HIS SCULPTURES of bodies have hung from the walls of the Royal Academy courtyard in London and in the Tate Gallery in St Ives.

And yesterday the latest cast-iron figure by the Turner Prize- winning artist Antony Gormley was hung from a lightning-blasted tree in Yorkshire.

The artwork, a life-size figure taken from a cast of Gormley’s own body, was carefully manoeuvred into place in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park at West Bretton near Wakefield. It was lifted 30 feet into the air before being delicately lowered onto the top of a 20-foot oak tree, a spot chosen by the artist himself.  The tree was struck by lightening several years ago and the sculpture will have a lightning conductor fitted to safeguard it from any future unwanted strikes.

The work, entitled One and Other, weighs more than three-quarters of a ton and was cast last year. It is being lent by the artist and is the second piece by him in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The other one, Rhizome III, is an iron cast of interlinking bodies.

Gormley is well known for using his own body as the basis for his art and for the colossal Angel of the North near Gateshead.

AVALANCHE, Wis. - Susan Johnson’s handwoven rugs have been pictured in national magazines in the past five years. And for the last four years, area residents also have known her as the owner of the Pie store in Westby, Wis.

Last month, Johnson opened Avalanche Looms in a new red one-story building on the small farm that she and her husband, Daniel Arnold, bought in 1978 on the east edge of Avalanche.

She weaves rugs on her looms in the studio in part of the building, and sells the goods that Pie was known for in the other part. The latter include contemporary housewares, Johnson’s rugs, classic toys, books, greeting cards specialty soaps and other body-care products, fine chocolates, jams and jellies and maple syrup and honey from area producers.There are plenty of unusual items at the Avalanche Looms store, such as a very small red-and-gold suitcase made in Senegal from recycled metal. “It’s a kind of folk art,” Johnson explained.

“I like to buy things from people who operate on a small scale,” Johnson said of the products she carries. “I like to support that because it encourages diversity.” She also likes to carry local products - such as the maple syrup and honey - when she can find them. But there also are items made in other countries - such as Japanese paper balls and Mexican shopping bags.

“I wanted the shop to look like a traditional Swedish cottage, red with white trim,” Johnson said of her new building, which was constructed by her contractor husband and his two home-building associates, Steve Christenson and Chris Theige.ohnson closed her Pie store May 31, and opened Avalanche Looms on June 15.

She decided to move her business to the couple’s farm for the sake of simplicity. She had been weaving rugs on three loom’s in a small shop on the farm, and on one loom at the Pie store. “I think this is going to be much more economical for me,” Johnson said, and allow her to make more rugs. It takes at least a day to make each rug, she said. A part-time employee, Kathy Aaker, also weaves rugs for her.

If she can devote more of her time to weaving rugs, Johnson said, she might be able to make 12 a month: She also plans to offer weaving classes, starting this fall.

Johnson and her husband moved to Avalanche from Rochester, Mich., 22 years ago. She was an editor at a Detroit company that published reference books, and he was a partner in an art gallery in Rochester.

“We were sick of the city (the Detroit area), so we moved here,” Johnson said. “We raised some tobacco and some heifers.” They still live on and own their small farm, but no longer raise any crops - except for the 50 acres of hardwood trees they planted over eight years. “We mainly did that (plant trees) for equity, or maybe the kids will get something out of it someday,” Johnson said. Their children daughters Sofia, 14, and Ursula, 18, and son Carl, 11 - have helped out at Johnson’s store.

She has been weaving rugs for 18 years. “I started by saying I’d store a loom for a friend,” Johnson said, “Once I started weaving on it, I could see (in her mind) the next rug ahead of me that I wanted to make.” She soon began making rugs for sale at her farm.

Johnson opened Pie in Westby four years ago because “I wanted a little more exposure. And weaving on the farm can be lonely. A store is a very social thing, which is why I still have a store (Avalanche Looms). It’s good social interaction.”

Her handwoven, Scandinavian-style rugs have gotten her “a fair amount of publicity,” Johnson said. For example, her rugs have been pictured in Country Living and House Beautiful magazines and in the Chicago Tribune, which in 1998 ran a short article on her and a multipaneled rug she assembled from six rag cotton panels that she wove. One of her rugs also was pictured in the book “Weaving Contemporary Rag Rugs,” which is about contemporary rug makers.

The national publicity has prompted phone calls - and orders - to Johnson from readers around the nation. She is thinking about establishing an Internet Web site to further promote her rugs.

Almost all of Johnson’s rugs are custom made for individual customers. Johnson said she hasn’t had time to build much of an inventory of rugs that were not ordered by customers.

“I’m making something that has a strong visual and harmonious appeal to me,” Johnson said of the reason for the national publicity. “I think it’s the color, the design, the quality of the rug. It’s not factory-produced. People always want to know that it’s handwoven.” She weaves her rugs from cotton or linen.

AVALANCHE LOOMS

* WHAT: An Avalanche, Wis., business that makes and sells handwoven rugs and sells housewares, classic toys, fine chocolates, books, greeting cards, garden products and other items.

* WHERE: On Avalanche Road, on the east edge of Avalanche. From Hwy. 14-61 between Westby and Viroqua, take county Hwy. Y east 6 1/2 miles to Avalanche and go straight ahead on Avalanche Road.

* WHO: Susan Johnson owns the business.

* HOURS: Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; noon to 4 p.m. Sunday; and by appointment.

NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. — PAR Springer Miller Systems Inc. (PSMS), a wholly owned subsidiary of PAR Technology Corporation (NYSE: PTC) — and the leading provider of guest-centric hospitality management systems– is pleased to announce that Wynn Las Vegas has installed SpaSoft as the system of choice for their spa in Las Vegas, Nevada.

With 45 treatment rooms, the Spa offers space massage, body treatments, facials and hydrotherapy. Separate women’s and men’s facilities with showers, steam rooms, saunas and whirlpools ensure comfort and privacy for all guests. Lockers with spa robes and slippers are provided, as well as hair and body care amenities. Wynn Las Vegas showcases an 111,000 square foot casino, 2,716 hotel rooms, 19 distinctive dining experiences, a 2,087-seat showroom, 74,700 square feet of retail space, over 223,000 square feet of convention space, an exclusive on-site 18-hole championship golf course and state-of-the-art recreational facilities.

“We’re very happy to be working with the Spa at Wynn Las Vegas. It is gratifying that our SpaSoft product won out in an incredibly competitive selection process,” said John Springer-Miller, PAR Springer-Miller’s Chief Executive Officer. “With this new sales award, we look to continue to increase our association with upscale destinations across the globe and to deliver solutions that enhance the businesses of our customers.”

About SpaSoft/PAR Springer-Miller Systems An industry-standard for more than 10 years, SpaSoft is a fully integrated, dynamic activities management/scheduling software solution, specifically designed to meet the unique needs of resorts, day spas, medi-spas and health clubs. SpaSoft’s integrated offering includes resource management, club membership, group management, inventory management, point-of-sale, user-defined and standardized reporting, as well as client management and history.

SpaSoft is one of the many products offered by PAR Systems-Miller Systems Inc, the leading provider of hospitality management solutions. The extensive product line offered by PSMS meets the technology needs of all types of hospitality enterprises including city-center hotels, destination spa and golf properties, timeshare properties and casino resorts worldwide. For more information on PAR Springer-Miller Systems, visit our website at www.springermiller.com.

About PAR Technology Corporation

PAR Technology Corporation is a leading provider of professional services and enterprise business intelligence software and hardware to the hospitality industry. PAR develops, markets and supports hardware and software products that improve the ability of hospitality business professionals to make timely, fact-based business decisions. The Company is a premier provider of I/T management solutions to hotel and restaurant companies, with over 40,000 installations worldwide in 100 countries. PAR is a leader in providing computer-based system design and engineering services to the Department of Defense and Federal Government Agencies. PAR Technology Corporation’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PTC. For more information visit the Company’s website at www.partech.com.

Tattoo is one of the hottest fashion labels around with the young and the beautiful. It specialises in paring down the catwalk look to club and street wear at reasonable prices. Big Breakfast star Denise van Outen wears their signature T-shirts and cropped tops, and Dannii Minogue has been picking Tattoo clothes to present the Disney Show. Prices range from pounds 19.99 to pounds 85. Enq: 0171 5435000

THE most sensual bath treats around are Marks & Spencer’s new luxury body care essentials in simple but ultra-smart frosted glass bottles. Choose from Gentian Hibiscus or Linden Blossom fragrances. Each includes a shower gel, pounds 3 for 200ml; foam bath pounds 6 for 500ml; body lotion pounds 6 for 350ml and eau de toilette pounds 10 for 90ml. Husband and wife Jane and John Gottelier - the people behind Artwork Knitwear - are responsible for the range.  THE radio is making a comeback…and we’re not talking about the latest hi-fi systems, but the old-fashioned type, like the Roberts Radio, bearer of three Royal Warrants. The R757 three-band portable radio by Roberts with its traditional wood cabinet is available in a choice of five colours. The latest in keeping with its Royal customers is patriotically called Regal Blue’ and ‘ Kensington Green. The radios are priced at pounds 80. Enq: 01709 571722.

HERBAL Essences have just arrived here from the States. This range of shampoos and conditioners from Clairol is blended with pure mountain spring water and natural organic herbs. Each has a unique fragrance leaving a lasting’ just-washed’ look to your hair. They smell great too so there’s no need to wear perfume! Clairol herbal essences shampoo and conditioner cost pounds 1.99 each. HAVE YOU looked in Fosters Trading Company recently? Their casual wear for men bursts with colour - loads of lime, orange and yellow making the collection more juicy than a package of Opal Fruits. They also boast some of the most creditable brand names on the market.

The defenition of aerobic activity is quite broad, giving you a variety of fat-burning opportunities and virtually destroying the fear of boredom. Sure, everyone has jogged, stair-stepped, biked and walked, but how about swimming, rowing, cross-country skiing, jumping rope or in-line skating? To be aerobic, an exercise must simply be continuous (generally for at least 15-20 minutes), rhythmical and involve the larger muscles of your body. This results in oxygen being used to predominantly break down fat for fuel, making aerobic exercise a more effective fat-burner than bodybuilding alone. Naturally, using bodyfat for fuel will lower your percentage of bodyfat, making you leaner. Other benefits of aerobic (or cardiovascular) work include prevention of heart disease and developing your slow-twitch muscle fibers. As you develop these endurance fibers, you’ll note more endurance in your workouts, which could lead to longer, more intense iron sessions. Just as you have an extensive number of exercise choises, you have several ways you can go about doing them. For example, exercising for long periods at a low intensity used to be the main recommendation for bodyfat loss. This approach isn’t the best way to accomplish the goal, however, because the low intensity doesn’t burn very many calories. Yet it can be effective for improving cardiovascular health. Exercising for shorter periods at high intensity, on the other hand, will burn more calories. While this may be the most effective in terms of calories used per minute, this approach is very taxing and requires a high degree of conditioning.

The difference between aerobic and anaerobic training

Running, cycling and swimming are aerobic activities; weightlifting, sprinting and boxing are not. During aerobic exercise, the heart rate rises, respiration increases and carbohydrates and fats provide working muscles with energy via oxidation. During anaerobic activity, the heart rate and respiration increase to a greater degree, but stored adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and creatine phosphate serve as primary energy sources. As a result, lactic acid accumulates in the muscles and blood. Another way to understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic work is to think in terms of duration and intensity. If you can do an activity for a relatively long time (at least 20 minutes), the intensity will have to be light to moderate so that you can keep it up. This is considered aerobic. Exercising at a high intensity - so high that you can’t continue at that pace for more than a minute or two at a time - is aerobic. But no exercise or activity is 100% aerobic or anaerobic. Sprinting may be anaerobic, while marathon running is aerobic, but when long-distance runners sprint for the finish line, they’re activating their anaerobic metabolism

Heart and health benefits

Aerobic activity offers a wide variety of benefits to overall fitness and health. The visual improvements are great, but the long term, more important advantages occur on the inside. Together with cardiovascular efficiency, metabolic changes will take you another step closer to achieving ultimate fitness. You know aerobic exercise causes your body to burn calories, a percentage of which come from fat, depending upon (among other things) duration and intensity.

Natural Body Scrubs

You can add powdered lemon, orange peel, powdered lavender buds, chamomile, calendula etc. to the following scrubs. For dry scrubs, add water to 1 - 2 Tbsp of mixture to make it a paste. Gently massage into skin and rinse well.

Formula 1
Ingredients
Castor oil, 1 tsp
Beewax, 1/2 tsp
Apricote oil, 1/2 tsp
Sea salt, 1 Tbsp
Almond powder, 1 tsp
Baby Shampoo base, 2 tsp
Melt the beeswax, castor oil, and apricot oil together and mix well. Remove from heat. Add sea salt and almond powder. Stir in the shampoo.

Formula 2: Anti-wrinkle Scrub
Mash 1/2 paw paw with 4 Tbsp rice flour. A few dropes of orange oil and mix well. Apply to face, lightly scrubbing in circular movements. Dont leave on face for than 5-10 minutes. Moisturise with natural plant oil. Rinse well.

Formula 3: Anti - toxin Srub
Mash 1/2 punnet of Strawberries with 4 Tbsp rice flour. Apply to face, lightly scrubbing in circular movements. Don’t leave on face for longer than 5-10 minutes. Moisturise with natural plant oil. Rinse well.

Formula 4
Ingredients
Rolled oat, 1/4 cup
Milk (buttermilk or goats mil) Powder, 1/4 cup
Sea salt, 1 Tbsp
Cornmeal, 1 Tbsp
Rose petal powd, 1 Tbsp
Put all ingredients in food processor and process until fine. Add fragrance/essential oils drop by drop while processing.

Formula 5
Turmeric powder, 1 tsp
Ingredients
Citrus blend, 2 Tbsp
Apricot kernels, grounded, 1 Tbsp
glycerine soap, powdered,1 Tbsp
Aloe vera gel, 1 Tbsp
Almond oil or Rice bran oil, 1Tbsp
Sandalwood oil, 1 tsp
Mix all the ingredients well, add water, and apply.

Most people are spending a lot of money on the latest techniques to remove unwanted hair on their faces, legs, arms, chests, backs and private areas. Is it possible to remove hair from such large surface areas? And more importantly, is doing so safe? The answer to both questions is, yes. Removing body hair is possible and if done correctly, and in some cases by a licensed professional, it is also safe.

1. Hair Removal by Laser Treatments.
One of the fastest ways to remove unwanted body hair is by undergoing laser treatments. Although this is the most expensive approach, laser hair removal is the most effective at permanently eliminating body hair. Unlike electrolysis, where each hair follicle must be dealt with individually making the process extremely time-consuming and painful, laser therapy can impact several follicles simultaneously, which greatly speeds up the process. It’s great for removing hair from the back and chest, arms and legs.

As stated already however, the costs are extreme. To do an area as large as the back will cost several thousand dollars, and that’s per treatment. Several treatments are necessary because the laser technique can only impact hair that is currently in a growing stage. Also, there will be places where hair will regrow and although it will regrow finer and lighter, in order to be permanent, the hair follicle needs to be rendered incapable of growing new hair.

2. Hair Removal by Waxing
The next best method of removing body hair is waxing. Far less expensive than laser treatments and even electrolysis, waxing works by extracting hairs out of their shafts. Because the hair follicle is not specifically and purposely damaged, hair will regrow, but it will take several weeks for it to reappear. Repetitive application of this hair removal process may ultimately affect the follicle and cause hair growth to cease, however, this is not guaranteed which is why waxing cannot be considered a permanent hair removal method.

Waxing, or sugaring if you’re sensitive to wax or prefer an organic solution, works by applying a layer of cold or hot wax or a sugar-based mixture directly on the area where hair is to be removed. After allowing to harden it is very quickly peeled away from the skin, in the opposite direction of the hair growth and viola — the body hair is pulled free from that area. The process is repeated until the entire body surface is free of hair. It is possible to do this at home, but since most of us have a low tolerance to self-inflicted pain, you’ll get better and faster results if you leave this type of work to someone else, at least for the first few times.

Sara Lee Corporation announced that its Board of Directors has elected Adriaan Nuhn to executive vice president of the corporation and Vincent H.A.M. Janssen to vice president of the corporation. Nuhn, who currently serves as a senior vice president of the corporation and president of Sara Lee Coffee and Tea, will succeed Frank L.Meysman as chairman of the board of management of Sara Lee/DE International. Janssen, currently a regional vice president of Sara Lee’s Coffee and Tea division, will become president of Sara Lee’s Household and Body Care business and will join the Sara Lee/DE board of management. Janssen will succeed Peter J.W. Roorda a senior vice president of Sara Lee Corporation and current president of Sara Lee’s Household and Body Care business. Roorda, as previously announced, will become president of Sara Lee Coffee and Tea, succeeding Nuhn.

DUBLIN, Ireland — Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com) has announced the addition of Hand & Body Care: Global Industry Guide to their offering

This Hand & Body Care Global Industry Guide is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the hand & body care industry. It includes detailed data on market size and segmentation, textual analysis of the key trends and competitive landscape, and profiles of the leading companies. This incisive report provides expert analysis on a global, regional and country basis

Scope of the Report:

–Contains an executive summary and data on value, volume and segmentation

–Provides textual analysis of the industry’s prospects, competitive landscape and leading companies

–Covers Global, European, Asia-Pacific & 5 individual country markets

–Includes a five-year forecast of the industry

Highlights

– Detailed information is included on market size, measured by both value and volume.

– Market shares are covered by manufacturer and by brand, including private label.

– Distribution channels are also analysed.

Why you should buy this report:

–Spot future trends and developments

–Inform your business decisions

–Add weight to presentations and marketing materials

Although the stunningly complex molecular puzzle that underlies carcinogenesis remains incomplete, parts that seemed unrelated a decade ago now seem to be fitting into place. Research has documented that carcinogenesis can be counteracted by the antioxidant power of whole foods and by immune modulation with select groups of herbs and natural medicines. (4-20)

The foods we consume are extremely complex mixtures of bioactive constituents that work together to nourish and fortify the human immune system. Our metabolism and immune systems function best with antioxidant (free-radical fighting) and enzyme-rich foods consumed in their natural, raw state. When our intake of fresh fruits and vegetables is too low, our body’s ability to counteract daily assaults from our toxic environment is weakened. The foods typically consumed by the general public every day are far from pure. They contain dozens, if not hundreds, of additives. Despite the fact that many of these food additives have been found to be carcinogenic or mutagenic in laboratory animals, they are continually used in a wide array of processed foods, because “experts” proclaim that they have never been tested and proven detrimental to human health! Faced with the vast number of additives now used in commercially manufactured foods, regulatory agencies must wait for established evidence of toxicity on humans before they can insist that these be removed from food products. For example, added colors or dyes are found in cereal products, baked goods, snack foods, meat, fish, poultry, cheese, butter, and other dairy products, and alcoholic and soft drinks with the average individual’s consumption estimated at 100 milligrams per day.

Mycotoxins (toxins found in molds and fungi) increase the risk of liver cancer, and because they stress the immune system, they can contribute to carcinogenesis; more than 300 different mycotoxins have been reported in foods and animal feeds. In fact, in 1985, the Food and Agriculture Association estimated that 25% of the world’s food crops are contaminated with mycotoxins. High levels of mycotoxins were reported in peanuts, tree nuts, cereals (grains), beans, and apples. More than a dozen studies citing the high carcinogenicity of mycotoxins in animals were reported by the Institute for Cancer Research. Supplements, especially fungal-derived digestive enzymes, also contain high levels of immunosuppressive mycotoxins that increase one’s risk of developing fungal infections. In fact, in our own clinical research on digestive enzyme products, we found only two out of 50 products that were pure and completely free of remnant fungal (aspergillus) residues.

Heterocyclic amines, or HCAs (ammonia derivatives containing more than one type of atom) found in grilled meats and fish are responsible for high mutagenic activity. If your diet is high in animal protein, you are undoubtedly exposed to excessive HCAs. Studies now show that short-term feeding (six to twelve weeks) of HCAs is enough to induce tumors in experimental animals. Accumulation of HCAs has also been linked in human studies to a higher occurrence of colorectal cancer than in control subjects. (16-20)

While numerous individual potential toxins have been studied, one major limitation of research on additives and human cancer risk is that there have been no studies to assess the effects of the combination of thousands of food additives consumed together in our food and drink. This effect may be even more toxic than the sum of individual additives that have so far been looked at in animal studies.

Is “Natural” Better?

Chemical additives are found in virtually all manufactured foods and drinks, even in so-called “natural” products. In the mass manufacture and distribution of processed foods at prices people can afford, the food industry frequently resorts to processing techniques that degrade the plants’ original health-promoting nutrients. Some who are aware of the deficiencies of processed foods may try to avoid these, but it’s far from simple. For instance, while organic food may be richer in minerals and antioxidants than commercially grown food, many organic farms are located in highly polluted areas and! or use contaminated water to irrigate their crops. Not surprisingly, these carcinogenic agents filter into the soil along with acid rain and alter the natural nutrient content of organic foods. (21)

As a result, significant levels of carcinogenic agents may be found even in these presumably healthier foods. So “natural foods” are better, but that depends to some degree on your difinition, of “natural.” Thus, in addition to identifying and eliminating specific carcinogens in the food and drink we consume and in the body-care products we use, daily supplementation with pure, raw, whole, unprocessed foods supplements is of critical importance in preventing carcinogenesis