By Elsie Gilbert
When we think of wedding flowers we often think of the bride’s bouquet, but flowers can be wonderful accessories in almost any surroundings. Using wedding flowers as decorations is popular, particularly for a summer wedding. Wedding flowers also provide a wonderful fresh scent that will last throughout the day.
Wedding Flowers and The Ceremony
The main role for wedding flowers, during the ceremony, is as part of the bridal party bouquets. However, look a little further and you will see a whole host of opportunities for you wedding flowers.
Why not use a bow of material with one pretty flower in the center, on the back of every chair. Simple yet effective. Wedding flowers can also be used as part of the ceremony venue decorations. It may be possible, for example, to line the aisle with flowers or to ask a bridesmaid to scatter petals on the path, in front of the bride.
Wedding Flowers and the Reception
Wedding flowers are not traditionally part of the reception decorations. But, there is no reason why flowers cannot be a fundamental part of your decorative design. Flowers can be used as center pieces on the tables, they can even be used as a fun way of telling people at which table they should be sitting. For example, you could have a rose table, a lily table and a violet table.
Instead of favors, it could be a great idea to use wedding flowers such as a single rose as gift for every woman. Wedding flowers can also be used to decorate the venue itself, for example, as part of the room decorations - a fresh and vibrant alternative to balloons!
Wedding Flowers as Gifts
It is traditional to give gifts to those who have helped with the wedding arrangements, such as the mother of the bride, bridesmaids and mother of the groom. Why not combine any other gift you have chosen with some wedding flowers. As you will be ordering in bulk, the cost of a few bouquets will be much less than you originally thought, so ask your florist what they can do for you.
Wedding flowers are often thrown away at the end of the day; try to think ahead as to what you can do with all the displays that you have purchased, after the event. As most couples head straight off on honeymoon, they are unlikely to be able to make the most of the wedding flowers, so have some friends in mind that may appreciate the displays.
If you want to preserve your wedding flowers, why not get them dried or pressed flowers? Alternatively, you could consider planting the flowers or even having more long-living specimens such as decorative cacti.
When it comes to wedding flowers, there truly is no limit to your imagination!
Elsie Gilbert offers great insights to all different types of wedding ceremonies, wedding styles, wedding accessories. From traditional to the exotic she makes it easy for the bride and groom to review and choose. For more details on all types of wedding ideas visit this site now http://www.weddingceremonyhelp.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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June is the most popular wedding season. Have you got ready for the creative wedding gifts and favors to surprise the bride and broom. I have come across a couple of nice sites about wedding cakes. It lists comical cake toppers, unique cake toppers, traditional cake toppers and theme cake toppers. You can search it by product type, price, theme, design, color. Have a look and you may find it quite useful.
http://weddingfavors.weddingdesigner.com/search?category=cake_toppers
April 25, 2007 Medical News Today reported April 23 that a study tracking 17,647 women ages 45 and up over an eight-year span found that 457 developed breast cancer. The authors determined that women who consumed between 22 and 27 alcoholic drinks weekly was 2.3 times more likely to get breast cancer than those who consumed just 1 to 3 drinks weekly. For each alcoholic drink consumed in a week, breast cancer risk rose 2 percent, according to author Lina Mørch of Denmark's Center for Alcohol Research and colleagues. Women who were weekly binge drinkers increased their risk by 55 percent compared to those who only had one drink. "For alcohol consumption above the intake most frequently reported, the risk of breast cancer is increased. The risk is minor for moderate levels but increases for each additional drink consumed during the week," the authors wrote. "Weekend consumption and binge drinking imply an additional increase in breast cancer risk." Source from: http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2007/study-relates-alcohol.html
Women's breast-cancer risk rises in relation to how much alcohol they consume, according to a new study from Denmark.
ScienceDaily (Dec. 20, 2007) — Provided they stick to the same guidelines about alcohol consumption as younger adults, regular moderate drinking poses no additional risks to the over 65s, and may even bring health benefits, according to two studies from the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England.
Researchers assessed the drinking levels of over 13,000 older people in and the and looked at the effects on physical disability, mortality, cognitive function, depression, and well-being. They concluded that moderate drinking is fine for the over 65s -- and in some cases is better than not drinking at all.
This will be good news to the elderly who want to get into the festive spirit, and who until now have lived by the commonly held belief that they have to reduce their alcohol consumption as they get older.
"We are not advocating that elderly people should go out and get ridiculously drunk," said Dr. Iain Lang, lead author of the two studies from the
Research showed that 10.8 per cent of US men, 28.6 per cent of UK men, 2.9 per cent of US women and 10.3 per cent of UK women drank more than the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommended limit for people aged 65 and over.
The research also showed that those drinking on average more than one to two drinks a day achieved similar health results as those drinking on average more than zero to one drink a day. The worst results were in those who did not drink at all and in those who were heavy drinkers.
The shape of the relationship between alcohol consumption and the risk of disability were similar in men and women.
Said Dr. Lang: "The upshot of this research is that 'a little of what you fancy does you good.' There is no reason why older people should not enjoy a tipple this Christmas, as long as they are sensible about it. Previous research has shown that middle-aged people can benefit from moderate drinking -- these findings show the same applies to the over-65s."
Source from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071218101205.htm
Some people should not drink at all, including alcoholics, children, pregnant women, people on certain medicines and people with some medical conditions. If you have questions about whether it is safe for you to drink, speak with your healthcare provider.
Anything more than moderate drinking can be risky. Binge drinking - drinking five or more drinks at one time - can damage your health and increase your risk for accidents, injuries and assault. Years of heavy drinking can lead to liver disease, heart disease, cancer and pancreatitis. It can also cause problems at home, at work and with friends.
Source from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alcoholconsumption.html
The three tier system means that producers of alcohol cannot own either wholesale operations or retail operations. Similarly, wholesalers cannot own producers or retailers, nor can retailers own wholesalers or producers. This separation into three completely different groups ensures that the economic and political interests of producers, distributors and retailers are fundamentally different and are often in conflict with each other.
Producers of alcohol beverages consist of brewers, vintners and distillers. Brewers produce beer, ale and other malt beverages. Vintners produce wine and distillers make distilled spirits products such as rum, whiskey, tequila, gin and liqueurs.
A standard beer, glass of wine or drink of a distilled beverage each contain equivalent amounts of alcohol. To a breathalyzer they're identical.
In spite of their alcohol equivalence, the three product categories tend to be viewed and treated very differently in society. For example, laws often treat them unequally, they are taxed at very different rates, and some people oppose the advertising of liquor on TV while finding the advertising of beer and wine to be completely normal and acceptable.
Such differences in treatment mean that producers of the three beverage categories tend to have very unique problems and opposing interests. As a result they are often in conflict with each other.
But there are also conflicting interests within each segment of producers. For example, small vintners, because of their low production outputs, find it difficult to market their products through wholesalers. Therefore, they depend heavily upon direct mail order sales to customers around the country. However, larger vintners experience no problems marketing through wholesalers and oppose the competition posed by direct mail-order sales. Similar conflicts of interest occur among brewers and among distillers.
Producers are further broken into divisions along the lines of foreign vs. domestic distillers, California wine producers vs. New York State and other American producers, large brewers vs. micro brewers, and so on. These divisions are reflected in the nature of trade groups. For example, the Wine Institute represents only California vintners; those in other states or regions have their own trade groups. Thus, American vintners don't speak with one voice. The same is true of both brewers and disillers.
After national prohibition was repealed, a number of states became "control states," in which the government owns all alcohol-beverage wholesaling operations and the employees are state workers. The interests of control state operations are different in many ways from those of privately-owned operations. Within free enterprise states, wholesalers may experience competition, heavy regulation and other concerns not experienced by government employees. The fact that wholesalers often specialize further reduces the possibility of significant mutual self-interest among wholesalers. And the interests of wholesalers tend to differ from those of producers on the one hand and of retailers on the other. This is reflected in the frequent political and llegal battles that occur between distributors and both producers and retailers
The retail segment is highly segmented. It includes restaurants, taverns, grocery stores, liquor stores, wine shops, filling stations, "quick stops," and in control states, Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) retail stores. The latter are not to be confused with proprietary stores of the same name operating in some free enterprise states.
"Dram shops," or retailers who can sell alcohol beverages by the serving differ from package stores that can only sell unopened containers of alcohol beverages.The problems and interests of these sales categories differ dramatically and the two tend to have little in common.
In some states grocery stores can sell beer but not wine while spirits can only be purchased at liquor stores that can also sell wine. In some states grocery stores can sell both beer and wine but spirits can only be purchased at hard-to-find ABC stores that cannot sell either beer or wine.The often stark and drab ABC stores sometimes resemble state stores in Communist countries that operate with no competition. Not surprisingly, the problems and interests of the various retailers differ dramatically.
That which benefits producers or wholesalers may not benefit retailers. Or what harms package stores may not harm dram shops. What benefits grocery stores that sell wine many harm wine shops. And what harms a mom-and-pop tavern may benefit a chain restaurant that offers alcohol beferages. For some retailers, selling alcohol beverages is their only business, while for most, such as restaurants, it is only a fraction of their business income and interest.
Clearly alcohol retailers are a highly diverse category that doesn't, indeed can't, operate with a single voice or united front.
The three-tier system insures that there is no "The Alcohol Industry," but rather a conglomeration of fragmented and competing alcohol mini-industries that is unable to speak with one voice or act together.
In spite of this clear fact, anti-alcohol activists often incorrectly refer to The Alcohol Industry, Big Alcohol, or The Booze Merchants.This may well serve to inflame emotions, but it's factually incorrect and misleading. Those who use these terms would appear to be either uninformed or attempting to deceive the public.
Now that beer is once again the alcohol of choice for Americans, with 41 percent claiming it as their preferred drink, according to a recent Gallup Poll, it's worth asking, are we making a mistake? After all, beer was a close second last year to wine, and wine has gotten a lot of good press lately. Should we be chugging less and sipping more? Which one is really better for youwine or beer?
It's well known that moderate levels of alcohol have heart-healthy benefitsany kind of alcohol. The key word, though, is moderate, whether it's beer, wine, or the hard stuff. Recommended levels of alcohol raise "good" (HDL) cholesterol and help decrease blood clots, which cause heart attacks and strokes. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that men have less than two drinks a day and women no more than one drinkand we don't mean a Paris Hilton-sized "one margarita." According to the AHA, "one drink" means 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, 1.5 ounces of 80-proof hard liquor, or 1 ounce of 100-proof liquor. (For more on alcohol and your health, read Steve Edwards' "The 5 Best and the 5 Worst Cocktails.")
And by the way, if you're a teetotaler, it's probably not wise to take up drinking in hopes of benefiting from alcohol, especially if you suffer from liver disease, gastritis, or high blood pressure. As the AHA cautions, it's safer to keep avoiding alcohol than risk becoming dependent on it. (Try reducing stress or relaxing with yoga instead—good for drinkers, too!) But if you drink and you can stick to the recommended levels, here are some things you might want to consider the next time you're deciding between that bottle of vino or a six-pack of brewskies.
Currently in second place with 33 percent of alcohol-imbibing Americans claiming it as their favorite drink, wine was known in ancient times as the nectar of the gods. Over the past 10 years, its popularity has steadily increased, peaking last year at 39 percent, and knocking the longtime champ, beer, out of the top spot. Some credit the movie Sideways for that boost in popularity, while others (beer drinkers, naturally) say it was a fluke or a statistical error. No matter. If you're a wine lover, you have much to be proud of, like these impressive findings, for starters:
Wine drinkers have lower cancer rates. This may be because of something called resveratrol, a substance found in the skin of grapes (and to a lesser degree in peanuts and blueberries). It's been touted as the answer to the so-called French Paradoxor why the wine-drinking French have low rates of heart disease though their diet is high in saturated fat and cholesterol (from those rich cheeses and sauces and pork). Resveratrol has been shown to help slow the formation and growth of cancer, though researchers say more studies are needed to confirm this. It's only found in red wine, though, not white, since white wine is fermented without the skin.
Wine drinkers eat better. A more recent study (2006)again from Denmarkfound that wine drinkers make healthier food choices than beer drinkers. For six months, researchers tracked the sales of wine and beer drinkers in 98 supermarkets. Wine shoppers tended to choose healthy items such as fruits, vegetables, olives, and low-fat cheeses, as opposed to the fattening chips, cold cuts, soda pop, and sausages that beer buyers selected. These findings are significant, since most of the information on alcohol consumption to date has come from surveys, in which people tend to overstate how healthy their diets are and understate how much they drink. This study is believed to be more accurate, as it shows the actual dietary choices of drinkers.Another interesting finding is that wine buyers spent more than beer buyers, though people who bought both wine and beer spent most of all. Researchers also noted that wine drinkers tend to be better educated and wealthier than beer drinkers, which also results in better health.
So if we can extend our life span and decrease our risk of getting cancer by drinking wine, why do more Americans drink beer?
It's cheaper and more accessible than wine. Also, the beer industry does a great job of marketing its product. All you have to do is tune into a sports telecast, especially a football game, to see the ubiquitous beer commercials. That may explain why twice as many men as women drink domestic beer. Three companies dominate the U.S. beer market, selling 81 percent of all domestic beer: Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Coors. American-made beer, by the way, includes chemicals to prolong its shelf life (otherwise, it lasts about six months), high-fructose corn syrup, and other ingredients that make it less healthy than many imports. But how does beer compare to wine regarding health benefits?
Beer is more nutritious than wine. Unfiltered beer contains nearly all the B vitamins, several minerals, and as many antioxidants as wine (though different ones, since wine comes from grapes and beer is made with grains, mainly barley and hops). And though beer has only a small percentage of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins, it contains significant amounts of trace metals and minerals. Both wine and beer are made with yeast, but the yeast is filtered out of wine. Not so with the many varieties of unfiltered beer on the marketthe vitamins in the yeast are preserved. (Look for "genuine draft beers," also known as "ice" beers. They have to be kept refrigerated to preserve their flavor. Unfiltered beer also includes many "craft" beers, which are nearly all malt as opposed to best-selling American beers that are made with 30 to 40 percent rice or corn, and sugar.)
Beer drinkers have low-cal alternatives. Light beer is the best-selling of all the beer segments, with four of the top five leading brews consumed in the U.S.: Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light, Natural Light. Light beer didn't even exist 30 years ago, so its triumph in the beer market is a testament to the beer industry's willingness to cater to health- and weight-conscious consumers. And though purists and beer connoisseurs may scoff at its "watered down" taste, light beer is a good choice if you're watching your waistline.The winner?
The evidence points to red wine. It's true, as some beer fans complain, that wine gets all the good press. Beer, on the other hand, is linked to binge drinking and unhealthy habits. (Drinking alcohol in excess reverses its good benefits and could even lead to addiction or liver disease.) It's also true that wine drinkers tend to have healthier lifestyles. In the U.S. in 1999, beer accounted for four-fifths (81 percent) of all the alcohol consumed in hazardous amounts (five or more drinks per day), compared to wine (4 percent). These stats may have something to do with all those beer commercials that associate drinking beer with being sexy, fun, and socially acceptable. For every "responsibility" and "awareness" ad that the beer industry aired in 2002, there were 226 alcohol product ads. No wonder beer is this nation's most popular drink and the alcoholic beverage of choice for underage drinkers.
I have to admitI prefer beer, Guinness Stout in particular. And though red wine does appear to have the edge insofar as it has the most health benefits, since either wine or beer is fine in moderation, we beer drinkers can hang on to our frosty mugs and leave the elegant stemware to the wine drinkers. (Beer drinkers do have to be extra conscious of the snacks we choose, though, and take a few tips from the wine crowd, replacing fattening chips and dips and greasy pizzas with healthier fare, like whole grain crackers with low-fat cheese or veggie platters with low-fat dips.) Whichever you choose, remember this:
Most red wines have slightly more calories than white wines, though sweet dessert wines have the most calories of all.If it's calories you want to know about, here's a breakdown for recommended levels of beer, wine, and spirits:
ALCOHOL |
CALORIES |
| Beer (12 oz.) | |
| Light | 96–110 |
| Regular | 145–155 |
| Nonalcoholic beer | 150 |
| Dark (Beck's, Guinness Extra Stout) | 146–153 |
| Dark (Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada) | 195–210 |
| White wine (4 oz.) | |
| Sauvignon blanc | 80 |
| Chablis | 85 |
| Chardonnay | 90 |
| Red wine (4 oz.) | |
| White zinfandel | 80 |
| Rose | 95 |
| Red zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon | 90 |
| Bordeaux, burgundy, Beaujolais, merlot, claret | 95 |
| Chianti | 100 |
| Sangria | 115 |
| Sweet dessert wine (4 oz.) | |
| Riesling | 90 |
| Sauterne (white) | 115 |
| Sherry (dry) | 140 |
| Sherry (regular) | 160 |
| Port (white) | 170 |
| Port (ruby) | 185 |
| Madeira | 168 |
| Champagne (4 oz.) | |
| Pink | 100 |
| Dry | 105 |
| Distilled spirits (1.5 oz. shot) | |
| 80-proof liquor (most vodkas, rums, tequilas, gins, blended whiskeys, etc.) | 100 |
| 100-proof liquor | 124 |
Source from: http://www.focused-on-fitness.com/health/wine-vs-beer.php
Dr. William DeJong, Director of the federally funded Higher Education Center for Alcohol and other Drug Prevention clearly emphasizes what wrong with the alcohol industry. He explains that by using the term “the alcohol industry” activists are “trying to tap into the public’s general suspicion of profit-making big business. Harking back to the trust busting days of the early 1900’s, some advocates have even started throwing around the epithet “Big Alcohol.”
Director DeJong points out some of the problems caused by using such terms. “First, using these catchall terms obscures important differences between producers, distributors, and vendors.” It also masks important differences between beer, wine and distilled spirits producers, who are frequently at odds over public policy and other matters. The following graphic illustrates part of the problem.
Additionally, there are other important differences between the interests of large and small producers, importers and non-importers, California vintners and New York State vintners, large retailers and mom-and-pop retailers, bars and restaurants serving alcohol, alcohol operations in monopoly and non-monopoly states, and on and on.
The so-called alcohol industry is highly fragmented, has many conflicting interests, and is unable to speak with one voice. There’s really no such thing as “the alcohol industry” or “Big Alcohol.” Using these terms may be useful for stirring up emotions but is highly inaccurate...even deceptive.
Dr. DeJong also emphasizes that use of such terms deligitimizes and discourages efforts to find common ground between alcohol abuse prevention professionals and those who produce, distribute or retail alcoholic beverages. He points out that there are many successful collaborations, such as responsible beverage service programs and voluntary agreements promoting responsible alcohol consumption by a variety of means. These are win-win collaborations and the public benefits.
Unfortunately, many well-meaning activists strongly oppose any collaboration with what they see as the enemy. They believe that alcohol beverages are bad and that those who produce, distribute and retail them are bad. So they cut off their nose to spite their face. In reality, producers, distributors and retailers have for many decades demonstrated a strong and continuing commitment to reducing alcohol problems.
For example, the Century Council, representing American distillers, has for well over ten years been spending about a million dollars ($1,000,000) per month to reduce underage drinking and intoxicated driving. Additionally, vintners, brewers, distributors, and retailers are all involved in a wide variety of programs they fund to reduce alcohol problems.
That’s what’s wrong with “the alcohol industry.”
Source from: http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/controversies/1088618303.html
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UK producer inflation reached its highest rate in nearly 17 years in March, driven partly by Budget hikes in taxation of tobacco and alcohol. Annual output price inflation was 6.2%, the highest annual rate since May 1991, and up from 5.9% in February, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS). And prices paid by firms for raw materials rose 20.6% in the past year. The data comes after the Bank of England cut interest rates to 5% from 5.25% and may cool calls for more cuts. 'Balancing act' The Bank now has to juggle a slowing economy against warming price pressures. "The figures serve to underscore the difficult balancing act the Bank of England faces at the moment," said George Johns, an economist at Barclays Capital. The Bank of England's target is to keep UK consumer inflation within one percentage point either side of 2%. Figures released in March showed UK consumer inflation reached its highest level in nine months in February, of 2.5%, due to a new method for calculating energy bills. "Ongoing elevated producer price inflation in March highlights the fact that the Bank of England cannot afford to relax on the inflation front and suggests that the Bank continues to have limited scope to cut interest rates - for now," said economist Howard Archer at the Global Insight consultancy. 'Budget related' Referring to the ONS producer figures analyst David Page at Investec said: "They're pretty ugly." "The output price number is the biggest surprise," he added. "Admittedly some of that is Budget related but it still shows meaningful pressure coming through that is going to feed into the consumer price index over the coming months and clearly vindicates some of the concerns the Bank of England has about the inflation outlook." The ONS said that if passed on in full, the changes in excise duty on tobacco and alcohol announced in the Budget would have increased the output index by 0.3% in March. The output price index excluding food, beverages, tobacco and petroleum rose 3.1% in the year to March. The rise in the input index between February and March mainly reflected a rise in the price of crude oil, said the ONS. |
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Source from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7346037.stm
