Thursday, May 29, 2008

Men don't want virgins and women lie about sex

Much has happened in terms of sexual liberation for women in the 21st century: Cleavage competed with koalas and gave chick magazines more shelf-space than a Readers’ Digest or National Geographic, Aung Su Kyi was forgotten while Carrie Bradshaw’s stiletto-ed serial man-changing became the beacon for new womanhood and Coupling showed where the modern relationship was going with a boyfriend watching his girlfriend’s with-ex-sex video to see if she did things any differently ‘back then’.

For long feminists have screamed hoarse about men’s double standards when it comes to sex: How men have a different set of rules for themselves and another book for women, how a man who’s had many women is a ‘stud’ while a girl who gives up her hymen before she marries the Right One is a ‘slut’ and how a man will gladly sleep with a woman with prior sexual experience but will look at a virgin when it comes to marriage. If latest surveys are to be believed, it seems the feminists have still much longer to cry: Sexually experienced women might be seen as liberated and ‘sexier’ but they are also seen as scarier!

The latest Kinsey Institute study (published April issue of Archives of Sexual Behaviour) suggests that while younger men feel threatened by sexually experienced women the older men find them desirable and arousing. But that was the result when the men were asked about the kind of women/woman they like to have sex with, would the results be any different if the research was on the kind of wife a man looked for? Given pre-marital sex is still frowned upon in India and arranged marriages are the norm for the majority, one wondered about the results in an Indian context…

In an e-mail survey of 25 people – 13 women, 12 men, urban singles, aged 20-35, all working in industries that demand close man-woman interaction and all of whom have equal opportunities when it comes to meeting and mating with the opposite sex – the answers one received were startling. For one, most of the women polled DEMANDED their men have prior sexual experience.

The orgasm is my birthright

The first question was common to both men and women: Would you like your partner to be sexually experienced?

Of the women polled, 69 per cent want their men with prior sexual experience, 23 per cent didn’t mind someone without experience and only 8 per cent insisted on their man being a virgin. For all the newfound sexual forthrightness of women, men are still supposed to take the lead when it comes to bedroom antics. Women, irrespective of their having prior experience or not, would rather have a man who is not a virgin. Why? “I am looking for a boyfriend/ husband and not a child who needs to know stories about bees and birds,” says one 25-year-old feisty woman. For another it does not matter if he has any experience “as long as he is attentive”. Someone who knows the moves and someone who is attentive: From holding on to their ‘virtue’ for the Right One, the focus for the girls seems to have shifted to ‘what’ the Right One does for them. In other words, the pressure is on the man to keep the woman happy.

The pressure’s showing on the men as well and it’s perhaps no surprise that the younger lot is ‘scared’ of demanding, sexually experienced women. If on one hand there is performance anxiety about being compared to past lovers, there is now the added pressure of even inexperienced women having high magazine-propagated expectations of a man’s bedroom prowess. Despite men being considered sexually hypocritical when it comes to the marriage market – and wanting to marry virgins – the men polled were quite open-minded towards women with prior sexual experience. While 54 per cent were happy with their partner whether a virgin or not, 46 per cent insisted on preferring women with prior experience: A case of the stereotype of what men consider ‘ideal wife material’ changing or simply a case of the men giving politically correct answers?

Further probing revealed it could well be the latter, but with both men and women being equally hypocritical…

Heard about too much experience?

The second question, though fundamentally the same, was tweaked a bit for the guys and girls keeping in mind the assumption that men are considered more sexually active than women. The men were asked if they were okay with their partner having slept with three men (or more) while the women were asked the same but with their partners having slept with eight or more women.

Despite majority of the men and women saying they were okay with the idea of a sexually experienced partner, the limit to what each group considered ‘experienced’ differed. A whopping 76 per cent of the men polled said while they were okay with their partner’s prior experience though they’d rather not know details or numbers. Only 14 per cent said they would be bothered if their girlfriend/partner had had sex with more than three men.

Compared to the men, only 23 per cent of the women polled were comfortable with their husband/partner having had multiple sexual encounters while 73 per cent said they would be decidedly uncomfortable if their man had “slept with the whole world”. Even the women who said they were okay with their man having had multiple partners were comfortable “only if he was in relationships with those women and not just one night stands.”

Some women however felt “More than six or eight intimate relationship in case of a man mostly suggests he treats women as play things, has no integrity and is absolutely unstable”. Can the same then be said about women who have had relationships with three or more men? Not so, declare the girls and insist women cannot be ‘judged’ on the same terms because women would have multiple partners only when “forced to” or when past relationships didn’t work out. Somehow that does not quite gel and sounds like women resorting to the same double standards they have hitherto accused the men of…

Let sleeping dogs ‘lie’

Finally both men and women were asked if they would be forthcoming in talking about their past relationships with their partners. The answers were far from comfortable…

For long magazines and feminists alike have demanded that when it comes to sex, men and women should be judged equally. ‘If a man can sleep around so can a girl’ be the cry for equality. Women today seem to be doing exactly what the men were earlier accused of and getting away with it in the name of bridging the gender divide. For instance, in a scene from Devil Wears Prada, Anne Hathaway’s character has a one-night stand with a colleague when she is on a break-up-to-think-things-over with her boyfriend. Had it been a man in a similar situation he would have been labeled a slime ball and an opportunist who didn’t waste time in sleeping with another woman. Since it was a girl though the situation was deemed as her “finding her own footing” and giving men a taste of their own medicine. Equality or reversed hypocrisy again?

When asked about discussing past relationships, 76 per cent of the men polled said they would be completely honest with their partner, though a majority said, “only when she asked for it”. Only 15 per cent said they would “downplay” the number of partners but mostly only if their partner was inexperienced. Again for the men, they did not have many hang ups about their partner’s past life as long as they were told about it and did not “find out after marriage” according to one and as long as “she did not keep bringing up her past”. For the women though, they were more curious about their partner’s past life and more forthcoming in volunteering information about their own… with a clandestine twist.

Of the women polled, 31 per cent said they will be happy to talk about their past relationships while 69 per cent said, “Only after editing bits here and there”. While most women seemed okay with discussing heartbreaks, almost all – barring those who have had no sexual experience – were hesitant about discussing numbers with their partners. If relationships are built on trust, does it not tantamount to lying? The girls don’t think so, as one 25-year-old put it, “Never about past experiences. I did it once and it was always brought up every time something went wrong. The number of men should not matter, everyone has a past and it’s not something you can change.” However, it’s not about the unchangeable past that has women “editing” details. As one woman put it, “In my experience guys don't usually want to hear about it.”

So while women seem to be marching towards more sexual freedom and demanding their men come with a “has done it” certificate, they would withhold information about their own experience. If earlier a man with multiple sexual partners was considered a ‘player’ and someone to be “scared of”, the Kinsey Institute study suggests that men are equally scared of “player” women. One wonder then, are we really breaking stereotypes and making ‘progress’ or is it a case of the entire sexual double standard and gender divide reversing, with women now becoming the new men?

http://www.facebook.com/ayurvedastreet

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Trimming in 10 steps

You probably hear it a lot, casually thrown around in your gym, the fact that, "Weight loss is all about revving up the metabolism". Your body's physical shape is very closely connected to its rate of metabolism, which simply refers to all of the body's physical and chemical processes that use energy.

"It's calculated as a basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the number of calories your body burns per day at rest," says clinical nutritionist, Dr Nupur J Krishnan. Metabolism varies vastly from person to person, depending on factors like age, sex and weight.

"The normal BMR range is 1,200-1,300 for women and 1,400-1,600 for men. People with a sluggish metabolism may find it difficult to lose weight," adds Dr Krishnan.

If your doctor finds your metabolism slower than normal and you're having a hard time losing weight, here are 10 tips from the pros on how to speed up the burner. Build muscle The body burns more calories in maintaining muscle tissue than it does with fat.

Regular cardiovascular exercise that trims fat, and weight training that helps build muscle mass will definitely rev up your metabolism. "Weight training is the best way to raise your metabolic rate and burn more calories.

It adds to your overall weight loss - the more lean muscle tissue there is, the more calories the body burns at rest," says fitness expert Leena Mogre. "Weight training causes muscles to breakdown and then rebuild themselves better when you're resting, which increases muscle mass, which in turn increases metabolic rate," says Ritesh Patil, fitness consultant and operations manager, Sykz Gym.

Aerobic exercise Any form of cardiovascular exercise raises the body's BMR for over an hour or so after the workout. "People with very sluggish metabolism are often advised more cardiovascular workouts to increase their rate of burn," says Mogre.

Small, frequent meals You stimulate your metabolism every time you eat. So six small meals a day will actually help you burn more calories than three large ones.

The body utilises multiple packets of nutrients in smaller meals much better than it does a single load of nutrients from one large meal. "Keeping up this eating pattern will boost your BMR in the long run," says Mogre.

Never skip breakfast It's the first meal of the day when you literally break your fast after eight to 10 hours of sleep, so a good breakfast provides a critical energy surge as you begin your day. "A proper breakfast also keeps your energy levels high throughout the day," says Anjum Shaikh, chief nutritionist, Sykz Gym.

Skipping breakfast could actually leave you piled with extra kilos of fat. "If you starve yourself in the morning, the signal that your body gets is that food supplies are low and whatever meal comes in next has to be stored as fat.

Starving yourself for too long also leads to muscle breakdown," says Mogre. Don't cut off carbohydrates The first thing most of us do to lose weight is cut down on carbohydrate or starchy food.

Bread, pastries, pastas become off limits. "But drastically reducing carbohydrate intake can reduce the body's metabolic rate.

You have to eat enough carbohydrates to keep your metabolism high. And cutting carbohydrates totally is never a good idea," says Shaikh.

Pack in the proteins Protein-rich foods like egg whites, chicken, fish, dal, and sprouts don't directly cause your metabolism to shoot up. "But protein and calcium absorbed by the body through milk and milk products will help strengthen your bones, increase your lean body mass, and thus your BMR," says Shaikh.

Managing thyroid trouble Improper functioning of the thyroid gland, which manages your body's metabolism, can slow down weight loss. "People with hypothyroidism don't produce enough thyroid hormone, which leaves them with a slow metabolism.

But it's not impossible for them to increase their metabolism," says Dr Krishnan. Eating right is critical.

"Avoid foods like cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, turnip, broccoli, soyabeans and tofu. These are rich in goitrogens, a substance that interferes with the functioning of the thyroid gland.

Those suffering from hypothyroidism should especially avoid these foods," says Shaikh. Drink lots of water Water is directly involved in the metabolism process and the more you have of it, the higher your BMR.

But that doesn't mean indiscriminately gulping down 10-12 glasses per day. "It's no longer a blanket rule applied to everyone.

If you sit at a desk in an air-conditioned space, you don't need 12 glasses of water a day, simply because there's hardly any loss of water due to sweating. Up to eight glasses a day is good enough to keep your metabolism running," says Dr Krishnan.

Trim the trans fat The reason is simple. Too much fat or oil intake increases the body's fat percentage, which slows down metabolism.

"Avoid junk food and oily snacks - they only make your system sluggish and lower your metabolism," says Shaikh. Metabolism boosters Complex carbohydrates and high-fibre vegetables and cereals burn more calories than simple carbohydrates and are more likely to get your metabolism going than a large serving of French fries.

"Eat lots of coloured vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, red and yellow capsicum. These are rich in anti-oxidants and phytochemicals that help the fat burning process," says Dr Krishnan.

To calculate your BMR, go to www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator .
http://in.news.yahoo.com/hindustantimes/20080527/r_t_ht_hl/thl-trimming-in-10-steps-5e57af8.html

Sunday, May 25, 2008

'Wages in India increasing faster than in US'

Leave alone the adverse effects of economic slowdown, the Indian IT industry is fearing that fattening pay packets for employees could cut down their profit margins.
Country's two largest software exporters, Infosys Technologies and Wipro Technologies, anticipate wage pressures might not only slash their margins but also prevent them from maintaining their competitive advantage.
"Wages in India are increasing at a faster rate than in the United States, which could result in increased costs for companies seeking to employ technology professionals in India, particularly project managers and other mid-level professionals," Infosys said in its recent annual filing to American market regulator Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
In order to retain and recruit talent, companies especially in the IT sector are doling out hefty pay packets.
The trend is all the more visible for middle level professionals and project managers.
A recent survey by global management consultancy firm HayGroup said salaries in India are forecast to rise by 14.4 per cent during 2008.
Infosys also noted that it might need to raise employee compensation more rapidly than in the past to compete with other employers.
Wipro has also cited wage pressure as a business risk in its latest annual filing to the SEC.
Moreover, lower wage costs in India are considered as one of the important competitive advantages by the IT firms.
"Our wage costs in India have historically been significantly lower than wage costs in the United States and Europe for comparably skilled professionals, and this had been one of our competitive advantages.
"However, wage increases in India may prevent us from sustaining this competitive advantage and may negatively affect our profit margins," Wipro said in its filing.
Industry analysts believe that rising salaries present a challenging scenario and that it could adversely affect the prospects of IT firms in the long term.
To stem attrition rates in the middle and senior levels, Infosys has a long term retention bonus policy in place.
According to the policy, certain senior executives and employees are entitled to a yearly cash bonus on their continued employment with the company. The bonus is based on seniority, their role and performance in the firm.
Apart from offering perks such as annual cash bonus and increments, companies could even explore the possibility of recruiting talent from low cost locations including China and Eastern Europe.
"Unless we are able to continue to increase the efficiency and productivity of our employees, increases in proportion of employees with lower experience or source talent from other low cost locations like Eastern Europe, China or South East Asia, wage increases in the long term any reduce our profit margins," Wipro had noted.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/indianexpress/20080525/r_t_ie_bs_india/tbs-wages-in-india-increasing-faster-tha-e66b4b9.html

Thursday, May 22, 2008

101 New Uses for Everyday Things

The multitasking hall of fame

James Baigrie

10 New Uses for Lemon

“Lemon juice is the strongest food acid in our kitchens, strong enough to make life unbearable for most bacteria,” says Robert Wolke, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and the author of What Einstein Told His Cook 2: The Sequel, Further Adventures in Kitchen Science (W. W. Norton, $26).

Use Lemon to:

1. Sanitize a chopping block. Run a slice of lemon over the surface to disinfect.
2. Eliminate the browning that occurs when food sits out too long. Sprinkle apple or pear slices with lemon juice before serving, or squeeze a bit into guacamole and give it a stir.
3. Remove tough food stains from plastic and light-colored wooden cutting boards. Slice a lemon in half, squeeze the juice onto the soiled surface, rub, and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse with water.
4. Fade tea stains on cloth. Dilute lemon juice with an equal amount of water. Use an eyedropper or a Q-tip to make sure the juice targets the stain. Thoroughly flush with cool water.
5. Decorate on the cheap. Fill a glass bowl with lemons for a sunny centerpiece. Or display a row of them along a windowsill.
6. Relieve a sore throat. Cut a lemon in half. Skewer one half over a medium flame on a gas stove or an electric burner set on high and roast until the peel turns golden brown. Let cool slightly, then mix the juice with 1 teaspoon of honey. Swallow the mixture.
7. Whiten fingernails. Rub a wedge on the surface of your nails.
8. Shine the interior of copper cookware. Sprinkle a lemon wedge with salt, then scrub.
9. Brighten laundry whites. Add 1/2 cup lemon juice to the wash cycle of a normal-size load.
10. Remove soft cheese or other sticky foods from a grater. Rub both sides of the grater with the pulp side of a cut lemon.

James Baigrie

10 New Uses for Newspaper

“Newspaper, by design, is a very absorbent product, because it has to absorb ink. But that also means it is equipped to absorb all sorts of moisture, including moisture and the resulting odors found in shoes, in vegetable drawers, and elsewhere,” says Chris Morrissey, vice president of marketing for Sun Chemical, in Northlake, Illinois, the world’s largest printing-ink manufacturer.

Use Newspaper to:

1. Deodorize food containers. Stuff a balled-up piece of newspaper into a lunch box or thermos, seal it, and let sit overnight.
2. Ripen tomatoes. Wrap them individually and leave them out at room temperature.
3. Pack delicate items.Wrap frames and figurines with several pieces of newspaper, then crumple the remaining sections to fill extra space in the box.
4. Wipe away tough streaks on glass. Use newspaper with cleaning fluid to clean mirrors and windows.
5. Preserve antique glass. Some older frames have finishes on the glass that can be damaged by cleaning solutions. Remove smudges by rubbing with newspaper dipped in a solution of one part white vinegar and one part warm water. Let air-dry.
6. Dry shoes. Place crumpled paper in them overnight.
7. Wrap gifts. Use the comics to wrap a child’s birthday gift, or try the wedding announcements for an engagement gift.
8. Create a home for slushy snow boots. During the winter, keep a pile of newspaper near the entryway. When your little snowmen and -women come home, they can toss their winter wear onto the newspaper instead of creating puddles on the floor.
9. Prepare a garden. In the fall, mow a patch of lawn to make room for a dedicated bed. Cover it with four layers of newspaper, then a four-inch layer of shredded leaves or bark mulch. Hose it down. Come spring, the compost blanket will have smothered the grass roots, and the bed will be primed for planting.
10. Keep the refrigerator vegetable drawer dry and free of smells. Line the bottom with newspaper.

James Baigrie

10 New Uses for Coffee Filters

About 100 years ago, a German housewife named Melitta Bentz punctured the bottom of a brass pot, lined it with blotting paper, and — voilà! — made the first coffee filter. Almost a century later, a perfected version of Bentz’s design is still used. “Coffee filters aren’t as likely to crumple or dissolve in water as typical paper because they have better ‘wet strength,’ thanks to longer fibers,” says Melinda McDonald, communications manager for Bunn, a beverage-equipment manufacturer. “Additionally, the fluted sides and cupcake shape allow substances to flow through the filter freely and prevent grains from flowing over the sides.”

Use Coffee Filters to:

1. Diffuse the flash on a camera. When you’re taking a close-up, soften the brightness by placing a coffee filter over the flash.
2. Strain wine from a bottle with a broken cork. Place the filter over a pitcher or a carafe and slowly pour the wine into it.
3. Serve popcorn or other snacks. The filters act as disposable bowls, so there’s no dishwashing.
4. Make yogurt dip. Use a rubber band to secure a paper coffee filter over the mouth of a deep cup or jar. Slowly pour 8 ounces of plain yogurt onto the filter. Let drain for one hour. In a bowl, mix the thickened yogurt with 1 small minced garlic clove, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crackers.
5. Heat up leftovers in the microwave. Use a filter as the protective covering over a bowl or a plate.
6. Prevent soil from draining out of flowerpots. When repotting, place a filter at the bottom, over the drainage hole, then add the soil.
7. Prevent scuffs and scratches on fine china. Use flattened coffee filters as spacers when you stack your dishes.
8. Protect hands from Popsicle drippage. Slide the wooden stick of an ice pop through a coffee filter so your hands stay mess-free.
9. Serve pita sandwiches. A circular filter is the perfect size for carrying a sandwich on the go.
10. Clean windows and glass when you’re out of paper towels. Coffee filters leave no lint or other residue.

James Baigrie

10 New Uses for Olive Oil

“Olive oil is a good lubricant because its molecules easily slide past one another, thereby helping solid objects to overcome friction,” says Wolke. “Its film also fills up microscopic rough spots in surfaces, making them look polished and shiny.”

Use Olive Oil to:

1. Shave. Olive oil can provide a closer shave when used in place of shaving cream.
2. Shine stainless steel. Many cleaning standbys, such as ammonia, can dull and even corrode chrome and stainless steel. Olive oil, however, is a safe and effective shining agent.
3. Remove eye makeup. Dab a little under the eyes and rinse off with a washcloth.
4. Prevent wax from sticking to a candle holder. Rub a thin coat on the base of the holder before inserting a candle. Dripped wax should peel away easily.
5. Care for your pet. Add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon to your cat’s food to help prevent hair balls.
6. Moisturize cuticles. Apply a small amount of olive oil to the nail beds.
7. Treat dry skin. Rub a thin layer over the skin after a shower or a waxing.
8. Unstick a zipper. Using a Q-tip, apply a drop to lubricate the teeth. (Avoid touching the fabric.) The zipper should move up and down freely.
9. Dust wooden furniture. Apply a bit of oil to a cloth and wipe.
10. Silence squeaky doors. Lubricate hinges by applying a small dab to a cloth, then wiping the top of the hinges so that the oil runs down the sides.

James Baigrie

10 New Uses for Dryer Sheets

Static builds up when fabrics rub together and exchange electrons,” says Behnam Pourdeyhimi, director of the Nonwovens Cooperative Research Center at North Carolina State University, in Raleigh. “Dryer sheets contain positively charged ingredients that are released by heat and movement, such as the tumbling motion of the dryer. These ingredients bond loosely to any negatively charged fabric surface, such as a piece of clothing with static cling, neutralizing the charge and acting as a lubricant.”

Use Dryer Sheets to:

1. Freshen smelly shoes. Insert a dryer sheet into the offending pair and let sit overnight.
2. Remove static from clothing, hair, TV screens, and computer monitors. Wipe the surface with a sheet.
3. Clean pet hair from the floor or furniture. Rub a dryer sheet over the spot where Fluffy left her fur.
4. Replace a sachet. Keep a dresser drawer smelling fresh and clean by placing a dryer sheet on the bottom of it.
5. Loosen caked-on food from a pan. Place a fresh sheet in the bottom of a dirty pan, fill with lukewarm tap water, and let sit in the sink overnight. The pan will be easier to clean in the morning.
6. Tackle suitcase and gym-bag odors. Place a dryer sheet in your suitcase or gym bag so your clean clothes won’t take on the odors of the dirty ones.
7. Prevent old books from smelling musty when in storage. Stick a dryer sheet between the pages of your beloved copy of Pride and Prejudice.
8. Wipe up sawdust after working in the garage. Rub a dryer sheet over the fine wood particles.
9. Prevent thread from tangling when sewing. Run a threaded needle through a dryer sheet right before you begin your handiwork.
10. Dust venetian blinds. Close the blinds, then wipe up and down with a dryer sheet.

James Baigrie

10 New Uses for Baking Soda

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, first hit the mass market in 1846, when Dr. Austin Church and John Dwight began selling their red-labeled soda packages. “Not only does baking soda neutralize odiferous fatty acids but it also attacks grease by turning it into — believe it or not — soap,” says the University of Pittsburgh’s Wolke. Fact: More than 100 tons of the refrigerator staple were used to clean the Statue of Liberty’s inner copper walls during its 1986 restoration.

Use Baking Soda to:

1. Exfoliate skin. Wash your face, then apply a soft paste made of three parts baking soda and one part water. Massage gently with a circular motion, avoiding the eye area; rinse clean.
2. Erase crayon, pencil, ink, and furniture scuffs from painted surfaces. Sprinkle soda on a damp sponge, rub clean, and rinse.
3. Unclog a drain. Pour 1/2 to 1 cup of baking soda down the drain, then slowly pour 1/2 to 1 cup of white vinegar after it. Let sit for five minutes (covered, if possible). Follow with a gallon of boiling water.
4. Remove tough stains from enameled cast iron and stainless steel. Scrub enameled cast iron with a soft nylon brush and a thick paste of baking soda and water. Clean stainless steel with a soft cloth and 4 tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in 1 quart of water. Wipe dry with a clean cloth.
5. Scrub pans. Sprinkle soda on crusted casseroles and roasting pans and let sit for five minutes. Lightly scrub and rinse.
6. Brush teeth. Use a paste of baking soda and water.
7. Fight class-B fires (flammable liquids, such as gasoline, oil, and grease). Baking soda can be used to smother only a small flame.
8. Deodorize. Dust baking soda under your arms to absorb body odor.
9. Clean up minor oil and grease spills on a garage floor or driveway. Sprinkle baking soda on the spot and scrub with a wet brush.
10. Settle a stomach during occasional indigestion. Stir 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda into 1/2 cup of water and drink for a safe and effective antacid.

James Baigrie

10 New Uses for Vinegar

“Vinegar is a strong preservative because its acetic acid kills the microbes and bacteria that could cause food to spoil,” says Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, in Griffin. “It’s also a good deodorizer — the acid neutralizes basic compounds, such as those found in degrading meat, that can be volatile and unpleasant.”

Use White Vinegar to:

1. Pinch-hit for lemon in a savory recipe. Use 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar in place of 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
2. Remove coffee or tea stains from the bottom of a cup. Swish 2 tablespoons of vinegar around in the cup, then wash as usual.
3. Treat oily hair. Vinegar is a good degreaser for oily hair because it helps adjust pH levels. Shampoo your hair as usual, rinse, then pour 1/4 cup over it and rinse again.
4. Wipe salt stains off boots. Dip a cloth or an old T-shirt into vinegar, then wipe away the white residue.
5. Make wool sweaters fluffier. Drop in a couple of capfuls of vinegar during the rinse cycle for an extra-soft feel.
6. Deodorize a garbage disposal. Make vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the disposal. After grinding, run cold water through the drain.
7. Clean a teakettle or a coffeemaker. Boil a mixture of water and vinegar in a teakettle, then wipe away the grime. Fill the reservoir of a coffeemaker with a mixture of vinegar and water and run it through a brewing cycle. Follow this with several cycles of water to rinse thoroughly.
8. Clean a dishwasher. Once a month, with the machine empty, run a cup of vinegar through an entire cycle to reduce soap buildup on the inner mechanisms and glassware.
9. Remove stubborn price tags or stickers. Paint them with several coats of vinegar, let the liquid soak in for five minutes, then wipe away the residue.
10. Kill weeds between cracks in paving stones and sidewalks. Fill a spray bottle with straight vinegar and spray multiple times. (Be careful not to get any on the surrounding grass, as it will kill that too.)

James Baigrie

10 New Uses for Ziploc Bags

In 1963 a unique bag with a plastic zipper seal was introduced at a packaging trade show. Most recently, the seal’s strength was demonstrated at a Riverton, Wyoming, school, where eighth-grade students discovered an uneaten sandwich in a Ziploc bag at the bottom of a locker. It had been there for months. Students were so impressed with the bag’s ability to seal in the odor (and mold growth) that they actually sent a thank-you letter (along with the sandwich) to the manufacturer, SC Johnson. In a letter back to the students, H. Fisk Johnson, the company chairman, called the locker “one of the toughest product test sites we’ve ever discovered.” Good thing Mom didn’t use wax paper.

Use Ziploc Bags to:

1. Knead dough. Place dough in a Ziploc bag so your fingers don’t get sticky. Or slip your hand into the bag and wear it like a glove. 2. Store panty hose. Nude, Tan, Nearly Naked — they look the same out of the package. Tear off the corner of the package listing the brand, size, and color, then slip it into a bag. Store each pair in its own bag to keep hose organized and prevent snags.
3. Remove chewing gum or candle wax from a tablecloth, a couch, or carpeting. Gently rub gum or wax with a Ziploc bag filled with ice cubes until the substance hardens. Shatter gum with a blunt object, then vacuum up the chips. Carefully peel off frozen wax with a plastic spatula.
4. Pipe frosting. Snip off a tiny corner to use a Ziploc as a pastry bag.
5. Store homemade soup. Fill up bags, then lay them flat in the freezer. When the bags of soup freeze flat, you’ll be able to pile them up like stacked books for easy, space-saving storage.
6. Protect precious cargo. No bubble wrap? Slip a straw into the top of a nearly closed Ziploc bag and inflate. Remove the straw and seal to make a cushion. (Heirlooms, however, should wait for that bubble wrap.)
7. Break up graham crackers or vanilla wafers to make a piecrust. Fill a bag with the cookies, then roll a rolling pin over it.
8. Prevent a handbag from turning into a snow globe. Store pressed powder and other compacts in Ziploc bags.
9. Gather herbs from the garden. Before winter frost sets in, wash, pat dry, and freeze the herbs in Ziploc bags.
10. Ice an injury. Fill a bag with ice cubes to create a cold compress.

James Baigrie

10 New Uses for Velcro

Velcro, whose name is a combination of the French words velour and crochet, was developed in the early 1940s, after Swiss inventor George de Mestral returned home from a walk with his dog and noticed that pesky cockleburs had stuck to his pants and his dog’s coat. Examining the burrs under a microscope, de Mestral found the basis for a unique two-sided fastener — one side with stiff hooks (like the burrs) and the other with soft loops (like the fabric of his pants).

Use Velcro to:

1. Hang pieces of art or photos on a wall. Stick several strips of Velcro to the wall and to the back of a lightweight frame.
2. Prevent a jacket or a blouse from gaping open. Sew small pieces of Velcro between the buttons to create a smooth surface.
3. Keep a rug in place. Stick pieces of Velcro to the floor and to the bottom of the rug.
4. Stop seat cushions from sliding off kitchen chairs. Place strips of Velcro on the chair and on the cushion.
5. Organize toys. Affix a Velcro strip to the wall and Velcro pieces to stuffed animals to make cleanup fun for toddlers.
6. Keep track of the remote. Use Velcro to attach the remote to the side of the TV when it’s not in use.
7. Remove pills from sweaters. Use the hook side of Velcro to pull off pesky balls.
8. Restrain wayward cords. Keep them in one place with a strip of Velcro.
9. Keep a pen or paper handy. Place a small piece of Velcro next to a desk calendar and on a pen so you can jot down to-dos ASAP. In the car, stick a notepad to the dashboard or the door of the glove compartment and you’ll always have paper for a brilliant thought or a last-minute errand.
10. Picnic in peace. Keep a tablecloth from flying away by applying Velcro to the underside of the cloth and to the picnic table.

James Baigrie

11 New Uses for Salt

Think twice before you toss that spilled salt over your shoulder — the flavor enhancer is incredibly useful. “Salt has an affinity to water and can draw moisture out of many foods,” says Wolke. “Grains of table salt are also very hard, which is why they act as a handy abrasive.”

Use Salt to:

1. Make eggs or cream whip up faster and higher. Add a pinch of salt before beating.
2. De-ice sidewalks. In a pinch, it can be used as a substitute for rock salt.
3. Keep chicken or turkey moist. Rub salt in the cavity of the bird before cooking.
4. Prevent sautés made with eggplant or zucchini from getting watery. Sprinkle salt on these vegetables before cooking. 5. Eliminate sticky residue from an iron. Run the hot iron (no steam) over plain paper sprinkled with salt.
6. Clean drains. Pour a hot, strong solution (1/2 cup salt for every quart of water) down the drain.
7. Remove dirt from leafy vegetables, such as spinach. Wash the vegetables in a bath of salt water.
8. Prevent frost from accumulating inside car windows. Rub the glass with a solution of 2 teaspoons of salt in 1 gallon of hot water. Wipe dry.
9. Remove sangria and red-wine stains from your washables. Stretch the fabric over a bowl, cover the stain with salt, and carefully pour boiling water over it.
10. Keep shells from cracking when boiling eggs. Add a few pinches of salt to the water.

+ one more

11. Chill a bottle of bubbly — fast. Place ice around its base in an ice bucket; sprinkle with a few tablespoons of salt. Layer salt and ice until they reach the neck. Fill with water. Wait 10 minutes; serve.

http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/gallery/print/0,22304,1030084,00.html

How Bluetooth got its name

In 1996 a number of companies were looking to standardize the industry around a short-range radio link for doing a number of things which seem obvious today (not so obvious in 1996).

Within Intel, I had started a program called Business-RF; Ericsson had a program called MC-Link; Nokia had a program called Low Power RF. At the time we were in discussions to figure out the best way to drive a single wireless standard in the industry in order to prevent fragmentation of technologies in this area (remember that in 1996 nothing existed).

Figure 1: Late 20th century marketing slide showing the value of wireless personal area networks .

As we would approach different companies to talk about what short range wireless technologies could do and how having a single short-range standard would be so much better than having three or more competing and fragmenting standards, it became apparent the need to have a single name; as Intel would talk to people about "Biz-RF," Ericsson about "MC-Link" and Nokia about "Low Power-RF," which also created confusion.

In December of 1996 we figured we had the right mixture of companies to be successful in driving the technology through a Special Interest Group (SIG) and met in Lund, Sweden at the Ericsson plant to get final agreement on forming the SIG.

At this time, Intel proposed that the SIG be called by the "codename" Bluetooth until the SIG's marketing group would come up with a formal technology name. When asked about the name Bluetooth, I explained that Bluetooth was borrowed from the 10th century, second King of Denmark, King Harald Bluetooth; who was famous for uniting Scandinavia just as we intended to unite the PC and cellular industries with a short-range wireless link.

Where did I hear about the name Bluetooth? This originated on an earlier business trip to Toronto, Canada where Ericsson's Sven Mathesson and I were presenting our technology proposal to an existing SIG; Sven pitching as MC-Link, and me pitching as Biz-RF.

After having our proposal firmly rejected, we went on a pub crawl through wintrily, blustery Toronto. Being a big history fan, I would trade stories of history with Sven.

Now Sven knew lots about radios, but not too much about history, but he had read this book (which at a later date he gave me a copy) called the Longships by Frans G. Bengtsson and would relate the history through this story.

In this book a couple of Danish warriors travel the world looking for adventure, and the king during this time was Harald Bluetooth.

When I got home from this business trip, a history book I had ordered called the The Vikings by Gwyn Jones" had arrived. Thumbing through the book, I found this (see Figure 2) picture of a giant rock, or runic stone, which depicted the chivalry of Harald Bluetooth, the guy which Sven just told me about!

Reading further, the book indicated that King Harald had this memorial made for Gorm his father and Thyri his mother: that Harald who won for himself all Denmark and Norway, and made the Danes Christian."

Figure 2: Late 20th century marketing slide showing how (among other things) laptops and cell phones preceded the discovery of the Silicon Valley.

Harald had united Denmark and Christianized the Danes! It occurred to me that this would make a good codename for the program. At this time I also created a PowerPoint foil with a version of the Runic stone where Harald held a cellphone in one hand and a notebook in the other and with a translation of the runes:

Harald united Denmark and Norway
Harald thinks that mobile PC's and cellular phones should seamlessly communicate

In any case, the marketing group was formed under the leadership of Simon Ellis (Intel) and Anders Edlund (now with Bluetooth SIG) and they started working on official "names." The suggestion I just can't forget was "Flirt" with the catch phrase "getting close, but not touching." The naming process would continue for a long time.

In February timeframe the contracts to form the SIG were finalized, but we still didn't have agreement on a name; so the codename "Bluetooth" was inserted into the contracts and the Bluetooth SIG was formed. The marketing group was still debating away on the real name.

The signing of the SIG contracts allowed the technical working groups to start working on the specifications. At the same time we needed to announce the formation of the SIG which was picked to occur in the month of May.

At this point we needed to have an official name and we had picked a board meeting the month before the launch to agree upon the name such that we could start printing collateral.

The different companies in the SIG were each developing their own names for the technology, however at this time the two top contenders were RadioWire (the Intel proposal) and PAN (for Personal Area Networking, the IBM proposal).

In April we held our board meeting and voted for the official name which went to PAN in a 4-1 vote. At this point everybody started using the name PAN and we were driving towards the launch event which would occur in about four weeks.

About a week later, an emergency meeting was called. The other member companies had performed a trademark search on the word PAN and surmised that this would be a poor candidate for a trademark: an internet search produced tens of thousands of hits.

It turned out that no trademark search was done on the backup name (Radio Wire) and the only name we could go to launch with on short notice was Bluetooth!

It was decided then that we would go ahead and launch the SIG with the codename "Bluetooth", but would then change the name when the marketing group came-up with the official name.

Needless to say, the codename turned out to be a pretty good, took hold of in the press and after awhile became synonymous with short range radios, so synonymous that when the SIG applied for a US trademark it was originally rejected because Bluetooth is synonymous with "short range radios," but that's another story

About the author
Jim Kardach helped form the Bluetooth SIG and ran it until around 2001 and for his efforts was inducted into the Bluetooth Hall of Fame.

A longer version of this story (with a lot more fun details) can be downloaded at Jim's blog site at www.kardach.com/bluetooth/runic_stone_journal/runic_stone_journal.html

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

India 2nd largest seller of carbon credits globally

India has emerged as the second largest seller of carbon credits in the global market with six per cent share in 2007, while China tops the list with a huge 73 per cent, a World Bank report said.

"India and Brazil, at 6 per cent market share each, transacted the highest volumes after China in 2007," said the report 'State and trends of the carbon market 2008'.

Certified emission reduction (CER), that are traded on the global climate exchanges, are carbon credits issued by the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Executive Board for emission reductions achieved by CDM projects and verified under the rules of the Kyoto Protocol.

Pointing out that high price expectation for CERs in India and Brazil is hindering growth, the report said the sellers in these two nations favour sale of already issued CERs in the range of 15-16.50 pound per CER instead of selling forward CER streams.

For the third consecutive year, China was the world leader in CER supply with a 73 per cent market share in terms of volumes last year against 54 per cent in 2006.

Citing reasons for China still being the destination of choice for buyers of credits, the report said "the large size, economies of scale in origination, and its favourable investment climate " have attracted investors.

"China consolidated its position as the pre-eminent carbon supplier, by quadrupling its number of projects in the pipeline from January 2007 to March 2008," it said.

China is well ahead of other nations in the CDM pipeline with 53 per cent of potential CER supply with 1,104 projects till 2012, compared to India's 15 per cent of the total CDM pipeline, it noted.

The carbon market is the most visible result of early regulatory efforts to mitigate climate change.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200805191761.htm

Monday, May 19, 2008

49 Mn Indians log on to Internet in 2008

Internet users in India have risen to over 49 million this year. Urban users account for a bulk of it, 40 million, with rural net users numbering 9 million. Regular net users, defined as anyone accessing the net at least once a month, number around 35 million (30-million urban and 5-million rural), says online research & advisory firm JuxtConsult's 'India Online 2008' - an offline survey of over 12,500 households across 40 cities and 160 villages countrywide to gauge the online behavior of Indians.

The data indicate that every one in 10 urban Indians (12 percent) is now net connected. And interestingly, over 70 percent Internet users prefer to access the net in Indian languages, with English users dwindled down to 28 percent from 41 percent in 2007.
Internet penetration (as percent of population) has crossed double-digit mark in urban India at 12 percent, up 3 percent from 9 percent last year, and rural penetration stands at 4.5 percent,

India?s net user demographics cuts evenly across socio-economic class (SEC) A, B and C, and extends beyond metros (which account for under a third, 30 percent, of all users now, down 6 percent from 2007?s 36 percent). A majority, over three-fourths of users (77 percent), are between 19 to 35 years of age, up 10 percent from 2007.
Surprisingly women account for less than a fifth, just 17.6 percent, of the 49 million odd Indian netizens. The females' net representation is just marginally higher for urban India at 18.2 percent.

The survey says that over half of all net users (51 percent) in the country are salaried employees in the corporate world. The number of urban netizens has increased by 33 percent in the last one year, from 30 million to 40 million. Of the total number of urban users, 75 percent (30 million) are regular urban users while rest, 25 percent (10-million), are occasional users.

The democratisation of the net continues, with higher SECs A and B now accounting for just over 50 percent of all users, down 6 percent from last year?s figure of 56 percent. In contrast, lower SEC C, D and E in urban areas now account for around half of all users. It's same in rural areas too, with the top two rural SECs R1 and R2 accounting for just 41 percent with the rest coming in from the bottom-of-the-pyramid consumer in SEC R3, R4 and R5.

Every one in two urban net users (48 percent) comes from a household with monthly household income (MHI) of Rs 10,000 plus, though under a quarter, 24 percent of 9-million odd rural users have MHI higher than Rs 10,000. South India contributes the largest share of Internet users at 33 percent, with East under-represented at just 15 percent.

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/42052/1

Girl giving smackdown (Picture)

Truth about cancer - everyone should know

Truth about cancer. - this post has been credited to John Hopkins although I understand they deny it.

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show
up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion.When
doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their
bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer
cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's
lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be
destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumours.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional
deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and
lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and
including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also
destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone
marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver,
kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages
healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor
size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in
more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation
the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can
succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become
resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to
spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not
feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important
food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like
NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful.
A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in
very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour.
Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the
gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with
unsweetened soya milk cancer cells are being starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic
and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork.
Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which
are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts
and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20%
can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live
enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15
minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live
enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most
vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day.
Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is
a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water-best to drink
purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap
water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive
enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrified and leads
to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or
eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer
cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac,
anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body's own killer
cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to
cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of
disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and
positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness
and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to
have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising
daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level.
Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

CANCER UPDATE FROM JOHN HOPKINS HOSPITAL , U S - PLEASE READ

1. No plastic containers in micro.

2. No water bottles in freezer.

3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals causes cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.

Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital ,
was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins
and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in
the microwave using plastic containers.

This especially applies to foods that contain fat.

He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin
into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body.

Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic
containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the
dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be
removed from the container and heated in something else.

Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to
use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some
of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The
dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous
when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked,
the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap
and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life

http://www.facebook.com/ayurvedastreet

25 Unexpectedly Useful Websites for the Uncommonly Curious

This eclectic list of websites contains so many out of the ordinary pleasures that it is hard to know where to start.

This unique list contains links to many entertaining and/or useful websites. The sites are not listed in any particular order of importance, and this list is not intended to be an all-inclusive map of the Internet or a comprehensive source of information. If you know of a site you think others should be aware of, feel free to post it as a comment. If you know something interesting about one of the sites in this list, don't hesitate to share your knowledge.
Usually there are comments from those who find at least one of the included sites useful or entertaining. There are also those who post links to websites that were not included in the list but maybe should have been. I thank you and appreciate your input.

Guerrilla Mail
Get a temporary email address that expires after 15 minutes. During those 15 minutes you can read and reply to any messages.
Chain of Thoughts
A seriously cool concept…you type in a subject you would like to research and this generates a list (you choose its length) of related keywords and topics. You can visit a Wikipedia page at any time or continue navigating through the related keywords until you find what you want. It is a very cool way of diversifying a research effort.
Ted
Some really interesting videos about varying topics.
Wiki Travel
Another Wikipedia inspired website relating to travel. Written and edited by users. This site promises to be one of the most useful of all travel sites due to its constantly being updated.
Fix It Club
Learn how to repair or recycle household items that you might otherwise throw away.
Simple Help
This site promises to, “help beginner-to-intermediate computer users learn how to do various things with their computers.” It is free.
Life Script
Life Script does sell health products but it also offers free newsletters and web portals with information and articles relating to general health, dieting, nutrition, beauty, etc.
Full Books
An index of thousands of books, free for you to read.
Study Guides and Strategies
A huge database of study guides for a number of subjects published in many different languages.
Meta Religion
This site contains a huge number of articles about religion, science, and philosophy and is published in Spanish and English.
Bibliomania
2,000+ free online classic texts plus a myriad of other articles/features.
World Freedom Atlas
The, “World Freedom Atlas,” provides a visual method of understanding the issues of freedom, human rights, democracy, etc in the world.
My Fit
This is a pretty good source for fitness information. The information is searchable and organized in a tabbed structure.
How to Clean Anything
Literally…this site provides tips about how to clean just about anything.
Dear Cupid
Ask, Answer, or browse through questions about any and every aspect of relationships. There are also many forums and articles available.
Help With PCs
This is a decent tutorial site that specializes in PC issues.
Sclipo
Sclipo is a video site that you can use to broadcast instructional videos that you edit or just to look up how-to videos. There is a live hosting feature, and the site is published in English, Espanol, and Deutsch.
Speed Test
A news site for broadband issues. This link is for a feature they provide that allows you to determine your IP address and test how well your broadband is operating.
Google Translate
This is another of the many cool Google applications out there. You can translate an entire web page or any other amount of text you need. There are a number of languages available.
Movie Duo
This is a pretty new site that seems to be centered in, but not limited to, New York (for now). The site allows you to search for men or women within a specified radius of your zip code who are interested in seeing the same movies you are. It is a new breed of an online dating site.
Foodio 54
This is a huge catalog of restaurants (United States only…for now). They claim to be different from similar sites in that they use a feature called, “collaborative filtering.” This is a method of determining which restaurants you might like based on your reviews and the reviews of other members. Foodio54 is a free site.
Big Oven
This recipe-sharing site allows users to upload their favorite recipes or search for new ones. You can search by entering up to three ingredients, by keyword, or by rating.
Beer Advocate
As described by the owners, Beer Advocate helps you learn about, share, and advocate beer.
Music Mesh
Search for music videos and then browse the web that is created by your choices. Youtube provides the videos.
Live Plasma
Live Plasma is not the first site of its kind but it is the best site of its kind (If you ask me…which you didn't). You enter a movie, actor, director, musician, etc; and Live Plasma will create a web of related media for you to browse through. This is a very cool way to discover new movies and music based on what you already know.

http://www.webupon.com/Web-Talk/25-Useful-and-Entertaining-Websites.54156

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Love is having things in Common (Pic)

COMMENTS APPRECIATED

Now, a solar bra to charge your phone

A model displays the ‘Photovoltaic-Powered Bra’ in Tokyo

Ladies, take your battle for the environment a little closer to your heart with a solar-powered bra that can generate enough electric energy to charge a mobile phone or an iPod.

Japanese lingerie maker Triumph International unveiled its environmentally friendly "Solar Power Bra" in Tokyo which features a solar panel worn around the stomach. The panel requires light to generate electricity and the concept bra will not be in stores anytime soon, said Triumph spokeswoman Yoshiko Masuda, as "people usually can not go outside without wearing clothes over it".

Masuda added that the bra should not be washed or sunned on a rainy day to avoid damaging it.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/HealthSci/Now_a_solar_bra_to_charge_your_phone/articleshow/3041080.cms

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Exclusive Bra Hands (Picture)

Exclusive Picture Bra Hands

The Strangest Internet Video Online Ever!

This is by far the weirdest video I have ever come across on the internet. Who ever made this is either a genius or a total retard. Im not sure which one...

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Terror hits Jaipur in India: Seven blasts, 25 killed

Terror struck Jaipur on Tuesday when seven serial blasts rocked crowded areas including one near a temple in the space of a few minutes leaving at least 25 killed and scores injured.

Police sources said that 25 persons perished in the attack that triggered a stampede in the affected areas in the walled city which are frequented by foreign tourists. Six women were among the dead.

It is for the first time that the Pink City is coming under terror radar.

Scores of wounded people were ferried to several hospitals soon after the low-intensity blasts hit at Tripolia Bazar, where large number of devotees turned up at a Hanuman temple, Johari Bazar, Manas Chowk, Badi Choupal and Choti Choupal in the walled part of the city.

Rajasthan Director General of Police A S Gill said it was 'obviously a terror attack'. Police sources said the attack was meticulously planned and the first blast occurred around 7.40 pm and the remaining blasts were set off in quick succession.
The Union Home Ministry reviewed the situation while Mumbai and Delhi were put on high alert.

Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed in Jaipur to help deal with the situation as security was beefed up.

One of the blasts took place in a car and another near a handloom shop in Kotwali area of the city, Home Department sources said.

The injured were rushed to Sawai Man Singh hospital, the sources said.

The blasts triggered a near-stampede situation at the blast sites crammed with peak-hour shoppers as panic-stricken people ran helter skelter in search of a safe place.

The Hanuman temple at Tripolia bazar was crowded with worshippers being a Tuesday.

There were also reports that a live bomb was defused by a bomb disposal squad.

Police sources said that cycles may have been used to trigger the blasts that occurred in the space of 12 minutes at the crowded areas.

One of the blast sites is near the famous 'Hawa Mahal'.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Terror-hits-Jaipur-Seven-blasts-25-killed/309054/

100 million smoke beedi in India, says report

An estimated 100 million people - mostly the poor and illiterate - smoke beedi in India and 200,000 tuberculosis deaths are due to these hand-rolled cigarettes, a health ministry report released on Monday said.

The report, for the year 2004-05 and termed as the first analytical, scientific and systematic study on the trend, said beedi smoking was more harmful than cigarette smoking.

“In India, beedi smoking contributes substantially to death from tuberculosis,” said Health Secretary Naresh Dayal.

Dayal released the beedi monograph that lists the prevalence of beedi smoking in the country, its consequences - both economic and healthwise - and public health policy strategies.

He said there are more beedi smokers than users of any other kind of tobacco products. “Beedi is the most widely used form of tobacco. There are 240 million tobacco users of which 100 million smoke beedi," he said.

The report was prepared with the support of the World Health Organisation, Centre for Disease control and Prevention in Atlanta and the US Department of Health and Human Sciences. It said beedi smoking causes the same diseases as cigarette smoking does - lung cancer, oral cancer, heart diseases, lung disease and addiction - but is more harmful.

“One million of the estimated two million cases of tuberculosis in India are due to smoking. But beedi smokers with tuberculosis are at three times higher risk of death compared to TB patients who are non-smokers,” Dayal said.

About 85 per cent of the world's beedi is produced in India. West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are centres of beedi rolling due to the availability of cheap labour, and there are 290,000 beedi-making units in India, the report said.

“We are making efforts to see that those who work in these fields find alternative jobs,” Dayal said.

Prakash C Gupta, who edited the monograph and is also the director of Research at Healis, Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health in Mumbai that supported the study, said beedi smoking is predominantly a male practice and is more prevalent in rural areas.

Also, it is more common among Muslims, closely followed by Hindus, the report revealed.

Initiation of beedi smoking may begin as early as 8-10 years of age in disadvantaged groups like tribal and street children, while the mid to late teens are a vulnerable age for initiation into beedi smoking.

Its smoke has proven A carcinogens, toxins and poisonous substances. “It contains high levels of tobacco specific nitrosamines - the two most potent cancer causing agents,” Gupta said.

The report said that compared to unfiltered cigarettes, beedi smoke contained higher levels of carbon monoxide, ammonia, hydrogen, cyanide and phenol.

It is harmful for not just smokers, but those exposed to second-hand smoke as well.

“Beedi also harms workers rolling beedis through inhalation of tobacco dust, while farmers and farm workers handling tobacco crop also suffer severe health problems,” the report said.

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14672288

Saturday, May 10, 2008

15 Odd Shaped Trees (Pics)

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http://www.facebook.com/ayurvedastreet

Friday, May 9, 2008

21 Indian firms among world's top 100 BPOs

Twenty-one Indian companies, including Infosys Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Wipro, are among the top 100 BPO firms in the world, according to a new study.

Five of the Indian firms figuring among the 10 best outsourcing service providers are: Infosys (No.3), TCS (6), Wipro (7), Genpact (9) and Tech Mahindra (10), according to the study - '2008 Global Outsourcing 100' - compiled by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP).

Accenture and IBM head the list published as an advertising feature by IAOP in the current Fortune 500 issue of Fortune magazine.

The other 16 Indian companies in the list are HCL Technology (11), Mastek (16), WNS Global Services (19), Hexaware (22), ExlService (26), 24/7 Customer (28), Cambridge (36), ITC Infotech (40), KPIT Cummins (42), Patni (46), Zensar (53), MindTree (54), Mphasis (56), Aditya Birla Minacs (62), FirstSource Solutions (73) and Cross-Tab (78).

The key strength of Wipro and TCS is their 'employee management' while the strong point of Infosys and Genpact is their 'executive leadership', according to the New York-based IAOP.

The Bangalore-based Infosys is one of India's largest IT companies, with nine development centres in the country and 30 offices abroad with 88,000 professionals on its rolls.

Founded in 1981 by N.R. Narayana Murthy and six others, it announced a consolidated net profit of Rs.46.59 billion for the last fiscal, a 21 percent growth over the previous year.

TCS, part of the Tata group, is one of the world's largest providers of IT and BPO services. It has the largest number of employees among Indian IT companies with a staff strength of over 110,000 in 47 countries. It posted a profit after tax last year of Rs.50.26 billion, up 19 percent over the previous year.

The evaluation team was led by IAOPs' managing director of Thought Leadership, Jagdish Dalal, a renowned outsourcing expert.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/indiaabroad/20080509/r_t_ians_bs_intl/tbs-21-indian-firms-among-world-s-top-10-03f2e13.html

Beijing Olympic flame at the top of Mount Everest (Pic)



	Altius: Beijing Olympic flame at the top of Mount Everest

$1.4 trillion Indian ‘black’ money in Swiss banks

A 2006 report of the Swiss Banking Association dug out by an Indian private channel, CNN-IBN, claims Indians are the biggest depositors of black money in banks located in Switzerland.
Top five countries
in terms of such
deposits were:
India: $1456 billion
Russia: $470 billion
UK: $390 billion
Ukraine: $100 billion
China: $96 billion
India with $1456 billion or $1.4 trillion has more money in Swiss banks than rest of the world combined. This must be unaccounted money earned in India by wrong means as otherwise any Indian wanting to open a bank account abroad has to take permission of the Reserve Bank of India and records do not show any such permissions granted for deposits in Switzerland.
In March 2005, the Tax Justice Network (TJN) published a research finding demonstrating that $11.5 trillion of personal wealth was held offshore by rich individuals across the globe.
The findings estimated that a large proportion of this wealth was managed from some 70 tax havens.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C05%5C09%5Cstory_9-5-2008_pg4_19

Super-bikes maker Ducati enters Indian market

Bets on the costlier bikes: (From right) Mr Gabriele Del Torchio, CEO, Ducati; Mr Cristiano Silei, Director, Commercial; and Mr Ashish Chordia, CEO, Precision Motor India Private Ltd, at a press conference to announce Ducati’s foray into the Indian market in the Capital on Wednesday.

Acknowledging India’s burgeoning economy, Italian super-bikes maker Ducati Motor Holding announced its entry into the Indian market with its high-end motorcycles priced in the range of Rs 15-50 lakh.

“India is no longer an emerging country. It is a reality worldwide. We feel it is the right time to enter the Indian market,” the company’s CEO, Mr Gabriele Del Torchio, said at the launch.

The company plans to sell 50 units in the first year through its dealerships in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Partnership

Ducati is entering the Indian market through partnership with Precision Motor India Pvt Ltd, which would import its bikes. Mr Torchio also indicated sourcing of engine components from India.

“We have already been sourcing engine parts and other components since the last four years. Our purchasing team would be visiting India shortly after which we are looking to increasing the volume of our components imported from the local market here.”

The company sources components worth €250 million globally, out of which currently components for less than €5 million is being sourced out of India. Commenting on India’s technological competence to produce such high-powered bikes and if the company would consider manufacturing here, Mr Cristiano Silei, Director Commercial, said, “We feel India has the technology. And in the future, it could be a possibility.”

On the segment in which the company expects to generate higher sales in the first year, he said, “In the first year, we expect the most expensive bikes to be sold more because there are always these racing enthusiasts who want to buy when the bikes are launched.”

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/05/08/stories/2008050851440200.htm

India children's health 'ignored'

Indian girls are more likely to die than boys

More than half of Indian children under the age of five do not get the health care they need, according to a report by Save the Children.

It ranks India alongside Ghana when it comes to providing basic health care to its children under five years of age.

The annual report looks at whether developing countries are delivering health care effectively to children.

It found the Philippines was performing best with almost 69% of children able to get access to health care.

Ethiopia ranks last - only 16% of children under five get health care when they need it.

'Basic measures'

The report, called State of the World's Mothers, says girls die at much higher rates in India than most countries.

Although India has cut child its mortality rate by 34% since 1990, Indian girls are 61% more likely than boys to die between the ages of one and five.

Inequity of health care among male and female children is responsible for this situation, the report says.

The report says experts predict that over 60% of the nearly 10 million children who die every year could be saved by delivering basic health services through a health facility or community health worker.

"A child's chance of reaching its fifth birthday should not depend on the country or community where it is born," said Jasmine Whitbread, Save the Children's chief executive.

"We need to do a better job of reaching the poorest children with basic health measures like vaccines, antibiotics and skilled care at childbirth," she said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7389283.stm

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Yahoo! India launches Glue Pages Beta

Yahoo! India has launched a new concept for Yahoo! India Search called Glue Pages Beta. This new search experience integrates relevant information from across the Web onto a single 'visual' search results page. Glue Pages Beta aggregates text, images, and video content related to categories such as health, sports, entertainment, travel, technology, and finance. Available at www.yahoo.in, the Glue Page is completely built around open source concept.

Designed to save time by offering a new way to find answers quickly, Glue Pages Beta is ideal for topics with broad coverage across a variety of information sources. For instance a search for 'Aishwarya Rai' would include biographical quick-facts, videos, music tracks, photos, and content from Yahoo! Answers.
Results will be displayed alongside classic Yahoo! India Search results along with links for other Glue Pages on topics related to their query.

"Searching on Glue Pages Beta will result in an experience that promises more than just web links. Users will not have to go back and forth from one link to other on the basis of the navigation they are being guided, instead they will receive relevant, visually appealing search results from across the Web in one topical page," said Gopal Krishna, Head of Audience, Yahoo! India.
"Glue Pages Beta limits guesswork for the user by providing the best of web, all onto one 'at-a-glance' page. We are excited to open this up further and work with a wider ecosystem of consumers, publishers, developers and advertisers in the future," said Sandeep Shrivastava, Director, Search, Yahoo! India.
http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/41817

Interesting Obituary

Obituary

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Panadol, sun lotion or a Band-Aid to a student but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant or wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.