The top 10 sex mistakes men make in bed!

Dr. Yvonne K Fulbright, a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc, has come up with the top ten mistakes men make in bed, reports Perth Now.

The biggest mistakes men are as follows:
1. Foreplay doesn't start in the sack.
The timer for enticing does not start once you hit the sheets. Your pre-game show is best approached as an all-day affair. Women love to be wooed. Sex is a head game -- in more ways than one -- and women want to know you can't get them out of your mind. We love knowing that we are desired.

2. Don't head south straight away.
Diving in for the genitals too soon usually isn't the best idea. A woman needs to be properly aroused before any below-the-belt action feels good. Be sure to focus on her entire body -- head to toe -- before going for the gold.

3. Remember the clitoris.
Many men think a woman's orgasm results from penetration. More than 70 per cent of women experience clitoral orgasm when it comes to maximum reaction, so men need to make sure they are not ignoring the clitoris. It also helps if you actually know where the clitoris is -- some men have been known to rub the urethral opening, which can be a big no-no for some ladies.

4. Get to that G spot.
In digging for buried treasure, many guys don't know that 'X' doesn't always mark the spot. Found on the front wall of the vagina, a woman's G spot may be a little higher or lower, or more to one side than the other, than often depicted.

5. Don't be too goal-oriented.
There is nothing more endearing than a man who wants to play. Just don't get caught up in yourself. Your sexual exploration should be playtime for two. Stay 'present' in the moment -- connecting with your partner will bring the ultimate climax for both of you.

6. Thinking you're still hot after gaining weight.
'For better or worse' should include weight fluctuations, but don't let yourself go completely.

7. Let her be naughty.
Sometimes she needs to get in touch with her adulterated side. In fact, research has found that women are more aroused by explicit fantasies than romantic ones. It's not always about the prince on a white horse or canoodling on the beach.

8. She's not a porn star.
As seen in porn films, many men expect their lovers to fulfill their every fantasy. Remember that porn is fantasy, not reality. Expecting her to act like a porn star is simply not fair.

9. And men aren't supposed to look like porn stars.
Despite what XXX-rated films indicate, most women are not lusting after a three-legged man. Maybe some women are up for the challenge, but many are fine with the guy who fits within the norm. Don't be too hard on yourself for being just that.

10. One orgasm is not always enough.
Women are not as quick to come down from their aroused state as men are post-sex. Many can be launched right back to bliss, and many women do crave more action and orgasms, even if they were perfectly satisfied the first time round.

Bill Gates signals end of PC mouse era

Microsoft is developing a system that could spell the end of the use of computer mouse, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has said.

"The way you interact with the system will change dramatically," the billionaire said at a conference in Canada, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph on Friday. He said that computer users of the future will control their machines by voice and pen as well as touch.

Users of Windows 7 will issue commands by touching the screen rather than by the traditional keyboard and mouse combination that has dominated since the 1970s.

Windows 7 is due to be released in 2010 and is Microsoft's attempt to catch up with Apple, whose touch screen iPhone has proved popular.

Touch screens are appearing on a host of other devices, including sat-navs, mobile phones and remote controls. A touch screen BlackBerry is expected shortly

Fuel price hike put off over quantum

The Congress's core ministerial panel on Friday gave its green signal to raising motor fuel prices but the quantum of increase emerged as a hitch. A decision is now expected only next week, after two high-profile political meetings — that of the Congress Working Committee on Saturday and the BJP's national executive convention on Monday — get over. The rise of inflation to 8.1%, announced in the morning, left little elbow room for the core committee to reconcile the differences between oil minister Murli Deora and finance minister P Chidambaram. While Deora is pressing hard for reduction in duties to keep the quantum of hike — if at all — to bare minimum, Chidambaram has consistently refused to tinker with taxes.

The BJP executive committee's two-day national convention, beginning on Sunday, too weighed heavy on the core committee. Coming close on the heels of its victory in the Karnataka elections, the jamboree is bound to draw eyeballs. Raising fuel prices while the convention was on would have provided the BJP a very visible platform to criticize the Congress and the UPA coalition. While there may be a general agreement in the Congress on the need to raise at least motor fuel prices, protests from within the UPA coalition show no signs of ebbing. The Left once again said prices should not be increased and denied that Deora had consulted its leaders. The CPM central committee said it was not even willing to discuss anything but duty reduction to cushion consumers.

Amid such political wranglings, various options such as higher price, more bonds and duty cuts — and their combinations — are being tossed around in the government. One such option is to raise prices of both branded and unbranded petrol substantially, while leaving diesel price unchanged to avoid inflationary pressures, along with some marginal duty cut. This may not work as the losses on diesel are estimated the highest at Rs 140,710 crore.

Other options include steps such as raising petrol prices by Rs 3-5 a litre and diesel by Rs 1-2 a litre, along with some duty reduction. A Re 1 hike in petrol and diesel price would yield Rs 1,036 crore and Rs 4,575 crore, respectively, to the three state-run oil marketing firms in the remaining 10 months of the fiscal.

Similarly, a Re 1 cut in excise on petrol would result in revenue loss of Rs 1,380 crore to the government and a similar reduction on diesel would decrease revenues by Rs 5,270 crore. The package being worked out for oil retailers, which face a situation where they would not have cash to import crude in the next few months, also includes raising the share of upstream companies like ONGC in subsidizing fuel.

Top 10 Mutual Funds across all categories

Company Scheme Annual returns

Reliance Mutual Fund Reliance Diversified Power Sector Fund - Growth 52.17

Reliance Mutual Fund Reliance Diversified Power Sector Fund - Bonus 52.17

Taurus Mutual Fund Taurus Libra Taxshield - Growth 43.41

UTI Mutual Fund UTI Gold Exchange Traded Fund - Growth 40.90

Benchmark Mutual Fund Gold Benchmark Exchange Traded Scheme - Growth 40.73

Deutsche Mutual Fund DWS Investment Opportunity Fund - Dividend 39.75

Deutsche Mutual Fund DWS Investment Opportunity Fund - Growth 39.62

Reliance Mutual Fund Reliance Diversified Power Sector Fund - Dividend 34.53

ICICI Prud. Mutual Fund ICICI Prud. Infrastructure Fund - Inst. Option-I - Growth 32.26

Std. Chartered Mutual Fund Standard Chartered Premier Equity Fund - Growth 31.71

Morning sex can keep you hale and hearty

A steamy sex session in the morning can keep you in good health, say researchers. According to a research from Queen's University in Belfast, a good morning session at least three times a week, decreases the risk of heart attack or stroke by half and a regular session improves circulation, thereby reducing blood pressure.

According to a study in New Scientist, a steamy session twice a week enhances IgA, an antibody that provides protection against microbes that multiply in body secretions, reports The Sun.

Morning sex also helps in alleviating arthritis and migraine. It burns around 300 calories an hour that simultaneously diminishes the risk of developing diabetes. Moreover, an American study involving 300 sexually active women whose partners did not use condoms revealed that they were less prone to depression.

Sex increases the production of testosterone that provides stronger bones and muscles thus helping to stave off osteoporosis.

A good morning session can make the hair shine and skin glow by raising the output of oestrogen and other hormones associated with it. According to Yale School of Medicine researchers, it can aid in averting endometriosis, a condition where the tissue that normally lines the uterus, grows in other parts of the pelvis.

However, the researchers have also warned that having sex more than three times a week can have a negative impact on our immune system thus lowering its resistance.

Defence Minister Antony faints during NDA ceremony

Defence Minister A K Antony fainted during the passing out parade ceremony at the National Defence Academy in Kharag Vasla, Pune on Saturday morning.

The minister first fainted at the commencement of the ceremony, where he was the chief guest. A chair was brought for him. Antony then took the salute and addressed the cadets. He fainted a second time when the cadets were marching off.

Taken to his car, the defence minister observed the conclusion of the ceremony from his vehicle.
Two electrocardiograms, ECG, were conducted on him and found to be normal. A blood test was also taken. The minister has been advised rest for at least 6 hours.

Bikini battles between Amisha and Kareena

The history of Hindi cinema is witness to the fact that the top-most filmmakers call the shots when it comes to convincing the best and the most graceful of our leading heroines to don the ultimate symbol of boldness in B-town – the much famed bikini. The super-gorgeous Dimple Kapadia, Simi Garewal, Zeenat Aman and even the very arty Vyajanthimala once succumbed to showman Raj Kapoor.

And off-late, it is contemporary filmmaking veteran Yash Raj who has continued the trend. Though Kareena’s zero-size figure in a lime green bikini may have been an unsuccessful stint in saving Tashan from doomsday but the filmmaker is in no mood to make a U-turn when it comes to the ‘bikini’ formula.After convincing Esha Deol, daughter of B-town’s most dignified lady; the ‘intelligent sexy woman’ Bipasha and the bold Bebo to don a two-piece bikini, Amisha Patel is their latest muse.

Yes, Kaho Na Pyar Hai’s demure girl is all set to wow the audiences with a two-piece bikini in the Saif-Rani starer ‘ Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic’ . Now while it works as a great publicity stunt for Amisha who is back in the groove after a long-exile, we wonder what this one holds in store for Yash Raj’s latest flick. After all, B-town goers are no longer satisfied with plain bikinis. The essentials for grabbing eye-balls are not just a hour-glass figure but a ‘sexy attitude’ that creates a fine blend of mystery and seduction which even our stylish diva Bebo couldn’t quite deliver. So while Yash Raj has spent huge bucks on filming an underwater sequence that features Amisha at her bare best, let us see if the comeback heroine manages to score a brownie point or two over Bebo with this one.

Sexy Bikini Babes

Check out these sizzling hot bikini babes! They're sure to get you drooling and desiring for the ultimate pleasure!












Models walk the ramp during the Boudoir London, Mumbai's premier lingerie & swimwear Spring/Summer 2008 collection over a show hosted in association with Quan Spa at JW Marriott Hotel Juhu in Mumbai.

Foreigners can't settle in Goa

After spending eight years in Goa, a British couple in their 60s — Mash Barry Sidney and Jenice Mash — decided to make the idyllic coastal state their permanent home after retirement. But it wasn't to be, as they were told that the Indian law forbids retired foreigners from staying permanently in the country.

"When we applied for extension of stay in India, officials at the foreigners' registration office (FRO), Panaji, told us we won't get visa extension as we had sought it for spending our retired life in Goa," Sidney said, adding, "We were told that it was in line with the instructions of the external affairs ministry." Sidney said the FRO got back to him saying, "As per the external affairs ministry's instructions, foreigners have to spend their retired life in their country and therefore your request isn't agreed to." He said the FRO also requested them to immediately leave the country.

This isn't an isolated case. FRO sources told TOI that every year nearly 3,000 foreigners — including about 800 to 900 from UK alone — staying in Goa, seek extension on their visas. In most cases, foreign nationals seek extension saying they want to spend their retired life in Goa. "Goa home department rejects the requests citing MEA rules. Our job is to convey this to the applicant," a senior FRO official said. Special secretary (home) Diwan Chand said, "We are acting as per the MEA's visa manual."

However, legal experts find government's explanation unconvincing. "I fail to understand under what provision of Indian or international law can they disallow a foreigner from living on in the country," a lawyer said.

YouTube case to hit sharing: Google

A $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit challenging YouTube's ability to keep copyrighted material off its popular video-sharing site threatens how hundreds of millions of people exchange all kinds of information on the Internet, YouTube owner Google Inc said. Google's lawyers made the claim in papers filed in US District Court in Manhattan as the company responded to Viacom Inc's latest lawsuit alleging that the Internet has led to "an explosion of copyright infringement" by YouTube and others.

The back-and-forth between the companies has intensified since Viacom brought its lawsuit last year, saying it was owed damages for the unauthorised viewing of its programming from MTV, Comedy Central and other networks, including such hits as "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

In papers submitted to a judge last Friday, Google said YouTube "goes far beyond its legal obligations in assisting content owners to protect their works." It said that by seeking to make carriers and hosting providers liable for Internet communications, Viacom "threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information, news, entertainment and political and artistic expression."

Google said YouTube was faithful to the requirements of the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, saying the federal law was intended to protect companies like YouTube as long as they responded properly to content owners' claims of infringement. On that score, Viacom says Google has set a terrible example. In a rewritten lawsuit filed last month, Viacom said YouTube consistently allows unauthorised copies of popular television programming and movies to be posted on its website and viewed tens of thousands of times.

Viacom said it had identified more than 150,000 unauthorised clips of copyrighted programming -- including “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “South Park” and “MTV Unplugged” episodes and the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” -- that had been viewed “an astounding 1.5 billion times.” The company said its count of unauthorised clips represents only a fraction of the content on YouTube that violates its copyrights.

It said Google and YouTube had done “little or nothing” to stop infringement. “To the contrary, the availability on the YouTube site of a vast library of the copyrighted works of plaintiffs and others is the cornerstone of defendants' business plan,” Viacom said.

Television's worst reality shows

Reality shows have spread themselves across all television channels, and they're getting very repetitive. Some of them don't even seem 'real' and looked quite staged.
We asked readers to vote for their worst reality shows on TV, and the list was endless. Readers voted for shows like Indian Idol (excluding the first season), Bigg Boss, Rock 'n' Roll, Chappar Paad Ke, Fame Gurukul, Sawaal Dus Karod Ka, Kamzor Kadi Kaun, Deal or No Deal, Waar Parivaar and Jhoom India. We take a look at the five most unpopular reality shows on television.

Shaava Shaava
When it was launched, Shaava Shaava looked like it had everything going for it. There were popular TV stars like Narayani Shashtri, Apurva Agnihotri, Juhi Parmar, Mouni Roy, Aman Verma, Manish Goel, Sumeet Raghavan and Divyanka Tripati. Plus, it had the best chat show hosts Karan Johar and Simi Garewal judging the show.
Unfortunately, the show was drab, and none of the contestants could sing. Fortunately, audiences had to bear the show for 11 days only.

K For Kishore
K For Kishore did not do well despite its original concept, unlike other reality shows. The show was dedicated to legendary singer Kishore Kumar, and was a good platform for budding singers. Surprisingly, readers gave a thumbs down to this show, preferring others that were copies.
Readers even felt that K For Kishore was an insult to the legend because the participants did not even come close to the great singer. Readers weren't the only one who got tired of this show soon. It was evident that host Rajeshwari Sachdev had lost interest too when she was suddenly paired with Babul Supriyo, after hosting a couple of episodes solo.

Kahin Naa Kahin Koi Hain
Kahin Naa Kahin Koi Hai showed great promise when it was launched because it marked Madhuri Dixit's debut on the small screen. But the matrimonial show soon flopped.
One probable reason for it not doing well was that the audience found the whole thing fake.

Sawal Dus Karod Ka
Sawal Dus Karod Ka was supposed to be Zee TV's answer to Star's Kaun Banega Crorepati. The only difference was the prize money -- a mind-bogging sum of Rs 10 crores.
Despite the huge amount at stake, there were few takers. While Amitabh Bachchan and later, Shah Rukh Khan could connect with the audience on KBC, Sawal's... hosts, Anupam Kher and Manisha Koirala, left the audience cold.

Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hai
Paanchvi Pass evoked mixed reactions from viewers. There were inevitable comparisons between the Indian format hosted by Shah Rukh Khan and the original, Are You Better Than A 5th Grader. Some of the viewers thought the Fox Broadcasting game show was far better. There are also comparisons to the first season of Amitabh Bachachan's hit game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati.

Tax planning and investments

This financial year most of the salaried class will have an extra Rs 40,000 per year thanks to Finance Minister P Chidambaram's increase in income tax limit.

For women salaries up to Rs 1,80,000 and for men salaries up to Rs 1,50,000 will not attract any tax compared to the earlier limits of Rs 1,45,000 and Rs 1,10,000 respectively.

How much tax will you pay from your salary now that most of you must have got an increment? Or how will the new salary structure affect your tax outgo? Is there a way by which you can plan for and save more tax in the financial year 2008-09 after careful tax planning? How can the salaried class take advantage of the extra Rs 40,000 they will get per annum?

What is the best way of planning your tax as well as investing for a better future for you and your family?

Do you know the different ways of tax planning and tax saving for the salaried employees, self-employed, business persons and those who have recently acquired a job?

Is this a good time to start planning your investments and tax-saving for the next financial year? What are the important points you must remember while planning your taxes? What are the tax-saving avenues available for salaried individuals and for those running their own businesses?

10 rules for investing in gold

An investment in gold should be based on macro economic con-siderations
If one expects or fears rising inflation, destabilizing deflation, a bear market in stocks or bonds, or financial turmoil, gold should do well and exposure is warranted.

Understanding the internal dynamics of the gold market can be helpful as to investment timing issues
For example, the weekly position reports of commodity trading funds or sentiment indicators offer useful clues as to entry or exit points for active trading strategies. Reports on physical demand for jewellery, industrial, and other uses compiled by various sources also provide some perspective.
However, none of these considerations, non-monetary in nature, yield any insight as to the broad market trend. Reports of central bank selling or lending may influence the market in the short term but cannot counteract macro economic factors.

Excessive reliance on trading strategies to generate returns can be dangerous and counterproductive
Returns from a 'buy and hold' strategy should be more than sufficient to compensate for the inherent volatility. Many who have tried to outsmart this market by hyperactive trading have under-performed. Success is de-pendent in large part on the occurrence of 'fat tail' events that lie outside the parameters of trading models.

Every investor should have some gold
A reasonable allocation in a conservative, diversified portfolio is 0 to 3 per cent during a gold bear market and 5-10 per cent during a bull market.

Equities of gold mining companies offer greater leverage than direct ownership of the metal itself
Gold equities tend to appear expensive in comparison to those of conventional companies because they contain an embedded option component for a possible rise in the gold price. The share price sensitivity to a hypothetical rise in metal price is related to the cash flow from current production as well as the valuation impact on proven and probable reserves.

Watch out for companies that have hedged their gold exposure
Although a rising tide may lift most boats, financial statements should be reviewed with special attention to hedging arrangements that could undermine participation in higher gold prices or even jeopardize financial stability. The carnage of the last twenty years has simplified the task of individual stock selection because so few have survived the gold bear market. But individual stock selection is less important than identification of the primary trend.

Don't get caught up in gold fever
Even though gold itself is a conservative investment, 'gold fever' attracts a crowd of speculators, promoters, and charlatans who only want to separate investors from their money. Avoid offbeat 'exploration' companies with little or no current production and gargantuan appetites for new money.

Bullion or coins are a more conservative way to invest in gold than through the equities
There is also greater liquidity with bullion for large pools of capital. Investing in the physical metal requires scrutinizing the custodial arrangements and the creditworthiness of the financial institution. Do not mistake the promise of a financial institution to settle based on the gold price, for example, a 'gold certificate' or a 'structured note' (i.e., derivative), for the actual physical possession of the metal. Insist on possession in a segregated vault, subject to unscheduled audits, and inaccessible to the trading arrangements or financial interest of the financial institution.

Gold is a controversial, anti-establishment investment
Therefore, do not rely on conventional financial media and brokerage house commentary. In this area, such commentary is even more misleading and ill-informed than usual.

Don't settle for too little
Should outlier events now deemed unimaginable by consensus thinking actually occur, the price target for gold would be several multiples of its current depressed price. Gold represents insurance against some sort of financial catastrophe. The magnitude of the upside is a function of the amount of paper assets that would be converted to gold irrespective of price.

Salman takes a break from films

Salman Khan fans will have to wait a little longer to watch him in the theatres. The actor has taken a break from his movies to focus on Dus Ka Dum, his first television show.
The game show will be telecast on Sony Entertainment Television at the end of May, and the actor is busy shooting for it at Mumbai's R K Studios.

Salman postponed the shooting of Main Aur Mrs Khanna, which was to start this month in Australia. His other films, Veer, and London Dreams have also been pushed back. Dus Ka Dum, taken off from the international show Power Of 10, is being heavily promoted presently. Salman has a lot of competition in Shah Rukh Khan's Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hai and Akshay Kumar's forthcoming Khatron Ke Khiladi, the desi version of Fear Factor.

Pregnant Mini Mathur opts out of Indian Idol 4

The motor mouth TV Vj associated from the 1st season with Idian Idol, Mini Mathur will not be seen in the 4th season Indian Idol as the Vj is pregnent with her second child.
Mini and Kabir Khan (director of Yash Raj Films’ Kabul Express) have a four-and-a-half-year-old son Vivaan. Sony was very keen that she should host the upcoming season of Indian Idol, but they could do little about it.

Confirming the good news about her pregnancy, Mini says, “Yes. Kabir and I are expecting our second child.”Mini, who has hosted all the three seasons of Indian Idol so far, adds, “I would have loved to be a part of Indian Idol 4. Being a part of Indian Idol has been a great experience. Hopefully, I'll be back on the show’s next season.”Recently, Mini completed shooting for a show, Yeh Shaam Mastani, which features singers like Kunal Ganjawala, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Sunidhi Chauhan, Kailash Kher among others. Yeh Shaam Mastani traces the musical journey of the eight singers and will air on Sony. Mini is hosting this show. The show involves asking some very tricky questions to those who belong to the music world. “Yeh Shaam Mastani was a great experience. I just finished shooting for it last week. It will be on air very soon,” says Mini.

Reality shows rake in the moolah! And how!

Reality shows in India are here to stay. Just look at the moolah they've been raking in and you'll know why.

Panchvi Pass on Star Plus is expected to generate Rs 150-160 crore in 36 episodes; KBC3 made Rs 200 crore in 52 episodes.

The glamour of interactive reality shows, it appears, is only becoming more pronounced. Comprising primarily of quiz, dance, talent and singing contests, the latest shows are earning more revenue for the channels, but with fewer episodes.

Shah Rukh Khan?s new quiz show Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hai on Star Plus, for instance, is expected to generate around Rs 150-160 crore for the channel in just 36 episodes.

The revenue will accrue from sponsors and spot-buys. The show is expected to fetch another Rs 18 crore from mobile and landline calls and through SMSes.

The show, which goes on air from today, has already received over 12 million calls in 20 days from people wanting to participate in the show.

On the other hand, the third run of Kaun Banega Crorepati ? anchored by Shah Rukh Khan on Star Plus ? made around Rs 200 crore in 52 episodes. The channel earned Rs 10-12 crore from calls and SMSes.

The musical talent show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007, on Zee TV earned the channel close to Rs 120 crore from advertisements and sponsors in 26 episodes.

Industry sources said Indian Idol 3 on SET Max made over Rs 26 crore with just eight sponsors last year, apart from the revenue it earned through the 10-second ad slots. Sony Entertainment Television (SET) charges around Rs 1.75 lakh for a 10-second slot.

Star Mobile Entertainment senior vice-president, Viren Popli, says: ?We estimate the number of calls to outdo the number of calls for Kaun Banega Crorepati-2 (KBC 2) and Kaun Banega Crorepati-3 (KBC3).

During KBC 2, when Amitabh Bachchan hosted the 62-episode show (later the show ended mid-way), around 120 million people made calls.

However, when Khan took over the third season of KBC, the calls went down to 70 million for 52 episodes because the channel had to accommodate participants selected during KBC 2 who could not be quizzed as the show was pulled off air.

What?s working for the Indian version of Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? ? which will run for 36 episodes during weekends ? is that Star Plus gave the participation procedure a different spin, said Popli.

Since the show will quiz adults on questions from textbooks of standards 1 to 5, the channel adopted the school/college admission process. In the first round, interested viewers had to answer a question flashed on air, after which the caller had to answer three questions in round two.

This was followed by an interview round in which the candidates were judged by a panel, who gave scores and a merit list of selected callers was issued.

For this show, Star Plus signed on multiple telecom service providers ? Airtel, MTNL/BSNL, Tata Indicom, Spice Telecom, Idea Cellular, Vodafone ? excluding Reliance and BPL who are not on board. For KBC3 Airtel, MTNL and BSNL were exclusive telecom partners. This time around, the call rates were also increased to Rs 5 for an SMS and Rs 6 for a mobile call.

When Star Plus opened phone lines for callers who had to answer a question to participate in KBC 3, it received a million calls on day one 40 per cent more than the 700,000 on the first day of Bachchan hosting KBC 2.

Every year the numbers seem to be growing. The show enjoys national reach and audiences are reacting positively to the new show with Shah Rukh Khan,? said Popli.

Scientific Brain Games to improve Memory & Attention

Did you know that the human brain starts slowing down as early as age 30? The good news is that you can speed it up, and improve even your most basic cognitive abilities at any age. Keep your brain performing at its best with Lumosity, a brain training program consisting of engaging brain games and exercises developed by some of the leading neuroscientists in the country.

Brain Games: Outsmart your co-workers with regular training.Free Trial!!!.



Lumosity users have experienced:

• Clearer and quicker thinking
• Improved memory for names, numbers, directions, etc.
• Increased alertness and awareness
• Elevated mood
• Better concentration at work or while driving
• Full workout in only 10 minutes

Here's what the International Media has to say about Lumosity Brain Games:

"Imaginatively themed, against-the-clock games that are good fun to play." - The London Times

"Online brain games can help you sharpen up." - Boston Globe

"The games are relaxing and more than a little addictive." - Health Smart Magazine

Kissing scene deleted from show

There was some steamy stuff on 'Chote Ustaad' (Star Plus) during the shoot for the weekend episode. The episode has Emraan Hashmi as the celeb guest along with the three resident judges, Pritam, Shreya and Kunal. But when the serial kisser, Hashmi is around we do expect some more kissing. Only this time round it was he who got kissed. It so happened that when Emraan was on stage with a contestant, a girl claiming to be his fan suddenly came on stage and kissed the actor. “Emraan was stunned and did not know how to react. Basically he could not understand what had happened as it was so sudden,” says a person who was present on the sets.

We called up Gajendrra Singh the producer of the show to know more about this incident. “The camera was rolling and a girl suddenly appeared on stage and kissed Emraan. It was a moment of panic for all of us as such a thing has never happened earlier,” he says.

Pritam was so unhappy with the incident that he got up and left the studio. “Pritam had called Emraan on a personal level as he shares a good rapport with the actor. More over, as there were little kids on the show Pritam was very uncomfortable about the incident. He therefore left the studio but was back after some cajoling,” says Gajendrra.

This clipping would be deleted from the episode which would go on air on Saturday. “We have a family audience and I don’t want any negative publicity for the show. Beside that lots of children follow the show so this does not give a good picture to them so I have decided to chop off the clip,” he explains further.

Emraan has a huge female fan following so wasn’t this expected? “We expected that there would be lots of halla on the sets but we were not prepared for such a thing. We had good security for Emraan but still….”Gajendrra trails off.

Sources from the sets inform that the girl who kissed the actor was thrown out of the set after which everybody was given a warning.

'Chote Ustaad' sure finds unique ways to remain in the news.

How to porn-proof your kid's PC?

Your kid loves PC. And you, though would love him to be a tech wizard also get jittery when he spends long hours in front of the screen. The stories of paedophiles lurking the Internet, kids going to porn sites and chatting with strangers give you nightmares. Cheer up, you are not the only one. Just like PCs have become an integral part of lives for most kids. The fear of them falling prey to wrong information or company too haunts most parents. The social networking sites have only added to their worry. Most of these parents often wonder: how to regulate their kids’ Web surfing, the time they spend on the PC, who they talk too online and what they look for on the Net. For all those worried parents out there, here are some ideas to keep tabs on your kid’s computer activity.

There are several tools available which will help you do the above. However, which one of those is for you depend upon the operating system you have installed on your PC. Here those who have upgraded to Windows Vista are a bit lucky, as the operating system comes with a set of Parental Controls feature. These can be accessed by opening the Control Panel and clicking User Account and Family Safety, and then clicking Parental Controls.You can use Vista's Parental Controls to set up a separate user account for each of your children. Remember that you have to set yourself as the administrator to do this. You define the administrator account when you first install Vista. After that you can add additional accounts that can then be controlled by the administrator. You can password-protect the administrator account so that your kids cannot gain control of it and change their access settings.

With Vista's parental controls, you can impose limits on all sorts of activities, including the hours they can log in and use the computer, whether they have access to the Internet, which sites they can and cannot visit, and which programmes they can and cannot use. You can even get an activity report that details exactly what your children have done while on the computer. Vista's Parental Controls also allow you to block games by rating, content, or name. Once you activate parental controls, you can determine whether a specific user account can play games at all.

If you're using Windows XP or an earlier version of Windows, you can use the parental monitoring programmes available on the Internet. Cyber Patrol (http://www.cyberpatrol.com) and Safe Eyes (http://www.internetsafety.com/safe-eyes) have both been ranked high by independent testers.These tools provide many of the features found in Vista's parental controls and add a few additional benefits, such as the ability to text message, e-mail, or even phone you at work if kids attempt to break the rules. The downside is that these applications focus on Internet activity alone.

Who's the sexiest celebrity mom?

Spice Girl Victoria Beckham recently beat off competition from stars like Gwen Stefani , Heidi Klum and Christina to bag the sexiest celebrity mom title by the lingerie company Victoria's Secret.

While no denying that Posh is a hot mommie, we can't help but think of some very deserving mommies from our own Bollywood circles who could give the svelte singer/actress a run for her money.

But don't take our word for it. We would like to know whom would you vote as the sexiest mom in Bollywood.
Some of the top choices are:
Malaika Arora
Kajol
Sushmita Sen
Madhuri Dixit
Karishma Kapoor
Raveena Tandon

What do you guys say? Do come up with your own lists..

Steep fee hike at IIMs coming up

IIM aspirants...get ready to shell out some more cash!! A steep fee hike is being planned at almost all the IIMs in India barring IIM Kolkata which hasnt raised its fees drastically.

Be prepared to shell out a huge premium to enter the country’s premier B-schools. Three Indian Institutes of Managements (IIMs) are set to effect a big hike in fees from the next academic session. Along with IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Bangalore, IIM-Calcutta too is all set to increase its course fee for the 2008-2010 academic session.

While IIM-Ahmedabad students would face one of the steepest hikes, followed by IIM-Bangalore, it seems that IIM-Calcutta would go in for a moderate hike. IIM-Ahamedabad is expected to raise its fees to a whopping Rs 3 lakh for the 2008-2010 batch, compared to Rs 2 lakh now. IIM-Bangalore is likely to raise its fee from the present Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 2.75 lakh.IIM-Calcutta, which currently charges Rs 2 lakh from its post-graduate students per year, however, is not bothered about the fee hikes proposed by the other two IIMs and has decided not to go for a big jump. IIM-C might hike the tuition fee by not more than Rs 25,000 to Rs 2.25 lakh.In 2007, IIM-C raised its tuition fee from Rs 1.75 lakh to Rs 2 lakh while IIM-A had raised its tuition fee from Rs 1.77 lakh to Rs 2 lakh. But IIM-B chose to increase its fee by Rs 75,000 in 2007, from Rs 1.75 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh.

The final decision regarding the fee hikes at all the IIMs will be taken by their respective Boards of Governors. IIM-C board will meet on February 26. But the institute is already examining several parameters to arrive at the exact amount to be increased. Ajit Balakrishnan, chairman of the IIM-C board of governors is to discuss the proposed fee hike with the faculty and administration.The three IIMs have decided to increase their flagship two-year PGP programme tuition fee despite reservations being voiced by HRD ministry officials, who are slated to press for smaller hikes at the board meetings.

Heath Ledger death called an accident, autopsy inconclusive

An autopsy report on actor Heath Ledger was called inconclusive on Wednesday as his publicist said the death of the 28-year-old heartthrob was an accident.Ledger was found dead in a Manhattan apartment Tuesday afternoon with reports saying he was disconsolate, had been battling a heroin addiction and that bottles of pills had been found near his body.But Wednesday's autopsy to determine how Ledger died was inconclusive and additional tests were required to determine the cause of death.

"The autopsy was inconclusive," New York City Medical Examiner spokeswoman Ellen Borakove told People Magazine. "We have to do further testing including toxicology and tissue testing. Neither cause of death or manner of death has been concluded. We expect additional results in 10 days to two weeks."There was no obvious indication of suicide or foul play, said New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne, who added police are "investigating the possibility of an overdose."The Australian actor's ex-fiancee, actress Michelle Williams, was flying to New York from Sweden with their two-year-old daughter, Matilda, Williams' father said.

Meanwhile Ledger's publicist insisted that the actor's death was an "accident" and asked for privacy for his family."We are deeply saddened and shocked by this accident," said publicist Mara Buxbaum in a statement. "This is an extremely difficult time for his loved ones. We're asking the media to please respect the family's privacy and avoid speculation until the facts are known."

Reliance Power IPO subscribes 69 times

Reliance Power Ltd's public issue has so far generated demand for shares worth more than $179.5 billion (Rs 706,000 crore) as bids continued to pour in on the last day of the Anil Ambani Group firm's IPO.

The IPO received bids for 1,507 crore (15.7 billion) shares as against the 22.8 crore (228 million) shares on offer, getting subscribed over 68.81 times.
The public offer has already set a number of records, including the highest amount to be raised at Rs 11,700 crore (Rs 117 billion) and the maximum demand generated.

The previous biggest IPO in terms of funds raised was ONGC [Get Quote] that mopped up over Rs 9,500 crore (Rs 95 billion), followed by real estate giant DLF with Rs 9,000 crore (Rs 90 billion) while the public issue of Adani's Mundra Port and SEZ Ltd had generated a demand of shares worth more than Rs 200,000 crore (Rs 2,000 billion).

The company is offering equity shares at a price band of Rs 405-450 per share. The issue had opened on January 15 and closes today. The total size of the IPO is 26 crore (260 million) shares, including promoters' contribution of 3.2 crore (32 million) shares.

Now, kiss for better health!

Exercise. Dieting. Various therapies. When it comes to healthy living, you are always a sport. Now here is something else you can try: Cheeky kisses!

The next time you greet a person, make sure you avoid shaking hands. Instead give a peck on his or her cheek -- it's healthier for you.

A team of international researchers has carried out a study and found that people who greet each other with handshakes are much more likely to pass on germs, such as flu and stomach bugs, than those who settle for a kiss.

According to lead researcher Prof Sally Bloomfield of the London School of Hygiene, "The hands are critical in the chain of infection as they transmit infections from surfaces to people and between people.

"Shaking hands is the main form of physical contact with each other but you don't know what the other person has been touching before you greet them. People avoid kissing each other when they have a cold, but in fact they are more likely to pass on an infection by shaking someone's hand." In fact, the researchers, whose study has been funded by the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene, came to the conclusion after analysing the effects of handshakes and kisses on a group of people, according to media reports.

According to co-researcher Carol O'Boyle of the School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, "Hand hygiene is just as important when we are outside the home -- on public transport, in the office, in the supermarket, or in a restaurant.

"Quite often it is not possible to wash our hands in these situations, but carrying an alcohol-based hand sanitiser means we can make our hands hygienic whenever and wherever the need arises."

Bajaj to offer preview of small car at Auto Expo

Delhi's Auto Expo, starting January 9, is attracting more attention than usual this year because, among other things, Tata Motors will be displaying its much-discussed Rs 1 lakh car, the world's lowest priced car. Now, sources in Bajaj Auto have confirmed that it is expected to offer a sneak preview of its small car, priced at roughly Rs 1.17 lakh, at the Expo.

The country's second largest two-wheeler company had announced a tie-up with Renault and Nissan in October to develop an ultra-low cost small car for India. The Tata offering is expected to hit the roads in September or October this year. Bajaj's car will be ready for commercial production after two years.
Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, who visited Bajaj Auto in October, said he hoped the prototype will be ready by the end of this year.

A Bajaj Auto spokesperson declined to comment. Senior company sources, however, said that Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj, who will address a press conference on January 8, will discuss some details of the small car and the road ahead with the partners.

Depressed women wear more perfume

Women who wear too much perfume may be suffering from depression. A new research shows that women suffering from depression tend to lose their sense of smell, thus wearing too much perfume.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University have discovered a link between depression and the loss of a sense of smell. They showed those who are depressed lose sensitivity in their olfactory glands at the same time and thus unwittingly splash too much scent about.

''Our scientific findings suggest that women who are depressed are also losing their sense of smell, and may overcompensate by using more perfume,'' the study leader, Professor Yehuda Shoenfeld said.
''We also believe that depression has biological roots and may be an immune system response to certain physiological cues,'' he added.

The research could lead to the development of a ''smell test'' to help diagnose depression. Researchers found that in cases of various ulcerous skin diseases , a particle known as an 'autoantibody' attacked the immune system, making the patient feel low, and affecting their sense of smell as well. It is the first time that depression has been linked to smell in ulcerous skin diseases patients. The report published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism also suggests that aromatherapy could be a powerful weapon against depression, and actually helps patients regain their sense of smell.

''People who are depressed seem to respond well to aromatherapy. Certain smells seem to help them overcome the effects of the biological factors,'' Professor Shoenfeld added.