Blogs on More

I’m very pleased to announce that we have video of two fearless editors:

Linda Lewis, editor-in-chief gives a behind-the-scenes look at the November issue
Sarah Moore, managing editor delivers a 40-second rant on how women are portrayed as technophobes - warning, you may laugh out loud at the office

Our haute flash readers got the links first this time, and if you want to be among them the next time, sign up for our newsletters. Although subscribing to the blog through your RSS reader will also put you in the loop!

That said, we did have site issues this week and I’d like to thank you all for your patience and understanding. They totally stressed me out; any tips you want to share on remaining calm when things go wrong would be much appreciated in the comments!

Finally, heading into the weekend, I wanted to share this great piece on the Obamas’ marriage from the New York Times. My husband and I struggle with this notion of equality a lot as well, and neither of us is a world leader! What’s your take?

Soy may be best known for its super-food qualities, but it’s also made quite an impact on beauty companies looking for natural ingredients that work well within skin care.

Dr. Jensen Yeung of Women’s College Hospital in Toronto says that the link between soy and beauty products was made when it was discovered that Asian workers who regularly handled soy ended up with soft, even-toned skin on their hands.

This led to researchers investigating the potential skin benefits of the little green bean that could. “It is believed that soy contains ingredients such as antioxidants that even skin tone, smooth and soften skin texture,” says  Yeung.

As well as being an anti-oxidant, soy has been shown to work as an anti-inflammatory, so it’s great if your skin leans on the sensitive or flare-up side of things.

Interested? The good news is you don’t have to spend a fortune to get on the soy bandwagon. Here are a few affordable options:

Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Makeup Remover Pads ($16), come in recyclable packaging and easily remove makeup without leaving the skin feeling stripped.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 ($22), combines soy with light-diffusing particles that give skin a glow. This cream scores extra brownie points for the high SPF number, too.

Origins Multi-Grain Makeup SPF 14 ($31), uses a mix of ingredients including organic oats, soy, and tapioca in this powder-based foundation to help reduce oil, soothe skin irritation and improve skin tone.

This is a pretty neat project in sustainable fashion: The Uniform Project. Sheena Matheiken is wearing the same dress every day (designed by Eliza Starbuck) for one year in order to raise awareness and funds for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots non-profit devoted to bringing education to children living in the slums.

Every day she posts her new look and a number of them are pretty inspiring. Time to dust off that little black dress!

If you need incentive to attend your heart’s health, this exhibit is for you. Featuring over 200 authentic human specimens, ranging from arteries to full human bodies, Body Worlds and the Story of the Heart gives viewers an amazing view of the delicate systems that keep us running, breathing and thinking.

The tightly-focused exhibit takes viewers through the body, focusing on the heart and the role it plays in our body functions. Displayed alongside full-body specimens are the different organs and bodily systems, including the nervous system, circulatory system and digestive system. Viewers learn about how the body develops from conception to birth, how we are able to move and breathe, and what happens when we treat our bodies badly.

The remarkable level of preservation is achieved through a process called plastination, developed by Dr. Gunther von Hagens. In a nutshell, the process of plastination dehydrates the body, then uses a vacuum chamber to replace water with special plastic polymers. This allows for the incredibly life-like preservation of human bodies, and is what makes Body Worlds so fascinating: you are looking at an actual person! Most of the plastinates are between the ages of 55 and 65.

I had the pleasure of viewing the new Body Worlds exhibit, Body Worlds and the Story of the Heart, and was struck by how intricate and ultimately frail we all are. In many parts of the exhibition, healthy organs and bodies are juxtaposed with unhealthy or diseased specimens, showing viewers what happens when we smoke, are obese or lead an unhealthy lifestyle. It’s one thing to say a habit like smoking is bad for you; it’s another thing entirely to see the healthy lungs next to the lungs that look like asphalt.

Some of the specimens might be shocking or overwhelming for some; I was a little disturbed by some of the full-body plastinates that had hair or skin. On the other hand, while visiting I was frequently in the same places as a father with his young daughter, who, at about 4 years old, was perfectly ok with seeing the exhibits.

With the previous Body Worlds exhibit attracting nearly half a million visitors to the Ontario Science Centre in its 5-month run, there is no doubt that this second exhibit will be just as successful. Tickets are timed entry, so buy ahead at www.OntarioScienceCentre.ca or by calling 416-696-1000. And don’t wait too long: this exhibit is here for a limited time only.

Here are some of the articles that caught my eye this weekend. Go read and come back and see if you agree with me.

Judith Timson asks at the Globe and Mail: “Have we spawned the failure generation?”

As someone who falls more on the Gen X side of the generation line, I kind of agree with the commenter who says it’s nothing new, and it’s related to the economy more than anything else. That said, the people in my cohort who did best pretty much ignored the doom and gloom and showed up - wherever would take them - ready to work. What’s more, as a parent I’m not sure it matters what the global causes are; we just all want our kids to have a good life that preferably does not involve retreating into a World of Warcraft addiction and a series of dead-end jobs or unemployment. See what you think.

Also on the Globe and Mail website: Smartphones as conversation killer. Wait a minute, my Blackberry is going off…

I missed this National Post interview with Jane Goodall the first time.

You may be tired of the Balloon Boy story but I did find this piece on Gawker (thanks to Linda) an interesting look at the complex issue of fame, the media, the would-be famous, and the audience.

Sigrid Olson’s reinvention, via the New York Times.

I attended a launch party for the new Sympatico.ca portal last night. (Congrats guys!) It was a very web-oriented crowd, of course, and that pretty firmly placed me in the camp of older attendees by… quite a bit.

I’d also had a lively discussion earlier in the day about the new Fame movie. More than any other remake lately, it’s made me feel a bit - nostalgic. I think it’s because when the first movie came out I was - well let’s say young enough that my parents wouldn’t let me see it, but I managed to do so anyway. (Sorry mom.)

So yes, I was feeling my age. A tiny little bit. Maybe.

That’s probably why Judith Warner’s column at the New York Times caught my attention this morning. She talks about a moment of realization — listening to the Fame soundtrack — that her 12 year old daughter has all that driving ambition ahead of her. I relate! But then I read the first comment: “Trust me: you get over this.” (From Rand Careaga) and I laughed.

It’s so true. All I have to do is take a look at some of the recent stories on the site — Canada’s war artist; Belinda (Stronach) unbound — to be reminded that even though there are these “Man, I may not be old, but I’m definitely not young” moments, who cares?

Seriously.

So here’s what happened after my moment going up to the bar: I ordered a gin and tonic, and someone (younger, better looking) next to me commented that she felt wimpy ordering a beer compared to my “real” drink. I had to confess I’d had just a moment when I wondered if mine was a dated choice. And then we laughed together and enjoyed the party.

This weekend the New York Times ran a series called 21st Century Babies - looking at some of the risks and outcomes from using assisted reproduction technology (ART) in the quest for children.

The Globe and Mail also ran a piece about infertility over the weekend: The new IVF gamble: single embryo transfer.

As a member of the “oops, I forgot to have children” generation — meaning delayed childbearing is the norm in my circle, whether the delay was due to marrying late, completing a PhD, starting a career, affording a house in Toronto, or just plain nerves about the whole thing — I’ve had to confront fertility issues head on in a number of ways. It seems to be a constant hot topic.

One thing I know is that it’s much easier to talk about the pros and cons of various treatments in the abstract than in the up close and personal. Have you had any experiences with ART? What are your thoughts? Do you broach these topics with teenage children?

Okay, it’s not groundbreaking or trendsetting to say thank-you on the Friday before Thanksgiving. (That’s Canadian Thanksgiving for those of you finding this post in November.) But, I’d still like to say thank you to More.ca readers because you are the best! We launched the site a little over a year ago and I have learned so much from your comments and emails and stories and reviews.

Here are some other things I’m thankful for, along with links:

about it.)

Whether it’s mineral sea salt, seaweed, or marine kelp, the ocean is a frequent source of inspiration for many creams and beauty treatments, both on shop counters and in spas.

I remember when the trend for seaweed wraps first went mainstream back in the nineties. I was an early convert, even though getting coated from head to toe in a mossy green (seriously smelly) mixture of seaweed and mud barely seemed like a good idea on paper, let alone once I’d wiggled into a pair of cringe-worthy paper underwear and been introduced to a stranger with a paintbrush. Being wrapped in an aluminum foil-like packet and left alone to fester for 30 minutes was also not one of the high points in that experience for me.

But there’s a reason seaweed wraps remain a staple item in spas today: because they work. Seaweed is a fairly potent anti-inflamatory, disinfectant and anti-oxidant that detoxes and leaves skin glowing. It is also one of the magic ingredients in La Mer’s infamous line of high-priced but much adored products. It’s goopy, it’s green, but it’s good.

Now, you’re more than welcome to stump up $160 for the new La Mer Body Refiner (it’s a body scrub. A damn good one, mind you, but still. It’s $160 for a body scrub), but you can also get your seawater fix with Lush Aqua Marina Cleanser ($11), which contains Vancouver Island seaweed, chamomile and aloe vera for a seriously soothing result.

I also like the H20+ Clearwater Moisture Boosting Body Balm ($14), which uses Icelandic moss, seaweed and watercress to moisturize and nourish dry skin; the new StriVectin Overnight Facial Resurfacing Serum ($68, out in November) uses red algae to help even out skin tone and brighten hyper-pigmentation.

Happy swimming!

Have you been following the bizarre dénouement of the Letterman affair? I confess that I have been. Today’s step: The apology. (Via the Globe and Mail.) I’m not sure I would want to be apologized to on television. Or to apologize on television. But I will give it to the guy: At least he’s owning up.

Actually, now that I’ve typed that, I’m not super keen on this as a standard. How about not having an affair in the first place? Or confessing before being blackmailed? Am I just naïve?

We’ve covered a couple of perspectives on midlife infidelity: Wendy B’s After the affair prompted a lot of response, as did Affairs: Not just for men. More and more I’m wondering: Is infidelity, or at least temptation, a natural part of marriage? Or is it just something we hear about because it’s juicy?