Here's Dick Smith again, parental guidance recommended!

In October 29, 2011 I wrote about Dick Smith. I had thought a dick smith is an artisan who forges and shapes those sorts of prosthesis with a hammer and anvil….. 

Dick Smith, AO (born Richard Harold Smith; 18 March 1944) is an Australian entrepreneur, businessman, aviator, and political activist.

Dick Smith is furious that a television advertisement he filmed for Australia Day, which is saturated with "Dick" jokes and innuendo, has been deemed too offensive to air during prime time television.

The entrepreneur said he was considering taking legal action after his one-minute advertisement, which is styled on Sam Kekovich's lamb ads and promotes Mr Smith's range of Australian-made food products, was given a PG classification and is therefore unsuitable to screen during 6pm news bulletins on Australia Day.

I think it's harmless, it's good fun and these people should reverse their decision and on Australia Day let me run the damn thing. They're talking about beeping it out and I said 'No'

The tongue-in-cheek advertisement, created by Hungry Beast and Can of Worms comedian Dan Ilic, opens with Mr Smith declaring that Kekovich's use of jingoistic patriotism to sell his products was as "wrong as a dead dingo's donger".

But, with Waltzing Matilda playing in the background, Mr Smith then goes on to do exactly that, throwing in his fair share of "Dick" jokes along the way.

An elderly woman wearing a cardigan says: "There's only one Dick I'll be eating on Australia Day," while a farmer ploughing his fields proclaims: "I love Dick".

Mr Smith also urges the audience to "chow down on my OzEnuts [peanut butter]" and "shake my OzEsauce [tomato sauce]."

A group of asylum seekers are pictured coming ashore, as Mr Smith presents them with some OzEmite and says: "The taste is a beauty, why else would thousands be trying to get here?"

Mr Smith told Fairfax Media he was contacting his solicitor on Wednesday after Commercials Advice gave the advertisement a PG rating.

Mr Smith had booked $100,000 worth of ad space during 6pm news bulletins on Australia Day, but only advertisements rated G can be aired during that time slot.

"The ad is harmless fun. Yes, it does have a couple of 'Dick' jokes, big deal," Mr Smith said.

"I think it's harmless, it's good fun and these people should reverse their decision and on Australia Day let me run the damn thing. They're talking about beeping it out and I said, 'No'.

"The ad is not politically correct. See, everything has to be politically correct these days. What about the old larrikinism?"

Mr Smith was in China yesterday when he heard about the classification problem, and cut his trip short to return to Australia to sort it out.

He said he had hired Ilic to write the advertisement on the advice of Andrew Denton, and initially did not like the ad.

"I'm not into dick jokes. I'm an old bloke, I'm 68," Mr Smith said.

"But when I read it to all the workers here at Dick Smith Foods, and most of them are in their 20s and 30s, they just loved it. Oh, they rolled around the floor and they said, 'This is the best ad ever'."

Tim Allerton, managing director of City Public Relations, said the ad appeared to be a bit "clunky and rough", as many of Mr Smith's ads were. But the decision to give it a higher classification rating was "completely wrong", he said.

"They've had a complete humour bypass at this organisation [Commercials Advice] and they should be ashamed of themselves," he said.

"Dick Smith and other major entrepreneurs around Australia have made their names with this sort of advertising, and there has never been any problem with the use of the word 'Dick' in any of Dick Smith's advertising, from what I understand, for the past 30 years.

"If [Commercials Advice] is being politically correct, it's actually had the reverse effect because I believe, through the digital world, this ad will get a lot more exposure than it would have through running some spots on news programs."

                                                                             

Megan Levy, The Age, January 23, 2013

 

Overlooked Cholesterol Triples Risk of Heart Disease

Credit: www.yespunjab.com

 

The Overlooked Ugly Cholesterol

The risk of ischemic heart disease -- the leading cause of death worldwide -- is three times higher in persons with high levels of the so-called 'ugly' cholesterol.

This is the finding of a new study of 73,000 Danes, which is shedding light on a long debate on this topic.

Cholesterol is divided into ‘the good’ HDL cholesterol, ‘the bad’ LDL cholesterol and ‘the ugly’ cholesterol

• The High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) essentially remove cholesterol from the blood and carries them back to the liver preventing accumulation of cholesterol in the blood and therefore are referred to as Good cholesterols.
• The Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL), on the other hand do exactly the opposite; they deliver more cholesterol to the body, adding to the process of cholesterol build up in the blood vessels and deposits on the walls. Therefore, called Bad cholesterol
• The Triglycerides (TG), the major component in Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDL), gets the tag of being the Ugly cholesterol because VLDL gets converted into LDL in the bloodstream adding to the circulating bad cholesterol

It is the so-called ‘ugly cholesterol’ – also called ‘remnant-like particle cholesterol’ – that is the really bad guy.

"High ugly cholesterol is the result of high blood levels of normal fat (triglycerides). The most important cause of high ugly cholesterol is overweight and obesity. Persons with high ugly cholesterol should therefore be advised to lose weight, but drugs such as statins and fibrates may also lower levels of ugly cholesterol in the blood," says Professor Børge Nordestgaard, Chief Physician at Copenhagen University Hospital and Clinical Professor at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at University of Copenhagen.

"LDL cholesterol or 'the bad' cholesterol' is of course bad, but our new study reveals that the ugly cholesterol likewise is the direct cause of atherosclerosis resulting in ischemic heart disease and early death. By examining 73,000 persons, we found that an increase in the ugly cholesterol triples the risk of ischemic heart disease, which is caused by lack of oxygen to the heart muscle due to narrowing or blocking of the coronary arteries," adds Børge Nordestgaard.

"I hope that this new knowledge will lead to better preventive treatment including lifestyle changes, as more than one in five individuals in affluent countries suffers from high ugly cholesterol. We also hope that the pharmaceutical industry will develop new drugs targeted specifically at raised ugly cholesterol levels," he emphasises.

###

The above story is based on the January 21, 2013 news release by University of Copenhagen.

The results have just been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology:

Anette Varbo, Marianne Benn, Anne Tybjærg-Hansen, Anders B. Jørgensen, Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, Børge G. Nordestgaard. Remnant Cholesterol as a Causal Risk Factor for Ischemic Heart Disease. J Am Coll Cardio, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2012.08.1026

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Lower Serum Triglycerides

Omega-3 fatty acids has demonstrated an efficacy and safety in adult patients with high and very high triglycerides adjunct to diet.

This well known effect has been shown to be caused by decreased very low-density lipoprotein triglyceride secretion rates in kinetic studies in humans.

An average of four grams of omega-3 fatty acids are typically used to reduce triglycerides in individuals with high trigylceride levels*.

Reference:

McKenney JM, Sica D. Prescription omega-3 fatty acids for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia. Am J Health Syst Pharm.2007 Mar 15;64(6):595-605.

* The Zestzfulness Team recommends that individuals taking more than 3 grams a day should be under the supervision of a health-care provider, since high doses of omega-3 fatty acids decrease the aggregation of platelets, which may cause bleeding to occur more easily.

'I am a Father..'

Credit: www.i329.photobucket.com

A little boy got on the bus, sat next to a man reading a book, and noticed he had his collar on backwards.

The little boy asked why he wore his collar backwards.

The man, who was a priest, said, 'I am a Father..'

The little boy replied, 'My Daddy doesn't wear his collar like that.'

The priest looked up from his book and answered, ''I am the Father of many.'

The boy said, ''My Dad has 4 boys, 4 girls and two grandchildren and he doesn't wear his collar that way!'

The priest, getting impatient, said.  'I am the Father of hundreds', and went back to reading his book.

The little boy sat quietly thinking for a while, then leaned over and said, "Maybe you should wear a condom, and put your pants on backwards instead of your collar."

Shared by Sharif of UK

What does such a collar actually represent?

The clerical, or Roman, collar is a sign or mark of a person's holy calling, according to the Church of England. It is an identifying badge that can be recognised by people of all faiths.

Worn by both Anglican and Roman Catholic priests around the world, the narrow, stiff, upright white collar fastens at the back. Part of both formal wear and day attire, it is often seen as a small white rectangle, peeking from under a black tab-collar shirt.

It wasn't until around the 6th Century that clergy identified themselves outside the church building with special dress, and it has developed and changed over the centuries. The collar is thought have been invented in the late 1800s. According to the Church, it became popular with Anglican clergy during the Oxford Movement, which attempted to revive Catholic religion in the Church of England in the 19th Century.

Source : BBC News, December 10, 2007

 Askthepriest.org has more information on ‘dog collars’

The Year of the Snake

Uploaded by cyLtt taka, forwarded to us by Sharif Bapu, UK

Hyun K. Lee explains the significance of the snake year:

The New Year is celebrated by most cultures around the world, although the dates and rituals vary.

A new year is always a time for celebration and renewal. In the Western world, reflection on the past year and resolutions for the coming year are a central focus, but in Asia, there is also a much greater emphasis on wishing for good health.

According to folklore, in the Korean and Chinese New Year, there are general indications of what to expect, good or bad, based on which zodiac animal governs the year. Whether or not we believe in these signs, there are still good lessons here for all of us: To take stock of our general health and well being, both mental and physical, and to make a commitment to putting our health in prime focus for the coming year.

In Asia, this year is the year of the snake. Contrary to Western thinking, the snake is considered to be very smart and auspicious, and a snake year is thought to bring good things for all.

On the health front, those born in the year of the snake are thought to need to focus on maintaining their inner calmness, good health and well being, since stress is considered to be very bad for their general health, and particularly their brain and nervous system. This directive is not just for snakes, its also good for all of us.

Since the brain controls not just our thoughts but also our entire body, maintaining good brain health should be a priority for everyone, young and old.

Our brain, nervous system and organs are all interdependent. So, in order for these systems to function at their best, we must begin by focusing attention on our diet and lifestyle. Our brain cells are constantly being replaced throughout our lifetime, but in order to maintain a healthy brain as we age, we need to begin watching our diet when we are young.

To maintain optimum cellular health, the brain needs nourishing food, not junk food. The food choices we make when we are young will affect not just our brain cells, but our whole body as we age. Continued bad diet and lifestyle choices will have a cumulative negative effect, and could lead to debilitating mental function in old age.

We all know about these negative effects on our health, but many of us still just choose to ignore the warnings. We tend to take our good health for granted, until one day we are shocked into paying attention by a wake-up call, such as a heart attack, stroke, or sudden memory loss.

But we don't need to wait for these events to occur. We can choose to take better care of our brain and our general health right now. It can be our new year resolution.

Obviously, choosing to eat more healthy foods is a good place to start, and adding gentle daily exercise, such as walking, swimming, or Tai Chi, is even better. Paying attention to what you clean your house with, what you bring into your home, what it is made of, what you sleep on, and what you wear, are also important things to focus on too, since chemical out-gassing from cleaning fluids, furnishings and clothing is not good for brain health either.

So, as we start a new Snake Year, let us resolve to make it a year of mindfulness and special focus on our health. I hope that you will all choose to be smart like the snake, and choose to pay special attention to your brain health. After all, where would you be without it?

I wish you all a very happy and healthy new year.

Dr. Hyun K. Lee is a Korean-American with an acupuncture practice in Solvang, Redondo Beach and Beverly Hills. He can be reached at 693-5162 or at dr.hklee@hotmail.com.