According to fruitnut.com, the World's longest-living, healthiest dog was a vegetarian. Read more:[[ According to the Sunday Telegraph, Bramble, living in Bridgewater, Somerset, UK, has just (August 2002) celebrated her 27th birthday, possibly making her the world's oldest living dog and a contender for the "Guiness Book of Records".
How exactly does a dog live to be 189 (in dog years)? - Anne Heritage, 43, describes how Bramble survived at least one near-death-experience right at the outset in February 1977: "The day after we brought her home, the [New Quay rescue centre] kennels flooded and the other dogs drowned," says Ms. Heritage. "So she's been incredibly lucky."
Aside from luck, Bramble's secret to longevity is a vegetarian diet. Ms. Heritage is a vegan and has brought up her pooch on the same diet regime she herself follows.
"She has a big bowl of rice, lentils and organic vegetables every evening," says Ms. Heritage.
In addition to healthy eating, exercise is a must. Last year while recovering from a back injury from a fall, which doctors said could have paralyzed her, Bramble began taking swimming lessons at a canine hydrotherapy pool in Stolford. She now enjoys a a half an hour at a canine hydrotherapy pool, where Anne's partner Roy Franklin takes her weekly on Fridays..
She's still alert and active and goes for a walk four times a day. ]]
go veg.
♥peace, love, & lentils.
[photo yanked from DailyCandy.com]“Studies Show Vegetarians Have Better Sex” — coupled
with the fact that one of the lingerie-clad models is seen “licking pumpkin” and “touching her breast with her hand while eating broccoli” ruffled the Peacock’s morally-staunch feathers.... as shown in a PETA commercial that was denied Superbowl airtime.... [flavorwire.com]
I heart the WDEVELOPMENT: W hotel takes Sin City spin $1.7 billion luxury condo-hotel aims for hip clientele
Starwood Hotels and Resorts plan to make its W hotel in Las Vegas a flagship property for the upscale brand's "global footprint," W Hotels Worldwide's president said Tuesday while giving details about the $1.7 billion project.
The hotel at Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane will have a mix of 3,000 hotel and residential units, more than 10 restaurants and nightclubs, a 75,000-square-foot casino, 300,000 square feet of meeting space and a spa and gym, W's Ross Klein said. It's scheduled to open in 2008.
Klein said Las Vegas has been at the top of W Hotels' development strategy for years, ranking No. 1 or No. 2 on the request list of W guests along with South Beach in Miami, where a W Hotel is already under construction.
"It's also an opportunity for us to redefine and reinvent what an urban oasis is," he said. "The W in New York came into an urban environment with a different point of view. When you come in off the street inNew York, it's a retreat, an escape. That's going to be the same design point of view we put into the W in Las Vegas."
Adam Frank and his partners at Edge Resorts started talking with Starwood about developing a W hotel in Las Vegas at the site of Bourbon Street casino on east Flamingo Road. Even after acquiring an adjacent apartment complex for a total of 8 acres, it wasn't enough land. Edge Resorts sold the Bourbon Street property to Harrah's Entertainment last month and bought 21 acres at Harmon and Koval, including the existing Ice nightclub and two separate parcels from Fort Worth, Texas-based home builder D.R. Horton, for $108 million.
Edge Resorts entered a joint venture with Starwood Hotels and Resorts and will be a 75 percent owner of the W hotel. Starwood owns the remaining 25 percent and will manage the hotel.
"They wanted a bigger property and they really wanted to be on Harmon," Frank said. "Twenty-one acres really gives us a lot more flexibility to do what we want to accomplish. We want to build a destination resort, but at the same time, we want to have an intimate feel to it, that signature W feel with great night life and a blend of restaurants."
Frank said the project combines the hottest, most sought-after hotel brand in the world with one of the most vibrant hospitality markets in the United States.
"We really think that location is the future of Las Vegas," he said. "There's so much happening right around us."
With some $20 billion in planned development, from the Hard Rock Hotel
expansion to MGM Mirage's Project CityCenter to the Palms' new hotel and condo towers, the Harmon corridor is poised to become a hip, happening location, Klein said.
"I think it's going to be a destination with a very specific offering, sort of a pop culture, and I think we're going to be sort of an anchor," he said.
W Hotel Las Vegas will offer guests "extraordinary experiences" at every turn through the brand's lifestyle elements, including indulgences and experiential surprises that will be unheard of even for Las Vegas, Klein said.
Klein said he expects the new resort to compete with the Hard Rock Hotel,Mandalay Bay, the Palms, Wynn Las Vegas and Four Seasons.
Deutsche Bank analyst Marc Falcone said it was important for W to finally land in Las Vegas. "I think W needs exposure in Vegas given what the brand stands for," he said. "It's going to be a strong fit for Las Vegas. This is a very powerful location."
Condo-hotel and residential units will go on sale in the fourth quarter, priced from $550,000, offering a combination of poolside cabanas, studios and one- and two-bedroom condominiums, all attached to the W hotel.
Klein said the project is in the final stages of architectural plans and design reviews.
The first W hotel opened in New York in December 1998. There are now five hotels in New York and 20 more around the United States and worldwide with another 20 under development, Klein said.
Minnetonka moccasins soar in fashion world
By Sara Glassman,
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
Monday, November 24, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS -- When it comes to shoes and boots this season, fringe is on top. Soft Minnetonka Moccasins, with their signature hanging strips of suede, have inspired designers and urban bohemians for decades. Over the past year, their popularity has been soaring.
In light of the uncertain economy, they are relatively affordable -- basic shoes start at $30, and more elaborate boots with three tiers of fringe are $86. Plus, every style is completely flat, making them far more comfortable and practical than stilettos.
With these populist perks, it's not surprising that moccasins are having a fashion moment. But even trendsetters who theoretically would be able to afford much pricier versions by Jimmy Choo ($495) and Michael Kors ($475) favor the Minnetonka brand. Fashion muse Kate Moss has been sporting them for years. Last month, she was spotted in brown knee-high Minnetonka mocs with a pair of denim cutoffs in London. Young stars Lindsay Lohan, Blake Lively and
Mischa Barton also have been photographed in them.
That said, the footwear-of-the-moment isn't a one-season wonder. In the recently published "The One Hundred: The Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own," authors Nina Garcia and Ruben Toledo identify must-haves such as pencil skirts and red lipstick, but recognize Minnetonka Moccasin by the brand name. They wrote: "Many people have made fashion versions of the original, but the original is still the hands-down favorite."
Those originals, as the Minnetonka implies, have Minneapolis roots. However, there are a few misconceptions to be cleared up about them, starting with the fact that the company is headquartered in Minneapolis and never has been based in or even affiliated with the city
identified in the moniker.
"Minnesota, Minnehaha, Minnetonka ... the name sounds Native American and local in origin," says David Miller, president of the family-owned shoe business.
His grandfather, Philip Miller, started Minnetonka Moccasins in 1946, after World War II, as a
gift supplier for resorts. "There was more automobile traffic because of the growing highway system in the United States," David Miller says. "Wherever people went, from Yosemite to northern Minnesota, they would buy trinkets, and the moccasins were part of that."
Tourist souvenirs aside, are there any authentic Indian roots? "No, we've never associated ourselves with a Native American product or been made by Native Americans," Miller says. "Moccasins are part of the Native American culture. I'm sure at one time there was an authentic product being sold, but not by us."
Specific styles of Minnetonka Moccasins have had moments in the spotlight in recent years: In 2005, it was the classic with beaded eagles, and a few years before that, it was the lace-up boots.
Many of the styles, from shoes to ankle boots to knee-highs, are hot now, especially in Los Angeles and New York. "We've been involved in fashion cycles, but this is very broad," Miller says. "We're honored, amused and flattered."
Much of the credit is because of the celebrity connection. Miller is very familiar with the impact that model Moss has had on business. "Kate will be in a magazine, wearing boots identified as Minnetonkas, and our distributor in Japan will call the next day," he says. "That's the world
today -- small and instantaneous."
I have spent the last 2 weekends in airports that are notorious for flight delays and cancellations. Out of the 4 flights I had scheduled, only one was cancelled and I was able to hop an earlier flight out that day (not without DRAMA.) My flight tomorrow with mark my 5th & 6th flight out of Minnesota in the dead of winter. Remember: Traveling is not always glamorous.... especially when 50,000 + people are without power in -2 temperatures, and another ice storm is anticipated at your final destination.FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - December 2008 Ice Storm Update: 3:00 PM, 12/21/2008
Indiana Michigan Power continues to make progress on restoring power despite hazardous weather conditions.
However, some customers
are experiencing repeated service interruptions today as a result of strong winds in the area. I&M is advising customers to ensure alternate living arrangements either through American Red Cross shelters (listed below) or with family and friends, if they are in need of housing.
Weather forecasts for the remainder of today and into the evening call for sustained winds of 20 -25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
As of 3 p.m. Sunday, about 54,400 I&M customers are awaiting restoration of electric service, primarily in the Fort Wayne area.
I&M has brought in more than 1,200 additional personnel to restore power to the Fort Wayne region and is expecting more assistance to arrive today.
Property owners must make sure that the service entrance attached to their structure is prepared to be reenergized.
One of the men who disappeared is believed to have killed himself in an Oct. 29 suicide bombing in northern Somalia, according to a U.S. law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about the case. That official confirmed the FBI and Justice Department were investigating.
Another U.S. law enforcement official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said authorities are calling it one of the first instances in which a U.S. citizen has acted as a suicide bomber.
The Oct. 29 bombings included a series of five seemingly coordinated attacks in the breakaway republic of Somaliland and the Somalia's Puntland region. More than 20 people were killed.
"We're aware of the circumstances in Somalia right now and the events of the Oct. 29 bombings. And we are aware that a number of individuals from throughout the U.S. and Minneapolis have traveled to Somalia to potentially fight for terrorist groups," said Special Agent E.K. Wilson, an FBI spokesman.
Members of the Somali community in Minneapolis said small groups of young men have been disappearing over the last year. Anywhere from 15 to 20 have left Minneapolis in recent months, said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center.
"We know for a fact this is happening, but we don't know who is doing it," he said.
Osman Ahmed, a Somali activist, said his 17-year-old nephew is among a group of at least seven people who went missing Nov. 4.
The Associated Press is honoring Ahmed's request to withhold the name of the teen for the youth's safety. Ahmed said the teen came to the U.S. as a young child and was an American citizen, like the others who left that day.
Ahmed said his nephew was a high school senior and had a normal routine of going to school, going home then going to the mosque.
"He was a very nice guy," Ahmed said. "He was very clever. Very shy. Very cool."
On Nov. 4, he told his mother a friend would pick him up from school, but he never came home.
"We started checking hospitals, we went to the police station," Ahmed said.
The family then realized that the teen's U.S. passport was missing, and Ahmed said authorities found a flight itinerary showing the teen arriving in Nairobi, Kenya, on Nov. 5.
Within two days, the teen called his mother, saying only that he was alive, safe and in Mogadishu, Somalia, Ahmed said. The teen gave no other details and has not been heard from since.
"We are praying to see him one day," Ahmed said.
Ahmed, who has been talking with other relatives of missing young men, said the families received similar phone calls.
Some members of the Somali community are concerned the young men are being recruited to go to Somalia and fight. The impoverished nation on the Horn of Africa is caught up in an Islamic insurgency and has not had a functioning government since 1991.
"It has to come to an end right now," said Jamal. "It has to stop. ... We have so many families grieving. We don't want any more kids to get brainwashed and programmed."
Jamal and Ahmed said it is suspicious because someone is providing money and transportation for the men to fly from Minnesota to Africa.
"My nephew, he doesn't have money for a ticket," said Ahmed. "None of these kids do."
Jamal said he hopes the situation isn't a black eye for the state's Somali community, which the U.S. Census numbered at more than 24,000 in 2006. Local activists claim the actual number is higher than that.
"We hope that this won't be an issue where the community will be looked at differently," Jamal said. "Somalis at large are very peaceful people. ... We don't want the Somali community to be looked at as a group of suicide bombers."
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