Eating at home could give you a longer life

• Ladyzone

2012-05-24 14:36

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  A new study finds that opting to eat at home can add years to your life. Photo courtesy: AFP RELAXNEWS/ Monkey Business Images/shutterstock.com

(Relaxnews) - Wondering whether or not to dine out or eat in? A new study gives you a good reason to do the latter -- researchers find that eating a homecooked meal up to five times a week could add years to your life.

In fact, according to the findings, subjects who cooked at home about five times a week were 47 percent more likely to still be alive after 10 years.

"It has become clear that cooking is a healthy behavior," said lead author Professor Mark Wahlqvist in a statement. "It deserves a place in life-long education, public health policy, urban planning, and household economics."

The research team, made up of Taiwanese and Australian researchers, published their work last week in Public Health Nutrition, a Cambridge University journal.

The 10-year study involved 1,888 men and women over age 65 who had lived in Taiwan. At the start of the study, they interviewed each participant about several lifestyle factors, including cooking habits, shopping habits, diet, education, transportation, and smoking.

Other keys besides cooking that added longevity? Grocery shopping, taking public transportation, not smoking, and being a woman.

Research shows that children who have regular meals with their parents do better in school and have healthier relationships. In addition, research finds they are 42 percent less likely to drink, 50 percent less likely to smoke, and 66 percent less like to smoke marijuana, as cited by Mark Hyman, physician and New York Times best-selling author, for The Huffington Post.

Hyman also advises that you start your eat-at-home plan by reclaiming your kitchen: filling your pantry and refrigerator with fresh local foods and toss foods with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats or sugar as the first or second ingredient on the label, he writes.

Also make a set dinnertime and switch off phones and televisions during dinners. And make cleaning up a group activity. Read more tips from Hyman: http://drhyman.com/blog/2011/01/07/how-eating-at-home-can-save-your-life

Copyright (AFP RELAXNEWS), 2012.

Source :http://www.mysinchew.com/node/73738

Ella's Wedding with Malaysian Businessman

Pray to kong 2012

Plat WWW 1 termahal

PLAT termahal dunia, '1', yang berharga RM43.7 juta dibeli oleh jutawan Abu Dhabi, Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri (gambar kecil) pada 2008 dan dipakai pada kereta kesayangannya, Bugatti Veyron.

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KUALA LUMPUR - Nombor plat pendaftaran kenderaan WWW 1 yang hangat diperkatakan khususnya di ibu negara kini diramalkan mampu mencecah nilai RM500,000 apabila tendernya dibuka pada 30 April nanti.

Menurut Pengarah Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ) Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Mohd. Nadzri Osman, ramalan tersebut dibuat berdasarkan beberapa tawaran awal yang sudah diterima meskipun tender belum lagi dibuka kepada orang ramai.

"Sejak pengumuman mengenai nombor yang dikaitkan dengan singkatan terkenal WWW iaitu World Wide Web dibuat, beberapa tawaran telah dilakukan oleh individu yang berminat dengan harga sudah pun melebihi RM400,000," katanya ketika ditemui Kosmo! Ahad baru-baru ini.

source : kosmo

Eating berries can cut men's risk of Parkinson's disease by 40 per cent

• Those who ate berries one a week could cut their risk of developing the brain disease by a quarter

Eating strawberries, blue- berries, blackcurrants and blackberries could help to protect against Parkinson’s disease, researchers suggest.

Men who ate the fruits along with other foods rich in flavonoids were found to be 40 per cent less likely to develop the brain disease.

And those who ate berries at least once a week could cut their risk of developing the disease by a quarter compared with those who never ate them, the study by British and U.S. experts also found.

Berry power: Men who ate the fruits along with other foods rich in flavonoids were found to be 40 per cent less likely to develop the brain disease

Flavonoids – which are also found in tea and red wine – are antioxidants which can offer protection against a range of diseases including heart disease, some cancers and dementia.

The research is the first large-scale study looking at the effect of flavonoids in protecting against Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition which affects 125,000 Britons.

More...

• Widely-prescribed statins may help to fight Alzheimer's if they're given in early stages
• Could eating your greens be a lifesaver? Study finds breast cancer sufferers who consume veg are more likely to survive

It causes tremors and muscular rigidity or stiffness, and affects all kinds of movement in the body.

About 10,000 new sufferers are diagnosed each year. There is no cure, but drugs and surgery can help control symptoms.

Parkinson's disease causes tremors and muscular rigidity or stiffness, and affects all kinds of movement in the body (file picture)

About 130,000 men and women took part in the research, published in the journal Neurology, of whom 800 had developed Parkinson’s disease during 20 years of follow-up.

It involved an analysis of their diets and, adjusting for age and lifestyle, men volunteers who ate the most flavonoids were shown to be 40 per cent less likely to develop the disease than those who ate the least.

The study found no similar link for total flavonoid intake in women.

Antioxidants help to neutralise free radicals – destructive by-products of metabolism in the body that can damage cell membranes and DNA.

Brain cells are particularly sensitive to free radicals – which may help to explain the benefits revealed by the study.

It found the main protective effect came from higher intakes of anthocyanins – a type of flavonoid – present in berries and other fruits and vegetables such as aubergines.

Men who ate one or more portions of berries each week were 24 per cent less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, relative to those who did not eat the fruits, the experts said.

Dr Xiang Gao of Harvard School of Public Health, one of the study leaders, said the findings suggest that anthocyanins ‘may have neuro- protective effects’.

He added: ‘Given the other potential health effects of berry fruits, such as lowering risk of hypertension as reported in our previous studies, it is good to regularly add these fruits to your diet.’

His colleague Professor Aedin Cassidy, of Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia, described their findings as ‘exciting

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2125366/Eating-berries-cut-mens-risk-Parkinsons-disease-40-cent.html#ixzz1rS07VXHE

Playing Tetris 'could cure children of lazy eye' and spell the end for embarrassing eye patches

For generations, children have been warned that sitting in front of a screen for too long will give them square eyes.

But an hour a day spent playing computer games can actually help to cure a lazy eye, a groundbreaking study has shown.

The traditional treatment for amblyopia – or lazy eye – is an eye patch over the good eye to force the other to work harder. However, this can lead to bullying, so the patches are often removed by youngsters who cannot cope with the poor vision from their lazy eye.

Pilot project: Calum puts the game through its paces with Dr Anita Simmers and Pamela Knox (right)

But in tests more than half of children who played a computer game similar to puzzle block video game Tetris saw their vision restored instantly, while some were able to see in 3D for the first time.

Better still, it works on older children, overturning the belief that only children under seven can be treated for lazy eyes.

Tetris blocks could only be seen using the left eye and the wall the blocks fell into were only visible from the right eye

Dr Anita Simmers, the researcher at Glasgow Caledonian University behind the trial, said: 'This is an extremely encouraging study. To treat a lazy eye with a patch we need to get children to do intense visual work because if you use the eye it will get better.

'But it was very difficult to get young children to do that. It is much easier to get a child to sit for an hour in front of a computer game.'

More...

• Shop-bought baby foods 'lack vital nutrients essential for growth and protection against illness'

Dr Simmers added: 'Not only that, but we managed to help children see better, to get more depth in their view and to make motor tasks easier for them.'

Up to four in 100 children are born with amblyopia, caused by a misalignment of the eyes or one eye focusing better than the other.

The difference in sight between the two eyes leads to abnormal development of the visual centres of the brain and, if left untreated, can cause permanent sight problems.

For the study, 14 children were asked to play a computer game similar to Tetris while wearing gaming goggles.

The goggles work so the falling Tetris blocks could only be seen using the left eye and the wall the blocks fell into were only visible from the right eye. To win the game, both eyes had to be working hard.

The results were astounding, with 54 per cent of the schoolchildren able to see better after only five hours, half improving their 3D vision and 20 per cent being given depth perception for the first time.

Dr Simmers said: 'Usually any treatment given comes earlier, before a child turns seven.

'If you weren’t treated very young, the damage was thought to be irreversible. The fact these children have improved vision shows the potential to use both eyes and that the brain can continue to learn new ways of seeing well beyond the childhood years.'

Calum, like four per cent of the population, is affected by amblyopia

The research, published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, has been welcomed by charities for the visually impaired.

Dr Dolores Conroy, director of research at Fight for Sight which has helped fund the study, said: 'These encouraging findings bring us a step closer to a more effective way of treating amblyopia.

'Currently it may take months for children with this condition to see any improvement.

'We hope that through the development of this treatment, the sight of children with amblyopia can be recovered much more rapidly.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2125444/Playing-Tetris-cure-children-lazy-eye-spell-end-embarrassing-eye-patches.html#ixzz1rRy6isc1

Properties from a Feng Shui SS7

Low-lying SS7

Properties from a Feng Shui perspective: Part 231
By David Koh and Joe Choo | March 9, 2012

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This week, our Environology tour of the Klang Valley takes us to another part of Kelana Jaya, namely SS7 in the sprawling city of Petaling Jaya. (For Google map reference, log on to maps.google.com.my and search for “Kuala Lumpur”.)

This area is well known for the Kelana Lake and a seafood restaurant at the lake’s edge. Actually, this is only one of several lakes in the vicinity, which forms the Kelana Jaya Park. On these grounds, there are also some sports facilities including the MBPJ Stadium, a swimming pool and a sports complex.

The Kelana Seafood Centre is no more, replaced by Plaza Kelana Jaya after Glomac bought over the land from the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS). Glomac has a very strong presence in this area, having constructed a number of commercial properties here.

There have been a large number of developments in recent years, transforming the landscape of Kelana Jaya and possibly worsening the already congested traffic situation in the area.

SS7 is basically a low-lying area and is relatively flat with some minor undulations. The natural high land is in the section in the east. However, the construction of multiple highways surrounding it have created many man-made mountains and turned SS7 into a basin.

To the north, there is the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE). The Subang Airport Road, recently upgraded to become a six-lane carriageway, is located at the west. The Damansara Puchong Highway (LDP) is situated to the east while to the south beyond the Royal Subang Golf Club, there is the Federal Highway.

In landform Environology, a basin is a natural collection point for earth energy that flows downhill from the tops of mountains. Just as rainwater collects here and may possibly cause a flash flood, earth energy gathers here with nowhere to go.

Pools of earth energy
We often write about tapping into pools of earth energy for success. Such pools are normally created when earth energy comes to a medium of different rigidity and is thus blocked and deflected. The rebounding energy is gentler and more homogenous.

SS7 is known for its lakes. - Filepic

Thus in areas close to the Kelana Jaya lakes, particularly where the edge of the lake forms an “embrace” around the adjacent property, the pool of energy is very conducive and will benefit the occupants of properties that face this pool. Conversely, if the edge has a convex shape, the rebounding energy is scattered in all directions and cannot be of benefit.

As for areas too far from the lake, the effects may be very different. Although energy pools in these areas due to the basin-like landform, it has not undergone the shock-absorbing treatment of the lakes. It is not as gentle or homogenous.

When waves of energy coming from various directions meet, they create peaks and troughs, similar to how opposing waves amplify and cancel each other. In areas where the energy is amplified, energy can still be overwhelming while the nullified areas will be dull. The results are likely to be erratic.

Nevertheless, this area will be attractive to living beings. This could explain the amount of development happening in the area, accompanied by ever-increasing population density.

We noted in previous articles that basins of earth energy also have the tendency to attract vice activities, such as gambling, gangsterism and prostitution. They seem to go hand-in-hand wherever large numbers of people occupy the land.

Let us explore SS7 a little closer, starting from the north. This section is relatively narrower than the rest of SS7, squeezed on two sides by the NKVE and the LDP.

The FAS has an illustrious history stretching back to 1905 when the Selangor Association Football League was formed. In 1926, a splinter group broke away to form the Football Association of Selangor. They tussled to be the state’s representative body for a decade before finally merging as the FAS.

World War II disrupted the FAS and it was reconstituted after the war with Malaysia’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj as its first president. The Kedahan prince loved football so much that he was more than happy to be an honorary Selangorean!

Thanks to the Tunku’s support, the Merdeka Stadium was converted into Selangor’s home ground soon after it was used for the Declaration of Independence. This stadium also served as the nation’s home ground for international tournaments.

The Selangor team was so formidable in the 1970s that many of its players represented the country as well. These included luminaries such as R. Arumugam, Soh Chin Aun, Mokhtar Dahari, Santokh Singh, Chow Kwai Lam, and many others, who reigned supreme during the Golden Age of Malaysian football.

Stadium Merdeka remained the Selangor’s home ground until 1994 when it was earmarked for demolition and redevelopment into a billion-ringgit entertainment and office complex.

The plans were shelved due to the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, although the public outcry against the plans helped somewhat. In 2003, the building was finally declared a National Heritage. In 2007, it underwent some much-needed restoration to its original condition, albeit with a diminished seating capacity.

The Selangor team moved to the Shah Alam Stadium, which is more fitting because Stadium Merdeka is technically not located in Selangor and is a part of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.

The FAS headquarters made several moves during this time. From its original base in Wisma MCA in Jalan Ampang, it shifted to Wisma FAS near Stadium Merdeka in 1973. Later, it relocated to its present home in Kelana Jaya.

Though the Selangor football team remains a formidable and feared side, it is not as “invincible” as it was in the early days. The state of national football has likewise declined, although we did manage to win the AFF Suzuki Cup in 2010.

It would be too easy to blame the popularity of the English Premier League for the current state of affairs. The English league is not just popular in Malaysia. In other parts of the world, developing nations in Africa have produced world-class players able to play in England. Even South Korea and Japan have raised the game by leaps and bounds.

Could Environology factors have contributed to this?

Stay tuned for more next week.

*This series on Feng Shui and real estate properties appears courtesy of the Malaysia Institute of Geomancy Sciences (MINGS). David Koh is the founder of MINGS and has been a Feng Shui master and teacher for the past 37 years.

Ancient ministry of town planning
Over the past 230 articles, we constantly stressed the importance of good orientation in designing and constructing properties. We hold on to the hope that town planners, architects, designers and developers will consider our findings to be compelling enough to produce Environology-compliant products that will benefit their customers.

In ancient China, that would not have been an issue since the edict comes from way-up – the Emperor himself dictated it. Records of the Zhou Dynasty showed that there were three major ministries in the imperial courts: Tai Zhi, Tai Fu and Tai Bao.

The Tai Zhi was responsible for managing the entire country including its defence. The minister in charge would be equivalent to the modern-day prime minister.

The Tai Fu was in charge of administration, ensuring the welfare and survival of the population, the observance of ceremonies and the selection of the dates and times for various activities.

The Tai Bao is practically the ministry of town planning and housing. It was responsible for town planning, architecture and design, construction, public utilities and housing. The Tai Bao could identify soil texture and determine its suitability for different purposes, such as agriculture and defence (in the construction of walls).

The Zhouli (Rites of Zhou) is an ancient ritual text attributed to Zhou Gong. The book contains six major chapters titled as Offices of Heaven (government), Earth (education), Spring (social and religion), Summer (army), Autumn (justice) and Winter (population, territory and agriculture).

There are precise instructions on how to set up a gnomon (the projecting piece on a sundial that shows the time), conduct survey on landform and study soil structure. It even includes texts on what trees to plant, places to avoid storms and hot sun, how to set up fences and build embankments. The Tai Bao used instruments such as a compass and gnomon to obtain precise measurements.

Its duties were clearly distinct from that of the Tai Fu, which was involved in ceremonies and making predictions. Therefore, the practice of “Feng Shui” has nothing at all to do with prayers and chanting, rituals or religion.

The ministry of Tai Bao was a mainstay up to the Han Dynasty. A Tai Bao official skilled in this knowledge was called Qingwu.

Art of Crochet by Teresa - Crochet Adult Slippers

Art of Crochet by Teresa - Crochet Adult Slippers

我還是我 I AM WHO I AM by Namewee 黃明志