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Opinionli
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Welcome to OPINIONLI!
Feb 5th
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Quit to Have Radiant Skin
Feb 5th
Are you a smoker with an “it won’t happen to me” mindset? If the state of your health is not enough to stop you, is the price of your good looks? It’s a fact — apart from sun damage, smoking ages the skin faster than anything else. So why are so many of us still lighting up? 
Smoker’s Face
The term was coined by medical dictionaries in the ’60s to describe the ageing effect cigarette smoke has on the skin. Wrinkles, a grey, lifeless complexion and bony contours were the words used — surely enough to scare off any potential smokers? Apparently not: 27 percent of Aussie women are still lighting up, puffing on an average of 18 cigarettes a day.
But let’s face it, today’s smokers are more likely to be greeted by shock and gore ads showing tar being squeezed out of a lung and a blackened gangrenous foot awaiting amputation rather than the pallor of a smoker whose looks have gone up in smoke.
According to anti-smoking specialist Natalie Clays from Allen Carr Clinics, “These scare tactic campaigns just don’t work”. Perhaps appealing to the mortality of a generation who think they’re immortal isn’t the most effective way to get the smoking-is-bad-for-you message across.
Instead, why not appeal to their sense of vanity and point out the damage cigarette smoke can do to your skin — and your looks?
The damage
Nicotine adds years and, according to Clays, the effect smoking has on the ageing process is significant — and it gets worse, the damage begins as soon as the first puff of smoke is inhaled. With just one drag more than 1 trillion free radicals are produced by your lungs, triggering the erratic behaviour of cells that sets the premature ageing wheels in motion.
What Happens Next?
Once the draw back begins, the serious skin damage gets underway, including: An increased production of the enzyme matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which breaks down the body’s supply of collagen;
A reduction in the body’s store of vitamin A, which provides protection from skin damage;
Restricted blood flow through capillaries, which prevents oxygen and nutrients getting to the skin;
Restricted absorption of vitamin C, which is a vital antioxidant for skin protection and health; and
More wrinkles around the mouth, caused by continual puckering of the lips when drawing back, and more wrinkles around the eyes caused by squinting in reaction to cigarette smoke.
Saving Your Skin
The million-dollar question is what can be done to reverse the damage? Forget about pricey eye creams and skin-renewing serums, the first step is the most obvious — stop smoking. If the cancer and stroke warnings seen in advertising campaigns and cigarette packaging aren’t enough to encourage you to quit, perhaps the very real possibility of adding years to your complexion will.
While smokers in their twenties are yet to notice the real damage smoking is doing to their skin, Clays says once you begin creeping into your thirties and forties the effects are there for all to see. In fact, she says smoking can “easily add 10 years” — and if you’re in your fifties or sixties, make that 20 years.
But, on the flip side, quitting can quickly restore some of that youthful vitality, bringing back your colour and getting rid of the dullness associated with ‘smoker’s face’. In fact, Clays says, “After quitting, one of my clients was actually asked if she’d had a facelift.” This woman was in her forties.
The sobering news is that, while you won’t be able to completely reverse the damage already caused to your skin’s elasticity and vitality, quitting coupled with a healthy, balance diet, skin supplements and anti-ageing skin care will help to restore some of your skin’s youthful vigour.
Monokinis
Feb 5th
A monokini is a style of swimsuit that has become extremely popular in recent years. Although they are considered one-pieces, monokinis generally feature sexy side cutouts and look like two pieces from the back. They vary in coverage and style, but many provide the substantial front coverage enjoyed with full one-pieces; however, others can be skimpier (and perhaps even sexier) than bikinis.
A monokini, sometimes referred to as a unikini, is a woman’s one-piece garment comprising only the lower half of a bikini, leaving the breasts uncovered. The term monokini is also used for any topless swimsuit, particularly a bikini bottom worn without a bikini top.
Monokinis also come in a number of different colors, prints, and patterns that are always beautifully fresh and fabulous. Stylishly funky and fashion-forward, a monokini is a great swimsuit style that every fashionista should have in her closet!
The Must-Have Color This Fall
Feb 5th
Wondering which hues for shoes will be must-haves for consumers next fall? According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and the head of the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training, buyers may want to look to the past, present and future to get a sense of coming color trends. “The big picture theme is a Mosaic of Color and Style,” she says. “This reflects cultural, universal time frames and seemingly disconnected elements. Though new technologies continue to reinvent the future, we may notice some things have a vaguely nostalgic feeling.”
The interest in making everything old new again stems from, yes, the current economy. “Since people are thinking about the economy, that’s telling us some of the styling of the past isn’t discarded, but instead brought back in a new way. What’s important today is to think in terms of practicality. People are going to ask themselves, gee, I already have six pairs of black shoes, so why do I need another pair? Retailers are going to want to give them something new, and this is where color plays an important role. For example, maybe a consumer is drawn to a purple car, but when they get to the show room they decide to go with the black version. But you need to have that purple car to get their attention.”
“One theme under the larger Mosaic idea is called Molecular. It embraces a lot of darker shades, which are typical for the season, but it includes a purpled wine, a very deep green and, of course, a navy black and a coffee brown. Brown will stay very, very important. But the introduction of yellow, orchid, a purplish blue and jade green will be accents. In footwear, those could show up as gemstones, ribbon trim or any embellishment with unexpected color.
“There’s an element of glitter attached to the Byzantine theme. A lot of the illustrations to convey this are stained glass church windows, but these colors can be as modern as a Mondrian and very abstract, playing into the Mosaic idea. This theme includes metallics, shimmery gold, rich reds, vibrant blues and purples. There will be a wine color, but it’s a truer wine color. What this palette conveys is modernized nostalgia, in that it’s not duplicating a previous time period, but applying modern technology to it. In terms of shoes, we might be thinking about a platform sole and heel made with a new plastic or reconstructed wood, materials that speak of a new technology being used in a new way.
“Deconstructing-Reconstructing also follows the theme of revisiting the past, but it focuses more on neutrals, grey, gunmetal and cream. Ochre, brown and black are accented with topiary greens and lipstick red. You could describe this as old school. There has been a movement toward looking to The Gap and Ralph Lauren, but this is still a reinvented look. It’s buffalo plaids and Americana, but not as it was in the 80s. It’s a bolder way of combining plaids and checks.
“Multiple Indentity is inspired by human coloring. The blues, irises and browns we see in eye color and the pink browns and roses we see in skin tone. It’s the mosaic of human coloring, and it makes for an unpredictable but interesting palette. It also has broad appeal. The consumer can find something he or she relates to. Someone with dark skin may look at a pair of brown shoes and say, hmm, if I wear those it will look as if I’m not wearing shoes at all, lengthening the leg. There’s lots of potential in this palette.”
The Time Has Come for Child Seats on Airplanes
Feb 5th
The issue of child safety restraints was the 23rd and final recommendation we put forth to DOT Secretary Raymond LaHood. This proposal directs the Secretary to:
1. Utilize the full resources of his office to continuously educate the flying public about the dangers of flying with lap children;
2. Update the economic and safety data concerning families traveling with small children, including incidents and accidents involving injuries and deaths;
3. Based on the information provided by these findings, the Secretary should take necessary action, which may include a rulemaking or other appropriate next steps.
At a minimum, there should be greater education on this issue from the Federal Aviation Administration and the airline industry, and obviously that educational effort needs to be continuous since the pool of new parents is constantly evolving. However, when I raised this issue before the FAAC (on behalf of Consumers Union), we lobbied for more than education, and instead requested the FAA mandate that all lap kids be properly secured.
Physics 101
Unfortunately, far too many parents don’t understand that this issue is all about physics. In October, Boeing organized a meeting with the nation’s best experts on this topic: representatives from the FAA, DOT, National Transportation Safety Board, the Air Transport Association, the Association of Flight Attendants, Boeing and the airlines. I opened by asking a simple question: Is there any reputable source—from government, industry or academia—that advocates lap children are as safe or safer than children secured in proper restraint systems? The answer was no.
This point truly cannot be overstated. Consider that from a safety perspective there are no pending studies, no suspect science, no warring camps. The evidence is overwhelming and conclusive that lap children are at greater risk of injury and death, not only during catastrophic events but even at other times, such as during routine turbulence. As one flight attendant testified, at certain intervals crewmembers are required to secure all loose cabin items, from electronic devices to coffee pots. Everything, that is, except the smallest and most vulnerable passengers.
And make no mistake: No matter how much you love that little one, the laws of physics make it impossible for you to protect an infant or small child under such tremendous g-forces. That’s a scientific fact. Most parents would not think of violating the laws that exist in all 50 states to secure babies in car seats, yet the forces in commercial aircraft at high altitudes are many times greater. Simply put, no one can argue that a lap child is not at risk.
Now, can purchasing a seat for an infant pose a financial hardship for some families? No question. It’s a real concern. But it’s important to separate the safety issues from the economic.
In fact, the economic issue has become a safety issue for the FAA. The NTSB has long advocated for a ban on lap children, but the FAA has refused because of what it terms “diversion,” the possibility that families that cannot afford to purchase a seat for kids under 2 will instead elect to drive, and driving is statistically more dangerous than flying, so theoretically more children will be at risk. (Of course, the same argument could be made for any potential trip, regardless of the traveler’s age.)
Speaking directly to the NTSB and FAA staff members that advocate opposing views on this topic deepened my respect for both sides. It’s clear that many dedicated and caring officials in both organizations are sincere in their contrary beliefs. But I believe the current FAA policy is the wrong course and ALL children should be properly secured on all U.S. commercial flights. Other safety advocates also argue there are problems with the diversion theory, and that’s why the FAAC asked the DOT to update its research on this topic.
Spreading the word
I addressed this topic as ” Why you should never fly with a child in your lap” back in 2008. And what was true then is just as true now.
To its credit, during the holiday season, the DOT increased its educational efforts in this area. And in December, the FAA revamped the ” Child Safety on Airplanes” page on its site; a helpful brochure is available as well.
The NTSB has been ramping up its educational endeavors as well. In December, I attended an NTSB forum that focused on child passenger safety. And last week, the NTSB launched a Child and Youth Transportation Safety Initiative to enhance education.
Challenges to overcome
Even if a ban on lap kids was enacted tomorrow, it’s clear there would be a transition period, and potential problems would need to be addressed. Among them:
• Cost. Last week I watched an ill-informed news report broadcast by a major television network that speculated airlines could add to their list of ancillary fees in 2011 by charging for infants, yet there was no mention whatsoever of the safety component. Since millions of airline passengers already are quite fed up with nickel-and-diming, it would be a grave mistake to view such a safety initiative as just one more carrier revenue stream. The airline industry could serve the public good, improve customer relations, and still increase revenues by charging a nominal fee for infant seating. Southwest, for example, has long offered infant fares and hopefully other carriers would follow suit if a lap child ban were instated.
• Compatibility. The good news is there is much greater compatibility between automobile and airplane safety restraints than there was even a decade ago; overwhelmingly most can be used for dual purposes. The bad news is “much greater” is not the same as universal (particularly on some regional aircraft). This issue was exemplified just last week when a mother found her infant seat was incompatible with a United Airlines aircraft in San Francisco. There are still hurdles, both with compatibility and with communication.
• Convenience. New policies bring confusion, and many travelers will need to be educated. The fight for overhead bin space that evolved from checked baggage fees has led to many boarding delays, and—let’s face it—securing child safety restraints could add to the confusion in the short term. What’s more, many parents have spoken out about the inconvenience of schlepping a safety seat through airport security. That’s why the need to increase educational efforts is greater than ever; this is a critical issue that far too many parents and caregivers unknowingly view merely as an annoyance. It’s not—it’s quite literally life and death.
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