Study: Quitting smoking makes you happier |
- Study: Quitting smoking makes you happier
- England weighing up Januzaj case
- Even in death, Paul Walker infiltrates urban jungle in ‘Brick Mansions’
- Cartier inspired by panther for new eau de parfum (VIDEO)
- Students launch fresh protests in Venezuela
- ‘Now 49’ compilation knocks ‘Frozen’ from Billboard 200 top spot
| Study: Quitting smoking makes you happier Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:10 PM PST
British researchers examined 26 published investigations into the mental health of smokers. They looked at standardised scorecards for symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and quality of life, derived from questionnaires completed by volunteers. The smokers were 44 years old on average and smoked between 10 and 40 cigarettes a day. They were questioned before they tried to give up smoking and again after their attempt ― an average of six months later. Those who succeeded in quitting reported reduced depression, anxiety and stress and had a more positive outlook on life compared with those who continued smoking. “The effect sizes are equal or larger than those of anti-depressant treatment for mood and anxiety disorders,†said the study, published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Quitters who had been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders enjoyed a similar improvement. Lead investigator Gemma Taylor of the University of Birmingham’s School of Health and Population Sciences said she hoped the findings would dispel a widespread misconception about smoking. “It's a common myth that smoking actually is good for your mental health ― ‘smoking relieves stress,’ ’smoking helps you relax,’ ‘smoking helps you enjoy things’ ― and that common myth is really hard to overcome,†Taylor told AFP in a phone interview. But actually, the study showed that “when you stop smoking and you break the nicotine withdrawal cycle, your mental health improves.†Taylor pointed to a mainstream theory in tobacco addiction research: that a smoker’s psychological state fluctuates throughout the day as a result of exposure to nicotine. The sense of calm or wellbeing from a cigarette is followed immediately afterwards by classic withdrawal signs of a depressed mood, anxiety or agitation. Smokers, though, tend to misattribute these symptoms and blame them on stress or other factors. And because nicotine has a calming effect, they perceive that cigarettes improve their mental health. Smoking is already blamed for a wide range of physical diseases and disorders, ranging from cancer, blindness and cardiac problems to diabetes, gum disease and impotence. The UN’s World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated last July that tobacco kills almost six million people each year, a toll that will rise to eight million annually in 2030. About four out of every five deaths will occur in low- and middle-income nations, it said. Despite a decline in smoking prevalence in some nations, in overall terms the number of people smoking today is greater than in 1980, due to population growth, according to a paper published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association. ― AFP  |
| England weighing up Januzaj case Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:07 PM PST
Hodgson first expressed an interest in Januzaj last October after he scored two goals in a 2-1 win at Sunderland and the 19-year-old has continued to impress despite United’s on-pitch struggles. Januzaj is of Kosovan descent and also qualifies to play for countries including Belgium, Albania and Turkey, but he is uncapped at youth level and has yet to pledge his allegiance to any particular nation. He could one day qualify to play for England on residency grounds and an FA spokesman has confirmed that England are liasing with world governing body FIFA over the issue of Januzaj’s eligibility. “All I can say on the subject is that I think it’s a matter for the FA board,†Hodgson told journalists during a briefing at Wembley Stadium. “I think there’s no question of that, because it does raise a lot of issues within football. “It’s quite simple: my answer at the moment is that, until such time as the FA board have got it very, very clear in their mind what their policy’s going to be -- is it going to be quite simply following FIFA dictates, is it going to be slightly different in some way? -- all I can do is wait and see. “But the one thing you’ve got to understand with Januzaj, whichever way England decide to go, with the way the rules are at the moment, there’s no way he can play for England for the next few years.†Speaking three weeks before England’s next friendly, at home to Denmark, Hodgson also played down concerns that his players will be too fatigued at the end of the season to make an impact at the World Cup in Brazil. - Exhausted - The Premier League’s lack of a mid-season break has long been considered a factor in England’s recurrent failures at major international tournaments, but Hodgson says that English players are not the only ones affected. “They will be exhausted, they will be tired, and strangely enough, in the past we’ve lamented our season and the intensity of our league and how that puts us at a slight disadvantage,†he said. “Going through the players (in the Premier League) the other day, the fact that there are 23 Frenchmen playing regularly in the league and 15 Belgians and 14 Spaniards et cetera, we’re not going to be quite so much alone as we maybe once were.†Citing the example of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, who will play against England for Uruguay at the World Cup, Hodgson added: “Luis Suarez, he’s not going to be fresher at the end of a league season than Wayne Rooney.†Hodgson also paid tribute to goalkeeper Joe Hart, who has regained his first-team place at Manchester City after being rested towards the end of 2013 following a series of high-profile mistakes. “It was good, his response. It must have been very hard for him to lose his place in the team and (he received) a lot of criticism at the time,†Hodgson said. “I think he did very well when he got his chance again to grab it with both hands and turn in some good performances, so I’m very pleased for him. “I never doubted his ability to do it, but you’ve still got to do it, and he did.†â€" AFP |
| Even in death, Paul Walker infiltrates urban jungle in ‘Brick Mansions’ Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:06 PM PST
Real world parkour champ and “District B13†co-star David Belle returns, as does Besson in a scriptwriting capacity, though it’s Olivier Megaton’s film editor of choice, Camille Delamarre, who’s on directorial duties this time out. An all-star cop (Paul Walker, in one of his last roles before his death) and inner-city resident (Belle) are brought together when Tremaine, a big time drug pusher played by RZA, swoops to snatch Belle’s girlfriend and then holds the rest of the city hostage with a neutron bomb. Also featuring Robert Maillet (“Pacific Rimâ€, “Sherlock Holmesâ€) and Carlo Rota (“Little Mosque on the Prairieâ€), “Brick Mansions†has been confirmed for an April 23 debut in France and Belgium and an April 25 release in North America. â€" AFP Relaxnews |
| Cartier inspired by panther for new eau de parfum (VIDEO) Posted: 13 Feb 2014 04:59 PM PST
Created by Cartier nose Mathilde Laurent, “La Panthère†will be centred around gardenia, whose floral character will contrast with notes of musk and chypre. The bottle features an inner layer, within transparent glass, that reveals a cubist panther’s head. Erin Wasson has been chosen as the face of La Panthère, appearing in a campaign video shot by Sean Ellis and a print campaign by Peter Lindbergh. The eau de parfum will be available beginning March 15. Prices: €59 (RM269) for 30 ml, €84 (RM380) for 50ml and €105,50 (RM480) for 75ml. â€" AFP Relaxnews |
| Students launch fresh protests in Venezuela Posted: 13 Feb 2014 04:54 PM PST
Walking a few hundred metres to the west, where a young opposition protester died Wednesday, they complained of government violence and “oppression.†“Who are we? Students. What do we want? Freedom,†they shouted, attracting no notable police response in Altamira Plaza, a traditional meeting place for anti-government protesters in Caracas’s Chacao municipality. A day earlier, thousands protested against rampant crime, inflation and shortages of basic goods in the biggest challenge to President Nicolas Maduro since he took over from the late Hugo Chavez last year. The ensuing unrest prompted Maduro to warn of a coup attempt, and vow he would not be overthrown. His government had urged people to demonstrate in “anti-fascism†rallies, but only a handful of supporters turned up. ‘Not a coup’ Top opposition figure Henrique Capriles insisted a coup was out of the question. “Expressing yourself is not a coup d’etat,†said Capriles, who ran against Maduro in last year’s elections. “A civilian doesn’t commit a coup. “We will channel discontent, but I will not lie to you, the conditions are not right for the departure of the government,†he told reporters in condemning the clashes between anti- and pro-government protesters. Human Rights Watch urged Venezuelan authorities to “promptly and impartially†investigate the protest violence. “What Venezuela urgently needs is for these killings to be investigated and the killers brought to justice, no matter their political affiliation,†said the group’s Americas director Jose Miguel Vivanco. The government has ordered the arrest of senior opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez, a former mayor of one of Caracas’s five municipalities, according to El Universal newspaper. The paper published a photo showing the arrest warrant for Lopez, 42, who is accused of homicide and conspiracy. The victims of Wednesday’s violence were a pro-government demonstrator and two student opposition protesters. At least 80 people were detained, including a photographer and reporter covering the protest, the journalists union said. And Colombian news channel NTN24, which had been featuring the protests in depth, was abruptly pulled off air. Venezuelaâ€"with an institutionally socialist government dependent on oil revenues in a state-led systemâ€"sits atop the world’s largest proven reserves of crude. Yet its economy has been battered by inflation of more than 50 per cent a year. Venezuela has had economic problems go from bad to worse amid shortages of hard currency, while dwindling supplies of consumer goods have frustrated even some government supporters. The government blames “bourgeois†local business interests for trying to profit from its largely low- and middle-income political base. It has engaged in privatizations and unpopular currency controls. â€" AFP |
| ‘Now 49’ compilation knocks ‘Frozen’ from Billboard 200 top spot Posted: 13 Feb 2014 04:53 PM PST
“Now 49â€, a 21-track compilation that includes songs by Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears, sold 98,000 copies in its first week, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan. While “Now 49†knocked Disney’s “Frozen†film soundtrack down from the top spot to No 2, the record that features the Oscar-nominated song “Let It Go†is still racking up strong sales, with another 88,000 copies sold in its 11th week since release. “Let It Go†is No 6 on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart, which measures downloads. After singer Bruno Mars performed a high-octane set watched by a record-breaking 115.3 million viewers at the Super Bowl on February 2, his album “Unorthodox Jukebox†continued to benefit from the exposure by selling 81,000 copies and climbing four spots to No 3 this week. “Now 49†was one of four debuts in this week’s Top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart. R&B singers Toni Braxton and Babyface teamed up on “Love Marriage & Divorceâ€, which nailed No 4. Electro-rock group Broken Bells and their “After The Disco†came in at No 5, and British girl band Little Mix placed at No 6 with “Saluteâ€. Overall album sales for the week ending February 9 totalled 4.5 million units, down 22 per cent from the comparable week in 2013, Billboard said. â€" Reuters |
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