Contributors’ Corner

Over the course of a lifetime, a woman’s body undergoes continuous and pre-programmed changes. The symptoms coupled with menopause are likely among the most drastic of such changes. This natural process is usually expected to begin in females of age 45 to 55, and women experiencing these changes after or before this age range experience a ‘late’ or ‘early’ menopause respectively.

The most significant physiological change is the termination of the female’s menstrual cycle and the cessation of her fertility. With the shutting down of the ovaries, a women’s delicate hormonal balance is disturbed and almost all of her regulatory systems are affected.

Among the most interesting researches undertaken within the past decade are a series of studies aimed to determine the correlation between the infection of humans by a common parasite, with their reproductive behavior and life style. These parasitic micro-organisms are called “Toxoplasma gondii” and are among the most common human parasites with infection levels reported as high as 40-60% of the population worldwide.

Various mammals and birds function as intermediate hosts, responsible for transferring this parasite to its final hosting organisms, namely cats. Here on, the cats’ intestines serve as an essential nurturing environment, required for T. gondii to reproduce sexually and complete their life cycle.

It is common for cosmetic surgeries to place a considerable financial burden on patients, yet in the case of a Limb Lengthening procedure, the patients must sacrifice much more than the contents of their bank accounts. Envision undergoing an expensive and significantly dangerous operation, followed by a long and gruelling recovery, just so you can become a few inches taller. The logics behind a decision to voluntarily undergo such an operation are hard to comprehend; yet statistics show that cosmetic Limb Lengthening procedures are becoming increasingly popular.

The procedure’s success to correct small differences between limbs has been disputed over the recent years as thousands of surgeries have lengthened and straightened deformed bone segments, and replaced missing bone on both children and adults. Yet, ambiguity among the medical community remains regarding its effectiveness and suitability for sole cosmetic purposes. Many doctors believe that people’s concerns with their heights need to be addressed and treated psychologically and the controversial operation is simply unproductive as a treatment option.   

By: Amir Yashar Tashakor

The increasingly importance of the Mammography in early detection of Breast cancer can be inferred by The Canadian Cancer Society’s new advertisement campaigns, aimed at educating Canadians, especially middle aged women, of the crucial role Mammograms and similar procedures play in early tumour detection. In fact no other imaging technique has been nearly as successful in providing physicians with X-ray imagery of the breast, containing suspiciously overactive cell division or spots of calcium granulation, both of which may be characteristics of a malignant tumour. Although the procedure has been used for over thirty years, its recent standardization has added to its convenience and popularity. Patients’ entering a Mammography should not expect any surprises. A machine holds the breast in place [while the patient is seated] in order to prevent blurs in the image produced.

By: ROBERT WALDMAN, Vancouver

Sit back and enjoy the ride as first time film director Eric Brevig takes us on an unbelievable trip in Journey to the Center of the Earth. Fun all the awaits onlookers at this treat from Alliance Films now thrilling folks at Scotiabank Theatre, Esplanade 6, Colossus, Empire Studio 12 and Famous Players Silver City cites around B.C.

By:  Kian Ghanei, Vancouver

It's always a good thing when an investment pays off. That's why you invest, after all - to win - not to lose. But when you win on an investment, there is almost always a price to pay in the form of taxes.

By ROBERT WALDMAN, Vancouver

Certain actors seem born for a role. Back in the 1960s Sean Connery was saving the world as James Bond, agent 007. Move on to the 70s and we had Clint Eastwood cleaning up those grimy San Francisco streets as Dirty Harry. Sky high fun occurred whenever Christopher Reeves took flight as a superman while closer to home Sylvester Stallone did what John Rambo had to do to wreck havoc on American enemies in South East Asia.   Modern heroes like Indiana Jones and Spider-Man made household names internationally of Harrison Ford and Tobey Maguire. Now we must add Robert Downey Jr to this list of pop icons thanks to his latest work.        

By Kian Ghanei , Vancouver

Kick a small ball of snow into motion from the top of a hill and by the time it gets to the bottom, it will be HUGE. That’s the snowball effect – and you can get the same growth effect in your investments thanks to the ‘magic’ of compounding.

By ROBERT WALDMAN, Vancouver

Words of wisdom are hard to convey when we enter the murky world of the mixed-up/messed-up Wetherhold family. Life on campus takes a back seat to family upheaval as we track an otherwise normal group in Smart People, a savvy undertaking from Miramax Films now setting off debates at Tinseltown (on Pender, free parking). the Fifth Avenue Theatre, Esplanade 6, Empire Studio 12, Colossus and Famous Players Theatres around B.C.. Sure to spark interest come Oscar time this oddball feature marks some notable musings from it’s A list cast of actors.

By:  Kian Ghanei, Vancouver

Don’t pay more taxes than absolutely necessary by taking advantage of all the federal tax credits available to you -- including a number of tax relief measures introduced recently that you should know about.

·         Basic personal tax credit – raised to $9,600.

·         Spousal/equivalent-to-spouse credit – for support of an eligible partner whose net income was less than $9,600.

·         Eligible dependent credit – for support of an eligible dependant whose net income was less than $9,600.