PAPA

Some US formula makers say products melamine-free
November 27, 2008 (Thursday)

Pickup story from Reuters. Several makers of infant formula sold in the United States defended their products on Wednesday, saying tests had not found the kidney-damaging chemical melamine in their products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it had found trace amounts of the industrial chemical in one sample of formula. Although the FDA said the low level posed no risk, reports of the finding caused alarm among parents.

"The FDA has confirmed with Mead Johnson that melamine was not found in any of our products they tested," said Pete Paradossi, spokesman for the Bristol-Myers Squibb unit, which markets several types of Enfamil-branded formula.

Other companies had no comment on the FDA's findings but said their own tests did not detect the chemical.

Hain Celestial Group Inc said its tests found no melamine or a related by-product, cyanuric acid, in its Earth's Best Organic formula.

Privately held PBM Nutritionals, which makes store-brand formula, said the FDA had not told the company of any finding of melamine in its formula products. "Our tests have not detected melamine," PBM spokesman Joe Shields said.

Other U.S.-approved makers of milk-based baby formula include Abbott Nutrition and Nestle USA. Neither company returned e-mails and phone calls seeking comment. Another maker, Solus Products, could not be reached.

On Tuesday, the FDA said it began using a more sensitive testing process to detect melamine after the chemical was found widely in formula in China. Thousands of Chinese children were sickened and several died.

Food products made in China have come under fire in recent years for containing melamine, a chemical used in plastics and fertilizer that can make products appear to contain higher levels of protein and thus boost their value. Melamine can cause life-threatening kidney failure.

FDA spokeswoman Judy Leon said on Tuesday the melamine finding in one sample of U.S. formula was not from direct contamination but likely resulted from the manufacturing process or product packaging. She declined to tell Reuters which brand contained the chemical.

Other media outlets reported melamine or cyanuric acid had been found in one Mead Johnson product and one Nestle product.

"We have received thousands of calls from moms asking for clarification and information," Mead Johnson's Paradossi said.

Connecticut Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro said independent science must verify there is no risk for infants. "The FDA should work with industry immediately on an action plan that eliminates melamine from the manufacturing process. This must happen in days not weeks," she said.

Consumer groups urged companies and the FDA to make their formula findings public.

"FDA needs to do much more to protect our families, and they should start by being honest with the American public," National Research Center for Women & Families President Diana Zuckerman said.

The FDA did not respond to calls or e-mails seeking comment.

KL (KUL) - London (STN) for only RM499 on AirAsia X
November 26, 2008 (Wednesday)

Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia X said it will fly to London from next March with fares starting at 99 pounds (150 dollars), and that the cost could halve if the service is popular.

AirAsia X will fly five times a week between the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur and Stansted Airport on the outskirts of London, it said late Tuesday.

Tony Fernandes, founder of the long-haul airline's affiliate AirAsia, said he hoped to attract Europeans who would explore the region through AirAsia's extensive route network in Southeast Asia.

"AirAsia X's London-Kuala Lumpur route is the realisation of a long-held ambition to open up affordable access between Malaysia and Europe for both (Southeast Asian) and European communities," he said in a statement.

Fernandes told The Star daily that the one-way fare of 99 pounds could fall to as low as 49 pounds if the flight frequency was increased.

"Volume is the key. If we can find the plane and get two or three flights a day, I guarantee you 49 pounds will be a reality," he told reporters at the launch in London.

AirAsia X, which currently flies to Australia's Gold Coast, Perth and Melbourne, and Hangzhou in China, has ambitions of expanding sales tenfold to one billion dollars by the end of 2010, despite the global slowdown.

AirAsia X and AirAsia have sounded an extremely optimistic note in recent months, despite the uncertain global outlook and predictions of doom for airlines.

Earlier this month they scrapped fuel surcharges on all flights to drum up business.

With the delivery of 25 Airbus A330-300 aircraft between now and 2013, AirAsia X says it wants to expand to at least 30 more destinations in Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, and the Middle East. Source

Pleo Robotic Dinosaur
November 25, 2008 (Tuesday)

PLEO, the lovable robotic pet dinosaur hatchers in Malaysia. If you're loaded, go and get one for your child. As fo me, I'll need to save enough first before I can get one for my eldest Coo Coo before her next birthday. ;-(  

What is Pleo?

Every Pleo is autonomous. Yes, each one begins life as a newly-hatched baby Camarasaurus, but that's where predictability ends and individuality begins. Like any creature, Pleo feels hunger and fatigue - offset by powerful urges to explore and be nurtured. He'll graze, nap and toddle about on his own -when he feels like it! Pleo dinosaur can change his mind and his mood, just as you do.

Tobey Maguire to be father for the second time
November 23, 2008 (Sunday)

Steve Granitz/WireImage

Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire, 33, and his wife, Jennifer Meyer, 31, are expecting their second child, rep Kelly Bush confirms exclusively to In Touch. The couple, already the proud parents of Ruby, 2, will welcome their new bundle of joy in spring 2009. According to a friend of the couple, who wed in Hawaii in September 2007, "They are ecstatic." Source

'Trying to Conceive?' Talk
November 21, 2008 (Friday)

Infertility is becoming a nationwide problem. According to World Health Report: Making Every Mother and Child Count by World Health Organisation, 2005, the fertility rate in Malaysia is 2.9 children per women, with an estimated 3000,000 couples in Malaysia aged between 20 and 40 experiencing some form of infertility.

Speaker: Dr Paul Tay Yee Siang (O&G)
Venue: The Auditorium, Prince Court Medical Centre, Jalan Kia Peng, Kuala Lumpur.
Date: 29 November 2008
Time: 3pm - 5pm
Free admission by registration Tel: 03-2160 0000 (Aznida)

Suri Cruise tops Forbes.com list of ‘Hollywood's 10 Hottest Tots’
November 20, 2008 (Thursday)

                                                   Pic source

Suri, the regularly photographed daughter of actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, toppled last year's winner Shiloh Jolie-Pitt to score top honors in Forbes.com's second annual list of "Hollywood's 10 Hottest Tots"

Shiloh, the two-year-old daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, slipped to second place and was joined by two others from the Jolie-Pitt household with three-year-old Zahara in third place and brother Pax, 4, coming in fourth.

To compile the list, Forbes.com ranked 50 celebrity children aged five years and younger by evaluating the amount of press and online attention they have received in the past year.

The website then recruited polling firm E-Poll Market Research to narrow the list, getting awareness scores for the children and consumer appeal rankings for their celebrity parents.

Suri received more blog mentions than any other Tinseltown child and was referenced in more than 1,300 news articles, which can help shape public opinion about her parents while also fuelling demand for what she wears, plays with and eats.

Rounding out the top five was one-year-old Sam Alexis Woods, the daughter of world golfing champion Tiger Woods and his model wife Elin Nordegren, who is now expecting their second child.

Others children in the top 10 were Cruz Beckham, late Australian actor Heath Ledger's daughter Matilda Rose, Madonna and Guy Ritchie's adopted three-year-old son David Banda, Britney Spear's son Sean Preston Federline, and Sam Sheen.

Celebrity media editors said these children, who grace the front of magazines with and without their famous parents, could be even more in the spotlight next year as people seek uplifting stories amid the financial crisis.

"It's much more fun to look at cute pictures of Suri than think about how much your 401(k) has decreased," Dina Sansing, entertainment director for Us Weekly told Forbes.com. Source

Angelina Jolie: Breastfeeding Twins "Harder Than It Looks"
November 19, 2008 (Wednesday)

                                    Photo by: Jason Merritt / FilmMagic

Angelina Jolie admits she struggled breastfeeding her 4-month-old twins, Knox and Viv, simultaneously.

"You think, 'Ah, if anybody can do that, I can do that,' she says in an interview on British show GMTV. "But it's a lot harder than it looks in the books. I did that a few times, but [mostly] I would take turns. It just takes a long time."

Jolie, 33, says she weaned the twins when they were 3 months old. "[That was] about as much as I could do," she says.

So how does having six kids affect her Hollywood commitments with Brad Pitt?

"The only time it ever collides is if, you know, we're trying to get ready for some event where we have to walk a carpet and somebody gets peed on, and figures, 'Oh well, I guess we'll be wearing that this evening," she says.

But she doesn't mind.

"We appreciate how much that keeps us focused on what's important," she says.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey to air Wednesday, Pitt called their kids "the funniest people I've ever met. And you know it really tells you - it's a great mirror for yourself.

"It really tells you a lot about yourself and who you are and how you react to things," he continues. "They make me better. They make me a better person as a father." Source

Children's Wall in Reykjavik
November 18, 2008 (Tuesday)

Xinhua Photo/Guo Lei

A woman walks past a wall decorated with children's potraits in downtown street of Reykjavik, capital of Iceland, nov. 16, 2008. The Children's Wall consists of some five hundred potrait photos of three to six-year-old children living in the remote area of the country. Several local artists spent about one year to realize the project, which becomes a scenery in the city center of Reykjavik. Source

Melissa Joan Hart Talks About Her Boys
November 17, 2008 (Monday)

                                   Photo by: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty

Between potty training her first son and welcoming her second, Melissa Joan Hart has had a busy year as a mom. And it has helped her stay in shape.

“It’s a constant workout,” Melissa told People magazine of taking care of her sons Mason, 3, and Braydon, 8 months.

“You don’t have time to eat because you’re chasing them all the time!” she said Friday at the Jonas Brothers launch of 77 Kids by American Eagle in Los Angeles. “You kind of lift them in the car seat, out of the car seat, in the highchair, out of the highchair.”

Luckily, she says, her eldest has been making the transition easy with the latest family member.

“He’s a great big brother,” said Melissa “He’s just getting to the stage where he kicks [Braydon] when he walks by him. But for the first eight months he’s been a dream.”

Melissa, 32, actress and her husband, Mark Wilkinson, welcomed Braydon Hart Wilkinson in March, and so far things are “great” – silly moments and all.

“Because he’s teething he sticks his tongue out all the time,” she shared. “We took family photos yesterday for our Christmas card and he just kept sticking his tongue out. It was really bizarre, but cute.”

But it doesn’t mean the mom of two doesn’t have her own worries about young Braydon.

“He’s been crawling or scooting for like months now, but he’s starting to stand and balance on his own,” said Melissa. “I’m a little concerned that he’s skipping the crawling stage because I hear that they’re not good readers if they don’t crawl.” Source

'Pregnant man' expecting again
November 14, 2008 (Friday)

MH All Inclusive Low Fares Goes Global Sale, again?
November 13, 2008 (Thursday)

Funnyman Adam Sandler Had A Kid!
November 12, 2008 (Wednesday)

Lester Cohen/WireImage.com

The comedian, 42, and his wife Jackie, 34, have welcomed their second child, he announced on Tuesday.

"Jackie and Adam had a beautiful baby girl, Sunny Madeline on November 2," Sandler posted on his Web site. "Everyone is happy and healthy." Source

Quantum of Solace
November 12, 2008 (Wednesday)

Melamine Contaminated Food May Cause Birth Defects
November 11, 2008 (Tuesday)

According to a report released by the Yangcheng Evening News, Lin He, a geneticist and member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, noted in his speech to the Summit Medical Academy that the continually increasing amounts of melamine contaminated food found in Chinese diets may be one of the most important factors resulting in the soaring number of birth defects in China.

He said that the rate of birth defects in China has risen to four percent and it is likely to continue to grow. Over the past year as many as 15 percent of newborns in Guangzhou City were diagnosed with birth defects such as multi-toe, Palestinian child's edema, congenital heart disease, and cleft lip and palate. The birth defects were caused by many factors, including environmental pollution, lead paints used in homes, home furnishings, poor lifestyle choices, and malnutrition.

When asked whether the drinking of melamine contaminated milk powder by pregnant mothers could impact the unborn child,  He replied that the long-term consumption of food containing melamine would obviously have health implications. The experiments on animals have confirmed a high risk of cancer.

There are many processed foods in China today that contain melamine, which might be the main cause of birth defects in China. The poisoned milk and egg products have not only increased kidney stones in babies, but also contributed to the increasing number of birth defects. The long term impact of such melamine contamination and its effect on future generations remains unknown. Source

MH Global Online Sale (10 - 12 Nov)
November 10, 2008 (Monday)

Those buying Malaysia Airlines (MAS) tickets at its global online sales will stand a chance to win a holiday package for two.

MAS senior general manager of sales, Datuk Bernard Francis, said in a statement that the airline was making it more exciting for customers who bought tickets during the global online sale.

MAS has partnered with Boeing to offer holiday packages to Rome, Kunming, Yogyakarta, Saigon and Bangkok.

Customers have to buy one ticket during the three-day sales from today. Tickets can be purchased at www.malaysiaairlines.com.

Tickets for a total of 26 international destinations go on sale including Xiamen and Kunming, Male and New Delhi, Dubai and Istanbul, Paris and London, as well as Sydney and Auckland. Source

E Hurley Opens Her Heart As Never Before
November 10, 2008 (Monday)

Mama will be right back!
November 06, 2008 (Thursday)

Credit: Kevin Perkins/ Pacific Coast News

Ben Affleck holds tight to daughter Violet, who turns 3 next month, as she clutches a note with mom Jennifer Garner's picture on it that reads, "Mama will be right back!," on their way to nursery school Wednesday in Santa Monica. Source: People

Change has come to America. When will it be coming to Malaysia?
November 05, 2008 (Wednesday)

Democrat Barack Obama makes history to become first black U.S. president. The win by Obama, son of a black father from Kenya and white mother from Kansas, marked a milestone in U.S. history. It came 45 years after the height of the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King.

Congratulations! A victory for the American people.

Cut coffee intake for healthier baby
November 04, 2008 (Tuesday)

PREGNANT women should keep consumption of coffee, tea and cola to a minimum, according to a new study that sees a link between caffeine intake and low birthweight among babies. 

British researchers recruited 2635 women at between eight and 12 weeks of pregnancy, asked them about their dietary habits and monitored them for caffeine in their saliva at checkups.

Women who took between 100 and 199 milligrams of caffeine per day faced a 20 per cent increased risk of having a baby with a relatively lower birth weight compared with counterparts whose intake was less than 100mg per day.

For those who had an intake of 200-299mg per day, the risk rose to 40 per cent, and for those over 300mg per day, it was 50 per cent.

Birthweight is a widely used benchmark of health, especially for diabetes and heart disease.

An average cup of coffee contains about 100mg of caffeine and tea about half this amount, although the concentration varies according to the strength of brew and the brand of the product.

Caffeine is also present in cola, chocolate, coca and some drugs.

The so-called CARE study, published online by the British Medical Journal, said "sensible advice" would be for women to reduce caffeine intake before conception and throughout pregnancy.

Previous research has found that caffeine easily crosses the placenta into the foetus, although the evidence for low birthweight has also been inconclusive and muddied by factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption.

This is the first study that also sees a link in tea, which comprised 60 per cent of the caffeine consumed by the women.

On its website, Britain's Food Standards Agency (FSA) said it was cutting its recommended maximum intake of caffeine for pregnant women to 200mg per day - the rough equivalent of two mugs of coffee - from 300mg in the light of the study.

"This new advice doesn't mean that pregnant women have to cut out caffeine completely, simply that they should be careful and make sure they don't have too much. We would emphasise that the risks are likely to be very small," said the FSA's chief scientist, Andrew Wadge. Source

How Many Nannies Do Brangelina Have?
November 02, 2008 (Sunday)

Double joy for childless couple
November 02, 2008 (Sunday)

Dr Magendran chatting with proud parents Lakshumanan and Chitra at the hospital in Klang. With them is Sister Inthrani.

Pickup story from The Star. It was double joy for a childless couple when their twin daughters who were born through invitro fertilisation (IVF) was also Klang district’s first such babies.

Both Sharmini and Sharvini were born on Oct 12 at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) through Caesarean section to A. Lakshumanan, 35, and A. Chitra, 36, who both work in an electronics firm.

“We had seven years of marriage without a child but now we have two babies.

“It’s going to be two of everything that we buy from now on,” said a beaming Chitra, adding that the procedure which required frequent injections was worth it.

“Most of the time I had to administer injections on my own but I was determined to have the children and never missed any check-up until the babies were born,” she said.

The delighted parents said their daughters had gained weight after being born premature after 33 weeks of pregnancy.

“We were worried initially as both our daughters had to be in the incubators,” added Chitra.

Chitra is now considering expanding her brood and will not hesitate to use the IVF method again if she has trouble conceiving, She thanked nursing sister Inthrani Ranggasamy who helped her throughout the pregnancy.

HTAR Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department chief consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Farouk Abdullah said the successful birth of the twins would encourage childless couples to come forward.

HTAR Obstetrics and Gynaecologist consultant Dr Magendran Ramalingam said the hospital started offering assisted reproductive technology since December 2007 and government subsidies made it affordable for the middle and lower income groups.