GIFT IDEAS FOR YOUR LOVED ONES THIS CHRISTMAS

Finding the best gifts for everyone on your list can be a challenge. Delivering a present that you know they will love is part of the joy of giving. There are so many gifts to choose from, and selecting the right one means knowing your recipient well. 

The Foodie Chef 

If your recipient loves to cook, kitchen gadgets are always a great choice. A set of knives, new pastry bags and stand mixers will wow your recipient. For the foodie, go for gift certificates for exotic cuisine, a membership to a wine club or a gift card to their favorite restaurant. There is a full menu of wonderful gifts for foodies. 

Colorful ring set for the fashionista

The Fashionista 

The best gift for the fashionista is one that complements her extensive wardrobe. Accessories like earrings with synthetic diamonds, bracelets and rings make great gifts. Scarves, stylish gloves and sweaters are always a hit. Men love stylish ties, watches and leather bracelets. Shopping for the person who loves to shop is always a challenge, but you can usually find the right fashion-forward gifts that they will love. 

The Sports Fan 

It shouldn't be hard to find the right gift for the sports fan. Score gifts emblazoned with the team logo for the must-have gift. Jerseys, hats and mugs are great for the fan who feels like he's part of the team. Tailgating accessories like folding chairs, grills and logo tents are always welcome on game day. Golf lovers love custom tees and bags. Customized sports apparel will surprise and delight your recipient. 

The Creative 

If your recipient loves to paint, scrapbook or do crafts, you can find the perfect gifts at your local crafts store. Paint brush caddies, scrapbooking kits and specialty papers are lovely gifts for the creative crafter. A leather journal makes an excellent gift for a writer, while musicians will appreciate new music stands and books. Any gift that will help your recipient create new artistic works will be a welcome gift for the holidays.

Animal Lovers 

Fun fish tanks, dog paw print necklaces and animal print socks make wonderful gifts for pet pals. You can find whimsical gifts like cat inspired shot glasses, weiner dog vinegar bottles and cat ear headphones that every animal lover will appreciate. Giving the best gift is half the fun. By knowing what your recipient will love, you can give a gift that they will cherish for years to come.

ONE YEAR ON FROM TYPHOON BOPHA, FAMILIES STILL REELING FROM LOSS OF LIVELIHOODS

Increased support is needed if families are to fully recover from the impact of Typhoon Bopha on their livelihoods, Save the Children says. 

A year after the category 5 typhoon – the highest category for a storm – the children’s aid agency says tens of thousands are still struggling to find work to feed their families. The Typhoon, which struck on 4 th December 2012, affected over six million people and left nearly 2000 dead or missing. 

The storm caused widespread damage to agriculture, which account for the livelihoods of 80 per cent of the residents in the affected area. The Filipino government’s disaster agency estimates a loss of over US$700 million in agricultural damage, including bananas, coconuts, rice and maize. 

“The job that aid agencies need to fulfil shouldn’t stop at immediate relief,” said Tom Howells, Team Leader for Save the Children’s Bopha Recovery Program. “But many are forced to end their projects as there is little to no funding available for long-term rehabilitation of livelihoods. Our worry is that these families will no longer be able to send their children to school, provide nutritious foods and a protective home environment once aid stops.

” Save the Children conducted two livelihoods projects in the Bopha-affected areas, unconditional cash grants for vulnerable families and cash-for-work to rehabilitate schools. Roselyn Cabatlao, 34, was one of the program’s beneficiaries in Davao Oriental after her family lost their only source of income – a coconut plantation – in the storm. It will take them at least seven more years to get back on their feet as coconut trees take about eight years to mature. 

 “I can see there are still many families here that do not have stable income because many of our coconuts have been damaged by the typhoon,” she said. Through income generated from Save the Children’s cash-for-work program, Roselyn is now able to buy food, vitamins and condiments for her children. The mother of three was also given the tools and seeds to plant vegetables in their backyard for consumption and income. The vegetables and direct nutrition interventions helped Roselyn’s son, Jericho, to recover from severe acute malnutrition. “Families like Roselyn will be left to their own devices once aid agencies leave. We have given them the basic tools to sustain themselves, but it will be years before Roselyn harvests coconuts again and builds a sturdy house for her family,” said Tom Howells. 

 Save the Children responded to the needs of affected families in Typhoon Bopha, delivering an integrated package of child protection, education, health and nutrition, water sanitation and hygiene, disaster preparedness in schools, food security and livelihoods in Agusan del Sur, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental. Overall, the children’s aid agency has reached about 138,000 people. 

Save the Children has spokespeople available for interviews. Please contact Lynette Lim, Communications Manager for Save the Children at lynette.lim@savethechildren.org or +63 9152622601.

INFLATION IN THE BOOB JOB MARKET

The number of women opting to have a boob job has been on the rise lately, with a whopping 35% increase in the number of operations since 2012. In the USA it’s thought that as many as one in three women have had a boob job. The increase is so large, that all the implants used could fill the whole of an Olympic sized pool. That’s a huge number of implants if you consider that each one is only the size of a burger bun. So why this sudden increase in breast enlargements? 

Believe it or not, most women are not looking for a Katie Price, glamour model sized breast. According to mya.co.uk the average enlargement is only two cups, so women are choosing a much more subtle, natural looking breast. As the boob job becomes more and more socially acceptable, the reasons for women turning to surgery are becoming more personal. It’s no longer a vanity mission, with women looking for career worthy breasts, it seems to be more a way of dealing with long standing insecurities. 

Many women have reported that their motivations for choosing a boob job started with feeling flat chested and insecure with their bodies. A surprising number of women are turning to the operation following child birth, with the act of breast feeding causing the breasts to sag or shrink. Many women have spoken out about how they used surgery to give themselves a fuller upper breast, to match the shape and size of their boobs when pregnant. The number of post birth boob jobs is on the increase. 

As boob jobs are becoming more acceptable in the wider society, it seems that more women who are unhappy with the shape and size of their breasts are feeling confident enough to do something about it. The surgery is no longer seen as an act of vanity, but as a way to rid long standing insecurities and gain more basic body confidence. Perhaps it’s also a greater understanding and more discussions of the topics that have caused the inflation in the boob job market. 

A boob job operation involves the patient being put under general anesthetic. The surgeon will cut the breasts in a choice of areas, most women choose across the nipple as it’s less visible. Implants are then inserted that create the desired size.