Mind can at times play games beyond the understanding of the wisest of the intellectuals. Selective retention is one such debate. 

Selective retention, as researched by scholars over the centuries, is the psychological process by which the mind tends to retain and remember best the things that are in equilibrium with their pre-existing beliefs, interests and attitudes. In simpler terms, students tend to remember only those selective portions of a teachers lecture with which they agree. To simplify it to an even lesser extent, you would only remember the days you got the bonus and would easily forget the ones when you were penalized! 

But the debate arises over the fact that if this psychological process always operates and tends to maintain consistency in mind, why is depression and other psychological ailments considered to be cancerous? Why are the frustration levels amongst the youth always sky-rocketing? Why does terror attack in one city triggers a panic globally? 

Although the other school of thought argues that selective retention is nothing more than a mere effort to cope up with the loads of information being bombarded every moment, it continues to haunt many psychologists. Mind games, it seems, are never ending!

Remember the super hits like Dilwale Dulahania Le Jayaenge, Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai? Apart from being the Shahrukh Khan films, what else do these, together with the latest flick Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, remind you of?

Bull’s eye! Before you go through the first thirty minutes, you feel proficient enough to script the remainder of the story yourself. The story would progress from a happy beginning, then the happy duo goes through a lean patch but in the end the heroine would always run into the wide open arms of her ‘true hero’. The audience weeps during the entire duration and leaves with the happy ending! 

The over dosage of romance and love has been the chief ingredient of all. How perfect a formula was that. Not anymore! As clearly evident from the mixed audience responses to Rab ne…, these movies are no longer being appreciated. While the hardcore SRK and Aditiya Chopra fans have liked it, the responsive audience has shown it the door, bashing it as impracticable and predictable. 

Talking in a larger perspective the unrealistic expectations that have been set by these stories have made it difficult to sit through them. The impact has been particularly greater in terms amongst the youth. The adolescence is such a vulnerable stage of life that the storyline which portrays everything with so much of perfectionalism could easily frustrate anybody of his love life. The hypothetical parameters are set when you watch any of the typical Bollywood style ‘love stories’ and start fantasizing about your ‘to be spouse’. But the reality hits you damn hard when you start realizing the harsh realities of life. It gets too late to realize that the evaluation parameters employed were built on virtual foundations.

Dil Chahta Hai, Rang de Basanti, Life in a Metro, Delhi Heights, Taare Zameen Par and many like these have been critically acclaimed to be unbiased stories, much relevant in the contemporary world. The hard-hitting stories have shown the audience the true mirror of the outside world. The writers have made the audience relate to the story and portray the factual image. This has gained them ample admiration not only from the audience but also from their rivals and English counterparts. It’s high time to change the content of the cinema and make it more appealing to the youth rather than giving them false anticipations.

Do you find it difficult to express your opinions to others? Are you unable to pronounce what you experience? The problem might just not be with the communication skills, but it can rather be the way you put them to use. 

To communicate effectively you need to remember the basics, practice your skills, put them to good use and enhance them too. Communication begins with the true listening. You have to be a true and a patient listener. Focus on what the other person has to say to you. Only then will you be able to react and reciprocate. 

On no account should you hesitate to make an eye contact whether you are speaking or being spoken to. An eye to eye contact, a non verbal cue,  can effectively support the verbal messages. It conveys as well as arouses the interest. 

Beware of  your body language which can easily convey your interest and can hence decide the way your conversation might go. A negative body language can alltogether put an end to a converstion before it actually starts!

Be emphatic and audible and most importantly have the courage to speak what you feel. Happy communicating!

Change hasn’t spared the media too. And the combined power of media and technology has left everybody astonished. With the ever increasing use of computers and internet, the role of web journalism has become very significant. The technology like the World Wide Web, combined with the media has immensely transformed the concept of journalism.

The internet today is the newly explored, most frequently used and the most popular way to communicate and to access news and information which is quite evident from the huge readership of online newspapers and the popularity of blogs, RSS feeds, podcast etc. 

News online is hardly space bound. It allows you to hear, read and view the news, all at the same time. The news is regularly updated, served as it happens. The online discussion forums allow sharing of views, opinions and instant feedback and have hence permitted interactivity between the source and the audience. Archiving has again helped making the new media popular amongst all generations. 

With the editions of almost all the print media now available online with corresponding picture galleries, motion videos and animations etc, the latest buzz is just a click away!

Do you wanna explore Delhi? There isn’t any better place than old Delhi. The recent trip to the heart of Delhi came out to be a journey full of surprises.

Old Delhi has been predominantly inhabited by Muslim population. The core attractions of Old Delhi are Red fort - an admirable example of Mughal Architecture, the effervescent Chandini Chownk and Nai Sarak markets, Jama Masjid - one of Asia’s prime mosques, and of course the famous Parathe wali gali.

Old Delhi lives life at its own pace. The fun of a cycle rickshaw ride through the congested and twisting streets of old Delhi gave the real feel of ‘purani’ Delhi, not to forget the fun when every minute another rickshaw from the back bumps into yours! While the buildings around wear an ancient look, the vibrant market, the jam-packed streets, aroma of spices and Mughlai food, colorful bangle market all together refreshes the soul and instantly fills in a lot of vigor.

With all this and much more around every corner, old Delhi seems so enticing. Here lies the real taste of Delhi, a place where the past co-exists with the present!

Imagine a husband divorcing his wife because her Facebook ‘relationship status’ listed her as single! It might sound very absurd but it’s equally true. The social networking sites have redefined relationships. There’s enormous amount of creditability tagged with the ‘online profiles’.

The phone numbers, contact addresses and even the e-mail ids change but the ‘profiles’ stay. It’s easier to stay in touch with relatives living far away, thanks to ‘scrapbooks’ and ‘walls’. Today the foundation of a relationship is laid by accepting random friend requests. The more the merrier! ‘Friends’, most of whom you probably haven’t ever met, are strangely ready to invest their attention into your life. The personal lives, as if a 24X7 news channel, are being broadcasted!

These sites have created a virtual world for most, an ideal life, far away from the harsh realities. People love the anonymity. Some demarcate their professional and personal lives by ‘living’ multiple profiles.

It is astonishing to observe that how a boy and a girl can commit for the rest of their lives over a couple of chat sessions. The usefulness of these sites shall be debated for long but this trend is here to stay. Come and connect to the world outside!

The glittery glove famously worn by former pop idol Michael Jackson in his 1983 video for the hit song ‘Billie Jean’ is up for sale. Sources say that the glove will be auctioned off in April, together with more than 2,000 items from the ‘Neverland Ranch,’ Jackson’s home for over 15 years, until he abandoned in the aftermath of his 2005 acquittal on charges that he molested a young male visitor there.

According to celebrity memorabilia specialist Julien’s Auctions, which announced the auction Wednesday, the sale will also include the entry gates to Neverland Ranch as well many of the amusement and arcade devices that Jackson installed at Neverland to make his own private amusement park. In addition to the collection of memorabilia from Jackson’s own career the auction will also feature numerous fine art pieces and other pop culture memorabilia.

The auction came just weeks after the financially-troubled Jackson sold Neverland to a company that owned the mortgage on the property and which now plans to redevelop the 1,100 hectare ranch. Jackson’s possessions will be on display from February onwards in a highlights tour that according to Julien’s will visit major cities worldwide.

Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo could be in line for another major honor after being short-listed for the FIFA World Player of the Year award. The Portugal and Manchester United winger has been nominated alongside Barcelona duo Lionel Messi and Xavi, AC Milan playmaker Kaka and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres.

Reports say that Ronaldo was third in last year’s FIFA vote behind Brazilian winner Kaka and Argentinian Messi but is the overwhelming favourite to see off those two to take the award for 2008, which is presented in Zurich Jan 12. The Portuguese in the meanwhile have achieved phenomenal success individually and as part of a team last season, winning the Premier League and Champions League with United while scoring 42 goals. 

Music lovers here is a treat for you. Juno Soundtrack has it all. According to them juno-verse just got a lot bigger. this time it comes in a deluxe set with both Juno’s chart-topping soundtrack of classic and alt-rock gems with an extra disc of 15 more songs that were intended for the Academy Award. Sounds good right.
Juno Movie Soundtrack you probably must be already acquainted with. This just gets bigger with the bonus. I like Rhino’s social mission too. They say “Make a difference wherever we can” is a statement which carries a healthy chunk of Rhino’s soul in it. Perhaps the reason or the inspiration behind music from Juno
A bit of history. Founded by Richard Foos and Harold Bronson Rhino in 70’s Rhino label is name most music lovers already know.

The 38-year-old singer who wed 28-year-old Nick Cannon last April is planning a lavish ceremony for their first anniversary, and one every year after that. She reportedly said that she was bombarded with calls on the day she got married. Most callers wondered whether her marriage was a rumor or was it for real. She stated that she wanted a bigger wedding on her first anniversary.

She’s also toying with the idea of having a wedding every year. Sources reveal that there were only eight people attended Mariah and Nick’s low-key ceremony in the Bahamas, and the singer known for her love of luxury and excess insists it was perfect. Mariah who was previously married to record executive Tommy Mottola — added that she wanted the opposite of what went wrong the first time as her wedding to Nick she affirms was the most beautiful day of her life.

Slumdog Millionaire consolidated its Oscar nomination chances last week winning a slew of key awards and by being nominated in four Golden Globes categories including best film, best director (Danny Boyle), best adapted screenplay (Simon Beaufoy) and best original score (A R Rahman). Widely televised worldwide, the Globes are given by Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Last week, the $15 million movie which has grossed nearly $6 million in North America in limited release in four weeks, was honored with two awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association including best direction and music, one from the New York Film Critics’ Circle, as well as six nominations for the Critics Choice Awards including best picture. It has been declared the year’s best by the National Board of Review. In London, where Slumdog also won best film at the British Independent Film Awards, also became a sentimental winner. ‘We are thrilled that we can hopefully bring some positive light to what has happened over there (the terrorist attacks in Mumbai) by honoring this film,’ board President Annie Schulhof said at the awards.  

Cristiano Ronaldo’s former girlfriend Leitizia Filippi has stripped to the bare nothing in a new calendar. The Italian beauty who briefly dated the winker in July has stripped naked for a series of shots. Ronaldo bombarded Letizia with texts after meeting her at a party on a yacht while he was with his then girlfriend, Spanish model Nereida Gallardo.

However the affair quickly fizzled out when Ronaldo spent a lengthy spell in Los Angeles recovering from ankle surgery. Despite reports Ronaldo is now dating Ukranian beauty Alyona Haynes, a friend has revealed Letizia is keen to rekindle her romance with the Portuguese star.

The writer of one of the most beloved children’s books series – Harry Potter, JK Rowling had stated clearly that she will not kowtow to international pressure and write another book about Harry, his friends and Hogwarts ever again. With the recently released Tales of Beedle The Bard, Rowling sticks, though barely by the skin of her teeth, to her determined statement. 

Rowling has provided an interesting blend of unusual story-lines and a folky flavour to these tales and makes it a point to retain the most essential feature of folk tales – a moral - which is overwhelming in some stories (‘The Wizard And The Hopping Pot’). This is presented in unique ways in others. True to the style she had adopted toward the end of her Harry Potter career, she makes at least one of these stories absolutely brutal.

Actress Kate Hudson insists on total honesty in her relationships. Katie, who was once married to Black Crowes rocker Chris Robinson also date cyclist Lance Armstrong and actor Owen Wilson. She told the media that she couldn’t be romantically involved with someone who kept secrets. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old mother of a four year old son also revealed she will be cutting back on spending this Christmas and is planning to make many of her own gifts.

She agreed that the recession had taken out the celebration mood and believed that everyone was feeling gloomy. She said that this season she was big time into knitting, something that she did not want to reveal much about. Well, that’s one crafty lady for sure!

A new study has shown that contraceptive methods can have a significant impact on women’s sexual pleasure and satisfaction. Research also proves that many women think condoms decrease their sexual pleasure. On the other hand, those who use both hormonal contraception and condoms report higher overall sexual satisfaction.  

During the study, women admitted condoms make sex less pleasurable, while those who used only hormonal methods — such as the birth control pills — were unlikely to associate their method with decreased sexual pleasure.  When asked about the effect of contraceptives on sexual enjoyment, women who used condoms either alone or with hormonal methods reported decreased sexual pleasure.

Severely obese patients have reportedly lost weight by changing their diet and exercises perhaps would be as successful as those who lost weight after bariatric surgery and then retaining it. Reports say that while weight loss and maintenance were comparable between the two approaches, patients who relied on non-surgical methods had to work harder over a longer duration to maintain their weight losses,.

Sources also say that behavioural modifications and lifestyle changes are critical components to long-term weight loss maintenance. The participants who were involved in this diet changing exercise managed to lose an average of 60 kg and had maintained their weight loss for an average of 5.5 years at the beginning of its two-year study.

Australian pop star Kylie Minogue is all set to croon a song for the Bollywood multi-starrer ‘Blue’ According to sources, the music will be composed by music maestro A R Rahman. Reportedly, Kylie will reach India by January 2009 to record the song and if reports are to be believed, the lady is charging a staggering amount of Rs five crores, i.e. $1 million for the song. It is also rumored that Minogue was not the first choice for this song. In fact, Madonna and the popular R&B singer Rihanna were on the wish list of the film’s producers for the song, but since nothing materialized, Minogue was approached.

Kylie will also shoot the song’s music video.

Some foods are recognized as mind-power foods: whole-wheat products, brown rice, oats, fruit and vegetables, low-fat dairy. Nuts and seeds also keep our minds in a state of harmony — they contain clusters of mood-enhancing Vitamin B and nerve-soothing nutrients like calcium, magnesium, zinc and chromium.

A few tips can be handy though:

Eat right — You may feel like skipping meals or you may not feel hungry, but your body still needs nutritious food. But emotional eating, which means eating as a way to suppress stress, anger, anxiety, boredom, sadness or loneliness can make you pack on the pounds.

Snack healthy — If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie food, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with fat-free dip or unbuttered popcorn. Or test low-fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your cravings.

Try to eat at fairly regular intervals — Don’t skip breakfast. Include foods from the basic groups in your meals. Emphasise whole grains, vegetables and fruit, as well as low-fat dairy products and lean protein sources. When you fill up on the basics, you’re more likely to feel fuller for longer.

Most articles and information on the web speak of the appropriate attire whilst you reach office. If you really want to make the right impression at work, there are many who speak of grace as against trends.

It is always better to be graceful and wear what you can carry confidently and feel comfortable in at the same time. However, it is important to choose the right fit. Trends keep changing every season but what looks good on you will always make you feel confident about yourself. Besides deep necklines, hanging strings, loose harem pants and the like with high heels, and bags in gold and bright metallic give an impression of casual attire.

Officials say that organizations want employees who are emotionally engaged rather then just being physically present on all working days. So, we must learn to let go of the schoolboy-ish mentality, when we got rewarded for just being present. To put things in proper perspective — by all means recognize the seriousness of attendance however don’t be mentally overburdened by trying to prove a point to co-workers or other professional colleagues by not taking any breaks. Apparently the trend today is to earn brownie points for performance and not attendance say sources.

The report also mentions that every employee should keep their colleagues and subordinates informed about your break. A lot of managers take the vacation approvals from their seniors however do not inform their subordinates in advance. This creates a chaotic scenario in the team when the boss goes on a leave. So if you really want to perform well and have a decent appraisal, well, take a break!

First it was camels. Now Saudi Arabia has held its first “beautiful goat” pageant. Owners of pedigree “Najdi” goats from around the Gulf region converged on Riyadh this week, hoping to win the prize for top male and female goat, following in the footsteps of lucrative camel competitions which have taken off in recent years.

The goats are named after the central Najd region of Saudi Arabia, where they have a distinctive high nose bridge and shaggy hair with a fine, silky quality. Funnily enough they were given a thorough shampoo for the show, according to the official website (wwwl.al-nawader.com) which displayed the winners.

A man has been fined for exposing himself and masturbating in front of a woman on a Darwin-bound flight. Lucas Steven Knudson argued he was “just adjusting himself” because his jeans were too tight, a Darwin court heard yesterday, the Northern Territory News reports.

The Darwin Magistrates Court yesterday was told Knudson, 32, had just landed on board Virgin Blue flight DJ449 from Brisbane when he was escorted off the plane by Australian Federal Police after masturbating for “maybe four minutes” underneath his tray table in view of mother-of-two Simone Holt.

After a two-hour hearing, magistrate Tanya Fong Lim found Knudson, from the northern NSW town of Ballina, guilty of committing an indecent act on the plane under the Commonwealth Crimes Aviation Act.

Ms Holt, from Kununurra in the northwest of WA, was emotional as she told the court she awoke about three hours into the flight to see Knudson masturbating.

The teacher’s aide said she was seated on a window seat in row 11 with no one between her and Knudson in the aisle seat - and he was shielding his activity from other passengers and flight attendants on the other side with his shirt. She said he did stop “somewhat” but left his genitals exposed outside of his jeans.

What stock market investors need is time on their side to ride the ups and downs of the market. And, in the long run, the returns from equity do outweigh debt. Stocks are dangerous short-term bets but excellent long-term investments. So by all indications, he should move into equity.

But what scared him was the current market crash. Reports say that every stock market investor must realize is that in the equity market, you make money not despite the crashes but because of them. The crash should enable the investor to buy cheap and thus eventually raise total returns on their investments.

A male Japanese air force major caught naked while shopping for women’s underwear. He has been suspended from his duties for 10 days, say reports. On his way home from a late-night farewell party for a colleague in early September, he stripped off his clothes behind a convenience store before going in and buying panties and pantyhose. On being caught he had only his wallet and his shoes on him. His idea to go naked was to humor people, by its sheer surprise.

The sole clerk in the shop called the police shortly after the man left the store. Papers were filed against him on suspicion of indecent exposure. The incident follows a series of scandals for Japan’s military.

Keanu Reeves just can’t get enough of the hot, spicy Indian food and he proved that recently when he treated his buddies to a lavish Indian dinner at a restaurant in London. The Speed and Matrix star Reeves took five of his close pals to a restaurant called Tamarind and binged on Indian delicacies there.

The menu included 17 starters including lamb, chicken, aloo tikka, salads and scallops, and the main course consisted of lobster karikudi, murgh makhni, malai tikka and saag paneer! The elaborate meal was washed down with a bottle of £95 Chassagne Montrachet and a £90 bottle of Tour Du Pin Figeac wine, as well as beer, vodka, whiskey and seven glasses of diet cola. They finally completed their meal with six generous servings of traditional Indian coconut ice-cream.

And for all this he merely shelled out a good £1,200 followed by a generous tip to the waiters. You definitely know the way to his heart now!

Hollywood photographs and trouble often waltz together, and the latest in the long line of racy celeb pix generating controversy stars Jennifer Aniston. You’re Friends with her, aren’t you?

The sweet girl-next-door star — who is probably a bigger star in these parts, thanks to those Friends re-runs. Even her worst enemy Angelina Jolie had sued an adult mag and a paparazzi shutterbug two years ago for clicking her sunbathing with even less on.

India has experienced the elephant dung sale as famous as selling hot cake at the famous annual cattle fair. Although this is being sold for use as a mosquito repellent as well as fuel. The demand is high for elephant dung as a mosquito repellent has made it much sought after at this cattle fair, about 35 km from Bihar capital Patna. Being the cheapest form of mosquito repellent, it is like a herbal medicine sans any side effects.

It is said that as elephant dung is more effective than any other mosquito repellent available in the market, a ten kg keg is enough for a family of four to get rid of mosquitoes and keep them warm on winter nights.

Beverly Garland, the B-movie actor who starred in 1950s cult hits like Swamp Women and Not of This Earth and who went on to play Fred Mac- Murray’s TV wife on My Three Sons, has died. She was 82. Garland died on Friday at her Hollywood Hills home after a lengthy illness, her son-in-law Packy Smith said. Garland made her film debut in the 1950 noir classic D O A launching a 50-year career that included 40 movies and dozens of television shows.

Even insects can prove useful in solving our day-to-day problems, as seen from a study of a colony of ants and the way they unclog traffic jams.

Dirk Helbing from the Dresden University of Technology in Germany says that watching the tiny little insects maneuver themselves around their colony with efficiency, could give an idea to humans and help them understand how traffic jams can be avoided and inspire more effective routing of road traffic.

For their study, the researchers set up an ant highway with two routes of different widths from the nest to some sugar syrup. They observed that the narrower route became congested after sometime, and that when an ant returning back to the nest collided with an ant that was just starting out, the returning ant would push the other onto the other path.

But it was also observed that if the returning ant did not face any problem along the way, it would not redirect the other ant. The research team then went on to create a computer model of more complex ant networks with routes of different lengths, and found that even though the ants, which had been redirected, took a longer route, they still managed to get to the food quickly and efficiently.

What do Harry Potter stars do after the magic fades? Appear nude, it would seem. First, it was the boy playing the Boy Who Lived, Daniel Radcliffe, who bared it in a play called Equus. And now, it seems Emma Watson’s turn.

Watson, who plays Harry Potter’s geeky-turned-beautiful inseparable friend Hermione Granger in the movies based on the super-selling books by British author J K Rowling, said recently that she was open to going nude for a good director, because ‘it is part of my job’ as an actress.

And the example of such a director? Italian arty filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, she said. But, Watson told Britain’s The Sunday Times Style magazine, she wants to concentrate on her studies as well, and has ‘enough to hold me together without fame.’

If reports are to be believed, Lilly Allen has gone on a diet to find a new boyfriend. The Smile singer is said to be determined to find a new love after splitting from Chemical Brothers star Ed Simons earlier this year, and believes losing weight is the key to her attracting a man. A source close to Lily, who has lost 14lbs said, “Her new diet has reduced her cravings for junk food and she’s cut down on alcohol.”

An already married Japanese man set fire to the hotel where he was due to get married again at the weekend. He thought it best to commit the act rather than go through with the ceremony later the same day, say reports. Tatsuhiko Kawata, 39, had gone along with wedding plans despite already having a wife. Guests at the hotel were evacuated and no one was injured when he set the fire in the early hours of Sunday morning at the resort hotel in Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo.

Kawata and his fiancee had been set to get married before 80 guests. He was arrested after suddenly cancelling the event and behaving suspiciously.

If you deal with other departments of your organization regularly for your work, the success of the task at hand may depend upon how various people construe you and your team. Having good equations with those teams may ease your task. Others would only be happy to work for your interests.

Sources however say that if the equations are not good, you may have to fight a lonely battle. But despite that in spite of that, your boss may be sympathetic to you, if you are on good terms with him/her, even if you fall short of targets, knowing the equations the other team has with your team. 

Research says that an interesting and simple way of monitoring your quotient is by keeping your eyes and ears open for any signs of deteriorating relations or appearances of slag in the broth that is cooked up every day in the office. Check up on the office grapevine doing the rounds every once in a while. These are important sources of the prevailing undercurrents. Besides senior team members or those who have been around for quite some time in the organization are also good sources of internal dynamics. But most importantly say reports, is to brush up your PR skills and keep others’ interests in mind while you ask or provide for requests at work.  

Some experts have argued that the amount of time children spend with their parents isn’t really that important; instead, what matters most is the ‘quality’ of their time together. Quantity does matter, given how much stock kids put into it. Children who spend more time with their moms and dads feel that their parents are truly putting family first. And a child who feels this way is bound to develop a deeper sense of security and worth.

That’s not to say that quality has no place in the equation. Quality has a place but not in the way you might think. Focused time is better because it means you can help your really cranky child deal with a difficult teacher, or teach your kids how to stop fighting with each other. The point is to give your child your full, focused attention, no matter what you might be doing together. That’s truly what your child wants and needs the most.

Have you heard that inhaling essential oils can help change your mood?

Citrus scents such as lemon, orange and grapefruit are great mood lifters, while herbs such as eucalyptus will make you less grouchy and can also perk you up. Sources say that you can find essential oils in health food stores or in ayurvedic stores. But be careful not to put the pure oil on your skin because it can be very potent and can cause irritation and sun sensitivity.

Don’t hide those emotions

Keeping a stiff upper lip during stressful situations appears to interfere with the ability to think clearly during the event and to recall the details afterwards.

Suppressing emotions is a common and often highly regarded habit of modern life. It’s what we do to hide ourselves from others. But keeping a lid on emotions takes so much vigilance that it seriously drains brainpower, according to recent studies conducted at Stanford University.

Research suggests that people who can adjust and reappraise the situation as challenging, rather than threatening or uncomfortable, feel and perform better. It also helps to take on the demeanour of a more-disinterested party who wouldn’t feel upset in the same situation.

As a woman, you already have to contend with the powerful male workforce and the proverbial glass ceiling. If you have a positive and bright attitude, consider half your battle won, say sources. It is a fact that employees with positive attitudes are definitely more productive and prove to be an asset to the company in the long run. Those with negative attitudes are not just poor performers and procrastinators but they also cost more to the company.

Negativity according to reports contributes in a major way in completely destroying the morale of the company, turn off clients/customers totally, never to take the initiative in any project, never to be proactive, procrastinate as much as possible and suffer from a horrible attitude where you work only to bide time or just for the money. While positivity is quite the opposite! Positive employees always work harder and deliver more than what is their actual due. They always end up over delivering, much to the delight of their employers. In short, they always deliver far more than they promise.

OJ Simpson who was earlier acquitted in a murder trial that gripped America for more than a decade ago was sentenced to up to 33 years in prison on last Friday for kidnapping and robbery in a bungled attempt to recover memorabilia of his storied sports career. Clark County District Judge Jackie Glass ruled that Simpson, 61, who was known as ‘The Juice’ during his days with the National Football League and later appeared in several movies, would be eligible for parole after nine years. The retired star athlete had been found guilty two months ago of all 12 charges against him for last year’s gunpoint holdup of two sports collectors in a Las Vegas hotel room.

Shackled and dressed in blue prison garb, Simpson appeared somber as the sentence was pronounced. Minutes earlier he had pleaded for leniency, saying he had only meant to retrieve personal possessions he believed were wrongly taken from him. Simpson has been in custody since he was convicted of the hotel room robbery on October 3. That was exactly 13 years after his controversial 1995 acquittal in Los Angeles of the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, who were found stabbed and slashed to death in June 1994

What do people working in the corporates do when they are victims of domestic violence? Many of these cases follow them to work and sometimes the boss is forced to help the victim because the victim has no one else to turn to. Research says that some of the corporates in America rally around their co-worker not because they want to make it a psychic hospital but because they have no other choice. Other CEOs believe that they are dragged into the issue of domestic abuse because women are connected to the office from their homes via mails, the cell phone and even texting.

HR also realizes that if even if there is a single victim of domestic violence in the workforce, it ultimately affects the lives of all because one in ten is a victim. Sources also say that workers do not have to juggle with both the workplace and their violent personal lives alone, many companies have decided that there must be a policy to help out these silently suffering victims.

There have been several volumes written on the subject. Here is a sum up of what researchers have wanted to drive home for working women. Not only do these relationships define your emotional condition, it can guide your effectiveness, career growth and long-term success. Here are a few tips:

Keep your word

Gauge and measure whatever you say and make it a point to do the task if you’ve promised it

Be supportive and encouraging

Not all of us have all good days all the time. So when life’s sunny for you, make it a point to make others smile as well.

Know people

Make it a point to know people, their interests, families and above all their names. Calling each person by their name say reports goes a long way in allowing the other person work with you through troubled waters.

‘Raising Your Kids without Losing Your Self’ by Bria Simpson is a good read for women in general, and particularly for those who find themselves threatened by motherhood in such an enormous way that they almost perceive it as a career. The book offers suggestions for mothers who give up on many things along the way as they raise their children and feel a void when their children are grown up because they have focused too much just on raising their kids.

While the book certainly does not say that children are secondary; what it does is guide mothers in maintaining an interest in the world around her even as she proceeds to build a strong relationship with her family and her children. Written in simple language and with plenty of tips, it is bound to motivate those women who have marooned themselves on an island with only their children. Rediscover yourself is the message that the book wants to give all mothers.

Several reports on health indicate that the weight gain or loss that a woman incurs is not because she is too lazy to go to the gym or is not eating enough, but is dependent on how happy her partner is keeping her! In the early days of their relationship, when the woman is out to get her man or the man is courting her, women stick to a strict diet and therefore look slimmer and trimmer. However, after a woman starts getting comfortable with her partner, then such regimes are normally thrown to the winds. Around the time of the wedding, a woman goes on a stricter diet plan in order to look her best for the wedding. The arrival of the baby turns the table upside down. Some women no longer bother about their dress size after this, but there are others who obsessively cut down on their weight.

Research states that there are five stages of weight fluctuation which may vary of course as much as an additional 15 kg, or its loss! Probably if women looked after themselves as well as they do in the courtship stage, they would remain healthier and slimmer as it all turns the tables to emotions. Perhaps women should be as excited about the relationship as they were in the initial stages to really take care of their weight issues.

News is that they are killing Batman. Famed comic writer Grant Morrison has stated that the last of the Batman RIP series will see the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman. In a bid to sell more comics both major publishers Marvel and DC have invariably been coming up with massive events, on a nearly-annual basis. Events involve storylines that go through each of their top-rung comics (and a bunch of obscure titles usually ignored otherwise) and despite these sagas often encompassing galaxy-altering revelations and character deaths, things are routinely turned ‘back to normal’ a few weeks after the arc is over, blaming it on memory losses and parallel universes or even involving characters returning from the grave.

Batman is bigger than Superman and the entire Justice League put together, and the company isn’t likely to finish off their biggest icon just as he’s also responsible for their biggest movies.

We’re betting Bruce might get hurt — or be rumoured to be dead with no corpse in sight — and will give up the Batman costume. But only for a while, because he has to come back!  

Two time Olympic beach volleyball champion Kerri Walsh is double ecstatic these days. Besides her streak of winning a gold medal for the second time round; she is also pregnant. Walsh and husband Casey Jennings, a fellow pro beach volleyball player, are expecting a child in the spring. She stated that the baby was conceived in China, after the gold medal match and currently loves the chubby look and feels it’s awesome, in her statement to the media.

Walsh’s teammate Misty May Treanor said during the Olympics that they planned to take some time off after the games to start families, a move they delayed so they can compete in Beijing and go for their another gold medal. Walsh said

An interesting name for a movie, this one starts on a sour note. There’s that terrible conceit, completely set up and given away in the trailer. While Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon never spend Christmas with their families, instead they both manage to get stuck at the airport while their families see them on the news (something that’s rather commonplace for a movie).

Some of the jokes viewed in the promo are very hilarious and original but the trouble is that because it is so funny that you would rater avoid seeing it in a movie. There are scenes where Reese who used to be fat is the butt of Vince’s jokes. There are also places when she gets trapped in the bounce house with a bunch of rowdy kids. And another one where a baby projectile-vomits on Reese’s cute black dress; so much for comedy!

While analyzing the best feud in 2008, this one still keeps up to the ‘A’ grade. After almost four years after Brad Pitt split from Jennifer Aniston and almost immediately took up with Angelina Jolie, the world is still in an uproar over this love triangle.  

And a clear cut proof that this celebrity feud remains in tact is that Angie recently said she was looking to forward to her kids watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the movie where their parents fell in love. Sources say that she was really sticking it to Jen, who was married to Brad at the time of the shoot. Jennifer retaliated by going on the record with Vogue to say that she thought Angie’s comments were extremely “uncool.” Something tells us these girls won’t be making nice next year, either.

A paparazzi photographer has filed USD 1 million law suit against R&B singers Rihanna and Chris Brown after their bodyguards allegedly assaulted him. The photographer Luis Santana alleged that the bodyguards of the stars knocked him down and stole his camera outside a nightclub while he was trying to take the pictures of the rumoured couple, say reports.  

Reacting to the incident, Rihanna’s publicist, Jonathan Hay has called the lawsuit a “really unfortunate event” adding that the matter has been completely blown out of proportion. Santana claims to have been working outside the Vintage Ultra Lounge in St Petersburg when he clicked a picture of the pair through their limousine window. He says the stars’ employees then assaulted him and took his equipment. Santana’s attorney, Paul Kimsey, claims that the stolen photographs were worth a fortune as they contained the proof of Rihana and Brown’s romance.

Santana is demanding a compensation for the photographs and the stolen camera, as well as his own personal injuries and distress. While Rihanna and Brown have been seen together frequebtly, neither of them have confirmed of them being a couple.

In an ever changing world, fashion is no constant either. A lot of fashion trends are about creating drama. Which is what the phenomenon of men wearing bras is all about. Yes you heard that right! A Japanese store has sold many a men’s bra (in colours such as black, white and pink) and is still getting some overwhelming response, say report. The reason being given out is ‘getting in touch with the feminine side’. And if that’s not enough, a UK store is now selling heeled shoes for babies.

Most designers agree that these are just passing fads that would find only a small market across the globe. They also believe that such trends are a ploy for just another marketing and publicity tactic.

A lady in Rio Grande was on her way to the cemetery after the passing away of her husband. On her way she was faced with traffic, say police sources. While inching towards the cemetery the vehicle carrying the coffin was caught unawares in a traffic accident. The brakes were applied at once, hurling the coffin against the back of her neck. The police also mentioned that 67-year old Marciana Barcelos was in the front passenger seat of the hearse when the accident occurred in Rio Grande do Sul. Barcelos died instantly as the coffin cut through her throat; strange but true!

It difficult to imagine a movie by the name of Australia without casting Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. And of course Baz Luhrmann would know about the making being Australian himself. The movie is narrated by Kidman telling a story to a young Aboriginal boy, and that appears to be the story as the movie depicts; about fighting for land during World War II. Much as you would think that a movie called Australia by Luhrmann would allow Kidman and Jackman to speak in their native accents; but that would be only half right since Nicole plays a British woman.

Tastefully shot, it would drive people want to visit Australia’s beautiful landscapes. But the promos of the film do not divulge much indication about what it actually is about, or who they’re fighting off, or even on how she and Jackman meet. Worth the wait for the movie.

A British couple that was caught in the Mumbai terror attacks have complained that a news channel had put their lives at risk by broadcasting their location in the Taj Mahal Hotel. Lynne and Kenneth Shaw, who live in South Wales, said that terrorists were listening to the media while pinpointing the Western victims. Lynne also claimed that the channel broadcast details of where they were at the hotel. She has appealed to the media to be careful with the information it broadcasts because safety could be compromised and lives could be lost. The couple returned to Heathrow on Saturday.

Lynne was forced to hide under a table as terrorists stormed the hotel. She and her husband were later rescued by Gurkhas and taken to the Australian embassy for safety. The couple were at the end of a month-long visit to India and were staying in Mumbai for a few days before heading back to the UK.

According to latest reports, it wouldn’t really harm one if you were to go nuts at a party, literally so! Research reveals that nuts can drive home more energy than appetizer would. For example almonds can give you 35% of your daily value of vitamin E, that is quickly depleted when you’re under pressure.  The nuts that have the most monounsaturated fats; the good ones, which lower bad LDL cholesterol are macadamia nuts. They’re a good source of thiamin, a B vitamin that helps keep your muscles, nerves, and GI system humming. Walnuts on the other hand give you Omega-3 fatty acids and help you meet your daily value for these hard-to-get health protectors in about 14 halves (1 ounce). Walnuts are also stuffed with disease-fighting antioxidants: In a study of nearly 100 plant foods, they ranked #2 in antioxidant content

The study also states that mood swings can be handled by hazelnuts. These are packed with mood-stabilizing tryptophan; 20% of the RDA is in every ounce (about 20 hazelnuts). Finally snacking on peanuts is also a great idea as they aren’t really nuts. They’re legumes (bio-cousins to peas, lentils, and beans) rich in three key B vitamins — folate, niacin, and riboflavin — so you can lose the guilt at happy hour. And ounce for ounce, they pack the same protein punch as beef (7 grams), minus the saturated fat.

Facebook’s 120 million users are being constantly targeted by a virus dubbed ‘Koobface’ that uses the social network’s messaging system to infect PCs and tries to gather sensitive information such as credit card numbers.

It is the latest attack by hackers increasingly looking to prey on users of social networking sites. Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt mentioned in an e-mail that most of the viruses have tried to use Facebook in similar ways to propagate themselves as Koobface has. Koobface spreads by sending notes to friends of someone whose PC has been infected. Messages, with subject headers like, “You look just awesome in this new movie,” direct recipients to a website where they are asked to download what it claims is an update of Adobe Systems Inc’s Flash player. Once downloaded the users end up with an infected computer, taking them to contaminated sites when they try to use search engines from Google, Yahoo, MSN and Live.com, according McAfee. 

Speaking on fashion a being fashion conscious, Donnatella was reported heard mentioning that the one thing about fashion is that ‘Fashion is not frivolous’. Her views on fashion were balance in many respects when she considered it a form of fantasy, something that Versace has developed as head of the Italian fashion house since taking over the reigns after the tragic death of her brother Gianni.

With a range of lifestyle items from sunglasses to furniture and even hotels, the Versace brand developed since 1980’s when it was all about supermodels and a confident, almost decadent, glamor. Gianni Versace was one of the first fashion designers to recognize the power of celebrity, and Donatella, working with her brother, had a strong hand in the advertising campaigns. She notes that while she has taken the Versace company in her own direction, Gianni was a huge influence on her life, encouraging her to join him when he was setting up his burgeoning fashion business.

Often known as the generation’s finest, and most dynamic, actor, Johnny Depp is most often known for his mastery of eclectic and varied characters from a murdering barber in the twisted musical Sweeney Tood, to an idiosyncratic and slightly neurotic confectioner in Willy Wonka and a lovable, drunken Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean to name a few. The actor’s actor, Depp is not afraid to push his boundaries and embrace the most difficult of roles.

According to reports Depp is prepared to undertake what might be his most challenging role yet: an author who hopes to elucidate one of mankind’s great works, Dante’s ‘The Divine Comedy’. Depp’s production company, Infinitum Nihil, has bought the screen rights to ‘In the Hand of Dante,’ by Nick Tosches. A 2002 mystery novel which reprises the dramatic afterlife themes and images of ‘The Divine Comedy’ while exploring storylines involving Dante himself, as the 14-th century Italian author works to complete his masterpiece. Needless to mention Depp will play Tosches, the daring and dashing author whose Indiana Jones-like quest takes him around the world. In flashbacks, the movie returns to the time of Dante, as he works to complete his magnum opus. As to who will play Dante is still a mystery.

Rock guitarist Joe Satriani has sued Coldplay for plagiarizing one of his songs. Hours after receiving seven Grammy Awards nominations, the British pop band Coldplay was sued in Los Angeles federal court by the Los Angeles guitarist for allegedly plagiarizing one of his songs to make Viva la Vida.

According to the complaint for copyright infringement, Coldplay “copied and incorporated substantial original portions” of Satriani’s guitar instrumental, ‘If I Could Fly’ without permission as the founding notes for Viva la Vida, the title track of Coldplay’s top-selling current album. Coldplay’s Grammy nominations include album and record of the year for Viva la Vida, which has sold millions of copies worldwide

More than three years of nomadic uncertainty, many of the children of Hurricane Katrina are behind in school, acting out and suffering from extraordinarily high rates of illness and mental health problems. Their parents, many still anxious or depressed themselves, are struggling to keep the lights on and the refrigerator stocked.

For some boys who are expelled from their schools are now awaiting their turn for a G.E.D. program, to retrieve what may have been lost. For others, recovery may lie in other neighborhood schools near the New Orleans duplex where families may have found their home. The government on its part is trying to nudge the poorest, least-educated and sickest evacuees toward self-sufficiency — or at least toward agencies other than FEMA.