Watch and Jewelry Industry Remember Ben Kasiser

In an unusual summer event, scores of watch, jewelry, and retail industry leaders gathered July 26 in New York City for a luncheon honoring the late Benjamin Kaiser, a watch and jewelry industry leader himself active in many trade organizations for almost a half-century, on the 10th anniversary of his death.

The event was held in the historic Lotos Club, where Kaiser for years held celebrated parties for the industry preceding the annual Twenty Four Karat Club of New York dinner.

Kaiser fought in the Polish underground during World War II and later became a U.S. citizen. He founded New York-based David G. Steven, Inc., U.S. distributor of Swiss luxury watch brand Baume & Mercier, and was later president and chairman of Baume & Mercier USA (after acquisition by the brand).

One after another, various trade and association leaders at the well-attended luncheon rose at their tables to offer their memories of Ben Kasier and speak of his wit, wisdom, ethics, business acumen, Old World charm, friendship, and support of the industry.

The luncheon was co-hosted by Rudy Chavez, current president of Baume & Mercier USA, who praised Kaiser’s dedication as a businessman to “integrity, community, and customer service” and his son Steven Kaiser, president of Kaiser Time, who recalled his father’s devotion to his adopted country and toasted him as “a great man.”

Jewelry sites among top gainers in December

Retail jewelry Web sites trailed only cosmetics and consumer goods in category growth from unique visitors during the month of December, an analysis by ComScore Inc. reveals.

As consumers rushed to complete their holiday gift lists online, the analysis showed that fragrance and cosmetics sites experienced a 30 percent increase in the number of unique visitors between November and December, followed by consumer-goods sites with a 23 percent increase, and jewelry, luxury goods and accessories sites with a 22 percent increase, to 24 million unique visitors.

Other sites with a significant increase in unique visitors during the month of December included shipping (21 percent), retail-music (17 percent) and gay and lesbian Web sites (16 percent.)

When it comes to individual Web sites, OfficeMax topped the list for unique-visitor growth in December with a 170 percent increase, fueled mostly by its popular, viral holiday-greeting site Elfyourself.com.

Yahoo Sites continued its reign as the top U.S. Web property in December with about 137 million unique visitors, followed by Google Sites with 133 million and Microsoft Sites with 120 million.

Apple Inc. did well in December, moving up to the No. 10 spot due to interest in the iPod and iPhone as holiday gifts.

Other retail sites that posted big gains in December included Sears, J.C. Penney and Best Buy.

ComScore Inc. measures the digital world based on a global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given the company permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. ComScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions.

Stronger Warnings For Lasik Surgery From FDA

Lasik Surgery (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is the most advanced eye surgery. According to Golfer Tiger Woods "It is a life changing". NASA is now allowing astronauts to undergo this procedure, and in the U.S. military, nearly 112,500 personnel, have undergone this surgery, including pilots.

But FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration's) Ophthalmic Devices Panel convened Friday to discuss post-LASIK quality-of-life issues. At the end of the day FDA warn more clearly about the risk and post complications of the Lasik Surgery.

On hearing this problem Dr Christopher Starr says, "This is ground-breaking news. It's the first time anything like this has happened around refractory, or LASIK, eye surgery. I think this surgery is the best , because I know that the surgery, when done on the right patients, is a great, great surgery with phenomenally good outcomes." According to the Lasik Surgery task force, formed in 2007, 95.4% of patients were satisfied. This task force was conducted by FDA, The American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the U.S. National Eye Institute.

But FDA is revealing latest news, that among 7.6 million people who have undergone this procedure in the United States in the mid 1990's, 140 have written complaint to the FDA. Now FDA is following up the complaints, and the Friday's hearing was a part of the large review to see if new warnings about the Lasik Surgery are needed to alert the consumers to the possibility of the eye pain, dry eyes, blurred or double vision, and other problems.

Some of the affected patients were present on Friday, and they complaint that their vision is not cured rather they have poor night vision, some have glare or halos, some complained of dry eye "The FDA has called it as quality-of-life-issue". said Dr. Robert Cykiert, associate professor of ophthalmology at New York University Langone Medical Center.

"Too many Americans have been harmed by this procedure, and it's about time this message was heard," said David Shell of Washington, D.C., who had the surgery in 1998 and said he has "not experienced a moment of crisp, good quality vision since".

LASIK surgery involves cutting a small flap in the eye's cornea using a laser. With the flap held out of the way, the surgeon can then reshape the corneal tissue with another laser. The procedure can be used for nearsightedness (as in Tiger Woods' case), farsightedness and, in some cases, astigmatism.

But the much-touted procedure is not for everyone. Those who have a misshapen cornea or excessively thin cornea, who have early cataract formation or big pupils, who have dry eyes, or underlying conditions such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, should be ruled out,"said Dr. Norman Saffra, director of ophthalmology at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City.

Presby-LASIK Cures Hyperopia

Bruce W. Jackson, MD, and colleagues has performed presby-LASIK on 28 hyperopic patients and observed that it results in good near and distant vision.

Surgery involved applying bilateral aspheric ablations to treat patients' presbyopia. Surgeons then performed a CustomVue (Advanced Medical Optics) hyperopic treatment with a central presbyopic ablation, creating a central near vision ablation profile, Dr. Jackson said.

At 6 months, 86% of patients had 20/20 binocular distance uncorrected visual acuity, and all patients had 20/40, Dr. Jackson said. For uncorrected near visual acuity, 90% achieved J1 and all patients achieved J3, which was the target vision. Overall, patients were satisfied with their outcomes, he noted.

"We think this procedure is a good alternative for young presbyopes with low refractive error, especially those who don't want intraocular surgery," he said.

Wedding ring sets United we stand

Wedding ring sets are integration of both engagement and wedding ring in a
similar design, complimenting one another. It is suitable for women who hate
wearing more than one ring, or for couples who have budget constraints. It
is actually called wedding set and is designed to be worn together, and
these rings cannot be worn separately as they are soldered to be worn
together for a seamless and permanent fit, hence they are inseparable.

tiffany jewellery of Wedding ring sets symbolizes the deep and intertwined relationship they
share without discriminating each other and giving each other the same
status in the society. The wedding set is a perfect complement to a romantic
relationship; many couples choose rings set which symbolizes their closeness
and togetherness in harmony and passion with matching designs and settings.

A united wedding ring set is an elaborate designed pair; the pair should
have a co-ordination wrap to each of the ring. Yellow gold is the most
commonly used in the wedding ring set, but one can also use the combination
of yellow as well as white gold to give a striking look to the wedding ring
set. Wedding ring sets are mostly designed with intricacy and delicate
detailing since they are surrounded with multiple small stones in a pattern
with a large stone in centre.

OTC Reading Glasses may not help astigmatic vision

Now many of us out there have an astigmatism. It's a condition in which the cornea or the crystalline lens is football shaped rather than spherical. OTC Readers do not correct for this. If your astigmatic correction is not very strong, you may get along with these readers just fine. However if it is rather significant such as a 1.00 or above you may experience some difficulty.

There are those out there that have certain conditions in which the eye begins to wander or there may be other ocular motor dysfunctions which can be corrected with the use of prisms. The prismatic effect is experienced any time one looks away from the Optical center of the lens. In the case of prescribed prism the doctor has determined that the optical center should be moved either up, down, in or out or any combination of these. OTC Readers do not account for this.

Fighting Macular Degeneration with Antioxidants

Research shows that antioxidants may lower the incidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or at least slow the progression of the disease:

* Vitamin E was associated with a 13% reduced risk of AMD in a 12-year study of 22,000 male physicians.

* A study of patients with signs of AMD showed those who took zinc supplements had less visual loss from the disease compared to patients receiving a placebo.2

* In 1994, the Eye Disease Case Control Study indicated that dietary carotenoids, particularly lutein and zeaxanthin, slowed the progression of AMD. People who ate the most green leafy vegetables were 88 percent less likely to develop severe AMD than subjects who ate the least amount of green leafy vegetables.

Macular degeneration (MD)

This is the leading cause of irreversible blindness among Americans over 65! The macula is a portion of the retina in the back of the eye. MD occurs when macular cells in the center of the retina become damaged. This is caused in part, by oxidative damage. The retina is particularly susceptible to such damage, because it is exposed to more oxygen than any other organ in the body, except for your skin. Furthermore, the retina contains a high concentration of lipids, easily damaged by oxygen.

Cosmetics A secret of perpetual beauty

Cosmetics have been admired by women all over the world since it was first created in France thousands of years ago. The definitions of looking good differ a lot in different cultures. For example, western world prefers wildness rather than gentleness which is in contract generally appreciated by eastern people. But the pursuit of beauty is uniform and degree by degree becomes a thematic matter that women all over the world are engaged in. Cosmetics are to women what food is to human beings. Cosmetics are playing significant roles in almost every woman's life despite the fact that people belonging to different cultures have different ways of keeping themselves young, attractive and charming. For instance, Indians do yoga while Americans go to palaestra regularly to keep fit and healthy. Those who have never used cosmetics for the sake of destitution may doubt its practicality. However, the truth is these women may surprisingly realize that they are actually much prettier than ever when they put on the make-ups for the first time, and later find it horrible to imagine a life without cosmetics. The Five basic cosmetics are requisite for a beginner Women use cosmetics to give prominence to their facial features and make up for the visual deficiencies of the five sense organs so as to make their countenances pleasing. But to master the skills of making up a perfect face is anything but easy. For a beginner, the following five cosmetics are enough and necessary to purchase---- a tube of make up base, a powder pact, an eye pencil, a mascara and a lip stick. With the make- up base well daubed onto your face, you can make your complexion homogeneous. Then you apply the powder to make yourself fairer. The eye pencil can not only darken your eyebrows but is also used to draw the outline of your eyes as well as to make your orbits stand out. To finally make a pair of eyes full of spirit, you need the requisite mascara to elongate your eye lashes. However, the applying of the former four cosmetics altogether promises you a purely pale face, which might be a little bit unnatural. Fortunately, you do not need to worry at all, because the lip stick will come to rescue. As soon as your lip is applied with lip gloss, your face will be as florid as a blossoming flower. Cosmetics at Madeinchina.com are safe and less expensive Being perfect for a beginner, these five basic cosmetics are available at madeinchina.com, which is just like a trustworthy consultant you can always turn to for advice. Even if you want cosmetics that are more colorful and fancy, say, brightening powder and eye shadow to put on a heavier make-up, or the assistant tools such as lash curler and powder brush, there are also abundant products available at madeinchina.com for you to choose and buy. You can trust the suppliers logging in our website because their qualifications of selling cosmetics have been identified by the related authority beforehand. Furthermore, since Madeinchina.com is a B2B E-commerce website, transactions of cosmetics which are always expensive in shopping mall, are directly done on-line so that time and money are saved. If you need more secure and less expensive cosmetics, madeinchina.com is always ready to help.

Does LASIK Improves Patients Lives?

he U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to review whether LASIK, laser eye surgery, is really improving patients lives. FDA says that the move is in response to a number of concerns raised about patient satisfaction with the procedure.

Complications that patients can experience from LASIK include dry eyes, glare, double vision, an increased risk of inflammation or infection in the cornea, and rarely blindness.

An FDA advisory panel will hold a public meeting that will focus on patients' quality of life after surgery.

Dry Eye In Shih Tzus

Among other breeds of dog, Shih Tzus and Pugs are more likely to obtain keratoconjunctivitis. Keratoconjunctivitis is a Latin word which literally means dryness of the cornea and conjunctiva. It is commonly known as dry eye.

This disease is the result of abnormal production of tears. Tears are essential because it cleanse and lubricate the cornea, carry the nutrients and also help in healing and control of the infection.

KCS is thought to be caused by some viral infections like canine distemper as well as immune mediated diseases. Other reasons of this disease are hyperthyroidism and the use of sulfa-containing drugs. Sulfa-containing drugs cause dry eyes by producing a toxic effect and the absence of this drug may improve dry eye.

Dry eye in dogs is characterized with dull and dry winking eyes. He may also experience recurrent eye infections and/or corneal ulcers. Thick, green discharge is usually seen sticking to the hair around the eye. This is usually diagnosed in one eye first and later develops in the other eye within several months. A dog with KCS tends to squint and rub his eyes and is sensitive to light. If your dog is showing any of these symptoms, it is best to see your veterinarian immediately for eye examination.

Dry eye is diagnosed based on the symptoms mentioned earlier. Also with a Schirmer tear test (STT) that measures the production of the tear production in the eye. A dog’s normal STT values are 15 to 25 mm/minute. Dog breed that is susceptible to conjunctivitis, even without clinical signs of dry eye should undergo STT.

Treatment of KCS usually aims to restore the moisture of the eye by lubricating the eye, tear replacement, stimulating tear production, reducing bacteria overgrowth and reducing inflammation. Substitutes like polyvinyl alcohol, methylcellulose and hyaluronic acid are traditionally used to replace the lost tears. However, these solutions do not have a primary effect on the inflammation process and in the production of tears.

Recently veterinarians prescribe Cyclosporine, diluted in water and applied to the surface of the eye in order to stimulate tear production. Cyclosporine shows no undesirable effects even if used in long term basis. The use of cyclosporine may retain a dog’s vision for years but that doesn’t work for all patients with KCS. These treatments do not cure KCS, but are just ways to deal with this painful condition. In worst cases, dry eye can also be treated through surgery.

Dry eye seems to be a simple disease but if left untreated, might damage your dog’s vision or may even result to complete blindness.

Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis

LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis)

This laser procedure involves creating a thin flap on the cornea (with a laser or a microkeratome) and reshaping the underlying corneal tissue with a laser.



PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy)

This laser procedure is similar to LASIK, but the laser treatment is performed on the surface of the cornea, not under a corneal flap.



LASEK (Laser Epithelial Keratomileusis)

Epi-LASIK

LASEK is a laser procedure that can be considered something between LASIK and PRK. A corneal flap is created in LASEK, but it is significantly thinner than a LASIK flap and consists of only the top layer of corneal cells (called the epithelium). LASEK is also called Epi-LASIK.

Laser Vision Correction and Reading Glasses

Laser vision correction means you'll be able to drive and see TV without your glasses. But if you are over 40 years old, what about your reading vision?

Patients with good distance vision invariably become gradually more dependent on reading glasses around their mid forties. However if you are myopic (near sighted), you can read well without glasses, indeed you'll probably find yourself taking them off.

I often hear people tell me, "You mean I will still need glasses after the laser treatment, but now for reading? So what's the point?"

It does of course depend on the individual. For a taxi driver who just wants to be able to drive without glasses this is not a problem. But for a bank clerk who spends his entire day reading papers, suddenly requiring reading glasses for the first time will not be a welcome result after his laser treatment.

The solution to this problem is called Monovision. In Monovision we deliberately undercorrect one eye, the non-dominant eye, leaving it slightly myopic (near sighted), usually about -1.0 to -1.5. In this situation one eye, the fully corrected one, sees well for distance, and the other undercorrected eye sees well for near/reading.

In my experience about 75% of patients adapt well to this slight imbalance between the two eyes and no longer require glasses for distance or reading or any other daily activity. Pre-operative testing and counseling can select the best cases.

Farsighted candidates can also be helped with this technique although in their case they require an overcorrection (excess laser treatment) on one eye to make that eye deliberately slightly near sighted. Satisfaction in this group of patients is somewhat more difficult, but as far sighted people don`t see well either for near or for far, just giving them good distance vision is tremendously satisfying.

Things You Should Know Before Your Trip to Beijing

Ask the most seasoned traveler to share his or her experiences or to discuss some of the most spectacular places he or she has been, and Beijing is likely to be at the head of the list. Not only is Beijing rich in culture, it is certainly one of the most unique places in the world for a traveler to visit. In fact, all you have to do is take a look at some interesting facts about Beijing and you will want to see it for yourself.

The Center of It All

Did you know that Beijing is the center of China's political and educational establishments? You will find that the city is also the cultural cornerstone of China, which is why you can submerge yourself so deeply in the culture when you visit the area. Whether you want to get a peak at the every day lifestyle or if you want to get a better feel for China's political system, Beijing is a good place to start.

Getting Money From an ATM

The money used in Beijing is the RMB, which is called 'Kuai' in Beijing. The exchange rate for the U.S. Dollar is 8 Kuai per 1 US dollar, so the prices you see on goods in Beijing will appear to be more costly than you thought. You might also be surprised to find that you can use your foreign credit cards in many of Beijing ATM machines. Still, you should be prepared for the possibility of not being able to use your card when you visit.

For the best chance of using an ATM card, keep your eye out for a Bank of China ATM, as these ATMs are more likely to accept your card than any other. There are ATM machines located throughout Beijing and you should not have a problem finding a machine that will work for you. If you try to withdraw money from a Bank of China ATM and you are unsuccessful, you might want to try again. Although the country is known for its technology, the ability to connect to an international line is sometimes unavailable. As a result, you may receive a declined transaction the first time around.

Haggle for a Great Deal

When shopping in Beijing, you should also remember to haggle over the price of pretty much everything available from local merchants. Merchants in Beijing expect their shoppers to haggle over the price and getting involved in a price debate is a great way to really experience the Beijing culture. Of course, it can also help you get a cheaper price. Understanding this cultural difference of opinion is something you should think of as an event rather than an argument of price.

Beyond the price of goods, you should also be aware that there are counterfeit goods readily available in China. If you want to be sure you are getting the designer purse, hat or eyeglasses you wanted, you need to use extreme care. Otherwise, you might get a lot less than you expected. Still, whether you are looking for designer brands or not, you will be amazed by the multitude of offerings and the number of individual shops and vendors lining the streets in Beijing.

Finding the Facilities

After a day of shopping, you will likely find yourself needing to use the restroom. Have no fear! Finding public facilities in Beijing is relatively simply and the toilets are generally kept quite clean. Keep in mind that the English symbol for rest room is WC, so keep your eye out for this symbol when looking for a place to go to the bathroom. You can generally find a free bathroom to use in restaurants, supermarkets, Internet bars, and most public locations. If you find you need to use one of the moveable versions along the road, however, expect to be charged a small fee for the convenience.

The Night Life

With a day of shopping at the market behind you, you might now be ready to look into what Beijing has to offer at night. Disco is still king in China. Therefore, in Beijing, you can find the type of disco atmosphere you're looking for if you are ready to dance. Here, you will find every type of Beijing resident relaxing and having a good time. The crowd will likely be a mix of party lovers and friends who come to dance and enjoy the evening.

To find some of the best nightlife in Beijing, you'll want to look for a place called Banana Spicy for a great night of disco. If disco isn't your thing, and you want to see another aspect of Beijing's nightlife activities, grab a Chinese friend and go Karaoke. Though you won't find many English songs to choose from, this is entertainment in its purest form. Watching the Beijing residents who come and explode their voices to tunes that you cannot understand, is a lot of fun while also showing you that Beijing is a lot like home.