Stretch for strength

I am 48 years old, my height is 161 cm and I weigh 76 kg. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with Koch's adenitis for which I got treated but suffered complications and multiple joint pain. I also suffer from hypothyroidism and take 50 mg of Altroxin. Kindly guide me with my diet and exercise. Meena Pawar

Tuberculosis arthritis involves the inflammation of such joints as the spine, hips, knees, wrist and ankle. Since it is characterised by a loss of appetite and weight, you may not have put on weight even though you suffer from hypothyroidism. Heavy menses, too, is a symptom of the same disorder, so check your haemoglobin levels.

Increase the iron content of your diet by eating whole cereals, pulses, millets, leafy vegetables and garden cress seeds. Increase your intake of vitamin C and vitamin A, and start taking 250 grams worth of calcium supplements. Adhere to a low calorie diet which has an adequate amount of protein, fats and minerals. Daily fat consumption should not exceed 15-20 gm, and should consist of vegetable oil which is rich in essential fatty acids. Common salt, too, should be had in small quantities. Use skimmed milk and keep away from sweet and fried foods. Keep yourself hydrated by drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day.

You can follow this diet:

Morning: Tulsi and pudina shots, and 3-4 almonds.

Breakfast: One cup of skimmed milk + 2 slices of whole wheat toast/ dalia + papaya slices/ pear/ guava.

Midmorning: One glass of lemon juice Lunch: 2-3 phulkas + sprouts such as rajma/ lentil/ moth + 1 cup of vegetables + buttermilk + salad.

Evening: One fruit + 2 multigrain crackers/ jowar puffs.

Dinner: Vegetable soup + 1 ragi roti + 1 cup of mixed dal + raita.

Exercises: You need to strengthen your muscles and body parts, and improve ligament flexibility through stretching. Include yoga in your workout regimen and follow this routine to warm up the major muscles:

*Unilateral leg extension with light weights to strengthen your quadriceps;

*Back extension on the floor to strengthen back muscles;

*Shoulder exercise with dumbbells. For the first two weeks, work out the upper and lower body with compound movements;

Do circuit training in the third and fourth weeks; start with the chest, shoulder and triceps, and back, biceps and legs in the fifth and sixth weeks.

Also do cardio for 45 minutes on alternate days.

I am a 26-year-old girl, my height is 5'4". Seven months ago, my weight was 79 kg. With a regular gym routine and diet, it is now 67 kg. But I feel like I have hit a plateau as my rate of weight loss has reduced. What is my maximum heart rate and what heart rate must I exercise at to ensure maximum fat burn? Prajakta Pradhan

For your age and height, your ideal body weight should be 55-58 kg. Initial weight loss is always faster as up to 50 per cent of the bulk lost isn't fat but lean tissue and water. In simple terms, the body burns up its own muscles as fat tissues require fewer calories to maintain than muscle tissues.

Avoid starvation, eat small, frequent, balanced meals. Your maximum heart rate is 195 and to lose weight you must work out within the targeted zone, which for you is 117-156.

I am a 33-year-old man, weigh 66 kg and am 5'3" tall. I exhaust even after small physical tasks and need a nap. Most of my weight is concentrated around the tummy. My hands, too, are weak and unable to perform strenuous physical work, and my immunity is poor. Abhinav

Weakness after performing physical activities occurs after any prolonged illness / disease that has reduced your haemoglobin level. To increase immunity, you can have a well-balanced meal containing green, leafy vegetables, sprouts and fruits. You can also go in for multivitamin supplements and protein rich foods such as skimmed milk, curd, dal, pulses, soya chunks, tofu, etc.

Morning: 1 glass of carrot + beet juice.

Breakfast: 1 glass of skimmed milk + 2-3 tsp of a protein supplement + 2-3 dal dosas with green chutney.

Midmorning: A plate of fruits.

Lunch: 2 dry chapatis + chana doodhi/ palak dal + 1 cup of curd (skimmed milk) + salad.

Evening: 1 glass of fresh fruit juice + 1 whole wheat sandwich/ sprouted bhel.

Dinner: 2 cups of brown rice + 2 cups of sambar/ dal + 1 cup of vegetable + salad.

Bed time: 1 fruit.

Try to increase your resistance with a heavy weight training schedule and gradually increase your cardio capacity to achieve optimum cardio levels. Include isometric training in your workout with functional and circuit training, keeping a range of 15-20 repetitions for each set in your daily workout.

Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Dating tips from mom!

It is your first date and you don’t know how to go about it? Well, turn to your parents for some valuable tips.

The idea may sound bizarre at first, but you still could give it a shot. And that’s what parents are willing to do and interestingly, kids too exhibit no qualms in letting their parents take a sneak peek in their love life.

Trust breeds acceptance
As psychologist VK Parsai recommends, “It is essential for parents to connect with their children, so that they develop a trusting bond over the years. If the initial approach is welcomed, kids will confide in their parents more often.” So, you don’t need to fret about sharing your feelings with your parents. In fact, go ahead and get ready for a jaw-dropping experience!

Says Shaswati Roy Chowdhury, student, “Though I have a large friends circle, I prefer my mom as my confidante. For my first date, she chose an apt outfit for me, and surprisingly even the venue.” Didn’t she have any apprehensions in revealing her plans? After all, it’s so personal. “I would be lying if I say no. Fortunately, my mother had no issues with it, for she has known him since my school days,” she laughs.
Her mom, Proniti Roy Chowdhury, agrees she didn’t have to be coaxed into letting her daughter go on her first date. “I was initially hesitant. But I was moved by her honesty and hence approved of it. Kids should be allowed to be themselves when they are over 18. Over interference can only complicate matters,” she says.

The earlier, the better?
School kids, as many agree, are too young to date. However, media professional Preeti Dhingra feels deciding an age bracket for such critical issues is juvenile. “It is a way to keep up with your offspring. But make sure you give your kids the space they want,” she says. Kanika sounds upbeat about the interest with which her mother shared a couple of dating tips. “My mother helped me buy a branded watch for my boyfriend. Isn’t that ultra cool?” she asks.

Her boyfriend,16, too had his dad drop him to the venue. “It is the rapport I share with my dad that made me confide in him. Interestingly, he got to know about it (through my mobile bills) before I discussed it with him,” he laughs.

Being rebellious helps
Jiya Sharma, 24, recalls how being a rebel helped her get her mother’s approval for her first date. “It did shock my mom, for that’s not what one expects from an 18-year-old. But knowing my rebellious nature, she couldn’t do much. Now, about six years down the line, I do realise how intelligently my mom handled the situation,” smiles Jiya. Her mom Neena too agrees it wasn’t an easy decision. “You have to evolve as a parent. A clear no would have meant a blatant rejection of her decision,” she explains.

So, don’t bracket your parents as ‘ancient’ anymore, and let them be a part of your personal lives. You would be surprised, they could come across as your best friend — loving you unconditionally — with the right tips and guidance, so that your love life sails through its rough patches and you remain chilled out.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Eat right and drink lots of water

One does not always need to consult an expert in order to get luscious hair. Just a little knowledge and care is all that is required to be the 21st century Rapunzel.

1. A good diet is a must. Protein is vital to your hair's health and growth. Eat coconut, dairy products, fruits and leafy vegetables.

2. Drink water. Water makes up one-fourth of the weight of a hair strand. Moisture makes the hair supple, make sure you get plenty of fluids.

3. Tie your hair when out on windy days as it ensures that your hair does not get tangled.

4. Give your hair a good coconut hair oil massage. It increases the circulation in the scalp and provides nourishment.

5. Be as natural as possible. Stay away from too much colouring/ perming/ ironing of your hair. It only will lead to damage eventually. Avoid using the hair dryer; let your hair air dry.

6. Ensure that you go for hair trims regularly. You must eliminate split ends. This ensures that your hair grows evenly and looks healthy.

7. Avoid using harsh shampoos and conditioners as they can harm your hair and make it dry. Go for products that suit your hair type.

8. Keep a healthy lifestyle. Stay away from consuming too much caffeine. Sleep seven to eight hours and make a conscious effort to take some time out to de-stress.

9. Never brush your hair when it is wet. Use a comb instead and comb your hair gently.

10. Before going to sleep at night, give your hair a 100 gentle strokes with a brush. This increases the blood circulation in the scalp and promotes hair growth.

Anushka Sharma, actor, is known for her impressive debut in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. She is also the face of Parachute Advansed.

By Natascha Shah

Reproduced From India Today. © 2010. LMIL. All rights reserved.

Source:http://in.specials.yahoo.com

A summer of great taste

From tandoori foie gras to home-style food from a Mathur kitchen, SOURISH BHATTACHARYYA has a lot on his plate.

ARTY FOOD FOR SUMMERTIME

AI UNLEASHES A CHARM OFFENSIVE IN ITS NEW SUMMER MENU THE TRAGEDY of Ai, the rooftop Japanese restaurant at the MGF Metropolitan Mall, Saket, is that it gets consigned to oblivion as a result of the highoctane energy levels at the Love Hotel next door. But for food worshippers, Ai is the Zen temple of culinary art. When I'm at Ai, I just can't get myself off the rolls that arrive like little masterpieces on the table, and my hungry brood polishes off the pork belly yakitori as if pigs were on their way to extinction.

Even by its exacting standards, Ai's summer menu is a classic. Chef Sabyasachi Gorai, who has worked at Tetsuya, Sydney, and so should know the art of fine food, and the Japanese master chef, Keisuke Uno, have made even the mixed green salad (Rs 349) into a fashion statement with three kinds of tomatoes. My favourites were the tuna tataki (Rs 529) — a tribute to the power of simplicity — and the foie gras- topped chawan mushi (Rs 399): I was floored by the combination of seared foie gras and Japanese egg custard.

It was daringly different without being an affront to our gastronomic sensibilities. Go for the open- air seating at Ai. The area is gently cooled and the band is competent.

CREATIVITY GETS A NEW MEANING AT INDIAN ACCENT

IF ARBI CAN TASTE GOOD, YOU'RE ASSURED A TREAT I HAVE had foie gras in every conceivable form, but the tandoori version at the Indian Accent in The Manor, the boutique hotel in Friends Colony (West), made me lapse into what can only be described as respectful silence. Chef Manish Mehrotra, the man behind the much-acclaimed menu at London's award- winning Tamarai restaurant, said he had to trash 4 kilos of prized goose liver before he got the recipe right for the tandoori foie gras, the star of the Indian Accent summer menu.

That's a lot of money going down the tubes, but it was an investment I'm sure Mehrotra's employers aren't carping about. The test of a great menu is something as deceptively simple as Tawa Arbi Satay — if the chef can make arbi look exciting and taste heavenly, you know you're on to a good thing.

And for those who can't live without their daily share of creatures of the water, I would urge you go for the Patrani Mekong Basa infused with galangal and the Roast Scallop with Gobhi Musallam and Benaras Aloo Papad (I couldn't decide what I loved more — the scallop or the gobhi!).

In this cornucopia, if the organic Kegg egg fritters (they're named after the Kegg Farms) came as a surprise, the silken tofu kofta in five- spice squash curry and the pan-fried John Dory moilee lifted the ordinary to new peaks of creativity. This summer promises to be good for our gastronomic well-being.

Check out the tasting menu: Rs 1,875 or Rs 1,975 per person, minus VAT and service charge

KYLIN MEANS GOOD FOOD IN JAPANESE. JUST KIDDING! IT'S AN EXPERIENCE NONETHELESS

IF AI'S summer menu is all about creative extravagance, the Japanese tasting menu at The Kylin Experience, Basant Lok Community Centre, Vasant Vihar, celebrates the power of simple taste. When you're at Kylin, you know at once why it's been around for five years in a competitive market — there's energy even on a Monday evening, the music is '80s and therefore just the kind of accompaniment you want, and the lighting is oh-so right for the cosy corners to let couples to have their special moments.

Once you're in the restaurant, you'll find yourself tapping your feet and head banging in the air reflexively. It's great to build up appetite. The sushi rolls kept disappearing with alarming alacrity, the prawn tempura left an extended aftertaste, and the sake cocktail with umeshu ( plum) liqueur was what the doctor seemed to have ordered to uplift our mood.

How can you go wrong when everything seems to be right? The best part of the meal, though, was yet to come. Teppanyaki river sole without any of the cloying sweetness left behind by an excess of teriyaki sauce. It was just right for the Riesling we'd ordered. The finale was more dramatic. Ice-cream spring rolls can turn even sleepy children into bundles of renewed activity. The four- course menu is for Rs 990 (vegetarian) and Rs 1,290 (non- vegetarian), minus VAT and service charge

WINE HOME TRUTHS GET THE TEMPERATURE RIGHT

AN EARLY evening wine tasting may not sound like a great idea, but Rohan Jerjelkie, a trainer with Sopexa, the French agency responsible for promoting the country’s food and wine all around the world, made it worth our while.

At a session dedicated to wine basics that was accompanied by a generous flow of canapés at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Rohan answered two questions that are as old as wine: Why do white wines have to be chilled? Well, have you attempted having nimbu paani at room temperature? Chilling white wine mutes its acidity. Red wine also needs to be cooled to keep its alcohol attack under check. Red wine served at 'room temperature' at this time of the year tastes awful because its alcohol attack overpower its flavours.

Try drinking red wine at 'room temperature' and you'll wince after the first sip. Wine served at the right temperature scale transforms magically in the glass. The French figured this out centuries ago, but our restaurants don't seem to get the point.

TREATS FROM A MATHUR KITCHEN, FOOD JOURNALIST MOVES TO THE OTHER SIDE

I HAVE often been on tastings with Anoothi Vishal, a fine writer who combines an understanding of good food with words that bring out the essence of the experience. And I've also maintained that bad cooks make good food critics — you eat at restaurants only if you don't get good food at home, I keep saying.

But Anoothi, with some help from her father and aunt, has proved me wrong. You can write good food copy and make a splash in a five- star hotel kitchen as well. I went to sample the Mathur food festival menu put together by Anoothi for the Fire restaurant at The Park, Parliament Street, with a card- carrying Mathur whose mother, I maintain, is Delhi's best cook.

When my dinner mate approved of the menu, I knew I was on to a good thing — the mutton chops were the only disappointment in a menu that had the classics: Kalmi Vade and Mangore, the scrumptious Hari Tali Machchli, Papad Aloo and Pakodi ki Subzi ( these could've converted me to lifelong vegetarianism), and the incredible Badam Pasande and Bhuna Meat. You won't regret the outing.

The menu items are priced between Rs 395 and Rs 650, minus VAT and service charge

Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2010. MTNPL. All rights reserved.

By SOURISH BHATTACHARYYA

Source:http://in.specials.yahoo.com

Lost and found

The mind, mind has mountains; cliffs of fall / Frightful, sheer, no-man-fathomed. Hold them cheap / May who ne'er hung there," wrote Gerard Manley Hopkins, in his poem No Worst, There is None and there has never been a more frightening yet poignant description of the landscape that is the human mind in turmoil and grief.

Losing a loved one is the kind of personal loss that you can never get over, but you can learn to make sense of the period that follows, to deal with the hard fact that life ends and sometimes in ways that you least expect it to.

For some the journey of making peace with loss is a struggle that takes years, but it is the most important aspect of catharsis and it does happen. This month, three women talk of living through their grief and finding their moments in the sun again.

"My father had not been in the best of health for a long time. Even though I was extremely close to him I was not worried because that's how he was always," says 28-year-old psychologist Nishka Arora who lost him last year while she was away at medical school at the University of Pennsylvania.

"When my mother called to inform me. I was so shocked that I accused her of lying and then caught the first flight home," She has vague memories of that day. All she remembers is crying, falling asleep exhausted and then waking up with a very strong urge to die. "It's a common phenomenon," she says ruefully adding, "The first thing that comes after the initial shock is over is the death wish. Grief is the last thing to follow."

All through her journey home, she was haunted with the same urge, the spell broke when she saw her mother and then the tears came hard and fast. The worst moment for her was when she realised that despite her hopping on the first plane home, she was unable to participate in the rites as she had arrived too late.

"I felt like I had shamed and dishonoured the memory of my father by not being able to be there for him." This was the prelude to many such fears that would assault her mind for the next year and a half.

For months she secluded herself from friends and wandered aimlessly around the town. "I could not bear to look at my mother's face. I had so many mixed feelings and the house felt too empty to turn to, therefore I took to the streets," she says.

It was her best friend who finally pushed her into the final circle of grief three months after the incident by literally slapping her out of it. "She walked in unexpected one day and came straight for me and slapped me hard. She said that I was being a selfish person and that I owed it to my mother to pull myself together. That's when I finally broke down for good."

For the next four months she cried at the slightest mention of her father's name, was depressed but trying to move on by talking to her mother about her feelings of guilt and anger. "I talked a lot, to my mother and family.

I gathered all the missing pieces of my father's life and tried to remember him for what he was. Talking about your emotions is important, especially when you are grieving. Sharing grief with people who feel the same way brings you closer and makes you feel that you are not alone in this and that is very important, realising that the loss is not your own."

It was a normal day for 23-year-old advertising executive, Navi Shergill, then 19. She remembers waking up in the morning and having a fight with her sister over a bracelet and then scowling to college. "Sukhman and I were constantly at loggerheads, over a bracelet, over attention, over boys and I just could never deal with the fact that she was just so stunning. It was unfair," she laughs while tearing up at the same time.

Dismissing her tears she continues, "I knew that Sukhman was prone to depression as she would sometimes offload on me, she talked many times about suicide and I talked her out of it. But not once did I tell my parents, not even friends. I think that is my biggest regret in life," she says. That night, Shergill was woken up with sounds of extreme retching coming from the bathroom. She rushed in to find her sister lying semi-conscious on the floor. She had swallowed potassium.

Not knowing what to do, she ran to wake her parents up. Even on the way to the hospital, she knew it was the end. The confirmation came when the doctors said their attempts at reviving her sister's blood-pressure had failed because "the patient had lost the will to live."

The next three years passed in a daze for Shergill. She was in denial. She refused to come to terms with her sister's death. Everybody thought of her as rude and immature when she smiled through the funeral. Her anger, towards herself and her family, surfaced after three years when her heart became too heavy for her to carry.

She realised that blaming herself was not helping. That is when she decided to undergo therapy. As she began feeling lighter, she convinced her mother to follow the same path. She understood the importance of talking about her grief in order to deal with it. Shergill's experience not only helped her discover the power of healing but also to pass this on to others who are grieving.

Today she volunteers for grief-counselling and helps other people deal with their loss. "I realised that what is done, cannot be undone. I cannot get my sister back, but what I can do is think about her and smile."

Like Joan Didion says in her book The Year of Magical Thinking, "Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it. We know that someone close to us could die, but we do not look beyond the few days or weeks that immediately follow such an imagined death. We misconstrue the nature of even those few days or weeks.

We might expect if the death is too sudden to feel shock. We do not expect this shock to be obliterative, dislocating to both body and mind. We might expect that we will be prostrate, inconsolable, crazy with loss. We do not expect to be literally crazy, cool customers who believe their husband is about to return and need his shoes."

"I always thought that I would never be the exception but the rule. But the death of my husband taught me otherwise," says 35-year-old artist and photographer, Divya Sharma. Her husband died last year while sleeping next to her, the cause of death was cardiac arrest. "It took me a long while to get over the unfairness of it all. Why him? especially since he was athletic and healthy and had no medical condition that was life threatening," she says.

Sharma did not sleep for the first six months. "I was just petrified that I would wake up every morning and deal with the fact that he was not around anymore," she says. It was her family that helped her get through it. "There were people in the house all the time, they urged me to talk, they were patient and nice. But all I wanted was Neil," she says.

At a friend's suggestion she picked up the book Eat, Love and Pray by Elizabeth Gilbert. It helped her cope, in the sense, that it opened up the world of spirituality to her and slowly through meditation and chants, she found herself again. "I now realise that anger at death is in vain. As we are all part of a cycle and maybe this was all Neil had to offer me. I think of him as my angel and pray for his soul. At least he died in peace, next to me."

Books that help you cope with grief

• Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is a tale of accepting whatever life throws your way
• A Grief Observed by C.S.Lewis are compilations of his reflections after his wife's death
• Eat, Pray and Love by Elizabeth Gilbert teaches you that sometimes loss leads to self discovery
• The Other Side of Sadness by George Bonanno is brilliant and moving. It reveals the power of human resilience
• I'm Grieving As Fast As I Can by Linda Fienberg sensitively guides one through the normal grieving process
• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion is a mustread for any woman who has loved

5 Ways to deal with grief

• Grieve in your own way and take your time. But what is important is that you don't shut yourself out. It is important to mourn.
• If guilt is what is holding you back from moving on, consider group therapy or individual counselling. Stopping your life is not normal.
• Take time to hear the advice of others, but don't let anyone force you to do anything. It is important that you deal with this in a way that makes you comfortable.
• If children too have suffered a loss, be considerate to them and do not treat them casually. Talk to them, involve them in the grieving process so that they too have a chance to mourn.
• Do things that have helped you in the past to cope with tough situations. Read, listen to music, experiment with spirituality to feel like yourself again.

Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Seeking supple skin?

In winters, the air is dry and the skin has a tougher time trapping much-needed moisture. Moreover, gusting winds and overheated buildings make it dry, scaly and rough.

One doesn't even tend to moisturise as much, as the feet and legs aren't on display the way they are during summers. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for skin that is neglected to react and one ends up with spots on heels, knees and elbows as well as stressed-out, undernourished skin on the face and body. So what do you do when summer strikes and you are ready to hop into a strappy number?

Fear not, as skincare experts like Blossom Kocchar from Ishwar Blossom Kochhar Spa at Ai and Karen Biancardi from The Spa at Aman give you a complete skincare checklist to help you get ready to brave the heat.

Bye-bye dry skin

It's time to brush away the dead cells and start anew with fresh, glowing skin. Start with a full body exfoliation, while paying special attention to your extra-dry spots. You can find all sorts of exfoliating scrubs at your local drug store or beauty supply store. There are different formulas for sensitive skin and gentler scrubs for your face. Do not use the same sort of scrub on your body and face as facial skin is much more delicate.

If you'd like to try making your own exfoliating scrubs at home, it's fun and easy. For dry, parched elbows and ankles, every night before going to bed, take one tablespoon of milk cream and add a few drops each of glycerine, castor oil and rose water. Mix them well and apply it to the dry skin. Leave the mask overnight and rinse it with cool water in the morning.

Back to basics

Dermatologists recommend that a person must wash the face twice a day with a mild soap or cleanser. Alternate the water temperature. Hot water opens your pores and allows you to clean them. But think about what happens after the cleaning. Your pores stay open, allowing dirt to enter immediately. One way to avoid this is to rinse your face and body with cool or cold water after you clean. It helps lock moisture into your skin. Think about your showering routine. Make sure you are washing your face and body after rinsing your shampoo and conditioner.

That way you are cleaning away the entire soap residue from your hair care products. People with irritable skin must try to identify what causes the irritation. If it is stress then try to reduce stress levels. Acne is a common problem in women. One must never try to burst a pimple. Leave it alone. Picking, popping or squeezing it will only make it worse. Have only a dermatologist to remove or extract pimples.

Moisturise it

Although moisturising is a part of the basic skin care routine, we often tend to neglect it. The moisturiser needs to be chosen according to your skin type. Oily skin also needs moisturising. Clean the oil off the skin first and then use a light, water-based moisturiser. But a person with oily skin needs to be careful about not washing the face several times.

If too much of the skin's natural oil is washed away, it may become very dry and begin to itch and flake. Because the skin's natural process is interrupted, it may begin to produce more oil than usual, which can cause acne.

Have fun in the sun

With the bright spring sun come new skin problems, namely 'sun damage.' It has a sneaky way of creeping in and causing the breakdown of collagen, hyper pigmentation and fine lines. So it is imperative that a person, male or female, keeps the skin out of direct sunlight, especially during the peak hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The sun activates the skin ageing process. In addition, overexposure can bring chronic damage, which in turn may lead to skin cancer. More than 90 per cent of all skin cancer is caused by sun exposure. Do not sunbathe, but try to get a little sun in the early morning or late afternoon. Always use a sunscreen of at least SPF 30, apply it 15 minutes before going out in the sun.

Try to carry an umbrella to avoid sun burn and wear loose cotton clothes and avoid deep necklines and backless clothes if going out in the day time. To prevent a tan, use this bath formula: mix equal quantities of almond oil and malt vinegar. Apply to the skin and body. Keep it on for an hour and then take a bath. Keep your skin hydrated, be sure you're drinking enough water. One should try to drink at least six to eight glasses of water every day. Caffeinated sodas and coffees don't have quite the same effects as a tall glass of water.

Special treatments

One can get anti-ageing facials done, such as microdermabrasion. The application of vitamin C serum is the best treatment for the face and to decolletage. For the body, scrubbing the dead skin and to increase the blood circulation, a sea/ rock salt body scrub mixed with apricot and almond oils is the best combatant for the dullness the skin suffers from in winters. These treatments can be availed of at a spa. One might develop rashes or fungal infections in the heat, so do not treat it at home. Consult your dermatologist as these infections can spread to the entire body.

Make it up

Experimenting with make-up can be fun. However, it's important to use products that are hypoallergenic to avoid irritation. In order to reduce the risk of clogged pores or acne, it's always smart to remove make-up at the end of the day with a mild soap or any other gentle cleanser. If makeup irritates the skin, it's best to stop using it immediately. Dermatologists also recommend that people avoid sharing make-up as it can increase the spread of bacteria.

Five home fixes

• For combination skin, mix half a banana with some sugar and use it as a scrub. This makes the skin soft and supple.
• For dry skin, apply almond oil all over the face before going to bed. Wash it the next morning with milk and honey.
• For oily skin, blend half a teaspoon lemon juice, egg white and a drop of jojoba oil. Apply on face and wash in 10 minutes.
• After spending too much time in the sun, wash your face with water and apply a mixture of lemon and tomato juice. Keep it for 10 to 15 minutes.
• A pimple right before a date? Apply some toothpaste on it and leave for not more than five minutes. Wash with cold water.

Source:http://in.specials.yahoo.com

AC manufacturers witness a whopping 100% increase in sales

For manufacturers of air conditioners (ACs), the summer of 2010 is turning out to be a bumper money spinner. Thanks to the mercury levels touching a record high, AC makers are laughing their way to the banks with sales zooming by a whopping 100 per cent compared to last year.

According to Pradeep Bakshi, senior vice-president and deputy chief operating officer (COO) of Voltas Ltd, there has been an unexpected rise in the sales of ACs across the country this year compared to the previous year.

"In February, there was 100 per cent hike in AC sales compared to the same month last year. With the rise in temperature, sales too, increased. In March, our sales grew by nearly 150 per cent. In the first 15 days of April, our sales have been up nearly 250 per cent. On an average we expect the percentage rise to be 100 per cent this season," he said.

Voltas has a sales target of one million units this season, added Bakshi. Last year, the company had sold five lakh units during this period.

"We have launched an extensive range of 50 ACs for the 2010 season, which includes fresh updates (models). Earlier in the month of February, demand was coming only from the western and the southern markets, but now as the heat has increased, we are getting more demand from the northern centres," he said.

Companies such as LG Electronics India, too, are running their production capacities at the full in order to meet the demand, which has nearly doubled in a year.

For AC manufacturers, April-May is the period of highest sales. LG is aiming to sell 12 lakh units this year, of which four lakh is expected to move in April.

With the Central government and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) making it mandatory for manufacturers of certain electronic products, including ACs to star-rate their products based on their power-use efficiency, there has been a growing demand for higher-rated products.

All top brands, including LG, Samsung, Whirlpool, Voltas, Carrier and Godrej, have switched to starrated products.

Ajay Mathur, director-general of BEE, stated, as per their research, there is a waiting period of three to four weeks for products with five-star ratings since these are considered products with the most power-use efficiency.

Samsung, which saw up to 25 per cent growth in AC sales in April, is selling only five-star-rated refrigerators. Godrej Appliances witnessed up to 30 per cent growth in AC sales last month.

According to a senior official of Mumbai-based Vijay Sales, every additional star-rating for ACs cost between Rs 1,000-2,000 depending on the model.

"Appliance firms say the premium on higher star-rated products are more than compensated for by lower electricity bills," he said.

The official added that there has been a growth of star-rated products between 40-50 per cent till June this year.

"The demand is being driven by residential customers, who in order to get relief from the severe heat, are buying the ACs," he said.

Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Happily unmarried

More women are now opting for live-in relationships thanks to financial independence and judicial backing. If Lord Krishna and Radha could live together why can't lesser mortals? You may find that argument unusual but that's actually the observation of the Supreme Court when the question of whether live-in relationships are immoral came up. But will the apex court's comment wipe off the stigma and prejudices attached to co-habitation?

Aayush Malhotra and Sakshi Kapoor's love story smacks of a Bollywood romance, starting with a ragging session in college where Malhotra was a senior student and Kapoor at the receiving end. But it was all in fun and both grew closer during their term in college and the relationship continued long after they bagged their degrees. Their careers brought them both to Gurgaon where they decided to live in. Malhotra owned an apartment in Gurgaon so Kapoor just had to move in - that spared them the ordeal of house-hunting. They were also lucky they had their way with their respective families. As for legal acceptance - that never really bothered them. Living together is about individual choice and not legal acceptability, they say. It's compatibility that counts," says Malhotra, who runs a construction business. With call centre executive Kapoor's erratic working hours playing spoilsport, they get to catch up only on weekends. "Except for living together, our lives haven't changed much. Both of us spend long hours at work, eat out lot, and are penniless by the end of the month," laughs Malhotra. The couple is, however, non- committal about marriage: "It's too early to think about and we haven't discussed it yet." But yes, they aren't entirely oblivious to the attitude of society - it does put them off. "The notion that the couples have a lot of fun and it's all about sex. One should understand that it's a mutual decision taken by two adults despite society's rigid, moralistic stand. We took the step aware of the consequences," says Malhotra.

LIVE-IN AND LET LIVE-IN

For many like Kapoor and Malhotra, living is a convenient arrangement. Childhood friends Sumit Srivastava, software engineer, and Smita Pandey, media professional, decided to stay together after both them moved to Delhi for work. Both had different working hours and saw very little each other. "It was as good as living in different cities so we decided to live in to spend quality time together. It was a well thought-out decision. We didn't rush into it," says Pandey. Now four years into it, Pandey feels life has changed for the better. "In a romantic relationship, you never fully understand your partner. I have seen friends parting ways after a love marriage. In a live-in relationship, one gets to know the partner's merits and demerits. The pressure is less compared to that in a marriage and if it doesn't work, one is free to move out," says Pandey, who feels that cohabitation makes couples more responsible. Weekends, for instance, are for finishing household work. Cleaning up, cooking, doing the laundry, everything is a joint effort. Sumit has become more responsible. I never thought he would change so drastically," laughs Pandey. She feels that legal cover would certainly bring more social acceptability to such relationships in the long run. "If anything, it will make house-hunting smoother... but it's high time society woke up to such trends," says Pandey. Getting a house on rent was a nightmare for Pandey and Srivastava. "People treat you like an anti-social and we attract half-smiles and smirks from people," says Srivastava.

HOUSE THAT

Being IIT aluminis and drawing fat salaries wasn't enough for Nisha Menon and Amit Kapoor (name changed) to get a house on rent. After a whirlwind affair as students at IIT Kharagpur, Menon shifted to Delhi from Pune to join Kapoor as distance was taking a toll on their relationship. "We had to lie that we were married. Our first landlord demanded a marriage certificate and we bought some time from him citing technical reasons," says Kapoor. Menon, a consultant with an MNC has been staying with Kapoor, creative head of a production company, for the last two years. The couple will the knot next week, but Menon avers that a live-in relationship is the best test to gauge compatibility. The couple also had to put up with some tricky situations when Menon's parents landed in Delhi to visit their daughter. "Every time her parents visited, I would have to pack my bags and sleep in my office. Recently, at my cousin's wedding, all my relatives wanted to know where I lived. It was tough avoiding their questions," laughs Kapoor.

WINDS OF CHANGE

Are we seeing more youngsters choosing live-in arrangements? Social scientists and psychologists say there is a rise in the number of live-in relationships, thanks to growing financial independence among women and the impact of urban lifestyle. "We see many youngsters opting for live-in relationships. There is a gradual shift in societal attitude towards such relationships, though not a drastic one and it's catalysed by legal acceptance among other factors," says sociologist Shiv Viswanathan.

His view is backed by psychologist and lifestyle expert Dr Rachna Singh. "We do see a significant rise certainly... I would say women, asserting their financial independence, has a major role in it. There's a shift in mindset also. Couples often opt for cohabitation as it's a convenient arrangement. Many use it as a litmus test to check out compatibility before marriage," says Singh. She adds that Bollywood movies such as Salaam Namaste and Wake Up Sid is also responsible for giving a fresh perspective to live-in relationships.

But Singh also points out the flip side: "Sometimes, live-in relationships lack commitment as the couples don't work hard on it like in a marriage. So they break up for minor reasons. In marriages, it's much tougher to get a divorce."

However, Viplav Gaurav, assistant director with a production house and Meenakshi Singh, a public relations professional, don't quite agree with this view. "I feel the commitment level is the same as in a marriage. Besides, we share all expenses and household work equally," says Gaurav. Even though Gaurav's new job took him to Mumbai eight months back, their bond is still as strong as ever, the couple says.

ORDER, ORDER!

In a recent observation, the Supreme Court had backed actor Khushboo's controversial comments on pre-marital sex and live-in relationships saying there was nothing illegal in such ties between adults. But does the legal acceptability change ground reality? Pinky Anand, counsel for actor Khushboo, says, "Civil society will definitely take notice of these observations." But Supreme Court lawyer Kamini Jaiswal feels no law will change the scenario unless society wakes up to change. "Law won't make a difference, mindsets have to change. Under the Domestic Violence Act, a woman in a live-in relationship can receive compensation if the relationship falls apart," she says.

However, Semanti Sinha Ray, who got married after a live-in for six years with her husband Amit Mehra, argues: "I don't understand why an adult needs permission to live with anyone, provided one is not unduly disturbing society. Living-in does not result in drunken orgies every night. More married couples create problems than live-in ones" argues Ray.

However, Sandhya Gokhale, who is in a live-in relationship for the past 13 years, believes that legal binding will prevent disadvantaged women from exploitation. "It will entitle them to property rights and compensation. It also kind of says that the current system of marriage doesn't work for women," says Gokhale, a Mumbai-based software consultant.

KNOTTY ISSUES

Do live-in relationships necessarily result in marriage? "Marriage is certainly at the back of their mind, so if it doesn't work it's mostly the women who feel shattered," says Singh. But Ray rules out any emotional compulsion to get married. "We lived together for six years. We knew we were made for each other when we met. Then our parents suggested that since we were in a permanent relationship, we should get married in case children came along and so we did. Our status hasn't changed except that we have an extra set of parents," says Ray, who runs a production company Amp Angels with her husband.

If some fall for parental pressure, others feel they need social acceptability. But there are couples who rebel against the institution of marriage and carry on with their live-in status. Gokhale and her partner Mihir Desai, a human rights lawyer, have no plans to get married after 13 years of co-habitation. "I am against the institution of marriage as it's based on unequal footing. Women are expected to don specific roles in a marriage. Most live-ins end up in marriage as conforming to social rule is easier than taking it on," she adds. That might be a debatable statement.

FLIPSIDE ISSUES

Getting a house on rent is the biggest hurdle so many have to lie about their relationship. But some landlords have wised up to the trend and demand to see the marriage cerificate.

Arrange for an alternative stay as your partner's parents or relatives may pay a visit sometimes.

Learn to deal with silly comments and knowing smiles.

Guess what. The Supreme Court's observation that living-in is not immoral was welcomed by many. The remark was made during a hearing on filmstar Khushboo's comments on premarital sex

preetha.nair@mailtoday.in

Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2010. MTNPL. All rights reserved.

Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Google's multiple-access password software hacked

US internet giant Google's password system that controls multiple access to almost all of its web services was hacked through an innocuous message sent to a google employee in China, a media report said Tuesday.

Though Google had disclosed in January that intruders had stolen information from its computers in the cyber attack in December 2009, the extent of the theft has been a closely guarded company secret till now.

The programme, code named 'Gaia' for the Greek goddess of the earth, was attacked in December, a source close to the investigation was quoted as saying by New York Times Tuesday.

It is intended to enable multiple access to users and employees, who can sign in with their password just once to operate a range of services.

Though Google quickly started making significant changes to the security of its networks after the intrusions, the theft has left open the possibility that the intruders may find weaknesses that the company might not even be aware of.

The theft began with a message sent to a Google employee in China who was using Microsoft's Messenger programme at that time. By clicking on a link and connecting to a 'poisoned' website, the employee inadvertently permitted the intruders to gain access to his computer and then to the computers of a critical group of software developers at Google's headquarters in California.

The details of the theft have been a closely guarded secret. Google first publicly disclosed the theft Jan 12, 2010, on the company's website, which said the company was changing its policy towards China in the wake of the theft of unidentified 'intellectual property'.

This led to significant tension between the US and China, leading Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to urge China to conduct a 'transparent' inquiry into the matter. In March, after discussions with the Chinese government, Google re-routed its mainland Chinese-language website to its Hong Kong-based site.

Google continues to use the Gaia system, now known as 'Single Sign-On'. The company also tightened security of its data centres and further secured the communication links between its services and the computers of its users.

However, having access to the original programmer's instructions, or source code, could also provide technically skilled hackers with knowledge about subtle security vulnerabilities in the programme that may have eluded Google's engineers.

'If you can get to the software repository where the bugs are housed before they are patched, that's the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,' George Kurtz, chief technology officer for McAfee Inc, was quoted as saying.

McAfee Inc was one of the companies that analysed the illicit software used in the intrusions at Google and at other companies last year.

When Google first announced the theft, it said it had evidence that the intrusions had come from China. The attacks have been traced to computers at two campuses in China, but investigators later said the true origin may have been concealed.

Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Explore the world through the lens of your digital SLR

For all you photography enthusiasts who always wished for a professional equipment to unleash your visual skills but unable to afford one, here's the good news - the prices of digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cameras have dropped considerably - Olympus-E-450, Nikon D60 and Canon-EOS 1000D.

So what is a digital SLR?

A digital (Single Lens Reflex) is a type of camera whose lens, shutter and mirror are positioned in such a way that the image finds its way to the viewfinder and then onto the focusing screen. The advantage that DSLRs have over other 'Point & Shoot' cameras is its compatibility with a very wide range of focal lenses, thereby an increase in flexibility & quality.

While it's often suggested that you first excel at a conventional camera and then familiarize with the basics of an SLR before purchasing one. However in today's generation has found a better alternative - explore & learn.

Here are DSLR basics you need to know while exploring-

• Shutter speed is the exposure time of the camera lens. The duration of light captured by the image sensor depends on the shutter. For instance, to capture rain droplets you would need a higher shutter speed, around 1/500. On the other hand, action images like the F1 race cars in motion a lower shutter speed, say 1/2 a second would be apt.
• Aperture is the amount of light allowed to the camera lens. Wider the aperture (low aperture value), more light goes through. A high aperture of f/2.8 will use natural light; while lower aperture images are brighter. Aperture also affects the depth of the field, for example a picture where once a section of the image is in focus while rest is blurred.
• ISO sets the sensitivity of the sensors to absorb light. By setting the ISO you can improve the quality of images shot at dimly lit places or during the nights.

Additionally, do try seeing your target form different perspectives, shooting pictures from different angles. And during photo-production you can also experiment with the contrast, temperature & exposure and play with different file formats (JPEG, RAW).

So time you explored the world through lenses of your DSLR & yes, you can always share them with us through Flickr

Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Your Diet In 2020

Just checked out with the grocery cart of the future? Here's your digital receipt scoring the nutrient richness of your trip. Heading home for dinner? Your smart fridge has scanned all the food in your kitchen, compiled a menu of the healthiest meal combinations (tailored to your food preferences and allergies, of course) and has started preheating your oven.

In 2020, all the things we've always been told to do--eat better, exercise, get some sleep, see your doctor--will not only be easier, we'll do them in spite of our best efforts not to. Making healthy choices will be done for us.

Six Travel Treats

In Depth: Eight Ways Politicians Regulate What You Eat

In Pictures: The World's Healthiest Diets

In Pictures: The 10 Most Fattening Chain Restaurant Meals

Ten Cheap Foods That Are Good For You

Take nutrition. Imagine if today's nutrition labels--with their user-friendliness of tax forms and the informational consistency of a Madoff prospectus--were replaced by a universal icon that ranked all food with a brilliantly simple combination of a color and a 1-to-5 rating based on a database of nutritional information. Making a healthy choice becomes as simple as picking a color and the highest number rating you can find.

Video: 2020 Medicine

For the last several months my colleagues and I tagged along with strangers on their grocery trips and even invited ourselves to their family dinners, all in the name of understanding how Americans decide what to eat. What we learned is that people unwittingly develop basic principles or philosophies about what to eat, based on a buffet of often conflicting sources: morning shows, celebrity nutritionists, cereal boxes, a best friend and (at best) five minutes of conversation with their doctor. The result is an incomplete and often inaccurate understanding of nutrition that leads to unhealthy food choices and, ultimately, poor health.

When it comes to food, our research found that all 300 million Americans typically fit into just four distinct types of eaters: Convenient, Comfortable, Confused and Convinced. A person's "Food Personality" is based on how heavily influenced they are by a particular situation, and whether they have a defined or undefined approach to nutrition.

To help Americans eat better, we must create a universal nutrition information system that is both intuitive and easily adopted. This is no small task. The USDA, FDA, Food Standards Agency, supermarket chains and food producers have made attempts at standardizing and simplifying consumer choice, yet none have improved America's eating habits. Why? We found that no approach takes into account the entire user experience. Package labeling--the predominant focus of most systems--is only one consumer touch point.

In 2020 we'll be able to leverage interconnected devices that go beyond a fire hose of nutritional information. We'll be able to collect and aggregate food choices and their nutritional impact over time, ultimately driving behavioral change through integrated experiences. Digital interconnectivity will link together every food decision--imagine having an instantly updated nutritional rating that is omnipresent in your life. Purchase a salad for lunch, watch your rating go up. Eat those buffalo wings, watch it plunge.

A universal icon will be the core to realizing a universal understanding of nutrition. By creating one intuitive system, we can help everyone effortlessly identify and track the nutrient richness of what they eat. With this vision in mind, we have proposed an icon combining a number score and color value that is easy enough for even a 5-year-old to grasp.

In our future vision, a simple choice of a 3-value loaf of multigrain bread over a 2-value roll sparks the urge to reach a 4-value shopping trip. The icon is definitive enough to score every food combination from a single vegetable to a month of meals. It's flexible enough to help every Food Personality regardless of the decision before them: salad vs. fries, pretzels from brand X vs. brand Y, or spaghetti dinner vs. mac-n-cheese. And, ultimately it encourages consumers--and food manufacturers--to make decisions on the basis of health first.

The alternative is a technology-fueled, convenience-charged world of overmarketed, indulge-now-take-a-vitamin-pill-later foodlike products, each less healthy than the next.

But if we start today with a universal system for making food choices, by 2020 we'll have a world where nutritional value defines the competitive food marketplace. The tastiest benefit? We'll change the world whether the average consumer realizes it or not.

Dan Kraemer is a principal at IA Collaborative, a creative enterprise specializing in branding, graphic and interface design, product development and strategic research. His work focuses on connecting observed human behaviors with design innovation.

Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Apple's next-generation stunning iPhone model leaked

Apple's future generation iPhone model, which was leaked after being mistakenly left at a bar in California, has been put on display by a technology news portal.

The secret version of the next generation iPhone was not expected to be formally unveiled for a couple of months.

But, the technology news site Gizmodo said the gadget was left by an iPhone software engineer at Gourmet Haus Staudt, a German specialty store and beer garden in Redwood City.

'The person who found the phone peddled it to Gizmodo, which bought it for $5,000,' Nick Denton, chief executive of Gawker Media, which owns Gizmodo, said in a blog Monday.

Leaks are rare in Apple which is known as the most secretive in Silicon Valley. But after the phone prototype was left in the bar, photos of the device began appearing in technology blogs, sparking a frenzy of hype among the Apple-obsessed, the New York Times reported.

The phone's authenticity was debated. However, a person with knowledge of Apple's hardware plans, who was not authorised to speak on behalf of the company, confirmed to the New York Times that it was real.

Though, Apple declined to comment.

'It is very stunning,' said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies, who has been following Apple for nearly three decades.

'Apple has such tight control on new products, and they are kept under wraps diligently and religiously until the day of their release. If it is true, it is really a first.'

Apple's chief executive Steven P. Jobs had reportedly called Gizmodo to get the device back. Denton declined to comment, saying any conversation between Jobs and Gizmodo would most likely have been off the record.

'We haven't had any formal communication with Apple,' he said. Brian Lam, the editor in chief of Gizmodo, said his publication would 'probably' return the device to Apple.

Late Monday, Gizmodo said that it received a letter from Bruce Sewell, Apple's senior vice president and general counsel, requesting the phone back.

'It has come to our attention that Gizmodo is currently in possession of a device that belongs to Apple,' Sewell wrote in a letter that Gizmodo published.

source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Women should socialise with bosses if they want to get ahead

A high profile businesswoman has said that if women want to get to the top of the work ladder, they should socialise with their bosses and workmates.

According to Australian Industry Group chief executive Heather Ridout, it is all about getting on with your workmates and getting to know them better.It's not going to the pub on Friday night and talking about football necessarily but it is going to the pub and having a talk and getting on with your workmates and being generally interested in what every one does," the Courier Mail quoted her as saying.

"The way people get on in workplaces is by being competent, committed and loyal. But it's also joining in and being engaged.

"Women have to make adjustments as well, but sometimes it's not easy when they have a family at home and various other commitments," she said.

Ridout spoke out after a group of Australia's most powerful male bosses pledged to promote women into top jobs and fight for higher wages.

She said it was extremely difficult for women to get to the top. "It's much harder when women are in the vast minority in a lot of companies, especially in the senior ranks," she said.

The Male Champions of Change, a group of 10 men which includes CEOs from some of the nation's largest employers such as Woolworths, Telstra and Westpac, will work together on strategies to lift the representation of women at the corporate level.

They will meet regularly to discuss pay equity, flexible work arrangements and boosting women in management roles.

Minister for the Status of Women Tanya Plibersek said the initiative was the first of its kind in Australia.

"This level of co-operation between senior executives setting out an agenda for reform is certainly unprecedented. We haven't seen this kind of leadership from business in the past and it's a very welcome reform," she said.

The group's formation was prompted by the Australian Stock Exchange's recent call on the top-200 ASX listed companies to lift their game on the issue.

The companies will be required to adopt gender equality policies and disclose the number of women in senior management positions.

Currently only about eight percent have female board members.

Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Use Technology To Spend Less Time Working

The average employee receives thousands of interruptions every day, from instant messages and texts to e-mails and the good old ringing phone. Workers are so distracted by the various methods people use to get in touch that they often blame technology for reduced productivity and longer hours.

But used right, many of today's e-technologies can help make it possible for you to spend less time working, not more. Here is the lowdown on a few of the top productivity savers, many of which are available online at no cost.

In Pictures: Seven E-Ways To Save Time At Work

In Pictures: How To Beat Online Shopping Scams

In Pictures: Online Password Tips And Tricks

A Timeline: The Blockbuster Life Cycle

11 Career-Ending Facebook Faux Pas

Video Calls: Gathering employees in one location can be both expensive and time-consuming, but the telephone doesn't offer the same level of intimacy for a back-and-forth conversation, or the ability to provide a demonstration. Online services like Skype, which is free and available in 28 languages, allow you to connect visually with anyone in the world. All you need is a Webcam and a microphone.

Holly Bornstein, director of marketing for CleanWell, a manufacturer of environmentally friendly cleaning products, telecommutes cross-country and uses Skype to assist in developing new products.

"We were creating a new set of custom-scented, all-natural hand sanitizers and soaps for Bath & Body Works, and I couldn't get to the San Francisco office," she says. "Using Skype, our senior designer could hold up different bottle options and talk through the pros and cons of each one. She could demonstrate the advantages that a particular label design would have on the shelf--showing how it would look from different angles and next to other products--and we could comment."

Webinars: Webinar technology allows for one-way communication from an individual speaker to an audience, and it can include polling and electronic Q&A. It saves time and money, just like video calling. You can now avoid two days meandering around airports on both ends of an instructional conference, which is a major win if you're a working parent.

Businesses that typically spend tens of thousands of dollars ponying up funds for fancy lunch linens and glossy event programs are grateful for Webinars too. Cisco claims that more than 2 million people participate in WebEx sessions every day. Services like WebEx don't require any special software or hardware. All you have to do is launch your Web browser from your home office and you can deliver real-time training, seminars and presentations to far-flung individuals and groups.

Google Applications: According to experts, Google's offerings, including Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar and Google Sites, are considered best-in-class because of how they streamline tasks and facilitate collaboration among people working together on projects. Many are free, and the data are safely backed up and available everywhere you have an Internet connection.

"Gmail is by far the most critical tool in my arsenal," says Steve Rubel, senior vice president and director of insights for Edelman Digital. "I tie Gmail's integrated instant messaging into a service called notify.me, which sends me special alerts when blogs mention me or CNN breaks a story. Since Gmail has tons of storage and terrific search capabilities, I house my personal library there and constantly refer to it to quickly find articles, statistics and case studies that I want to source in my work for clients."

Networking Services: Everyone has heard of Facebook and LinkedIn, but what about an online service that can actually help you keep track of the people you meet and the interactions you have with them?

Thanks to products like Jibber Jobber, you no longer have to spend countless hours thumbing through business cards or musty old notebooks searching for cellphone numbers or tidbits from an old conversation. The information you need for that power lunch is all in one place and easy to access.

"It's important to consciously manage relationships with your contacts over the long term," says Jason Alba, CEO of Jibber Jobber. "Using Jibber Jobber, you can quickly and privately import contacts from a variety of sources, rank relationships, log notes about relationships, create action items and tie them to people or companies."

By selecting the right mix of services for your type of work, technology can become your best friend once more. Just be aware of the potential pitfalls. "For instance," says Rubel, "when working with Web-based applications, choose ones that are not likely to go belly-up. Look for those that have revenues and a stream of new features."

Also, even services that are programmed for efficiency can become all-encompassing if you let them. To sustain a high level of productivity, focus on completing one important task at a time, and don't play around with your applications during the time of day when you do your most creative and innovative work.

Finally, don't allow these useful services to overshadow your in-person relationships. You don't need to have Webinar training for the team downstairs, and you should avoid the temptation to play constant rounds of e-mail tennis with your manager instead of occasionally sitting down in her office. Human beings are social creatures at heart, and simply talking to a colleague or client is sometimes the best way to communicate a clear message.

Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Why men love Facebook

When an ex-classmate pinged Rohini, 25, for a catch-up chat, she never thought he'd quiz her about a friend of hers he didn't know and had never seen, except on Facebook.
"I haven't seen him in two years, and chat with him very rarely. It was a hi-hello type of conversation, but he'd seen pictures from my last birthday party and began asking me about who that 'hot chick wearing pink' was," she said.

Rohini isn't the only woman to report such 'random' conversations with male friends.

Girls, if you put up pictures with your girlfriends after a fun night out/lunch - whatever -on Facebook, it's a guarantee your guy friends will have checked them out! In fact, research by one Harvard Business School (HBS) professor suggests that women get two-thirds of all pageviews on FB!

Professor Mikolaj Piskorski told HBS Working Knowledge, the university's research forum, that looking at pictures online was "a very delicate way for me to pry into your life without really prying."

He added that there were a greater number of men looking at women they don't know, followed by men looking at women they did know.

Talking from experience

Rohini, who's a media executive, also added that "this sleazy guy from work has seen/ read everything I've posted on Facebook and then spoken to me about it. If I post a status message saying I did this and that, in office he would say, 'Oh you went here and you did that' and I didn't like that. Once he asked me, 'You play Farmville all day or what?'"

Though she didn't tell him off immediately, after a conversation with a friend on Facebook security, Rohini invested time in upgrading her profile privacy settings so that her colleague couldn't see what she was up to. "I've added a few others to the list too," she added.

Nisha S reported a similar experience, which almost bordered on stalking. She said that she added the guy because he was a colleague. "It started rather simply, he would actually come and tell me about my own Facebook statuses. He'd know about exchanges between my friends and me and then it progressed to him commenting on my photographs… in person! Once a couple of my friends and I decided to meet at a restaurant in Bandra (Mumbai) and magically, he was there too! This happened several times."

She added that the colleague seemed to know details he couldn't know unless he was going through what was written on her Wall daily. "Needless to say, I blocked him," Nisha said.

Rebecca M's Facebook admirer too got the 'block' treatment. When she added the friend of a friend, the 29-year-old didn't know he'd pursue her with so much determination. "Since he was on Facebook, he got added to my chat list. From there he wriggled his way onto my GoogleTalk list. And he kept asking to meet me."

Finally, fed up with his pestering, she banished him to cyber-oblivion.

When Divya K, 26, a freelance writer, logged onto her Facebook account, she was shocked to find a friend request from a reader. "I'm a features writer and am regularly commissioned to write relationship-based stories by a magazine. Obviously this fellow read one of my sex-related story and looked me up. And the message he left me was very disgusting and wholly inappropriate," she said.

"It shook me up! Of course I didn't add him. Sleazebags like him should be banned from social networking sites for crossing the line!" Divya added.

Dealing with inappropriate behaviour

Girls like Divya can take a page out of Rohini's book and spend some time upgrading the security of their profiles on social networking sites. Here are some tips to beef up security on your Facebook account:

• Place not-so-well-known friends on the 'Limited Profile' list. This helps you limit the access certain people have while scanning your profile online.
• You have a Block List - use it. Exile all stalker-types to this area - all your ties (on Facebook, at least) with them will be broken permanently.
• Rework settings that allow people to view your wall posts, tagged pictures and videos, About Me section, birth date and status updates. Facebook allows you to allow 'Friends of friends' 'Only Friends' 'Only Me' or specific people to see your posts/updates. In fact, you can even single out people to make sure they don't see what you're up to.
• Control people who can add you as a friend (Eveyone or Friends of friends!) as well as those who can send you messages.
  
  
  source:http://www.idiva.com

Your Home In 2020

Marianne Cusato, Forbes.com

Free-flowing jumbo loans enabled the overconsumption of jumbo homes, creating jumbo expectations of jumbo lives. Then the bubble burst and the jumbo house of cards came tumbling down.

Today one in four mortgages is upside-down, housing starts teeter at record lows and housing prices are projected to fall 40% from their 2006 peak before bottoming out later this year, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Index. Despite the doom and gloom of the Great Recession, over the course of the next 10 years we will stabilize and recover.

Best Cities For Borrowers

Loan Modifications: The Good And The Bad

In Depth: The 14 Most Troubled Real Estate Markets

Cities With The Fastest-Falling Home Prices

In Depth: The Ditch-The-House Checklist

Things might be bad today, but the scope of this crisis begs the question: Were things really ever as good as we thought they were? Were our oversized expectations really being met by bloated McMansions and home loans we couldn't afford?

Video: Leave Late. Get Home Early

The lending practices and overconsumption that led to our current crisis were not fiscally sustainable. But the failure was more that just financial; it was also environmental and social. Recovery must encompass the triple bottom line: people and planet as well as profit. Over the next 10 years our collective hangover will subside. By 2020, the face of housing will emerge more livable and sustainable, and fiscally within our means.

In 2020 cost per square foot will be abandoned as a metric. Homeowners will instead weigh the total monthly costs of living in a home. More stringent construction requirements coupled with higher homeowner expectations will make performance the key indicator of a building's value. Sales listings will be required to include the projected monthly costs to heat, cool and maintain a home.

The home of 2020 will be closer to work, school and shopping. Until recently, in almost every U.S. city, homeowners drove deep into suburbia to get the most bang for their buck--hence the "drive 'til you qualify" craze. Now they are left holding the bag.

Sprawl depends on cheap oil, and recent $5-per-gallon gas proves that has come to an end. The volume of construction required to build roads and fossil fuels consumed by long commutes is no longer sustainable. That's not to mention the effect on quality of life--road rage, anyone?

Failed suburban sprawl will become the new frontier for development. Cities grow like rings of a tree, expanding out from a center. Until now the typical pattern of growth is to build more rather than retrofit. New rings of sprawl are cancerous; as they expand they kill previous growth.

For reasons both economic and environmental, we will see patterns of growth fold back on themselves as foreclosed sprawl is retrofitted into mixed-use communities. Towns like Stapleton, Colo., where an airport was converted into residences, shopping and offices, all built within walking distance, will lead the way.

We will witness growth in mid-size cities such as Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; and Portland, Ore.; rather than in larger cities like Dallas, Atlanta or Los Angeles. Cities that offer transit-oriented development, job opportunities and a better quality of life will see high demand.

"Currently we are tied to a 19th-century approach, which isolates the big city unto itself, without taking advantage of the connections and opportunities it could enjoy simply by planning and linking to smaller nearby cities," says Dr. Catherine Ross, an advisor to the White House Office of Urban Affairs. According to Ross, in 2020 we will see what she calls "mega-regions" emerge--areas that are rich and vibrant as a result of pooling the most critical and valuable resources from nearby towns, rather than trying to stand alone and compete as independent towns and cities.

In 2020 homeowners will crave fewer symbols of gratuitous wealth. Americans will stop trying to keep up with the Jones. (In fact, chances are the Jones' home was foreclosed upon in 2010.) With average homes shrinking down to size, we will see a heightened awareness of how and where money is spent. Mr. Potatohead, lick-and-stick architecture will give way to budgets you can touch and feel. People will stop spending money on gaudy entryways and gables for the sake of gables. They will instead build windows for the sake of cross-ventilation and lower utility bills. Houses will live--and breathe--better.

The perceived value of a home will be completely redefined. Realtors will stop selling homes based on resale ability and start selling on livability. Homes that boast the highest price tags will be those that are able to adapt to several life phases and comfortably house multiple generations.

Shifting demographics will continue to reinforce the need for smaller homes that are adaptable, sustainable, livable, conveniently located and, most importantly, within our means. These attributes are sorely missing in America's existing housing stock. The challenge for the next 10 years will be to adjust how and what we build to meet our changing needs. The homebuilding industry may be suffering today, but it is also undergoing creative disruption. It will be those that adapt to future realities now that will lead us to a successful and sustainable recovery.

Marianne Cusato is the author of Get Your House Right and the designer behind the 300-square-foot "Katrina Cottage" conceived in 2005 as an alternative to the FEMA emergency trailers for Hurricane Katrina survivors.

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Ways to use your tax savings

A recent Money Today-Naukri.com survey of 1.7 lakh employees in India reveals that as many as 67 per cent expect a good hike this year. While this may be in the realm of expectation, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has already given all taxpayers a hike by raising tax slabs. Depending on how much you earn, you will be taking home between Rs 170 and Rs 4,800 more per month from April onwards. How do you intend to use this surplus? Here are 10 suggestions to choose from based on your financial circumstances and life stage.

Prepay your home loan

If you have a home loan, it's a good idea to use the tax savings to prepay it. For, even though the new base rate structure to be implemented by banks from July will make your floating rate home loan more transparent, interest rates may rise and extend your loan term. Some banks have already stopped offering teaser rates, while others have increased interest rates. Experts say there is a possibility of lending rates rising by 0.75-1 per cent in the medium term. Don't underestimate the saving potential of this strategy. At 10 per cent, the interest on Rs 50,000 over 10 years is Rs 29,290. Most lenders allow prepayment up to 25 per cent of the outstanding amount in a year. Anything above this attracts a 2 per cent penalty. However, PSU banks don't levy any prepayment penalty.

Start saving to buy a house

If you've always dreamt of owning a house, the budget has landed you an opportunity to realise it. Don't rush out with a chequebook though. The attractive deals and offers in real estate are likely to become sweeter in the months to come. Start putting away your tax savings in a debt fund or a sweep-in bank account. This cash will come in handy when you go shopping for a house. If you have saved enough, a bigger down payment will allow you to dictate terms to the seller. Besides, you will have to take a smaller loan, which means a shorter tenure or a lower EMI. You might also be in a position to consider a house bigger than you could have afforded earlier. At a nominal growth rate of 8 per cent, a monthly saving of Rs 4,000 will grow to nearly Rs 50,000 in a year's time.

Reinvest in your property

A house is often the largest investment and biggest asset for an individual. This could be the right time to reinvest in this asset by adding a floor or a room to your house. Take a home improvement loan (interest rate is the same as that for home loans) and use the largesse from the budget to pay the EMI. The EMI for a Rs 4 lakh loan for 10 years at 9 per cent is Rs 5,000. This is roughly what is needed to build about 400 sq ft of additional residential space. If you rent out the additional area, factor in the rental income in your calculation. The Direct Taxes Code proposes to do away with tax deductions on self-occupied houses, but those given on rent will continue to enjoy these benefits.

Build an emergency fund

What happens if you suddenly lose your job? Or if somebody in the family takes ill? You cannot prevent emergencies, but you can be prepared for them. One way to do this is to build a contingency fund that can be accessed at any time. Financial planners say you need to have an emergency fund to cover at least 4-6 months' expenses. If you haven't already built such a corpus, now's the time to do it. Set aside the monthly gain from the tax cuts in a debt mutual fund or a sweep-in bank account. The first option is better because it prevents the investor from dipping into the fund for routine expenses. If you are disciplined, even a savings bank works, though a sweep-in account earns higher interest.

Review your insurance cover

Have you reviewed your life cover lately? Are you sure that the life insurance policy you took five years ago is enough to cover your family's needs today? Often, people take an insurance cover without factoring in the impact of inflation as well as changes in their financial circumstances. Use the surplus money to buy more insurance if you have taken a big-ticket loan or if your living expenses have gone up. The best form of life insurance is a pure protection term plan. For a 40-year-old, a 25-year term cover for Rs 30 lakh will cost about Rs 15,000 a year. That's a low price for ensuring that your family's future is safe.

Start SIP in an equity fund

The budget has given a new direction to the markets. Experts are optimistic that the lowering of fiscal deficit and other measures will boost global confidence in the Indian economy and increase the FII inflow. This means it's a good time to enter the markets. If you are looking for longterm wealth creation, use the extra cash you get every month to start an SIP in an equity mutual fund. Go for an ELSS fund if you also want tax deduction under Section 80C.

Diversify in gold

The price of gold has come down from its peak but analysts say this could be a seasonal correction. Gold prices are expected to climb up because of several factors, including rising inflation, high crude prices, a shaky dollar and the need for a safe haven. It is predicted to touch Rs 20,000 per 10 gram by March 2011. However, this doesn't mean that one should make a drastic change in one's asset allocation. Experts say no more than 10 per cent of your total wealth should be in gold. If you have allocated less than this, you can use your tax savings to start buying gold in small quantities, preferably as gold ETF units. They are liquid, easy to hold, and cheap. Pity you can't wear them to a party.

Insure your family's health

A health cover is a must in any financial plan. But many people keep putting off the decision to buy health insurance because they look at it as a needless expense. It's good if your employer offers adequate health coverage, but if you are self-employed or don't have health cover, buy one for yourself and your family right away with your tax gain. It doesn't cost too much and allows you to access the best healthcare facilities when you need them the most. Choose a floater plan instead of individual covers. A Rs 3 lakh floater cover for a family of four (husband, wife and two children) will cost about Rs 7,000 a year. You even get income-tax benefits on the premium under Section 80D.

Add accidental death and disability cover

Accidents can be debilitating, physically as well as financially. If the victim is badly injured, he will not be able to work for several months. If he is permanently disabled, he could lose his livelihood. You can safeguard yourself against such a situation by taking an accidental death, disability and dismemberment cover. A Rs 10 lakh cover costs barely Rs 1,300 a year. This is equal to what you will save every month in tax if you earn Rs 5 lakh a year. You can also take this as a rider along with a life insurance policy. Be sure to read the fine print though. It is best to opt for a personal accident cover, which also includes loss of livelihood and offers a lump sum to the insured.

Buy infrastructure bonds

The budget puts more money in your hands, but some of this will come to you only if you invest Rs 20,000 in infrastructure bonds under the new Section 80CCF. Keep this sum aside to avoid a cash crunch when the issue opens. You can save up to Rs 6,180 if you invest in these bonds. The income is fully taxable.

Reproduced From Money Today. All rights reserved.

Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Home Remedies For Hair Loss

he temporary hair loss problems always worry us but there are a lot of simple things in our daily routine, which can prevent hair loss and help us to promote the growth of hair.

Buzz up!

Here are home remedies to prevent hair loss, suitable for all types of hair:

1.Massage the scalp with luke warm coconut oil. Massage for 15-20 minutes as it will increase the blood circulation in the scalp, which is good for your hair too.

2.Olive oil is also very good for your hair. Massage the scalp with olive oil.

3.Soak fenugreek seeds in water for 3 or 4 hours and grind it with a piece of aloevera and a spoon of curd. Apply this on head and wash with water. This mix is a good shampoo and conditioner for your hair. Do it at least twice a week.

4.Mix the powders of amla, neem and shikakai with lemon juice and curd. Apply this on scalp and leave it for 10-20 minutes. Rinse off with water. It will also keep the hair, soft and shining.

5.If you have hibiscus plants in your area, get the leaves and grind it with water. The watery paste is also another best shampoo-cum-conditioner for hair.

6.Avoid the use of blow dryers, hair curlers or straightners as much. After the wash, use fingers to dry your hair. Fingers are always the best scalp stimulators.

7.Include lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet.

8.Make it a habit to drink 7 or 8 glasses of water everyday.

Source:http://living.oneindia.in