10-17T05:53:00.000-07:00

Oct.17 - China wishes to join nations
around the world in the peaceful exploration of outer space, a senior official
said yesterday.

Li Xueyong, vice-minister of science and technology, said China is
seeking to take part in the International Space Station program, which already
includes the US, Russia, Japan, Canada, Brazil and 11 members of the European
Space Agency.

"We hope to become the 17th partner of the global US-led project," said
Li at a press conference at the ongoing CPC congress.

The International Space Station orbits the Earth at an altitude of
approximately 360 km, a type of orbit usually termed as low Earth orbit. Through
the space station mankind maintains a permanent presence in space, with a
minimum of at least two people on board, since the first crew entered on
November 2, 2000.

Li said: "China and the US need smooth cooperation in space exploration,
instead of a space race."

China has already made some progress in exploring outer space. "But we
are committed to the principle of using it for peaceful purposes," said Li.

China will soon launch its first circumlunar satellite, as part of its
ambitious moon exploration program. Development of the satellite, called Chang'e
I after the goddess Chang'e who flew to the moon, and its carrier Long March 3A,
is now complete.

Experimental reactor

Li also said the National People's Congress Standing Committee, China's
top legislature, has already approved the nation's plans to join other countries
in constructing an experimental fusion reactor, which currently has a $15.57
billion budget.

He said an international organization responsible for the International
Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) will be set up on October 24.

Li said participation in the ITER project was part of China's systematic
plan for developing cutting-edge fusion technologies. And China has already
decided to diversify its energy mix by speeding up construction of nuclear power
stations.

China is responsible for 9.1 percent of the total ITER budget, an equal
percentage with each of the other five participating countries. The other
partners are the EU, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the US.

Previous reports said that Li's ministry and other government agencies
have already set up a special team to supervise the implementation of China's
share of ITER tasks and domestic research into fusion energy.

China finishes third in Asian Youth Women Soccer

2007-10-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

Players
from China and South Korea fight for the ball during their bronze medal match at
the Asian U-19 women's championship in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality
October 16, 2007. China booked the last Asian ticket to FIFA U-20 women's World
Cup to be held in Chile next year. [Photo:
sina]

Oct. 17 - China stunned South Korea
1-0 on Tuesday to finish third at the AFC U-19 Women's Championship in southwest
China's Municipality of Chongqing.

The win also secured the host a berth in next year's FIFA youth world
championship in Chile.

China went ahead in the 70th minute on Ruan Xiaoqing's header off of a
corner kick and never conceded an equalizer to its rival through to the final
whistle.