Holiday shopping tips

Here is a great idea for those wondering how to cope with your shopping list. This holiday season, why not do your shopping at a zoo or aquarium near you. Gift shops are always stocked with fun toys, tasty treats and unique products you won't find anywhere else.

"Spend Black Friday with a black rhino, do your shopping at the zoo or aquarium," said AZA Senior Vice President for Marketing Jill Nicoll. "Not only will you find gifts that will make your friends and family go wild, you also support wild animal conservation."

"While others are herded through the mall like animals, you can chill out with real animals - come to the zoo or aquarium for a peaceful shopping experience," Nicoll added.

Unique, affordable holiday shopping ideas from the AZA-accredited zoo or aquarium near you:

Zoo or Aquarium Family Membership

Membership is the gift that keeps on giving! Membership will give an entire family one full year of free entry to the zoo or aquarium and lots of other great benefits such as magazine subscription, in-store discounts, and special events tickets.

Children's Toys and Games

At the gift shop you'll find toys for boys, toys for girls, and toys for kids young and old. Whether your loved ones are into computer games, puzzles, stuffed toys, or sports, you'll be sure to find a suitable gift.

Eco-friendly Products

Zoos and aquariums are going green and have the gifts to prove it. With everything from beauty products and stationery to jewelry and kitchen ware, the gift shop is the place to go for environmentally friendly gifts.

Holiday Cards and Ornaments

Decorate your house with special holiday ornaments of your favorite animals and send holiday greetings with animal-themed cards.

Educational Resources

Find books about baby animals or how to become an expert birdwatcher. Whether you're buying for a new reader or an avid reader, the zoo or aquarium gift shop is bound to have a book that will interest them.

Adopt-an-Animal

Give the gift of honorary parenthood to your loved one. With your gift the zoo or aquarium can buy treats, toys, and medical supplies for their special animal.

Name-an-Animal

Name your favorite zoo or aquarium resident after a friend or family member and contribute to the zoo or aquarium's conservation efforts.

Enjoy a day at your local AZA-accredited zoo or aquarium this holiday season and find these gifts and more. Many zoos and aquariums are open 365 days a year, including on Thanksgiving. Find the great zoo or aquarium near you at www.aza.org/findzooaquarium.

However, if it's a real zoo out there, you could always shop online. Want to know what is really hot right now? Rene Magritte paintings. It's true. I'm sure you'll remember the picture of the guy with a green apple for a face and a bowler hat on his head. It was featured in the Pierce Brosnan movie "The Thomas Crown Affair" not too long ago. Want to show somebody you're on top of the latest trends. Get them a Rene Magritte painting repro. Or else hang one on your own wall. It worked for Pierce Brosnan, didn't it?

Color yourself less stressed for the holidays

Color experts are telling us that the color your wear can have a significant impact on your improve and make you feel not only happier, but less stressed. What could be more useful during this very stressful winter holiday time we're coming into?

We are told to wear green, the color of love, to enhance peace within yourself and encourage patience with others. According to experts, you can prevent getting anxieties about shopping by decorating for the holidays with green candles, table cloths, and ornaments to support harmony with family and friends. Feature green accent pillows and other emerald accessories to help keep that peaceful feeling throughout the year.

Color influences everybody's emotions. Madison Avenue marketing millionaires command its power, as do Hollywood film makers, interior designers, and every artist under the sun. Color affects everything you think, do, and say.

Did you ever wonder why you feel so good spending time with nature? Green is nature's color, the color of living things. Its balance of warm and cool is easy on the eye and distinguishes it as "the color of love and compassion."

Eliminate stress and expense anxiety by gifting loved ones with handmade, live or silk evergreen wreaths (circles are symbols of togetherness and longevity). Instead of traditional red accents, which may cause impatience, use blue (green's partner) for more natural inspiration. Just like the color of a crisp, springtime sky, add blue silk flowers, bows, or ornaments for more tranquility.

Spend fewer greenbacks by personalizing handmade gifts with the feel-good aspects of color for everyone on your list. Make custom, colored gifts with specific loved ones in mind.

Think ecology and green energy when creating your gifts to be responsible for the environment at the same time. Do you have any garage-sale treasures that you collected to re-color and re-new? (With a $5 investment, a little bronze paint, and tapered-green candles, I converted a rusty candelabra into a one-of a-kind beauty.) Have fun exploring dollar stores, bazaars, and flea markets as colored gems are eager for discovery.

All colors have special life-enhancing benefits. Consider these ideas to get started:
● Red/Excites and energizes: Fill a red container with cookies to sweeten the most seasoned sourpuss.
● Orange/Inspires play and spontaneity: Make a small, whimsical orange-flower arrangement to brighten a work-aholic's desk.
● Yellow/commands confidence: Bead a yellow bracelet with special charms for timid children, friends, or co-workers.
● Green/lovingly nurtures: Present an IOU with the gift of quality time. Show up with a picnic basket and head off to sit beneath a wise, old tree.
● Blue/clears the mind and is thought provoking: Gift your favorite water and sky picture (that you took yourself) in a frame.
● Indigo/inspires insight: Make a gift card for an evening walk in the country to count shooting stars.
● Violet/quiets and deepens inner peace: Sew an eye pillow in luxurious purple fabric filled with dried lavender.

Need more help delivering thoughtful gifts without spending too much? Wear blue to have clear ideas or orange to have fun in your creative process.

We wonder if our friend who wants to get an ex boyfriend back should wear any special color. She was sure feeling blue when she cried to us: "how can I get back my ex boyfriend"?

Drinking Red Wine Helps Alzheimer's

Scientists at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have figured out why a substance in red grapes and red wine lowers amyloid beta levels that accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Medicines targeting amyloid beta that make up the clumps in the hallmark plaques are now in many phases of experimental testing. The hope is that clearing out amyloid beta before it accumulates could stave off the disease and reduce symptoms. Scientists at the Feinstein hope to develop this natural substance, called resveratrol, or synthetic versions, for the treatment of Alzheimer’s.

Valorie Vingtdeux, PhD and their colleagues have discovered that a specific kinase – AMPK – controls Abeta levels. AMPK is an interesting protein because it is a metabolic sensor in the cells and throughout the body. It senses levels of ATP, the body’s fuel source. When ATP levels drop, AMPK is activated to prepare the cells to adjust to the metabolic change in the body – when fuel is low. It’s like a driver moving along at 50 and slowing down when it realizes that there is trouble ahead.

Resveratrol activates AMPK and in turn this protein lowers Abeta levels. Dr. Vingtdeux presented these findings at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, DC, this week. The work has been done so far in cell culture but Philippe Marambaud, PhD, who oversees the research, said there is every reason to believe that a similar process takes place in nature. “We hope that this result will translate into beneficial effects for Alzheimer’s patients someday,” said Dr. Marambaud. This is an important finding because the scientists identified a new potential molecular target – AMPK – to lower Abeta levels in Alzheimer’s. It also opens the door to considering more potent analogs of resveratrol. Feinstein scientists are now screening libraries of substances to see whether there are any compounds that could mimic the effects found in this substance. As it is, the amounts found in grapes and wine are small and it would not be feasible to ingest enough to have a benefit. The Feinstein chemists have identified several compounds that are now in different stages of testing.

Economic Troubles Bring Security Threats to Business

According to Mr. Roger Ameriks from Crown Security Group in New Zealand, his company is seeing increasing demand from a number of organizations and individuals who may not have previously needed security services.

Roger and his team at Crown Security Group offer global experience in security at the highest level, including Close Protection work for the Saudi Royal Family, Diplomats, VIPs, corporate heads and celebrities. The company also offers specialist training in security services throughout the world, sought after by various military and government agencies, and corporations.

Now, the team are seeing the world's financial sector in the security spotlight as stress levels continue to rise.

"Protocols need to be put in place to address all issues of security and personal safety in the business environment. We're getting a lot of enquiries from people reassessing their security needs," Roger says.

Redundancies are a sad reality of the world's struggling economy, with tens of thousands of people losing their jobs in recent months. Roger says disgruntled employees burdened by financial worries can give rise to a host of security threats for a company.

"Employers need to consider security issues when making redundancies. It's prudent to have a discreet security presence at redundancy announcements and meetings in case tensions boil over," Roger says. "An ex-employee has an intimate knowledge of a business, so measures need to be taken to remove risks to people and property should someone decide to act on their frustration at losing their job."

As economies falls on hard times, the likelihood of rifts between business partners and colleagues also increases. In many years of security at the highest level, Roger has seen anger erupt into physical aggression in numerous settings - including the boardroom.

"Financial pressure pushes people into desperation, and they do things they wouldn't normally do. Things can turn ugly very quickly - good security is about being one step ahead to avoid that."

Corporate heads may also face threats to their personal safety in an ailing economy as people vent their anger at losing money, or their jobs.

"Contrary to popular belief, close personal protection is not just for celebrities. For a businessperson feeling vulnerable, having a protection professional looking after their personal safety allows them to get on with their lives and running their business, and know they are safe doing it," says Roger.

Employee theft is another aspect to consider as people feel the pinch of a turbulent economy and rising living costs. A security audit can significantly reduce the risk of a company falling victim, Roger says.

Ultimately, he says addressing security in a business or organization is not about scaremongering or raising suspicion. "It's about raising awareness of security issues and putting sound systems in place to keep people and the business safe from the very real threats that are out there these days."

Crown Security Group (http://www.crownsecuritygroup.co.nz/)

Healthcare industry using more radiology tests

Use of radiology imaging tests has soared in the past decade with a significant increase in newer technologies, according to a new study that is the first to track imaging patterns in a managed care setting over a substantial time period.

Study results are reported in the November/December 2008 issue of the journal "Health Affairs," which focuses on the pros and cons of the medical technology boom, the biggest driver of increasing healthcare costs.

A team of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco and the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle conducted the study using data from 377,000 patients enrolled in the Group Health Cooperative in Washington state between 1997 and 2006. The study population underwent five million radiology tests during this 10-year period.

Analysis showed an increase in all type of imaging technologies, with the majority of the tests being X-ray procedures. The average total imaging cost per patient, per year doubled during the study period, from $229 to $443.

The most striking finding was the increase in the number of newer and pricier tests such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans, according to the research team. In 1997, 13.5 percent of the study group had undergone a CT, MRI, or both, and in 2006 it was 21 percent. Study results showed the per-patient number of CT scans doubled over the 10 years, and the number of MRI scans tripled.

This increase in CT and MRI imaging appeared across the board, with no single patient group or disease group dominating, according to lead author Rebecca Smith-Bindman, MD, an associate professor of radiology and biomedical imaging, epidemiology and biostatistics, and obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at UCSF.

The goal with newer imaging tests is to use them in the most efficient and effective way possible and as a replacement for older, less accurate tests, emphasized Smith-Bindman. "But we found the newer tests, such as CT and MRI, are being added on top of the old tests, such as X-rays, rather than replacing them -- and this increases costs.

"Like first-time parents taking baby pictures, we may be overdoing it with newer diagnostic imaging tests. Using these tests wisely can detect treatable diseases and save lives. Excess imaging may be too much of a good thing. In addition to health care costs, we need to consider patients' exposure to potentially cancer-causing radiation. The benefit of testing needs to be balanced against the risk," she said.

Smith-Bindman's study confirms previous reports of a trend toward over-imaging, including one that found imaging has risen faster than any other medical service that Medicare patients receive.

The study findings also highlight concern about a correlation between the type of health care practice and rates of imaging, Smith-Bindman said. "Unlike managed care systems such as Group Health that receive a fixed amount to care for each patient, 'fee-for-service' practices get financial rewards for doing extra testing, including recouping investments in office-based scanning equipment. It is likely that rates of testing are higher in fee-for-service practice, and this habit of doing more imaging may be spreading into managed care."

The study did not address the appropriateness of imaging and whether the increase was associated with improvements in patient care, and this is an area that needs further study, the research team noted.

"Our results definitely highlight the need to curb unnecessary imaging. In future research we need to examine the value of imaging so that we can assess when the new technology leads to improved patient care and improved outcomes, and when the value of new technologies is limited or nonexistent. In all cases, we need to use the technology in a way that limits unnecessary exposure to radiation," Smith-Bindman said.

Study co-authors were Diana L. Miglioretti, PhD, associate investigator, and Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, executive director, both of the Group Health Center for Health Studies.

The study was supported by funding from the Group Health Center for Health Studies.

The Group Health Center for Health Studies conducts research on preventing, diagnosing, and treating major health problems. Government and private research grants provide its main funding. Group Health Cooperative is a Seattle-based, consumer-governed, nonprofit health care system that integrates care and coverage.

UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care.

Have you heard about medical tourism?

Let me show you my holiday photos. This is me in the hospital. These are the stitches from my operation. Sound strange? Maybe, but we think medical tourism may be the wave of the future.

Medical tourism is based on the fact that healthcare is so expensive in the USA that if you need or want elective surgery, for anything from a facelift or dental implants to a hip replacement or heart bypass, it's more cost effective to have the procedure done in India, Thailand or Costa Rica than at home in America. Maybe it's because domestic hospitals have to pay so much to insurance companies for malpractice coverage. I guess that blame would then go back to greed, or lawyers, or greedy lawyers, but that's not the point.

Whatever the root cause, surgery is so expensive in the United States that it's cheaper to fly to New Dehli and have your operation there than it is to stay home. Figures posted at medical tourism websites say you and a partner can fly to Thailand, enjoy the beaches, visit some temples, have an operation and fly back home for about 75% less. No wonder medical tourism is gaining so much attention.

Here's another twist: Companies are finding it cheaper to cancel their employee health benefit insurance and instead, self-insure their employees by sending them overseas for medical treatment. Of course the care they get is just as good. World-class healthcare quality is assured by dealing only with internationally accredited hospitals.

And it's not only happening in America. Canadians and Europeans, who have nationally funded healthcare, are going overseas because they don't have to wait in long waiting lists. Why wait a year for knee surgery when you can get it tomorow in Bangkok?

Isn't life strange?