my concerto

Fashion and Music -A Classic Joint Business Venture

The fashion and music industries have always had many common components and invariably a new movement in the recording business has resulted in the development of new fashion styles for the fans. I still remember when the Beatles gossip hitting the American shores for the first time, how everyone just “had to have” a John Lennon Beatle Hat. Tie-Dye and low riders are other examples of fashions that had their roots in the music industry.

Having said this, it does seem a bit surprising that there has not been a steady flood of ventures issuing forth from these two strongly related industries. Perhaps, then, what was announced last Wednesday will be a sign of things to come.

On April 16th, Tommy Hilfiger (a U.S. fashion company) and Sony BMG (one of the largest recording companies in the world today), announced that they were going to start a venture that would include a fashion and music online television/website, the latest sign that the fashion and music industries were moving ever closer in the joint promotion arena.

TommyTV, as the new venture will be called, will present live performances by both established and new artists sponsored by Tommy Hilfiger and will include exclusive interviews and backstage footage. Hilfiger also indicated that he envisioned TommyTV hosting coco chanel competitions where young, new artists could showcase their talents. He said that these competitions would offer a venue to the young musicians that they ordinarily would not have and could be a real stepping stone to a successful career.

And what is in it for the new partners you ask? For Tommy Hilfiger, who has built a strong, worldwide brand covering thousands of products on a hip and savvy image presentation to U.S. teenagers, he has said that there will be a strong connection between the show and the website. Hilfiger fashions will be prominently displayed and a person will easily and spontaneously be able to purchase fashion products from the site while watching the concerts.

For Sony BMG, the hope is that they will catch lightning in a bottle with one or more of the popular artists that will be on display, said Sony BMG Chief Executive Maarten Steinkam. And, while there are no plans to charge for music downloads at the present time, it seems inevitable that this will happen sooner rather than later.

While it would seem obvious that these types of joint ventures would be a regular occurrence, some people feel that the music industry really has no choice; what with music sales being down over 10% last year and illegal downloads becoming more and more of a problem. The industry is standing at the threshold of a new era and they must be willing to explore new and promising strategies. This joint venture and strategic planning between Tommy Hilfiger and Sony BMG is an example of two companies trying to develop a strategy that is a “win-win” for both entities with the hope that this will lead to bigger and better things down the road.

The author’s websites: Coach handbags
Kate Spade Collection

Persian Cats - The Color Divisions

The Persian cat is the number one breed in popularity. They Victoria’s Secret sweet and gentle in temperament and blend into most households. They probably feel more at home in an environment of security and serenity, however, with love and reassurance, the Persian cat can easily adapt to the most boisterous households.

The long flowing coat of a Persian cat requires housing indoors. Persian cats come in a number of colors that are divided into seven color divisions for purposes of competition. The color divisions are:

• Solid Color

• Silver and Golden

• Shaded and Smoke

• Tabby

• Particolor

• Calico and Bicolor

• Himalayan

Solid Color Division

Three different eye colors are unique only to the pristine white Persian cats. These eye colors are:

• Brilliant copper

• Deep blue

• Combination of one blue and one copper eye of equal intensity

The other solid colored Persian cats have brilliant copper eyes.

This coat color should be sound to the roots and free from markings or shadings.

Blue Persian cats have been interbred with other colors to produce a more uniform type. The pale silver-blue coats that result is most beautiful when viewed in natural lighting. Black Persian cats have a glossy patent finish that glistens with intensity. Pale milk-colored creams are the dilute of the deep vibrant glowing reds. Chocolates and lilacs are rarely seen. These are produced through the combination of Persian and Himalayan. The chocolate Persian cat demonstrates a warm chocolate-brown color. The lilac is warm lavender with a pinkish tone.

Silver and Golden Division

The chinchilla and shaded silvers and goldens are in this division. Exquisite silvers are considered the most ethereal of all Persians. The Chinchilla is a sparkling white cat with black tipping scattered as evenly and lightly on the face, legs, tail and body. Shadeds show a mantle of black on the back that shades evenly down the sides. Tipping on the legs and face should match and is darker than the chinchilla. Goldens are either chinchilla or shaded. Their ground color is rich, warm and cream tipped with black. Silvers and goldens have green or blue-green eyes rimmed with black, black paw pads and brick red or rose nose leather.

Shaded and Smoke Division

This color division includes the shell and shaded cameos that have red tipping with a white undercoat. The cream shell and shaded cameos demonstrate a white undercoat tipped with cream. The shell and shaded tortoiseshells have a mantle of black tipping with well-defined patches of red tipped hairs while the shell and shaded blue-creams have blue tipping with well-defined patches of cream tipped hair.

There are six separate colors in the smoke Persian patterns. They are:

• Black

• Blue

• Cream

• Cameo (red)

• Smoke tortoiseshell

• Blue-cream

All colors should have the characteristic white ruff and ear tufts. In motion, the coat should break open, giving glimpses of a startling white undercoat.

Tabby Division

This division consists of three patterns:

• Classic

• Mackerel

• Patched tabby

The patched tabby may show either the classic or mackerel pattern with the addition of patches of red. The classic tabby is identified by the bull’s eye markings on the side of the body while the mackerel pattern is characterized by narrow penciling encircling the body. Facial markings give the tabbies a zesty added appeal. Recognized colors are:

• Silver

• Blue silver

• Red

• Brown

• Blue

• Cream

• Cameo

• Cream cameo

There are no patched tabby patterns in red, cream and cameo. The silver varieties may have green or hazel eyes, whereas, all others in the tabby division have copper eyes.

Parti Color Division

This division consists of the tortoiseshell, blue-cream, chocolate tortoiseshell and lilac-cream. The tortoiseshell is a black cat dispersed with great patches of red. There is a dividing blaze of color on the face. The blue-cream is a solid blue cat patched with cream. All colors have copper eyes.

Calico and Bi-Color Division

This division consists of calicos, bi-colors, smoke and whites and tabby and whites. The Calicos have white coats splashed with vivid patches of red and black. The dilute calico is patched with blue and cream. The chocolate and lilac calicos have white coats splashed with vivid patches of chocolate and red or lilac and cream.

The Himalayan

Himalayan is the most popular of all Persians. The Himalayan is shown in the following colors:

• Chocolate

• Seal

• Lilac

• Blue

• Red

• Cream tortie

• Blue-cream

• Chocolate-torite

• Lilac-cream

• Seal lynx

• Blue lynx

• Red lynx

• Cream lynx

• Tortie lynx

• Blue-cream lynx

• Chocolate lynx

• Lilac lynx

• Chocolate-tortie lynx

• Lilac-cream lynx

Himalayans were created by breeding Persians to Siamese to combine the Siamese point coloring with the Persian type. All must have deep vivid blue eyes. Any other color of eyes is a disqualification.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.

Written by: Connie Limon For more information about Persian cats visit: http://smalldogs2.com/PersianCats For a variety of FREE reprint articles visit Camelot Articles at http://www.camelotarticles.com

Grapes, Nuts, and Your Dogs Health — Foods that Fido should Avoid

“Magoo was a big, playful Labrador retriever who often got himself into sticky situations…”

So begins a story in the latest report from the ASPCA on foods that may be toxic bags dogs. It turns out that Magoo got into the pantry and snagged himself about a pound of raisins. He ate the whole thing, of course.

The ASPCA never mentions Magoo’s fate. But they do tell us that as little as a handful of raisins can impair a dogs health and has been fatal for some. Ditto for the grape.

Who Knew?

Growing up, I regarded our family dogs as “the first cycle of the dishwasher”. They were good about waiting their turn for whatever we left on our plates, and we weren’t too concerned about offering them “people food”. It never crossed our minds that our dogs health could be affected by a few measly table scraps. What was safe for us, we figured, was safe for our pets.

What’s more, whenever I ate grapes, I liked to give one or two to our German Shepherd “Tiffany”. The grapes always popped out of her mouth when she tried to bite into them and Tiffany, ever the good sport, refused to give up until she’d squashed each one into submission. It guaranteed at least 60 seconds of harmless fun.

Tiffany was also fond of chewing gum (she chewed it — wrapper and all — but didn’t swallow it!) We had the sugarless kind, which cosmetics often sweetened these days with xylitol.

Little did I know that I might have been poisoning our family pet! (More on xylitol below).

Why are grapes harmful?

As far as grapes and raisins go, no one is sure why they’re harmful. It’s been confirmed that even grapes grown without fertilizers or pesticides can be toxic to dogs. But not to every dog, and not every time. It’s also not known whether small amounts eaten over a long time period could have a cumulative effect.

What we do know is that the end result in nearly all reported cases of grape or raisin toxicity is acute kidney failure. (The term “acute” means that the condition is severe and comes on quickly.) The dog ultimately can’t produce urine, which means they can’t filter toxins out of their systems — a process essential to life.

During the twelve-month period in which the effects of grapes were studied, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center handled 140 cases involving one or more dogs. Over a third of the dogs developed symptoms ranging from vomiting to kidney failure, and seven dogs died. The ASPCA based their study on reported cases, so naturally there may be cases where a dogs health is entirely unaffected by eating grapes. But until they know all the facts, the Society advises against feeding pets grapes or raisins in any amount.

An ounce of prevention

So, your dog just scored himself a big box of raisins. What’s a pet owner to do?

The first line of defense, if the grapes or raisins were eaten recently, is to induce vomiting and administer activated charcoal (it absorbs toxins in the GI tract). Vomiting is also the first sign that your dog is in trouble, so skip right to the activated charcoal if vomiting has already occurred. (In a pinch you can make your own activated charcoal by charring a piece of toast until it’s blackened and crumbles easily.) Then call your vet right away.

Can’t reach the vet? Call ASPCA Poison Control: 888-426-4435

The vet will keep your dog on intravenous fluids for at least 48 hours and monitor blood chemistry daily. Normal blood work after 3 days usually means your dog is in the clear.

Keeping a watchful eye out, of course, is the best way to keep your pet out of trouble. Like children, dogs (and other pets) have a knack for getting into mischief when we’re not looking.

It’s Not Just the Grapes…

There are other foods your dog should be kept away from, and some of them may surprise you.

Here are some other foods that can put a dogs health in harms way:

Chocolate

Who can resist chocolate? Like it your not, your dog.
Chocolate is made with cocoa beans and cocoa beans contain a chemical called Theobromine, which is toxic to dogs. So on Valentine’s Day, you’re actually being kind to your best buddy if you eat all the chocolates yourself!
Read my special report on chocolate at http://www.great-dog-gift.com/chocolate to learn more, and see how different types of chocolate have varying effects on dogs health.

Cocoa Mulch

Cocoa bean shells are a by-product of chocolate production (which is how mulch made it into the “foods” category) and are popular as mulch for landscaping. Homeowners like the attractive color and scent, and the fact that the mulch breaks down into an organic fertilizer. However, some dogs like to eat it and it contains Theobromine.

Fatty foods

Fatty foods are hard for a dog to digest and can can overtax the pancreas, leading to pancreatitis. This can threaten your dogs health and is potentially fatal.

Nuts

Macadamia nuts should be avoided. In fact most nuts are not good for a dogs health since their high phosporus content is said to lead to bladder stones.

Mulch

Mulch isn’t food, but there’s one type tempting enough for dogs to eat. Some dogs are attracted to cocoa mulch, and will eat it in varying quantities. The coca bean shells can contain from 0.2% to 3% theobromine (the toxin ) as compaired to 1-4% in unprocessed beans.

Onions

Onions, especially raw onions, have been shown to trigger hemolytic anemia in dogs. (Stephen J Ettinger, D.V.M and Edward C. Fieldman, D.V.M. ’s book: Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine vol. 2 pg 1884.) Stay away from onion powder too.

Potatoes

Potato poisonings among people and dogs are rare but have occurred. The toxin, solanine, is poorly absorbed and is only found in green sprouts (these occur in tubers exposed to sunlight) and green potato skins. This explains why incidents seldom occur. Note that cooked, mashed potatoes are fine for a dogs health, actually quite nutritious and digestible.

Artificial Sweeteners

Xylitol is used as a sweetener in many products, especially sugarless gum and candies. Ingesting large amounts of products sweetened with xylitol may cause a sudden drop in blood sugar in dogs, resulting depression, loss of coordination, and seizures. According to Dr. Eric K. Dunayer, a consulting veterinarian in clinical toxicology for the poison control center, “These signs can develop quite rapidly, at times less than 30 minutes after ingestion of the product” states Dr. Dunayer, “…therefore, it is important that pet owners seek veterinary treatment immediately.”

Turkey

Turkey skin is currently thought to cause acute pancreatis in dogs, partly due to it’s high fat content.

Other foods listed by the ASPCA as harmful:

Alcoholic beverages

Avocado (the only “fatty” member of the vegetable family)

Coffee (all forms of coffee)

Moldy or spoiled foods

Salt

Yeast dough

Garlic

The Bottom Line

Thanks to a more educated public, fewer fatalities from foods like chocolate are being reported these days. But it’s important to keep up with what’s currently known about foods and their effects on dogs health. Grapes and cocoa mulch, for example, were only discovered very recently to have harmful effects.
Check frequently with sources like the ASPCA, or sign up for the “Cold Noses News” and we’ll keep you informed. (You’ll also get a bunch of cool dog stuff along with your free registration).

Of course, being alert and getting your pet to the vet promptly will help assure a happy outcome if something unfortunate should happen.
Here’s to your dogs health and good nutrition!

Carolyn Schweitzer, a former family dentsit, is owner and editor of several websites, including http://www.Great-Dog-Gift.com.

Visit http://www.great-dog-gift.com/foodarticle to view the full illustrated article with links to resource articles from the ASPCA such as “How to Poison Proof your Home”.

Sign up for the “Cold Noses News” at http://www.great-dog-gift.com/noses to have information like this delivered to your mailbox.

New Idea - No-Calorie Soda Pop Syrups

In spite of their world-wide reputation as being fattening, pancakes are the sunblock breakfast food. It is the toppings and fillings that turns them into fat generators. Take away the butter, milk, sugar, eggs, cooking oil, sour cream, whipped cream, syrups, and jams, and there is nothing left but a perfect balance of protein, carbohydrate, and fat.

Two big pancakes made with cake-flour and smothered in fresh crushed strawberries, sweetened with a good sugar substitute like Splenda, contains less than 250 calories. A tablespoon of cooking oil adds an extra 120 calories, and butter contributes another 100 or so. By the time you add in the sugar, eggs, creams, and syrups, your poor pancakes resemble a skinny dad padded with pillows to play the role of Santa.

Of course, pancakes aren’t pancakes without syrup. But now days, syrup doesn’t have to be made with sugar. There are many brands of sugar-free syrups on the supermarket shelves. But none of them are as good as some of the things you can make in less than two minutes in your own kitchen!

All you need is water, flavoring, sugar substitute, and cellulose gum to provide the thickness and viscosity of sugar syrups. Maybe add a bit of coloring for a rich, full-bodied look. Mix it for 30 seconds or so in your blender and you’ve got delicious, thick, slow-pouring maple, almond, strawberry, orange, or lemon syrup.

For a very unusual treat, just add cellulose gum to any flavor no-calorie soda pop. Just imagine - root beer or hair soda syrup! The kids will go crazy! How about a variety of orange crush, lemon-lime, Dr. Pepper, strawberry, peach, and ginger ale. I haven’t tried coke or Pepsi, but they should make good syrups too.

You can turn almost any liquid into syrup with cellulose gum. Chocolate milk becomes chocolate syrup, Add some vanilla, cinnamon, and Splenda to soymilk for a healthy and delicious eggnog syrup.

So forget the frozen waffles, toaster strudels, and French toast stix. Stir up some cake flour, baking powder, and water and cook the kids some pancakes. It takes just a couple of minutes. While they are cooking, make a fresh batch of syrup. Everybody will love them and they’ll go to school filled with all the even, slow-burning energy they need to keep them active and alert all morning.

Cal Smith is the author or ‘The No-diet Diet’ featuring pancakes and other low-calorie, high-bulk foods.

A FREE sample of cellulose gum and an e-booklet are available at http://calsbooks.com

Halloween And Your Pets

Halloween can be a festive lingerie fun time of year for children and families; but for pets, it can be stressful and even dangerous. Here are some tips to keep your pets happy and safe this Halloween. Some readers may be surprised to learn that one of the most dangerous things for your pet this Halloween is candy, especially chocolate, which can be harmful, even fatal to pets. Chocolate can cause tremors nervousness, vomiting, diarrhea, increased heart rate and, in severe cases, seizure and death. As much as your dog or cat may beg for some of your Halloween candies, always remember that chocolate is deadly to them in any amount. Secure all candy safely away from pets. The wrappers, such as tin foil, can get stuck in your pets’ digestive tract and make them ill or cause death. There are plenty of recipes for making home made dog and cat treats and you can always make them on a Halloween note. If you are like me and have no idea how to make pet treats of any kind, you might be able pick up a box of dog or cat treats for them at a pet bakery or order them online before hand.

If you will be having inside visitors for the evening, remind your guests not to give your pet any candy no matter how cute they think he or she is. Tell them of the health risks involved with candy and pets. It will be way easier to tell everyone upfront, than to have to tell each person as they try to share a treat with your perfumes If you are having an indoor party, seriously consider putting your dog or cat in a room where they won’t be disturbed. Secluding your pets in a quiet room away from the Halloween activities will ease your mind and allow you to enjoy your guests. This will also ensure that your pets won’t panic and escape when bell-ringing trick-or-treaters arrive, nor will they become threatened or aggressive at the sight of costumed, little people. With many people visiting the home in strange attire, even normally calm pets might over react. These things can cause undue stress and possibly cause aggression in even the nicest dog, goldfish, or iguana for that matter. Pets, especially dogs, that are easily excitable or threatened by strangers should be kept from the front door so they cannot bite anyone or run into the street.

During Halloween, pets are often the victims of pranksters’ cruel tricks. If you work in a pet store, remember that this is the time of year that can be deadly for black cats. Many animal shelters make black cats unavailable for adoption the week before Halloween because of black cat abuse. These poor animals have in the past, been targets of cruel activities on Halloween. It is probably best to keep black cats inside for the whole week of Halloween. On this Halloween night, try to keep all pets safely indoors at all times. With a frequently opened door, keep pets secure so they don’t end up leaving with a band of trick-or-treaters. Keep pets on a shorter-than-normal leash if you plan on walking outside on Halloween.

Always watch that any open flames (like candles or jack-o-lanterns) are out of reach (of pets and kids). Not only could your pet start a fire but they could severely burn themselves in the process. Finally, dressing up a pet dog or cat has become increasingly popular in the last few years, which in turn means a big market for dog & cat-related products. It is best to avoid the temptation to dress up your dog and send him or her out trick-or-treating with the kids. If you are going to dress your pet in a costume, keep in mind that unless the dog or cat is extremely receptive to this kind of thing, you could be causing it discomfort and stress. I personally see nothing wrong with dressing your pet if they are in agreement with it, but on a busy holiday like Halloween they should also be wearing their collar with an Identification tag, just in case.

Please visit me at http://trujem.com/blog

Coffee Flavored Food Ideas

Coffee doesn’t have to come in a cup. If you’re a coffee lover, you can get your brew flavor from a number of tasty sources.

Candy and Treats

Coffee-flavored ice cream, jelly beans, cookies and other baked and confectionery treats are all skin choices for those who love their dark drink.

Chupa Chups, the popular lollipop manufacturer, makes a fantastic coffee-flavored lollipop, including Cafe Mocha, Espresso, and Cappuccino flavors. While these tasty pops don’t contain any of the real drink or caffeine, they are a great way to get a burst of its smooth flavor.

Chocolate

Chocolate combined with a cup of coffee is one of life’s greatest combinations. And now, thanks to the high antioxidant levels found in both, it’s good for you too! Most of these combinations contain actual grounds or fragments of their beans right inside the chocolate.

You can cosmetics purchase chocolate covered roasted coffee beans. Shock-A-Lots and Chargers are two popular brands of chocolate-covered espresso beans that are known for their high caffeine concentration and taste. Eating the chocolate-covered beans will deliver more caffeine to the system than drinking a brewed cup of java, so be careful and eat these in moderation.

Seasoning for Meat

Did you know you can season your steak with coffee grounds? Often referred to as a Chuck Wagon Steak Rub, this popular method takes pepper, salt, onion powder and fresh grounds to season a good steak.

It can be used whether you’re broiling, grilling, frying or baking your meat and even stored for up to 6 months in a reusable shaker. You can also find java varieties of steak rubs in many fine grocery stores.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a great treat when combined in a cup of coffee. Whether you’re stirring a spoonful of peanut butter into your hot drink or adding a few fresh grounds to your peanut butter sandwich, the flavor combo is phenomenal.

Cake

Any cake served with this delightful flavoring is technically a coffee cake. However, you can make a fantastic sponge cake that has the flavor simply by adding some fresh grounds or instant Sanka to your cake mix before baking.

Cherries

Coffee beans actually grow inside java treat cherries. While such a cherry isn’t technically a widely eaten food, it can be consumed and even brewed into a parchment tea. True aficionados of the great morning brew like to make a berry jam to enjoy with their brew, turning a casual cup of joe into something exciting.

For additional informative details on coffee and enticing flavors that explode your taste buds, please visit http://www.coffeetryst.com, a popular site providing great insights on coffee options, such as organic flavored coffee, Kona blend coffee, and many more!

Cheesecake Recipes For Diabetics (And Others, Too!)

Just because you are diabetic, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy cheesecake! Following are a couple of cheesecake recipes designed for diabetics but they are tasty enough for anyone.

This is a recipe I got from an Equal ad in a magazine several years ago. It is exactly as printed there without any changes or adjustments on my part.

COOL LIME CHEESECAKE

CRUST:

1 cup low-fat graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp stick butter, melted
3 tbsp Equal Spoonful

FILLING:

2 pkgs (8 oz each) low-fat cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup Equal Spoonful
2 egg whites
1egg
1/2 tsp grated lime peel
3 tbsp fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

To make crust: Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, Equal; press evenly over bottom and up side of an 8-inch springform pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

To make filling: In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and Equal until fluffy. Beat in egg, egg whites, lime juice and peel until well blended. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake at 325 degrees 30 to 35 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. sweater at least 3 to 4 hours before serving.

The following recipe calls for Splenda. However, Equal may be substituted if you prefer. This cheesecake is not only tasty but makes quite a presentation if you want to impress your family and guests!

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

1 3/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 lb fresh strawberries
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 pkgs (8 oz each) fat-free cream cheese, cubed
1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
3/4 cup Splenda
8 oz carton frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed
13 medium fresh strawberries
sugar-free chocolate dip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs with butter. Press onto the bottom and 1-inch up sides of a 9-inch springform pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.

Wash and hull strawberries. Puree in a food processor; remove and set aside. In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand for 1 minute. Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Transfer to the food processor; add cream cheese, cottage cheese and Splenda. Cover and shoes until smooth. Add strawberry puree, cover and process until blended. Transfer to a large bowl and fold in two cups of the whipped topping. Pour into crust. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours until set.

To garnish: Wash the 13 strawberries and pat dry with paper towels. Dry completely. Cut tops off berries. Dip each berry in chocolate dip until about half the berry is coated. Allow excess to drip off. Place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet with the tips pointing up. Refrigerate at least 1/2 hour.

Very carefully run a knife around the sides of pan to loosen cake. Remove sides of pan. Arrange berries with the chocolate tips up around top edges of cake saving one for the center. Place a fancy mound of remaining whipped topping between berries. Place one large dollop of whipped topping in center of cake and place remaining berry there. It is pretty to leave green on the last berry and lay it on its side in the whipped topping. Refrigerate any leftovers!

Enjoy!

For more of Linda’s recipes and diabetic information go to diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com