Are YOU a LOHAS Blogger? - The Brave Discussion

LOHAS is an acronym for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS), a market segment focused on health and fitness, the environment, personal development, sustainable living, and social justice.

Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) describes an estimated?$290 billion U.S. marketplace for goods and services focused on health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living.

How often have you observed that other bloggers, particularly ?Mummy? bloggers are concerned about these very issues.

Notice anything in common with our focus areas on the Brave Discussion?

We discuss these very LOHAS issues here on The Brave Discussion on a regular basis ? we are if you like a dedicated tribe of LOHASTERS.

Size of Market In US

The consumers attracted to this market represent a sizable group in this country. Approximately?13-19% percent of the adults in the U.S. are currently considered LOHAS Consumers. This is based on surveys of the U.S. adult population estimated at 215 million.

Research shows that one in four adult Americans is part of this group?nearly?41 million people. These consumers are the future of your business and also the future of progressive social, environmental and economic change in this country. But their power as a consumer market remains virtually untapped.

The industry that serves these consumers has been identified in a research report by?The Natural Marketing Institute?and given the moniker of Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, or LOHAS?a market conservatively estimated at $290 billion in the U.S., and growing. Cultural Creatives are the basis of the LOHAS market. LOHAS is not a sexy acronym, but one that we think aptly describes what this movement, and our mission, is all about.

In Australia The Market Too Is Growing.

Key Facts: LOHAS in Australia???Nearly 4 million adult Australians (26 percent of adult population) are LOHAS aligned.

Individuals with a LOHAS outlook are drawn from all parts of society; their values and world view are not strongly tied to income, geography or gender.

Australian consumers currently spend $12 billion on goods and services in the LOHAS market segments, with an overall growth rate of 20 percent expected to continue.

The market is estimated at $21.5 billion (source lohas.com.au)

While 8 percent of the population are LOHAS ?Leaders? who are highly committed and active participants in fully integrated healthier, more sustainable lives, the LOHAS ?Learners? are the largest of the four segments, identified at 46 percent and standing as a largely untapped opportunity.

Learners would like to do the ?right thing? but are not sure where to start. Solving for their key barriers, which include price and availability, are paramount to unlocking this market.Source: Mobium Group, www.mobium.com.au, Living LOHAS Report.

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What Are The LOHAS Market Sectors:

PERSONAL HEALTH?$117 billion.Natural, organic products.Nutritional products.Integrative health care.Dietary supplements.Mind body spirit products	GREEN BUILDING$100 billion.Home certification.Energy Star appliances.Sustainable flooring.Renewable energy systems.Wood alternatives
ECO TOURISM?$42 billion.Eco-tourism travel.Eco-adventure travel	NATURAL LIFESTYLES$10 billion.Indoor & outdoor furnishings.Organic cleaning supplies.Compact fluorescent lights.Social change philanthropy.Apparel
ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION.$20 billion.Hybrid vehicles.Biodiesel fuel.Car sharing programs	ALTERNATIVE ENERGY$1 billion.Renewable energy credits.Green pricing

A New Type Of Consumer ? Interconnections of Mind, Body and Spirit

At first glance, it may appear that the five LOHAS sectors have little in common. For example, a manufacturer of recycled plastics or one of the automakers that is working on next-generation, energy-efficient vehicles may not appear to have much in common with an eco-tour operator or a retailer of organic clothing. But millions of consumers believe there is commonality that transcends any operational and structural differences. The interconnections between global economies, cultures, environments, and political systems play a large role in the holistic worldview of the typical LOHAS Consumer, but equally important are the interconnections of mind, body and spirit within individuals.

This can be summarised as:

• Food & Nutrition
• Mind and Body
• Transport and Leisure
• Home Life
• Building and Energy
• Work and Money

This focus on Personal Development, with the ultimate goal of achieving his or her full human potential, is of utmost concern to the LOHAS consumer. The current growth in this market group strongly supports the notion that spirituality is no longer relegated to the New Age periphery but is undeniably migrating to the center of mainstream cultural awareness.

So next time you share a discussion from The Brave Dicussion make sure you mention ? I?m a LOHAS follower, it?ll sure to be a talking point.

Resources

http://www.lohas.com/

http://www.lohas.com.au

http://lifechangingevents.net.au/wp/portfolio-items/lohas-precinct/

http://www.healthivate.com

http://youtu.be/EV5ZdkLyKTo

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Source: http://thebravediscussion.com/2013/02/are-you-a-lohas-blogger/

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Add some fun in your Real Estate grind - Portland homes for sale

I found some streets where the row of houses were all unique and beautiful in one way or another and I hoped in a car and slowly drove down that street over and over again with camera in hand.

I then went back to my office and used the stop motion animation camera, and along with some fun drawings, I made my 1 block tours.

1 block tour

Introducing Kevin Levy?s 1 Block Tour. Take a little ride through one of Portland?s neighborhoods on a stop-motion experience.

More will be coming soon. I found several great streets to film, now I just need to find the time.

Kevin Levy
503-267-7535
M Realty

Comments

Source: http://relocationtoportland.com/2013/02/08/add-some-fun-in-your-real-estate-grind/

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Steer your own submarine ? and record your journey ? from the safety of the dock

If you have a spare $6300 laying around and a need or desire for underwater exploration, you need the Submarine Camcorder from Hammacher Schlemmer. ?This little sub measures?19″ L x 14 1/2″ W x 7″ H, and it’s made of water-tight,?marine-grade, hydrodynamic ABS. ?Inside, there’s a HD video camera that takes?1280 X 720 video or [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/02/08/steer-your-own-submarine-and-record-your-journey-from-the-safety-of-the-dock/

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Retailers' sales beat forecasts, but worries remain

(Reuters) - Many top retailers reported strong January sales on Thursday after offering merchandise and deals that drew in shoppers in spite of higher payroll taxes.

But shares of many retailers fell as investors worried that the sales owed too much to margin-sapping discounts and that the tax hit to take-home pay would hurt spending in coming months.

Macy's Inc, whose shares rose 0.4 percent, was an exception. Its sales at stores open at least a year jumped 11.7 percent, in part because it got new merchandise into stores quickly. The results easily beat Wall Street forecasts, and the department store chain raised its profit forecast.

In contrast, Kohl's Corp, reported a 13.3 percent jump, but that came in large part from clearing out merchandise at a discount ahead of spring. The department store operator left its profit outlook unchanged, and its shares fell 1.8 percent.

"January sales don't give you much of a sense what's coming," said Dan Hess, chief executive of Merchant Forecast, which provides financial research on the retail sector. "How much of it was clearance; how much of it was new merchandise?"

Besides Macy's, low-priced retailers TJX Cos Inc and Ross Stores Inc as well as teen chain Zumiez Inc raised their outlooks. Department store operator Stage Stores Inc, said it would hit or beat the high end of its earlier estimate.

Overall, same-store sales rose 5 percent in January across 20 retailers, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. That was above both analysts' estimates of a 3.1 percent increase and the year-earlier 2.8 percent gain.

Gap Inc's sales came in slightly above Wall Street forecasts, as the company's affordable Old Navy chain offered colored denims, coats and dresses that were a hit with shoppers. But Janney Capital Markets said in a note that investors would view Gap's modest profit estimate for the fourth quarter ended on February 2 as "not good enough." The company's shares were down 4.5 percent.

Costco Wholesale Corp, Target Corp and Victoria's Secret parent Limited Brands Inc also reported stronger-than-expected January sales.

Analysts said a number of factors gave January an artificial boost: Unusually cold weather mid-month in big parts of the country helped clear out winter merchandise, and a long weekend before New Year's Day helped. January is also a low-volume month, so the numbers are less important than, say, those for November and December.

The International Council of Shopping Centers said it expects February same-store sales to rise 2.8 percent to 3 percent.

The Standard & Poor's Retail Index was down 1 percent in midday trading, compared with a 0.8 percent decline for the broad S&P 500.

LITTLE TAX EFFECT, SO FAR

The mood of U.S. consumers improved in January after a deal in Washington at the start of the month averted the country going over the "fiscal cliff" that could have raised taxes significantly, a survey released last week showed.

At the same time, the take-home pay of millions of Americans fell in January because of a 2-percentage-point increase in payroll taxes.

That higher tax could pinch shoppers in coming months as relief about the "fiscal cliff" gives way to the reality of smaller paychecks.

"The amount of money that is being taken out (from the tax increase) is a real amount of money, and you may see more paycheck-to-paycheck cycles," said Kurt Kendall, a retail strategist at consulting firm Kurt Salmon.

Cato Corp, a specialty retailer offering low-price fashion, reported a 12 percent drop in same-store sales and pinned part of the blame on the payroll tax.

Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel said in a statement that customers are showing "discipline in the face of a slow economic recovery and new pressures," including payroll tax increases.

In that environment, retailers have little room for error.

Ann Inc said the brightly colored clothes it sold at its Loft chain failed to catch on with shoppers, and its sales estimate for the fourth quarter ended on January 31 disappointed Wall Street, sending its shares down 7 percent.

Department store operator Bon-Ton Stores Inc and teen chains Buckle Inc and Wet Seal Inc also reported disappointing sales.

At the higher end, Nordstrom Inc reported an 11.4 percent jump in same-store sales, probably buoyed by a stock market run-up.

"The stock market has also helped - it frees higher-end individuals to go shopping," said David Bassuk, head of AlixPartners' global retail practice.

The same-store sales retail index offers only a glimpse of retail spending as major chains like Wal-Mart Stores Inc, Sears Holdings Corp and Best Buy Co Inc do not report monthly sales.

(Reporting by Phil Wahba in New York, and Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Jessica Wohl in Chicago; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-retail-chains-report-mixed-sales-january-130946795--business.html

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Study points to possible cause of, and treatment for, non-familial Parkinson's

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified a protein trafficking defect within brain cells that may underlie common non-familial forms of Parkinson's disease. The defect is at a point of convergence for the action of at least three different genes that had been implicated in prior studies of Parkinson's disease. Whereas most molecular studies focus on mutations associated with rare familial forms of the disease, these findings relate directly to the common non-familial form of Parkinson's. The study was published today in the online edition of the journal Neuron.

The defective pathway is called the "retromer" pathway, in part because it can guide the reutilization of key molecules by moving them back from the cell surface to internal stores. In this study, defects in the retromer pathway also appear to have profound effects on the cell's disposal machinery, which may explain why Parkinson's disease brain cells ultimately accumulate large protein aggregates. The trafficking defects associated with Parkinson's can be reversed by increasing retromer pathway activity, suggesting a possible therapeutic strategy. No current therapies for Parkinson's alter the progression of the disease.

The researchers also found evidence that, even in unaffected individuals who simply carry common genetic variants associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease, these molecular changes are at work. This supports the notion that early treatment approaches will be important in tackling Parkinson's disease.

"Taken together, the findings suggest that drugs that target the retromer pathway could help prevent or treat Parkinson's," said study leader Asa Abeliovich, MD, PhD, associate professor of pathology and cell biology and of neurology in the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at CUMC.

In recent years, through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), researchers have identified about 10 common genetic variants that appear to have small effects on the risk of non-familial Parkinson's, However, it has been hard to delve deeper into the impact of these variants. "When you look at patient brain tissue at autopsy, it's usually too late ? all the critical dopamine neurons are long gone and the damage has been done," said Dr. Abeliovich.

In the current study, Dr. Abeliovich and his CUMC colleagues used an unusually broad array of approaches ? including analyses of Parkinson's disease-associated genetic variations, patient brain tissue, in vitro tissue culture studies of brain neurons, and fruit fly (Drosophila) models that harbor genetic variants related to those associated with Parkinson's disease.

The researchers found that common variants in two genes previously linked to Parkinson's disease, LRRK2 and RAB7L1, led to an unexpectedly similar impact on human brain tissue. The effects of the variants were found to be highly overlapping, pointing to a common pathway of action. Prominent cellular changes were observed in the retromer pathway, which is involved in the trafficking of proteins from the Golgi apparatus (which packages proteins for delivery to other cell components) to the lysosomes (which recycle proteins and other molecules). Mutations that affect the retromer pathway have also been found in familial Parkinson's disease. Earlier studies from CUMC's Taub Institute have shown that genetic variants in genes associated with retromer function are linked to Alzheimer's disease and retromer component levels appear altered in Alzheimer's disease brains, suggesting a broader role for retromer dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases of aging, according to Dr. Abeliovich.

The impact of the RAB7L1 and LRRK2 variants was apparent even in individuals with no signs or symptoms of Parkinson's disease. This suggests that there is a pre-disease state in unaffected carriers of the two genetic variants that favors early disease onset and that, in theory, could be targeted therapeutically.

The CUMC researchers also demonstrated that overexpression of one of the variants, RAB7L1, can overcome the effects of the other variant. Similarly, expression of VPS35, a gene involved in the retromer pathway, can suppress LRRK2 mutant pathology. "It will be interesting to look for drugs that directly target these retromer components or that more generally promote flow through the pathway," said Dr. Abeliovich.

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The title of the paper is "RAB7L1 interacts with LRRK2 to modify intraneuronal protein sorting and Parkinson's disease risk." The other contributors are David A. Macleod, Herve Rhinn, Tomoki Kuwahara, Ari Zolin, Gilbert Di Paolo, Brian D. McCabe, Lorraine N. Clark, and Scott A. Small, all at CUMC.

Columbia University Medical Center: http://www.cumc.columbia.edu

Thanks to Columbia University Medical Center for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126674/Study_points_to_possible_cause_of__and_treatment_for__non_familial_Parkinson_s

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Lawmakers divided on Postal Service plan (Washington Post)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/283484559?client_source=feed&format=rss

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