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Monday, August 30, 2010

How a little too much cleavage can cost you a job interview

 

Turning up to a job interview in a tight top or with cleavage on display is the quickest way for a woman to blow her chances, according to research.

The next biggest dress-code mistake is a black bra underneath a white top.

The research also showed that men ruin their prospects most swiftly by turning up in a badly ironed shirt, high-waisted trousers or comedy tie.

The survey of 2,000 employers, commissioned by high-street clothes store TK Maxx, also found that a third of bosses make a decision in the first 90 seconds of an interview.

Boss

Dress for success: A survey has showed that turning up to a job interview with too much cleavage on display can harm a woman's chances

Experts warn today's extremely competitive job market means it has never been so important to dress appropriately - with hundreds of people applying for each post.

A third of employers make a decision in the first 90 seconds of an interview.

And 65 per cent claim clothing could be the deciding factor if two candidates are neck and neck in other areas.

The survey of 2,000 employers was commissioned by high street clothes store TK Maxx.

Recruitment manager Kieran How, from national recruitment firm Eden Brown, said it was best to 'play it safe' at a job interview.

He said: 'I have never known such a competitive job market. In some sectors there are hundreds of people applying for each job.

'It is vital you give a good first impression by wearing the right clothes or you may have ruined your chances before you've even opened your mouth.

'Some bosses may like to see a pretty girl in a tight-fitting top flashing a lot of cleavage but you rarely know who will be interviewing you.

'It is advisable to play it safe by wearing well-fitted, ironed clothes in neutral colours.

'Men should shave, avoid comedy ties and pay just as much attention to their appearance as women.

'Job interviews are not the place to try fancy dress or to show off your most revealing party clothes'

'Recently I had one man turn up for a job interview wearing a stetson hat and cowboy-style tie because he thought it would be a good idea to stand out.

'The client refused to take him seriously and sent him home after ten minutes.

'Job interviews are not the place to try fancy dress or to show off your most revealing party clothes.' 

Job seekers were marked down for wearing bright and trendy colours, with seven out of ten employers saying they do not appreciate people trying to be fashionable.

An overwhelming 81 per cent of employers said wearing a suit to interview suggests you are organised and efficient.

Helen Gunter of TK Maxx, which is stocking a new range of professional workwear for men and women, said: 'The jobs market is competitively fierce.

'One thing that can give candidates a boost of confidence before they even walk through the door is knowing they are wearing the right outfit.

'We are receiving a huge delivery of smartwear for both men and women all at up to 60 per cent of the recommended retail price.

'There really is no excuse for fluffing the interview before you've even answered the first question.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1307319/How-little-cleavage-cost-job-interview.html#ixzz0y73L3500

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The secrets of romance: What exactly does make us CLICK?

 

When I first met one of my best friends ten years ago, I noticed her right away, even though we were in a meeting with several people. There was something about her that seemed familiar. She was open and funny.

When we got chatting afterwards, it turned out she lived five minutes from me and, seemingly, we had a ridiculous amount in common. The following week we went for a drink and we haven't stopped chatting since.

There's nothing unusual about that. Most of us can lay claim, several times in our lives, to that sense of instant rapport with a stranger. It can be a romance, a friend, a colleague, or a miserable fellow passenger when the plane has been sitting on the Tarmac for three hours.

Shock tactic: People can often feel an instant rapport with others who have similar interests to them

Shock tactic: People can often feel an instant rapport with others who have similar interests to them

But when it happens, something clicks between you and you feel you've known them for ever.

According to a new book, Click, The Magic Of Instant Connections, that feeling isn't just common to almost everyone, it's entirely explicable. Authors Rom and Ori Brafman have studied the science of the 'click' and Ori says: 'We've discovered that there are five factors involved in a click that show up time after time across different contexts. They are vulnerability, proximity, resonance, similarity and environment.'

Understanding these different processes, they say, will make it easier to connect with people, and explains why sometimes the reasons we click with someone are more obvious - and less serendipitous - than you might think.

VULNERABILITY

The first of the five factors makes perfect sense: when you're willing to open up, the other person is far more likely to be honest about themselves in return. even a small 'reveal' that demonstrates you're human and fallible will instantly relax your new friend.

Saying 'I'm sorry I'm yawning. I was awake half the night listening to next door's dog bark' is likely to elicit warmth and an answering confession - 'I'm a terrible sleeper, too.'

And once you've passed through that intimacy barrier, it's far easier to connect on a deeper level, say the Brafmans.

There's a fine line between charming openness and wildly inappropriate revelations. 'I was awake half the night screaming at my idiot husband because he had an affair and I can't forgive him' isn't vulnerable, it's just plain terrifying.

But on a socially acceptable level, 'allowing yourself to be vulnerable helps the other person to trust you, precisely because you are putting yourself at an emotional, psychological, or physical risk' says Ori.'When you're both candid in revealing who you are, you create an environment that can lead to an instant connection - a click.'

It works, too, in a romantic context. Admittedly, my first husband and I were horribly ill-suited. But the first time I met him was at a fancy dress party, a perfect example of the 'adverse circumstances' that the book also cites as leading to a click.

We were the only people who'd failed to dress up (me because I didn't know I was supposed to, and him because he thought it was silly). After five minutes, I felt I'd known him for years. Within hours, we were telling each other secrets.

'Typically, it takes weeks or months before most of us feel truly comfortable with a new person,' says Ori. 'We have to gain the other person's trust, find a common language, understand each other's quirks and establish an emotional bond.

But sometimes this process is greatly accelerated and the connection seems to form almost magically - we call this "quick-set intimacy".' evidence suggests this sort of bonding and disclosure is vital for a click, romantic or otherwise.

THE FAB FOUR

The average woman has just four true friends with whom they really click

Members of a dating site who shared more personal information about themselves online were more likely to experience successful dates. Presumably, a little honesty makes a thrilling change from the standard 'likes glass of red wine, DVDs, country walks' offering.

PROXIMITY

It could be Fate that you fell head-over-heels for that handsome stranger you met in a coffee shop - or perhaps you simply discovered you lived near each other. Because another key element in clicking is proximity.

Studies have found that genuine cheek-by-jowl proximity is more likely to result in genuine rapport, which may explain the number of unlikely romances that form on TV shows such as I'm A Celebrity... and Big Brother.

My friend Sarah is living proof. After years of sharing a large office with her colleague Steve, he moved to the desk opposite hers. They started chatting, which turned to flirting, and soon they were kissing at the office party. They're now married.

'But if I hadn't had all those little chances to chat to him during the day, I'd never have got to know him properly,' she admits. 'Before that, I thought he was a bit aloof, but it turned out he was just shy.'

So if you want to engineer a click, make sure you're as close as you can get.

'It makes more sense to simply stand closer to someone you want to meet at a party than to look across a crowded room,' affirms Ori.

Clearly, there's a reason why the boy next door is the stuff of so many fantasies. It's because he's constantly in your line of vision.

'The old adage that familiarity breeds contempt just isn't true,' adds Ori. 'In fact, familiarity breeds regard.'

RESONANCE

But surely if clicking with someone was just a matter of proximity, we'd all enjoy magical rapport with our desk-mates and never fully connect with friends who live abroad? For a true click to take place, we also have to experience what the Brafmans describe as 'resonance'.

THE SECRETS OF INSTANT RAPPORT

There's power in vulnerability. Our willingness to risk being vulnerable can deepen the quality of our relationships and make us more likely to connect with others.

A few feet make a big difference. even the smallest physical distances that separate us from others play a major role in determining who we're most likely to hit it off with.

Resonance begets resonance. Flow  -  the experience of being in the zone  -  help us to create resonance, a quality that can draw others to us.

Similarity counts. The more we can accentuate the similarities we have with someone else, the more likely we are to hit it off with that person.

The environment can help foster intimacy. Overcoming challenges or adversity together can help to stimulate or encourage clicking, as can being part of a shared, defined community.

It's the feeling you get when you're filled with well-justified confidence in your abilities, and the sense that you're entirely comfortable in your skin.

That moment when you're telling a funny story, say, and you know that everyone's going to laugh, or when you're listening to music and have lost all sense of time and the outside world. When you manage to create that feeling in conversation with another person, you're a long way towards the click.

I've had many conversations after a bottle of Pinot too many when the semi-stranger at the party seems like the most fascinating individual on earth, and I'm convinced I'm wittier than Joan Rivers.

But true resonance has to happen when you're sober - that's when you know you've really got a click.

And while two of you firing on all cylinders might be exhausting, and neither would really be listening, only one person needs to be experiencing resonance because we're easily influenced.

One study found we're 30 times more likely to laugh at a joke in the presence of others than if we hear it when we're alone. 'Resonance is contagious,' says Ori.

But it's unlikely you're going to feel a connection if the other person has no sense of humour, understands nothing about your life and comes from a country you've never visited, regardless of their resonance. That's why similarity is also crucial for a true click.

SIMILARLY

Forget that 'opposites attract' stuff. They might do for five minutes, till you find yourself checking your watch as he bangs on about World Of Warcraft. A genuine click won't happen without similarity.

We're designed, say the authors, to seek out our 'in group' - the people who are most like us. 'Our immediate or extended family is an in-group,' explains Ori. 'We tend to perceive in-group members in a more favourable light. This drive is so deeply ingrained that even casual conversations that reveal similarities naturally trigger the in-group response.'

That's why we tend to share likes and dislikes so readily in small talk; it's a way of weeding through potential group members.

On a recent business trip, a stranger and I bonded over the TV singing contest Over The Rainbow because we were both backing the same girl to win. We got quite impassioned about it and, yes, we're still in touch.

'This change in behaviour starts a chain reaction,' reveals Ori. 'When someone sees us as part of their in-group. It's much easier to like that person in return.'

ENVIRONMENT

We'll regularly find that we get on well with someone, or fancy them, or enjoy the conversation. But a true click is more than that. It often leads to marriage, friendships that last for decades or a great working partnership.

And, as I found at that fancy dress party, the final push towards a click is environment.

Stories of disgruntled passengers banding together, disaster survivors staying in touch or workers joining together to take on a terrible boss are commonplace. That's because, according to the Brafmans, shared adversity is more likely to create a deep rapport.

'How many times have you reached out to another person by complaining about work, the weather or the economy - an overture that may have ultimately led to a friendship or deeper relationship?' asks Ori.

'A growing body of research suggests that the greater the intensity of the adversity, the stronger the bond established.'

When I met my friend, all five elements were present. We were emotionally open, we lived near each other, we were fully engaged in our conversations, we did very similar jobs and shared a sense of humour and we did have certain reservations about the boss.

'Clicking can be defined as an immediate, deep and meaningful connection with another person,' says Ori. 'It brings about a unique, almost euphoric state, and permanently alters the fundamental nature of the relationship.'

You can't force it, but you can encourage it. So next time you're stuck on a plane or in a dull meeting, try showing a little vulnerability. You never know where it might lead. n

Click, by Ori and Rom Brafman, is published on Thursday (Virgin, £11.99). To order a copy (p&p free), call 0845 155 0720.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1307193/The-secrets-romance-What-exactly-does-make-CLICK.html#ixzz0y71YEsdA

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Saturday, August 28, 2010

Incest: Haryana's shameful social heritage

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Sukhbir Siwach, TNN, Aug 28, 2010, 02.05pm IST

It was a national debate on a news channel. Tempers were running high, so were the decibels. The subject was explosive - Haryana's khaps and their diktats. In the midst of this charged atmosphere, a voice rose above the rest, silencing them all. Seema, a law graduate and resident of Karora village, made an allegation that changed the course of the debate. Her brother had been executed for marrying a woman from the same gotra, but that was not what Seema wanted to talk about on the primetime show. It was another shameful reality of Haryana villages she wanted to expose - incest.
"Khaps should look into their homes before passing fatwas on lovers and crying hoarse about honour. Incest is rampant in the state and virtually every home is affected. Where is the honour anyway ?" she screamed.
Early this week, the state was shocked when a pregnant girl was strangled by her parents and her body dumped on the outskirts of Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar district. Her crime: she was reportedly having an affair with her brother-in-law and her vengeful elder sister had complained to their parents.
In another embarrassing case earlier this year, a farmer in his early 50s developed a sexual relation with his 30-year-old daughter-in-law in a village in Kaithal district. Their liaison continued for almost a year. The matter even reached the village panchayat, which ordered separation of the two unlikely partners so that the woman could go back to her husband.
And only last month, Sonepat was jolted by the gruesome murder of two minor girls, just 12 and 14. They were killed and their bodies flung in a canal by their uncles and grandmother after their "affair" with a cousin was exposed. The police said the kin of the victims were enraged when they allegedly caught the minors getting intimate with their cousin. In Yamunanagar, a girl complained to the police that her father-in-law had raped her just a few months after her marriage.
These are not isolated incidents: incest is reportedly a real part of life in rural Haryana. "It's a menace nobody wants to talk about. Even the elders are setting a bad example, " says D R Chaudhary, member of the Haryana Administrative Reforms Commission. The elders, predictably, blame this perversion on the growing sway of the west over the state's youth.
When Kurukshetra-based Ramesh Kumar's daughter married a close relative, he blamed it on urban influence. Now he is fighting a legal battle to have the marriage declared null and void, terming it a contravention of the provisions of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The mothers of the newly-wed couple were apparently related, being granddaughters of the same person.
The incidence of incest may be higher in rural areas. "Social mores in villages are different. People here are very conservative and there is no scope for interaction between men and women and boys and girls outside their homes. So, they often end up having relationships with members of their accessible, extended family, " says Balbir Singh, a social activist in Fatehabad district.
Experts believe that such relationships have survived behind closed doors for many years. But given the modern means of communication and the proliferation of the media, the skeletons are now tumbling out of family cupboards.
The youth, interestingly, believe that incest is a traditional practice and not a new reality. "Yeh to hame virasat mein mili hai (incest is a part of our tradition), " says Naresh Kumar, a villager in Rohera in Kaithal district. Sociologists, in turn, say that the ethnic history of the region is full of such instances.
"In the pre-Independence era, in some parts of north India, the father-in-law almost had the right to physical relations with a daughter-in-law, and in most cases the female was not in a position to resist much. The very young husband also had no say in the matter. Widows would routinely be married to a brother of the dead husband. Sharing of the wife by brothers was also not uncommon, " says Ravinder Kaur, a professor at IIT-Delhi.
What adds to this problem in Haryana is its skewed sex ratio caused by rampant female foeticide. "Its effects are now being felt on intimate relationships within and without the family. The shortage of marriageable women can have many unintended consequences, especially when only one out of four men find a bride (as in the case of Haryana) in their own community, " adds Kaur.
Kumar's 35-year-old nephew, Roshan, is yet to get any offers for marriage. "We are at a loss, wondering what to do, " says Kumar. A growing army of bachelors has become a problem in the state, leading to more illicit relations.
Yet, there seems little the government and social organisations can do about this. Haryana has not seen any strong social movement in recent years and there are very few NGOs working on such issues. While a Haryana court was quick (it took three years) to deliver the death penalty to five khap members accused in the sensational murder of Manoj and Babli in March this year, it took a Bhiwani court around five years to give its verdict in a shocking case of incest that surfaced almost a decade ago.
In a letter to Bhiwani senior superintendent of police, an 18-year-old girl spoke of how her father and cousin exploited her sexually for seven months. "My father used to rape me. Not only this, my uncle and his son too sexually assaulted me, " stated the girl.
"My mother was usually sent to sleep in another house and I was made to sleep with my father. My mother was not aware of all this. When I told my boyfriend and he objected, my father and cousin beat him up and also got a false case registered against him. When I threatened to go to the police, I was locked up, " she wrote in the letter.
It was only after the girl said she would tell her mother that she was released from her confinement. The girl then ran away with her boyfriend and a case of abduction was slapped on the boy. Nobody knows where the couple is today.
Chilling tales of incest and abuse have been pouring in from all over the state. Inquiries reveal that physical relationship with a husband's brother is not considered 'unusual. ' "Such relations are not objected to. They are considered a family's 'internal affair', " says Prem Singh, a farmer-leader from Kaithal.
In a study conducted by the UNICEF in 2001 to gauge the context of abortions involving 83 adolescent girls in the age group of 10 to 19 years in Rohtak district, it was found that incest was a common cause. "It was responsible for pregnancies in 16 per cent of the cases. We have even had cases of girls getting pregnant through their kin, including fathers and brothers, " says Sonia Trikha, who's associated with the UNICEF. Many feel the situation has worsened in the last decade.
Leaders of gotra-based khap panchayats blame the law for protecting those who are guilty of incest. "A scheduled caste girl had run away with a boy from her family. Later, they married and even got police protection, " says Badan Singh, leader of the Kalayat khap. Another prominent leader, Om Parkash Dhankar, president of the Dhankhar khap, complains about new social trends: "Illicit relationships are on the rise. Even a Supreme Court ruling spoke of permitting live-in relationship without marriage. "
But Seema blames the khaps for shifting the focus from the real problems. "The problem, " she says, "is not of love marriages, or marriages within gotras and villages, but incest. Marrying out of choice is not a crime, incest is. Khap leaders should be addressing the problem of incest and check this evil instead of hounding people who are in love. "
INCEST IN MYTHOLOGY
If you thought Greek tragedies such as Odeipus Rex were embarrassing in their details of incest, our own epics and mythological texts are no less. They, in fact, abound with instances where men and women have conjugated with close kin. For instance, in the Mahabharata, Arjuna was married to Subhadra, the daughter of his aunt Rohini. Then there is the union of Yama with his twin sister Yami;Manu, son of Vivasvat, and his sister Sraddha;Prajapati and his daughter Ushas;Pushan and his sister Surya;Sukra and his three sisters;Satrajita and his 10 sisters;Nahusha and his sister Viraja. Purukutsa's queen Narmada after her husband's death obtained a son through her own brother
WHY IN RURAL HARYANA?
Skewed sex ratio; 860 girls for 1,000 boys
Very conservative society;girls and women are allowed to speak openly with only close relatives
A large number of girls and women don't work outside their homes
Social resistance to love marriages

Read more: Incest: Haryana's shameful social heritage - India - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Incest-Haryanas-shameful-social-heritage/articleshow/6451268.cms#ixzz0xvf0OBuW

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Friday, August 27, 2010

Mothers who don't breast feed have 'double risk of diabetes'

 

Around one-quarter of mothers who did not breastfeed developed type 2 diabetes in the study

Around one-quarter of mothers who did not breastfeed developed type 2 diabetes in the study

Mothers who fail to breastfeed their babies are twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes in later life.

A new study shows breastfeeding eliminates the extra risk posed by motherhood.
US researchers claim breastfeeding helps shift fat remaining around the abdomen after pregnancy, one of the factors behind the disorder.

They believe declining rates of breastfeeding in the western world may help explain the explosion in type 2 diabetes among middle-aged women.

Findings from a study of 2,233 women aged between 40 and 78 were published today in the American Journal of Medicine.

Dr Eleanor Schwarz, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, who led the study, said 'We have seen dramatic increases in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes over the last century.

'Diet and exercise are widely known to impact the risk of type 2 diabetes, but few people realise that breastfeeding also reduces mothers' risk of developing the disease in later life by decresing maternal belly fat.'

In the study, just over half of mothers reported they had breastfed a child for at least one month.

Around one-quarter of mothers who did not breastfeed developed type 2 diabetes and they were almost twice as likely to get it as women who had breastfed or never given birth.

In contrast, women who breastfed all their children were no more likely to develop diabetes than women who remained childless.

These long-term differences persisted even after factors such as age, race and level of physical activity were taken into account.

The UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe, with almost one in three new mothers never attempting to breastfeed compared with two per cent in Sweden.

Dr Schwarz said 'We have known for years that breastfeeding is important for babies' health; we now know that it is important for mothers' health as well.'

Previous research shows breast milk protects babies against stomach bugs, chest infections, asthma, eczema, and allergies, and confers health advantages in later life.

But it can also reduce the risk of pre-menopausal breast and ovarian cancer, and osteoporosis in the mother, and help mums regain their shape by burning an extra 500 calories a day.

Previous research by the same US team also found breastfeeding could protect mothers against heart attacks and stroke in later life.

Just one month of breastfeeding led to 10 per cent lower rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol - all of which contribute to heart disease - compared with women who had never breastfed.

'Our study provides another good reason to encourage women to breastfeed their infants, at elast for the infant's first month of life.

'Clinicians need to consider women's pregnancy and lactation history when advising wome about their risk for developing type 2 diabetes' added Dr Schwarz.

NHS experts say breastfeeding gives babies all the nutrients they need for the first six months of life.

The Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life with additional breastfeeding while the baby moves on to solids if the mother wants to.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1306778/Mothers-fail-breast-feed-double-risk-diabetes.html#ixzz0xpFNZOW8

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Not just a cliche: A moment on the lips really does mean a lifetime on the hips, according to scientists

 

Dieters and fast-food fans may wish they could brush it off as an exaggerated cliche.

But now scientists have proven that 'a moment on the lips' really does lead to 'a lifetime on the hips'.

Even short periods of bingeing on junk food can leave the body more prone to gain weight for years to come, they found.

Think before you binge: Scientists have proven that even short periods of bingeing on junk food can leave the body more prone to gain weight for years to come

Think before you binge: Scientists have proven that even short periods of bingeing on junk food can leave the body more prone to gain weight for years to come

Turning to chocolate or ice cream to help mend a broken heart could cause the waistline to bulge years later, they suggest.

Likewise, indulging in junk food to ease the stress of work or exams could have long-term consequences for weight and health. 

 

While there has been a lot of research into how weight tends to creep up with age, this study is one of the first to deliberately 'overfeed' its subjects with junk-food - foods high in fat and sugar - and then track their progress.

Swedish researchers weighed and measured 18 slim, healthy and active men and women who were asked to almost double their calorie intake for one month.

Beware: Junk food lovers are warned that indulging may have long-term consequences on weight and health

Beware: Junk food lovers are warned that indulging may have long-term consequences on weight and health

The volunteers, aged in their early 20s, ate at least two junk-food meals a day and did very little exercise. Those in a second group were told to go about their lives as normal.

The first group gained an average of a stone over the month. Six months later, they had lost most but not all of this weight.

But two and a half years later the binge eaters were about half a stone heavier than at the start of the experiment, but the others had not put on any weight, the journal Nutrition & Metabolism reports.

Much of the extra fat was stored on the hips, giving credence to the saying, 'a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips'.

Dr Asa Ernersson, of Linkoping University in southern Sweden, said: 'The change in fat mass was larger than expected. It suggests that even short-term behavioural changes may have prolonged effects on health.'

It isn't clear why fast food binges have long-term effects but it may be that they change a person's physiology, making it harder to lose and keep off weight in the future.

It may also be that it doesn't take long to acquire a taste for fast food. It is also possible that in agreeing to take part in a study that involved over-eating, the volunteers may have been less concerned about their bodies.

The findings will be of interest to Britons, who were recently revealed as the world's biggest self-confessed junk-food addicts.

A poll for the BBC found 45 per cent of Britons 'like the taste of fast food too much to give it up', beating America's total of 44 per cent.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1305853/Scientists-prove-moment-lips-does-mean-lifetime-hips-weight-gain.html#ixzz0xpEcqSr1

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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Mexican model is crowned Miss Universe

She was an unlikely winner, but Miss Mexico stunned the audience when she was crowned Miss Universe last night.

Jimena Navarrete of Guadalajara, 22, beat the set of 83 hopefuls as they showed off swimsuits, evening gowns and interview skills in a bid to impress a panel of judges.

The brunette, who has modeled for 15 years, wowed the crowd in a flowing red chiffon gown before revealing the importance of teaching children family values.

And the winner is...: Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete is crowned winner of Miss Universe 2010 held at the Mandelay Bay hotel in Las Vegas last night

And the winner is...: Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete is crowned winner of Miss Universe 2010 held at the Mandelay Bay hotel in Las Vegas last night

Stunning: The brunette model dazzled the audience with an asymmetric red flowing gown, left, and showed off her enviable figure in a lilac bikini and high heels

Stunning: The brunette model dazzled the audience with an asymmetric red flowing gown, left, and showed off her enviable figure in a lilac bikini and high heels

Stunning: The brunette model dazzled the audience with an asymmetric red flowing gown, left, and showed off her enviable figure in a lilac bikini and high heels

Navarette -  who has won prizes including a luxury New York apartment, a one-year scholarship to the New York Film Academy with housing after her reign, jewelry, clothes and shoes  - was first to answer an interview question at the glamorous pageant, held on the Las Vegas Strip.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1305688/Miss-Universe-2010-Mexican-Jimena-Navarrete-crowned-winner.html#ixzz0xdyqoFoO

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Monday, August 23, 2010

Some 200 Women Gang-Raped Over 4 Days Near Congo U.N. Base

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Congo citizens protest near a local UN base.

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JOHANNESBURG — Rwandan and Congolese rebels gang-raped nearly 200 women and some young boys over four days within miles of a U.N. peacekeepers' base in an eastern Congo mining district, an American aid worker and a Congolese doctor said Monday.

Will F. Cragin of the International Medical Corps said aid workers knew rebels had occupied Luvungi town and surrounding villages in eastern Congo the day after the attack began on July 30. U.N. agencies sent text messages to cell phones saying the area was occupied, he said.

More than three weeks later, the U.N. mission has issued no statement about the atrocities and said Monday it still is investigating.

Cragin told The Associated Press by telephone that his organization was only able to get into the town, which he said is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from a U.N. military camp, after rebels ended their brutal spree of raping and looting and withdrew of their own accord on Aug. 4.

There was no fighting and no deaths, he said, just "lots of pillaging and the systematic raping of women" by between 200 and 400 rebels.

Four young boys also were raped, said Dr. Kasimbo Charles Kacha, the district medical chief.

"Many women said they were raped in their homes in front of their children and husbands," Cragin said. Others were dragged into the nearby forest.

He said that by the time they got help it was too late to administer medication against AIDS and contraception to all but three of the survivors.

Many women said they were raped repeatedly by three to six attackers, Cragin said.

Story continues below

International and local health workers have treated 179 women but the number raped could be much higher as terrified civilians still are hiding, he said.

"We keep going back and identifying more and more cases," he said. "Many of the women are returning from the forest naked, with no clothes."

Luvungi is a farming center of about 2,200 people on the main road between Goma, the eastern provincial capital, and the major mining town of Walikale.

Kacha said on one day during the rebel occupation Indian peacekeepers had provided a military escort against the rebels to a large commercial truck traveling from Kebab to Luvungi, which is near a cassiterite mine and about 88 miles (140 kilometers) south of Goma.

U.N. mission spokesman Madnodje Mounoubai promised to get military comment on the assumption that the peacekeepers were protecting commercial goods but not civilians, which is their primary mandate.

Survivors said their attackers were from the Rwandan rebel FDLR group that includes perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide who fled across the border to Congo in 1994 and have been terrorizing the population in eastern Congo ever since, according to Cragin. The Rwandans were accompanied by Congolese Mai-Mai rebels, he said, quoting survivors.

Rape as a weapon of war has become shockingly commononplace in eastern Congo, where at least 8,300 rapes were reported last year, according to the United Nations. It is believed that many more rapes go unreported.

Congo's army and U.N. peacekeepers have been unable to defeat the many rebel groups responsible for the long drawn-out conflict in eastern Congo, which is fueled by the area's massive mineral reserves. Gold, cassiterite and coltan are some of the minerals mined in the area near Luvungi, with soldiers and rebels competing for control of lucrative mines that give them little incentive to end the fighting.

The Congolese government this year has demanded the withdrawal of the $1.35 billion-a-year U.N. mission, the largest peacekeeping force in the world with more than 20,000 soldiers, saying it has failed in its primary mandate to protect civilians.

Mission officials have said that the peacekeeping army is too small to police this sprawling nation the size of Western Europe, and that its peacekeepers are handicapped by rebels using civilians as shields and operating in rugged forests and mountains where they are difficult to pursue.

The mission also has a difficult mandate of supporting the Congolese army, whose troops often also are accused of raping and pillaging.

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Saturday, August 21, 2010

Legacy of the ladette: Now alarming rise in teenage promiscuity and abortions is linked to women's binge drinking

 

The devastating effects of excess alcohol on young women have been spelled out by a major study.

Binge drinking ‘ladettes’ are 40 per cent likelier to have an abortion.

And the proportion of teenage girls who blame alcohol for losing their virginity has more than doubled compared with 60 years ago.

Cheers? A hangover may the least of the girl's problems when she sobers up

Cheers? A hangover may the least of the girl's problems when she sobers up

The study, the most extensive of its kind, paints a disturbing picture of girls having casual, unprotected sex under the influence of alcohol which they often regret as soon as they sober up.

It also shows that the number of people of both sexes drinking to excess has tripled in a decade.

At the same time, official statistics show that the number of abortions has soared to make Britain the termination capital of Europe.

Doctors, meanwhile, are seeing more and more girls wanting the morning-after pill after a night of drunken, unprotected sex.

Researchers from University College London examined the alcohol consumption and sexual activity of almost 25,000 individuals aged 16 to 44 over a ten-year period.

Binge drinking Britain: A woman struggles to help her friend too drunk to get up

Binge drinking Britain

Carry on drinking: A woman attempts to help her friend who is too drunk to get up from the roadside before she gives up and continues to finish her drink

They found that women who drank in excess – more than 14 units a week – were 1.8 times more likely to have taken emergency contraception such as the morning after pill at least once over the last year.

They were also 1.4 times likelier to have had at least one abortion in the last 18 months, according to the study published in the Journal of Public Health.

 

The number of young girls who blame drink for losing their virginity has risen from 2.4 per cent in the 1940s to 6.4 per cent today.

And official statistics show that the total number of abortions has soared in a generation to reach the highest level in Europe, with around 200,000 now carried out every year in England and Wales.

Drunken fun? The number of people drinking to excess has trebled in a decade

Drunken fun? The number of people drinking to excess has trebled in a decade

In 1969, there were 5.3 terminations per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. By 2008, the rate had more than tripled to 18.3 per 1,000 women, according to the Office for National Statistics – with the rise particularly marked among teenagers.

Meanwhile, ONS figures show binge drinking among women has doubled in the last ten years.

The sharpest rise in the proportion of women who drink to excess was between 1998 and 2006, when the proportion rose from 8 per cent to 15 percent.

And last year a fifth of all women reported that they were drinking more than 15 units a week.

Teenage girls who blame alcohol for losing their virginity has more than doubled compared to 60 years ago

Teenage girls who blame alcohol for losing their virginity has more than doubled compared to 60 years ago

Family doctors blame soaring levels of binge drinking on a surge in prescriptions for the morning-after pill.

Dr Sarah Jarvis, of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: ‘We have known for years that excessive alcohol use is linked to unprotected sex which can increase the risk of catching sexually transmitted infections.

‘I have seen an increase in patients at my surgery with alcohol problems and from young women requiring emergency contraception over the last few years.

‘Alcohol misuse is now a huge problem and is costing the NHS millions every year.

We should be screening patients for alcohol problems and then offering them brief interventions, which we know can help to tackle the problem.’

Campaigners say teachers and parents are failing to educate young women about the consequences

Rebecca Ng, of the ProLife Alliance, which campaigns against abortion, said: ‘A young woman gets drunk, gets pregnant, well. We obviously need much better education on the dangers of alcohol.

Norman Wells, director of Family and Youth Concern, said: ‘These findings reinforce the fact that parents can never afford to take a casual, laid-back approach to alcohol.

‘It is important that they set an example of moderation in their own drinking habits and exercise control over their children’s exposure to alcohol. The importance of a stable family background and responsible parenting can never be overstated.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1304833/The-Legacy-ladette-binge-drinking-women-linked-rise-casual-sex-abortions-prescriptions-morning-pill.html#ixzz0xE6xH0dp

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Saturday, August 7, 2010

Non Surgical Facelift

She gave up Botox because she thinks the results can be 'grotesque'.

But Amanda Holden has found an alternative beauty regime that is genuinely shocking.

The 39-year-old actress and TV talent show judge has opted for a treatment which uses electric shocks to tighten up the skin in what is described as a 'non-surgical facelift'.

Volt face: Amanda Holden is said to have loved the results from the £120 therapy

Volt face: Amanda Holden is said to have loved the results from the £120 therapy

Devotees of the treatment, which is given by a beauty therapist, say it can deliver 'astounding' results which last for several weeks.

However, it is so powerful that it can displace recent Botox jabs or facial fillers, causing disfiguring lumps, and is available only to women who haven't had Botox for at least six months.

 

Electrified face: The Carita Pro-Lift Firming Facial is so powerful that it can displace recent Botox jabs or facial fillers, causing disfiguring lumps

Electrified face: The Carita Pro-Lift Firming Facial is so powerful that it can displace recent Botox jabs or facial fillers, causing disfiguring lumps

Miss Holden, who said last year that she had given up that particular treatment, had the Carita Pro-Lift Firming Facial electrical therapy at Champneys luxury spa resort in Hertfordshire during a break with friends earlier this week.

It takes 85 minutes and costs £120 there.

A spa source said yesterday: 'Apparently Amanda loved the results and looked amazing.'

Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Onassis were fans of the French beauty house Carita, whose anti-ageing creams cost up to £400 per pot.

Britain's Got Talent judge Miss Holden once claimed Botox was 'as normal as brushing your teeth' but later said she had given it up because 'everyone looks the same and it's quite grotesque'.

The married mother of one is open about comestic surgery, saying she 'would definitely go under the knife'. But she also extols the virtues of fresh air, exercise and drinking lots of water.

Femail verdict

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1301035/Thats-shocking-new-look-Amanda-TV-judge-goes-electric-stay-young.html#ixzz0vuCQKFse

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Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Sunburn? Bathe in porridge. Migraine? Sip an espresso. Instant (and very unlikely) ways to patch up your health

 

Sometimes all it takes to sort out that niggling problem is the smallest of tweaks. Matthew Barbour asked some of the UK's experts for their insider tips for instant health.

Our experts' tips can't mend a broken heart, but they are useful

Our experts' tips can't mend a broken heart, but they are useful

Lie on your left side to beat indigestion

When that late-night meal reappears, lie on your left, says Dr Peter Fairclough, a gastroenterologist at the London Clinic.

'The most common form of indigestion is acid reflux, especially at night, and since the stomach lies to the left side of your abdomen, lying on your left means the acid will pool there rather than rising up your gullet,' he says.

Another quick fix is to use gravity.

'Making sure your head is higher than your body by 3-4in (try putting bricks or blocks under the bed legs), keeps down the acid in the lower part of your stomach so it can't rise  -  and that slight slope is almost imperceptible when you're sleeping,' he says.

Bathe in porridge to soothe sunburn

'The very first thing to do is take ibuprofen which reduces the amount of the irritating prostaglandin and cytokine chemicals produced by the sunburn, so offering welcome pain relief,' says Dr Nick Lowe, dermatologist at the Cranley Clinic in London.

Next, run a cool bath and throw in an old sock filled with a few handfuls of porridge oats. '

Oatmeal soothes and traps moisture into the skin  -  but you don't want to have to pick oats off your sunburned skin later, so squeeze water through the tied sock for the same benefits.'

If blisters make it uncomfortable to lie in a bath, soak a flannel in a one-pint/ 30ml solution of water and vinegar, wring it out and gently apply for ten minutes at a time.

'The vinegar acts as an astringent, pulling the water out of the blister to speed the healing, while also acting as an antiseptic to reduce the chances of infection,' he adds.

Eat honey to reduce a hangover

Soothing: Honey helps a hangover

Over-the-counter painkillers might dull the pain, but honey can also help.

'You can ease a hangover by eating a slice of bread or crackers spread with honey  -  or any food high in fructose,' says registered dietician Dahlia Campbell.

'That's because fructose  -  a natural sugar  -  helps the body process alcohol faster, and honey is the sweetener with the highest concentration of this sugar.'

Other good sources of fructose are apples, cherries, grapes and tomatoes  -  partially explaining why a Virgin or Bloody Mary first thing is considered by many to be a good morning-after remedy.

Use the stairs to ease high-heel ache

Wearing high heels can contribute to a whole host of long-term injuries, according to Julian Livingstone, consultant podiatrist at Barnet General Hospital.

'One in five heel-wearers suffers from conditions such as plantar fascitis, a chronic, painful inflammation of the ligaments.

The root cause of this is a tight Achilles tendon, which, if regularly stretched, would protect you long term,' he says.

The Achilles is less stretched in high heels than in regular shoes, significantly increasing your risk of problems.

If you wear heels, use the stairs rather than the lift. As you go up, place the ball of your foot on the edge of a step, push your heel down and hold for five seconds.

Repeat this on both legs just a few times each day and you should find your feet and calves ache less, while your knees, hips and back also take less strain.'

Drink an espresso to cure a migraine

Espresso can help with migraines

Espresso can help with migraines

Migraine sufferers have a ' prodome' period about eight to 12 hours before the full-blown migraine kicks in, a window in which they can often divert the worst-case scenario, says Dr Andrew Dowson, clinical director of the East Kent Headache PCT Service.

'During this period people often get food cravings for things like chocolate, which they think triggers the migraine.

These are red herrings and just pointers that a migraine is brewing.'

Other prodome symptoms include a metallic taste and excessive yawning or urinating.

'The key is to increase blood flow to the brain  -  have a strong espresso followed by a large glass of water and 20 minutes of moderate to strenuous exercise.

'The fluid increases your overall blood volume, while the caffeine and exercise increases your heartbeat, pushing more blood through to the brain, quicker.

It's why drugs such as beta-blockers, which increase blood flow, are often used to treat migraines,' he explains.

Keep your mouth open to stop burping

Contrary to public conception, burping is not a sign of any internal disorder, according to gastroenterologist Dr Peter Fairclough.

'If you analyse the composition of a burp, it's nearly all nitrogen, an inert gas you can only get from the atmosphere, not the result of any digestive process,' he says.

'I see patients who swear there's something wrong with them because of their burping, but it's purely a habit relating to their lifestyle  -  if you smoke, chew gum or eat too quickly, you are far more likely to burp because you're taking too much air into your digestive tract; the oxygen is absorbed, leaving almost pure nitrogen.'

Keeping your mouth open  -  or holding a pencil between your teeth  -  will help stop you swallowing in air, so you won't burp.'

Rub Sensodyne on sensitive teeth

Many of us damage our teeth by 'over-brushing' in a back-and-forth sawing motion, explains dental surgeon Dr Philip Stemmer, of the Fresh Breath Centre.

'This rubs away enamel, exposing the soft dentine below,' he says.

The dentine has small 'tubules' in it leading to the nerves  -  without the protective enamel, anything hot or cold can penetrate through these holes to the nerves and cause pain.

To tackle sensitive teeth, last thing at night brush them gently  - in small circles - then put a small dab of Sensodyne on your finger and rub into the sensitive spot.

'Left overnight, this plugs the "tubule" holes and stimulates the tooth to lay down secondary dentine, so any minor cavities and weaknesses can heal over time,' he says.

Use vinegar on cuts and stings

'Next time you nick yourself, run cold water over the wound to clean it, using soap if you were handling meat, then dab on a little vinegar and apply pressure,' says Steve Riley, technical director at hygiene company Milton.

'In no time, the bleeding will stop and the vinegar, which has analgesic, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties, will prevent infections and speed the healing process.

With insect stings, the vinegar draws out the sting by pulling up the moisture around it when it evaporates.'

Dip your hands in cold water to stop sweating

Putting your hands in cold water can stop sweating

Putting your hands in cold water can stop sweating

'It can take up to half an hour for the hypothalamus  -  the part of your brain that acts as the body's thermostat  -  to register you've stopped exercising or are out of the heat, so you're likely to keep sweating,' says vascular surgeon Mark Whiteley.

To combat this, submerge your hands and wrists in ice-cold water for a few seconds at a time.

'Your hands have a huge blood supply, and your wrists are where your arterial blood is closest to your skin  -  this will send cooled blood straight back to your heart, prompting your hypothalamus to stop sweat glands working overtime.

But don't keep them submerged.

After a few seconds, your veins will constrict because of the cold, so less blood will go through, so do ten seconds in and ten seconds out ten times to allow veins to relax and expand again.'

Drink milk to relieve heartburn

That old wives' tale of drinking soda water to ease heartburn is exactly that, according to dietician Sian Porter.

'The carbon dioxide added to fizzy drinks  -  even mineral water  -  combines with the water to make carbolic acid, which will further aggravate your symptoms,' she explains.

'Fizzy drinks are also more likely to make you burp and cause further irritation to your throat and oesophagus.'

So if you're not within walking distance of a chemist, ask for a glass of milk, she says.

'It's slightly alkaline, which will neutralise the rising acid, providing some temporary relief  -  but it is only temporary as your body can react by increasing acid levels to compensate, something called "rebound indigestion", but that should give you enough time to get some antacids.'

Swill green tea to beat bad breath

When researchers at the University of British Columbia tested different strategies for eliminating bad breath, they found that green tea was most effective at wiping out the volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) produced by bacteria which thrive where there is no oxygen, such as at the back of the tongue and the crevices in the gums.

'Chewing gum and mints actually increase the amount of VSCs as you produce more saliva with no antibacterial action,' explain dentist Philip Stemmer.

'It's like adding fertiliser to a plant, rather than weedkiller, which is effectively what green tea is in relation to oral bacteria.

As well as killing the bacteria, green tea contains odour-neutralising compounds called catechins; just swish it around before swallowing.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1299767/Sunburn-Bathe-porridge-Migraine-Sip-espresso-Instant-unlikely-ways-patch-health.html#ixzz0vfETHnEb

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Even Pranab gets unwanted calls from loan companies

Pranab Mukherjee, Indian politician, current F...

Image via Wikipedia

 

NEW DELHI: Don't fret. Even finance minister Pranab Mukherjee is not immune to unsolicited calls from loan companies.
On Monday morning, when Mukherjee was having intense discussions to break the price rise logjam with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, her counterpart in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and other leaders, he got a call on his mobile.
Those present at the meeting said Mukherjee asked his aides to hand him the mobile, thinking it must be an important call.
However, the short-tempered leader made a face and told the caller, "No, no. Not now. I am in a meeting."
Visibly angry, he handed over his mobile to minister of state for parliamentary affairs V Narayansamy.
When others asked who had called, an embarrassed Mukherjee said it was one of the finance companies which had called to offer him a home loan.
He then said he gets four-five such calls everyday. A few months ago, RIL chief and India's richest man Mukesh Ambani had got a similar call from a finance company offering him a home loan.
Some MPs complained that these calls are a regular feature despite subscribing to the "Do Not Call (DND)" service, forcing them to renew the service every month.

Read more: Even Pranab gets unwanted calls from loan companies - India - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Even-Pranab-gets-unwanted-calls-from-loan-companies/articleshow/6257575.cms#ixzz0vefLIFgO

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