Article posted: 3/7/2014 5:30 AM

Imagine waving a magic wand and choosing where a new park or bridge should be built in the city of Elgin.

Participants in the "Envision Elgin" planning meeting Thursday night were asked to do just that, and they came up with a smorgasbord of ideas for improvements in several categories: residential and commercial areas, transportation, recreation, employment and life in general in Elgin.

"You have the chance to dream big," said John Houseal, principal of Chicago-based Houseal Lavigne Associates, which hosted the meeting attended by 28 people at The Centre of Elgin.

Participants brainstormed in small groups and reported their conclusions at the end of the evening.

Among their ideas:

A park on what is now wetlands by the College Park subdivision just west of Elgin Community College.

Smaller housing for seniors near the old Sherman Hospital just north of downtown.

A new North End bridge extending off Big Timber Road over the Fox River.

A centralized, "one-stop shop" website for all things Elgin.

Originally posted here:
'Envision Elgin' participants told to dream big

The value of Vietnam's footwear exports to Thailand has increased sharply in the past four years, jumping from US$6.6 million in 2010 to $25.87 million (Bt835 million) in 2013.

According to the general department of Vietnam customs, this January Vietnam shipped $2.01 million worth of footwear to Thailand, and since 2012, the country's monthly footwear export value to Thailand has been above $1 million on average.

Thailand has become one of Vietnam's four largest footwear importers in Asean, the department said.

Nguyen Van Khanh, chairman of the Leather and Footwear Association in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, said Vietnam would have opportunities to ink more contracts with Thailand in the labour-intensive sector, as the partner country would stop producing its own footwear some time in the future, reports VnEconomy.

Apart from a shortage of labour, Thailand is facing challenges posed by the unstable baht, the high labour cost and fierce competition from other producers, Khanh said.

He added that many small and medium-sized footwear producers in Thailand had to suspend operations and export materials to foreign countries, including Vietnam. Currently, several Thai businesses are seeking to bring their production lines to other markets with cheaper labour costs, experts have said, noting that this could be an opportunity for the Vietnamese footwear industry.

Several months ago, a delegation of 30 Thai businesses operating in the sector visited Vietnam to seek long-term investment opportunities.

Kanchit Juntanapornchai, chairman of the Association of Thai Footwear Industrial Promotion, said a number of Thai businesses wished to import Vietnamese footwear to service their domestic and export demands.

He suggested that Vietnam should take advantage of the uncertainty in the sector in other countries by improving the quality of its own services and products.

Diep Thanh Kiet, vice chairman of the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association, said Thailand boasted a strong footwear industry as the country not only sells products of well-known brands and importers worldwide, but also establishes distribution networks in foreign countries.

Continued here:
VN's footwear sector expands footprint in Thai market

For many of us, a fall may very well be in our future.

Dorothy Baker from the Department of Geriatrics at Yale School of Medicine says, Between 30 and 40 percent of ordinary adults over 65 years old in Connecticut are going to fall this year. Were not talking about patients at nursing homes and hospitals, just ordinary adults in the state.

In fact falling is one of the leading reasons for older adults in Connecticut to call 911 and trips to the ER.

So, Baker has teamed up with students and professors from Quinnipiacs physical therapy program to study the effects of Thai Chi on balance and risk of falling.

Katie Petersen is a third year graduate student and one of four Quinnipiac physical therapy students part of the research team, Tai chi is fantastic for the elderly. It requires them to be slow to move outside their base of support and center of mass and really challenges their balance and works all those muscles that we know keep people upright.

Donald Kowalsky, associate professor of physical therapy, believes integrating Tai Chi into patients in home rehab regimen will scale back repeated falls, re-hospitalization, and ultimately add up to a major cost savings for the healthcare system.

I think that if we can keep people on their feet and prevent falls its going to benefit not only the state financially but the well being of patients and thats the ultimate goal.

Original post:
Quinnipiac University Physical Therapy Students Research Fall Prevention And Tai Chi