Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 12, 2009, Winnipeg, Manitoba m y k Page 7 Winnipeg repress. Com science technology Winnipeg free press monday january 12, 2009 a7 57% of Winnipeg women read the saturday edition of the Winnipeg free press. We have a unique idea that is part of your family is history. Homestead Aerial photos will be displaying a collection of thousands of Aerial photos of Manitoba farms from the 50 s 90 s. Come in and take a look at your farm As it looked Back then. Also available is your family history from b. C., Alberta & p. E. I. By request Only. Attention past and current farm families. We will be displaying for 3 Days Only we will be set up at january 13 15 during mall hours 080109 208060ks come see us at a Days january 20 22 Brandon my know who to go to think about each and every time you go to work get into a vehicle or even plan an Outing with your family. 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Visit our website at . . D id the holidays stress you out How about the Economy that got you Down research from my mental health and aging Laboratory at the University of Manitoba May give you suggestions for managing stress More effectively. Researchers and students from the lab focus on ways to improve older adults mental health and although we developed stress relieving techniques specifically for caregivers the interventions can be used by Many others including stressed out Holiday shoppers. One topic of investigation in the lab is the stress experienced by nurses and family members caring for older adults with alzheimer res disease and other forms of dementia. Although providing this care can be rewarding it is becoming increasingly Clear that caregiving is also associated with High Levels of stress and a variety of associated negative outcomes. My colleagues and i have also demonstrated that chronic stress can Lead to cognitive problems including difficulties paying attention and remembering new information. This research helps explain Why we seem More absent minded during very stressful times. My lab has developed and evaluated a number of stress reduction interventions. One of our recent studies examined a relatively new and promising stress reduction intervention mindfulness training. Mindfulness can be defined As paying attention on purpose in the present and non judgmentally to our experiences. Mindfulness requires bringing gentle curiosity openness and acceptance to what is happening in our lives even if what is happening is challenging and stressful. My colleagues and i developed a four week mindfulness intervention which required nurse caregivers to engage in exercises such As mindful eating stretching with awareness and sitting meditation. Nurses who completed the program experienced significant improvements in burnout symptoms relaxation and life satisfaction in comparison to nurses who were on a waiting list for the intervention. This study demonstrates that bringing mindful awareness and compassion to stressful situations at work even after just a few weeks can Lead to significant improvements in coping that Are Felt not Only at work but also in other areas of life. Another novel stress reduction technique we explored for reducing caregiver stress is expressive writing. This technique involves writing about ones deepest thoughts and emotions concerning a traumatic or stressful life experience for 20 minutes on several occasions. Given that this Brief and inexpensive intervention reduces stress and improves health in younger adults members of the mental health and aging Laboratory were interested in whether writing about caregiver stress would Benefit those caring for older family members with alzheimer res. Interestingly expressive writing was helpful in terms of reducing distress and improving mental and physical health Only for those caregivers who wrote about caregiving using positive optimistic and future focused language. This study highlights the importance of optimism even when dealing with chronically stressful and difficult life circumstances. Together these studies from our Laboratory at the University of Manitoba emphasize the importance of taking Active Steps to Cope with stressful life circumstances. Whether you Are a caregiver for an older adult with dementia or Are struggling to Cope with other stressful life circumstances these studies suggest the potential for reducing stress and improving health and Well being through avenues such As mindfulness meditation or expressive writing. More information about these studies and the mental health and aging Laboratory can be found on the lab website at Home. . Manitoba. mackenz0/. Corey Mackenzie is an assistant professor in the department of psychology and a research affiliate with the Centre on aging at the University of Manitoba. The learning curve is an occasional column written by local academics who Are experts in their Fields. It is open to any educator from one of Winnipeg Gas pos secondary institutions. Send 600 word submissions and a mini Bio to free press. My. . Corey Mackenzie assistant professor of psychology learning curve mindful living can decrease stress d Detroit with the Economy crashing americans Are tightening their belts and automakers Are ready to sell them smaller pants. On sunday at Detroit is Auto show general motors corp. Revealed the spark a tiny two door Hatchback that it says will get 40 Miles a gallon and will be on the Market by 2011. Toyota motor corp. Announced plans to introduce by 2012, its own pint sized Hatchback the it eve based on its in Model that will run entirely on Battery Power. Add those to a Host of other recently announced City oriented mini cars including offerings from Ford Nissan and Mitsubishi that Are expected to arrive in the United states in the next few years. Altogether its a Clear indication that the move toward smaller cars that first emerged last summer when Gas prices peaked at More than $ 4, is picking up Speed. The idea Auto executives say is to bring Consumers a vehicle Ideal for Urban audiences and not incidentally beef up fuel efficiency numbers to meet increasingly Tough government regulations. The trend is emphasized by the Success of the smart car and especially by was mini which was one of the Only brands to show a net sales gain in 2008. But some analysts suggest that betting on tiny transportation has significant risks. While undersized cars have found great Success in markets such As Europe and Asia where Gas prices Are High and City streets congested the bulk of the u. S. Market has a longstanding tendency to choose larger vehicles whenever possible. The Littlest cars some fear May Only Appeal to a relatively Small number of Consumers. Many in the Industry disagree saying the time is almost Ripe for such vehicles. Tastes for cars shifted dramatically last summer and the Small cars category was the Only one that saw growth in u. S. Sales last year. And with Federal fuel Economy requirements set to push average fuel Economy up to 35 Miles per gallon by 2020, getting highly efficient cars on the Road is a big priority. Whats More automakers can bring Micro cars to Market at relatively Low Cost since they already have developed the platforms for foreign markets where they often sell extremely Well. Weave been thinking about dipping our toe into this Market for a while now said Troy Clarke Gmys president of North America. He predicts that the spark which will go on Sale in Europe next year prior to coming to the United states in 2011, could be a big Success. Other car makers Are thinking along those lines. Chrysler which has emphasized trucks and sport Utility vehicles is now scrambling to get into Small cars. Frank Klegon Chrysler res head of product development said the company was in negotiations with Nissan to create a subcompact or smaller car for the u. S. Market that would Likely come in an electric version. Klegon says that while such a car would help it comply with regulations the decision is More about meeting a growing customer demand for Small cars. Were trying to create a portfolio of cars that pull the Market not push it Klegon said. Ford too is preparing to jump into the impish end of the Market. Its smallest offering in the United states is the focus a compact car. But next year it will bring the fiesta a sport subcompact to be made in Mexico. Foreign automakers too Are jumping on this tiny bandwagon. Toyota ass it eve announced this week is based on the in a Small car that it began Selling in Europe and Asia last fall. The it eve will join ranks with an As yet unnamed electric Nissan minibar and a Battery powered version of the Mitsubishi i another miniaturized version of an automobile popular in the crowded streets of Japan. Toyota is convinced that americans Are on the verge of a Small car revolution. What weave seen is a growing trend to urbanization said Irv Miller Toyota spokesman. More City dwellers spell More congestion and that is a recipe for Small cars. We expect that to continue. Los Angeles times automakers betting Small is the new big Toronto Magna International tax my. A is teaming up with Ford motor co. Nose f to produce a fully electric car that will get up to 160 Kilometres on a single charge the Canadian Auto parts giant announced sunday. The news May be welcomed by canadians still fed up with to going prices at the pumps despite the fact current gasoline prices Are about half of what they were a year ago. The Small car a Model of which was demonstrated at the North american International Auto show in Detroit on sunday will be on the Market in 2011, Magna said. Based on the Ford focus platform the car will run on a Zero emission Lithium ion Battery without using a drop of gasoline. The car will have an inboard Battery Charger capable of plugging into a 110 or 220 Volt Standard outlet and will be Able to recharge in six to 12 hours depending on the voltage of the outlet. Ted Robertson executive vice president of new product development for Magna International in the americas and who is originally from Oshawa ont., said in an interview sunday that Magna will provide key components. Well be developing the electric traction motor the Gearbox or transmission the motor controller the Energy storage system. The Battery Charger and then Well do the software and programming and integrating All of those. Into the vehicle Robertson said in an interview from Detroit. Jobs will be created at Magna because of the project Robertson said. He a snot Able to say How Many or where they would be located. The vehicle development partnership is Good news for the global Auto parts supplier which gets 80 per cent of its North american business from the Detroit three automakers whose Bottom lines have been suffering. General motors and Chrysler sought billions of dollars in government Loans in Canada and the u. S. To keep operating amid the recession and declining Auto sales and All three extended their Holiday shutdowns. Ford announced its strategy for electric vehicles sunday at the Auto show offering a Broad description of plans for both hybrid and purely electric powered vehicles. Executive chairman Bill Ford or. Said the company is working on four High mileage Battery electric vehicles to be introduced in the coming years. He said the company is electrification strategy is perfectly aligned with growing interest in the u. S. In advanced technologies that can help reduce our usage of gasoline. The Dearborn based automaker said it also plans to have a Battery powered commercial Van on the Market in 2010 and offer plug in versions of its Gas electric hybrid vehicles in 2012. With files from the associated press Uncertain Gas prices Urban dwellers driving sales Magna Ford aim for electric car Market by Pat Hewitt More City dwellers spell More congestion and that is a recipe for Small cars handout Chrysler unveils its 200c eve concept. The automaker like Many others is developing smaller More fuel efficient vehicles. A 07_ Jan 12 09. Ind a7 1 / 11/ 09 10 31 12 pm ;