The Contact Epaper 27 Nov. 03 Dec,2012

THE CONTACT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

Indian government to help distressed Indian women abroad

NEW DELHI : The government has spent Rs 80lakh on assistance to over 100 Indian women living abroad who had been deserted by their spouses and were in distress, a minister told the Rajya Sabha.

In a written reply to a query from Congress MP from Goa Shantaram Naik, overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi Friday said the Indian women in distress

were allowed an allowance of $2,000 in developing countries and $3,000 in developed countries.

"A sum of Rs 80lakh approximately has been disbursed to NGOs through Indian missions abroad for providing legal assistance to 104 Indian women in distress/ deserted by their overseas spouses or facing divorce proceedings in foreign countries," Ravi said in a written reply tabled in parliament.

Over 27 NGOs and legal aid agencies, empanelled with the Indian missions in seven countries, namely United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Bahrain and Qatar had been assisting in the reach out programme last year, Ravi said.

ISSUE - 485

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012 PH: (905) 671 - 4761

PUNJABI NRIs fight for the unborn girls PATIALA : They are NRI wedding planners who while arranging marriages go an extra mile to ensure that no girl child is killed in the womb. Meet four young girls who have waged a war against female feticide in Canada.

For the past three years, Sumit Gill, Kiran Rai, Neeli Grewal and Swapanpreet have been driving home their message among Canada's South Asian communities through their group 'Nach Balliye'. They urge newlymarried couples to pledge to protect "the unborn daughters".

Now the four girls - born and brought up in Canada with roots in Punjab - have decided to celebrate "Lohri Kudiyan di" in Brampton in Ontario province next month to

mobilize public against female foeticide.

"The motive behind organizing Lohri for girls is to promote gender equality," said Sumit Gill, founder member of 'Nach Balliye'.

The group members

are contacting NRI families and have launched a special campaign to get in touch with the students of Canadian universities.

They would honour the parents of newly-born girls during the Lohri function.

"We are also dancers

NRI techie killed in road accident in California VIJAYAWADA: An NRI techie from Krishna district was killed and three others injured in a road accident in California in the United States on Sunday afternoon. The incident came to light on Tuesday when the family of the victims received information from their kin

in US.According to information, Gorla Lalitha, 50, died on the spot when the car in which they were

travelling was hit by a speeding vehicle from behind on the highway.

Her husband, Veeranjaneyulu, and two others suffered serious injuries in the mishap.

Veeranjayeulu, a native of Malleswaram village of Bantumilli mandal in Krishna district, married

Lalitha of Eluru in West Godavari district about 20 years ago. Sources said the family of Veeranjaneyulu had gone for shopping on Sunday and the accident took place while they were returning home.Sources s a i d Ve e r a n j a n e y u l u stopped the vehicle on

one side on the highway following a technical snag. A vehicle coming from behind rammed into the car which then collided with another vehicle. As a result, all the four travelling in the car suffered grievous injuries.

bribery incidents between 1971 and 2007 have been analysed.

It focusses on the initial date of award of the contract for which bribe was paid rather than the date on which the bribery was revealed, said a Cambridge university release.

Traditionally, bribery has been studied by analysis of perceptions or self-reported survey-based evidence.

Rau concentrates on the date the contract was awarded for which a bribe was paid.

He says that if a bribe had been paid in 1995 and went undetected until 2005, it was possible to calculate the impact on the company of getting the contract at that time.

By comparing the amount of the bribe paid, it was possible to calculate negative or positive aspects against the company's gain from the contract, the statement added.

Rau said: "We found individual companies gained an average of $7 of benefit for every dollar

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they paid, but the benefit disappeared the higher they want.

"If you bribe a head of state, the amount you get from the contract is subsumed by the value of the bribe itself because the

Continued.... Page 3

Indian-originTory Tory Indian-origin

POLITICIAN

Baroness Flather Flather Baroness slammed for racist slur on Muslims

Continued.... Page 3

Bribes don't always work, NRI academic says LONDON : New research by an Indianorigin academic has shown that companies bribing their way to contracts underperform for up to three years before and after securing the work for which the bribe was paid.

The research, by Raghavendra Rau, the Sir Evelyn de Rothschild Professor of Finance at the Cambridge JudgeBusiness School, is one of the first studies in which documented

and will sing Punjabi songs and perform Giddha during Lohri besides presenting critical analysis on the dwindling number of girls against boys among Canada's South Asian communities," said Sumit.

head of state extracts all the value of the bribe."

He added that the research showed that "inefficient" rather than "best performing" companies paid bribes.

Continued.... Page 3

LONDON : Britain's first female Asian peer has been slammed for claiming all Muslims are on benefits and vote Labour. Indianorigin crossbencher Baroness Flather made the comments while defending PM David Cameron's new Aussie campaign chief Lynton Crosby "who had allegedly said that chasing Muslim votes was a waste of Tory time". Crosby is also said to have used the phrase 'fing Muslims' while on London Mayor Boris Johnson's staff, the Sun reports.

Continued.... Page 5

Issue # 485 (2)

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Wonder foods for your eyes With steeply rising numbers of people suffering from macular degeneration, cataract and other eye problems, it has become all the more important to follow a diet plan that includes foods that reduce the risk of these eye conditions. Check out this list of foods that are good for your eyes and find out how they help maintain eye health.

Beans

Broccoli

Beans ranging from kidney beans to chick peas and lentils are a great source of zinc.

Zinc releases Vitamin A to your diet. Deficiency in Zinc leads deterioration of macula, in retina.

Zinc is also present in beef and poultry.

Eggs

Broccoli is important in keeping heart and cancer disease away from you but it is equally important for eyes. It has nutrients which reduce the problems related to muscular degeneration and loss of vision.

Carrots

Wheat germ Being a big source of Vitamin E, Wheat Germ decreases the development of cataract and muscular degeneration. Almonds, hazelnut and sunflower seeds are also a great source of Vitamin E which helps in keeping your eyes healthy.

Spinach:

Turkey

The saying turned out to be true. Carrots are actually good for your eyes. Rich in beta-carotene, that protects the eye and reduces the risk of cataracts, carrots can easily be included in your diet in the form of salads or stir-fried veggies.

A healthier option than red meat, it turns out that turkey is effective in warding off cataract. Loaded with zinc and vitamin B, this meat is a terrific food for your eyes. It tastes best in burgers and salads and is quite versatile. Don't shy away from experimenting

Sardines

Sweet potatoes

Along with carrots, spinach is probably the other food that pops in your mind when you think of foods that helpmaintain eye health. And not without reason. Packed with beta carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, vitamin C and a number of antioxidants; spinach works by absorbing more than 40% of blue

Eggs are an important source of zinc, lutein, B12, Vitamin D, Vitamin A and cysteine which helps in protecting your eyes from various diseases.

An easy accompaniment to your meal, sweet potatoes taste best when fried or boiled and mashed. They are packed with beta-carotene when makes them a total must-have for eye health.

Now here's something you may not have expected. Sardines are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which are not only healthy for your heart, but also for your eyes. They can be included in your diet twice a week and they work by protecting the tiny blood vessels in your eyes & maintaining overall eye health.

Why the UN must respond to rebels splitting DR Congo Some countries that split apart should trouble the world’s conscience more than others. Congo, as one of the largest and most violence-prone in Africa, is one of them.

Last week, a few thousand armed rebels known as M23 took over Goma, the most important city in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Given that more than five million people have died in fighting there since 1997, the United Nations is

rightly alarmed.

It is one thing if Spain’s Catalonia or Britain’s Scotland should split off.

Separatism by voting, whether caused by ethnic or religion differences, doesn’t usually entail violence. Europe knows by experience not to change borders by war. But a fracturing of Congo by arms might be akin to the current civil war in Syria, where Alawites and Kurds could splinter that country at the heart of the Middle

East.Congo lies at the heart of Africa and has long been burdened by killing over its vast mineral wealth, tribal

hostilities, and interventions by troubled neighbors. Mass rape has become a favored tactic of

armed groups. And UN peacekeepers in the eastern provinces, known by their acronym Monusco, have too often stood by as massacres took place.MONITOR'S VIEW: Scotland independence: Nothing brave about it UN passivity in Congo is in contrast to the NATO and UN action in the 1990s to defend Kosovo from Serbia and later help it become independent. With so many nations now troubled by secession movements

– from Burma to Belgium to Mali and even in the United States – the world needs a consistent, nonviolent response to such tensions over national identity. Congo, like many former colonies, has yet to develop a unifying identity based on shared values and interests. It held its first democratic elections only in 2006. The government of President Joseph Kabila is weak, causing a corrupt Army to falter in defending the nation’s territory.

Issue # 485 (3)

Given a choice between happiness and sadness, who wouldn't opt for the former? Actually, you would be surprised.

People are perverse.

Some feel that they can truly be happy only when they are feeling sad.

Others find that all their sources of happiness eventually lead to sorrow.

So, if they just make the negative choice in the first place, at least they will avoid disappointment.

Anyway, I mention all this only by way of illustration, not suggestion. You face a pretty clear choice now.

Don't complicate it. !!!

Politicians. Sales people. Evangelists. None can be cynical if they want to be successful. Their ability to persuade depends on their sincerity and passion. They never convert anyone to their cause by just telling them what they want to hear.

They genuinely believe in all they say. Indeed it is here that their greatest fault lies. They cannot see what's wrong with their great ideal. Yet to resolve an emotional conflict in your life now, you need to be neither persuasive nor pushy. You just need the intelligence of objectivity.

!!!

Each time you think you have left the past behind, it creeps up on you, taps you on the shoulder and says, menacingly, 'remember me?' You keep doing deals with yesterday in the hope that these will free you to enjoy an easier tomorrow. Somehow, though, negotiations break down or unexpected issues arise. Suddenly, you're back in the very situation you felt so keen to escape. Changing events will soon help you to move on. It will take a little while before you really pick up momentum.

But once you do, you will be unstoppable. !!!

All will turn out well, or at least it will as long as you don't try to take on too much. Given your propensity to accept more responsibility than you ought to, this may require some self-discipline. You are waiting for things to happen. But some things just don't happen unless you wait. Plants, for example, can be hothoused, but there is still a limit to how fast they will grow. Something natural is developing now, just as fast as it can. Try neither

Punjabi NRIs fight for the unborn girls Continued.... from Page 1 There has been a rise in cases of female feticide among these communities, especially the ones settled in Brampton.

South Asians are in a majority in Brampton. Dr Harshinder Kaur, a Patiala-based doctor who has been helping the girls in their campaign, said the ratio of girls to boys in Brampton is lower than Punjab. "The ratio of girls to boys in Brampton is 868:1,000 which is lower than Punjab where the ratio is 874:1,000," said Dr Kaur.

"Various studies have proved that female feticide is growing among South Asians in Canada and it's time the government there took measures," added Kaur, who will also participate in the special Lohri function. =======================

NRI techie killed in road accident in California Continued.... from Page 1 The highway police rushed the victims to a local hospital where the doctors declared Lalitha dead.The condition of Lalitha's husband Anjaneyulu, who was driving the vehicle at the time of mishap, is said to be critical. Anjaneyulu's nephew Satyanarayana Murthy and his son suffered minor injuries. Both Anjaneyulu and Lalitha were software engineers and moved to the US only about six years back.

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to hurry it along, nor give up in frustration. It's worth being patient. !!!

You can't do what you want to do, nor can you make yourself do what you have to do. You can, though, do what someone else wants you to do. You can do it with grace and style - not out of a sense of obligation or charity, but out of respect. You can get more involved, more submerged in the very sea you would most like to swim out of. And why should you? Because, while it may not always be wise to compromise, right now sincere efforts to help a sensitive situation will be amply rewarded with future freedoms. !!!

The phones in our pockets contain computers more powerful than the machines that, 30 years ago, took up entire rooms and had to be tended by teams of technicians. We have such technology at our fingertips. We can do astonishing things. Yet so much remains beyond reach - hopelessly, tantalizingly, frustratingly impossible. You can make an enormous difference in one area of life. In another,

Bribes don't always work, NRI academic says Continued.... from Page 1

"For the worst performing companies' shareholders, it's good as long as they don't try to buy up a head of state and concentrate on a lower tier official.

"From the point of view of society, it's terrible because the worst kind of companies are winning the contracts and that amounts to a distortion of resource allocation in an economy," Rau said.

Contrary to previous survey-based studies, a firm's performance, the rank of the politician bribed as well as characteristics of bribepaying and bribe-taking countries, affect the magnitude of the bribe. =============

it seems there is nothing you can do. Actually, though, you have a hidden ability, as you will see soon. !!!

Don't fear a bad response to an honest expression. Be clear, be straight; trust your instinct. Before you can relax and let a coming wave of change wash over your world, you have to ensure it can't sweep away anything that you earnestly want to keep in place.

Don't be overcautious. Firmly anchor only the agreements and arrangements you're sure you don't want to alter one iota. Having declared those factors sacrosanct, leave everything else as loose as you dare let it be.

Then prepare for vast improvements. !!!

A current problem is one you do not deserve,

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

one that is somehow unfair, one that, despite your fears, you have not brought about by the result of your own foolishness. You may have had a hand in its creation, but you have only been doing the wisest thing you know. It is important not to blame yourself, especially as, right now, only one thing can constructively turn such a tricky situation around: wise, impartial action from a sensible person with the power to put things right. That powerful person... is you. !!!

Sooner or later, we must all take risks. No matter how cautious our character, we will inevitably find ourselves in situations that cannot be resolved through sensible steps.

Small steps into the unknown are essential if we are to remain lively and interesting. It's the large, reckless leaps in this

direction that are to be avoided. You are now being asked to make much more of an 'educated guess' than you would like to. You wish you had more to go on. But you know more than enough to see you through. !!!

Is there a rhyme or a reason behind all the chaos and craziness you've experienced in your personal life? Whenever we face something strange, we strive to make sense of it. Sometimes, though, we have to accept that there is no easy explanation.

Even if there is a 'grand plan' - it is beyond our ability to understand it.

Maybe, one day, you'll see exactly what caused an emotional drama to develop as it did. Maybe you'll never know. But if you can only stop worrying and thinking so much, you'll yet enjoy how things turn out.

Issue # 485 (4)

THE CONTACT

Too FAT to fly

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Obama loses his starring role in Bigelow Bin Laden movie

Sick American woman dies in Hungary after 'airline kicks her off three New York flights because she was too obese'

President appears in just ONE scene of controversial film

A U.S woman died on holiday in Hungary after being refused a seat on three flights back to New York because she was too heavy to fly, according to her husband.

Vilma Soltesz, 56, from New York, had weighed about 425lbs, had only one leg and used a wheelchair She died from health complications in Hungary nine days after she was kicked off the first of three flights and now her death could now be the cause of a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the airlines.On September 17, she had travelled with her husband Janos to Hungary to stay in their holiday home, a trip they made every year, reported the New York Post. Before the journey, their travel agent informed Delta of Mrs Soltesz's condition and they planned to return on October 15 so Mrs Soltesz could continue her medical treatment for her illness - a combination of kidney disease and diabetes.

Mr Soltesz said his wife was already seated on

The killing of Osama bin Laden may now be a Hollywood blockbuster but those bracing for a Barack Obama lovefest can relax. Despite the President being largely behind the successful operation, he only appears in one of the film's opening scenes.

In his cameo, he is seen on a TV saying he doesn't believe in torture.

At the same time, American Intelligence is water-boarding prisoners.

The confronting treatment goes on for a full 15 minutes, and is sure to make even the hardened viewers squirm.

But that's where Mr Obama's role in the movie, called 'Zero Dark Thirty,' ends.The CIA and military come to then fore in the harrowing thriller, by filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal.The pair, instead of making a political statement, focus on, Maya, the 'wicked smart' female CIA agent who was obsessed with catching and killing bin Laden.Actor Jessica Chastain is likely to be in

the plane when they were asked to leave by KLM. 'They tried to fit her into the back of the plane, but they didn't have an extension to secure her,' he said.

She had gained weight due to her illness and the airline said it did not have a seat-belt extender for her, Mr Soltesz said.

He was also told the seat back could not take his wife's weight.

After leaving the airplane, the couple waited in the airport for several hours and then were told to drive five hours to Prague for a Delta plane that could accommodate her as a disabled person.

But in Prague, Delta staff told the couple the airline's plastic wheelchair could not hold her weight

American jailed for striking wife with genitals WASHINGTON: An American has been jailed for five days after a court found him guilty of striking his estranged wife with his penis when she refused to have sex with him.The 62-year-old man offered her money for sex and, when she refused, he took out his penis and struck her with it, the Daily Mail reported. Fred Thomas, from Cushing, Maine, pleaded guilty to the assault.He will also be on probation for a year for domestic violence and indecent conduct. The incident took place in July when his wife of 39 years, who was estranged from him, stayed at his home.The defence lawyer said the estranged wife planned to go to Pakistan to meet a man she met online.

UK stuntman breaks world record for swallowing knives LONDON: A sword swallower from Isle of Wight, England has broken a world record by plunging two curved knives down his throat. Daredevil Ian Brown, 29, held the fearsome weapons down for 13 seconds - the longest time ever recorded, the Sun reported. He practiced for the terrifying feat up to 40 times a day after giving the age-old circus trick a go last year with a bent coat hanger. "I started by trying to swallow a bent coat-hanger and gradually progressed," Brown said. "Some nights my girlfriend will be watching the telly and there I am doing weird things like swallowing swords or hammering a nail into my face," he said. Brown has overcome his body's natural gag reflex and says he now only notices the swords down his throat if they are cold. The jawdropping scenes took place in Fareham, Hants, during travelling show Circus of Horrors. Brown broke his own record of eight seconds that he set in July.

and the staff also couldn't put her on the sky-lift elevator.

The couple, who were born in Hungary, were forced to return to their holiday home until their New York travel agent managed to get them on an October 22 Lufthansa flight to New York via Frankfurt, which would be able to accommodate her size.Although a local fire department were brought in to help move Mrs Soltesz into three seats assigned to her, they could not lift her out of the wheelchair.

After half an hour of trying to move her, the captain asked them to leave the plane.

'We had 140 passengers on board, and

they had connections and needed to travel,' said Lufthansa spokesman Nils Haupt.

'The question was never the seat belt. The question was the mobility of the passenger.'

But when they returned to their holiday home again to make alternative arrangement Mrs Soltesz became more poorly.

The couple did not opt to see a doctor in Hungary as they felt the staff would not be familiar with her medical needs, and two days later Mrs Soltesz died and she was buried in Hungary.

Now attorney Holly Ostrov Ronai, who is considering a multimilliondollar lawsuit against the airlines accusing them of violating laws protecting the disabled.

'It appeared on the passenger's return that it was not physically possible for her to board the aircraft, despite every effort made by KLM to this end. A seat or belt extender did not offer a solution, either,' said KLM spokeswoman Ellen van Ginkel to the website.

line for a Best Actress in a Drama gong for her portrayal of the take-noprisoners red-head agent, whose character gets richer as the film goes on.

Ms Chastain and Jennifer Ehle dominate the men in the movie.

Mark Strong, Joel Edgerton, James Gandolfini, Kyle Chandler, Mark Duplass and Harold Perrineau all take on important but nevertheless secondary roles.

The killing of bin Laden, on May 2, 2011, was oft mentioned during the presidential election campaign. Mr Obama gave the order for U.S. Navy SEALs to raid the terrorist's complex in Pakistan's Abbottabad, after gathering enough evidence to suggest he had been hiding out there for sometime.

How a blue light in your car 'is as good as coffee at keeping you alert at the wheel' Forget a large cup of coffee or a can of red bull behind the wheel - a simple blue light could be enough to keep drivers awake.Researchers from the UniversitĂŠ Bordeaux Segalen, France, and their Swedish colleagues demonstrated that constant exposure to blue light is as effective as coffee at improving night drivers' alertness.The findings could pave the way for the development of an electronic anti-sleep system to be built into vehicles - which could be crucial in preventing fatal crashes.Sleepiness is responsible for one third of fatalities on motorways as it reduces a driver's alertness, reflexes and visual perception.

Apart from stopping to take a nap, which is often impractical, drinking coffee remains the best preventive measure.So in the interest of road safety purposes, experts are looking to develop an 'embedded' antisleepiness device working continuously.

Blue light is known to increase alertness by stimulating retinal

ganglion cells: specialised nerve cells present on the retina, a membrane located at the back of the eye.These cells are connected to the areas of the brain controlling alertness.

Stimulating these cells with blue light stops the secretion of melatonin, the hormone that reduces

during simple cognitive tasks, such as pushing a button in response to a light stimulus.

To study the efficiency of blue light during night driving, a special LED lamp continuously emitting blue light was installed on the dashboard of an experimental vehicle.The

alertness at night.The researchers' findings, published in the journal PLoS One and reported on the Medical Express website, were based on tests conducted in real driving conditions.

The positive effect of blue light on night-time alertness has been known since 2005, notably through American research.But these previous studies only demonstrated this effect

researchers then asked 48 male volunteers (average age 33.2) to drive 400km on a motorway.Each driver completed three night drives, spaced out by at least a week, between 1am and 5:15am, with a 15-minute break halfway through the journey.During each of the three nights, the volunteers were either exposed to continuous blue light, or given two

cups of coffee (one before departure and one during the break).These either contained 200 mg of caffeine or were decaffeinated, representing a placebo.

The researchers founf that drivers' sleep was not affected following the journeys with exposure to blue light.They then analysed the number of times that a driver encroached on road markings (hard shoulder or centre line), reflecting a decrease in alertness.The results of this test showed that on average, the line was accidentally crossed 15 times by the drivers exposed to blue light, 13 times by those who had had coffee and 26 times by those who had had the placebo.Continuous exposure to blue light while driving therefore appears to be as efficient as coffee for fighting sleepiness at the wheel, as long as this light does not hinder the driver.However, eight of the 48 volunteers (17 per cent) found that they were dazzled by the blue light and could not do the test.

Issue # 485 (5)

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

My way or the highway!

The Bhagavat Puran tells the story of river Yamuna which flowed past Vrindavan, the forest that was the favorite haunt of Krishna and his companions.

One day, Krishna’s elder brother wanted to take a bath and he asked Yamuna to come to him. Yamuna said, “But I cannot break the riverbanks. You must come to me.” Balaram did not heed her words. He simply swung his plough and hooked it on the riverbank and dragged Yamuna, by the hair, to come towards him.

This story can also be seen as a metaphor for domesticating the mind.

Our imagination flows in different ways as determined by our whim. Society however demands we control our imagination and function in a particular way, guided by rituals and rules. This is also violence: mental violence. Violence that cannot be seen. Every human wants

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to live by his rules but laws, values, systems, processes, regulations compel them to live by organizational rules. This results in invisible violence. Through mental violence, the human-animal is compelled to behave in a civilized way.

At first there is resistance; then it becomes a habit.

In nature, there are no rules. Nothing is right or wrong. Every living creature is allowed to do whatever it takes to survive.

Words like ethics and morality do not come into the picture.

But culture is about rules; society is about rules. Organisations are about rules. Rules are artificial. They prop up society, which is a man-made structure.

Nothing about society is natural: it is all of man, by man, for man. And here, unfortunately, man does not mean human. Human society is created by the male of the species and favours the male of the species.

But whose rules are we talking about? My rules or your rules? When it is my rule, I love culture. But when I have to live by someone else’s rules, I do not like culture, unless I have chosen to voluntary accept the rules of someone else, because it gives me some benefit.

This is a contract.

Of late, rules are coming into question. Rules made by secular authorities. Rules made by religious authorities. Rules of the individual that are conflict with the rules of a community. In India, the Khap panchayat makes rules that are against rules of the nation state. The anti-corruption movement sought to create more rules to check those who are breaking current rules. In Ireland, the medical community

follows Catholic rules in matters related to medical termination of pregnancy that has recently led to the death of lady doctor of Indian origin. Everywhere, everyone seems to be assuming that my rules are better than yours. Underlying rules is violence that we often do not see.

Daydreaming can be key to problem-solving : To some the popular adage ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ may sound somewhat incongruous in the 21st Century. In a world obsessed with efficiency, mind-wandering - the kind of thinking we rely on when we don’t really think - would appear useless. Didn’t Sigmund Freud deride daydreaming as ‘infantile’, a means of escaping from the necessary chores of the world into fantasies of ‘wish-fulfilment’? A new research, published in Psychological Science, however, proves these workaholics wrong. According to it, ordinary people are better at solving problems when they allow their minds to wander.

Scientists Benjamin Baird and Jonathan Schooler of the University of California tested their hypothesis on 145 undergraduate students. They were given the standard test of creativity known as

an ‘unusual use’ task in which they had two minutes to list as many uses as possible of mundane objects like toothpicks, cricks and clothes hangers.

They were then divided into four groups.

One group was given no break, while the others were given a 12-minute break for resting in a quiet room, performing a difficult short-term memory task, or doing something so boring that it would elicit mind-wandering. Finally, all of them were given another round of creative tests, including the ‘unusual use’ tasks they had worked on only a few minutes before.

The researchers found that the group assigned to the boring task performed far better when asked to come up with additional uses for items they had been exposed to. Given new items, all the groups did the same. Given repeated items, the daydreamers came up with 41 per cent more possibilities than students in the other conditions. The experiment showed that ‘creative solutions’ are facilitated by tasks that ‘maximise mind-wandering’. So daydreaming can be a key to problemsolving. After all, most breakthroughs by Einstein, Newton and others in scientific and creative fields occurred as their minds wandered.

Wife's bra size? Dress size? Date of birth?

This might sound like basic information but millions of men haven't the faintest idea

Millions of men are completely clueless when it comes to choosing a Christmas gift for their significant other a new survey has found.39 per cent have no idea what their wives' bra size is, while another 23 per cent don't know what dress size she takes.Most shamefully of all, 12 per cent don't even know their other halves' date of birth.The survey also found that 34 per cent

Indian-origin Tory politician Baroness Flather slammed for racist slur on Muslims Continued.... from Page 1 "I don't condone swearing, but Lynton is right. They are all on benefits and all vote Labour," Flather, who has Indian roots, said. According to the report Labour Party vice- chair Michael Dugher condemned Flather for her comments and said that they were unacceptable.

"These comments are unacceptable.

There can be no place in politics for such offensive and ignorant attitudes," Labour Party vice-chair Michael Dugher said.

According to the report, Flather later admitted she went too far, but added that her point was valid.

of men have no idea what their partners' favourite perfume is and 24 per cent don't know what her favourite clothes shop is.A staggering 11 per cent were also blissfully ignorant of their wives' real hair colour and shockingly, 10 per cent admitted to not knowing what their other halves' do for a living. Not surprisingly, the research, conducted by high street beauty retailer, Superdrug, also found that 40 per cent of couples have fallen out because the man has forgotten - or not bothered to ask about things he ought to know.As a result,

12 per cent of women have had to return a gift they didn't like because their partner hadn't bothered to pay attention.'The results of this study are quite alarming,' said Gemma Mason, marketing manager for Superdrug.'There are some basic details men should really know about their partner - in particular, eye colour and natural hair colour.'Men can be forgiven for not knowing their partner's mobile phone number off by heart but it's not difficult to take a look on their dressing table to see what perfume they're using.

Who are you?

How well we are accustomed to We think that we have one personality answer questions like how are you? but in reality we have multiple Where are you from? What do you do? personalities. According to the need we We have instant ready answers change our mask. It is such an for all these questions. But have automatic process that we do we ever wondered how will we not even know when we leave reply to the question "who are one personality and take to the you?" Yes you are right… how other. This change from one can we answer this as there is personality to the other is very no one particular answer to this. subtle and out of the regime of The answer to who are you lies Gundeepika our awareness. Like at night somewhere in our "personality"… 647-857-0165 when we set the alarm to get no actually in our "personalities" up at 5, we are different that because there can never be one time, we are sure that we will get up and personality. The word personality comes finish all the tasks. In the morning when from the root word "persona". In the Greek the alarm rings, we put alarm at snooze Drama the actors used to wear various and that time our persoanlity is different masks and spoke through them. So, the which says us to rest and sleep a little spectators just heard the sound. This is more. The moment we drop all these so true even today a person's personality persoanlities we can seek the answer to is nothing but many masks which he puts the question 'Who are you'. This is the on. And whatever he says is coming stage when the identity crisis changes to through the mask. self-identification.

Issue # 485 (6)

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Making peace with yourself!

The ruler of a prosperous kingdom sends for one of his messengers. When he arrived the king tells him to go out and find the worst thing in the entire world. The messenger returns days later with nothing in his hands.

Puzzled, the king demands, "What have you discovered? I don't see anything." The messenger says, "Right here, your Majesty, "and stick out his tongue.

Bewildered the king asks the messenger to explain, and messenger responds, "My tongue is the worst thing in the world. My tongue can say many horrible things.

My tongue speaks evil and tells lies. I can overindulge with my tongue, which leaves me feeling tired and sick. My tongue is the worst thing in the world."

Pleased, the king then commands the messenger to go out and find him the best thing in the entire world. Days later the messenger shows up again with nothing in his hands. The king shouts, "Where is

it? I don't see anything.

The messenger replies, "Right here, your Majesty," and sticks out his tongue.

The messenger tells the king: "My tongue is the best thing in the entire world.

My tongue is a messenger of love. Only with my tongue can I express the overwhelming beauty of poetry. My tongue is the best thing is world because it allows me to chant the name of God." The act of transformation is seeing something one way and in a moment being able to see it in another way. One view generally empowers us, and the other view disempowers us, leaving us feeling weak and vulnerable. We get to choose. To find the gift is to allow ourselves to see from all perspectives, to see all sides of the qualities we possess.

Imagine that you can only experience the harmful aspects of your tongue. You would miss a million of life's pleasures. The same is true for all your qualities.

You might ask, what is the

gift in being uncaring?

Being uncaring can help us survive: it allows us to

KULJIT GILL Con. : 416-417-9817 kuljitgill411@gmail.com

draw healthy boundaries and attend to our own lives. If you were always caring for everyone else it is likely that you will not have time to take care of a family of your own or a career other than one of complete service to others. You would probably be driven to care for all the millions of sick, starving and less fortunate.

The process of reclaiming ourselves is not easy. Most of us are very attached to the way we see things because our views and opinions are what distinguish us from others. One very interesting exercise is to interview five people who know you well. Ask each person to tell you the three things they like the most about you and the three things they like the least. It never fails that a quality described by two

Most senior citizen Thomas the tortoise celebrates 130th birthday after surviving the Blitz

Born when Gladstone was Prime Minister, Thomas the tortoise has survived everything since 1882, even Nazi bombs.But Thomas, now Britain's oldest resident, hid a secret under its shell for most of those 130 years - being a female.The tortoise was pulled from the rubble of a bomb-hit house in Essex in 1945. But it was only when owner June Le Gallez of Guernsey inherited Thomas in 1978 that a vet found the truth, after 96 years.

'People suggested I rename him Tomasina, but I thought it would be cruel to change it,' said Mrs Le Gallez, 54, adding: 'She isn't slowing down. People can't believe how active she is.' Mrs Le Gallez, 54, who cares for the reptile at her home on the Channel Island of Guernsey, added: 'Thomas is very much part of the family. I have pictures with her when I was as young as two.'Because she is so old we thought we would have lost her by now but she is tough. I

sometimes wonder if she will outlive me.'She's always been very big for her age. 'Thomas used to live and run in the garden when she was younger but now we keep her in the house and she bumbles around.

'She is just a massive part of the family and everyone is very fond of

her.'She really races around when she wants to. She's really fast.'

Mrs Le Gallez inherited Thomas from her cousin Grace Hilditch in 1978.

Ms Hilditch had been given Thomas in 1922 as a present from her father Harry, who was friends with a reptile keeper at London Zoo.When they adopted Thomas the keeper informed Harry she was 40 years old putting her birth date at 1882. Thomas lived happily with Ms Hilditch for 56 years at her home in Ilford, Essex, which was bombed in 1945 and a

warden managed to rescue her from the rubble.

She was given to Mrs Le Gallez and husband Richard after Ms Hilditch had fallen ill and later died.

June said: 'The journey from Essex to Guernsey with Thomas was a rather funny one.'Staff on the train asked me if I wanted anything to eat and drink and if Thomas wanted any lettuce leaves.' Thomas is kept company in the garden by fellow tortoises Gorky and Carstaias, who are both 50 years old, and her favourite food is bananas.The oldest recorded tortoise in Britain was Timmy, a Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise who was believed to be 160 years old when she died in 2004 at Powderham Castle, Devon.David Alderton, Editor of Practical Reptile Keeping magazine said: 'Although many people have contacted us about tortoises over 50 years old, some of which they've had since childhood, we've only heard to date of two individuals who are more than 100 years old.

or three people as positive is reported in a negative light by another person.

For example, one person might say that he likes your straightforwardness, but another person says that she doesn't like your straightforwardness, but another person says that she doesn't like that you always speak your mind, adding that "some things are better left unsaid."

Reality is an interpretation. Looking through different eyes generates different perspective and therefore different realities. In a state of enlightenment we can see all views at the same time. When we shift the way we see something, we let go of our limiting beliefs and the painful reality that goes along

with it. Shifting our views allows us to go from happy to sad, from upset to peaceful, in an instant.

This is the process of embracing the gift of any trait. We all know that we can look at a glass of half empty or half full, and that both views are correct.

The same is true for each part of us. It is ultimately our choice whether we stay focused on a trait as empty and devoid of value or as full of possibility and potential. We can choose to hold on to our belief that some of our so-called personal characteristics are bad, or we can choose to look for the greater purpose of each and every aspect of our humanity. It is our higher self, the holy and sacred part of us, that chooses to look beyond what we know to find the gift of our shadow.

Whether we want to see it or believe it, the parts of ourselves that we hate the most are the ones that we are running the show. In a strange, backward way , everything we don't want to be drives us to become the opposite. This is how our shadow self camouflage itself. All you

have to do is close your eyes for a moment and think about a part of yourself that you love or like a lot. After you have found that part, ask yourself, what is the opposite of this quality that I love? You will immediately see a quality that you don't want to be that drives you to be who you are today. It's the act of covering up the unwanted aspects that makes up your positive personality.

Often the gifts are this obvious. The gifts of your shadow self are often seen in the qualities you love the most in yourself.

Your personality wasn't created out of wanting to be a few particular things.

Amazingly enough, most of us find a partner who demonstrates the very qualities we've tried desperately to stay away from. Now we are at crossroads where we are given the opportunity to heal and embrace all our shadow qualities. If we choose to turn our backs on this task, we have to live with the fear that they could show up another time, in another place.

And they will...

Issue # 485 (7)

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

The power of pink Cross-dressing husband 'dismembered wife and cooked her body parts in pans on the stove

Men who wear pink shirts to commissioned the study, said: work earn more and are better 'You can tell a lot about someone qualified than those who favour by the colour they wear. traditional colours such as 'Pink is a colour more white or blue, it has men have been embracing emerged.Researchers recently and it's also found men who wear encouraging that they pink are more likely to get are not afraid to compliments from female experiment with colleagues and are more brighter colours. confident characters in the 'We spend most of office.A typical our days at work pink shirt wearer and it's good for earns ÂŁ1,000 Men who wear shirts c o m p a n y more a year than of that colour earn standards, our those who opt for ÂŁ1,000 a year more own confidence other colours, and work ethic the poll of 1,500 than those who don't to remain male office smart, but that workers found. doesn't mean you have to be One in four men feels more boring.'Men appear loyal to attractive in a pink shirt and cotton when it comes to fabrics, those who frequently wear but with colours and styles of purple or lilac have the most shirts, men can experiment just office romances, while those as much as women can. who prefer blue have the least.

'Colour aside, clothing Men who wear pink are also material is also an important twice as likely to have a Master's factor for what you wear to work.' degree than those who favour The report also found men white shirts, with one in ten pink who favour shirts with green shirt wearers having a PHD. tones are the most likely to be Stephanie Thiers-Ratcliffe, late for work, whilst white shirt International Marketing Manager fans are the most punctual, the for Cotton USA, which survey found.

After stuffing her severed head in the freezer' A 68-year-old California man accused of killing and dismembering his wife was cooking her flesh and bones at the time police officers came to arrest him, according to officials.

Police said they responded to neighbors' complaints about a foul odor coming from the home of Frederick Hengl and his wife, 73-year-old Anna Faris, in Oceanside on Friday.

An officer who entered the home through a window said he saw on the stove three pans containing what later turned out to be the remains of the elderly woman. Her severed head was discovered in the freezer.

Deputy District Attorney Katherine Flaherty said there is no evidence of cannibalism at this time, Fox 8 San Diego reported.Hengl pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges on Wednesday, among them firstdegree murder, willful cruelty to an elder and committing an

unlawful act with human remains. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

At around 11.10am last Friday, officers responded to a report of an unbearable smell coming from Hengl's home in the 400 block of North Ditmar street.

Since no one was home at the time, they climbed through the window and observed what appeared to be meat cooking in several pans on the stove.

Police found the 68-year-old man, described by neighbors as a notorious cross-dresser, at a nearby bar and after interviewing him realized that Hengl was in the process of dismembering his wife's body, according to law enforcement officials. Flaherty said officers opened the freezer to discover Faris' head severed at the top of the cervical vertebrae wrapped in a bag. A meat grinder was 'in use' nearby. When they entered the bathroom, investigators found

a work bench with a saw and boning knife, along with other cutting instruments. They also came across a plastic bag filled with chunks of freshly cut bone.

Prosecutors believe Hengl killed his wife on or between the dates of November 1 and 16.

Neighbors told reporters that they had not seen the woman in about a month and had heard the sounds of a power saw from the couple's two-bedroom bungalow style home about two weeks ago.

A restroom with a view Porn king ran multimillion-dollar America's first public bathrooms made entirely from glass and costing $54,000... but don't worry no one can see in!

America's first ever public restrooms made entirely from glass have been unveiled in Sulphur Springs, Texas.

The two glass restrooms cost $54,000 to design and resemble a large mirrored box.

They take pride of place in the revamped public square in downtown Sulphur Springs. For anyone concerned that people might be able to see you doing your business, fear not they have been constructed from special mirrored glass that enables people on the inside to look out but doesn't enable nosey people to see in.Locals are excited about being home to this unusual first and hope the mirrored bathrooms will become something of a tourist attraction.

'Bathrooms are typically ugly no matter what you do, how can

Internet sex empire from his prison cell A jailed porn king ran his web empire for more than 18 months behind bars by using a laptop in his cell and prison telephones, authorities said.

Francis Sharrak, 44, of Farmington Hills, was acting

you make them disappear?' city manager Marc Maxwell told ABC News. 'You cover it with mirrors, that's how, and why not make it a one-way mirror while you're at it.'

After some initial uncertainty about how safe it is to use a glass bathroom, residents have quickly fallen in love with the quirky loos that enable you to see everything going on around you, even who is next in line.

'I stood around the bathroom for a long time to make sure you

couldn't see inside and you couldn't,' said local resident Merrideth Caddell. 'Once I went in, it felt strange that four men were looking into the bathroom, but they couldn't see me.'

The structure works because the designers worked to devise the right combination of glass and lighting. For the illusion to work properly, the outside of the structure must be more lit than the inside, explained David Gideon of the Commercial Glass & Mirror Company.

Fancy a quickie?

Couple's passionate embrace while hurtling along road on a motorbike at 50mph A pair of lovers were filmed locked in a passionate kiss while sitting on a motorbike which was hurtling down a Brazilian motorway.Motorists driving along the road near Foz de Iguacu, in Brazil's southern state of Parana, were shocked to see the the woman facing the male driver on his lap as they smooched.The

couple, who haven't been identified, kissed for more than a minute while travelling at around 50 mph, with neither being able to see where they were going,

according to witnesses. They were not wearing safety helmets.

Fernando Nascimento, who filmed the scene which was later shown on Brazil's RPC TV station, said: "I've never seen anything like it. I was shocked, first because it is so unusual and secondly because it was so dangerous.'I was in the passenger seat and decided to film because I thought that the motorcyclist was driving without wearing a helmet. But then I saw there were two and they were kissing.

After guard gave him a laptop as his own lawyer at the time.

He asked for the laptop to prepare arguments in his federal court sentencing for tax evasion in April. Sharrak was being held at the Wayne County Jail in Detroit in a cell for high-profile inmates. Jail officials acknowledge that Sharrak had the computer without proper permission but called it an isolated incident.

The case involved an employee who has since been fired for other reasons, undersheriff Daniel Pfannes said.

During a recorded phone call from jail in January 2011, Sharrak can be heard saying: 'Now, I am the first one ever to have a computer in the history of this jail.' Federal prosecutors asked the judge to consider a transcript of the call when sentencing Sharrak.Pfannes said: 'We were misled initially by an employee who said there was a court order giving him access to a laptop computer.'

Officials later learned there wasn't a court order and the department also changed policies to avoid a repeat in the future. On March 8, the sheriff's

department seized the convict's computer. Sharrak filed a motion to have it returned, saying he'd had it since August 2010 and that it was essential to his defense.

A federal judge denied the request.Sharrak currently is in federal prison. He wasn't charged for any actions in jail but prosecutors asked a judge to consider them at sentencing. 'Through his past conduct as proven at trial, and his apparently continuing conduct of the same nature, even while confined, defendant has shown that he simply refuses to abide by laws, rules, restrictions and directives imposed upon him,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Gilmer-Hill wrote in a sentencing memorandum.

Between 1997 and 2001, federal prosecutors said Sharrak made $3.7 million from his business operating and promoting adult websites and from being a consultant to strip clubs.

Issue # 485 (8)

Blogger faces five years in Chinese jail After tweeting a joke about Communist Party delegates dying A blogger is facing five years in prison after he was arrested for writing a joke on Twitter about the deaths of Chinese Communist Party delegates.

Zhai Xiaobing, from Beijing, has received the support of hundreds of internet users following the joke about the party's congress on November 8.

Chinese authorities have been especially sensitive to any perceived dissent about the party meeting, which closed last week, after ushering in a new generation of leaders.

Ahead of the event, police sent activists out of Beijing and rounded up the hundreds of people who tried to draw the attention of central authorities to

their grievances against local governments. Mr Xiaobing's tweet on November 5 suggested the next movie in the Final Destination horror film franchise would be about the Great Hall of the People collapsing on party delegates. He posted on Twitter: 'An earth-shaking début will be seen at the global première on Nov. 8!' The weeklong congress began that day.

After his Twitter account fell silent for a few days, his friend Liu Yanping grew worried and visited his home in Miyun county in Beijing's northeastern suburbs.

There, his family members told Ms Yanping that Miyun county police had taken him away on November 7 and seized his computer.

THE CONTACT

5 lies all women tell

Women lie. Out of compulsion, to manipulate you, to manipulate the situation, to salvage the relationship, to willingly destroy the friendship, to be bitchy, to infuse some gossip and fun into an otherwise mundane life.

No matter the reason, women lie. As do men, but for the purpose of this article we'll just stick to talking about the fairer sex. And no, no lies will be mentioned here.

Here are five lies that ALL women tell and very few own up to: 1. I am NOT mad at you Lie. Lie. Lie. The moment she utters these words, the red flag, heck ALL the red flags you have, must go up. A woman only ever says this when she is fuming with wrath; when she is so angry with you that she wants to burn your sad soul and kick you right into hell. You'd be safe if she is mad at you than when

she is not. So, if she isn't mad at you, please do the needful and make sure she is absolutely mad at you.

2. You were Great!

she asks you *that* question. The question being: Do I look fat in this?

It's a trap. A big huge cage from which there is

If you *actually* were great, she wouldn't necessarily say it. Instead she'd show you grateful she is. So if she tells you how great you were and raves and rants about it, chances are you were only but mediocre and she is just being nice.

3. Be honest, I can take it This particularly statement is made after

no escape. Any answer or no answer, you're destined to die out of misery in that cage.

The truth is she cannot take your honesty and if you lie blatantly, she'll catch you at it. So the trick here is to be moderate in your response; not too flowery, not too mean.

Walk the tight-rope well and you might just manage to escape from the cage.

Smoking doesn't just age your lungs : It damages your BRAIN, too The effects of smoking on the skin are well documented with those keen to stay looking young urged to stub out the cigarettes. But a new study has found that smoking could also age the brain.

Tests on 8,800 people over 50 have showed smoking can damage memory, learning and reading skills making people more

vulnerable to dementia.Scientists from Kings College London, who carried out the research, also found high blood pressure and being overweight also seemed to affect the brain, but to a lesser extent.They said that people needed to be aware that lifestyles could damage the mind as well as the body. The English

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Longitudinal Study of Ageing (Elsa) carried out tests of memory, planning and overall mental ability on volunteers after four and eight years.The study showed that smoking consistently reduced all three performance measures after four years.High blood pressure and high risk of stroke were also associated with lower

scores for memory and overall mental ability after eight years. Being overweight was also linked to poor memory.

The findings, published in the journal Age and Ageing, indicate that future trials should focus on combinations of risk factors rather than individual causes of mental decline, say the researchers.

PS: No living man has yet managed this feat.

4. I'm not jealous In reality, she is jealous almost all the time.

Jealous when you look at that girl walking by, jealous when you talk too much to your friend who is a girl. In all honesty, playful jealousy is fun, necessary even to keep the relationship going. So when she says she is not jealous, smile and kiss her cheek. Forget being jealous, she will just blush.

5. I never think of my ex Everyone thinks of their ex. At some point or the other, we are driven back to times gone by because of a tune or a place or situation or a conversation.

It's okay if she thinks about her ex once in a while, because it is only normal to do so. And if she confesses to *never* thinking of her ex, I'd say something is wrong with her and that you need to assess what that is.

Film actor questions rejoicing ACTOR Ashish Chowdhary’s sister Monica and brother- inlaw Ajit Chhabria were among the hostages killed by terrorists at the Oberoi Trident Hotel in Mumbai on the fateful night of November 26, 2008.

The actor has never talked about his loss in public.Post the 26/ 11

carnage, when the media tried to speak to the actor, Ashish refused to c o m m e n t . O n Wednesday, when Ajmal Qasab was hanged at Pune’s Yerwada Jail, Ashish poured his heart out on Twitter, questioning the celebrations surrounding the death of the terrorist.

Your friends and relatives have known you both to be the perfect couple, balancing each other in all aspects of life . However, little do they know that even perfectly happy couples go through trials and tribulations and yours is not an exception. If you wish to avoid such plights in your relationship and not end up leaving your partner's house as the heroine of the film does, take a glimpse at the following mistakes that cause fights even between the best matched couples.

1. Distributing housework This might appear to be one of the best ways to be out of any fall-outs, but studies show couples fight the most when attempting to divide household chores on a 50-50 basis. Divide the work in accordance with the things which you both are good at, which will not give you a chance to lash at each other for being imperfect.

2. Money matters Money reigns high on the reasons behind fights between couples. Being in debt is even more dangerous and to avoid such circumstances from cropping up, sit with your partner to discuss the monthly budget and expenses from the day one of your relationship.

3. Waiting for that perfect mood for This has been found sex to be one of the biggest mistakes couples make. The fact is, most of the time you might not be in the mood and waiting for the right moment might even worsen the gap between you too. Getting cosy with your beloved will not cost you anything and so why wait for ambience to be perfectly romantic?

4. Nagging all the way Perpetual nagging is the most annoying things to bear and is often responsible for making the other partner to just burst out. If you are not arriving at a resolution, it is better to leave the matter for the night.

The following morning will see you both much calmed down and better harnessed to resolve the issues.

5. Not speaking your mind You can't expect your partner to understand everything that goes inside your mind, It is undoubtedly another of the common issues making couples go mad at each other. Be transparent about what you feel and tell him if you do need a hug after a bad day at work.

6. Baby blues While you might be craving to go through the beautiful emotions of parenthood, give your relationship some time to revel in the glorious moments together. Your nappy-changing sessions can wait till both of you are ready.

Issue # 485 (9)

15

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

best countries for business New Zealand is ranked as the best country for business, according to Forbes.

The report states that the United States continues to lose ground against other nations in Forbes' annual look at the best countries for business.

1. New Zealand The island country, New Zealand has a modern, prosperous and developed market economy. The country is heavily dependent on international trade and has a high demand for agricultural products.

GDP : GDP : $162 billion GDP per capita : $39,300 Public debt as % of GDP: 36%

4. Singapore Singapore has a highly developed market based economy. It is known to have one of the freest, innovative, competitive and business-friendly environments worldwide.

The economy depends heavily on exports.

GDP : $240 billion GDP per capita : $46,241 Public debt as % of GDP : 118%

2. Denmark Officially the Kingdom of Denmark has a developed mixed market economy and the country's economy stands out for its economic freedom. It has a large labour force and its support for free trade is high.

GDP : $333 billion GDP per capita: $59,684 Public debt as % of GDP: 44%

5. Canada Canada has a mixed economy & manufacturing, mining and service sectors have transformed the nation from a rural economy to an industrialized one. The country is one of the world's largest suppliers of agricultural products.

GDP : $1.7 trillion GDP per capita : $50,345 Public debt as % of GDP: 87%

3. Hong Kong Hong Kong is a special administrative region and is considered to be one of the world's leading financial centers. The country has a major capitalist service economy characterized by low taxation and free trade.

GDP: $244 billion GDP per capita: $34,457 Public debt as % of GDP: 30%

6. Ireland The economy of Ireland mainly focuses on services and high-tech industries. Exports play a very important role and Ireland is considered to be one of the world's most profitable countries.

GDP: $217 billion GDP per capita: $48,423 Public debt as % of GDP: 105%

7. Sweden

8. Norway

9. Finland

Sweden is an export oriented mixed economy and is heavily oriented towards foreign trade. The country's engineering, telecommunications, automotive and pharmaceutical industries are of great importance.

Norway is a mixed economy. It features a combination of free market activity and large state ownership in certain key sectors. It is also one of the largest oil exporters in the world.

Although Finland was relatively late for industrialization, the country's economy grows rapidly. The country is highly integrated in the global economy, and international trade.

GDP : $538 billion GDP per capita : $56,927 Public debt as % of GDP : 38%

10. United Kingdom United Kingdom was the world's first industrialized countries and is a now considered as one of the great powers in with its economic influence. The country has a partially regulated market economy.

GDP: $2.4 trillion GDP per capita: $38,818 Public debt as % of GDP: 86%

13. Belgium Belgium has a strong globalised economy and it is characterized by high productive work force. The country is heavily is service-oriented and has an integrated transport infrastructure.

GDP: $512 billion GDP per capita: $46,469 Public debt as % of GDP: 100%

GDP : $486 billion GDP per capita : $98,102 Public debt as % of GDP : 58%

11. Australia Australia is a developed country which enjoys its high economic freedom.

It is considered to be a wealthy economy with a market economy. The country is a major exporter of agricultural products.

GDP: $1.4 trillion GDP per capita: $60,642 Public debt as % of GDP: 27%

14. Netherlands The Netherlands has a market-based mixed economy that is well known for its liberal stance.

Shipping, fishing, trade, and banking have been leading sectors of the country's economy.

GDP : $836 billion GDP per capita : $50,087 Public debt as % of GDP : 65%

GDP: $266 billion GDP per capita : $49,391 Public debt as % of GDP : 49%

12. United States The United States of America has a capitalist mixed economy which has a developed infrastructure, high productivity and sufficient natural resources.

GDP: $15.1 trillion GDP per capita: $48,442 Public debt as % of GDP: 68%

15. Switzerland Switzerland is known as one of the most stable, prosperous and wealthiest economy. The high tech economy's main sector is manufacturing and the Switzerland's largest exported goods are chemicals.

GDP : $636 billion GDP per capita : $80,391 Public debt as % of GDP : 52%

Issue # 485 (10)

Jat Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their Canadian citizen daughter, 39 yrs. old, 5’3” tall, major in criminology and psychology, working with a reputed company. The boy should be professionally settled, between 40-45 yrs. of age from Canada/ USA and from a reputed family. Please call: 604-6260444 or after 6 pm: 604-551-7830 ***485*** Rajput Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their Canadian citizen son, 28 yrs. old, 5’-8” tall Well settled , handsome Turbaned Sikh boy, Electrical Engineering. Degree holder from Canadian university and professionally employed. The girl should be Engineer/Dentist/ Medical Professional/ Accountant/Teacher. Email bio data with a recent picture to: gsrawal@hotmail.com or call : 416-277-9742 ***485*** Seeking match for Canadian citizen boy, 37 yrs. old, 5'-9" tall, clean shaven, athletic built, outgoing, M.D., currently working in Canada, divorced (no issue) belongs to Sikh family, looking for a professionally employed, beautiful and family oriented girl.

Please respond with latest picture and biodata to email: delldell01@ymail.com or call : 403-460-4551 ***485*** Jat Sikh parents in Toronto seek a suitable match for their 32 yrs. old daughter, 5’-8" tall, slim, fair complexion, fully qualified and working as a lawyer. The boy must be from the GTA, at least 6 ft. tall, clean shaven and professionally employed. Please email: jat_parents@rogers.com or call: 647-786-0496 ***485*** at Sikh parents in Toronto seek a suitable match for their 32 yrs. old daughter, 5’-8" tall, slim, fair complexion, fully qualified and working as a lawyer. The boy must be from the GTA, at least 6 ft. tall, clean shaven and professionally employed. Please email: jat_parents@rogers.com or call: 647-786-0496 ***485*** Well established Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their beautiful 5’2", UK born, Canadian raised 30 yrs old, well versed in both cultures, university graduate and professionally employed daughter. The boy should be Canadian /UK raised, graduate and professionally employed in Ontario. Please send biodata with a recent picture to : rosewood229@gmail.com or call: 647 774 1718 ***485*** Well settled Jatt Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their son, born and raised in Canada.

Educated, 27 year old 6 foot tall, handsome, wears turban, nonamritdhari. Looking for a tall, attractive and educated girl from good family background.

Call (604)728-3530 or email at tejk91@hotmail.com ***485***

THE CONTACT

Parents seeking professionally qualified Hindu match for their beautiful, slim daughter, 27 yrs. old, 5'-6" tall, M.B.A. (H.R.), working as senior executive in Mohali, vegetarian, Tonk Kshatriya Hindu family based in Jalandhar. Father working with reputed bank, brother in USA and parents visiting USA for two months. Please send biodata and recent picture to email: matrimonial_inmm@hotmail.com or call: 1-425-247-5388 or 1-514683-8668 ***485*** Well settled respected Jat Sikh family seek a suitable match for their Canadian raised, clean shaven son with Master’s degree, has his own business, 5'-9" tall, handsome, never married, in his 40’s. Preferred girl should be from North American / UK, educated in her 30’s. No divorcee. Please send biodata and recent picture to email: suitablematch55@gmail.com or call: 778-712-3600 ***485*** Jat Sikh parents looking for a suitable match for their Canadian citizen daughter, 39 yrs. old, 5'6" tall, beautiful, slim, divorced (no issues) and well settled. The boy should be between 37-42 yrs., divorced (without kids) may also be considered. Please contact with recent picture and biodata to email: gjohal73@gmail.com or call: 647-709-7200 ***485*** Well settled Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their daughter, Canadian born, 33 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, beautiful, Canadian university graduate, professionally employed in the GTA, respectful to both cultures & high regards to family values.

The boy should be from Canada, from a Jat Sikh family, a university graduate and professionally employed. Please call: 647-274-1099 ***485*** Jat Sikh parents in Toronto seek a suitable match for their Canadian born daughter, 28 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, slim, fair complexion, Masters of science degree and professionally employed in her field. The boy must be from the GTA, Jat Sikh family, Canadian born, university educated and professionally employed. Please send biodata and picture to: parents_2010@live.com or call: 905-849-9817 ***485*** Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their son, Canadian immigrant, 29 yrs. old, 5’-8” tall, Masters in Electrical and Electronics and computers, working as an engineer with a top ranking company in Toronto.

The girl should be at least 5’-3” tall, educated, cultured and from Canada. Girls on student visa may also be considered. Toronto preferred. Please email a recent picture and biodata to: sumanjitmissan@gmail.com or call: 604-465-0585

***485*** In California, a Jat Sikh, the only son, 27 yrs. old, 5’-9” tall, C.P.A. degree holder, permanent job with a C.P.A. firm, own house, own business, well settled family is looking for an American citizen girl, having a C.P.A. degree or B.Sc. Nursing or same qualification. The girl should be working and at least 5’-4” tall and less than 25 yrs. old. California and Malwa preferred. Please send the latest pic. & biodata to: bains073@yahoo.com or call: 559-269-3173 ***485*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their daughter, 34 yrs. old, professionally employed, never married, registered nurse and well versed in both cultures.

The boy should be from a Jat Sikh family, professionally employed, and preferably from Canada. Please send biodata and picture to: balnat2012@hotmail.com or call: 647-987-9685 ***485*** Ramgarhia parents seek a match for their daughter, beautiful, fair complexion, persuing final year of nursing in India and also graduated in commerce (B.Com.), 27 yrs. old, 5 ft. tall. The boy should be US/ Canadian immigrant or citizen.

Uncles well settled in Canada and USA. Please contact: sunnysohal@hotmail.com or call: 416-247-8865 (between 7 p.m. to 8:30 a.m.) or 647-9854235 (between 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.) ***485*** Jat Sikh parents seeking a match for their extremely handsome Canadian bron son, 29 yrs. old, 6’-2” tall, B.Sc., fair skin, non drinker, respectful and works with the government. The girl should be beautiful, educated, with family values and preferably tall.

Please send biodata and picture to: pmangat01@hotmail.com or call: 250-220-4259 ***485*** Well educated Jat Sikh parents well settled in British Columbia, Canada seek a beautiful and educated girl for their handsome 27 yrs. old son, 5’-6” tall, Canadian citizen. The boy is Mill Wright holding inter-provincial ‘Red Seal’ and has handsome earnings. Please contact at: gurmann@yahoo.com or call: 1604-418-1199 ***485*** Jat Sikh parents settled in CA (USA) seek a suitable match in America or Canada for their daughter living in India, 1987 born, 5’-2” tall, G.N.M. diploma holder, B.Sc. (Nursing), presently working as a staff nurse. Please contact: 510-3782070 ***485*** Seeking a suitable match for 48 yrs. old Punjabi boy, Canadian citizen, working in a multinational corp., has his own condo, a professional match from Canada. Marriage or caste status no bar. Please contact:

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

905-501-9797 or email: kindmm@hotmail.com ***485*** Jat Sikh Gill family seeks a suitable match for their daughter 30 yrs. old, 5’-6” tall, college graduate with a diploma in business administration and accounting. The boy should be between 30-34 yrs. of age, raised in Canada and well qualified.

Please call: 905-874-0721 ***485*** Saini Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their daughter, 24 yrs. old, 5’-4” tall, beautiful and fair, diploma in computer science and living in India. The boy should be a Canadian or US citizen or immigrant, well settled and from a good family background. Sister is well settled in Canada. Email: surinderbanwait@gmail.com or call: 416-904-0280 or 647-4278641 ***485*** Well settled Jat Sikh family based in California looking for a suitable match for their only son, 28 yrs. old, height 5'-11", non drinker, professionally qualified, holding a government position.

The girl should be well educated and professionally employed also from a reputed family (preferably in California). For more info. please call: 510-4324282 or email with picture to: dhanda81@yahoo.com ***485*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their 32 yrs. old, 5'-3" tall, beautiful, fair, slim, intelligent daughter, Canadian citizen, Masters degree from India and doing an accounting diploma in Canada and also doing a part time job. The boy should be 32-35, Jat Sikh, clean shaven, educated and preferably from Canada. Please send biodata and a recent picture to: robin8600@hotmail.com ***485*** Khatri Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their 27 yrs. old, 5’-6" tall, Canadian citizen daughter, professionally employed with IT company in BC., innocently divorced after a short marriage. The boy should be well educated, Gursikh, turbaned and from good family background. Please email recent picture and biodata to email: manjit_msb@yahoo.ca ***485*** Jat Sikh parents invite a matrimonial alliance for their son, 30 yrs. old, 6’ tall, Mechanical Engineer, born and educated in Toronto, working with a large corporation. The girl should be educated with good family values. Please send recent picture and biodata to e m a i l : toronto2229@hotmail.com or call: 905-301-7422 ***485*** Jat Sikh parents seek a suitable match for their son, 27 yrs. old, 5'-8" tall, B.Tech. in electrical from IIT, Roorkee (India).

Currently in Germany on study visa and has finished M.Tech.

from Munich University. The girl should be well educated, beautiful and Canadian citizen or immigrant. Ph: 416-841-9738 ***485*** Jat Sikh Atwal parents seeking a matrimonial alliance for their Canadian immigrant daughter, 28 yrs. old, 5'-6" tall, beautiful, Master’s degree in computer application and currently working as a software professional in top ranking firm of Canada and well versed in both cultures. The boy should be well educated, professionally employed and from a good family background.

Please email recent picture and biodata to email: atwal_29@hotmail.com or call: 905-913-9758 ***485*** Jat Sikh parents invite correspondence from University educated and professionally employed Jat Sikh boy for their 32 yrs. old, 5'-4" tall, fair and pretty daughter, M.D. (practicing doctor) in Lower Mainland, BC. Email: winjan98@hotmail.com or call: 604-431-6301 ***485*** Status Jatt Sikh family in Toronto invites matrimonial alliance from reputed families for their son.

Girl should be tall, beautiful, preferably professionally qualified. Boy working as Lead Technology Consultant with Financial Institution, cleanshaven, elegant looking, Jan. 1980, Thapar University Alumni. Own valuable rural, urban property in India + Canada.

Email: capricorn.sanjog@gmail.com or call: 001-647-895-0743 ***485*** Tonk Kashtriya parents seek a suitable match for their Canadian born daughter, 24 yrs. old, 5'-3" tall, university graduate, working with a reputed company. The boy should be Canadian born, well educated and well settled.

Please respond with a picture and biodata to email: garcha.parminder@gmail.com or call: 905-450-7430 ***485*** Jat Sikh parents seeking a suitable match for their Canadian born son, 27 yrs. old, 6'-1" tall, chemical engineer and working in Calgary (Alberta). The girl should be born and raised in Canada or USA and equally qualified professional. Please send biodata and picture to email: sekhon2k@shaw.ca or call: 604-597-5747 ***485*** Jat Sikh Sandhu parents seek a suitable match for their only son, 26 yrs. old, 5'-10" tall, American citizen, B.Sc. accounting, handsome, own motel business. The girl should be medical student, B.D.S., lawyer, accountant or pharmacist. Preference will be given to Malwa area. Please send biodata and picture to email: gurmail2300@yahoo.com or call: 1-870-773-9832 (10 am to 9 pm Texas time) ***485***

Issue # 485 (11)

Vegetarians have a better sex life They are often considered a more spindly counterpart to their meat-eating friends.

But it seems vegetarians might have the last laugh when it comes to matters in the bedroom.For a new study has found that people who consume tofu and other plant-based f o o d s m i g h t enjoy a better sex life than m e a t eaters.It's thought that certain plant products can influence hormone levels and heighten sexual activity.

The research, published in the journal Hormones and Behavior, is the first to observe the connection between the so called sex hormones phytoestrogens, found in plants, and behavior in wild primates.In this case, it was a group of red colobus monkeys in

Uganda, but as primates, experts say we humans would likely experience similar effects from the compounds.

The research was carried out by Michael Wasserman, while he was a graduate student at UC Berkeley's Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management.

Over 11 months, Wasserman and his team followed a group of red colobus monkeys in Uganda's Kibale National Park and recorded what the primates ate.The researchers focused on aggression, which they measured by the number of chases and fights, the frequency of mating and time spent grooming, and the scientists also collected fecal samples to assess changes in hormone levels.

Eating tofu can boost you in the bedroom, new study claims

THE CONTACT

Top 9 Tips to lose that festival weight Festival-time binging often leads to undesirable results in the form of weight gain. Now that the festivities are over, you can get back to leading a healthy lifestyle and undo some of the damage of all those desserts and heavy food.

1. Take a break this weekend Give your body and mind a break this weekend and just relax. Do something quiet and peaceful and actually sleep on time for a change. Too much partying can be exhausting and you'll find this "me time" relaxing and rejuvenating.

2. Sneak in some exercise Don't wait until Monday or the first of next month to (re) start your exercise routine. Start this weekend itself and you'll begin to feel better instantly. Weigh yourself and make a plan of how much you would like to lose over the next few months and start working on it right away.

You don't have to hit the gym, read our article on how you can get active, without turning your life upside down.

3. Incorporate weight training

Men think eating meat makes them more manly Real men, it is said, don't eat quiche - they eat meat. And it appears there may be some truth in the saying after all.Researchers from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, have found that men believe eating meat makes them more manly. Professor Hank Rothgerber , who has published his research in the journal Men and Masculinity, said that meat eating was linked with 'manhood, power, and virility'. He told NBC news: 'There is a group of manly men who swear off what they call chick food, and they seek a double whopper to declare their manhood.'He added: 'Meat consumption is a symbol of patriarchy resulting from its long-held alliance with manhood, power, and virility.'

The men questioned in the study said animals 'just taste too good to not eat them' whereas women were more apologetic about eating meat.The study surveyed 125 undergraduate psychology students for one study, and 89 for the second. They were all white middle class students in their late teens and early 20s. Prof Rothberger found:

And even veggie women think veggie men are wimps 'Men expressed more favorable attitudes toward eating meat, denied animal suffering, believed that animals were lower in a hierarchy than humans, provided religious and health justifications for consuming animals, and believed that it was human destiny to eat meat.' 'These are direct, unapologetic strategies that embrace eating meat and justify the practice.' While the professor admits his study was limited, he believes there could be even more pressure to 'prove manhood' by eating more meat.Whether it is hunting for animals, flipping the barbecue burgers or carving the Sunday Roast, past studies have shown the association between men and meat is as old as the

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

hills. Researchers from the University of British Columbia revealed that vegetarian men are seen as wimps and less macho than those who like tucking into a steak - even by women who do not eat meat themselves. They gave hundreds of young men and women descriptions of fictional students varying only according to diet, and asked them to rate aspects of their personalities.The vegetarian characters were seen as being more virtuous.

And further questioning revealed that men who do not eat meat were also viewed as less masculine than the others - even by vegetarians.And last year, a team from the University of Pennsylvania and Brian Wansink of Cornell University showed consumers link meat with masculinity and concluded was 'a strong, traditional, macho, bicep-flexing, allAmerican food.' Prof Rothberger, told MSNBC he set out to find out why so many Americans cling to their meat-eating habits despite research showing that eating a lot of meat is bad for our health and for the environment.

Many of us, especially women, have a habit of focussing only on cardiovascular exercises to lose weight. The fact is that you can derive far more benefits from your workout program if you incorporate some weight training into it.

By improving muscle mass, you improve your overall metabolism which is great for burning calories. If you don't have access to weights, try doing push-ups, lunges and crunches.

4. Drink a lot of water A lot of festival food tends to be spicy and high in salt, which causes one to feel bloated. Drinking a lot of water will help get rid of all that salt and make you feel healthier and fresher.

5. Ditch the guilt and move forward One of the biggest

hurdles in the road to postfestival recovery can be the guilt we accumulate over having binged so much over the last few days. Well, what's done is done.

Sometimes, guilt can induce more heavy eating and that's one thing you don't want to do. Don't mull over what happened and just move on to a healthier today and tomorrow.

6. Eat light You enjoyed the holiday goodies while the good times lasted. It's time to completely cut out all those sweets, cakes, drinks and other heavy stuff now.

Rediscover fresh salads, fruits, lean meats and whole grains and allow your system to recover from the assault of the last two weeks. Try our recipe for a simple and tasty salad.

7. High protein, low GI food Another great diet tip is to go in for high protein foods that have a low glycaemic index. Foods that have low GI include milk, nuts, oranges, pears, urad dal, channa dal and many more.

For the complete list, click here.

High protein foods include eggs, fish, chicken, rajma, soy and nuts like peanuts and almonds.

8. If you're not going to eat those sweets, give them away You may have decided to start eating healthy but that can get really hard to do with cakes, chocolates and mithai lying in the fridge.

Why not give those away to someone who will actually eat them? You'll make someone's day and do yourself a favour by getting rid of all that temptation.

9. Don't give in to your craving for 10 minutes Here's a tip that really works. Scientists have found that a craving for a certain food typically lasts for about 10 minutes. So if you suddenly find yourself dying to have a motichoor laddoo, just hang on for 10 minutes.

Issue # 485 (12)

THE CONTACT

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Hope for girl with rare genetic disorder that makes her cheeks abnormally large As she prepares for groundbreaking surgeries A little girl born with a rare genetic disorder has been offered hope through a series of life-altering surgeries.Katie Renfroe, four, was diagnosed with megalencephaly before she was born, causing some of her facial features to be abnormally large.

She also had part of her brain removed as an infant to control the seizures that were happening as often as 50 times a day.

'All we know is we give her all the love, all the attention we know how to give her,' says her mother Angie Renfroe.'We've never treated her like she has a handicap.' Katie is the sixth of Angie and Danial Renfroe's eight children, the one who came along

after doctors told them Angie wouldn't be having any more children.In the first trimester, doctors noticed anomalies on her ultrasound. The baby's head was 'oddly shaped,' her parents were told.At three and a half months, a specialist told her parents that Katie's head was three times larger than normal.He gave them the name of Katie's rare disorder, but it meant nothing to the rural Paxton couple. He also told them what her life - and their life - would be like. 'He was trying to help us understand that she might be a vegetable,' Danial says. 'She ain't nowhere near what they said she was gonna be.'

The specialist told them to come back in two weeks after they had decided what they were going to do. The couple drove home from Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. As soon as they got there, Angie went into their room, got into bed and cried.'I tried to figure out how we were going to

deal with this,' she said.

And then she realized she had choices. 'You can lay here, you can cry or you can leave this in God's hands, which is where she belongs,' Angie remembers thinking. Next, she talked to God. 'If you let me have her, I'll raise her and take care of her the best I know how

World first

as blind man reads braille with his EYES

Using revolutionary implant A blind man has been able to read braille with his eyes rather than by touch using a revolutionary device, say scientists.In a world first, researchers streamed the letter patterns to an implant at the back of the patient's eye. This allowed him to 'see' words that he could interpret in seconds with almost 90 per cent a c c u r a c y. T h e development could revolutionise how degenerative eye diseases are treated and help thousands of patients in the UK. It builds on technology already licensed in Britain, which uses a small camera mounted on a pair of glasses along with a retina implant made up of a grid of 60 electrodes. A processor on the glasses translates

the camera signal into light patterns that - when sent to the implant - allows the patient to see rough outlines of objects.

Although the system works to a point, patients have found it impractical for reading, as words need to be in large font and can take minutes to interpret.

So researchers at the Californian company Second Sight came up with an alternative. Braille letters are made up using different raised patterns on a six dot cell. The researchers realised they could therefore bypass the camera by simply stimulating six of the 60 electrodes directly, allowing the blind person to 'see' the patterns.

Research leader, Dr Thomas Lauritzen, said: 'Instead of feeling the braille on the tips of his fingers, the patient could see the

patterns we projected and then read individual letters in less than a second with up to 89 per cent accuracy.'There was no input except the electrode stimulation and the patient recognised the braille letters easily. This proves that the patient has good spatial resolution because he could easily distinguish between signals on different, individual electrodes.' In tests, the patient was asked to read words varying from two to four letters long. Each letter was transmitted to his retina for half a second.

He was able to accurately read 80 per cent of the twoletter words and 70 per cent of the four-letter words.The scientists published their findings in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience. Silvestro Micero, from a technology institute in Switzerland

who reviewed the article, said: 'This study is a proof of concept that points to the importance of clinical experiments involving new neuroprosthetic devices to improve the technology and innovate adaptable solutions.'

The breakthrough offers new hope to people with conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa, a rare eye disorder that causes gradual deterioration of the lightdetecting cells in the retina. The incurable condition affects around one in 4,000 people in Europe and eventually causes total blindness.

Pete Osborne, chief braille officer at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), said: 'Anything like this that has the potential to get some people back the visual realisation they have lost is a good thing.

to do for as long as you give her to me.'

Having made peace with her decision, she talked to Danial. 'I told him, ''If you can't handle it they're telling us it's going to be bad - go now,''' she says.He recalls looking at her like she was crazy. He wasn't going anywhere.

Katie was delivered by cesarean section at Sacred Heart on January 28, 2008. Angie doesn't remember much about the delivery except seeing her daughter's 'big, pretty cheeks'.Danial remembers getting his first peek at his 'Katie-Bug' while she lay in an incubator right after the delivery. 'What it looked like was a small little body hooked to these two

grapefruits -her cheeks,' he says.In a portrait taken when Katie was twomonths old, she is curled up, sleeping, her cheeks nestled in the lace and satin of her pale pink dress.As Katie has grown, so have her cheeks. Extra skin on top of her cheeks gives them a mottled brown look. Her ears are also deformed and she has some hearing loss.

Her tongue doesn't fit in her mouth, but ever resourceful, she has still figured out how to suck her two fingers and her thumb.

She doesn't have seizures anymore but her muscles tighten up, causing a stiffness that rolls from one side of her petite frame to the other.

'I sneak boys in at 3am and disrespect my parents' A teenage girl has been forced to stand by the side of a busy road holding a sign accusing her of 'disrespect' towards

WESH. They accuse her of drinking, lying and sneaking out of the house, before the forbidden liaison

Girl, 15, forced to stand by side of the road with humiliating sign her family. 15-year-old Jasmine has had a number of behavioural issues, and the last straw for her parents came when she let a boy into her house in the middle of the night.

So they made her stand out near their home in Palm Coast, Florida, advertising her misdeeds for passers-by to see. The sign held by Jasmine, whose surname has not been released, read: 'I sneak boys in at 3am and disrespect my parents and grandparents.' Her mother Melinda and stepfather Mike say the teenager has been acting out ever since she started at high school this fall, according to

which led to Jasmine's unusual punishment on Wednesday. They insist that they have tried a number of alternative disciplinary methods, but that none have worked so far. 'I've taken all her toys or her electronics away her phone, no privileges on the TV or computer - and still she just laughs about it,' Melinda said. Mike added that while the punishment might seem brutal, it was motivated by compassion.

'This is all about love,' he told WESH. 'I took my day off of work. I missed out on $300 or $400 today to do this. You know what I mean, to come and do this. I love this kid.'

YOU'LL NEED A STRONG STOMACH TO STAY THERE It may not be to everybody's taste, but this Belgian hotel shaped like a human gut is attracting travellers in their droves. For those able to stomach the less than inviting exterior, the inside of the one-room hotel is much easier to digest. The gut hotel is located on a small island at a 30 acre arts park near Antwerp and features a

double bed, shower and heating.It is run by Belgian art lovers Geert and Carla Verbeke-Lens, who bought it as an addition to their collection at the Verbeke Foundation sculpture park.The couple has more than 2,000 contemporary works at their arts park which attracts thousands of tourists each year - and the gut hotel is a very popular

Artist builds ÂŁ96-a-night hotel in the shape of a human gut

feature.Mrs Verbeke said: 'Our guests are really

happy to sleep undisturbed in a place surrounded by

nature.

'They can see black swans and frogs and discover the stars in the night sky, as well as visiting all our different exhibitions.'More and more travellers are coming to us from all over the world to explore what they all call a "unique place".' The unusual hotel is a creation by artist Joep Van Lieshout

as an artwork to live in.A stay at the one-room hotel costs ÂŁ96 pounds a night (â‚Ź120) and includes breakfast and entry to the sculpture park.Around 20,000 people each year visit The Verbeke Foundation, where exhibitions include collages and bio art, which involves living organisms - plants, animals and smells.

Issue # 485 (13)

THE CONTACT

Under the dome

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

The world's largest indoor beach ...

It is the world's largest indoor beach with 400 sunloungers - and not a cloud in sight.

Yet with up to 6,000 visitors allowed in at a time, there are bound to be towel-fights over them especially as this 'indoors paradise' is in Germany.

The Tropical Island Resort in Krausnick, south of Berlin also boasts the largest indoor pool, 50,000-plant forest - and enough space to fly a hot air balloon inside.The former aircraft hangar has been transformed into a paradise offering tourists a

tropical escape, if you can ignore the fact that you are miles from any ocean - or the tropics, for that matter.

The gigantic hangar was built to produce transport zeppelins but after the company went bankrupt in 1992 the hangar fell into disuse.

A Malaysian company saw the potential in the hangar, which is the world's largest freestanding building, and Tropical Island Resort opened in 2004.

Despite the impressive interior of the hot hangar, visitors

reviewing the indoor tropical resort on reddit complained about high prices on everything from beverages to accommodation and additional fees to use the popular water slides.

Some users went as far as to vent their disappointment in the type of crowd attracted by the tropical escape.

User Antares42 wrote: 'A good proportion of the audience is folks who'd love to fly to the beach but can't afford it... and it shows,' complaining about 'Mallorca youths -

loud, obnoxious, inebriated, strutting about as if they owned the place.'

'It's nice for families with small kids, but we weren't overwhelmed (3 people in our late 20s)' another Reddit user said.

'There simply wasn't much fun stuff to do all day, just the pools, even the mediocre slides cost extra.' The resort, located on an old World War II runway, keeps a pleasant temperature of 26C, thanks to the modified

70,000 square metre dome allowing sunlight to shine through massive windows.

And naturally, if it rains or pours, a quick common can be sent to close the roof - and everyone can remain dry and happy in their tropical paradise.

Convicted rapist Mike Tyson launches charity Communist party To give children from broken homes 'a fighting chance' official SACKED Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson who was reviled as the 'baddest man on the planet' has launched a children's charity. The 46-year-old announced yesterday the creation of the Mike Tyson Cares Foundation which vows to 'give kids a fighting chance' by offering safe spaces to help children from broken homes.

'I am very proud to launch Mike Tyson Cares Foundation,' said Tyson, who was jailed in 1992 for raping beauty queen Desiree Washington, which he has always denied.'I want my legacy to be about charity and helping children. This is my start.' His foray into philanthropy is a far cry from the dangerous, excessive passions of his younger years. In his turbulent life Tyson has been married three times, fathered eight children and became the youngest heavyweight champion the world has ever seen at just 20. But fame ruined him and his troubled

upbringing - his mother was a prostitute and he never knew his pimp father - came back to haunt him.

He used to keep a

business deals which he barely troubled to understand.

He was also addicted to alcohol and drugs,

white Bengal Tiger named Kenya in his backyard. It cost him around £2,000 a month just to care for him, and the story goes that one day Kenya got loose and caused quite a commotion in Southington, Ohio.

He was also in the grip of numerous addictions; to sex, often with strippers and prostitutes, even though he was married with children; and to spending on an improbable scale.He spent around £200million, much of it on gifts to people he barely knew, on cars he never drove, and on bad

having a long dependence on marijuana and a fondness for cocaine and Hennessy brandy. Two years ago, he was jailed for driving under the influence of cocaine and was found with three bags of the drug in his car. At times, he has used prescription drugs like Zoloft for depression, too.

'I'm on the Zoloft to keep me from killing y'all,' he once announced at a press conference.In an interview with Las Vegas Weekly Tyson said: 'Laying in bed in a hotel room - I try never to be

alone, even if it's a prostitute, a dog.

'This is really dark. I am in my hotel suite, I've got seven women there, and I have a morphine drip, and I had my cocaine, and I had my (Viagra like pill) Cialis, I had my marijuana, I had the Hennessy, and I am at my lowest point because I got paranoid and I thought these women were trying to rob me and set me up.

'I started beating them.

I was in a dark place.

There was a purpose, though, because I didn't want to give them any more of my soul.

'So this is my devil, this is where I am, I am locked up alone. There is nobody there telling me that I'm doing too much.'

After years of controversial headlines, at the age of 39, Tyson retired in 2005 - but he admits he's 'the same guy - I just grew up a little bit'.

He has spent his recent years trying to reconnect with his six children by four different mothers.

After pictures of him having sex with his mistress are leaked online A Chinese Communist Party official has been sacked after images of him having sex with his

public anger over abuse of power, official impunity and corruption.

Screenshots from the

mistress were posted on blogging websites.

Lei Zhengfu, a district party chief in the southwestern city of Chongqing, was fired after an investigation by the party's discipline watchdog confirmed that it was he who appeared in the video, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

The case highlights the influence of China's fastgrowing blogging community, and the ruling Communist Party's increasing sensitivity to

sex video first appeared on Sina Corp's Weibo site on Tuesday.

The agency reported on Thursday that Lei had told a reporter the video, shot in 2007, was a fake.

The party has stepped up its rhetoric against corruption, seeking to counter anger from citizens over regular reports of graft and debauchery among officials - but efforts to root out the problem are reported to have been ineffective.Bo, who also faces possible charges of corruption and abuse of power, has yet to stand trial.Net-savvy people in China have found a potent weapon for fighting official corruption and abuse of power in microblogs like Weibo, which had more than 420 million users at the end of the third quarter this year.

In September, another official, Yang Dacai, lost his job in the northwestern province of Shaanxi after Internet users compiled photos of him wearing several luxury watches that he was unlikely to be able to afford on a civil servant's salary.

Dubai court JAILS British woman and Irishman for three months for 'back-of-taxi tryst' A British businesswoman and an Irish man accused of engaging in sexual activities in a Dubai taxi have been jailed.

Rebecca Blake, a £100,000-a-year recruitment consultant, is accused of stripping naked in the back of a Dubai cab and writhing on top of Conor McRedmond.

The conviction came despite DNA tests to show evidence of intercourse coming back negative. The pair pleaded

not guilty to charges of having consensual sex and indecency, which related to stripping off in public, but were convicted on both counts and ordered to serve a total of three months in prison before being deported.

Both had previously pleaded guilty to consuming alcohol and were fined £512. The case is the latest in which Westerners have fallen foul of the United Arab Emirates' decency laws, highlighting cultural

Despite DNA evidence proving they DIDN'T HAVE SEX differences as the UAE seeks a balance between maintaining its Muslim identity and catering for a vibrant tourism industry.

'The court sentenced them to jail for three months and deportation in addition to a fine of 3,000 dirhams ($817) each,' said their lawyer Shaker alShammary. He said they would appeal. The pair were also charged with

consuming alcohol after admitting to a 10-hour drinking binge on the day of their arrest. During the trial Mr Al Shammary told the court: 'This is Dubai, not a mosque. Everyone drinks.'

Ms Blake, 29, of Dorking, Surrey, and welder Mr McRedmond, 28, from Tullamore, County Offaly, were arrested on May 4 after meeting for the first time earlier that day in a hotel bar. Pakistani taxi driver Qaiser Khan, 29, said he

picked the couple up at around 11pm after their allday drinking binge, which had started with midday brunch and unlimited drinks.

During the journey Mr Khan said he looked in his rear view mirror and noticed Ms Blake had taken her top off.

She was straddling Mr McRedmond and was 'moaning for two minutes and making the sounds of a woman having sex', according to police records.

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THE CONTACT

Council chief quit over porn film left in his work laptop A deputy council leader has stood down after it emerged he watched a hardcore porn DVD on his work laptop.

Tory David Sprason admitted watching a pornographic movie called She Likes It Rough at home with his wife Sue, 51, who is also a councillor.

But while the cabinet lead member for adults and communities admitted making an 'error of judgment' when the couple watched the film at home in bed, he is far from embarrassed about it.Mr Sprason, 56, yesterday said the film was one of the 'tools' the couple used to 'help' their relationship.The DVD was found when Mr Sprason took his laptop to council IT workers for repairs. He said: 'The laptop crashed and I took it to get it repaired. I should have taken the film out and put it back in its box.'I was probably rushing around the next morning and grabbed it before going in to County Hall.'Me and the wife use things to help our relationship. That's one of the tools we use. We both

we watched it together, says councillor wife

enjoy them. It's one of those situations that shouldn't have happened.

'I'm not embarrassed.

There was nothing dodgy about it. 'It's the kind of thing that can easily be bought in an adult shop.'

The incident took place in 2007, but has only just come to light after a copy of a confidential letter sent to Mr Sprason by former Leicestershire County Council monitoring officer Elizabeth McCalla was anonymously leaked to a local newspaper.In the letter, Miss McCalla said the DVD had been sent to the police 'to ensure it did not contain any unlawful material'.She said: 'They subsequently advised me

the DVD contained hardcore pornography of the type you might be able to buy in this country, but more likely to buy abroad or over the internet, but that no criminal offence had been committed.'

Although it was considered that Mr Sprason had breached council policy, the letter said the matter was not pursued because the DVD was watched in a private capacity.Mrs Sprason said of the porn film: 'Our DVD player broke so we unfortunately used a county council laptop (to watch it).'We are a middleaged couple who love each other as much as we did when we were in our 20s.

How to teenage-proof the car New key system will allow parents restrict the speed their youngsters drive

Protective parents of young drivers can now limit the speed their children drive at using a new kind of key on the market for the first time in the UK from next month.

Ford's myKey system interfaces with the computer systems on board its latest cars to place restrictions on drivers using the special keys.

It works by recognising different keys for the same car and then adjusting the vehicle settings according to the owner's requirements, with the capacity to limit the top speed to just 80mph.The limits are linked to the specific key, so mothers and fathers concerned about their inexperienced children can limit top speed and stereo volume for youngsters while retaining full functionality for themselves.The company said: 'Ford's myKey allows parents to tailor vehicle performance and driver environment to suit individual users.

'Permanent enabling of safety and driver aids as well as speed and audio limiting give parents

greater control without impacting on young drivers' independence.'

Drivers under the age of 25 are twice as likely to be involved in a fatal accident in the UK.

On top of limiting speeds and volumes it prevents the driver from deactivating safety technologies like stability control which can which can help prevent lowspeed collisions.

Stability control helps prevent the kinds of lossof-control incidents which inexperienced drivers are more likely to suffer.The maximum speed cap can be combined with speed limit warning chimes that cut in at 45mph, 55mph and 65mph - a feature included after market research showed speeding was the biggest worry of parents of young drivers.The MyKey system can also be programmed to alert the

driver that fuel is running low sooner than it would normally, with the warning light flashing when 75 miles worth of fuel is left rather than 50 miles.

The feature can limit the volume of the stereo to 44 per cent to ensure youngsters are less distracted and disable the sound system altogether if the driver and passengers are not wearing seatbelts.

MyKey, which has been available in the U.S. since 2009, was developed for the UK by Ford's Peter Patzelt. 'All parents know that if teenagers are experts at one thing, it's finding ways of getting into trouble,' he said.'MyKey allows Fiesta owners to set sensible restrictions for young drivers, and delivers peace-of-mind for parents.

'Parents love myKey because it helps them reduce their teenagers' exposure to risk at the wheel.'Young drivers are not too keen on myKey until they learn that it often improves the chances their parents will allow them to drive in the first place.'

'When you get to middle age, you need a bit of assistance.' After the DVD was found five years ago, officers at council headquarters checked Mr Sprason's internet usage and found nothing untoward.However, Miss McCalla warned him not to view pornography on a county council computer again 'otherwise I have no alternative but to pursue the matter further'.

Mr Sprason yesterday said he had referred the incident to the Conservative group on the council in order for whips to investigate, after he became aware the letter had been leaked.

He has stepped down as deputy leader but will continue as a councillor while the investigation continues.The councillor, who represents Markfield, Desford and Thornton, said: 'Most of the feedback I have had from people is that this is all a storm in a tea cup.

'If this damages my chances of re-election then so be it but I am honest and straightforward and it is better to be open.

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Garment factory fire kills 112 in Bangladesh

DHAKA- At least 112 people were killed in a fire that raced through a multistory garment factory just outside Bangladesh's capital, an official said Sunday. The blaze broke out at the seven-story factory operated by Tazreen Fashions late Saturday. By Sunday morning, firefighters had recovered 100 bodies, fire department Operations Director Maj. Mohammad Mahbub told The Associated Press. He said another 12 people who had suffered injuries after jumping from the building to escape the fire later died at hospitals. The death toll could rise as the search for victims was continuing, he said. Local media reported that up to 124 people were killed in the fire. The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear, and authorities have ordered

an investigation.

Bangladesh has some 4,000 garment factories, many without proper safety measures. The country annually earns about $20 billion from exports of garment products, mainly to the United States and Europe.

Relatives of the factory workers were frantically looking for their loved ones. Sabina Yasmine said she saw the body of her daughter-in-law, who died in the fire, but had no trace of her son, who also worked at the factory.

“Oh, Allah, where's my soul? Where's my son?” wailed Yasmine, who works at another factory in the area. “I want the factory owner to be hanged. For him, many have died, many have gone.” Mahbub said firefighters recovered 69 bodies from the second floor of the factory alone.

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Man cuts off most of girlfriend's nose for refusing sex

Ricardo Salamanca of Plantation, Fla. has been charged with aggravated battery and is currently sitting in jail on a 75,000-dollar bond.

The incident took place on the night of Oct. 28, after Salamanca’s girlfriend left him at a local nightclub.

When he returned to their home later that evening, he asked his girlfriend for sex, according to a complaint affidavit.

She wouldn’t put out and Salamanca started getting belligerent — yelling, pushing her down, and trying to place her in a chokehold.

The girlfriend said she remembers being thrown across the room, which

was the moment she noticed she was bleeding from her face, according to authorities who spoke with NBC Miami.

"That''s what you deserve, b----," Salamanca reportedly said to the girlfriend.

Her nose was “severed down to the sinus cavity where the victim''s nose was only attached by a thread," according to the affidavit.

The woman later drove herself to North Broward Medical Center in Pompano Beach to have the nose sewn back on.

She told authorities she had previously suffered domestic abuse from Salamanca.

THE CONTACT

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Savita Halappanavar's abortion requests 'go missing' from medical files Hospital medical notes relating to the care of pregnant Indian woman Savita Halappanavar, who died after being denied an abortion in Ireland, have no record of her asking for a termination.

Health Service Executive (HSE) files on Halappanava’s death include her requests for tea, toast and an extra blanket, but not her repeated appeals for an abortion.

Her grieving husband Praveen’s solicitor made the allegations as he called on India to pile pressure on Irish government to hold a public inquiry.

Lawyer Gerard O’Donnell said there was ‘a huge deficiency’ in tragic Savita’s medical file, which will play a key role in the internal HSE probe.

Praveen (34), has refused to participate because he has no faith in it being impartial.

“We made a request for termination and there is no note of the request at all, and of the medical notes.

The response from the doctor is not in the medical records.”

Savita (31), died last month, days after doctors repeatedly denied her an abortion and reportedly told her that ‘this is a Catholic country’.

“We’ve studied the records closely, I’ve had them looked at by another doctor and I wrote to the HSE on Monday regarding shortcomings... There is absolutely no request in the records that Savita and her husband looked for a termination,” O’Donnell said.

HSE boss Tony O’Brien said he was not aware of any deficiencies in the files, the report said. A second statutory probe was set to be launched by the Health

Information and Quality Authority, it added.

Watchdog launches probe into Savita’s death Health watchdog HIQA has launched a statutory inquiry into the death of Savita Halappanavar after a miscarriage. A formal request for a second investigation over Halappanavar’s

death in hospital was made by the HSE amid concerns over the independence of its own inquiry. It came as Labour ministers Ruairi Quinn and Pat Rabbitte backed new legislation as the only way to resolve the abortion crisis triggered by Savita’s death. Her husband, Praveen, is battling the government to hold a public inquiry into her death on October 28, which he claims happened after she was denied an abortion as she miscarried. Praveen is considering an application to the European Court of Human Rights to meet his demands for a wider investigation.

$900,000 Aurum 79 is now the World's Most Expensive Water Bottle We have earlier seen the world’s most expensive water bottles featuring Evian water bottles to Bling H20 besides Altamirano glass bottle covered in 24-karat gold worth $60,000. But the most expensive of them all is now set to make its exclusive debut at Middle East’s premier luxury lifestyle exhibition Big Boys Toys. The epitome of thirst quenching luxury, Aurum 79 water bottle, is crafted out of finest crystal glass, is adorned with pure 24-carat gold and a total of dazzling 113 diamonds. Priced at $900,000, this unique and luxurious bottle, comes filled with 0.5-liters of the Mother Earth's purest spring water from the artesian source in St. Leonhard, Germany, and is jazzed up with pure gold edible flakes.

THE CONTACT

Issue #485 (16)

NUDE MAN BRINGS CENTRAL LONDON TO A STANDSTILL A part of Whitehall closed off as police tried to coax a naked unidentified man straddling a statue LONDON: A mystery man brought Whitehall to a standstill yesterday after he climbed to the top of a historic 30- foot statue — and stripped naked.

Police were forced to close an entire section of the road — which runs between the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square in the heart of the capital — while specialist officers tried to coax the man down.

The spectacle began when the man scaled the life- size memorial to Prince George, the First Duke of Cambridge and a distant cousin of the Queen, fully clothed before stripping off.

The man, thought to be in his 30s, remained on his perch apparently ignoring officers’ pleas. At one point he balanced acrobatically — with his arms out stretched — upon the Duke’s feathered plume, before sitting on his head.

An eyewitness, Savannah Severn, said: “ I was on a school trip, on my way to the National Portrait Gallery and I looked up and saw the naked man on the statue. There were police on horses pushing the crowd back and firemen were trying to get him down. I was really shocked but it was quite funny. It looked like he was posing and he hard his arms stretched out wide.”

The naked man sent Twitter buzzing with speculation, with some questioning whether his nude antics where a parliamentary protest.

Others joked that the man may have had a few too many drinks at lunchtime.

Scotland Yard said it was believed that the man might have a knife as officers shut down part of the road, near the heart of Westminster in central London.

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

SAUDI HUSBANDS SET TRACKING DEVICES ON THEIR WIVES

RIYADH: Denied the right to travel without consent from their male guardians and banned from driving, women in Saudi Arabia are now monitored by an electronic system that tracks any cross- border movements.

Since last week, Saudi women’s male guardians began receiving text messages on their phones informing them when women under their custody leave the country, even if they are travelling together.

Manal al- Sherif, who became the symbol of a campaign launched last year urging Saudi women to defy a driving ban, began spreading the information on Twitter, after she was alerted by a couple.

The husband, who was travelling with his wife, received a text message from the immigration authorities informing him that his wife had left the international airport in Riyadh. “ The authorities are using technology to monitor women,” said

columnist Badriya alBishr, who criticised the “ state of slavery under which women are held” in the ultra- conservative kingdom. Women are not allowed to leave the kingdom without permission from their male guardian, who must give his consent by signing what is known as the ‘ yellow sheet’ at the airport or border.

The move by the Saudi authorities was swiftly condemned on Twitter with

critics mocking the decision. “ Hello Taliban, herewith some tips from the Saudi e- government!” read one post. “ Why don’t you cuff your women with tracking ankle bracelets too?” wrote Israa. Saudi Arabia applies a strict interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law, and is the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive.

‘RETURN QASAB’S BODY OR WE WILL TARGET INDIANS’

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Taliban vowed yesterday to carry out attacks against India to avenge the death of a man executed by Indian authorities for his role in the 2008 terrorist assault on Mumbai.

Mohammed Ajmal Qasab, a Pakistani, was hanged Wednesday in Pune.

He was the lone surviving terrorist from the attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 that killed more than 160 people.

Ihsanullah Ihsan, the spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, said the militant group would conduct various attacks in India in response

to the execution.

He didn’t provide further details.

The Pakistani Taliban, who are closely linked with their namesake in Afghanistan and with al- Qaeda, operate in the ungoverned area that sits on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

India has requested extra protection for its diplomats in Pakistan following the execution, said JP Singh, an official at India’s Ministry of External Affairs. He said the ministry had no immediate comment on the threat from the Taliban.

The Taliban spokesman said

they are demanding that Qasab’s body be returned to Pakistan for an Islamic burial.

He criticised the Pakistani government, saying it had failed by not requesting the return of the body.

Indian authorities said on Wednesday that Qasab had been buried in the “ surrounding area” of the jail where he was hanged.

They didn’t say what kind of burial rites had been performed.

The Pakistani government has not commented on the execution.

The foreign ministry declined to give an immediate reaction to the Taliban’s criticism.

Patients Lie in Coffins to “Die” as Part of Chinese Psychological Treatment

Most people would consider lying in a coffin and having the lid shut over them to be a traumatic experience, a special psychotherapy service in Shenyang, China is using it as therapy to treat psychological problems and heavy stress.

The Shenyang Evening News reports over 1,000 patients have so far been”reborn” by simulating death with the help of psychologists. Tang Yulong, a consultant at this unique psychotherapy clinic in Shenyang, says people

who suffer from psychological problems can be helped by simulating death. People go in a 5-square-meter

”death experience room”, write down their last words, lie down into a coffin in the floor and are covered with a

white cloth. To make this “dying” experience even more realistic, the “deceased” can even hear a

dirge being played in the room. After five minutes of “serene time”, the sound of a baby crying breaks the silence, and a consultant opens the coffin with a cheery tune playing in the background. This rebirth apparently helps people get a new outl“In the past 35 years, I thought what I pursued were what I needed, such as money and a high position. However, after this special therapy, I find out that what I need is not a house, but a home,” said Huang, a 35-year-old manager, said after going

through the unique therapy.

He tried to commit suicide four times, in the past, but was stopped by family or colleagues. Now, after going through this treatment, he has asked for demotion and has become involved with various charities, to help those less fortunate. ”This therapy makes use of suggestion theory in psychology,” consultant Tang said. ”However, it’s only part of the psychotherapy and is not suitable for everyone. We will choose proper ones to receive this death-experience therapy,” he added.

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Sometimes it is difficult to listen to others, but it is important to do so now. Just watch you’re not skipping along so fast that you cut corners and you get a little bit careless. There could be some indiscretions in the air especially if you’re bored in your love life. You’ll want to sidle off and do things that you haven’t been able to do before. This combination can be a little compulsive. So you’ll be utterly fascinated.

Mars around now will give you courage which is good if you maybe have been backing away from certain loved ones recently. You’ll be defending your views and your beliefs, standing firm. But let others have their say as well and you might be surprised at what comes out of the end of it. You’ll get slightly melodramatic about small things, so you need just to wind yourself back down about.

You’re going to be in a rather fiery frame of mind. If you handle things with care, it could be very useful. You’ll push through barriers, and say exactly what is on your mind. Though don’t get too direct since it could backfire. it’ll almost be as if there’s a sort of magical power drawing you closer to the right person. You’ll have a deep sense that certain relationships are meant so you’ll put in that extra effort.

Watch that you’re not slightly accident-prone at home. If you’re cooking in the kitchen, you’ll be in too much of a hurry, thinking about things that make you fume. You’ll be seductively charming, laid-back and happy-go-lucky though may have had a hidden agenda up your sleeve. It isn’t to say you won’t have deep, positive kind of feelings but Pluto’s around so you’ll have a rather benign smile on your face.

You could be touchy, a little bit irritable, especially if loved ones are disagreeing with you. Sometimes the red mist descends, so you miss seeing sense in what they are saying.

But at least you’ll be standing up for yourself. You’ll definitely want to be close to that special someone. You’ll flutter your eyelashes, even be slightly manipulative. But it should work exceptionally well if you’re subtle.

Maybe you are feeling controlled by people who are very determined to have all the power. Often it’s very awkward to know how to handle them for the best. The more you push back, the worse they get, and you get in these no win disagreements.

Be as secure within yourself as you possibly can. Think over before you begin to sort out issues.

If you can channel your energy into boosting your inner confidence and pushing yourself into actually doing something practical, it’ll work well.

Venus is now directly in alignment with where Pluto was at the moment you were born. Venus is about love and affection and Pluto, is about depth and transformation. But watch out that you aren’t too jealous or possessive over one matter.

If you are normally under-confident, you’ll find you get a rush of adrenalin today which will allow you to push yourself forward. You will stand up for what you want and resist determinedly being pushed around by anyone else. But do watch a slightly reckless mood which could send you over the top into speaking in haste. Under the present influences you will be tempted to manipulate a little.

If you sound as if you’re spoiling for a fight then everyone will get irritable and uptight. Then tiny little aggravations will turn into great big arguments. Clearly that isn’t a good idea. So watch that you don’t get bit smothering or restrictive with loved ones. Or indeed that they aren’t doing it to you in reverse. Both of you need to realise that relationships have to grow, to stay alive and open.

At the moment you could be throwing yourself with a great deal of vigour into getting done things that need to be done. It will give you a yearning for something more intense, so you could get fascinated with someone new. It could also be the trigger for a new relationship that will then last hereafter. Though it can also bring up jealousy or envy in relationships you already have so watch your step

You’ll feel a few gripes bubbling to the surface which you may try to sit on. Then all of a sudden everything comes out into the open perhaps too sharply. So you may be ruffling feathers and causing some aggravation with loved ones. Just be straight in an assertive but calm way.

If you can try to be more frivolous than you’ll feel, you will find that you can flirt and have fun and be happygo-lucky.

If you get into thinking that you are absolutely right, then of course other people tend to get a bit ruffled. Venus is across from Pluto, which tends to make you quite obsessed about your love life. You’ll want more passion, or something rather unusual. Anything frankly which gets you away from the everyday kind of routines. You’ll definitely want to have more depth in the relationships you’ve got.

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PARIS HILTON IRKS MUSLIMS WITH STORE IN MECCA NEW YORK: The American socialite and hotel heiress whose Twitter is awash with optimistic, lifeaffirming tidbits such as, “ Smile, because you’re beautiful... Stand strong, because haters can’t bring you down” and “ I love black and white photographs.

They are always so timeless” — has sparked controversy in the Middle East.

Posting a picture of her new accessories store in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca, Paris caused a backlash of abuse from an insulted Islamic community, with some claiming it as an “ affront” to the “ principal sanctuary” of the religion. Her bubbly tweet, “ Loving my beautiful new store that just opened at Mecca Mall in Saudi Arabia!” — was met with disgruntled comments such as: “ Saudi claim there are other ways to allow for pilgrims, and if religiosity is of such importance, why is Paris Hilton being allowed a store in Mecca?” The first comment was merely the understated, yet powerful “ R u kidding?” Others latched on to starlet’s previous sex

tape scandal, noting: “ How can someone who made such a video open a store in the holy city next to the Grand Mosque?” And a further added: “ It is not acceptable to have such a woman open her store

here.” But the 31- year- old remained undeterred by the comments and tweeted: “This is the fifth store in Saudi Arabia, and store number 42 in total!

So proud to keep growing my brand!”

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Amateur Artist Turns Apartment Building into Urban Art Gallery Dmitry Bochkarev, an amateur artist, from Moscow, Russia, has turned an ugly communist-era apartment building into a colorful art gallery, by covering the walls, staircases and doors with various painted artworks.

While most graffiti artists sneak around to find places where they can exercise their artistic talents, amateur artist Dmitry Bochkarev asked people’s permission before he began painting on their walls and doors. It all began 17 years ago, after Dmitry experienced clinical death. He had a vivid dream that helped him discover his talent for painting, and from then on he started painting the inside of his apartment building, in Moscow’s Biryulyovo district. Until then, the place was just a grey reminder of the Soviet era, and a victim of littering and ugly graffiti. But once colorful cartoon scenes and nature-inspired landscapes started appearing on the walls, it all stopped. Not even vandals have had the heart to ruin Bochkarev’s art-

works, and neighbors say it’s the best thing that ever happened to their community. Residents started smiling to each other again, and they became so proud of their art-covered building that they even organize viewing tours for friends and family.

Dmitry Bochkarev has spent the last few years painting away on the inside of the 12-storey building, using mostly newspapers, books and magazines for inspiration.

His collection of urban works of art includes popular cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse, medieval castle walls

painted around apartment doors, nature sceneries, and even spaceships. There are still a few gray walls left to cover up, and Dmitry is currently brainstorming with the residents of the building, for ideas on his next masterpieces.

The idea of turning a grim old communist building into an urban art gallery is pretty cool, and it’s apparently turning into a trend in former Soviet Union countries. Just a few months back, I wrote a post about Ukrainian artist Valery Haroun, who did the same thing in an apartment building in Odessa.

Issue #485 (19)

THE CONTACT

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Casey Legler The Polish PM says bomb suspect linked to Norway’s Breivik Woman Who Works as a Male Model Casey Legler, 35, is a woman who exclusively models menswear. With her razor-sharp cheekbones and 6ft 2in height, it’s easy to see why she’s recently been signed to the men’s division at the prestigious Ford modelling agency There’s something weird going on in the fashion industry these days. After we posted about guys like Andrej Pejic and Stanyslas Fedyanin, who have found success modeling women’s clothing, now it’s time we met the only woman in the world who models only men’s garments. French-born Casey Legler says her unlikely carer as a male model started after posing as a guy in photo shoot, as a favor for a friend. ’I am, in fact, buddies with a photographer, who had this story, who knows, in some ways my body of work, but also just knows what I look like and said, “You’re perfect for this. Are you in?” And I wasn’t doing anything on that particular Friday, and so I said yes!’ she said in an interview with TIME Magazine. After her friend showed the resulting photos to a booker at Ford, she was soon signed to the men’s division by the prestigious agency.

As weird as t may seem at first, it’s easy to see why Casey makes such a great male model. She’s got the perfect height (6ft 2in), razor-sharp cheekbones, flawless skin and boyish physique and fashion style.

After she qualified for the

swimming event at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, at age 18, she also cut her hair very short, to experience the sensation of swimming with a shaved head that her male teammates talked about, and now she wears her hair with a short quiff. ’Is it a stretch for me to get styled wearing men’s clothes?’ Legler asks. ‘Anyone can look at me for two seconds and know that that part is not so complicated.

I think the part that can feel complicated sometimes is that I also look really fierce in a dress.”

‘It would be a really beautiful thing if we could all just wear what we wanted, without it meaning something, ” Casey says. What I wish is that we all get to be exactly who we are. And sometimes that’s complicated. We have very specific ways in which we identify ourselves as man or woman and I think that sometimes those can be limiting… Seeing me on the men’s board… speaks to the notion of freedom, you know. There’s something really bold about that, and that it really is saying look, there is also this other way, and it’s really rad.”

SINGAPORE: A Singapore taxi driver has been heralded as a hero after he returned $ 865,000 to a Thai couple who left the money in his cab.

Sia Ka Tian (70) was shocked to find the money in a black paper bag on the back seat yesterday after he dropped the couple off at a shopping centre. “ When I saw the money, I thought, trouble is here. I was sure there was at least Sg $ 200,000 in the bag,” the 31- year veteran in the taxi business said.

But when he brought the money to transport company ComfortDelGro’s lostandfound office, his stunned colleagues counted Sg$ 1.1 million in thousand- dollar bills. “ The money is unimportant to me. It doesn’t belong

to me, so how can I use it?” he said.

The Thai couple reported the loss to the transport company and Sia was waiting for them when they arrived to claim the money.

The report did not say what the couple were doing with such a large sum.

The driver received an undisclosed cash reward from the grateful couple, whose names have been

WARSAW: Polish officials said on Tuesday they had arrested a radical nationalist who planned to detonate a vehicle loaded with four metric tonnes of explosives outside parliament, possibly when the president and prime minister were in the building.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said there was a link between the man arrested on suspicion of plotting to blow up Poland’s parliament and Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in gun and bomb attacks in Norway last year.

Tusk told a news conference the Polish bomb

plot suspect “ did not hide his fascination” with Breivik.

He also said an analysis of Breivik’s contacts abroad had helped lead Polish investigators to the suspect.

Prosecutors said the man, a scientist who works

for a university in the southern city of Krakow, had assembled a small arsenal of explosive material, guns and remote- controlled detonators and was trying to recruit others to help him. A video recording taken from the suspect

showed what prosecutors said was a test explosion he conducted, sending up a huge cloud of dust and leaving a large crater in the ground. “ The suspect does not belong to a political group or party. He claims that he was acting on nationalistic, anti- Semitic and xenophobic motives,” prosecutor Mariusz Krason later told a news conference. “ He carried out reconnaissance in the neighbourhood of the Sejm ( parliament). This building was to be the target of the attack. He collected explosives and materials for detonation,” Krason said.

Jeweler Creates Mechanical Creepy Crawlers from Watch Parts and Light Bulbs On his website, Jason Gershenson-Gates says he has always been fascinated with mechanical things. The son of a “gearhead”, and the grandson of a railroad man, he used to always take apart his toys to see how they worked, but never seemed to be able to put them back together again.

Nowadays, he takes apart old watches collected from all over the world and rearranges their parts into fantastic designs. Although his Mechanical Mind jewelry series is nothing short of awe-inspiring, in both size and design, it’s his latest series of mechanical insects that caught my eye.

The idea of making miniature arthropods and insects out of watch parts and dead automotive light bulbs apparently came to him recently, after a jewelry show this past summer. He was experimenting with watch

Singapore cabbie returns $ 865,000 to Thai couple

withheld, and the company also plans to give him an award for good service. “ Finding one million dollars in cash is not an everyday affair and in fact, we wonder how many people would have possibly been tempted to pocket it,” said company spokeswoman Tammy Tan. “We are immensely proud of him and are glad that the passengers recovered their money.”

part anatomy when he decided to create fragile spider and insect legs. One thing led to another, and now Jason has an entire

menagerie of incredibly detailed mechanical creepy crawlers. We’ve featured some pretty amazing works of art made from watch

parts, but JM GershensonGates’ insects have to be the most incredible yet. The level of detail for the scale alone is pretty unbelievable, but it’s the work the artist puts into making every piece that I find most impressive. Each of these tiny masterpiece takes several hours to create, and because the design is too consistent to suffer any breaks, Jason has to complete every one of them in a single sitting. That means he sometimes spends up to 12 hours assembling watch springs, stems, gears and straps, and soldering them all together.

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THE CONTACT

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

OSAMA BIN LADEN BURIAL

‘FEDEX DELIVERED THE PACKAGE’ E-mails among US military officers reveal that no sailors watched Osama bin Laden’s burial at sea and Islamic procedures were followed during the ceremony WASHINGTON: Osama bin Laden was buried at sea from a US warship amid high secrecy that included his body being referred to as “ the package” delivered by “ Fedex”, secret military e- mails reveal.

Among the details revealed are that no sailors were witness to the covert funeral.

The e- mails, which were obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, are the first public disclosure of US government information about the al- Qaeda leader’s death.

The e- mails were released by the Pentagon.

One, marked secure and sent on May 2, describes how bin Laden’s body was washed, wrapped in a white sheet and placed in a weighted bag.

According to another message from the Vinson aircraft carrier’s public affairs officer, only a small group of the ship’s leadership was informed of the burial.

Islamic burial “ Traditional procedures for Islamic burial was followed,” the May 2 e- mail from Rear Admiral Charles Gaouette reads. “ The deceased’s body was washed ( ablution) then placed in a white sheet. The body was placed in a weighted bag. A military officer read prepared religious remarks, which were translated into Arabic by a native speaker. After the words were complete, the body was placed on a prepared flat board, tipped up, whereupon

OBAMA PARDONS COBBLER, THE THANKS GIVING TURKEY

WASHINGTON: Carrying on a centuries- old Thanksgiving tradition, US President Obama pardoned the official White House Thanksgiving turkey at a lighthearted ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, thanking both the bird and its alternate for their service before offering special Thanksgiving wishes to the victims of superstorm Sandy and to US forces abroad.

In a thinly- veiled reference to the presidential election, Obama, joined by his daughters Sasha and Malia for the ceremony, joked that “ life is all about second chances, and this November I could not agree more”. “ So, in the spirit of the season, I have one more gift to give and it goes to a pair of turkeys named Cobbler and Gobbler,” he said.

Noting that the official White House turkey was

selected via a highly competitive online vote — Gobbler was elected to be Cobbler’s alternate — he said: “ The American people have spoken and these birds are moving forward.” Striking a more serious note, the president reflected on the holiday as a “ chance to spend time with the people we care about and to give thanks for the blessings we enjoy,” as well as an opportunity to “ remember those who are less fortunate”. “ This year that’s particularly true for our neighbours in the Northeast who have lost their homes, possessions , and even their loved ones to Hurricane Sandy,” he said.

After issuing the official pardon, he encouraged his daughters to pet the 19- week old, bird.

Sasha, the younger, complied; giggling, Malia kept her distance.

the deceased’s body slid into the sea.” The then deputy commander of the navy’s Fifth Fleet, and another officer also used codewords when discussing whether or not the helicopter carrying the body had arrived on the Vinson. “ Any news on the package for us?” he asked Rear Adm Samuel Perez, commander of the carrier strike group that included the Vinson. “ FedEx delivered the package,” Rear Adm Perez responded. “ Both trucks are safely en- route home base.” An e- mail from Rear Admiral Charles Gaouette had also included reference to the degree of secrecy surrounding the mission saying: “ The paucity of documentary evidence in our possession is a reflection of the emphasis placed on operational security during the execution of this phase of the operation.”

Secretive Although the Obama administration has pledged to be the most transparent in American history, it is keeping a tight hold on materials related to the bin Laden raid.

In a response to separate requests from AP for information about the mission, the Defence Department said in March that it could not locate any photographs or video taken during the raid or showing bin Laden’s body. It also said it could not find any images of bin Laden’s body on the Vinson.

The Pentagon also said it could not find any death certificate, post- mortem report or results of DNA identification tests for bin Laden, or any preraid materials discussing how the government planned to dispose of bin Laden’s body if he were killed.

The Defence Department also refused to confirm or deny the existence of helicopter maintenance logs and reports about the performance of military gear used in the raid.

Japanese man holds 5 hostage with knife, demands PM resign TOKYO: A man armed with a knife took five people hostage at a Japanese bank, police said, with local media reporting he was demanding Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s cabinet resign.

About seven hours after the drama began the man released one hostage, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Television footage showed a woman walking away from the bank as night fell, escorted by a police officer and apparently handcuffed.

She was not immediately identified and the reason for the handcuffs was unclear.

The hostage- taking happened at the Zoshi branch of the Toyokawa Shinkin Bank in the central prefecture of Aichi in the early afternoon, a police spokesman said with-

out elaborating.

Local media said the man, wielding a survival knife, took four employees and a female customer captive and was demanding the Noda cabinet step down as well as asking to speak to journalists.

Noda last week called an election for December 16. He is expected to

lose, with polls suggesting the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party will be the biggest party.

The hostage- taker was originally said to be in his 30s or 40s but later reports suggested he was in his 50s. NHK said there was no report of injuries to the hostages and the man had made no demands for money.

However, he was asking for 10 days’ worth of food and water.

Broadcasters said he had also demanded cigarettes and a lighter. Shutters were down all over it but lights could be seen inside.

TV footage showed the area around the bank sealed off and guarded by police.

Mischa Barton presents $302,985 World's Most Expensive iPhone 5 case by UUnique London The ultimate fusion of catwalk inspired fashion and device protection, UUnique London, the British makers of luxury mobile cases and pouches with a fashion edge has now teamed with Mischa Barton, the sought-after Hollywood actress and an upcoming fashion designer, to create a fashionable line of covers for iPhone and iPad. And, at an exclusive event held at Kensington Road Gardens, London, Mischa Barton presented the ultimate bling-accessory, the $302,985 London Lotus iPhone case is now officially the ‘world’s most expensive iPhone 5 case,’ the title which was earlier held by the $100,000 iPhone 5 case from The Natural Sapphire Company who have also designed the world's most expensive iPad Mini case.

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

World’s L ongest W ord Has 189,819 Charlie Chaplin's hat Longest Word Letters, T akes 3.5 Hours to Pronounce and cane fetch $40,000 Takes The full chemical name of the world’s largest known protein has 189,819 letters and is considered the longest word in any language. If you’re one of those people who loves to watch paint dry, you can even watch a 3.5-hour video of a guy pronouncing the whole name.

Titin, also known as connectin, is a giant protein composed of 244 individually folded protein domains connected by unstructured peptide sequences. Also, the gene

60,000, at auction

for titin contains the largest number of exons (363) discovered in any single gene. Titin is important in the contraction of striated muscle tissues, but it’s mostly known for its technical name, which is sometimes referred to as the longest known word in any language. The name

“titin” is derived from the Greek “titan” (a giant deity, anything of great size), but it’s the full chemical name that really does it justice. I could just paste it in this post,

but it would take you forever just to scroll through it, so I’m just going to say it starts with methionyl… and ends …isoleucine. You can fill in the middle part yourself. But if you’re really curious to hear someone pronounce the world’s longest word, there’s a boring cool video of some Russian-sounding guy who takes around 3.5 hours to go through all the letters, and even grows a beard in the process. After a while, it all starts to sound like mumbling, but you have to ad-

mire the poor guy for his effort.

For obvious reasons, the full chemical name of titin is not listed in dictionaries, as many lexicographers regard generic names of chemical compounds as verbal formulae, not English words. Well, call it what you will, a word, a formulae, a short story, this thing, whatever it is, is pretty darn long.

Geekologie even has a text file with the name available for download, but just looking at it just makes my eyes hurt.

Chaplin’s hat and cane, which fetched more than the initial estimate of $40,000-60,000, are synonymous with his Little Tramp character in films such as City Lights and Modern Times.

Bonhams memorabilia specialist Lucy Carr said earlier it is unknown how many of Chaplin’s bowlers and canes still exist. Those auctioned on Sunday are from a private collection but have a direct link to Chaplin, Carr said.

Chaplin’s hat and cane were the highlights of the auction. Other items included a handwritten letter from John Lennon in which the Beatle sketched

himself and Yoko Ono nude. There was also an archive of Marilyn Monroe photographs.

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Poor Chinese Family Make Their Home in Public Toilet

A family of migrant workers in China too poor to rent a proper apartment, have made their home in a public restroom, on Beijing Road, the busiest and most popular shopping strip in Guangzhou.

Earlier this year, I wrote a post about a resourceful Chinese family in Shenyang who managed to turn an abandoned public restroom into a cozy home. Their story was

pretty unbelievable, but the one I’m presenting today is even more so. 33-year-old Liao Xiaoming, his wife and their child all live in a functional public toilet on the busiest street in all of Guangdong province. Not wanting to leave their child behind in their native village as they left to the big city in search of a better life, the two accepted the job of contract public restroom cleaners, because kids of

contract cleaners can attend local schools in Guangdong without paying temporary schooling fees.

Normally, Chinese residency restrictions prevent children of migrant workers from attending local public schools in cities where they parents are serving.

Since their child’s education is very important, the two parents agreed to the contract, even if that meant they had to live in it

too.

Their unusual home is located on Beijing Road, in between shops and billboards, and has a small sign above that reads “public toilet”. The pathway leading to the toilet is so narrow that it’s hard to imagine how a slightly overweight person could make their way through. Inside, the restroom looks clean enough, thanks to the efforts of Wang Xuanna and Liao Xiaoming, but it’s not somewhere where you’imagine someone could live. As you walk by the cubicles you can see a small room, barely 2 meters by 2 meters in size.

This is where Wang cooks and deposits most of their stuff. It’s also where they eat dinner as people walk in and out of the public toilet. Luckily, they also have a small attic above the room, where they sleep and where they like to hang out, watch TV and play cards, from time to time.

Their bathroom is the toilet

for disabled people, where a shower means rubbing their bodies with soap and washing it off with a bucket of hot water. It’s hardly the ideal home, but the son comments “as long as we have a place to sleep…”

Wang and Liao wanted to rent a studio, where they could raise their 13year-old son properly, but renting a mere bed in the nearby neighborhoods costs 400 yuan ($64) a month. Their monthly salary is 3000 yuan, barely enough to cover all of their daily expenses and the boy’s books. “If not for my son’s education, we wouldn’t have taken this job. It’s not paying well.

We can earn much more if we go back to our village, growing vegetables and

raising pigs. Besides, we have a much bigger house back home,” the husband says. But his wife seems more optimistic: “Happiness isn’t about money.

Happiness is about a loving family. I feel happy because my husband cares about me and my son is a good boy.” Her only wish is that he son does well in school. Once he graduates from college and lands his first job, she and her husband will be carefree. This story proves China’s economic growth can be deceiving. The truth is the gap between the country’s rich and poor has never been wider, and while some people bathe in luxury, others are struggling to make ends meet and put their kids through school.

Incredibly Detailed 34 Meter Japan Develops Shock Long Train Model Is Made Absorbing Electric Car Entirely from Chocolate

Covered in Airbags

Created by master chocolatier Andrew Farrugia, from Malta, this edible train model has set a new Guinness World Record the longest chocolate structure in the world.

It measures a whopping 34 meters in length and features every detail of a classic steam-powered choo-choo.

Unveiled at the “Brussels Chocolate Week”, in Belgium’s capital city, this tasty masterpiece had everyone drooling. Made of 2,755 pounds (1250 kilos) of the finest Belgian chocolate, donated by chocolate brand Belcolade, this 34-meterlong steam train replica took Maltese chocolate artist Andrew Farrugia a painstaking 784 hours to

complete. If you’re wondering about calorie volume, this delicious masterpiece packs a massive 6.5 million calories.

Farrugia got the idea for the train last year, when visiting Belgian Chocolate Festival in Bruge. ”I had this idea for a while, and I said what do you think if we do this realization of a long chocolate train, you know, because a train you can make it as long as you like,” he told the press.

The chocolicious train is made of two parts: the first seven wagons are modeled after the new Belgian trains, and the rest of the train is modeled after the old train wagons, including a wagon with a bar and restaurant on board.

The artist created the mas-

terpiece in his home country of Malta, and had all its different parts transported to Belgium in 25 wooden boxes. Unfortunately, the train sustained considerable damage during the trip, and several of the train’s walls had completely collapsed. But, after working day and night to repair everything, the train was ready for the big unveiling, which took place.

After measuring the train and confirming no other materials but chocolate were used, Guinness Book officials declared it to be the longest chocolate structure in the world.

It’s still not the largest chocolate sculpture ever created, but it’s definitely impressive to look at.

Hiroshima University-affiliated startup business Humanix has recently revealed a three-wheel electric vehicle, called iSAVE YOU, which is covered in covered with an airbag-like cushion material that springs back to its original form after absorbing impacts.

You hear that, auto-makers around the world? You’re doing it wrong, airbags go on the OUTSIDE of the not the inside! At least according to Japanese company Humanix, whose golf-cart-like vehicle, iSAVE YOU, is covered in airbags.

Researchers from the University of Hiroshima formed the venture company to sell their innovative creation for 790,000 yen ($9,740 USD). Professor Tsutomu, president of Humanix, told Japanese magazine Sponichi Annex that “the car will be perfect for our rapidly aging society and that there are already many requests for it from the elderly and disabled.” The cushions covering the vehicle are made of a tent fabric and sponge, and will absorb shock waves in case of an impact, protecting both the passengers and pedestrians. The iSAVE YOU can run up to 30 km on a single charge and and can be recharged from any regular household electrical outlet.

According to the Humanix website, the biggest advantage of using a vehicle like iSAVE YOU, apart from the safety aspect, is the ease of registration. The iSAVE YOU vehicle can be registered as a trike (a bicycle with a light side-car) and it only requires a single, simple (almost free) inspection and registration procedures at the Light Motor Vehicle Inspection Center rather that the regular, instead of the regular “Shaken” registration which costs over 100,000 yen ($,1000+). Also, driving one of these three-wheeled vehicles doesn’t require proof of a costly parking space, or any liability insurance. Still, I don’t see how those exterior airbags are going to protect anyone from a serious impact with an SUV, for example…

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With a rather impressive track record at the box office and an equally notable list of films in her kitty, actor Anushka Sharma has a lot to be proud of. More so, since she is no industry kid and has made it big completely on her own. Although the actor does admit that being a star kid has its advantages, she believes that belonging to a non-filmy family has its pluses too. “As a star-kid, you automatically come in with the tag of a star in a way, so that definitely works to a great extent. But the best thing about being an outsider is that I have nothing to lose. I can take risks and experiment more when it comes to my roles. But more than that I think it keeps you rooted to reality. I am happy with my tag of being an outsider,” says Anushka. But ask her if things would have been different post her debut Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi had she been from a film family and she agrees. “Maybe, who knows… But, I have no complaints about having come up the hard way. I did not become a star overnight, but I am glad that I could prove my worth with my very next film where I was not piggy-backing on a bigger co-star,” says Anushka talking about her second hit Band Baajaa Baarat.

Currently, however, she’s high on the praise she’s been garnering for her recent outing Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Point out that she’s not the quintessential Yash Chopra heroine in the film, and she agrees. “It was like he broke his own mould of a heroine with my character to a large extent, or rather extended it to include this facet too,” shares Anushka, adding that no matter how the film would have done commercially, it would always

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Actor Anushka Sharma talks about work, friends and reveals why she loves the ‘outsider’ tag be special for her. Did working with her first co-star Shah Rukh Khan again add to the charm? “Definitely.

Shah Rukh and I did not become friends instantly during our first film.

But it was different in that sense during this film,” she reveals.

Ask Anushka if she thinks that it’s possible to have real friends in the industry considering all the competition, and she reveals that she prefers not to get too close with the people she works with. “The d e marcation is a fine line, but it’s there. I prefer keeping work separate from my personal life and that includes friends. I am very cordial with the people I work with, but when it comes to friends, none of them are from the industry and I prefer it like that. I want to be working with people because I respect their talent, not only because I get along well with them. People may mistake that as snobbery, but that’s the way I am,” she states firmly.

What about her many linkups? “People can assume or imagine what they like, but those rumours don’t bother me. What I would be upset about, however is if people would make wrong comments about my professionalism. I take that very seriously.

After all, that’s what I am here for,” smiles Anushka.

‘I love being a baddie!’

Actor Tusshar Kapoor was keen on having a quiet birthday over dinner with close friends and family even though he had more than one reason to celebrate.

Apart from the success of his recent films, Tusshar has several more films under his belt to bank on, including the raw action flick Shootout At Wadala.

But adding smiles to his face were the compliments he’s been getting for his new muscled avatar.

Though Tusshar’s always been into fitness, he’s now more into weight-training and was delighted that the results are being noticed, says a source.“I have always been very health-conscious and have worked out more keeping in mind fitness than have that muscled look, but I’m training towards a leaner body now,” he shares. Ask him if it’s a bid to break away from the chocolatehero image to fit the meaner gangster character he will soon be seen playing in SAW and he says, “Only to some extent. The idea was to look convincing when

doing action or pulling off risky stunts that I have done in the film.”

Tusshar had played a grey character earlier in Shootout At Lokhandwala, which was a far cry from the kind of roles that he’s played onscreen. “I love being a baddie. I find roles like these more interesting. They give me more to explore as an actor. So, I prefer playing a layered character than an out-and-out romantic guy. To some point even my role in Golmaal was interesting, as it’s not the regular hero at all. It was again challenging to emote without talking,” shares Tusshar.

“But what I would really like to do is maybe a horror flick. I love the genre and would love to act in one too. It will be a challenge,” adds the actor.But doesn’t he miss being the romantic hero that shot him to success at the box-office right from his debut. “I think the audience wants to see real characters.

Even if it’s a romantic hero, they want him to be relatable, so if a film comes that fits the bill then yes, I’m game. But like I said, I want to take myself to places I have not visited before as an actor and not repeat what’s already done,” says Tusshar.

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The actor shares what brought him joy in this action-packed year

The birth of his son, success of his TV show, taking his Ammi for Haj, starring in a psycho thriller and getting back to action films — Aamir Khan has had a lot going for him this year. Speaking about the upcoming year, he says, “Satyamev Jayate 2 is in its research phase and we’ll start shooting after I am done with Dhoom 3 and PK.” Talk about the criticism after he displayed waterworks during the TV show, and he says, “I did that show because I am a sensitive man because of my upbringing. There were moments when I had tears in my eyes. Critics can make fun of me, but I will do what I have to with full honesty. I am not answerable to anyone.” He adds, “The biggest learning from Satyamev has been community living and women empowerment. This time for Raksha Bandhan, I told my sister Nikhat that I too will tie her a rakhi as she also has the power to protect me.” Speaking about his personal life, Aamir reveals his three most favourite people in the world.

“Coincidentally, the top three contenders are women — Ammi, my former-wife Reena and my wife Kiran. These women have the greatest impact on my life in their own ways,” he confesses. The actor recalls a childhood incident. “As a

kid, I was a state-level tennis player.

When I’d come home after a match, Ammi would want to know the outcome. Most often my answer would be, I won. But one-day she shook me up saying, ‘I am sure the person who lost to you would have to acknowledge his defeat in front of his mother.’ From then on, I started treating my opponent as a human being and would give him a hug even though he’d lost,” Aamir tells the audience during the shooting of a special episode for Star Parivaar, where he’d asked for hard-hitting questions from the audience.It is no surprise then that the actor-producer-director puts moments of joy in personal life above professional triumphs. “I remember after sharing a 16-year journey with Reena before we mutually decided to go separate ways. I took a fouryear break to heal my wounds. It was specially hard for my kids, Junaid and Ira, who were so young. I spent as much time with them as possible,” he reveals. “Our son Azad, who is almost one, has brought a lot of joy in our lives and as his name suggests, he was an answer to our prayers that spelled freedom through surrogacy,” says the proud father and adds, “The birth of my kids and taking Ammi for Haj will always live on in my heart as most cherished memories.”

With her dusky skin-tone and her style quotient, one could consider Bipasha Basu to be one of the most stylish actors in the industry. The bong beauty never fails to make a statement with fashion or hairstyle.

Keeping in line with that, the actor recently gave her fans a glance of her new glam look, which is said to have been inspired from a character on the popular US TV series New Girl.

A source close to Bipasha confirms, “Her new look, which includes a new hairstyle is based on one of her favourite shows on television — New Girl. The US sitcom has a part-Indian character called Cece played by actor Hannah Simone. Bips is quite fond of the character.” The sitcom revolves around Jess (Zooey Deschanel), who after a bad break-up, moves into a loft with three single men.

Recently, the actor unveiled her new hairstyle on the micro-blogging site Twitter. Bips looks dapper with blonde and platinum streaks along with a fringe. Her tweet said, “Reinvention is the key to feeling fresh and new forever! Change of hair style plays a big difference to the way you look and feel.”

The buzz is that in addition to the new hair-do, Bipasha has been hitting the gym with a vengeance lately. She is out to lose all the extra kilos that she may have gained. “She has been working out almost three times a day. Doing cardio for one session, weights for the next and going for a 10 km run in the evenings,” the source reveals.

The actor is also currently busy with the post-production work of her upcoming thriller Aatma.

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Aditi’s on cloud nine

With Murder 3 slated for release and Boss in her kitty, Aditi Rao Hydari is on a new high. The actor feels that her consistent efforts for the last three years are finally paying off.

Aditi did not start her career in Bollywood with a bang as a leading lady, but she has no regrets about not getting the dream debut. “Getting a start like Parineeti Chopra is very rare. I had no contacts in the industry, so I had to work my way up. But I am really grateful for the great offers and opportunities coming my way,” shares Aditi, who will soon be seen playing the leading lady in Boss, even though Akshay Kumar will be seen sans a romantic interest in the film.

Shedding her innocent image, she reiterates that she wants to retain her own brand of sensuality. “I don’t know why exposing cleavage down to belly button is the only parameter for being hot... Why can’t innocence be sensual as it is a heady mix?” she quips and adds, “Working with the Bhatt camp was a pleasant experience and Murder 3 is slated for a February release.”

She also reveals that when she had worked with filmmaker Sudhir Mishra in Yeh Saali Zindagi, people had raised doubts about her mouthing gaalis with an innocent face. “Sudhir had come to my defense saying that this contrast will work in my favour as audience will be able to empathise with me. I have total faith in the directors that I have worked with,” Aditi says and adds that she only has a problem when someone objectifies a heroine onscreen rather than relate to the character she is playing. “If two people are making love then you can flow with the emotions but if someone is facing the camera in a bikini for no reason, then you are bound to think

Kevin James is a good Kisser : Hayek The 46-year-old has to lock lips with the actor in her latest movie Here Comes The Boom and she admits it was a “weird” experience because he is her friend.

“I did want a double for the kissing scene because I’m really good friends with his wife and children. I’ve been kissing people on the screen all the time, but we’re actually really good friends and the kids as well. It’s the kid thing,” contactmusic.com quoted Hayek as saying.

“By the way, it was really weird because he’s actually a very good kisser!

It was not a real kiss. It was through a fence. No-

body opened their mouth.

But he does have good lips,” she added.

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Shilpa’s back in action!

As if being voted the sexiest woman, the most popular star among kids and winning many such polls in addition to ruling the BO wasn’t enough to make Katrina Kaif smile, the actor was compared to Hollywood star Julia Roberts at a recent awards event. While Katrina’s always been considered one of the most bankable female stars of Bollywood by trade in the film industry and brand markets too, being compared to the international actor made Katrina very excited and emotional too as Julia happens to be one of Kat’s favourite stars. “It feels wonderful to be compared to Julia Roberts...” says Katrina. But she still maintains that what matters to her most is acceptance from the audience. “It’s very flattering and overwhelming to have the constant love and support of your fans.

And that’s what has always been important to me. I think it’s the audiences who have to actually

The actor’s been shooting for her brand endorsements, but big screen plans still on hold

come and see your films,” adds Katrina. The actor who had a double dhamaka at the box office first with the `200 crore blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger with Salman Khan and then another hit Jab Tak Hai Jaan with Shah Rukh Khan recently is currently busy working on Dhoom 3 with Aamir Khan, which

completes her film list with the Khan troika.

Trade analyst Komal Nahta points out that the comparisons are absolutely justified. "Look at her track record. Just like Julia

Actor Shilpa Shetty and businessman hubby Raj Kundra will be celebrating their third anniversary today and ahead of the big day, the actor who is currently in Bangkok took to tweeting about it. What makes it special for the couple is the fact that it is son Viaan’s first international trip, and also a first trip abroad for Shilpa who hasn’t travelled out of India for a year now. “Hey Tweeto’s in Bangkok 4 an ad shoot.@ViaanRajKundra 1st international trip.

So much packing nearly carried whole house!!! phew!!,” read her tweet, to which she later added, “Completing 3 years of marriage on the 22nd Nov so thght this wud be a nice break.Travelling out of the country after a year!! Feels so good!”

But while Shilpa seems to have returned to facing camera for her brand endorsements, film plans are apparently still on hold, even though she has several offers to consider. The actor had earlier said that she’s in no rush to get back to acting again, even though she’s been sharing her inputs in the working of her production house as well as Raj’s Super Fight League from time to time. “I just want to enjoy motherhood to the hilt and not feel distracted by anything. I have worked so much that in terms of roles, I can’t say I am missing doing anything now,” she’d said. is considered bankable in Hollywood, Katrina is just as bankable in Bollywood and she's proven it too.

She's been topping polls, is the face of some of the biggest brands, and hitting

jackpots at the BO. People are beyond talking about her luck now and giving Katrina her due. She's proving her talent time and again by being hardworking, and it all shows now," says Komal.

Royal treat for SRK! Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco will host a special dinner at his palace for Bollywood stars attending the 12th Marrakech International Film FestivalThe 12th Marrakech International Film Festival (November 30 to December 8) which is paying a special tribute to Bollywood to celebrate the Indian cinema completing 100 years is set to witness a strong Bollywood presence. Apart from the several star-studded screenings lined up, including one to pay a special tribute to the late filmmaker Yash Chopra, the Bollywood contingent led

by Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured at a special ceremony on December 1.

A source reveals that post this ceremony, the Prince of Morocco Moulay Rachid, will host a special royal dinner in honour of Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan Hrithik and Susanne Roshan, Karan Johar, Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, Tabu, Arjun and Mehr Rampal, Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap and Kalki Koechlin, Abhay Deol as well as newbies Siddharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan at his palace. “The Prince has met

SRK earlier too and was keen to host him and Gauri again. He was keen on meeting Hrithik as well. The Prince has sent out invitations already,” says an insider.

Last year, SRK was treated like a state guest when he

visited Morocco to accept the tribute being paid to

him at the film festival, and reportedly he was the first Bollywood star to receive the honour. King Khan was a royal guest of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid and was said to be thrilled with his visit there.

Katie Price empty from inside: Penna Argentine model Leandro Penna says he will never go back to exgirlfriend Katie Price because she is empty from inside. Penna started dating the 34-year-old in February 2011 before breaking up last month.He revealed he could not get back together with her because he feels he never knew the “real” her, reports-contactmusic.com.

“Leaving her was the best decision I ever made. She was still messaging me two weeks ago, begging me to come back, but I’m never going back and I’ve told her to leave me alone,” he said.

“I feel Katie tricked

me into leaving my life in Argentina. She saw our relationship as a business and she loves being famous. She made a lot of money out of me with her reality show and by selling pictures and interviews.

Inside, she’s empty,” he added.

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Issue #485 (26)

DEEPIKA’S Actor Deepika Padukone, who has hit the right chords at the box-office in the past, is now excited about her two upcoming films — Abbas Mustan’s Race 2 and Ayan Mukherjee’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. “They are two extremely different films to begin with, so each has its own fun. As an actor I want to explore as many emotions onscreen as possible and not stick to a genre just because it’s

living it up! worked for me,” she’d said referring to trying her hand at action apart from the romcoms that she is often associated with.

“Be it an Aarakshan or a Cocktail, I am just glad that people have accepted me in all roles,” she added.

As for juggling time between her

...Even as the actor’s hectic schedule leaves her with little time for herself films and endorsements, she admits that the pace does get hectic, “but I am living it up work-style” and adds she has no complaints. “Why would there be any. I am doing things that I enjoy, so it’s okay,” quips Deepika.

About Race 2, which will see her in an action avatar, Deepika says that it was thrilling to push the envelope. “Things like these challenge you out of your comfort zone and keep you on your toes, so it’s something I look forward to as well,” she adds.

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Size zero

The actor was asked to lose more weight for her next flick

for Shazahn

Actor Shazahn Padamsee, who was last seen in director Sajid Khan’s comic caper Housefull 2, is gearing up for her next film Disco Valley. And to everyone’s surprise, the already lean actor has been asked to shed more weight for her character in the film. A source informs, “Siddhartha Jain’s Disco Valley is an out-and-out youth oriented film in which Shazahn’s character plays an integral part. To get the right physical fit, she was asked to lose a few more kilos in a short span of time by the producer. The filmmakers want her character to have that sleek and slender look in the film as it suits the character. Though Shazahn personally doesn’t believe in the concept of size zero, she is professional. So, she followed a very strict diet for almost a month to get her new lean look.”

Shazahn says, “I am a big foodie so I can’t crash diet, but I needed to get the lean look in very little time. So I started following a very healthy diet which consists of eggs and toast in the morning, sabzi and ragi rotis for lunch, fruits in the evening and soup and grilled fish at night.

Issue #485 (27)

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Muscly boys aren't just a hit with the girls After a summer witnessing ups as a test of muscle crowds of screaming girls strength.The scientists found jostling to catch a glimpse of those with low strength, weak Olympic diver Tod Daley's toned legs and arms and with a limp torso, there can't have been grip, were more likely to die many young men earlier. The report who didn't feel a They live longer, too also suggests that twinge of jealousy. physically weaker But now it seems people might be there could be more more mentally to having the vulnerable.But the teenager's athletic study, published in physique than the BMJ, stressed unfailing female that it does not attention - it could mean building help you live longer muscle through too. A team of excessive weight researchers from training would make Sweden have found muscular you live longer. They have boys will live longer than their concluded that a basis of weaker friends.And even if they muscle strength instead reflects are overweight by the time they general fitness.Over the course get to adulthood, those with of the study, 26,145 of the men stronger muscles tend to live died.The leading single cause longer. The team tracked more of death was accidental injury, than one million Swedish male followed by suicide, cancer, adolescents, all conscripts to heart disease and stroke.A the army and aged 16 to 19, third of the deaths were due over a period of 24 years.The to other causes and the teenagers were asked to grip researchers grouped these and to do leg curls and arm push together for their calculations.

Swedish woman accused of having sex in flat with SKELETONS A 37-year-old woman allegedly kept skeleton parts in her flat so she could have sex with them.The Swedish woman is suspected of using 100 parts,

After police find 100 body parts which included six skulls and one backbone, in 'sexual situations' and was charged with violating the peace of the deceased, prosecutors said.

Police also allegedly found CDs titled 'My Necrophilia' and 'My first experience' as well as photos in which a woman is seen kissing and hugging the skulls, reported Swedish news agency TT.The woman, who comes from south-western Sweden, was charged at Gothenburg District Court today, but has denied the allegations claiming she collected the bones out of historical interest.

The Goeteborgsposten newspaper alleged that she

Three doctors removed from inquiry into death of mother refused an abortion in Ireland As they worked at hospital where she died The independence of a probe into the death of a mother who was refused an abortion in Ireland has been questioned after a series of blunders.

The HSE investigation has bowed to pressure to remove three doctors from the sevenmember inquiry panel because they were from Galway University Hospital, the hospital where Savita Halappanavar died, after a conflict of interest was questioned.Now it has emerged that the professor leading the investigation had previously helped write a report which was written in favour of more liberal abortion laws.Mrs Halappanavar, 31, died of blood poisoning after Irish doctors refused her an abortion at 17 weeks pregnant when she began miscarrying.

She died of septicaemia a week later on October 28.

Her grieving husband Praveen Halappanavar, 34, told how he begged doctors at Galway University Hospital to terminate the pregnancy, but they refused to do so because she was 'in a Catholic country' and the foetus's heartbeat was still present.

In a recent interview he said that he has no intention of cooperating with the HSE investigation.Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has said that the three replacement experts would 'have no connection at all with Galway University Hospital. In that sense the investigation will be completely and utterly independent'.

Pro-life campaigners have argued that the head investigator,

Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, head of obstetrics and gynaecology and deputy head of clinical sciences at St George's Hospital in London, should not be allowed to stay on after revelations about a medical paper he co-wrote in 2009. The paper, entitled Safer Childbirth: A Rights-Based Approach, says that countries with more liberal abortion laws have lower death rates from pregnancy.

The HSE stated that it would be challenging to find any obstetrician who did not have an opinion on pro-life or pro-choice issues and argued that Prof Arulkumaran's qualification in the field was 'beyond reproach' and that his opinions previously expressed were irrelevant to the probe.In response to Mr Halappanavar's refusal to help the investigation, Prof Arulkumaran hoped to persuade the grieving husband to talk to investigators. His testimony on Mrs Halappanavar's care was essential to identifying problems, the professor said.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in rallies around

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Ireland on Saturday to pay tribute to Mrs Halappanavar as campaigners demanded changes in the law to allow abortion in the case where the mother's life is in danger.The Irish Health Minister James Reilly is set to present a report to Cabinet next week from a group of abortion experts but will not make any recommendation.The Irish Council for Civil Liberties is pushing for an independent inquiry. They said that the best way to involve hospital staff in the investigation was to call them as witnesses rather than panel members.Director Mark Kelly was quoted in the Irish Independent saying: 'This remains an internal HSE investigation into the conduct of persons employed by the HSE.' India's ambassador to Ireland said last week that Mrs Halappanavar might still be alive today if she had been treated in India. ebashish Chakravarti told RTÉ radio that he hoped the Irish government would take steps to ensure the circumstances which led to her death never arose again.

wrote on an internet forum a few years ago: 'My morals set my limits and I'm prepared to take the punishment if something should happen. 'It's worth it. I want my man like he is, whether he is dead or alive. He allows me to find sexual happiness on the side.'

Photos from a morgue were found hidden in the woman's home, as well as a drill and body bags, reported French news agency AFP. But police have found no proof that she was a grave-digger.The woman, who

has admitted that the items were kept in her apartment but denies doing anything wrong, was arrested in September and faces up to two years in jail if found guilty. 'Some of the photos show a woman licking a skull,' prosecutor Kristina EhrenborgStaffas told The Local newspaper in Sweden. 'We claim it's her, but she claims it's someone else and she found the pictures on the internet.' She sold three skulls and a spine to a person in Uppsala earlier this year, prosecutors said.

Get ready for mobile phones that BEND, stretch, and even fold into your wallet!

Samsung unveils plan for smartphones with bendable screens 'next year' Next year could bring a new twist in the evolution of the smartphone.Samsung are gearing up to produce flexible, unbreakable mobile phone screens that can be bent, twisted and even folded up and put in your wallet.The South Korean tech giant reportedly has the flexible screens in the final stage of development and will be ready to ship them next year.

The breakthrough has been made by through the use of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), which are thin and can be put on flexible material such as plastic or metal foil.

Samsung is not the only company to have invested heavily in research into flexible screens using OLEDs. Companies including Japan's Sony and LG Display, also of South Korea have launched prototypes.However Samsung is the first to promise a launch date for the technology, with an unnamed source 'familiar with the situation' telling the Wall Street Journal they will ship in the first half of 2013.Looking at the release dates of the company's flagship smartphones, the S series, that suggests that the first device to feature the flexible screen technology could be the yet to be announced S4.The company's move to produce the flexible displays comes as smartphone and tablet makers search for ways to differentiate their products in a market where customers face a glut of

almost identical products.

Vinita Jakhanwal, director of mobile and emerging displays and technology at IHS Electronics and Media, told Tech News World: 'Flexible AMOLEDs can help Samsung differentiate its products in a smartphone market where most products offer similar products and functionality.' Even if Samsung were not able to able able to commercialise flexible screens straight away, making their screens out of plastic rather than glass would make their devices lighter, more durable and cheaper than rivals'.

A common bugbear with the kinds of touchscreen displays often used on mobile devices is that they are brittle and prone to cracking. Replacing the glass now used with plastic would solve that problem.

Samsung had previously promised to bring flexible displays to market this year, but that deadline came and went without any announcement from the company.However, the company's push for innovation has become more urgent as other display makers are also introducing different technologies for mobile phone and tablet screens.Sony has been researching the same flexible screen technology since 2002, and showcased a 4.1in flexible OLED two years ago, the same time as Samsung showed off their version of the technology.

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

THE CONTACT

A group of 90 schoolchildren fled from a volcano in New Zealand dubbed 'Mount Doom' featured in Lord of the Rings after it erupted today.

An ash plume more than 5,280ft high was seen emitting from the Te Maari crater on Tongariro Mountain there was a thick smell of sulphur in the air making it difficult to breathe.

The pupils from Napier, who were walking the Tongariro track with six parents and four teachers, are believed to be safe along with other hikers despite being less than a mile from the eruption.

Tamatea Intermediate School teacher Lomi Schaumkel said: 'We were right up there next to it. It was just amazing.

'We were probably only a kilometre away from it. We were right next to one of the signs saying we were out of the danger zone. 'We saw all these tourists running away from it. We didn't stick around long.' A

further 20 pupils from Gulf Harbour School in Whangaparoa with parents and guides were also just 820 yards from where the crater erupted.

Conservation Department area manager Jonathan Maxwell said 30 to 50 people were being

Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rose to record levels last year, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The latest figures intensified fears that the oceans may be running out of capacity to absorb carbon and could lead to devastating impacts on marine life.Billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere are likely to be

trapped for centuries with far-reaching impacts for all life, it was warned. Carbon dioxide, the most important of the greenhouse gases, reached 390.9 parts per million (ppm) - a 40 per cent increase on the 280ppm in the atmosphere before the Industrial revolution began.

Other greenhouse gases are also on the rise and are contributing to the warming caused when the trap heat that would otherwise escape into space.

mountain this year after an eruption on August 6.

The Department of Conservation had previously warned hikers to avoid the summit of Mount Ruapehu.They said that temperature readings by scientists indicated there was an increased

risk of eruption at New Zealand's largest active volcano.GNS had said that temperatures below a lake in the crater of the North Island indicated a vent was partially blocked, leading to increased pressure that made eruptions more likely 'over the next weeks to months'.The eruption lasted for about five minutes and the GNS has updated the alert on Tongariro to level two indicating 'minor eruptive activity'.Airline Air New Zealand have cancelled flights between Taupo and Wellington because of the volcanic activity and the aviation colour code was raised to red which meant there was a 'significant emission of ash' in the atmosphere.An Air New Zealand spokesman said the airline was working with the Civil Aviation Authority and the MetService to monitor the ash cloud. Nearby Lake Rotoaira resident Robyn Bennett said there was a big black ash cloud over her house, about a mile

earth's atmosphere last year than it was in 1990.Rising carbon dioxide levels are considered to be having the most serious impact on global warming and is calculated to be responsible for 85 per cent of the extra trapped heat.

About half the 375billion tonnes of carbon released into the atmosphere, mainly from burning fossil fuels, since 1750 remains trapped in the atmosphere. The rest of it

has been absorbed by carbon 'sinks' including the ocean and forests.Michel Jarraud, the secretary-general of the WMO, warned: 'These billions of tonnes of additional carbon dioxide in our atmosphere will remain there for centuries, causing our planet to warm further and impacting on all aspects of life on earth. Future emissions will only compound the situation.

90 schoolchildren among tourists who flee for their lives

As Lord of the Rings 'Mount Doom' volcano erupts evacuated from the Tongariro Alpine Crossing track and that no injuries had been reported.

State highways in the area have also been closed.

Two bus drivers from Nimon and Sons, who drove the Napier pupils to

the mountain, had reported back to their base that they could see an ash plume one mile high, a spokesman said.GNS Science confirmed that the eruption at the crater happened shortly after 1.20pm today. It is the second eruption on the

Greenhouse gases reached record levels in 2011 Promptin8 warning that global warming can only get worse

Methane levels rose to 1831 parts per billion which are 159 per cent higher than in pre-industrial times while nitrous oxide rose to

324.2ppb, about 20 per cent up on historical levels.

The increases mean that about 30 per cent more heat was trapped in the

On the FBI's most wanted list THE AL-QAEDA RAPPER WITH A 'BARRY WHITE GROWL' WHO USES OUT-OFTUNE HIP-HOP TO CALL FOR HOLY WAR

The world's only known jihadist rapper who uses out-of-tune hip-hop to drum up support for his holy war has been added to the FBI's Most Wanted List.U.S.-born Omar Shafik Hammami is thought to be a senior leader with al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda affiliated group in Somalia which was placed on the U.S. State Department's terror blacklist in 2008.Also known as Abu Mansour alAmriki or 'the American', Hammami has been releasing rap songs in English on the internet since 2009 even though music is forbidden in AlQaeda's strict interpretation of Islam.

In two songs entitled Send Me A Cruise (Missile) and Make Jihad With Me, he taunts the

West in a toneless drone and calls on other young Americans like him to join him on his mission.

In Make Jihad with Me, his singing style is described by ABCNews as a 'deep Barry White growl'.

Others have been even less complimentary, saying his a cappella tunes 'suck'. In the songs, Hammami says he hopes to be killed by a drone strike or in a cruise missile attack so he can achieve martyrdom.He invites young people to join the jihad to 'wipe Israel off the globe' and encourages strikes against the U.S. military in Afghanistan and Somalia.The 28-year-old, who has been indicted in the United States on various terrorism charges, has been the subject of an international arrest warrant

since 2007. Hammami was born and raised to a Syrian father and American mother in a quiet suburb in Daphne, Alabama, but spiralled into radicalism before joining militant jihadists in 2007.He is among hundreds of foreign

fighters in the ranks of the al-Shabaab, Somalia's most dangerous militant group, that is trying to topple the country's weak U.N.-backed government.

He was pulled into the terror network after marrying a Somalian-

Canadian woman and later being 'brainwashed' on internet forums.He moved to Egypt, where he met a fellow fundamentalist from America, Daniel Maldanado, who paved the road to Somalia for him.

However, his wife and the mother of his daughter refused to follow him and asked for a divorce.Earlier this year, he was rumoured to have been beheaded, but a month later he released his autobiography The Story of an American Jihaadi, which critics said contained odd spelling and banal observations.

Al-Shabaab carried out its first international attack in July 2010 in Uganda, killing 76 people watching the World Cup final in two bomb explosions.The group has 'repeatedly threatened terrorist actions

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ against America and American interests,' the Federal Bureau of Investigations said in a statement last week.Also added to the terror most wanted list was Filipino Raddulan Sahiron, wanted for his alleged role in the kidnapping of an American in the Philippines in 1993 by the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group Abu Sayyaf.

Sahiron is believed to be the leader of the group, which was put on the US terror blacklist in 1997, the FBI said.The Abu Sayyaf was set up in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-

Qaeda network, according to the Philippine military, and has been blamed for that nation's worst terrorist attacks.These include the bombing of a passenger ferry in Manila Bay that killed over 100 people in 2004, as well as many kidnappings of foreigners and Filipinos in the Muslimpopulated south of the country where it is based.

The State Department's Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $1million for information leading to the arrest of Sahiron, who is believed to be in the Sulu archipelago.

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

The 'hobbit boy' with feet Taliban shooting victim Malala, 15, is set so big he can barely walk to make Britain her permanent home Will soon be able to play again after groundbreaking treatment

This is the unfortunate teenager whose feet have grown too large to fit any shoes.Teenager Xiao Meng, who has been nicknamed Hobbit boy by schoolmates, was born with congenital neurofibromatosis - a genetic condition which causes the feet to swell abnormally. His family were too poor to pay for treatment and his feet have grown bigger and bigger with age. The 14-year-old will have his feet treated at Shanghai Children's Hospital, China. The

hospital has pledged to give him free care, following a campaign launched by his school teachers and supported by the Chinese media. Doctors first plan to cut away the excess growths from his feet before allowing half a year for recovery. The next stage will be for Xiao to learn how to use his newly trimmed feet. 'We're an ordinary family and it breaks my heart to see him suffer but we have no money for medicine,' explained dad Meng Zhaoguang.

After having a bullet removed from her spine The teenage girl shot by the Taliban for speaking out against militants in Pakistan is expected to make Britain her permanent home.

Malala Yousufzai, 15, is being treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham after having a bullet removed from her spine.Her parents and two brothers flew to Britain last month so that they could be with her.

It is understood that the Pakistani government has now offered her father Ziauddin a job at its consulate in Birmingham.

A source at the consulate said: 'Because of his experience as a teacher and in administrative roles in Pakistan it was decided he would be best placed as a counsellor or administrative assistant.'The initial contract is for a year and the Pakistan government will provide him with a

home in Birmingham and a car. The government feels it has a duty of care to the family and the situation in Pakistan for them is very dangerous.'

Everyone in the Yousufzai family is on a tourist visa and the visas will expire around March 2013.Birmingham Labour MP Khalid Mahmood welcomed the move saying the family would be surrounded by friends and family in Birmingham.

Malala was attacked by Taliban fighters in Mingora, the main town of Swat Valley, on October 9, as

she travelled home from school.She was struck by a bullet just above her left eye after extremists boarded her school bus targeting her for demanding education and standing up for childrens' rights.The bullet travelled down the side of her jaw and damaged her skull, and she was later flown to Britain for treatment.The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has threatened to target Malala and members of her family, raising questions about whether it would be safe for her to return to Pakistan.

Bringing a whole new meaning to belly dancing They might look too big for a tutu, but these women are not part of a weight-loss exercise programme - they are p r o f e s s i o n a l dancers.The dance company based in Cuba's capital of Havana is breaking down traditional stereotypes by giving talented oversized performers the opportunity to showcase their abilities.Danza Voluminosa, which translates as Voluminous Dance, is currently putting on shows to sell-out crowds in the heart of the famous Caribbean island.Established in 1996, the group's latest offering called 'Crisalidas' or 'Chrysalis' continues with its tradition of providing a unique medium of expression for those who, on account of their 'generous' physique, have been excluded from regular dance academies.

Female boss 'forced staff to Gaming addict breaks world record pose for semi-naked photos for longest Call of Duty session As punishment for poor sales'‌and images are leaked on to the internet

A female mobile phone boss in Russia has been accused of 'humiliating' sales managers by forcing them to pose almost naked as 'punishment' for poor sales figures.

Her employees were ordered to strip to their underwear or swimming costumes and their pictures were posted on a closed company website, it is claimed. The site was only accessible to staff of Russian mobile giant MTS - until the pictures were leaked onto the open web with the faces hidden.

Yulia Biktimirova, the accused mobile phone boss, has denied the claim, saying her employees in the region

of Tatarstan were instead willingly posing for pictures to enliven a corporate party. Despite her denial, the head office of MTS - one of the big three mobile networks in Russia - has launched a formal investigation into the claims. An ex-manager, identified only as Sergei R, told the Russian media that Biktimirova 'forced employees to pose half naked if they failed to sell certain goods within a set period of time. If they refused, they lost their money.'One day I just could not cope with such humiliation any longer and abused this top manager. I had to resign afterwards.'

Another source said staff were forced 'to pose

in their underwear or bikinis in their offices'.

Biktimirova insisted: 'Our employees did really pose in swimming costumes in our offices but it was purely their own idea.'They were getting ready for a corporate party and decided to take shocking pictures thinking it would be funny and unusual.'We do not have punishments. Maybe someone from among our sacked staff now wants to make a scandal.' One picture has the words 'central office' scrawled across it, and one of the women workers has the Russian letters from MTS scrawled on one breast and an unknown reference number on the other.

A computer games fanatic battled his way to a new world record by playing 'Call of Duty: Black

After playing nonstop marathon for 135 HOURS Ops 2' - for more than fiveand-a-half days.

Determined Okan Kaya, 28, played the hit game for a total of 135 hours and 50 minutes.

Okan, of Sydney, Australia, smashed the previous record for continuous gaming which stood at 120 hours and seven minutes.

He began his epic session on Tuesday and was allowed to take a ten minute break every hour and kept his energy up with sports drinks and light

meals. Okan, a sales manager for online retailer 4Cabling, said: 'My hands were cramping up and I went through a lot of bandages. I even tried to 'pad up' my controller.'

Guinness allowed the breaks to be stored up and taken at once so Okan was able to sleep for several hours at a time.

Earlier this year a Taiwanese teenager died during a marathon 40-hour

session of Diablo 3.

An incredible eight million copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 were sold on its opening day last week - netting publishers Activision ÂŁ300 million. The game now also hold the records for the most money generated in a day for any entertainment release including the Harry Potter and Star Wars film releases.

Off with her pinky!

How high heel-obsessed women are removing their toes with 'stiletto surgery' for a comfier fit

While foot surgery has been common place for a few years, where women alter their feet to make wearing heels more comfortable, a growing number of women are now cutting off their pinky toes

altogether.The shortening of toes and foot injections are similar surgeries that are popular with stilettoobsessed women who find it too painful for her to wear heels for more than a few minutes.Susan Deming, a

patient who recently underwent a toe-shortening procedure, told Fox News: 'Unless you've been there, and you can't find shoes, and you're in pain, don't judge.'

She added: 'I was having calluses, and just, all sorts of problems with my left foot. And there finally was a solution.

There's never been a

solution before.' According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, 87per cent of women have foot problems from wearing illfitting shoes, such as uncomfortable high heels.For Ms Deming, her left foot was one size larger than her right foot, due to abnormally long left toes.So she underwent a surgical procedure which cut off a

centimeter of her second toe, enabling her to finally wear high heels again. 'I've never felt this good about something I've done. If it's vain, it's vain,' she said.Other foot surgeries include removing bunions, and even injecting collagen into the balls of the feet for extra cushioning.Dr. Nathan Lucas, a podiatrist in Memphis, said: 'It's as if

they're walking on pillows when they wear their high heel shoes.'Dr Lucas, who saw nearly 30 patients per month last year for foot surgeries, also revealed that more women are now requesting removal of their pinky toe.In such instances, he simply refers a doctor who will perform the procedure, which is 'a bit extreme' for him, he said.

Issue #485 (30)

THE CONTACT

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

19-mile crack gives After claims former leader of birth to an iceberg Palestine was poisoned by Israel

A huge iceberg is close to breaking off from Antarctica and 'giving birth' to a new berg.

A growing 19-mile crack in Pine Island Glacier's ice suggests that soon the iceberg

The size of New York City from the world's

biggest glacier will 'calve' - a process where new icebergs will then be released and float away.

Nasa scientists are monitoring activity in the region as, although they describe the process as normal, the location demands that they keep a close eye on the massive ice structure.

ABC News reported that when the new iceberg appears from the huge crack, it could be the size of New York City.The picture, taken by NASA's Terra spacecraft in November 2011 but only released in February shows how the crack is quickly growing.

Just a month before it was only 18 miles long.Pine Island is a huge 30-mile 'tongue' of ice snaking out from the Hudson Mountains to the Amundsen Sea.It drains the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and last calved a significant iceberg in 2001. The crack was first photographed by NASA's Operation Ice Bridge last year. Until the IceBridge flight of NASA's DC-8 in October, no one had seen any evidence

of the ice shelf beginning to break apart. Pine Island has scientists' attention because it is both big and unstable scientists call it the largest source of uncertainty in global sea level rise projections.

But the calving underway is part of a natural process, NASA says. The rift is 260 feet wide along most of its length, but in places it is already 800 feet wide. It is 195ft deep.When the iceberg breaks free it will cover about 350 square miles of surface area.

Radar measurements suggest the ice shelf in the region of the rift is about 1,640ft thick, with only about 160ft of that floating above water and the rest submerged.

It is likely that once the iceberg floats away, the leading edge of the ice shelf will have receded farther than at any time since its location was first recorded in the 1940s.

The remains of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will be exhumed Tuesday as part of a renewed investigation into his death, a Palestinian investigator said Saturday.

Arafat died in November 2004 in a French military hospital, a month after suddenly falling ill. Palestinian officials claim he was poisoned by Israel, but have not presented evidence. Israel has denied such allegations.

Earlier this year, the detection of a lethal radioactive substance in biological traces on Arafat's clothing sparked a new investigation. Tests were inconclusive, and experts said they need to check his remains to learn more.On Tuesday, Swiss, French and Russian experts will take samples from Arafat's bones, said Tawfik Tirawi, who heads the Palestinian team investigating the death. They will examine the samples in their home countries.Arafat will be reburied the same day with military honors, but the ceremony will be closed to the public, Tirawi told a news conference. He did not specify when results would be announced but said the probe could take months.

Earlier this month, workers began prying open the concrete-encased tomb in Arafat's former government headquarters in the West Bank

city of Ramallah.The Palestinian Authority, the selfrule government in the West Bank, had hesitated before agreeing to exhume the remains, in part because of cultural and religious sensitivities.Since midNovember, the gravesite has been surrounded with a blue tarpaulin and roads leading to the Arafat mausoleum were closed. Arafat is still widely revered in the Palestinian territories, and Palestinian officials said they don't want the process observed by media and others.The new probe into his death began this summer, after a Swiss lab discovered traces of polonium-210, a deadly radioactive isotope, on clothes said to be Arafat's. The clothes were provided by Arafat's widow, Suha, and given to the lab by the Arab satellite TV station AlJazeera. Separately, Mrs. Arafat

asked the French government to investigate, while the Palestinian Authority called in Russian experts.

Arafat's death has remained a mystery for many. While the immediate cause of death was a stroke, the underlying source of an illness he suffered in his final weeks has never been clear, leading to persistent conspiracy theories that he had cancer, AIDS or was poisoned.

Many in the Arab world believe Arafat, the face of the Palestinian independence struggle for four decades, was killed by Israel. Israel, which saw Arafat as an obstacle to peace, vehemently denies the charge.There is no guarantee the exhumation will solve the mystery. Polonium-210 is known to rapidly decompose, and experts are divided over whether any remaining samples will be sufficient for testing.

Meet the spider-hunting five-year-olds

Miracle baby born with heart Who munch on tarantulas in the Cambodian jungle that beats OUTSIDE her body Do you flinch at bushtucker trials on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here? If so, then we suggest you look away now.

Unlike the celebrities on the ITV show who struggle to eat creepy crawlies in the jungle, life for these young children in Cambodia sees them enjoy hunting deadly tarantulas and eating them.

They grab the spiders between their tiny fingers, put them in a water bottle, then drown and clean them before they are cooked in hot butter or oil. British photographer George Nickels took these incredible photos after being invited to join the children on a spider hunting expedition.

Mr Nickels, 30, who has been living and working in Cambodia for almost a year, said: 'My first thoughts upon invitation to take part in tarantula hunting were of intrigue and excitement. 'The remote forest village, known as Trov Pheang Ctas, located deep within the Svay Ler district in Cambodia, was somewhere I had never been or heard of, and I assumed there might be both unexploded landmines, and illegal logging activities, as is the case in much of the rural countryside.

'My time there there would be spent documenting the hunt for what is now one of Cambodia's finest delicacies - Haplopelma

Now recovering after life-saving surgery

albostriatum - also known as the thai zebra tarantula.

'When fully grown, these spiders can reach the size of a adult palm - absolutely huge, but no-one is afraid of them.

'The spiders are caught using a very primitive simple yet effective technique, where the hunter will tease the creature from its den by the ways of using a stick to tickle its web to entice the tarantula to the surface.

'The spider pops up but will then retreat deep into its hole, but unfortunately there's no escaping for the spider, as that's when the improvised shovels come into play.

'Once visible the arachnid is quickly plucked plucked from its now destroyed den and grabbed by its back just in front of the abdomen using two fingers, with care taken to avoid a nasty bite

from their rather large fangs.

'Although venomous, the tarantulas are not deadly, and its bite has been described as something close to a very bad bee sting. 'When caught the spiders are delicately put into small plastic bottles and kept there until they are ready to eat. The process used to prepare the catch for eating comprises of filling a bowl with water and jointly drowning and washing the spider in one easy step.

'From catching to eating, the time taken is about 10 minutes, so it really is fast food!

'The method used at this particular jungle hut was very cheap and easy as the family were living in poverty, and so the spiders are tossed in salt and deep fried in reused cooking oil.

'I found them quite edible, with

A baby girl who was born with her small heart beating outside of her body is now remarkably recovering after a revolutionary surgery saved her life.Audrina Cardenas was born with a rare congenital disease where her heart formed outside the chest; though the disease affects only one in eight million, 90 percent of infants with the condition are stillborn or die within days of their birth.But after hours of complicated surgery at the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Audrina is recovering, and her mother Ashley couldn't be more thankful.Audrina had ectopia cordis, causing her heart to be located outside of the body. Incredible video

taken during the surgery shows it beating at a steady pace.Her mother found out about her daughter's lifethreatening condition at a routine check-up at 16 weeks.

Ms Cardenas said she was given three options, each of them difficult in their own right -abort the baby, carry her to term knowing she would die shortly thereafter, or have doctors construct a hole in her unborn baby's chest to make room for the heart.She told the Houston Chronicle that her choice to have her newborn daughter operated on was incredibly difficult. 'You'll never know what it feels like to make that decision until you're faced with it,' she said.

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Spanish tourism minister declared 'an embarrassment' After posing on top of dead deer with its testicles on his head A Spanish politician has sparked outrage after a picture of him posing on top of a dead deer with its hacked-off testicles perched on top of his head was posted online.

Carlos Delgado, Minister of Tourism for the Balearic Islands, has been dubbed 'an embarrassment to the country' with the emergence of the photo that was taken on a hunt last year.Animal rights activists have questioned exactly what type of tourism he is trying to bring to the holiday resorts of Ibiza, Majorca, Minorca, and Formentera - which attract thousands of British tourists each year.ChesĂşs Yuste, of the

2 more set themselves ablaze in Tibet

Tibetans agitating for the return of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama continued to put pressure on China's new leadership with two more protesters burning themselves to death Tuesday, taking the number of selfimmolation attempts to over 80 in recent months.

Two Tibetan herdsmen had died in selfimmolation in provinces of Qinghai and Gansu in northwest China, staterun Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

Tsering Dongdri, 35, died after setting himself afire on Tuesday in the bordering area of Amchok Township in Xiahe County of Gansu. In a separate incident, in Qinghai, a 25year- old man was reported dead due to selfimmolation.

P a r l i a m e n t a r y Association in Defence of Animals, said the picture - which accompanies another one of him posing with a rifle over the deer's corpse - was an example of 'animal abuse'.The politician was dragging Spain back into the 11th Century and significantly degrading the animals

pictured, he said.

And he added: 'You only have to see the pictures to see what the authors of them think and, I think that this is animal abuse.'This kind of action should disappear for the good of society and for the mental health of all. This is harming Spain's image and dragging the country

back to the 11th Century.

'He is a minister for tourism, but what kind of tourism is he promoting here?'

Twitter users have also slammed the governing Popular Party politician, who was Mayor of the CalviĂ municipality at the time of the hunt.

One said: 'He's a brute and a murderer, what kind of person do they have as politicians in Spain?'

Another said: 'The minister needs to go! How would he like it if his testicles, if he has some, were put on his head?

What an imbecile!'

And a third added: 'What the hell is going on with our politicians? This photo is just surreal.'

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

What could possibly go wrong?

Chinese company plans to build world's tallest skyscraper - in just THREE MONTHS A construction company yesterday revealed plans to build the world's tallest skyscraper - in just three months.Sky City in Changsha, southeast China, will be a 220storey structure standing at an incredible 2,749ft (838m).It will house 17,400 people and also boast hotels, hospitals, schools and office space with occupants using 104 high-speed lifts to get around.The half-mile high superstructure will be 32ft taller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai - the current tallest building - and is expected to cost almost half as much.It will dwarf the Shard in London, standing more than 530m above the western Europe's tallest building and, when completed, will mean nine of the 10 tallest skyscrapers in the world are in Asia. But the most impressive thing about

Does eating chocolate make you clever?

Does eating chocolate make you clever?

It seems that might well be the case after scientists in New York found the higher a country's chocolate consumption, the more Nobel laureates it spawns.

The new research, published in the New

average in the table (see below).Dr Messerli, a Swiss doctor now working at Columbia University in New York, told Reuters Health: 'I started plotting this in a hotel room, because I had nothing else to do, and I could not believe my eyes.

'All the countries lined

chocolate consumption has been documented to improve cognitive function, it seems most likely that in a dose-dependent way, chocolate intake provides the abundant fertile ground needed for the sprouting of Nobel laureates.'When it comes to chocolate, several other researchers

New research suggests it may help you win a Nobel prize, at least...

England Journal of Medicine, is tongue-incheek, admits the lead author Dr. Franz Messerli.

But nonetheless, the results did show a surprisingly powerful scientific correlation between the amount of chocolate consumed in each country and the number of Nobel laureates it produced, he wrote in the journal.The Swiss, naturally, take the lead, with the Swedes and Danes following closely behind. The UK was above

up neatly on a graph, with higher chocolate intake tied to more laureates.'

It's thought that eating chocolate might improve our ability to think as it is high in antioxidants known as flavonoids, which are also found in cocoa, green tea, red wine and some fruits.Studies have suggested that flavonoids may improve thinking and reduce the risk of dementia by increasing the blood flow to the brain.

Dr Messerli wrote in the journal : 'Since

have suggested dark varieties might benefit the brain, the heart and even help cut excess pounds.But to produce just one more laureate, the nation would have to up its cocoa intake by a whopping 275 million pounds a year, Dr Messerli added.He estimates that every citizen would have to eat 400 grams of chocolate a year to increase the number of Nobel laureates in a given country by one per million inhabitants, if the

correlation holds true.

And in the 'conflict of interest section' of his article, Dr Messerli does admit to daily chocolate consumption. Despite the tongue-in-cheek tone of

The end of noisy planes?

Owls could hold the key to developing 'stealth' passenger jets, according to new research.Being woken up at the crack of dawn by noisy aeroplanes could become a thing of the past thanks to scientists who are trying to replicate the ability of the birds to fly silently in search of prey.Owls rely on specialised plumage to

Sky City is that its designers, Chinese-based Broad Group, plan to start and finish it in just 90 days.

This astonishing pace, which will see five storeys go up a day, is down to the revolutionary method of prefabricated building where blocks are built off site and slotted together to save time.Despite concerns about its structural rigidity, Broad Group says the half-mile high building will be able to withstand a magnitude 9.0 earthquake.The idea

reduce sound so they can hunt with stealth and scientists are studying the wing structure in a bid to design better conventional aircraft.Dr Justin Jaworski, of the University of Cambridge, said: 'Many owl species have developed specialised plumage to effectively eliminate the aerodynamic noise from their wings, which allows

them to hunt and capture their prey using their ears alone.' All wings, either natural or engineered, create turbulent eddies as

they cut through the air.

When these hit the trailing edge of the wing, they are amplified and scattered as sound.Conventional

the research, he added that he does believe chocolate has real health effects, although he warns people to stay away from the sweeter varieties and opt for dark.

Owls could hold the key to silencing passenger jets

aircraft, which have hard trailing edges, are particularly noisy in this regard.But owls possess distinct physical attributes that contribute to their silent flight including a comb of stiff feathers along the leading edge of the wing, a soft downy material on top and a flexible fringe at the trailing edge.It is not

known whether it is a single attribute or the combination of all three that are the root cause of the noise reduction.The researchers attempted to unravel this mystery by developing a theoretical basis for the owl's ability to mitigate sound from the trailing edge of its wing, which is typically an airfoil's dominant noise source.

9

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Fed up of paying a huge gym fee and seeing no results? Although the gym is great for some people it just doesn't work for others. If you want to get slim and don't want to use a gym, then these top 9 tips are perfect for you. You never know, these 10 steps might just be the start of the new, slimmer you.

ways to slim without the gym How to get the body you want without a gym

Don't cut the dairy

Variety

Although the high levels of fat in dairy products make those who want to get slim without hitting the gym wary, it turns out that eating cheese, milk and other dairy products actually promotes weight loss. The study was conducted in Australia and the researchers suggest that the protein levels in dairy products may help people feel fuller for longer and therefore make them less likely to snack on calorific foods.

Join a club If you want to slim without the gym then you might benefit from joining a club. Clubs are great because they're social, they typically have equipment to lend to you and they are great for boosting people's motivation. Before joining a club you need to first work out what sport suits you. If you like being in a team you could join a hockey club or a netball club. If you like working solo then a running, canoe or climbing club might be more suited to you. Remember, clubs typically offer beginners taster sessions and these will typically be free of charge.

If you find yourself regularly going on health kicks only to find that in a few weeks or months time you've gone back to your old, unhealthy ways the likelihood is you've become bored.

Doing the same exercise and eating the same foods is dull and even the most disciplined of people would struggle to maintain their new regime. Instead, try to eat new, healthy foods on a weekly basis and mix up what you eat. You should also do a variety of exercise, like running, dancing, Pilates and skipping.

Have a treat in the week When you're super strict with yourself during the week it can be easy to let the rules from the week slip when the weekend arrives.

Studies have found that this is true and that people who follow extremely healthy diets during the week actually lose weight more slowly compared to those who eat reasonably healthily all week. Therefore if you want to slim without the gym, have a treat now and then.

Fun equipment

Shopping

Spending hours of your week silently running on a treadmill isn't much fun, but exercise doesn't have to be like that. There are loads of fun ways to work out. You could buy some gymnastics rings to work on your upper body and your core. Or if the rings aren't for you buy a hula hoop to tone your waist area. If you get creative and have fun with your exercise you'll find that you will be more motivated to stick at it and do more, which in turn will help you get slim and ditch the gym.

Stock up on the liquids What do you do before a meal?

Wash your hands and scout out a good TV show to watch during your meal? Well, although we think you should definitely still wash your hands before you eat, if you want to slim without the gym you should also try having a light soup before eating. This light course will help fill you up, yet is relatively low in calories. Having soup before your main course will also help you to stop yourself from overeating.

It is thought that the average woman burns 48,000 calories a year from shopping alone; that works out at around 385 calories per week. If you get that shopping-guilt almost all women feel when they wander into a store then don't panic. Just think the money you saved from the gym can go towards this new dress or new pair of boots.

Eat before you train When you have a gym membership you will often find yourself rushing to the gym before or after work. You race there, have a workout and then grab a quick shower before shooting off.

What you probably won't do though is make enough time to eat before you go. This is important if you want to slim down because eating an hour before exercise ensures that you perform to full capacity during your training session and therefore you will burn a greater amount of fat.

Yoga Yoga

Grab your yoga mat and do some yoga poses three or four times a week. Although it doesn't feel very strenuous yoga helps to sculpt your body and helps you get slim without the gym. Some great moves that help to tone include the Downward Dog Split and the Temple Pose. It may be best to go to a yoga class or get a yoga DVD if you're not sure what you are doing, but remember the perfect pose we may see others doing might be a long way from what our own body can currently achieve.

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

THE CONTACT

Forget tennis elbow, we're all suffering from 'office knee' ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

And desk jobs and obesity are to blame

More than a quarter of UK workers are suffering from painful knee joints, it has been revealed.

And surgeons and physiotherapists say that rising levels of obesity and desk-based jobs across all age groups are to blame.

Those over the age of 55 suffer the most, with one in ten questioned by healthcare provider Nuffield Health claiming they are in constant pain.

And almost a quarter of 1,600 workers aged 16 to 65 surveyed said they have been living with pain for up to two years.

Sammy Margo, a spokesperson for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said the rise of the internet and desk based jobs are to blame for the phenomenon of 'office knee'.

She said: 'I have seen a huge surge in the number of people with knee pain and it is down to the sedentary lifestyle people are leading now.

'It is very much people with desk based jobs, and some of them have been

working for ten to 20 years in these roles.

'I have been a physiotherapist for the past 25 years and in that time we have had the advent of the internet, which has been very much a factor.'

And consultant orthopaedic surgeon Ronan Banim said that surgeons are seeing knees that are 'literally being crushed' by excess weight.

He warned that if the levels of obesity continue to increase, the number of people who need knee replacements is likely to 'go through the roof.'

He said: 'If levels of obesity continue to rise

Virgin sends elderly couple £500 bill

the number of people needing knee replacements is likely go through the roof. In clinics we are seeing knees that are literally being crushed by excess weight.

'This puts pressure on joints and can increase the long-term risk of osteoarthritis.

'Weight control, regular, careful, exercise and healthy eating are extremely important.

'Although knee pain may not life threatening, if left untreated it can seriously impact on quality of life.

'Patients should seek early treatment and, where necessary, consider losing just a small amount of

Wisconsin gurdwara shooter acted alone : FBI

○ ○ ○ ○ ○

weight as this could rule out the need for future surgery.'

But before you lace up your trainers and hit the road running, surgeons have also issued a warning against sudden exercise.

Mr Banim added: 'We are seeing a number of older people becoming more active, with activities like marathons and triathlons becoming popular.

'While this is excellent for maintaining a healthy lifestyle generally, the degenerative problem and pressure on ageing joints can lead to knee problems.

'It is important that ageing joints are not over used and preparation and rest before and after exercise is vital.'

Dr Sarah Dauncey, medical director at Nuffield Health, added: 'To minimise the potential risks of getting knee pain, people who are becoming more active should look at pre and post activity warm-ups and downs, wearing good trainers and supporting the joint when exercising.'

NEW YORK : The FBI has said it has concluded its probe into the August shooting incident at a gurdwara in Wisconsin, and found there is no evidence that the attack was part of any ongoing threat to the Sikh community."There is no evidence to suggest the attack was part of any ongoing threat to the Sikh community," Special Agent in Charge of FBI's Milwaukee Division Teresa Carlson said while announcing conclusion of the investigation yesterday.The probe indicated that gunman Wade Michael Page, a white supremacist, acted alone and was not assisted by anyone in committing the violent crime.Carlson added that no evidence was found to conclude that the attack was directed

or facilitated by any white supremacist group."We join the Sikh community in grieving the loss of their loved ones. We continue to work with temple leaders and all of our law enforcement partners in an effort to keep the community safe," he said.The FBI had briefed the victims and family members of the deceased on the results of the investigation last week at the FBI M i l w a u k e e Division.During the course of the investigation, the bureau generated 200 investigative leads, conducted 300 interviews and collected more than 200 pieces of evidence, with 30 agencies, including 27 local, one state and two federal responding to the incident.

Holland to ban 'skunk'

For watching

marijuana from coffee shops

up to 14

Over fears it is as dangerous as heroin and cocaine

pornographic films a day An elderly couple have been billed £500 by their TV company - for hundreds of pornographic films they say they never ordered.Greatgrandparents Ron Hayward, 74, and wife Ann, 71, were stunned when Virgin Media demanded the money, saying 150 payper-view adult films had been streamed to their cable TV account.It is the second time the couple, from Reddish, near Manchester, have been caught in a row over porn films with Virgin.In 2009 they were also accused of ordering £190 of adult movies.Virgin eventually tore up the bill and turned off the couple's service.But earlier this year the couple decided to resubscribe to the catch-up and ondemand services.Within days, dozens of adult films had been ordered, seemingly from the

couple's address, including 14 in one day.Virgin has again waived the charge but the couple says they have been told they will be liable for any future bills if they want the TV services reconnecting.

Mrs Hayward, a retired nursery nurse, said: 'It feels to us just like groundhog day.

'We had this problem before and we thought when we re-applied to be connected that Virgin would have solved the problem of what went wrong previously.'The family all think it is really funny - Ron gets ribbed at the post office where he gets asked if he's seen any good films lately.'A Virgin spokesman said the films must have been accessed from the couple's account because a secret PIN number was needed to watch the films.

Super-strength marijuana is to be banned from Holland's coffee shops under tough new laws that could see 'skunk' reclassified as a class A drug.Dutch justice minister Ivo Opstelten wants the country's famous licensed cafes to only sell cannabis containing less than 15 per cent of the main active chemical, THC. The decision will be a major blow to hundreds of coffee shop owners, many of them in Amsterdam, who will have to replace around 80 per cent of their stock with weaker varieties.Critics claim it will make the problem worse by pushing stronger versions of the drug onto the black market. Mark Josemans, the spokesman for the Maastricht coffee shop owners association, told the Volkskrant newspaper: 'Weak weed in the coffee shops, strong weed on the streets - then the choice

is pretty clear. 'It makes it harder for society. A user smokes less, just as people don't drink rum out of a beer glass.' According to the Daily Telegraph, the government is acting on a study by Dutch mental health charity, the Trimbos

Institute, which found that skunk can be so dangerous it should be classed alongside heroin and cocaine. THC is the compound that gives users the 'high' and in large quantities has been blamed for causing

Woman mummifies hubby's body MOSCOW: In a bizarre incident, a Russian woman hoping that her dead husband would resurrect, kept his mummified headless body for three years, ordering her children to feed and talk to it.The mummified body was found in the village of Semibratovo in July, stashed in a plastic bag. It was missing an arm and head, soon discovered in a nearby trash dump investigators said on Monday.

psychotic reactions. At present, the country's liberal laws allows customers to buy up to five grammes (0.18 ounces) of marijuana for personal use in around 500 licensed cafes.

The decision comes as Jacqui Smith, the former home secretary, admitted it was a mistake to upgrade cannabis to a Class B drug in Britain.

She now argues that it would have been better to improve education about the drug rather than raise the level of criminalisation.

When Mr Opstelten announced the tougher laws, he also relaxed a mandatory plan to ban foreigners from cannabisselling cafes.Under the rules, which had been branded 'tourism suicide', only Dutch residents would have been able to enter coffee shops. Potential customers would also have been forced to sign up for a one-year membership, or 'dope pass'.

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Taxi driver returns £500,000 to holiday makers

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Won't sell up?

Who left it in the back of his cab

Enjoy living in the middle of a motorway!

A taxi driver in Singapore has been hailed as a hero after he returned around £565,000 in cash to a Thai couple who left the money in a black paper bag in the back of his car.

Sia Ka Tian, 70, found $1.1million Singapore dollars in the vehicle after dropping the couple off at a shopping centre.

He received an undisclosed cash reward from the grateful couple and his company ComfortDelGro will also give him an award for good service. 'When I saw the money, I thought, trouble is here.

I was sure there was at least $200,000 in the bag,' he told the Straits Times.His colleagues

counted the cash when he got back to the lostand-found office and they discovered it contained far more than that. But Tian said: 'The money is unimportant to me. It doesn't belong to me, so how can I use it?'The Thai couple went to the company's office and were grateful to find Sia waiting for them when they got there.Company spokeswoman Tammy Tan said: 'Finding one million dollars in cash is not an everyday affair and in fact, we wonder how many people would have possibly been tempted to pocket it.'

'We are immensely proud of him and are glad that the passengers recovered their money.'

A lone apartment building stands in the middle of a newly built road after an elderly couple refused to relocate.

Luo Baogen and his wife insist on living in the half-demolished building in the city of Wenling, in Zhejiang province, China because they believe that the relocation compensation offered by the government is not enough.Now the only building left standing, the five storey block is a strange sight as cars drive around it while the couple remain living inside.To ensure the couple's safety, adjacent rooms in the building have been left intact but all their neighbours have moved out, according to local media. The road paved through the Xiazhangyang village leads to the Wenling railway station and is yet to be officially opened. Mr Baogen and his wife believe that the

compensation on offer would not be enough to cover their rebuilding costs.In the People's Republic of China, during most of the Communist era, private ownership of property was abolished, making it easy for residents to be moved on - but now the laws have been tightened up and it is illegal to demolish property by force without an agreement.Property owners in China that refuse to move to make way for development are known as 'Nail Householders' referring to a stubborn nail that is not easy to remove from a piece of old wood and cannot be pulled out with a hammer.Earlier this year, Hong Chunqin, 75, and her husband Kung, who live in the two dilapidated buildings with their two sons, had initially agreed to sell the property

Anyone for sushi?

in Taizhou, in Zhejiang province and accepted £8,000 in compensation.

But then she changed her mind and refunded the money once work on the road had started.

Earlier this year, Niu Chuangen and Zhang Zhongyun dared to stand in the way of a local property developer in Zaozhuang, in the Shandong province.

As a result, the resolute couple, both in their 60s, have been left stranded on their tiny spot of land, while all around them the ground is dug up and skyscrapers erected.

The distraught pair were regularly threatened by gangsters and have had to fend over a number of attempts to illegally demolish their ramshackle home.They were cut off from utilities in 2009 when a local developer started the enormous earthworks

involved in building dozens of high-rise residential buildings in the area.

In another case, one family among 280 others at the site of a six storey shopping mall being built in Chongqing refused to leave their home for two years.Developers cut their power and water, and excavated a 10-meter deep pit around their home, which their family had inhabited for three generations.

The owners broke into the construction site, reoccupied it, and flew a Chinese flag on top and then Yang Wu, a local martial arts champion, used nunchakus to make a staircase to the house and threatened to beat any authorities who attempted to evict him.

The owners turned down an offer of £300,000 but eventually settled with the developers in 2007.

A sight for snore eyes Glasses stop you getting jet lag by emitting green light

Fisherman catches 1,000lb tuna

One fisherman landed the catch of his life after he reeled in an enormous bluefin tuna that weighed a whopping 1,000lbs.

Marc Towers, 30, wrestled with the huge fish for two hours before he pulled it to the surface of the water off the coast of

Canso in Nova Scotia.

It was worth the effort and the wait as the fish is expected to sell for £20,000 in Japan and make 20,000 pieces of sushi.

Neil Cooke, who was on the fishing trip with Mr Towers, said: 'We didn't realise how big it was until it was about 15feet away from the surface.'It took Marc two hours to pull in, and we had started to see the shape of it when the skipper said "This could be a big fish".

'All of a sudden it broke the surface and everyone said "It's a monster!"'

The fish was so huge that the crew was unable to haul it onto the boat and had to tie a rope around it to drag it four miles back to the dock.Mr Cooke, 37, added: 'The deck hand made a lasso and tied it around the end of the fish and we dragged it through the water back to the dock.'

When the boat arrived back at the dock, the fish was lifted by a crane from the water and onto a forklift truck which carried the giant fish over to a set a scales.Mr Cooke, owner of Bournemouth Fishing Lodge in Dorset said: 'We saw 1,000lb come up on screen which was brilliant.'

The crew transferred the fish to a fridge and they are planning on selling it in Japan where Atlantic bluefin tuna - Thunnus thynnus in Latin - is frequently made into sushi.The pair, who go on fishing trips together, decided to visit Nova Scotia with the aim of catching a bluefin tuna.They went during the commercial season when fish that are usually set free after being caught are taken back to the dock and sold.

The record for a Bluefin tuna is held by Ken Fraser who caught a 1,496-pound specimen off the coast of Nova Scotia in 1979.

Is this the iceberg that sunk Titanic?

A photograph of an iceberg claimed to be the one which sunk Titanic is being sold at auction for $10,000.The black and white picture of the iceberg was taken two days before the sinking of the Titanic by the Captain of the S. S. Etonian on April 12, 1912. The photograph is just one of over 400 Titanic memorabilia items included in American

Picture of guilty ice set to make $10,000 at auction

auction house RR Auction's sale next month.

Experts believe it is the 'guilty' one due to its unusual shape, which matches sketches and

eyewitness descriptions of the iceberg which fatally collided with the 'unsinkable' vessel on April 14, 1912. The black and white picture of the floating ice berg is set to make $8,000-$10,000 (£5,016 - £6,270. Through the years a number of

photographs have been claimed to depict the one which sealed the fate of the famous vessel, but experts say this one is the definite mugshot.Titanic expert Stanley Lehrer said: 'In my professional judgement this iceberg is the one that sunk the Titanic.' 'Within the past two years, I discovered a photograph that had been taken by Captain Wood of the S.S. Etonian on 12th April 1912.

A special pair of glasses which shine a green light on your eyes could provide a cure for jetlag.Researchers in Australia have launched world's first spectacles which reset your body clock to combat insomnia and beat jet-lag.Sleep researcher Professor Leon Lack said a green light helps to readjust the body's internal clock.He said the device, known as Re-Timer, could help regular highflyers beat jet lag, keep shift workers more alert and get teenagers out of bed in the morning by resetting the body's internal clock.'The light from Re-Timer stimulates the part of the brain responsible for regulating the 24-hour body clock,' said Prof Lack of Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia.'Body clocks or circadian rhythms influence the timing of all our sleeping and waking

patterns, alertness, performance levels and metabolism.' Those who wanted to sleep and wake up earlier should wear the device for 50 minutes in the morning, while those who want to sleep and wake later should wear them for 50 minutes before bed to delay the body clock.The glasses can be worn while completing normal daily tasks such as working on the computer or reading. 'Our extensive research studies have shown that green light is one of the most effective wavelengths for advancing or delaying the body clock, and to-date is the only wearable device using green light,' Professor Lack said. 'The glasses have been designed to be user friendly and comfortable to wear so people can go about their normal activities wearing them at work or at home.'

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THE CONTACT

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Caught in its own spin, Dhoni and Team India have nowhere to hide Defeat always hurts.

But England's humiliation of India at Mumbai is like a thunderclap, shattering the comforting illusion that whatever the team's frailties abroad, it remains virtually unbeatable at home. ndian skipper MS Dhoni got everything he asked for: A pitch where the ball turned from the first day, and three spinners to prey on England's alleged incompetence against spin. He even won the toss, meaning that England would have to bat last, on a crumbling pitch.

And England still won. By 10 wickets. With most of the fourth day and all of the fifth to spare. Even by the volatile standards of Indian cricket, this has to be the lowest point in a long, long time.The so-called 'revenge series' has turned into a reality check. And the truth, hurtful though it may be, is that this Indian side looks alarmingly vulnerable, while the reserves cupboard is depressingly bare. The famed Indian batting line-up tumbled to an embarrassing 142 all out in

the second innings, completely undone by spin which they grew up playing day in, day out.

The collapse in Mumbai was the latest in a string of recent collapses

and added the rapidly growing belief that too many of India's batsmen are surviving on reputation rather than performance.

Cheteshwar Pujara's magnificent performance at Ahmedabad and in the first innings at Mumbai papered over the cracks but

Rahul Dravid impresses BBC commentary team He was keenly observing the nitty-gritties of radio commentary and also got himself engaged in talks with the BBC experts and ball-by-ball commentators during his stint in the studio BBC’s radio cricket producer, Adam Mountford praised Dravid’s work ethic.

“Now, I know why he was such a good batsman.

He believes in being perfect. He is so well organised,” Mountford told.

It is well known that Dravid is an avid reader, but he also followed radio commentary during his childhood.

“I was quite surprised to know that Dravid would listen to BBC’s radio commentary when he was a

kid. He said his father would often listen to it. It was like, wow, he is a very intelligent cricketer. Just like how he would review his batting, he sits with us to discuss how he can better himself.

“I did not expect that he would ask me for a brief

on the do’s and don’ts.

Generally, they (international cricketers) come, speak and go. But Dravid is different. “He is just trying it (radio) out, but he would do a great job if he takes it up full-time. He is fabulous to work with,” said Mountford.

The 40-year-old Mountford said he would take back many happy memories of spending time with Dravid. “He gave listeners back in the UK a good feel of what Diwali is like in India. Then, every morning, he would bring chocolates for everyone in the team or offer them a cup of tea.“It is unbelievable to experience this from a legendary cricketer like Dravid,” Mountford signed off.

once he failed in the second innings, the rest of the Indian batting was brutally exposed. Much has been made of Sachin Tendulkar's disastrous form (153 runs in his last 10 innings at an average of

15.3) but even the other Indian batsmen have been worryingly inconsistent the odd big knock being offset by repeated failures.

Having conceded a lead of 86 runs, the batsmen needed to give the bowlers a fighting target to defend. Instead, Sehwag, Tendulkar, Yuvraj, Kohli and Dhoni all failed to even reach double figures.

The Indian bowling didn't fare any better. The spin trio of R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha and Harbhajan Singh looked clueless as Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook took the match away from India with a 206-run stand. Zaheer Khan isn't getting any younger.

Mumbai marked Harbhajan's 99th Test.

Going by his performance, the 100th could be a long while coming.

After a promising start, Ashwin has been struggling in Tests. Ojha has actually been India's best

bowler in this series but he's unlikely to give too many batsmen sleepless nights. The 4-match series, now tied 1-1, heads to Kolkata with MS Dhoni & Co having some deep thinking to do. They could still turn things around.

Apart from Cook, Pietersen and to an extent Matt Prior, the English batsmen still look uncomfortable against spin.

India could still emerge victorious from this series.

But that will be little cause to celebrate. Because these four cataclysmic days in Mumbai have exposed the glaring chinks in the team's armour.The board, selectors and team management need to work together to address these issues, rather than basking in the false glow that would be created by a victory in tailor-made conditions.The real concern is that a failure to create a proper feeder line and an undue emphasis on shorter formats in the recent past may mean that India face a long period of mediocrity in Tests, both at home and away. For the sake of Indian cricket, one can only hope that this fear proves unfounded.

West Indies complete series sweep against Bangladesh KHULNA: Paceman Tino Best took a careerbest six- wicket haul to fire the West Indies to a crushing ten- wicket win against Bangladesh in the second Test here yesterday, sealing the series 2- 0.

The 31- year- old Barbadian followed his maiden five- wicket haul in the first Test win in Dhaka with 6- 40 to dismiss the home team for 287 in the second innings on the fifth and final morning at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium.

The tourists knocked off the required 27 runs in just 4.4 overs to win their second successive series in Bangladesh. They also won the two- Test series 1- 0 last year.

Chris Gayle finished with 20 not out while fellow opener Kieran Powell ( nine not out) sealed the win with two consecutive boundaries off Naeem Islam.

Bangladesh avoided an innings defeat thanks to a fighting 94 by Nasir Hossain but lost their last four wickets with the addition of 61 runs after resuming at 226- 6.

It is Bangladesh’s 65th defeat in 75 Tests since gaining Test status 12 years ago — a dismal record which constantly raises questions over their right to play the five- day version of the game.

Their losses include 34 defeats by an innings.

West Indian captain

Darren Sammy described the series win as welcoming. “ It is a step in the right direction and the team played well, it was remarkable to see the way we played,” said Sammy, who also led the team to 2- 0 Test win over New Zealand followed by the World Twenty20 triumph last month.

“Best has put us in good positions and it is good to see everyone putting in a lot of hard work,” he added.

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THE CONTACT

Pokertox Using Botox and Facial Fillers for That Perfect Poker Face A doctor of aesthetic medicine in New York has recently introduced a program of Botox and facial fillers designed to help poker players hide any sign of facial emotion that might tip off other card players.

Dr. Jack Berdy thinks poker might be the next big client base for Botox, so he’s designed a program called “Pokertox” to help him get an early foothold in the market. It’s a way to combine his job with a passion for gambling, but Dr. Berdy really wants to turn this idea into a profitable business. Pokertox starts off with the good doctor meeting the players and consulting with them about what they think their poker tells are. ”Some people might get a card they like or don’t like and raise their eyebrows,” Berdy told The Huffington Post. “If that’s the common reaction, we can put Botox in certain areas to minimize them.” Berdy says there are a variety of

unconscious signals his program can help with, but it can also help poker players bluff better by “putting Botox in areas to make it look like the player has a ‘tell’ they really don’t have.” The Pokertox program has only been available for a week, and so far no one has siged up for it, but Jack Berdy is confident his idea will be a winner in the long run.

The East Side aesthetics doctor, who was once a gambler himself, told the Observer the idea for Pokertox came to him in the last week or so. “It was just a natural match for the business I’m in and an applica-

ISRAEL AND HAMAS REACH A CEASEFIRE

GAZA STRIP: Israel and Hamas agreed late last night to a ceasefire brokered by Egypt on the eighth day of intensive Israeli fire on the Gaza Strip and militant rocket attacks out of the enclave, Israeli, Palestinian, and Egyptian sources said.

Egyptian state TV earlier had a news conference at President Mohamed Mursi’s palace where US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the ceasefire alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr. Fears the process would be derailed by a bomb blast on a bus in Tel Aviv that injured at least 18 people, as well as continued Israeli air strikes, failed to materialise.

The blast shook up the Israeli public and drew immediate condemnation from world leaders, including UN Secretary- General Ban Kimoon, who called it “ shocking”. The White

House labelled the strike a “ terrorist attack,” and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States “ stands ready to provide any assistance that Israel requires”. US President Barack Obama praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for agreeing to an Egyptcrafted cease- fire with Palestinian militants in Gaza.

Obama, speaking to Netanyahu by telephone, also underlined America’s unwavering support for Israel’s security and said he hoped to “ intensify” US assistance. “ The president commended the prime minister for agreeing to the Egyptian ceasefire proposal — which the president recommended the prime minister do — while reiterating that Israel maintains the right to defend itself,” the White House said in a summary of the conversation.

tion that hasn’t been done before,” he said, adding that if he were still properly involved with the game of poker, he would certainly use Botox on himself, to get that coveted frozen forehead. “Very few people can maintain a real poker face,’’ Berdy said. “They have some ‘tells,’ some expression that gives away that they have a good hand or a bad hand,” but by using Pokertox, “what someone sees across the table is no movement.’’ But not everyone is as excited about Pokertox as its inventor. Professional poker player Josh Hale says the idea has

come 10 to 15 years to late: ”The game has moved on from bluffs, and is more analytical these days. Players might look at physical tells, but they are relying more on betting patterns and bet sizing.” Also, Pokertox procedures cost between $600 and $800, and have to be repeated every three to four months, which probably makes them a bit too expensive for the average poker player. Cosmetic doctors like San Diego-based Barry Handler have been quck to call Pokertox a gimmick, but Dr. Berdy is confident most of his peers will think it’s a wonderful idea.

51-year-old Velma Lyrae, from London, England, spends up to 18 hours a day in her homemade Faraday cage, because she is allergic to electromagnetic fields.

When she goes out she has to wear a special scarf that shield her from electromagnetic waves.

The Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome (EHS) sufferer says her problems began in her teenage years, after she suffered a shock when she touched the switch of an electric fire in her bathroom.At first the symptoms were barely noticeable, and at one point she even worked as a secretary for a number of companies, where she had to use a computer. “Even back then I could feel a huge agitation when using the computer, but I thought it was just because I didn’t have the technological skills,” Velma remembers. Although it is believed previous shocks make people more susceptible, the rare condition really started to affect her after the introduction of 3G technology. Nowadays she has unbearable head and nerve pain, memory loss, tinnitus, heart palpitations, vertigo and aching joints ev-

ery time she’s close the technology, so she spends most of her days in a Faraday cage she built herself, reading, writing and sleeping.

“I can’t do anything that normal people do without my symptoms showing. I have to do everything in my cage,” Velma Lyrae says.

“It’s made my life a living hell.” She says her social life is virtually non-existent, because even though her friends understand her problem and are very supportive, “there’s only so much time you can spend with the woman that can’t go anywhere or do any-

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Cruise ship for the dead!

HONG KONG: Yet another passenger ship could be about to anchor in Hong Kong’s popular waters, but berths aboard this particular vessel will be more permanent.

New sketches from a company in the city on China’s southern coast have proposed the creation of a floating cemetery.

Designed as a possible solution to Hong Kong’s shortage of building space — particularly for graveyards — Bread Studio has come up with ‘ Floating Eternity’. The structure would hold a rotating wall of 3,70,000 niches which are compartments allotted for people to place their urn containing the remains of their loved ones. Designed like a cruise ship, the floating cemetery would anchor along Hong Kong’s coastline, dock-

ing at a designated pier for visitors who want to visit their deceased relatives. “ Architects are always made to think about life when designing buildings but not many think about death,” said Benny Lee, a designer at Bread Studio. “ I was watching TV and saw a group of people encouraged by the government to scatter their loved ones’ ashes in the sea and noticed that the boat they were using to transport people out was really small. I thought why not make that boat bigger, better and more enjoyable for families.” ‘ Floating Eternity’ would also offer amenities for its visitors.

Complimenting Chinese rituals that involve bringing food during cemetery visits, the floating cemetery plans to have a grass deck for people to set up picnics or a restaurant onboard.

Woman Allergic to Modern Technology Is Forced to Live in Faraday Cage

thing.” Unable to get a job or even go out of the house without a special scarf to shield her from electromagnetic waves, Velma spends most of her time behind the wire mesh structure that cost $480 to build.

“We desperately need a white zone — an area where there’s little or no emissions — where we can go to relax and recuperate,” Lyrae says, but the problem is EHS is currently only recognized as a medical condition in Sweden and Spain. She’s been to a physician countless times, asking for tests, but every time she

was told there are people out there with bigger problems than hers. Talking about Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome, Dr. Erica Mallery-Blythe said: “Adults and children today are exposed to very high levels of electromagnetic fields (EMF) that no life on the planet has ever witnessed before. It is no surprise that the numbers of those with EHS and other conditions linked with EMF exposure are rising.”

Independent experts say in five years time 50% of the world’s population could be affected at current exposure levels.

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Overcrowded Japanese Subway Inspires Original Photo Series Tokyo Compression is an ongoing photo series by German-born artist Michael Wolf that shows daily commuters with their faces pressed against the steamy windows of Japan’s overcrowded subway trains.

Japan has one of the highest population densities in the world. Tokyo, its capital city, and the surrounding metropolitan area has a population of over 35 million, living in an area just 8,000 square kilometers in size. As you can imagine, the cost of living in such a densely populated metropolis can be considered astronomical, and that forces a lot of people into neighboring areas, where housing is more affordable.

The result of this phenomenon is a large number of commuters traveling into Tokyo for work and back home, on a daily basis. Although Japan’s capital is famous for its advanced transportation infrastructure, not even its punctual subway trains can handle

the large number of people using them during rush hours. In order to fit them all in, the subway even has “passenger arrangement staff”, commonly known as “people pushers”, main goal is to cram as many people as possible into the subway tram. The white glove-wearing personal actually pushes people into the train, so the doors can shut. Seeing commuters’

faces pressed against the windows like sardines inspired Hong Kong- based photograph Michael Wold to create his Tokyo Compression photo series.

According to the description on Wolf’s website, “The images create a sense of discomfort as his victims attempt to squirm out of view or simply close their eyes, wishing the photographer to go away. Tokyo

ter her father during a visit to England. But the card never turned up and Lewis, a retired finance worker, said it was then that the pair lost touch.

Lewis, who also lives in Maidenhead, said he was ‘totally surprised’ when it finally reached him 49 years after it was posted.

“The postcard thanked me for looking after her dad

and passing on gifts. She was a very dear friend. It was quite a pleasant time in my life. In those days people didn’t have postcodes and I think this could have been one of the reasons it went missing. I can’t imagine how it got back into the system again.”

The card was stamped

by Royal Mail in Swindon on Monday, October 29, 2012.

The Royal Mail has dismissed the possibility that it had gone missing in their system. Spokesman Candice MacDonald said, “It is extremely unlikely that this item of mail was in our system all this time.

It is difficult to speculate what may have happened, but almost certainly it was put back in a postbox very recently, as we regularly check all our sorting offices and machines are cleared.”

German pen pal's postcard reaches destination 49 yrs later

Now, after putting out an appeal, the couple have tracked down the rightful recipient, Derek Lewis, a retired grandfather who used to live in their house.

Crabtree said: “We were surprised that the original stamp was intact and it was in such good condition. We thought it was pretty funny that the Royal Mail decided to deliver it and that there wasn’t even a note on it. We are also wondering where it could have been all these years. It would be quite interesting if we could track its very long journey.”

A delighted Lewis said the card had come from an old pen pal, Gudrun Rentrope, who he’d been writing to since he was 17.

Gudrun had sent the postcard as a thank you after Lewis had looked af-

A model sits in a redesigned vintage Volkswagen Beetle by Croatian artist blacksmith Sandro Vrbanus in Essen, western Germany during the Essen Motor Show.

Compression depicts an urban hell and by hunting down these commuters with his camera, Wolf highlights their complete vulnerability to the city at its most extreme.” Looking at the the faces immortalized in Michael Wolf’s photographs, I’m sure you’ll realize the New York or London metro is really not as bad as you thought, during rush hours.

27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Ramos, the World’s Most Annoying Alarm Clock

Have trouble getting out of bed early in the morning? Is the snooze button the most used (and abused) part of your alarm clock? Would you like to be able to wake up as soon as the alarm goes off? If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any or all of these questions, then Ramos is the best gadget for you. The most annoying alarm clock in the world will make sure you get out of bed every single. morning at the right time. It is impossible to ignore Ramos, and there’s no way you can go back to sleep. Let’s see what makes it so special.

For starters, the makers of Ramos have done away with the ‘unlimited’ snooze button. Unplugging it won’t work either, because a battery takes over as soon as you yank out the cord. The ‘lockdown mode’ ensures that you won’t be able to reset the alarm as wake-up time approaches. So that effectively takes care of manipulating the alarm. But then it gets worse. Once the Ramos alarm clock starts to ring, there’s no button on it to turn the infernal thing off. The only way to stop the noise is by punching a defuse code into a telephone-style keypad that is installed in another room. You have no choice but to get out of bed and punch in the code, which requires some degree of brain functionality, so you will be awake by the time you are done with Ramos.

72-Year-Old Grandpa Finds Internet Fame after Modelling Teen Girl Outfits Photos of a 72-year-old Chinese man modelling stylish clothes for young women have recently went viral online, after his granddaughter posted them on China’s largest retail website. What started out as a silly joke turned into a massive advertising campaign for her store.

We’ve had posts about successful elderly fashion models before, but Liu Xianping, a grandfather from China, is the first elderly male model who reached Internet stardom for modelling girls’ clothes.

Liu, 72, has been posing for his granddaughter’s female fashion store on Tmall and although the garments are designed for sweet and cute teen girls, featuring rosy shades, laces and ribbons, he totally pulled it off. His confidence in front of the cam-

era, his slim physique and pair of long skinny legs have apparently gained the admiration of millions and made some girls green with envy. And most importantly, his granddaughter’s store sales have increased 5 times since his pictures went viral.

Liu Xianping has been modelling clothes for Yuekou, a Tmall female fashion store started in May by 5 recent college graduates. One of the five is Liu’s granddaughter Ms. Lv. Apparently, the whole thing started as a joke, one day when her grandfather came to help them with unpacking their creations.

In an interview with Chinese media, the girl said: “He picked up one piece and tried to give some advice on how to mix and match. We thought it was fun so we started shoot-

ing.” Apparently many of the combinations in the fashion photos are her grandfather’s ideas. He put on short skirts, long stockings, dresses and sometimes even wore wigs to get that genuine teen girl look.

So how does Liu Xianping feel about his fashion exploits? “Why unacceptable (for someone like me to wear women’s clothes ? Modeling for the store is helping my granddaughter and I have nothing to lose. We were very happy on the day of the shooting. I’m very old and all that I care about is to be happy,” he told a journalist. Reactions from Chinese netizens have been overwhelmingly positive; many of them thought he was cool, open-minded, and some even compared him to Karl Lagerfeld.

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

PONTY CHADHA MURDER CASE

COPS SEIZE GUN FROM NAMDHARI’S HOUSE Delhi police recover a pistol allegedly used during the farmhouse shootout from sacked Uttarakhand Minority Commission Chairman Sukhdev Singh Namdhari’s residence

NEW DELHI: Two days after the arrest of Sukhdev Singh Namdhari, the key witness in the murders of

Ponty Chadha and his brother Hardeep, police recovered the pistol allegedly used by Namdhari to kill

Hardeep, police said .

A Crime Branch team from Delhi recovered the pistol from Namdhari’s

Udham Singh Nagar farmhouse in Uttarakhand.

Police said Namdhari shot and killed Hardeep on November 17 in the shootout at south Delhi’s Chhattarpur farmhouse No. 42. “ The pistol has been sent for ballistic examination,” police said.

Apart from the pistol,

Let's make sure he

WON'T be back!

Cambridge to open 'Terminator centre' to study threat to humans from artificial intelligence A centre for 'terminator studies', where leading academics will study the threat that robots pose to humanity, is set to open at Cambridge University.Its purpose will be to study the four greatest threats to the human species - artificial intelligence, climate change, nuclear war and rogue biotechnology.The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) will be co-launched by Lord Rees, the astronomer royal and one of the world's top cosmologists.

Rees's 2003 book Our Final Century had warned that the destructiveness of humanity meant that the species could wipe itself out by 2100. The idea that machines might one day take over humanity has featured in many science fiction books and films, including the Terminator, in which Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a homicidal robot.

In 1965, Irving John 'Jack' Good and wrote a paper for New Scientist called Speculations concerning the first ultra-intelligent machine.

Good, a Cambridgetrained mathematician,

Bletchley Park cryptographer, pioneering computer scientist and friend of Alan Turing, wrote that in the near future an ultra-intelligent machine would be built.This machine, he con-

tinued, would be the 'last invention' that mankind will ever make, leading to an 'intelligence explosion.' For Good, who went on to advise Stanley Kubrick on 2001: a Space Odyssey, the 'survival of man' depended on the construction of this ultra-intelligent machine.Huw Price, Bertrand Russell Professor of Philosophy and another of the centre's three founders, said such an 'ultra-intelligent machine, or artificial general intelligence (AGI)' could have very serious consequences. He said: 'Nature didn't anticipate us, and we in our turn

shouldn't take AGI for granted.

'We need to take seriously the possibility that there might be a 'Pandora's box' moment with AGI that, if missed, could be disastrous.

'I don't mean that we can predict this with certainty, no one is presently in a position to do that, but that's the point. 'With so much at stake, we need to do a better job of understanding the risks of potentially catastrophic technologies He added : 'The basic philosophy is that we should be taking seriously the fact that we are getting to the point where our technologies have the potential to threaten our own existence - in a way that they simply haven't up to now, in human history.

'What better place than Cambridge, one of the oldest of the world's great scientific universities, to give these issues the prominence and academic respectability that they deserve?'Cambridge recently celebrated its 800th anniversary - our aim is to reduce the risk that we might not be around to celebrate it's millennium.'

the police also recovered a doublebarreled rifle and some cartridges from Namdhari’s farmhouse, said the police officer.

The case was transferred to the Crime Branch from south Delhi Police a day after Namdhari was arrested.

Police said the investigating team had found links indicating a conspiracy behind the Chhattarpur farmhouse dispute. “ Namdhari’s interrogation led investigators to question his maternal uncle, who is alleged to have planned the conspiracy to take possession of Ponty’s farmhouse at his house in Uttarakhand’s Pantnagar on Sunday,” said the officer.

The officer added that some more arrests are likely soon.

So far, Delhi police have arrested seven people in connection with the case.

Namdhari, who was arrested from Uttarakhand on Friday on charges of trespassing, was sent to five days’ police custody by a district court .

Namdhari was the main conspirator in the case, police told the court.

Namdhari claims that the police have falsely implicated him in the case.

Police sources said Namdhari had said that he also fired at Hardeep in the shootout. Ponty Chadha had gone to the farmhouse with Namdhari and his personal security officer (PSO) Sachin Tyagi.

Namdhari was sacked as chairman of the Uttarakhand Minority Commission after the shootout.

He has more than three dozen cases against him, which include murder, attempt to murder, dacoity and others.

Namdhari went missing from New Delhi after lodging a first information report (FIR) following the shootout.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Chhaya Sharma said: “Namdhari remained a suspect in the shooting incident. As of today, everybody is a suspect. We are not into giving any clean chit to anybody. It is the job of court. All the suspects connected to the case are under the scanner for trespassing as well as the murders.”

Celebrity Portraits Made from 5,000 Sweets Taste as Good as They Look Florida-based artist Cristiam Ramos creates portraits of celebrities like Marylin Monroe, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj out of thousands of sweets, giving the expression “eye candy” a whole new meaning.

The 32-year-old Mexican artist uses Gummy Bears, liquorice, M&M’s, bubble gum and after dinner mints to craft colorful portraits of various celebrities. Each of his tasty artworks contains over 5,000 individual sweets, and his largest creation so far, a life-size candy motorcycle is made up of over 20,000 sweets. Ramos says he got the idea to us e sweets as a medium for his art four years ago, while he was in a park.

He saw a dad give his son a piece of candy to sooth his pain, and after seeing the boy smile, he realized sweets make human beings happy. He kept thinking “what if they saw one of their favorite artists enshrined in their favorite sweets?”.

That thought turned into a reality soon enough, and now Cristiam

Ramos’ celebrity portraits sell for up to $18,000, depending on the size of the picture and amount of sweets used.

Celebrities immortalized in candy by Ramos also include Justin Bieber, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. Believe it or not, there’s no paint used in “I love and feel inspired to create different things with new ma-

terials,” the Mexican artist said. “My only desire as an artist is to convey to people the pleasure I feel in doing this work and that if ever anyone sees a work item out of the ordinary rest assured that is Cristiam Ramos.” His works have been displayed in museums around the world, and some can be admired in Ripley’s

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Spaghetti Chicken Meatball with Tomato Sauce

CHILDREN’S YUMMIES

Ingredients • 100 gms boiled spaghetti • 50 ml tomato sauce • 1 tbsp olive oil • 1tsp garlic • 1 tsp parsely, chopped • 1 tbsp parmesan Cheese for garnish Chicken meat ball • 50 gms chicken mince • 2 tsp onions, chopped

• 1 tsp garlic • 1 tsp celery, chopped • 1/2 egg to mix • 1 tsp leeks • 1/2 tsp pepper powder Method Mix all the meatball ingredients for in bowl and make six small meatballs. Place meatballs in a greased baking tray and bake at 150oC for 20 minutes. In a thick-bottom pan, add but-

ter and allow it to melt. Add spaghetti, toss it well in butter and. Saute garlic then add spaghetti followed by parsely and toss.

Neatly spread it on a serving plate. In a thick-bottom pan add tomato sauce and meatballs and adjust seasoning. Top the spaghetti with sauce and garnish with parmesan cheese and parsely.

Whip up some kiddie favourites this weekend with these easy-to-make recipes

ROAST VEGETABLE PIZZA Ingredients: For the Pizza Base • 85 gms refined flour • 10 gms refined oil • 10 gms butter • 5 gms sugar • 30 ml water • A pinch of salt • A pinch of yeast Pizza Sauce • 100 gms tomato • 10 gms garlic • 10 gms onion • 1 gm bay leaves • 1 gm oregano • 1 gm basil • 10 gms tomato ketchup • 5 gms sugar • 1 gm salt • 1 gm white pepper powder • 10 ml refined oil Oven Roasted Vegetables (Topping) • 10 gms yellow zucchini • 10 gms green zucchini • 10 gms onion • 10 gms brinjal • 10 gms broccoli • 10 gms red bell

pepper • 10 gms yellow bell pepper • 10 gms green capsicum • 10 ml olive oil • 1 gm black pepper powder • 1 gm salt Garnish • 40 gms mozzarella cheese • 30 gms processed cheese Method: Roughly cut the tomato and keep aside. Take a saucepan; pour oil and heat for a while. Add onion, garlic and bay leaves to it, saute well. Now add the cut tomato and cook till tender. Add the basil and oregano. Season with salt, pepper powder,

ketchup and sugar as per desired taste and keep aside. For the pizza base take flour, sieve it and keep aside. Take the yeast, water, sugar and salt together.

Now start kneading the dough with yeast mixture and butter. Make a nice dough. Apply oil and keep aside. Rest it for 15 minutes. Once it starts proofing, cut it into approximately 80 gram portions.

Roll with a rolling pin into desired thickness. Place on a baking tray and apply oil. Cut the yellow and green zucchini, onion and brinjal into slices. Cut broccoli into florets and then cut and de-seed the bell peppers. Apply oil, salt and black pepper. Place it on a baking tray and bake it. Pat the pizza base with your finger. Apply pizza sauce to it.

Put the cheeses (mozzarella and processed) on it.

Place all the roasted vegetables on it and bake the pizza in a preheated oven at 300oC for 15-18 minutes or till it becomes crispy. After baking remove it from the oven and cut it into eight equal parts.

Banana Flower Salad with Tamarind Canola Oil Dressing Ingredients: • 250 gms purple banana flower shredded (filaments removed) • 100 gms jaggery • 2 lemons • 2 tbsp canola oil • 1 tbsp sesame, toasted

•

50 gms peanuts, toasted • 1 tbsp green chillis, chopped • 50 gms mint leaves • ¼ tsp salt Method: Thinly slice the banana

flower. Set aside in a bowl.

In another bowl, mix jaggery. Sprinkle toasted sesame, peanuts, chopped green chilli, mint leaves and salt on. Pour in dressing and mix well.

Serve immediately.

Macaroni And Cheese Ingredients: • 125 gms macaroni pasta • 200 gms cheese sauce • 10 gms breadcrumbs • 2 basil leaves • 2 gms parsley • 10 gms flour • 10 gms butter • 20 gms cheese • 100 ml milk

Method: In a saucepan, heat butter and add flour to it. Let it roast for two minutes. Add warm milk to it slowly so it doesn’t form lumps.

Keep on whisking till the flour is cooked. Add grated cheddar cheese and the cheese sauce is ready.

Boil the macaroni pasta till 90 per cent cooked. Heat

the oil in a pan and add macaroni pasta. Add cheese sauce, chopped basil and parsley. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Finish with parmesan cheese.

Put the preparation in a deep plate and spread the breadcrumbs over it.

Gratinate it under salamander oven. Garnish with chopped parsley.

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27 Nov. to 03 Dec., 2012

Special Sale 50% off For More Detail Please Contact : 416-992-5489