Posted on 10/07/2004 3:27:41 AM PDT by BigWaveBetty
I'm praying retailers are dead wrong. Wasn't a fan of the poncho in the 70's and my heart hasn't grown any love for them in 2004.
Please excuse the insult if you like them but they do nothing for me. And I've never seen a poncho that says, I'm the one, we'll look gorgeous together, buy me! Plus those annoying little fringes inevitably drag in the onion dip when I'm at a party trying to get a little nosh.
Hey! You got onion dip on my fringies! Well you got poncho fringies in my onion dip! *We pause to ponder the possibilities...*
The hostess and I let out a simultaneous Nahhhhhhh! Nothing good ever comes from combining poncho fringies and onion dip. However, the dog, trying to nip at the onion scented fringies did become my best friend.
Now from the experts on ponchos:
Apparel retailers across the country have been begging for something new, a fresh look that every woman doesn't already have in her closet.
This summer they got one: the poncho.
Crocheted with airy holes, off-the-shoulder or down to the knee, the '70s-era accessory has made a big-time comeback and is a hot product for clothing retailers headed into the fall shopping season.
Teenagers are wearing ponchos. So are their mothers and grandmothers. There aren't many fashion trends that can claim such reach.
Adding to the poncho's appeal, it disguises less-than-buff arms and comes in a friendly one-size-fits-all.
"Women got tired of everything being so body-conscious and bare," explains David Wolfe, creative director with the Doneger Group, a consulting firm that advises retailers on fashion trends.
Retailers from top to bottom have embraced the once utilitarian cover-up. At the low-end, Wal-Mart has them displayed front and center in refurbished apparel departments. At the high end, Neiman Marcus is showing a striped cashmere poncho in brown, black and gray for $245.
In between, Marshall Field's is offering a black open-knit poncho for $29.99, while Target is featuring a cheap-chic, flower-adorned pink version for $12.99.
The women's apparel industry certainly could use a boost. Sales of women's clothing fell 6 percent in 2003, the third consecutive year of declines, a reflection of the recession, lower-priced foreign imports and a lack of hot items.
Sales of women's clothing were flat through the first half of 2004, but they could jump 4.5 percent by year-end, predicts Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with NPD Group. If so, it would be the best showing in five years. Continue the Poncho Pitching
Here are some examples, some good, some bad, some just plain ugly.
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Should You Get the Flu Shot?
By Dr. Natasha Turner, ND
It’s flu season again, and in light of the recent SARS outbreak, health departments, government agencies, school boards, as well as corporations are pushing everyone to take the flu shot this year. Before you opt for the flu shot, be sure you are making an informed decision by considering some of the pros and cons associated with flu vaccination.
What is the Flu?
Symptoms of influenza include fever, chills, muscle aches, headache and/or cough. In most cases, the illness lasts three to seven days, but some people have more severe cases or complications that require hospitalization. About 20,000 people in the U.S. die each year as a result of the flu or flu complications. Most of those who die are elderly, young children or people with compromised immune systems.
The flu is different from a cold:
Symptoms
Flu
Cold
Fever 100 to 104 F Usually none
Muscle ache Yes No
Joint pain Yes No
Feel tired Yes Possible
Headache Yes Possible
Cough Yes Yes
Stuffy nose No Yes
Loss of appetite Yes No
Diarrhea or vomiting No No
Pros of the Flu Shot
Flu shots can decrease the risk of upper respiratory illness by 25%.
Flu shots can reduce work absenteeism due to illness by 36%.
Flu shots can reduce doctor visits for upper respiratory illness by 44%.
In addition to helping elderly people avoid an unpleasant and possibly dangerous illness, a flu shot can provide some protection against hospitalization for heart disease and stroke.
Immunizing high-risk people prevents many potential deaths from influenza. Immunization of those who care for high-risk people decreases the potential of spreading the flu from otherwise healthy people to those who are at higher risk of complications.
Cons of the Flu Shot
The influenza vaccine should not be recommended for all people. This is because influenza infection is generally not serious, and it would be enormously expensive and logistically difficult to vaccinate everyone each year. However, certain groups of people who are at increased risk of complications should be vaccinated to prevent death and/or hospitalization. This group includes all people over age 65, all people who live or work in homes for the elderly or chronically ill, all individuals with chronic cardiac or respiratory illnesses (such as asthma) and all individuals with chronic medical disorders.
Even if you get the flu shot you may still get the flu. The viruses that cause influenza change rapidly and flu vaccines are developed each year to protect people from the strains expected to be most prevalent. Studies of healthy young adults have shown flu vaccine to be 70 to 90% effective. In the elderly and those with certain long-term medical conditions, the flu shot is often less effective in preventing illness. However, in the elderly, flu vaccine is very effective in reducing hospitalization and death from flu-related causes.
The flu vaccine contains mercury from thimerosal, a preservative added to prevent bacterial contamination. Mercury is toxic to the brain, nerve cells, arterial linings and has been linked to an increase in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, memory loss, depression, anxiety, ADD, heart disease, hypertension and birth defects.
According to the world's leading immunogeneticist, Dr. Hugh Fudenberg, if an individual has had five consecutive flu shots, his or her chances of getting Alzheimer's disease is 10 times higher than if they had one, two or no shots. This is seemingly related to the gradual accumulation of mercury in the brain which has been found to cause cognitive dysfunction.
All viruses in the vaccine are dead, so it is not possible to get the flu from the vaccine, however, soreness at the injection site or aches and low-grade fever may be present for several days.
Elderly individuals who receive the flu shot are more likely to be diagnosed with dementia or stroke.
As with any drug or vaccine, there is a possibility that allergic reactions, more serious reactions or even death may occur after receiving the injection.
Who Should Not Have the Flu Shot?
The following groups should not get the flu vaccine or should do so only after consultation with their primary care providers:
People with an allergy to chickens or egg protein
People with a fever or illness that is more than "just a cold"
Anyone who has exhibited a moderate to severe reaction after a previous influenza shot
Pregnant women or women attempting to conceive. The flu shot contains a mercury preservative. Mercury has been linked to an increased incidence of birth defects.
Anyone who has ever been paralyzed due to Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Confused?
It is proven that individuals who exercise, take vitamin C, manage stress, live a healthy lifestyle and subsequently have a healthy immune system have a decreased susceptibility to colds and the flu. As an alternative to the flu shot, work on preventing the flu by strengthening your immune system.
Are we supposed to feel sorry for Skerry because he was a poor little rich kid who was really poor and even had to work a couple of summers (gasp!)? (I wonder how he found time to work since he also spent summers either at grannies in France or on his cousins' private island). Or are we just supposed to "understand" his need for marrying rich ladies?
Just lovely.
Shouldn't there be three lightning bolts in that photo?
Okay, how about three more for the Clintons and McAuliffe?
Elizabeth Edwards for President? Words fail me.
AT the ripe old age of 58, Susan Sarandon is still being pursued to pose for Playboy. "They have been talking to me for years," the star tells "Access Hollywood," adding, "I got a lot of lunches out of Playboy." ...
WHAT is Jack Nicholson's beef with Alec Baldwin? Nicholson was dining with a male pal at Da Silvano Thursday night, when Baldwin, at a table nearby, tried to say hello. "Alec walked over to Jack's table with his date and stood there for like five minutes," said our spy. "He tried to say hello, but Jack ignored him. Finally Alec put his hand out in front of Jack to shake hands and Jack looked at him, put his hands up and said, 'Sorry. Can't shake. Got grease all over my hands,' and went back to talking to his friend. It was really embarrassing."
I never thought I'd give kudos to Jack, but I guess he knows a fatuous windbag when he sees one.
Good on them! Go, Howard!Australia has been a faithful U.S. ally in every American war since 1917 without needing (in John Kerry's words) to be either "coerced or bribed." At risk was a splintering of the English-speaking alliance (America, Australia and Great Britain) that has been the moral and military core of the war on terrorism.
A Howard defeat would have been a setback for the Anglosphere, a disaster for the United States and a catastrophe for George W. Bush (and Tony Blair). And it would have been celebrated as such — make no mistake — by France, Germany, Middle Eastern despots, the United Nations, and the massed NGOs (non-governmental organizations) of the "international community."
But Howard won. Indeed, he won a landslide of sweeping proportions — something rare by the standards of the cautious Aussie electorate. After three terms in office — when the usual sentiment of voters is "Time for A Change" — Howard actually increased his majority to an unassailable 30 seats. He gained control of the Senate — the first time since 1981 that the Coalition has controlled both Houses.
The initial impact of this landslide will be felt in Australia itself. As The Australian's Paul Kelly points out, the scale of the victory will enable Howard to carry out his ambitious reform agenda — including industrial-relations reform and income-tax cuts.
Howard wants to "lock Australia into the entrepreneurial culture" that will take the Australian economy closer to the American one and light years away from the subsidized, unionized and tariff-protected economy of the Lucky Country's postwar years. He persuaded Aussies (including many former Labor voters) to give up these comfort blankets in order to be able to compete effectively in a world of "Asian Tigers" and globalization.
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