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Japanese turn to wearable tech to beat the heat
Selling jackets with built-in fans, neck coolers and T-shirts that feel cold, Japanese firms are tapping into a growing market for products to help people handle the summer heat. Japan -- like other countries -- is seeing ever-hotter summers. This July was the warmest in 100 years, with at least 53 people dying of heatstroke and almost 50,000 needing emergency medical attention. Workman, which makes clothes for construction workers, launched a version of their fan-fitted jackets adapted for the high street in 2020 as demand grew. The mechanism is simple -- two electric, palm-sized fans powered by a rechargeable battery are fitted into the back of the jacket. They draw in air to then deliver a breeze -- at variable speeds -- onto the wearer's body. The jackets retail for 12,000 to 24,000 yen ($82-164). "As the weather gets hotter, people who have never worn fan-equipped clothing before want to find ways to cool down... so more people are interested in buying it," Workman spokesman Yuya Suzuki told AFP. "Just like you feel cool when you are at home with a fan, you feel cool just by wearing (the jacket) because the wind is blowing through your body all the time," he said. Aging population at risk Japanese summers are known to be hot and humid, but this July Tokyo really sweated. The average temperature was 28.7 Celsius (83.7 Fahrenheit), the highest on record since 1875. Heatstroke is particularly deadly in Japan, which has the second-oldest population in the world after Monaco. More than 80 percent of heat-related deaths in the past five years have been among senior citizens. "Some people die from heatstroke," said Nozomi Takai of MI Creations, a company selling neck-cooling tubes mainly to factory and warehouse workers. "Individuals as well as companies are putting more and more effort into measures against it every year," Takai said. The gel inside his firm's brightly colored tubes -- priced at 2,500 yen -- is cool enough to use after 20 minutes in the fridge. Wearing it on the neck will "considerably cool the whole body" for about an hour, she said. Takai's company joined an expo this year on "measures against extreme heat" in Tokyo to showcase new products that help users stay cool in the scorching heat. At another booth, Tokyo-based company Liberta had a series of clothing including T-shirts and arm sleeves using prints that make users feel cool -- especially when they sweat. The prints use materials such as xylitol that feel cool when reacting with water and sweat, they said. Chikuma, an Osaka-based company, has even created office jackets and dresses equipped with electric fans. "We developed them with the idea that it could be proposed in places where casual wear is not allowed," Yosuke Yamanaka of Chikuma said. Regular fan-fitted clothes can make the wearer look puffy, as they need to be zipped up, and cuffs are tight. But jackets developed jointly by Chikuma, power tool maker Makita and textile giant Teijin do not need to be buttoned up, thanks to a special structure that sandwiches the fans in two layers and keeps the cool air in, Yamanaka said. Men adopting parasols Parasols, which are commonly associated in Japan with skin-tone-conscious women protecting against a summer tan, are now proving more popular with men too. Komiyama Shoten, a small, luxury umbrella maker in Tokyo, began making parasols for men around 2019 after the environment ministry encouraged people to use them. Before, many male customers thought parasols "were for women and they were embarrassed", the owner Hiroyuki Komiya said. "Once you use it, you can't let go," he added. On the busy streets of popular tourist destination Asakusa, Kiyoshi Miya, 42, said he decided to "use his umbrella as a parasol". "It's like I'm always in the shade and the wind feels cool," he said. Another visitor, Shoma Kawashima, wore a wearable fan around his neck to stay cool under the blazing sun. "It's so hot I want to be naked," the 21-year-old said. Gadgets are helpful, but "not a solution" to rising temperatures, he added. The post Japanese turn to wearable tech to beat the heat appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Crusade for the elderly
Granny Sho-er, an 87-year-old Internet celebrity who owned a traditional laundry shop in central Taiwan, passed away this week. Sho-er and her husband, 86-year-old Chang Wan-ji, went viral by bringing joy to the people the world over as they modeled clothes forgotten by their customers in their laundromat—some marooned there for more than 10 years—a creative reminder to pick up their laundry. The old couple’s story was featured in the New York Times, CNN, People, British Vogue and various other media in Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Thailand. The schtick was the brainchild of their grandson, who dressed up Sho-er and Chang Wan-ji for Instagram to stave off the old couple’s boredom and loneliness sitting in the laundromat day in, day out, and to remind people that octogenarians can be trendy, as well. Since their Internet stardom, the couple has been invited to walk the runway of Taipei Fashion Week. They made a lot of young friends out of their laundromat customers, and their life became more fulfilled. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen visited the old couple in 2020 to wish them healthy body and a merry celebration of the Double Ninth Festival (Day of Older Persons in Taiwan). Sho-er and Chang Wan-ji told the President that, while they were old in age, they were still young in mind, their liveliness and cheerfulness inspiring people of various demographics to live their lives to the full. The story of Grandma Sho-er reminds me of the famous Apo Whang-Od, known as the last and oldest practitioner of the art of Kalinga tattoo in the Philippines. Whang-Od recently made it as the oldest person on the cover of Vogue. Most Taiwanese did not know Whang-Od until Vogue, no matter her works are strikingly akin to traditional face tattoos by some indigenous groups in Taiwan. In the days of yore, members of Atayal, Truku, Seediq and Saisiyat tribes had to pass various tests, such as headhunting for men and weaving for women, to be qualified bearers of the face tattoos. Those who don’t have face tattoos were not allowed to marry. The body art was a symbol among indigenous people that they had come of age and were now able to survive as adults. During the Japanese colonial era, face tattoos were considered uncivilized and thus strictly banned, so many indigenous people had to hide in the mountains to carry on with the tradition. lpay Wilang, a Seediq woman who died in 2022 at the age of 100, was the last practitioner of Taiwan’s fading art of traditional face tattoo. It is valuable that Whang-Od is not only alive, but still able to practice her tribe’s heritage art at the age of 106. The Filipinos’ respect for the elderly through the enduring gesture of pagmamano impresses foreigners who visit the Philippines. President Marcos Jr. described the aging population in Southeast Asia as “an opportunity and a challenge.” According to the Asian Development Bank, one out of four people in the Asia Pacific will be over the age of 60 by 2050. Thus, the President couldn’t stress it enough: “Asean should start discussing the concerns of the ageing population, consistent with the Asean tradition of valuing our elders.” It takes creative public policies to help senior citizens lead more fulfilling lives and make contributions to the world. The post Crusade for the elderly appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Top 10 things to buy at Metro’s Happyversary Sale
Great discounts, freebies, and deals await you at the Metro Stores’ Happyversary Sale! In celebration of the Metro’s 38th anniversary, revel in great selection of items, from clothes, appliances, furniture, to groceries, and enjoy huge discounts in-store and online from October 12-18, 2020. While you’re getting ready to hit the Metro stores or to hit […] The post Top 10 things to buy at Metro’s Happyversary Sale appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Chris Nick creates the modern flapper
His fall/winter 2020 collection takes cues from the 1920s, Années folles, the ‘Crazy Years.’ What happened in the ’20s, 100 years ago? They went roaring, années folles, as the French called them. The Jazz Age in the US, the Golden Age in Europe, emerging from World War I, descending to the Great Depression. It was the time of The Lost Generation, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, Cole Porter. It was the time of the Surrealists, Andre Breton, Arthur Rimbaud, Charles Baudelaire. It was a time of radical views and paradigm shifts. It was the time of women’s suffrage and women’s emancipation, when fashion at last entered the modern era, with women ditching the restricting clothes in favor of comfort, slipping into short skirts or trousers. It was the time of the flapper, defined informally as a fashionable young woman intent on enjoying herself and flouting conventional standards of behavior. It is in ode to these “Crazy Years” that designer Chris Nick de los Reyes came up with his fall/winter collection 2020. “I started conceptualizing the collection December of 2019 and, as we entered a new decade, the ’20s came to mind,” he says. “The Roaring ’20s saw an explosion of art, culture, and racial pride. Social change was evident and economic growth was booming.” Contrast that to these times, 100 years since, when we are between what seemed like a boom and what lies ahead, possibly a much-changed world that has survived a pandemic. “Very timely,” says Chris of his current collection that is a form of defiance, a chin up against the tendency to dwell in the darkness, just as the 1920s emerged from a decade of war and the Black Plague. “Fashion does not necessarily have to stop. We must look forward, seek advancement.” More than giving Filipino women a temporary means of escapism, the collection celebrates the craving “for light, speed, fun” that this decade in the last century sought. In today’s restrictions, despite today’s restrictions, those cravings remain and Chris Nick lets them have it in fashion. Whereas the flapper of the 1920s was a form of rebellion, in Chris’ interpretation, it is a symbol of strength. “The modern flapper in my eyes is dressed up in classics with a distinct aura of authority, sensuality, and wit,” he says. “And as a Filipina, she brings traditional Filipiniana into the current times.” It is a time of fear and great uncertainty, but the modern Filipina maintains a positive outlook. With fashion as her outlet, she is unafraid to express herself, her individuality. “These women are leaders of change,” says Chris. “With a strong personality, attitude, and a whole lot of charisma, they are symbols of confidence.” His collection at once conceals and reveals—but not too much, never too much—the female form in tulle, satin, silk, and wool mostly in black, the designer’s favorite color, the color of power, seduction, fantasy, and mystery. Chris also plays with texture with a boldness he’s never had before, although his style signature mixing tailored pieces with evening dresses, embellishing masculine silhouettes with fringes, feather, and sparkle, makes each piece distinctly, unmistakably Chris Nick......»»
Get kids jabbed versus pertussis, parents urged
Get kids jabbed versus pertussis, parents urged.....»»
Revolutionizing women’s healthcare
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Training on COA compliance for government institutions
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Pasig: 2 of 17 kids die of ‘whooping cough’
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Kids advised to wear masks
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Sharon Cuneta to launch online shop for pre-loved clothes
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Grab tests DriveYourCar service
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All Stars raring to inspire kids, wow fans
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From the Newsrooms: March 10 to 16, 2024
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Herlene Budol gives tips for online shoppers to avoid budol
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Trump predicts the end of U.S. democracy if he loses 2024 election
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4 PH medicinal herbs for gout, pain relief pass clinical trials
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Abra Mining investors turning up the heat on SEC and PSE to resolve unlisted shares issue
Shareholders of Abra Mining, together with stockbroker Victor Dominquez, are seeking a Congressional inquiry into “the alleged failure of the SEC and PSE to formalize charges against the executives of Abra Mining...” for their role AR’s sale of shares which were unlisted and unregistered during the “basura” (garbage) stock frenzy that heated up in late 2020 and overboiled in early 2021......»»
Former NBA player Rashid Byrd sentenced to 90 years in prison for sexual assault
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FACES OF CEBU: Etienne Chantal, 29, social media influencer, thrift shopper
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Owner of loose ostriches indicted
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