Zhu Zhu Pets - Hamster Is the Season’s Hottest Toy

The hottest toy this holiday season isn't Elmo, a ticklish red monster. It’s a fake hamster.

Known as Zhu Zhu Pets, the artificial rodents have some advantages over the real thing. They do not stink, chew electric wires, or run around their cages making noise at night. In fact, they do not need cages.

Children are delighted at how they coo and scoot about unpredictably. Parents are delighted not to have to clean up after them. And at $7.99 each, the hamsters are recession-friendly.

The trouble is, Zhu Zhu Pets are so popular that stores cannot keep them in stock. The critters are routinely sold out at the likes of Toys “R” Us, Wal-Mart and Target, though more will hit the shelves the day after Thanksgiving, when deal-seekers wake up early to shop for bargains. In the meantime, the hamsters are being sold at a premium on the Internet.

“Beware of the price-gouging on Amazon and eBay, which we don’t condone,” said Natalie Hornsby, director of marketing for Cepia, the St. Louis company that created Zhu Zhu Pets.

The five different battery-operated hamsters — Chunk, PipSqueak, Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums and Patches — are mainly coveted by girls, according to toy industry professionals. This possibly makes sense; Jim Silver, editor in chief of TimetoPlayMag .com, pointed out that girls also own the majority of live hamsters.

Boys, it appears, are wild this year for Bakugan Battle Brawlers, a game that uses cards and action figures hidden inside small spheres. The goal is to be the first player to capture three of your opponent’s cards, known as Gate cards. (The name comes from the Japanese words “baku,” meaning “to explode,” and “gan,” meaning “sphere.”) Yet as popular as Bakugan is, the hamsters are upstaging that game and everything else in toy land this season.

“It clearly is the hottest phenomenon of the year,” said Gerald L. Storch, chairman and chief executive of Toys “R” Us. “There’s no doubt about that.”

After seeing a commercial in October for Zhu Zhu Pets, Tracey Henry of Safety Harbor, Fla., decided to buy one for her 6-year-old daughter, even though the girl wanted a real hamster for her birthday. Ms. Henry considered a fake hamster a better idea, so she went to Toys “R” Us.

“The shelves were empty,” she said, “and there were these signs that said, ‘Limit four Zhu Zhu Pets per day.’ ”

Ms. Henry, who writes the blog SuburbanDiva.com, returned home and began calling local toy stores and scouring the Web sites of Toys “R” Us, Wal-Mart and Target, with no luck. In the end, she bought a Zhu Zhu Pet on Amazon, marked up to $34.99.

“We got the yellow one,” Ms. Henry said. “We should rename it ‘greenback.’ ”

The nation’s stores, which have become familiar with these sorts of tales, are trying to round up enough hamsters for the holidays.

Toys “R” Us said this week that it would have tens of thousands of Zhu Zhu Pets in stock on the Friday after Thanksgiving. But consumers will have to drink coffee with their turkey if they want a hamster: Toys “R” Us stores will open on Thanksgiving at midnight, and the first 100 customers in line will receive a ticket for a Zhu Zhu Pet, with a limit of one for each household.

“Others may try to make a lot of noise out of a few hamsters,” Mr. Storch said, “but we have by far the most inventory and opportunity to find Zhu Zhu at any retailer.” (Next month, Toys “R” Us plans to offer an exclusive $100 Zhu Zhu Pets set that includes — brace yourself — two hamsters, an exercise wheel, a fun house, a car and garage, an adventure ball and a sleep dome.)

Melissa O’Brien, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart Stores, declined to comment on the chain’s Black Friday hamster plans, though she said the chain had more Zhu Zhu Pets on the way.

“At this time, we’re even air-shipping them in some markets,” she said. But she warned that when the hamsters do arrive, “a lot of them don’t spend the night in a store.”

Indeed, Cepia has found itself increasing hamster production and fielding phone calls from parents desperately seeking Zhu Zhu Pets, as well as their slightly pricier accessories, like a ramp with slide and a garage with car. There is even a surfboard.

Ms. Hornsby said the hamsters take their name from “zhu zhu,” or “little pig” in Chinese, which the folks at Cepia thought was fitting, given that hamsters are known for making messes.

Mr. Silver of TimetoPlayMag .com said a toy hamster had not been this hot for at least a decade, when Americans became enamored of one that danced to “Kung Fu Fighting.”

Cepia is relatively new. Founded in 2002, it has 16 employees in the United States and 25 in China. Ms. Hornsby, the marketing director, said Zhu Zhu Pets were the company’s breakthrough toy. “This is definitely our big fish,” she said, forgetting the hamster lingo for a moment. “Every day, we are humbled by what’s going on.”

The creators of Bakugan have more experience with this sort of craze. Bakugan, a Japanese import that some industry professionals have likened to the Pokémon phenomenon, was a hit last Christmas. The must-have addition to the toy line this year is Bakugan 7-in-1 Maxus Dragonoid, which, at $39.99, enables children to connect several game pieces to form one intimidating creature. Toys “R” Us has an exclusive 7-in-1 Bakugan, New Vestroia Maxus Helios, also for $34.99.

Harold Chizick, vice president of global communications and promotions for Spin Master, the creator of Bakugan, said the toys were all the rage because children liked collecting the cards and action figures just as much as battling. There is also a hit Bakugan Battle Brawlers anime television show that has fueled sales. “We have increased manufacturing and expedited shipment to be here for the holiday season,” Mr. Chizick said.

While it is the second Christmas for Bakugan, Mr. Silver of TimetoPlayMag.com noted that “when you have a hot item like this, usually Year 2 is bigger than Year 1.” That is primarily because the toy companies are able to ramp up to meet demand the second year.

Josh Green, chief executive of Panjiva, which tracks water-borne goods, said shipments of Zhu Zhu Pets to the United States skyrocketed for the three months ended in October.

But a warning to mischievous children everywhere: Mr. Green noted that shipments of coal were also up, by 6 percent, over last year.

The 10 Best '60s Batman TV Villains Who Should Make the Leap to Comic Books

Bat-fans in the '60s tuned into the Adam West Batman TV show for one reason: the awesome villain guest-stars. Sure, West was campy, Yvonne Craig's Batgirl was hot, and Stafford Repp's Chief O'Hara was painfully Irish, but none of them held a Bat-candle to the weekly parade of colorful celebrity kooks who showed up to do battle with the Dynamic Duo.

More here...

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2009/11/10_60s_batman_tv_villains_who_should_make_the_leap.php

Tom Petty: Rock God Or Mere Mortal?

Rock God Or Mere Mortal?
As Tom Petty prepares to release a career-spanning anthology next week, an attempt to determine where he falls in the music pantheon.

Tom Petty goes to work in a Van Nuys warehouse next to an auto shop and an upholsterer. His band the Heartbreakers rehearses there, still looking for ways to improve after more than 30 years together. On paper, Mr. Petty rivals other acts who have lasted for decades, such as Bruce Springsteen or Neil Young. He's sold some 60 million albums, is ubiquitous on classic rock stations and has collaborated with music legends from Bob Dylan to George Harrison. Last year, he played the Super Bowl and much of the nation knew every chorus.

But Mr. Petty is keenly aware that for some people, that's just not good enough.

"I don't know that anyone's out there waving the banner for us being the best rock and roll band there is," the singer says. "But we might be."

Where does Tom Petty fit in the rock pantheon? Musicians from Ike Turner to Aerosmith have been the subject of such debate, which rock fans conduct as if they're carving Mount Rushmores, in barroom arguments, Internet flame wars and even a Hall of Fame in Cleveland. But Mr. Petty is especially emblematic of the blurred—and highly subjective—line between skilled entertainer and timeless rock icon.

Mr. Petty's own take? While other bands are paid more lip service, he says, "we can really kick their ass, you know?"

Lately he's been examining the evidence. He spent more than a year combing the Heartbreakers' archive of concert recordings to compile his "dream gig." Exactly 169 takes of "American Girl" later, the band's "Live Anthology" box set will be released next week. Mr. Petty has looked back in other ways as he approaches his 60th birthday next year. In 2007 he reassembled Mudcrutch, the band that went belly up before the Heartbreakers formed in 1976. With Warner Bros., the singer also commissioned a retrospective film, resulting in a four-hour documentary that last year won a Grammy.

In Mr. Petty's legacy, there's much fodder for discussion.

On one hand, the laconic Florida native is a highly disciplined songsmith whose run of anthems spanned three decades, from "Breakdown" and "American Girl" in the late 1970s, to "Learning to Fly" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance" in the early 1990s. On the other hand, his commercial success was sniffed at by some critics, especially those enthralled with another earthy rocker who emerged a bit earlier: Springsteen. Mr. Petty's loyalty to the straight-ahead sound of his idols of the 1950s—Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis and other early rockers—may have deterred him from exploring experimental (and potentially fruitful) artistic territory.
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"History smiles on [Iggy Pop and] the Stooges, the Ramones, Elvis Costello"—edgy acts of Mr. Petty's generation who reset the boundaries of rock, says Robert Hilburn, a veteran critic and author of the recent book "Corn Flakes With John Lennon." By contrast, the Heartbreakers first two albums "were not trailblazing in any way." Mr. Hilburn says Mr. Petty reached his peak on later albums, and ranks "Damn the Torpedoes" (1979) and "Southern Accents" (1985) among the era's strongest, but at the time most critics were too busy "genuflecting over Springsteen."

Over the course of his career, Mr. Petty has racked up at least 26 Top-10 singles, many of which still serve as the default mode of classic rock stations. Still, his knack for radio-friendly hooks may have cost him points in the long run.

"It's an inverse snobbery," says filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, who directed "Runnin' Down a Dream," the recent Heartbreakers documentary. He adds, "Tom has had so many pop hits. For some reason in America that's considered not quite chic. Too many people like him."

Mr. Petty's not complaining. Like most performers, he avoids the "over-intellectualizing" of rock, the bandying of stats and rankings. But he's adamant about the respect he feels is owed to certain artists, including those in his own band, such as longtime lead guitarist Mike Campbell.
Listen

In the band's warehouse rehearsal space in Van Nuys, over the hills from Mr. Petty's home in Malibu, racks of guitars are sorted by make and model. The Heartbreakers call it their clubhouse. Sitting at a table, Mr. Petty drinks coffee and smokes Shepheard's Hotel cigarettes from Germany. He wears a vest over a striped Western shirt.

The singer is at ease discussing his career trajectory. It was around the Heartbreakers' 20th year in music that he noticed that fans and critics were more eager to talk about his old songs than his newest ones, and the past became more marketable than the future. While that did represent "a red wagon you have to drag around," he says, he also took it as the hallmark of a substantial career, one he describes with pride and bemused awe. Still, he believes that if he's underrated, it's partly because of his distaste for self-promotion.

"We were never really Boy Scouts, you know. My vision of a rock and roll band wasn't one that cuddled up to politicians, or went down the red carpet. That kind of thing you see so much of today. I felt like once that stuff starts happening your audience doesn't know whether to trust you or not."

This avoidance of the (offstage) spotlight might seem surprising for a singer whose face was one of the most familiar on MTV. His sly music videos, including the Alice In Wonderland-inspired clip for 1985's "Don't Come Around Here No More," helped the network break into the mainstream, and remained a staple of its programming into the 1990s when "we were so old it was silly." In retrospect, he says, making videos "was just about adapting and surviving."

It's one of Mr. Petty's many apparent contradictions. He was a darling of rock radio, but he has famously tangled with the industry. In 1979 he fought a legal battle with MCA to get out of his record contract, and a couple of years later he successfully opposed a price hike for his new album to $9.98, a then-unprecedented high. In that way, he's an industry outsider who has written some of the most inclusive songs in rock.

"He has more of an everyman quality than a lot of icons do. And that makes a music nerd like me think I could have a beer with him without feeling like I'm talking to some kind of deity," says television producer Bill Lawrence. His homage: In the ABC sitcom he co-created, "Cougar Town," about a fortysomething woman's misadventures in dating young men, every episode is named after a Petty song.

Mr. Petty set himself apart in other ways. While Dylan and the Stones have licensed their music to advertisers, Mr. Petty says, what for? "We don't really need the dough that bad." The singer has sought keep his concert tickets affordable. And unlike, say, Mr. Costello, who has collaborated with string quartets, Mr. Petty says he's satisfied with being a workaday auteur: "To write a good song is enough. That was the loftiest ambition I had: to write a song that would endure."

One secret to Mr. Petty's long populist streak: women. Mr. Petty has written from a female perspective on a surprising number of songs, ranging from "American Girl" to the more recent "Orphan of the Storm." Howard Kramer, curatorial director at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, says, "Every time I go to one of his shows, I marvel that his audience is one of the most diverse in rock and roll, in terms of gender and age. And that can't be said of most of his competitors."

What at first sounded like drudgery, Mr. Petty says, digging through 30 years of concert recordings for the coming "Live Anthology," turned into an "adventure." Engineer Ryan Ulyate made the first pass through the recordings in the Heartbreakers' vault, including some old analog tapes that first needed to be baked in an oven before playing to prevent disintegration. He assembled an iTunes library of some 3,500 songs, then pulled out hundreds of potential highlight tracks for Messrs. Campbell and Petty to assess. "It's amazing how the best take really shines compared to everything else," the singer says.

While the recordings prompt memory flashes from each era, Mr. Petty says, it's tough for him to recall specific concerts. One, however, stands out as perhaps "the worst gig" his band ever played, which somehow yielded the standout version of "I Won't Back Down." In 2007, at a benefit concert for the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Heartbreakers performed beneath the museum's giant blue whale. The posh audience ignored the band as they performed an acoustic set, capped with the defiant song which (to Mr. Petty's chagrin) has become a perennial fight song for campaigning politicians. Mr. Petty resented the indifference of the crowd of "billionaire kinds of people, many of whom you'd know," he recalls, acknowledging that this might have fired up the band. "At least I got a good track out of it," he says

By request, Mr. Petty pulled out noteworthy instruments as he ambled about the clubhouse. One, a dark brown acoustic bass guitar, he played during the sessions for Johnny Cash's 1996 album "Unchained." By the drum set was the candy-colored Rickenbacker he held on the "Damn the Torpedoes" cover. Strumming a Dove model Gibson, he showed how its slender neck allowed him to play for hours without tiring his hand. He's owned the guitar since he was 18 years old, and wrote almost all his biggest hits on it.

In his rehearsal space, Mr. Petty is surrounded by music legends. The walls are decorated with dozens of neatly clipped photos, featuring everyone from Jimi Hendrix to 1940s gospel-rocker Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Mr. Petty is a believer in the you-either-have-it-or-you-don't quality of music's enduring stars. On his radio show, "Tom Petty's Buried Treasure," now in its fifth year on Sirius XM Radio, he mixes Wilson Pickett, Slim Harpo and Jerry Lee Lewis with Steve Miller, Joe Cocker and Jakob Dylan's Wallflowers. On air, Mr. Petty goofs off with skits about a fictional petting zoo and sings the praises of lesser-known names, such as 82-year-old piano swinger Mose Allison. "I've never met him but I so admire his music. There's a purity," Mr. Petty says. "God, I'd love to attain that. It's hard to get it with pop music, so I've kind of turned my back on that."

As if to defy the critics, the Heartbreakers are at work on an album which is a departure for them, pursuing a style Mr. Petty says he probably didn't have the "maturity" to pull off in previous years. He describes it as a blues-based sound, with lots of open spaces and grooves inspired by those of J.J. Cale and Booker T. & the MGs. Fueling his excitement about the new material, the acknowledgment that he's no longer writing for radio. "Whether you wanted to admit it or not, that was always a factor," he says. "Letting that go, it's very freeing."

While the recordings prompt memory flashes from each era, Mr. Petty says, it's tough for him to recall specific concerts. One, however, stands out as perhaps "the worst gig" his band ever played, which somehow yielded the standout version of "I Won't Back Down." In 2007, at a benefit concert for the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Heartbreakers performed beneath the museum's giant blue whale. The posh audience ignored the band as they performed an acoustic set, capped with the defiant song which (to Mr. Petty's chagrin) has become a perennial fight song for campaigning politicians. Mr. Petty resented the indifference of the crowd of "billionaire kinds of people, many of whom you'd know," he recalls, acknowledging that this might have fired up the band. "At least I got a good track out of it," he says.

By request, Mr. Petty pulled out noteworthy instruments as he ambled about the clubhouse. One, a dark brown acoustic bass guitar, he played during the sessions for Johnny Cash's 1996 album "Unchained." By the drum set was the candy-colored Rickenbacker he held on the "Damn the Torpedoes" cover. Strumming a Dove model Gibson, he showed how its slender neck allowed him to play for hours without tiring his hand. He's owned the guitar since he was 18 years old, and wrote almost all his biggest hits on it.

In his rehearsal space, Mr. Petty is surrounded by music legends. The walls are decorated with dozens of neatly clipped photos, featuring everyone from Jimi Hendrix to 1940s gospel-rocker Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Mr. Petty is a believer in the you-either-have-it-or-you-don't quality of music's enduring stars. On his radio show, "Tom Petty's Buried Treasure," now in its fifth year on Sirius XM Radio, he mixes Wilson Pickett, Slim Harpo and Jerry Lee Lewis with Steve Miller, Joe Cocker and Jakob Dylan's Wallflowers. On air, Mr. Petty goofs off with skits about a fictional petting zoo and sings the praises of lesser-known names, such as 82-year-old piano swinger Mose Allison. "I've never met him but I so admire his music. There's a purity," Mr. Petty says. "God, I'd love to attain that. It's hard to get it with pop music, so I've kind of turned my back on that."

As if to defy the critics, the Heartbreakers are at work on an album which is a departure for them, pursuing a style Mr. Petty says he probably didn't have the "maturity" to pull off in previous years. He describes it as a blues-based sound, with lots of open spaces and grooves inspired by those of J.J. Cale and Booker T. & the MGs. Fueling his excitement about the new material, the acknowledgment that he's no longer writing for radio. "Whether you wanted to admit it or not, that was always a factor," he says. "Letting that go, it's very freeing."

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More About Music for Cognitive Function, Mood, Fighting Memory Loss

Petr Janata, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, Davis's Center for Mind and Brain, recently located an area of the brain—the medial prefrontal cortex, just behind the forehead—that seems to serve as a hub for music, memory and emotions.

In a study published online in the journal Cerebral Cortex in February, Dr. Janata had 13 UC Davis students listen to excerpts of 30 songs chosen randomly from "top 100" charts from years when they were 8 to 18 years old, while he recorded their brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI. Songs that were unfamiliar evoked reactions in the auditory processing parts of the students' brains; those that elicited emotional reactions stimulated other brain areas. When songs conjured up a specific personal memory, there was particularly strong activity in the medial prefrontal cortex. That's where what Dr. Janata calls "a mental movie" seems to play in the mind's eye, with music serving as its soundtrack.

And, it turns out, this same medial prefrontal cortex had been identified in earlier research as one of the last parts of the brain to atrophy as Alzheimer's disease progresses.

Dr. Janata hopes to study whether the same phenomenon occurs, in the same part of the brain, with older test subjects and eventually with Alzheimer's patients. He says that activating memories with music cannot reverse or cure neurological diseases like dementia. But playing familiar music frequently can significantly improve a patient's mood, alertness and quality of life.

Music therapy isn't used more widely with Alzheimer's and dementia patients largely because of a lack of manpower and money, experts say. There are only about 5,000 certified music therapists in the U.S., and fewer than 20% work with geriatric patients. That's why the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function is trying to bring music therapy into patients' homes.

Caregivers or family members can use records or tapes at home, or program their own iPods. The institute provides suggested songs by era and genre on its Web site, www.imnf.org. But those who don't have the time or technical skills can send an iPod to the institute after filling out a questionnaire about the patient's musical tastes, and the institute will program a customized iPod for them. (See the Web site for prices and package information.) The institute is also seeking donations of iPods that are no longer in use to load with music and send to Alzheimer's patients who can't afford their own.

What to Do: Old iPods

Your outdated or unused iPods or MP3 players could bring healing music to an Alzheimer's, stroke or pain patient. Send donations to the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at 612 Allerton Ave., Bronx, NY, 10467. They must be working and still able to hold a charge.

Dr. Tomaino advises caregivers to listen as long as the patient seems interested. A patient may want to listen alone through headphones or through speakers so that a friend or family member can listen along. "Then they can reminisce together about what the music reminds them of or just hold hands to be more connected," she says. She also suggests involving the whole family in interacting with the music. "The kids can drum along while Grandpa listens to Big Band sounds," she says.

One possible downside: Dr. Tomaino says sometimes a song can evoke unhappy memories, such as the death of a loved one or a relationship gone bad. She recalls a Holocaust survivor at Beth Abraham who became very upset upon hearing a Wagner opera.

"If family members don't know what music would be appropriate, think in generalizations," she says. "If a parent loved to go dancing in their teens, picking the most popular songs from that era tends to be pretty safe." Music from a person's teenage years seems to be especially evocative of memories, for reasons not well understood.

Music Therapy: A Key For Unlocking Memories

One of the raps on iPods is that users tend to close themselves off from other people and retreat into their own private world. But with stroke and dementia patients, iPods and other MP3 players are having just the opposite effect, stimulating the medial prefrontal cortex, just behind the forehead—that seems to serve as a hub for music, memory and emotions according to the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function.

http://www.bethabe.org/Music_Therapy213.html

Listening to rap and reggae on a borrowed iPod every day has helped Everett Dixon, a 28-year-old stroke victim at Beth Abraham Health Services in Bronx, N.Y., learn to walk and use his hands again.

Trevor Gibbons, 52, who fell out of a fourth-floor construction site and suffered a crushed larynx, has become so entranced with music that he's written 400 songs and cut four CDs.

Ann Povodator, an 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient in Boynton Beach, Fla., listens to her beloved opera and Yiddish songs every day on an iPod with her home health aide or her daughter when she comes to visit. "We listen for at least a half-hour, and we talk afterwards," says her daughter, Marilyn Povodator. "It seems to touch something deep within her."

Illustration - Edel Rodriguez

Caregivers have observed for decades that Alzheimer's patients can still remember and sing songs long after they've stopped recognizing names and faces. Many hospitals and nursing homes use music as recreation, since it brings patients pleasure. But beyond the entertainment value, there's growing evidence that listening to music can also help stimulate seemingly lost memories and even help restore some cognitive function.

"What I believe is happening is that by engaging very basic mechanisms of emotions and listening, music is stimulating dormant areas of the brain that haven't been accessible due to degenerative disease," says Concetta Tomaino, executive director of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, a nonprofit organization founded at Beth Abraham in 1995.

Dr. Tomaino, who has studied the therapeutic effects of music for more than 30 years, is spearheading a new program to provide iPods loaded with customized playlists to help spread the benefits of music therapy to Alzheimer's patients even at home. "If someone loved opera or classical or jazz or religious music, or if they sang and danced when the family got together, we can recreate that music and help them relive those experiences," she says.

Music for Memory

Listen to clips of some '60s tunes recommended by the The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function for individuals with Alzheimer's Disease or other memory impairments:

• "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan
• "Dawn (Go Away)" by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
• "Come a Little Bit Closer" by Jay & The Americans
• "California Girls" by The Beach Boys
• "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones

• See the full list and get more recommendations from the Institute's Web site.

Dr. Tomaino says she frequently sees dementia patients make gains in cognitive function after music therapy. In one unpublished study she led a few years ago, with funding from the New York State Department of Health, 45 patients with mid- to late-stage dementia had one hour of personalized music therapy, three times a week, for 10 months, and improved their scores on a cognitive-function test by 50% on average. One patient in the study recognized his wife for the first time in months.

David Ramsey, a music therapist and psychologist, holds twice weekly sessions at Beth Abraham, where small groups of patients can sing and dance to familiar songs like "Under the Boardwalk" and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Mr. Ramsey will sometimes stop singing and let residents fill in the blanks on their own. When they do that, he says, "they are exercising their cognitive function—just like they are exercising in physical therapy." And unfamiliar songs quickly become familiar, another sign that even advanced Alzheimer's patients are forming new memories. "One of our therapists played, 'Who Let the Dogs Out?' I know they had never heard that one, but it became an anthem," he says.

David Ramsey leads music sessions at Beth Abraham Services, meant to stimulate positive memories and physically engage dementia patients. In addition to benefiting Alzheimer's patients, decades of studies have demonstrated that music can help premature infants gain weight, autistic children communicate, stroke patients regain speech and mobility, dental, surgical and orthopedic patients control chronic pain and psychiatric patients manage anxiety and depression. Now, neuroscientists are starting to identify the underlying brain mechanisms that explain how music connects with the mind and body, and they are starting to work hand in hand with music therapists to develop new therapeutic programs.

There's no single center for music in the mind—the brain appears to be wired throughout for music, since it engages a wide variety of functions, including listening, language and movement. But Petr Janata, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, Davis's Center for Mind and Brain, recently located an area of the brain—the medial prefrontal cortex, just behind the forehead—that seems to serve as a hub for music, memory and emotions.

In a study published online in the journal Cerebral Cortex in February, Dr. Janata had 13 UC Davis students listen to excerpts of 30 songs chosen randomly from "top 100" charts from years when they were 8 to 18 years old, while he recorded their brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI. Songs that were unfamiliar evoked reactions in the auditory processing parts of the students' brains; those that elicited emotional reactions stimulated other brain areas. When songs conjured up a specific personal memory, there was particularly strong activity in the medial prefrontal cortex. That's where what Dr. Janata calls "a mental movie" seems to play in the mind's eye, with music serving as its soundtrack.

And, it turns out, this same medial prefrontal cortex had been identified in earlier research as one of the last parts of the brain to atrophy as Alzheimer's disease progress

from The Wall Street Journal.

"An Educated Consumer Is Our Best Customer" - Sy Syms

Sy Syms was a pioneer of off-price designer labels whose fame rested on folksy commercials that belied his talents as a merchandiser.

Mr. Syms, who died Nov. 17 at age 83, is remembered by many New York men as the source for their first suits, and by television viewers of both sexes as the star of late-night ads featuring Mr. Syms proclaiming, "An educated consumer is our best customer."

Sy Syms, shown in 2008, died Nov. 17 at age 83.

Originally a seller of bargain men's clothing and haberdashery in the Wall Street area, Mr. Syms later opened stores in suburban malls. He offered designer-label clothes at discounts he claimed were 30% to 50% and more off retail prices.

Mr. Syms's monotone gave few clues to his background as a broadcaster. Ultimately, Mr. Syms joined the pantheon of other do-it-yourselfer admen in the New York area, such as Tom Carvel in the ice-cream business and Victor Potamkin, an auto dealer. Mr. Syms was savvy enough to set up his own ad agency to ensure that he got the agency discount when he bought airtime.

"He had the ability to be a merchant, a promoter and a financier all at the same time," says Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, a retail consulting and investment banking firm. "He is the first guy to offer discount designer suits on a major scale."

Born Seymour Merinsky in Brooklyn, Mr. Syms was the son of Russian immigrants who started out in the collars and cuffs business. He served in the Army during World War II, studied broadcasting at New York University on the G.I. Bill, and worked as a radio broadcaster for a few years in the late 1940s, calling minor league baseball games.

In 1950, Mr. Syms joined his brother's clothing store, "Merns," near Manhattan's financial district. In 1959, he left to open his own store, called "Sy Merns," and was forced in a legal dispute to use a different name, according to an account provided by the company. He chose "Sy Syms," and opened on Cortlandt Street, near his brother's store and a few blocks from Wall Street.

"It was his joy to be on the selling floor from 12 noon to 2 o'clock," says Marcy Syms, Sy's daughter and now chief executive of the company. "That's when the traders and bankers and lawyers would come in." Today, salespeople are still called "educators," she says, which follows his habit. "He loved to explain the clothes."

The Cortlandt Street store made headlines when U.S. Steel Corp. wanted to eject Syms to make way for construction of a skyscraper in 1967. With months still remaining on his lease, Mr. Syms refused to budge and told The Wall Street Journal it would take "a minimum of $100,000" to get him to move. He soon moved for a much smaller sum.

Mr. Syms's shop on Cortlandt Street was adjacent to the Hudson Tubes. There, trains ran to New Jersey, where an estimated 90% of his customers lived. In 1971, he opened his largest store ever in Paramus, N.J., and began more aggressively moving into marked-down brand-name suits. He also added women's wear.

To support his expansion plans, Mr. Syms started advertising on the radio, reading the scripts himself. The first television ad came in 1974, and it was Mr. Syms who took credit for the trademark "educated consumer" phrase. It replaced an earlier slogan, "Unbelievable Syms!"

As his business expanded, Mr. Syms cut deals with big European labels such as Armani and Brioni to buy their excess production, and would then sell it at something close to wholesale.

In the early days, Syms clerks would snip the designer label out of the suit before handing it over to customers. Stores were kept spartan, with black walls and plain racks weighed down with huge amounts of merchandise.

The formula worked, and Syms expanded in the 1970s and went public in 1983. Ms. Syms succeeded her father as CEO in 1998. This year, Ms. Syms led Syms Corp. in the takeover of retailer Filene's Basement. Altogether, Syms now operates 52 stores.

One fan was New York Mayor Edward Koch, who has shopped at Syms since the 1960s. "I just bought two jackets there," Mr. Koch said in an interview. "They're both big bargains."

Who's At The Controls?

A giant web of 15,000 video-surveillance cameras has spread across Chicago, aiding police in the pursuit of criminals but raising fears that the City of Big Shoulders is becoming the City of Big Brother.

While many police forces are boosting video monitoring, video-surveillance experts believe Chicago has gone further than any other U.S. city in merging computer and video technology to police the streets. The networked system is also unusual because of its scope and the integration of nonpolice cameras.

The city links the 1,500 cameras that police have placed in trouble spots with thousands more—police won't say how many—that have been installed by other government agencies and the private sector in city buses, businesses, public schools, subway stations, housing projects and elsewhere. Even home owners can contribute camera feeds.

The system is too vast for real-time monitoring by police staffers. But each time a citizen makes an emergency call, which happens about 15,000 times a day, the system identifies the caller's location and instantly puts a video feed from the nearest camera up on a screen to the left of the emergency operator's main terminal. The feeds, including ones that weren't viewed in real time, can be accessed for possible evidence in criminal cases.

Chicago police started installing highly visible cameras topped by flashing blue lights back in 2003. Many were placed at locations where residents had complained about drug-dealing, and the city later said that crime decreased up to 30% in areas with cameras. But some critics complained that the cameras just pushed drug dealers to nearby street corners.

Even if cameras don't prevent crimes, "prosecution is much quicker," said Fredrik Nilsson, general manager of Axis North America, a unit of a Swedish company that makes the digital cameras used in Chicago. "When people face recorded videos, they don't go through court trials."

From the Daily Mail.

Britain's extraordinary march towards a surveillance state is revealed today by shocking new figures. They show that one request is made every minute for officials to spy on someone's phone records or email accounts. The number of Big Brother snooping missions by police, town halls and other public bodies has soared by 44 per cent in two years.

Last year there were 504,073 new cases - an average of 1,381 a day. It is the equivalent of one adult in 78 coming under state-sanctioned surveillance. The snoopers are using a law originally aimed at terror suspects. But their targets include people suspected of storing petrol without a licence and bringing a dog into the country without quarantining it.

Everybody's doing it...

A total of 653 state bodies, including 474 local councils, are allowed to use its surveillance powers. ...... Other bodies authorised to carry out surveillance include the Financial Services Authority, the Ambulance Service, fire authorities and prison governors.

They are not allowed to find out the content of phone calls and emails, but can access details of when and to whom they were made or sent. People who are found to have done no wrong have no right to know they were snooped on

Sarah Palin's $150,000 + Fashion Transformation

Lisa A. Kline, 47, is the wardrobe consultant who made an Alaska hockey mom-turned-governor named Sarah Palin into chic vice-presidential material for the Republican National Convention in September 2008, and in doing so inadvertently set off a furor.

“Wardrobegate,” as Ms. Kline’s $150,000-plus fashion transformation became known, undermined Ms. Palin’s carefully crafted homespun image when the news broke two weeks before the election.

The Republican National Committee spent $75,062 at Neiman Marcus and $49,425 at Saks Fifth Avenue in September for Ms. Palin and her family.Advisers to Ms. Palin said that the purchases — which totaled about $150,000 and were classified as “campaign accessories” — were made on the fly after Ms. Palin, the governor of Alaska, was chosen as the Republican vice-presidential candidate on Aug. 29 and needed new clothes to match climates across the 50 states.

Details about pricey designer clothes and a whirlwind $75,062 trip to Neiman Marcus outraged both Democrats and Republicans. In her new memoir, “Going Rogue,” Ms. Palin is still trying to distance herself from the incident.

As for her fee of $54,900, reported in campaign filings, it also covered an assistant and some expenses. She said the high fee was justified because styling the Palins was a last-minute holiday weekend assignment that had Ms. Kline sleeping no more than a few hours at a time. “It’s very hard to put a figure on a 24-hour day,” she said.

On the afternoon of Aug. 29, 2008, Ms. Kline fielded a surprise phone call: Was she available to dress Sarah Palin for the Republican National Convention, which was to begin three days later on Labor Day? Then, Ms. Kline said she was asked to provide clothes for the entire Palin family, including the candidate’s husband, Todd; their sons Track and Trig, the infant; and daughters Bristol, who was pregnant, Willow and Piper. Levi Johnston, Bristol’s then-boyfriend, was also included.

With less than 24 hours before the Palins’ national debut on the tarmac, it was decided that the luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, which has a store in Minneapolis, offered the best available selection for the circumstances. Arrangements were made for a private early-morning trip.

Neiman Marcus opened for Ms. Kline and her assistant at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, she said, and the two split up and spent a rushed 90 minutes or so gathering what they needed. According to election filings, more than $130,000 of clothing charges from New York and Minneapolis was picked up by a Republican consultant, Jeff Larson, who was reimbursed by the Republican National Committee.)

B&H Photo's 2009 Point-and-Shoot Buyer's Guide

B&H Photo reviews latest point-and-shoot digicams – both simple and sophisticated - that slip easily into your pocket. As for 'simple', they're all easy to use, and if you're more of a hands-on shooter, many have advanced DSLR-like functionality including full manual control. Some of these palm-sized capture devices are among the most innovative cameras out there these days. There are point-and-shoot cameras you can dive with, ski with, shoot 10-frames-per-second with, HD 1080p video, and with the turn of a dial shoot panoramic images up to 256° wide. B & H's 2009 Point-and-Shoot Buyer's Guide is designed to narrow the field and enable you to choose the best camera for your needs by discussing these cameras in terms of special attributes, e.g., touch screens, slim-profile, water-proof, focal-range, etc. Resolving Power Resolving power, i.e. the pixel-count, is not as big a deal as it used to be as manufacturers are recognizing the fact fewer but-larger-pixels produce 'better', i.e., fuller-toned and natural looking pictures compared to more-but-tinier pixels. (Resolving power that lacketh flesh on the bone maketh not a hearty broth.) A good case in point is the Canon PowerShot G11, which contains about a third fewer (but larger) pixels than its predecessor, the 14.7Mp PowerShot G10, without compromising image quality. If anything, the 10.2Mp PowerShot G11 produces images that have proved to be fuller-toned compared to the G10 despite the so-called 'loss of resolving power'. The bottom line is digicams containing anywhere from 8 to 12-megapixels should prove to be more-than-sufficient to satisfy your imaging needs. LCD Screens Viewfinders are becoming increasingly rare in point-and-shoot digicams leaving the camera's LCD as our sole method of viewing and composing pictures and video. The good news is the quality of LCD screens has vastly improved over the past few years, and most point-and-shoot digicams feature LCDs that on average measure about 3" diagonally, with smaller screens measuring in on average at a still-decent 2.5", and larger screen measuring in at a grander 3.5" across. The resolving powers of LCD screens have also improved as of late. Not long ago most LCD screens contained about 230,000 pixels, or dots. Many current cameras sport from 460,000 to upwards of 920,000 dots of resolving power, which is easier on the eyes and far superior when it comes to fine-focusing, especially in manual focus mode. Touchscreen LCDs are becoming increasingly popular in point-and-shoot cameras, and by incorporating the camera controls camera manufacturers have been able to further decrease camera sizes while maintaining larger LCD sizes. Nikon's CoolPix S70 sports a 3.5" Touch Panel OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) that features tap-activated iPod-like controls. Pictures can be scrolled by sweeping your finger across the screen, or zoomed in and out of by pinching or expanding your fingertips across the LCD. Nikon’s CoolPix S70 Sony Cyber-shot DCS T90 Other cameras featuring touchscreen displays include the Sony Cyber-shot DCS T90, which features a 12.1Mp sensor, a 4x Carl Zeiss zoom lens, up to ISO 3200 imaging, and HDTV compatibility. The T90 is available in black, blue, silver, and pink. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 features a 3" touchscreen LCD with AF/AE tracking controls, as well as a 12-1Mp sensor, burst-rates of up to 10fps, and a 5x (25-125mm equivalent) Leica-designed zoom lens. The DMC-FX580 is available in a choice of black or silver. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 PowerShot SD980 IS Canon offers touchscreen functionality in the PowerShot SD980 IS (silver, blue, purple, and gold). Along with its 3" touchscreen display, the SD980 features a 12.1Mp sensor, a 5x zoom, and optical image stabilization. Samsung outdoes the competition by offering not one, but two LCD screens on its Samsung DualView TL225), which in addition to a rear-mounted 3.5" touchscreen, also features a 1.5" front LCD, to take the guesswork out of self-portraiture. The TL225, which is available in purple and orange, has a 12.2Mp imaging sensor, can be tweaked up to ISO 3200. It also shoots HD video and has a 4.6x Schneider-Kreuznach zoom lens. Into 'thin'? The Samsung DualView TL225 measures in at a svelte 0.7" thick. (See below for other slim-profile digicams) Samsung DualView TL220 Vivitar’s Vivicam 8025 For those seeking an economical (under $70) touchscreen enhanced P&S digicam, have a look-see at Vivitar's Vivicam 8025, which along with an 8.1Mp sensor, features a fixed 7.45mm lens (38mm equivalent w/ 8x digital zoom), and video recording (640x480 @ 30fps). The Vivicam 8025 recharges via your computer's USB port. Optics Most pocket-sized digicams contain 3x-5x zoom lenses with equivalent focal length ranges that typically go from a modest 35-105mm to a broader 28-140mm. In most cases they're comparable to the kit lenses that come with entry-level DSLRs. These focal ranges are fine for most folks, but there are those who always want something more in the way of longer, wider, or both. A good example of squeezing 'more lens' into a pocket-sized package is Canon's PowerShot SX200, which contains a 12x zoom lens with an equivalent focal length range of 28-336mm. Even with Canon's 4-stop image stabilization system you might want to go easy on the Starbucks if you plan on shooting hand-held at the telephoto end of this puppy. The Canon SX200 contains a 12.1Mp sensor, a DIGIC 4 image processor, and is available in a choice of black, blue, and red. Canon’s PowerShot SX200 PowerShot SD980 IS Lens speed is another area that might be important to you. Most P&S digicams have lenses that are modestly fast, typically f3.5 at the wide end and downhill from there as you zoom to the long end of the focal range, which can be problematic when shooting under less-than-sunny skies. There are exceptions to this rule, and among them are the Canon PowerShot S90 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3, which is available in silver & black. Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Both of these little honeys have lenses that open up to a speedy f/2 at the wide end of their respective focal ranges (28mm equivalent for the Canon S90 and an impressively wider (and Leica-designed) 24mm equivalent with the Panasonic LX3). The Canon PowerShot S90 can be described as a 'sports coupe' version of Canon's very popular G11 (see Uber-Digicams below), as it shares the same imaging sensor and other G11 attributes in a smaller, svelte package. A particularly cool feature found on the S90 is the Custom Control Wheel, which is located around the base of the lens and allows you to make adjustments to focus, exposure, ISO, zoom, and white balance settings quickly and easily. Leica D-LUX 4 For those into sexy red badges, the Leica D-LUX 4 is a kissing cousin of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3, but with upgraded firmware, a more neutral color palette, and a 2-year warranty in place of the standard 1-year warranty that comes with the Panasonic LX3 (and every other camera mentioned in this guide). FujiFilm FinePix F200EXR Another camera well suited for low-light shooting is the FujiFilm FinePix F200EXR, which features ISO sensitivity levels up to 12,800, thanks in part to the camera's 12Mp, wide dynamic Super CCD EXR imaging sensor. The F200EXR also features a 28- 140mm equivalent Fujinon lens, a choice of film simulation modes, a 3" LCD, FujiFilm Face Detection 3.0, and a Dual Image Stabilization system. The FujiFilm FinePix F200EXR accepts both xD and SD/SDHC memory cards. Looking for Something Really Thin? All point-and-shoot digicams can be described as 'small'. And while most point-and-shoot digicams are quite pocketable, not all can be described as being thin-thin. Using 0.75" as our 'thin' cutoff point, Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-TX1-series cameras, which are available in Blue, Pink, Gray and Silver, are only 0.64" thick (thin?). Along with a true 10 frames-per-second burst mode (at full-resolution) and a very useful 'Twilight Hand-Held' shooting mode for sharp, flash-free low-light shooting. And like the Sony Cyber-shot HX-1 and Cyber-shot WX-1, the Sony DSC-TX1 features a 'Sweep Panorama' mode for capturing panoramic images of up to184°. Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-TX1-series cameras Casio Exilim EX-S12 Casio is a company long associated with thin cameras. Among their thinner offerings this season is the Casio Exilim EX-FS10, which features a 9.1Mp sensor, 2.5" LCD, 3x zoom, a hi-burst shooting mode, as well as HD video with a slow-motion function. The EX-FS10 measures in at 0.64" and is available in a choice of blue, grey, and red. Also available from Casio is the Casio Exilim EX-S12, 0.58" thin and featuring a 12.1Mp sensor, 2.7" LCD, ISO ratings up to 3200, HD video, and is available in green, pink, black, and silver. Nikon’s CoolPix S220 Nikon's CoolPix S220 (0.7") also makes it into the thin digi-club. Available in a descriptive variety of colors (jet black, plum, aqua green, cobalt blue, magenta, and warm silver), the S220 features a 10Mp sensor, 2.5" LCD, a 4-way VR image stabilization system, and up to an ISO 2000 rating for low-light shooting. Tough & Weatherproof If you think all point-and-shoot digicams are 'weenie' cameras, take a look at Panasonic's Stylus Tough-8000 and Tough-6000 digicams. The 12Mp Stylus Tough-8000 is shock-proof (6.6-feet onto a hard floor), waterproof (down to 33'), crushproof (up to 220lb of pressure), and freeze-proof (down to 14°F). The Tough-8000 is available in (black & silver). Panasonic’s Stylus Tough-8000 Panasonic Stylus Tough-6000 Slightly less bullet-proof but tough none-the-less is the 10Mp Panasonic Stylus Tough-6000, which is available in (blue, white, & yellow). The Tough-6000 is shock-proof from falls of up to 5', waterproof down to 10', and freeze-proof down to 14°F. Both the Tough-6000 & 8000 feature Tap Control that allows you to change exposure and other settings by simply tapping on the top and sides of the camera. Both cameras also feature a 28-102mm equivalent zoom lens. Similarly rugged is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1, which is available in silver, green, and orange. Dunk-able down to a smidgen under 10', droppable from heights a smidgen under 5', and freezable down to 14°F, the 12.1Mp Lumix TS1 features a Leica-designed Vario-Elmar 28-128mm equivalent zoom lens, and 720p HD video (including a built-in video light). Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 Pentax Optio W80 Available in azure blue, gunmetal grey, and red, the Pentax Optio W80 is a spiffily-designed digicam that aside from claiming ISO sensitivity levels up to 6400, is waterproof down to 16', survive drops from up to 3' from the ground, and temperatures ranging from 14°F to 104°F. The lens on the Optio W80 is a 28-140mm equivalent, and along with high quality still images, the Optio W80 can capture 720p HD video with equal ease. The Canon PowerShot D10 looks like a 1950's bathysphere, which is appropriate considering it's waterproof down to 33 (10 m)', shockproof from 4' falls, and will operate in a temperature range 14 - 104°F. The 12.1Mp D10's 3x zoom has the equivalent range of 38 – 114mm, and does an excellent job of grabbing snapshots regardless of how nasty it is outside. Canon PowerShot D10 Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP Not much larger than a small tin of Altoids the Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP is a sleek little number with a 10Mp sensor, a bright 2.7" LCD, and a 3x (35-105mm equivalent) zoom tucked behind a waterproof glass port. Available in green, pink, and black, the FinePix Z33WP is waterproof down to a we bit under 10' (3 m), has Advanced Face Detection, in-camera editing, and ISO sensitivity up to 1600. Uber-Digicams Some of the point-and-shoots we sell go well beyond the call of duty regarding our expectations of what a 'simple' camera should look like and perform like. Ask a pro about his or her favorite pocket camera and you're most likely to get Canon's PowerShot G11 for an answer. The PowerShot G11 is the latest G-series camera from Canon, and like it's predecessors, it's a true 'photographer's camera', complete with analog control dials, a sharp 28-140mm equivalent zoom, RAW and/or JPEG capture, a 2.8" swivel screen for shooting at awkward camera angles, an E-TTL hot-shoe, and a hefty, solid feel. Canon’s PowerShot G11 Nikon CoolPix P6000 Similar in concept is the Nikon CoolPix P6000, which features a 13.5Mp sensor, up to ISO 6400, RAW and/or JPEG capture, wired network connectivity, GPS capability, and a 28-112mm equivalent lens wrapped inside a tough exterior package. Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 One camera that has garnered an awful lot of attention is Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-WX1. For a camera the size of a credit card and only 0.78" (20mm) thick, the WX1 packs the sort of features that make you sit back and say 'whew! The list starts off with a very capable rear-illuminated Exmor 'R' imaging sensor, which can capture full-size stills at up to 10 frames-per-second as well as MPEG4 video. The lens, a 24-120mm equivalent Sony G-series optic, does a fine job covering the basic pocket-camera needs. But if the angle-of-view of the 24mm end of the zoom lens isn't enough for you, flip the WX1 into Sweep Panorama mode and the camera quickly captures up to 100 individual images as you 'sweep' it across the scene and quickly stitches them together into a single, truly awesome 256° panoramic image. And if flash-free low-light imaging is your thing, the WX1's Hand-Held Twilight mode quickly captures 6 images, samples them, and combines the sharpest, best details within each image and combines them in-camera as a single sharp, well exposed image. Nikon CoolPix S1000pj, Lastly, we'd like to present this year's winner of the prestigious Swiss Army Knife School of Thought Award, the Nikon CoolPix S1000pj, a digicam that not only captures high quality stills and video, but with the flip of a switch can project your stills and video moments after capturing them. The S1000pj's built-in projector can project sharp images up to 40" across at from a distance of about 5.5' away. And yes, the pictures are sharp and depending on the ambient light levels, easily viewable (as is true with all projection systems). The CoolPix S1000pj also features a slew of in-camera image editing tools and despite everything this little bugger can do, still slips neatly into your coat pocket.