I came across Abaji in browsing the music section of NPR, and could not resist sharing this video with you. Having been exposed to both eastern and western forms of music (as is the case of most immigrants from east to this country, I suppose) I am a big fan of musicians who introduce me to a different musical tradition. Abaji is an ambassador of world music to all of us being an exponent of Greek, Turkish, Armenian and French music. Here is what NPR had to say about Abaji.

Abaji’s work spans many cultures and languages. With roots in Greece, Turkey, Armenia and France, he’s at home strumming a twangy bouzouki, blowing into a breathy duduk or bowing a soft-toned kamancheh. When recording his latest album, Origine Orients, he played 10 different instruments, many of them simultaneously, with no second takes or overdubs. It took him just two days

Enough said about the musician. If you want to know more about Abaji, please play the Tiny Desk Concert video, and to visit his website (parts of which are in French and unintelligible to me). But there are english language translations in many places.

Weekly Special!

And another thing - we have a sale going on at the moment on Tigerhill Tea - 20% off until the end of the month. We have a small stock of this wonderful tea left which will be gone soon, so order some if you would like to have some. Once its gone, it will be gone! The tea is available in both 100 gm pack and 500 gm pack which at $43, is a great steal!

© American Heart Association

Question: What disease is the largest killer of women?
Answer: A. Breast Cancer, B. Diabetes, C. Osteoporosis, D. Heart Disease

If you answered A, B or C, you were wrong. The biggest killer of women in America is Heart Disease. According to CDC, ~29% of deaths in women are caused by Heart Disease. However the awareness of this is low among women. To raise the awareness of hear disease among women, American Heart Association has started a tradition of wearing Red “Go Red For Women” on Feb 5. But there is no reason we should think of heart disease only on February 5th - we need to raise awareness of the disease everyday. Just look at some of the shocking numbers quoted on CDC website:

Although heart disease is sometimes thought of as a “man’s disease,” … women account for nearly 50% of heart disease deaths. In 2006, heart disease was the cause of death in nearly 316,000 females.

Often the women are misinformed about the specifics of the disease. For instance, there is a misconception that heart disease is an older woman’s disease, which is absolutely not true. In fact, heart disease is the third leading cause of death among women aged 25-44 years and the second leading cause of death among women aged 45-64 years.

Clearly there is a need to raise awareness among women about not only the heart disease, but also about how to go about preventing it. As mothers and daughters and sisters, we owe it to our families to take better care of ourselves including changing our diet to a more heart healthy diet. For instance, one of the largest sources of calories in our diet is carbonated beverages. Simply substituting the carbonated beverages with tea will help you reduce a significant amount of calories from your diet thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.

But drinking tea is just one of many things many things one can do to reduce the risk of heart disease. Look through the links below that will provide you with great information on the disease itself and how to go about preventing it.

CDC webpage on February is the Heart Disease Month
WebMD - Top 5 Health Concerns of Women
Miami Hearld interviewed a cardiologist on Heart Disease
Go Red For Women website