5 Important Things You Should Know About Installing Smoke Detectors

Installing and maintaining a smoke detector may appear to be simple. However, there is some information that you should know about detectors that may save you some time and grief. Here is a list of the top 5 things that you should know: It's all about location. Choose a central spot in your home or choose a room that is used frequently by your family. If a problem should occur, your centrally located detector should quickly pick it up. If at all possible, you should install a detector in each bedroom, the living room, and the family room. When installing a detector in a room, choose a spot as close to the center of the room as possible. Never place an alarm near a door, window, vent, or fan as this may affect the way the unit works. Check the temperature. Never install a smoke detector when it is very warm and humid outside. According to Fire Prevention Canada (FPC), this can also affect how well the unit works. Check with a professional if connecting smoke detectors to the electrical system. Depending upon where you live, you may be required to connect your detectors to your home's electrical grid. This can be easy to do if you have some electrical experience. If not, you should contact an electrician for help. Remember to always keep working batteries in your detector in case the power goes out. This way, you will still be alerted if a problem should occur while the electricity is off. Proper maintenance is necessary to keep the alarms working properly. The batteries should be replaced in your smoke detectors twice a year or at the very least, annually. Although most detectors are designed to emit a beeping sound when the battery power is low, it is a good idea to make a habit of regularly replacing them anyway. According to the FPC, it is a good idea to replace the batteries at the same time each year. For example, you may want to replace the detector batteries each year on January 1st or each year on the first day of school. Besides making sure that the batteries are working properly, it is also important to keep the detector free from dust or other type of contaminants. This can also affect how well the detector is working. Replace detector units when necessary. Detectors have a lifespan of 5 to 10 years. At that point, they should definitely be replaced. After a certain amount of time, the effectiveness of the detector will decrease. You may notice that the detector beeps frequently even though fresh batteries have been installed, or you may notice that the detector goes off for no apparent reason at all. These are all clues that it is time to replace the unit. For more information on the lifespan of your detector, check with the manufacturer or look online. These tips should help you to properly install and maintain your smoke detectors. By doing so, you can help ensure the safety of your family should a fire occur in your home. Smoke detectors can alert you to a fire, but they won't extinguish them. Make sure that you have enough insurance coverage to replace all essential and non-essentials in your home. Steele & Ferraro Insurance Brokers are insurance brokers that work on your behalf, but are paid by the insurers, not you. We help you find the exact covereage you need, at the best rates available in the market. Find out more information about us at www.SteeleAndFerraro.com. EzineArticles.com

Let's tweet some sex

Porn websites rampantly using Twitter to promote themselves. Unsuspecting users are being led to adult websites

If you spot a dirtysimba99 or a sportslover14 among your list of followers on Twitter, don't be surprised.
If the popular blogging website can bring you closer to the high thoughts of Shashi Tharoor, it can also lead you to the not-so-desired pornographic underbelly of the virtual world.



After targeting unsuspecting netizens on chatrooms and social networking sites like Orkut, and Facebook, adult websites have now shifted to Twitter.

Latest porn target
Twenty-three-year old Akshay Verma, who has an auto-following Twitter account, was surprised when he recently spotted a scantily clad girl's profile in the list of people following him. Verma, working with a Gurgaon-based call centre, became inquisitive about the girl whose profile photograph clicked on a bed was on the verge of being obscene.
When Verma clicked on the link provided below her profile, dirtysimba99, who he saw was following over 550 people, he was led to an adult friend-finder website.

"Initially, I was shocked to see such a girl's profile  in my list. I was curious to know more about her. But her profile led me to an adult site. Till now, virtual porn sellers were targeting people through chat rooms and in some cases the Yahoo Messenger service. But now they have started targeting people on Twitter as well.  This is a new trend," said Verma. And Verma is not alone.

Yuvraj Negi faced a similar situation couple of weeks ago. He received an email saying, 'sportslover14 is following you on Twitter.' He logged into his Twitter account and clicked on the said profile. The profile led him to a porn website. It said: "I just uploaded my photos (prove you are above eighteen by registering). Click to see." The person behind the profile was allegedly following over 150 profiles from various backgrounds.
"I sensed something was amiss with the profile but went ahead out of curiosity. Initially, I feared it to be an Internet virus. But it was an adult friend-finder site called hornymatches.com. I removed the follower from my list," said Negi.

Easy to Tweet
Interestingly, what makes Twitter more attractive to promote pornographic sites is its simplicity and mass user base.
In most Twitter profiles there are no restrictions on following fellow Twitter members. Once you start following a person, you receive every update about the person's action on the website and you can reply to every tweet he or she posts. An intruder can easily post a porn link as a tweet and it will automatically be visible to all members in his profile.

Security fear
The trend has security experts worried. Delhi-based cyber security expert Vivek Vohra said, "The porn industry is cashing in on the popularity of micro blogging websites. Adult websites hacking into bloggers' profiles is a common problem. As Twitter is a very popular blogging website, porn sites have started tweeting their links to popularise themselves. After Orkut and Facebook, Twitter has become the latest marketing tool in their kitty. Also, compared to other social networking websites, it is easy to enter a profile on Twitter. Twitter users should be careful about malicious tweets. A suspicious link may lead to a porn site but may also connect to a malicious website that may lead to the hacking of your account."

source:midday

Safety tips to drive this foggy season

It's the time of the year, when fog is creating havoc in every driver's life. Driving during this time of the night is like driving with a blindfold on. Perhaps the safest bet if you run into fog, is to move off the road and wait till the fog lifts up. But then, is this is practical solution? Perhaps not. Here we give you some tips as how to drive safe during this foggy weather.

Tip 1: Slow down and watch your speedometer - before you enter smoke. Smoke creates a visual illusion of slow motion than your actually speed. So watch your speed meter and take control. Most accidents occur because the driver is going too fast for the conditions.

Tip 2: Avoid passing or changing lane - Its always safe if you follow the car who is in front of you. You don't need to be act and feel like a super hero and change lanes.

Tip 3: Roll up your windows and put the heater on the recirculation mode to avoid outside air.

Tip 4: Use the right edge of the road or painted road markings as a guide. If you drive close to the painted marks, you will somewhat get to know where is the road leading to.

Rush to a dentist for an HIV test!

American dentists are now offering saliva tests that can detect HIV Dentist
Rush to a dentist for an HIV test! within minutes.

"The surprise factor is you are offering this," the New York Post quoted Dr. Catrise Austin, who has tested some 100 patients for HIV at her Midtown clinic, since July this year, as saying.

She added: "The topic of HIV can be uncomfortable for some, so we decided we would talk about it with patients in a matter-of-fact way, the way we talk about cavities and gum disease."

Testing for HIV is simple: a patient’s upper and lower gums are swiped with a 15dollar OraQuick Advance kit.

In 20 minutes, the swab changes colours to show if the result is positive or negative.

New York is now funding dental HIV tests at Metropolitan Hospital, Harlem Hospital, Jacobi Medical Center and some small community dental clinics.

How to Drive Defensively During the Holidays

Car crashes kill: more than 41,000 people die each year as a result of traffic collisions. Another two million suffer disabling injuries in car accidents. According to the National Safety Council, the odds of getting in a deadly crash increase threefold when driving at night and increase further when drivers are distracted or drunk. During the holiday season, the roads become deadlier as frenzied shoppers and intoxicated partiers get behind the wheel.

How to combat the dangers of deadly drivers? Defensive driving: a technique that can prove particularly valuable—and save lives—during the holiday season. Learning to be more alert on the road could help you avoid the situation caused by

Social Media's Role in the Job Search

The Internet has significantly changed how we carry out many everyday tasks. We don't have to receive bills in the mail or go to the bank to check our account balances. Hop online and almost everything we want to do is at our fingertips. Online job hunting has replaced flipping through the newspaper want ads to find that elusive open position.

Another significant addition to the Internet is social media. Social networking sites have suddenly put us in touch with long-lost friends or helped us make new ones. They're like class reunions and dating services rolled into one. And now they've become professional tools, too. You can use your online profile to display your work history and skill set.

As great as these advances are, some people fail to understand that new isn't always better. Sometimes older, more traditional methods are better than the newer, flashier ones. It's something that plenty of job seekers need to realize when they're looking for work and professionals should think about when using their profiles to network.

The job seeker's friend ... and foe
When looking for work, the biggest drawback to social media is the virtual paper trail you might leave. Attorney Robin Bond reminds job seekers that how you interact with friends is probably not how you interact with a boss or even co-workers, so make sure your professional side is what people see.

"Use separate sites for business and personal contacts," Bond advises. "If you were having a party, it's unlikely you'd invite all your party pals to the same event where you were entertaining your boss and work colleagues." For that reason, take advantage of professional networking sites like LinkedIn and BrightFuse for displaying your skills to potential business contacts and employers.

Keep the more irreverent profiles on a separate site and out of the hands of employers. Even then, Bond cautions against posting potentially damaging photographs because it is the Internet and nothing is entirely private.

"If you think your mom would be embarrassed by something you post, then think twice about posting it," he says.

Naturally, the visibility that could ruin your career could also be what gives you one in the first place. David Gammel, author of "Online and On Mission: Practical Web Strategy for Breakthrough Results," sees the value in social media's prominence when used for good.

"If you have posted lots of content under your identity that enhances your qualifications, it will show up high in search results and benefit how you are perceived," Gammel says. "If that content is unprofessional or otherwise at odds with the job you are pursuing, it may stop you in your tracks."

Although social media are an asset, they have yet to become the definitive way to land a position, he says.

"The best way to find a new job is still through a personal referral from someone who trusts you to someone who trusts them," Gammel says. "Social media might be used for communicating, but it won't create that trust. Good old-fashioned relationships will do that."

Remember the 'network' in social network
For professionals who already have a job, and for those who are considering a career move, social media can supplement traditional networking methods. They don't replace them, but they offer new opportunities alongside them.

"I think the biggest problem is that people treat social media and 'the real world' as if they are two separate modes of contact all too often," says Sam Ford, director of customer insights for communications agency Peppercom Inc. "The best answer is to use a combination of the two when searching for jobs, building relationships with potential employers, building out your network, etc. In my own network and in dealing with job prospects, I've found that a combination of the two makes all the difference in the world."

That amalgamation can add another dimension to an otherwise dull online experience.

"I find myself wanting to connect with people on Twitter [and] accepting LinkedIn connections particularly if we've had a strong face-to-face or phone conversation in the past," Ford says. He found that the online component enriches the relationship and wouldn't have occurred had they never interacted in a traditional way first.

Ultimately, what job seekers and professionals interested in networking need to remember is that business doesn't exist only online or face-to-face. Technology is part of everyday business and there are people behind those Tweets and profiles, so you should remember to make both new and traditional methods part of your networking practices.

source:msn

Japanese rape games invade Indian computers

If you are worried about the effect of violent computer games on your child, here's a shocker: sex games with graphic visuals, including

those which test the player's 'raping skills', are making their way here, mostly from Japan.

Rapelay, a 3D game created by a Japanese firm, Illusion, with a storyline' prodding the player to rape a woman and her two teenaged daughters in a moving train, a park and a restroom, is among the hot picks' in the grey market. A source involved in direct marketing of foreign goods with suppliers in Chennai's Parrys and Burma Bazaar markets told TOI that he sold 20 copies of Rapelay last week to customers who had placed orders in advance and that 50 more copies are expected in a fortnight. The game is available in grey markets in other metros too including Palika Bazaar in Delhi, he added.

Google to launch Wave app store

The move will enable developers to write additional software, programs and plug-ins for the online, real-time collaboration tool, which is in beta and has 600,000 users worldwide.

Lars Rasmussen, one of the co-creators of Google Wave, told attendees at the Google Wave user meetup in London last week that Google would "almost certainly" build an app store for the service. "So many developers have asked us to build a marketplace, and we might do a revenue-sharing arrangement," he said.

Application stores are proving to be hugely popular on mobile devices, and Google hopes to extend this success to the desktop. Apple offers just under 100,000 applications for the iPhone and iPod touch, while Google's Android operating system is also starting to take off, with the number of apps being developed for the platform doubling between September and October this year, bringing the total number to around 10,000.

"With an app store specifically for Google Wave however, the potential for something as great, if not greater then than the iPhone app store is a distinct possibility," said Zee Kane, a technology expert with The Next Web. "Already, independent software developers have built and tested Wave applications that handle such tasks as teleconferencing and videoconferencing, but while the Apple App Store sells software only for the iPhone and touch, a Wave marketplace could stock in-Wave applications, along with desktop applications, browser extensions and a world of devices, from laptops, phones, tablets and more with built-in Wave support."

Early reviews of Google Wave have been largely positive, although some users have struggled to find a genuine use for the tool. Some gamers, involved in multiplayer online games, have used the service to co-ordinate missions and organise in-game raids.

Google has not said when the Google Wave app store will go live.

Patna-Bangalore special train to clear extra rush

A weekly super fast special train between Patna and Bangalore city via Vijayawada is being operated from September 29 till October 30 for clearing extra rush of passengers.

A press release issued by the South Central Railway here on Wednesday said train no.2296 A will leave Patna on October 6, 13, 20 and 27(every Tuesday) at 8.10 p.m. and reach Bangalore city at 8.10 p.m. the second day (Thursday). In the return direction train no.2295 A will depart from Bangalore city on October 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 (Friday) at 9.30 a.m. and reach Patna at 9.50 a.m. the second day (Sunday).

En route the trains will stop at Mughalsarai, Chhewki, Satna, Kutni, Jabalpur, Itarsi, Nagpur, Balharsha, Vijayawada, Gudur, Chennai, Arakkonam, Katpadi, Jolarpet and Bangalore Cantonment in both the directions. The trains will have 19 coaches in all.

How To Create A Group On Facebook

Facebook groups work just like any other social group member interaction and they are easy to create once logged into your facebook account, but first a little bit about why creating one is important.
Facebook Logo copyright Facebook 2009.
Everyone has interests in subjects they know in and out with great detail and so creating a group is like opening up a membership were others who like the same topics could get together and message each other about the topics, therefore having an online debate and discussion about interesting and related subjects.

But this is just one of many possible uses of a facebook group as there is the posibility of using them as a networking tool, to build up future contacts and business prospects and joint ventures, if you was into the business angle of using the group features in this way.

The pages and the groups feature work well combined together as they can promote sub topics under your main group were the pages act like mini topics for the main group subject.

The endless potential for a facebook group is limitless as there are millions of facebook members online now and loads more joining the site every single day, like Myspace it is a great place to network and find others that are interested in the same stuff as you, for business or for friendship online.

Now creating a Facebook group is very easy.

All you need is a Facebook account and it’s a good idea to build up your profile page there first, before creating a group, people will always look at the profile of someone first before deciding to join a group as it backs up the notion to join a related group.

Then look for the + create a group button, this should be under application settings and once you have clicked to create a group you come to a page that helps to set up your group, the group name, group description and the groups category all are required so enter them there, but the rest on the form fields on that page are not inmportant such as email and city/town, just leave these blank.

Click the blue button that says Create Group

Now you’ll be brought to the next step in setting up your Facebook group, the first part is uploading a photo that will be your grous avatar and one that will be associated with your group. Once you have a good photo to add check the box above the upload button to certify that your photo is yours and doesn’t vilate copyright etc, then click the upload button.

In the next box, you ave the option of adding your website if it’s related which it should be to what ever your group is going to be about, because you want to direct some traffic your way to your website.

All the check boxes you are presented with I would leave them all checked and the options like members adding photos,videos and links I would leave checked or enabled because you want to add a gret deal of interactivity to your group or what’s the point.

Acces to your group could be one of three depending on the circumstances to which you need to have the group

Open – This is the one you want, when you have the group up and ready to accept new members they can join instantly and can see all the parts of your group

Closed – This is so the admin of the group can view requests for new members to join and accept or reject them.

Secret – A useful option if you need to gather some good content first before you open your group, no one can see it while it is secret.

Now go to save, a box will appear that says you can publish, click publish!

Your group is now finished depending on one of the three options you entered in your set up.

Now lets go over what you can add to your facebook group.

Links – Adding useful and related links to your group is easy and this is important as you want to provide value to your members when they join and having somewhere to go within your group just provides a sticky point for your group, make your links highly relevant and useful.

Videos – Also the same applies to videos, the most useful and engaging videos works the best, humourous, instructional, news, insightful and any other video type can be created and uploaded, so try lots of variations.

Photos – Photos related to your sites content work quite well too and these could be tied into your links and videos and provide insights into you or some area that your group relates to.

Now when you go to your groups home page, you will have your photo as the first member of the group and then a section called the discussion board and the wall, which anyone could write anything in, but this is mainly for you to add any updates and other useful stuff, but later on this will be your communication area, where you will be kept up to date by all the other members that join your group who choose to bring discussions to you either by the board or the wall.

The only thing with groups is, you have to keep updating them and keep active in them or else people will get bored and not come back, so the trick is to be just yourself, be polite and friendly and reply to anyone who leaves a link or photo or a wall comment.

Below your groups picture you have a few options to edit your group and other features, lets go through each of them!

Message all members – This is exactly what it says, you can keep people updated with what’s going on with your group with a simple message, you could have events going on, or a newsletter or something else of great importance for your group to announce, so do it here!

Promote Group with an ad – This is where you can create a facebook ad, of course you have to pay for this, but it could be worth doing later down the road if you are serious about building up your group, a little paid promotion works wonders every now and then.

Edit Group – This is your option to change or add things to the group, mainly the name and description of your group and your group picture, also you can make members into officers within your group which mainly means adding labels to your best contributors in your group.

Edit Members – This is your chance to edit the members that you have and you can locate any one member here, get rid of the idiots and generally an admin area for the members fo your group.

Invite People To Join – You can invite others to join, maybe you have facebook friends elsewhere who may be interested in your group, this is your chance to invite them here.

Create Related Event – Here you can create a related event that may be of interest to anyone else, maybe you’ve organized a get together in person at a selected venue or an online video chat or something that relates to your group, this is the option to announce it directly to your group members all in one with specific dates and times.

Leave Group – This only applies to others really so don’t click it!

Share + – You can email or send group stuff to your profil on facebook which makes it helpful to reach a wider audience, only if you have related contacts in your groups subject.

And there we have it really, making a Facebook group is very easy and one that should’nt be stressed over, just remember to build interactivity into your groups and make them a place to go for your topic, also you could create other related sub topic groups and link them all together, making your facebook group become a super group on a topic with lots of other topics under your main one.

Facebook pages could also be added within your group for extra in depth niche marketing and group interaction.

Good luck with your Facebook groupies!!

Funky foreplay for a spunky sex life!

Sex may end between the sheets, but that's certainly not where it begins. Experts tell you what to do for a spunkier sex life...
Scented candles? Check. Kamasutra series? Check. Flavoured condoms? Double check! The paraphernalia is in place, and boy, you were never more ready. It begins with foreplay, slips into intercourse, and before you know bam it’s over — as physical as it could get and as unfulfilling as you would dread. Setting up the supplies is only the icing. What’s needed primarily is that passion for each other, which sadly isn’t enough. Here’s what you can do to increase the satisfaction quotient of your next encounter.

Do the karaoke
Sing to your partner. It might be embarrassing to some, way too mushy for others, and old-fashioned for most, but sorry dude, it works. So head to the nearest Karaoke night, and let your hearts out with romantic duets. You needn’t do a Kishore Kumar or Asha Bhonsle, but the warm numbers will re-ignite the passion which is often muddled in everyday madness.

Head to the kitchen
Don the chef’s hat and help her cook. Lick the chilli sauce off each other’s fingers and show off some whipping (whipping cream, that is) skills. Don’t be surprised if you skip desserts and head straight to bed.

Click it right
Revisit those cherished moments by going through family albums and videos. That special date (when you first kissed), that evening by the seaside (when he finally proposed), your engagement ceremony (when your friends couldn’t stop dancing) will remind you how special your partner is. This feeling of togetherness and emotional intimacy will ultimately manifests in physical attraction.

Travel time
It’s time to put those leaves to good use. Check out travel brochures, browse the net and plan your next holiday. And lack of funds should not be an excuse. The good old Ganpatiphule can work as good as a Paris or a Barcelona. The shared experience will only bring you closer. By this you will realise that you still dig each other’s company and enjoy it the most.

Comic quotient
Humour is good for health and those light-hearted moments drain out stress, if any — just the right mood to switch in to some fun.

Catch a stand-up comic show or order that rib-tickling DVD to watch after dinner. If not that, get a book and read out those ridiculous jokes to each other.

What can be sexier than showing off those muscles as you work up a good sweat? Go for a jog, swim or cycle. The workout will help release endorphins; the feel-good hormones that will gear you up for a longer lasting session. And of course, a toned body means your partner will only be more than happy to help you show more of it.

Dance baby dance
You don’t need to be a perfect dancer or even know various dance forms for this. Just hold your partner and slow dance to your favourite song. The lyrics will play cupid as the bodies rub against each other, the fragrance of her hair will work as the most potent aphrodisiac you ever knew of.

Play with each other
Play cards or challenge each other for a board game. The rules remain the same, barring one small anomaly — the winner’s wish is the loser’s command. The adrenaline levels will soar as the game approaches its nail-biting finish. But the real fun will only be after the game is over.

Do ‘nothing’ together
Cuddle on a comfortable sofa with an endless supply of starters and chilled drinks. The endless chats about anything and everything will help you appreciate each other’s company. When both partners feel valued and loved, the connect goes deeper, and more meaningful. It is only out of such pleasant moments that true physical intimacy develops.

source;TOI

How to Find a Roommate During a Recession

With the economy in recession mode and the unemployment rate up across the country, many people are looking for creative ways to cut corners and save cash. In addition to tightening your purse strings, a great way to save money is to get a roommate. Or two. Or even ten. While moving in with a stranger can be scary, especially if you're an adult who hasn't had a roommate since college, it can be an opportunity not only to save money, but also to cure loneliness and create a small community in your living space. Read on for tips to make your recession-time roommate hunting as painless as possible.

How to Find a Roommate During A Recession



Define your deal breakers and deal makers. Before you go searching for a roommate get clear about what personality traits and lifestyle factors you can and cannot live with.


Get logistical. The price of rent and the fact that the two of you like each other are just two small factors to consider when choosing the right roommate. Get nitty gritty when discussing the details of moving in together. Are you a night owl or a morning person? Will you have friends over a lot? How much noise is too much noise? Will the two of you share food? Who will pay the Internet bill? Who will buy toilet paper? How will you keep the house clean? Ask a lot of questions and be honest about your own answers to the same questions.


Trust your gut. If a potential person or living arrangement doesn't feel right, don't move forward. If you ignore those feelings because you want it to work out or because you are desperate, you are sure to find yourself in an even worse situation down the road. Be patient. The right situation will come along.


Investigate the space. If you are moving into somebody else’s home, find out before moving in what spaces your roommate is comfortable sharing. Will you be able to put your furniture in the common areas? Is there room in the kitchen for your dishes? Can you store your sporting goods in the garage?


Act like the landlord if somebody is moving into your home. Be clear about details such as when you expect rent due and what--if anything--is off limits for your roommate to use. Also make sure to check your potential new roommate’s references.

Decoding office lingo

Image courtesy: ©2009 Jupiterimages

Even the most boring office space has sources of amusement. You just need to know what to look for. One such source can be 'office lingo'. These are phrases that bosses insist on overusing. As stupid and irritating as they are, they can lighten up your day as well.
According to HR expert Abhishek Bohra, there are simpler ways of saying the same things. "But bosses prefer to sound authoritative without realising that they simply sound corny. The only thing you can do is use your politest fake smile and bear with it," he says.

We decode the 12 most common ones for you:

Give it your 110 per cent

Meaning: Make an extra effort towards work.

Think out of the box

Meaning: Get more creative and innovative.

Do you have the bandwidth for…?

Meaning: Can you fit more into your schedule?

I have you in my radar

Meaning: I'm tracking what you are doing.

Have 360 degree thinking

Meaning: Make sure you take all contingencies into account.

Don't let the grass grow on this one

Meaning: I need this done as soon as possible, preferably yesterday!

Let's brain storm

Meaning: Let's put our heads together for better ideas (usually ends up being a useless meeting!).

Take it to XYZ level of granularity

Meaning: Pay attention to the details.

Let's touch base on XYZ

Meaning: Let's discuss something. This usually means you are in trouble.

Let's knife-and-fork it

Meaning: A nice way of saying your work was crude and needs refinement.

You need to push the envelope

Meaning: Give your work more, more and more.

I can see where you are coming from

Meaning: I get your point. The only reason this is annoying is that it's always followed by a 'but'!

Office speak can be annoying when it's directed at you, but it also makes for great dinner table conversation. Pick your favourite phrases and start a conversation about them the next time you have a bunch of friends over. They will come up with even better ones of their own!

Recession-proof your job with Feng Shui

In times of recession when pink-slips, lay-offs, dismissals and firings have almost become a part of day-today office-lingo, keeping one's job intact seems to be a common target for all office-goers. Blame it on the economic crunch or your bad stars, just about everybody is an eligible target for firing. From cutting upon casual leaves to happily slogging over-time, being punctual about dead-lines to even giving maska therapy to bosses...undoubtedly, almost every professional seems to be going all out to retain their jobs. But why not try some Feng Shui magic to recharge your carrerlife. Here are some simple tips, ideas and changes that you can embrace to bring positive changes in your professional life so that it's not affected by the recession monster...

Keep the wealth intact
The easiest way to define job security is when there’s a regular flow of income. “So, to ensure that, it’s important to charge the West and South-East areas of your office, since these govern the flow of income and wealth” suggests Feng Shui expert Ritu Kapoor of Astroyogi.com .

“West can be energised by placing a red object in that direction. Colouring the handle of your door red, keeping a red foot-mat, vase or statue in the West can be easy solutions, " adds Ritu.

For charging the South East direction, Ritu suggests a water feature (preferably running) in that direction like a water fountain, artificial springs or an aquarium, else, water mixed with sea-salt can be kept in a bowl if keeping a running water feature is tough.

Stability wanted!
It is usually seen that when an employee is about to be fired, he is usually transferred between departments and bosses. Thus, gaining stability in your professional life and making a firm grounding in office becomes thea pre-requisites for job security.
It is the South-West area of your office that needs attention in this regard. “Make the South-West direction heavy by keeping boulders (stones) tied with red ribbon and a mystic knot embedded in it,” suggests Ritu.

“Make sure you have a solid wall behind your chair in the office as it will give you support and a firm backing,” suggests Feng Shui expert Ashok Mehta, adding, “if there’s a window instead of a wall, you can find solace by sitting on a high-back chair and if even that’s not possible, you can place a small stone or an artificial tortoise on the window sill.”

Get back your confidence
It’s a vicious circle of happenings that ultimately leads to job-loss. It might begin from lack of self-confidence that makes you an under-performer leading to instability in your job arena. So, why not nip the evil in the bud by boosting your confidence in the first place?

Feng Shui expert Mehta warns against sitting in line with the main-entrance of your office. “A lot of energy exchange happens in this area and the person sitting in that area bears the maximum bruntof the energies (both positive and negative) washing him off his confidence and enthusiasm half way through the day,” explains Mehta. No wonders, receptionists get absolutely exhausted by 3-4’o clock.

Ritu from further suggests to keep a black quartz crystal in your pocket/wallet if you feel less confident. “This will give you the confidence to speak for yourself, of your achievements in front of your colleagues,” tells Ritu.

Get your due recognition
Frustration is often found to be the root cause when an employee develops a lack of interest in his job, which ultimately goes off his hands. And the most common reason for frustration is either not getting his due recognition, thanks to someone else in the same department, who maybe eating your credit.

If you are sailing in the same boat, the solution is that you need to bring in more of the yang energy, which comes from fire or the red colour, shares Ritu adding, “Try to sit on red coloured chairs and completely avoid blue chairs as blue colour brings instability. If that’s not possible, keep a red cushion behind your back.”

You can also place a gold symbol of longevity or pure quartz symbol in your cabin.

“Energising South, the direction of fame with a painting of at least 100 flying birds, red roses or green plants is another good option,” shares Mehta.

Keep off dirty office politics
Though any kind of publicity is good publicity, but when it comes to the office, the bad things (true or fake) that your colleagues say about you especially to the bosses can mar your reputation. Becoming a victim of dirty office politics is the worse thing to happen during this season of lay-offs. So, if you want to steer clear from the same, “place a toy rooster (cock) on your desk,” suggests Mehta.

Ritu goes on to add, “Always keep a mystic knot also known as the Chinese knot in your pocket or wallet.”

Do you often find yourself struggling with office conspiracies? To avoid that, “keep a pink daisy flower or other pink coloured flowers in your work area. This will make your colleagues look up to you,” shares Ritu. You can also enhance your influence and power by placing a power crystal on your desk.

Let opportunities pour
When one is nearing his ouster, he’ll often find himself less occupied with work. Newer opportunities in the form of projects and proposals stop coming to him. To keep yourself busy and loaded with opportunities to showcase your talent and efficiency, “charge the North Western area of your office with metals,” suggests Ritu adding, “You can keep metal statues, vases etc. in this area.” This will also ensure you have good communication and cordial relations with colleagues and bosses.

Boss is God
Last but never the least, to save your job; it is very important that you have an amiable relationship with your bosses and there’s an uninterrupted flow of communication between you two.

Ritu suggests, “Keep yellow flowers (lilly) towards the centre of your cabin. Also, place a rose quartz crystal, also known as happiness crystal that will ensure proper communication.”

“You can also keep a bamboo plant in the Eastern direction,” suggests Mehta.

Why can't we buy condoms?

Image for representative purposes only. Image courtesy: ©2009 Jupiterimages

Why can't we buy condoms? I never thought I'd be asking this question. But I have been compelled to after a particularly appalling incident and several more narrated by my gal pals.
So here's what happened:

I walked myself to the "most popular" chemist in my area to buy a pack of condoms! And yes it was the first time I had ventured to do the same… Considerate that I am, I thought I'd let my partner off the hook and take responsibility this time around.

Considered one of the most advanced and biggest medical shops in the area, I was hoping to flit in and flit out in a breeze. Boy, was I wrong!

Condom please!

After I managed to catch the attention of a female shop assistant and asked her for my partner's choice of brand [I was getting the male condom!], the fiasco began.

Apparently flabbergasted by what I wanted to buy, she asked me to repeat my request. I nonchalantly did the same - only to be told to wait. She scurried off to a corner and whispered something in the ear of a fellow shop assistant and both the girls giggled and glared at me!

Pretending to be busy, the twosome then sent another assistant to ask me what I wanted. This one deserved the Oscar for playing the "I'm-hard-of-hearing-nitwit-shop-assistant" and asked me to repeat my request for the third time.

Enraged by the petty arrogance of these excuses-for-chemists, I repeated loudly the brand for the last and final time (or so I thought!). All the shop assistants - and there were around 7 of them - froze. I was "exhibit A" and all eyes were on me, including those of the other patrons. The young boy who had come for cough medicine blushed, the aunty cursed me under her breath and an uncouth looking man gave me a dirty smile.

The news that I was there for the "rubber" spread like wild fire!

I was finally handed very reluctantly the pack by the male shop assistant who was waiting for an explanation or an excuse. They weren't going to get any.

The fact that I was getting it for my husband was none of their business. And this very regressive attitude is what has stopped many others like me from doing the right thing - protecting ourselves.

Pharmacy: Humiliation hot-spot

In a recent survey, one out of 10 men said they have had unprotected sex because they were too embarrassed to buy condoms from a pharmacy. What's more, the results confirmed that the high street pharmacy was a 'humiliation hot-spot' for people.

So if the men were toe-curlingly embarrassed by the same, women obviously couldn't be left behind! What's worse was that almost 50 per cent of the population had suffered a health problem like thrush in silence rather than facing the embarrassment of seeking medical attention according to the online pharmacy mastersdirect.com.

Most simply walked out of a pharmacies because they were too embarrassed to ask for a particular health product, revealed the survey.

"The men will get it"

Most women depend on their male partners and trust them blindly to protect them against any sexually transmitted disease. A friend of mine got her partner to get a year's supply of condoms just so that he doesn't make excuses and she is not forced to go to a chemist.

While there are a handful few who do take the initiative like 30-year-old Priyasha Seth who always carries a pack and makes a point to buy it herself, even she has had to contend with embarrassing situations at the chemist.

It's all in the mind!

Most male friends of mine don't have any qualms walking up to a chemist and picking a condom. In fact, one of them "feels proud doing it, and especially likes discussing the different flavours, sizes, types at the chemist.... it freaks the shop assistants out completely".

29 year old Ad executive says, "All you need to do is head to a supermarket and dunk a pack or two with your groceries. Who's to know?!"

Make condoms accessible

Sociologist Nandini Sardesai says, "NGOs and the government have done enough. It's the attitude of the people that needs to change."

"There is a need to introduce new and novel ways of making condoms more accessible. For eg: Thailand's 'Condom King', Mechai Viravaidya - so-called due to his extensive work promoting accessible contraceptives - introduced the concept of giving condoms out instead of candy when you pay your bills."

All said and done, wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry? So, don't let chemists make you regret doing the right thing.

Have you been through embarrassing situations at the chemist? Leave us a comment and let us know.

source:idiva

14 Steps to a Better Love Life

There's a perception that you don't have to work at sex, which is odd when you think that everyone accepts that you have to work on many other aspects of your life, such as career, body and diet.

People often think that if you have to work at your love life - there's something wrong. In casual or short term relationships it's possible to have great sex without love. But long term it's almost impossible to have great sex without a good relationship supporting it.

1) Try to avoid the routines of eating, sleeping or shopping together because sex starts long before you reach the bedroom. Sexual play can lose it’s first excitement in a long relationship, so it’s worth making an effort to talk together about new topics of conversation, visit new places or make new friends.

2) Be upfront about your different sexual needs and rhythms. Problems often arise when one partner is more interested in sex or sensual pleasure than the other. Knowing such differences can be based on the other brain circuitry can help. With this understanding one partner is less likely to feel personally rejected when the other acts uninterested. Rather than judging each other as ‘cold’ or ‘too horny’ partners can see their differences in a more positive light.

3) Value sleep. What could be more symbolic of the trust and intimacy in a relationship than the act of taking your clothes off, lying down and falling asleep in the same bed with another person? Try to let go of all the tension of the day, and regard bedtime as a temporary ceasefire from any arguments.

4) Plan to have sex. Some people believe love making should be totally spontaneous, but family life can get so busy that it may never happen. Is there a specific, regular time during the day that you can plan to be together – maybe the weekend when the kids are off at music lessons, or during a lunch hour.

5) Share fantasies. Many couple have and interval in their love making that’s considered ‘uncensored’ when it’s okay reveal secret desires and fantasies. You’re not required to tell all, but sharing can be fulfilling. And fantasies are by definition the free play of the creative imagination.

6) Have a private code for initiating or refusing sex. The older generation used the sweet euphemism of ‘leaving the heating on overnight’. Talk about desire on a scale of one to nine, where nine is ‘extremely lusty’ or one is ‘not in the mood at all’. That way you can communicate how you are feeling without your partner feeling rejected.

7) Be generous. In a long term relationship our bodies inevitably age. A good lover has the ability to see a partner’s faults but focus on the good bits of the body.

8) Write a love letter. Spell out each word with your tongue as a pen on your partners body, perhaps even on their most intimate areas. This ensures that you vary your movements and won’t overstimulate any one part of the body.

9) Experiment with role play. This allows you to act out a safe but erotic scenario. It is often best to do this away from the home (perhaps on a romantic weekend) because it’s much easier to pretend that you are someone else when you are in unfamiliar surroundings.

10) Affair proof your relationship. The couple that plays together tends not to play apart. Variety is often what we want but we may want it with the same person. We may be up for naughty things, but most of us if we had a choice would rather do it with a long term partner than a new person. We think it’s all about the lure of new flesh, but most of the time it’s not. People have affairs not just for newness but because they crave variety.

11) Practice makes perfect - knowing which buttons to press to make your partner happy. But the most important thing is being flexible and open to change. You can desensitize yourself – you’ve done the same thing for so long that your body needs a kick to push it off the edge. Avoid knee-jerk reactions or judging partners when they want to try ‘kinky things’.

12) Reject sex, not the person. Say “I don’t feel like sex but I do feel like holding you because I love you so much”. It’s infinitely preferable to pushing the person away and rolling over.

13) Have sex even if you don’t really feel like it. Lots of people enjoy it once they get started, and there is evidence that making love regularly boosts the body’s production of testosterone – which will make you want to have sex more often in the future.

14) Make sure you have a good time before and after sex – not just during. Cuddling and affection are very important.



http://www.familyhealthguide.co.uk

The Art of Happiness – Amazing Facts

Scientists are beginning to identify the roots of positive emotion. You will be surprised – and encouraged – by the findings of recent research as outlined below.

1. Although genes and upbringing influence about 50% of the variation in our personal happiness, our circumstances (income and environment) affect only about 10 percent. The remaining 40% is accounted for by our outlook and activities, including our relationships, friendships and jobs, our engagement in the community and our involvement in sports and hobbies.
2. A good mood has a distinct smell. Scientists have found that people can judge whether someone is in a positive mood from their body odour alone. In one experiment men and women were shown scary films while their armpit odour was collected on gauze pads. A week later researchers asked strangers to decide which pads came from people in a good mood and which came from frightened people. They were able to do this with surprising accuracy.
3. Older people are more satisfied with there live than younger people: a recent survey by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention found that people aged 20-24 are sad for an average of 3.4 days per month as opposed to just 2.3 days for people aged 65-74
4. If you do 20 minutes of exercise, three days per week for six months, your general feeling of happiness will improve by 10-20%.
5. People who rate in the upper reaches of happiness on psychological tests develop about 50% more antibodies than average in response to flu vaccines.
6. According to researchers at The World Database of Happiness at Erasmus University in Holland, Denmark is officially the happiest nation in the world, followed closely by Malta, Switzerland, Iceland, Ireland and Canada.
7. In the USA clinical depression is 3-10 times more common today than two generations ago.
8. Immigrants tend to acquire the happiness characteristics of the nation to which they move, not the nation from which they were born.
9. Richer workers tend to be happier than poorer colleagues, but research suggests that happy people tend to have greater potential to become rich, so it’s a chicken or egg scenario
10. People who suffer strokes or other debilitating diseases suffer tremendously in the short term but after a while their happiness is only slightly below the average of the population.
11. When people get married their happiness peaks, but after a while their happiness returns to the level it was before they got married.
12. Women tend to experience their all-time lowest life satisfaction at age 37, whereas men typically experience this at 42
13. Having 100-200 belly laughs a day is the equivalent of a high impact workout, burning off up to 500 calories.
14. Gold doesn’t guarantee happiness. Studies of Olympic athletes found that bronze medal winners are happier than silver medal winners and sometimes happier than gold medallists. According to the Australian teams psychologist , Graham Winters, it feels better to come third when you are not expecting it than to be pipped for first.
15. The late pioneering social psychologist Professor Michael Argyle, who conducted many happiness studies, showed that among the things that made people happy are sport, music and - most of all – dancing. Encouraging sports facilities everywhere would greatly increase a nations happiness. Group dancing which, which combines, exercise, music, community, touch and rules, also drastically increases happiness.
16. Several studies have shown that a pet can reduce blood pressure
and stress, promoting health and happiness.
17. After basic needs are met, extra material wealth has little or no effect on life satisfaction or happiness (broadly speaking you would need to receive a windfall of more than £1 million to transform you from an unhappy person to a happy person – and even then the effect is often temporary).
18. People in steady relationships are generally happier than singles.
19. In nations with high levels of income equality, such as the Scandinavian countries, happiness tends to be higher than in nations with unequal wealth distribution, such as the USA. People tend to prefer more local autonomy and more direct democracy to increased income.
20. According to a new look at a 40 year old study on child rearing practices conducted at Harvard University, those children who were hugged and cuddled more grew up to be the happiest.


http://www.familyhealthguide.co.uk

The perfect set up

Image courtesy: ©2009 Jupiterimages

You have two friends who you think will be fabulous together, and want to set them up on a date. But not every hook up turns out well, no matter how well planned it may be, so here are some things you should consider while getting them together.

Talk positive

Remember both your friends will be influenced by what you say about them. So tell each one how great the other is. Don't make things up, but if you think they're great for each other, they need to think so too.

The first step is to talk about one to the other.

Introduce them

Arrange for them to meet on neutral territory, neither should have an inkling of what you're up to. See if they hit it off or not, so you know whether or not your hunch is right.

If they forget you're even there, you know they will be get on well and may set up a date without you even trying. If they look like they're dying to go out, you've got your answer.

Repeated meetings

If the first meeting goes okay enough, but you're not convinced that they will do all the legwork themselves, arrange repeated meetings. Go out on a regular basis with both of them, so they have more of an opportunity to get to know each other.

Leap of faith

If you're fairly confident that they will hit it off, go for the kill and set them on a blind date right away. But be very careful, your gut might not always be right. Words of caution If the date/ relationship doesn't go well, both your friends will hold you responsible because, after all, you set them up!

Setting up friends is common and works well if you know exactly what they're looking for. But just to be on the safe side, have a few casual conversations with each of them so you can better understand what they're looking for in a partner. Good luck!

courtesy:Idiva

Making the call

Picture used for prepresentitive purposes only. Image courtesy: ©2009 Jupiterimages

I often travel by train and can't escape these hilariously-weird ads plastered all over the compartment walls. I keep wondering if anyone in their right mind would ever call them up.
But then again, if no one did, 90 per cent of the real estate in the compartment wouldn't be plastered with ads promising part-time jobs, friendship and even a resolution to every human problem, would they?

Being curious, I decided to find out! I made up a fictitious social, demographic and psychographic profile and actually made those phony calls (only for you divas!).

Work from home, earn Rs15-20,000 a month

These ads, probably written by God himself, promise a decent salary, a choice of workplace and flexible working hours minus the qualifications! Too good to be true, right? I called three such places, which some very interesting promises, to find out more.

So it goes like this. You don't need any qualifications or skill sets. You could be anybody or somebody; you just need to be Internet-savvy. You need to fill a registration form, which costs Rs30- 50, after which you have to undergo training for a few hours, at a designated time and place.

I discovered: The people that advertise are sectional trusts like the Maharashtriya Yadav Trust or the Bunts Centre or consultancies tied to American companies. The work is purely online and can be done from wherever you are.

The verdict: The job is somewhere in between phony and genuine.

Earn Rs5 lakh a month/ Rs1 lakh a day

So this guy, who can barely talk English, tells me that I can earn as much as a Rs1 lakh a day. I log on to his website and find details of an ISO 9001: 2008 Chennai-based company that's into multi-level marketing. Certificates of the company being an associate member of FICCI and the Mumbai World Trade Centre are flagged upfront.

Next, I log in as a distributor and check the payments and transactions. I am shocked to see a credit of Rs1,30,000 every week. There is also a list of achievers, details of the targets achieved, customer-care numbers and other details.

I discovered: Hmmm, though these details can be manipulated, it does seem transparent and genuine. However the monies, based on one's network and selling prowess is more a marketing gimmick than a promise of a better future.

The verdict: Genuine

'Koi bhi kaam, 10 ghante mein tamaam'

Wow! Now, that's a tough thing to promise, even if one were God. But the phony baba in Santacruz promises that Rs250 is all he needs to solve all your problems within 10 hours. How he does this? He gives you an amulet/talisman which will alter your life and your destiny.

I discovered: Extremely dangerous and scary!

The verdict: Phony, very phony!

Study, earn, settle in the UK

These are agents who earn their bread and butter through consultancy fees. They do an initial check on your credentials - age, qualifications, salary and bank balance after which, if you qualify they help you migrate, study or get a work visa respectively.

I discovered: It's hilarious - If I'm over 28, I can't settle in UK! (Is 28 the milestone age when you turn from an asset to a liability?)

Verdict: Genuine

For 'frandship', call **********

Despite repeated attempts, this number was not reachable. Anyways, friendship can't be bought by calling a number or sold over the phone, can it?

I discovered: We don't really need to tell you where this could lead.

Verdict: Phony, very phony!

http://www.idiva.com

Get noticed at work

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If your position at work is the equivalent of the recycle bin on your computer screen - extremely necessary but awfully underrated - it's time you got yourself heard. Here are some tips to turn your office presence around.

Eye game

Only people who have something to hide or those who are insecure have difficulty maintaining eye contact. In the office, you don't want to fall under either of these categories. So, the next time you have sometimes to say, let your eyes do some of the talking.

Use hand gestures

The polite ones of course! Using your hands appropriately to explain a situation will make you appear more animated and confident. Don't use them excessively though; you don't want to look like a break dancer.

Hear me out

Speak slowly and clearly. Always arrive at meetings prepared with what you have to say. Make sure you don't mumble and are audible to everyone. If you end up eating your words, you sound unconvincing and no one will take you seriously.

Not this time

Learning to say no sometimes is as important as doing all your work. If you feel people are taking advantage of your 'helpful' nature and not giving you due credit, be firm and decline their requests the next time they come to you for assistance. You'll gain more respect from your peers when they realise you're not a doormat.

Dress to impress

If you're the type to come in to work in tracks and floaters, don't expect anyone to take you seriously. Even at a casual workplace, a certain standard of dressing has to be maintained. If you look sloppy, your boss may think you have the same attitude towards your work and will shy away from giving you any additional responsibilities.

The next time you're talking to your peers or your superiors, be confident. Follow these tips and they know you're a force to reckon with in the office.

http://www.idiva.com