China's Yu breaks 500m sprint world record

China's Yu Jing broke the 500 metre world record at the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships on Saturday.
The 26-year-old, who competed for China at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, clocked 36.94 seconds at the Olympic Oval facility to become the first woman to break the 37-second barrier.
The previous world record of 37.0sec was set in December of 2009 at Salt Lake City by Germany's Jenny Wolf.
It was the second world record in as many days here, after Canadian Christine Nesbitt broke the 1,000m world record on Saturday.
Yu earned the sprint world title at the end of the weekend's four races with a total of 148.610 points, just edging defending champion Nesbitt who finished with 148.630 points.
China's Zhang Hong was third with 149.700 points.
On the men's side, South Korea's two-time sprint world champion Lee Kyou-hyuk was dethroned by Stefan Groothuis of the Netherlands.
The Dutch skater emerged from the four races with a total of 136.820 points with Lee second on 137.000. South Korea's Mo Tae-bum was third.
Two other speed skating world championships are on the slate for 2012 -- the all-around worlds at Moscow February 18-19 and the distance worlds at Heerenveen in the Netherlands March 22-25

Plus Size Bodies, What Is Wrong With Them Anyway?

Photographer: Victoria Janashvili


“The statistics and photos in this article have had a global impact,” says Tulin Reid, Executive Marketing and Creative Director of PLUS Model Magazine. “As a plus size fashion magazine we are thrilled with the results as it expands the conversation that we have monthly between advertisers, designers, readers, and the modeling industry.”
Some of the statistics include:
- Twenty years ago the average fashion model weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today, she weighs 23% less.
- Ten years ago plus-size models averaged between size 12 and 18. Today the need for size diversity within the plus-size modeling industry continues to be questioned. The majority of plus-size models on agency boards are between a size 6 and 14, while the customers continue to express their dissatisfaction.
- Most runway models meet the Body Mass Index physical criteria for Anorexia.
- 50% of women wear a size 14 or larger, but most standard clothing outlets cater to sizes 14 or smaller.
“The response has been overwhelming,” says PLUS Editor-in-Chief Madeline Jones, “We have received messages, emails and support on our social networking sites from all over the globe. Women simply want to be validated and desire to have equal options in the fashion world. We are not advocating an unhealthy lifestyle; health is not determined by a size or what you look like. I’m pretty sure there are many unhealthy models on the runway during NY Fashion Week.”
This has not only touched plus size women, but women on the other end of the size spectrum as well as men, hospitals, eating disorder organizations, yoga outlets and much more while the article continues to spider the globe.
PLUS Model Magazine continues to rally and express the thoughts of its readers, the confident plus-size woman.

Country Superstar Carrie Underwood to Perform at Nordstrom Symphony Fashion Show on February 28, 2012

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Nordstrom, in partnership with the Nashville Symphony, will present the Nordstrom Symphony Fashion Show, featuring a performance by five-time GRAMMY® winner Carrie Underwood and an exclusive presentation of Oscar de la Renta’s Pre-Fall 2012 collection on Tuesday, February 28. The event, emceed by radio and television personality Storme Warren, will take place from 6-10 pm at Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, with a cocktail reception before the show and dinner to follow.
This year marks Nordstrom’s first time producing the fashion show since opening a store at The Mall at Green Hills in September of 2011, as well as Carrie Underwood’s first performance at the Symphony Fashion Show. Guests will also have the opportunity to get a closer look at the featured fashions after the performance and fashion show at an exclusive boutique inside Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
Proceeds from the Nordstrom Symphony Fashion Show will assist the Symphony in reaching more than 95,000 people through free community concerts; bringing world-renowned artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Bela Fleck and Emanuel Ax to perform for local audiences; providing barrier-free music education to thousands of students across Middle Tennessee; and supporting the work of today’s leading composers.
Underwood, a 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville recording artist, is a current GRAMMY® Award nominee and a five-time GRAMMY® winner, a two-time Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year, a three-time Country Music Association and ACM Female Vocalist winner, and a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry. Since her debut in 2005, Underwood has amassed more than 14 million in album sales and has placed 14 No. 1 singles on the charts.