Gratitude makes you feel happier

"Everyday, think as you wake up, ‘Today I am fortunate to be alive. I have a precious human life. I am not going to waste it.'" The Dalai Lama A n attitude of gratitude is good for you. Most of the world's religions have taught that for centuries. Now researchers in the emerging field of positive psychology say studies in the "science of gratitude" indicate that thankful people are happier and healthier, have less stress and forge better social relationships.

A leading light in the positive psychology movement, Robert Emmons, believes gratitude is the "forgotten factor" in happiness research, he said in a web-published synopsis of "The Research Project on Gratitude", which he edited with Michael McCullough.

One of Emmons' studies, done with McCullough and Jo-Ann Trang identified people with a disposition towards gratitude and those who were less grateful.

"Grateful people are higher in positive emotions and life satisfaction and lower in negative emotions such as depression, anxiety and envy," the study says.

Emmons said in his synopsis of research projects that those who kept gratitude journals, writing down, each night, things they were thankful for, "exercised more regular ly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events".

McCullough, led a seminar on gratitude in February in Dallas. He and Emmons, professor at the University of California at Davis, are co-editors of The Psychology of Gratitude.

"Having an attitude of gratitude isn't always easy and is more complicated than just saying ‘thank you'," said Robert C. Roberts, distinguished professor of ethics at Baylor University who wrote the gratitude entry for the "New Dictionary of Christian Ethics and Pastoral Theology". "Sometimes people express false gratitude just to keep the gifts coming their way," he said. "Real gratitude", he added, is the "mirror opposite of anger".

"You have to believe that the person you are grateful to has done something truly benevolent," he said.

The Rev. Larry Grubb, longtime counsellor and associate minister at First Methodist Church of Fort Worth, Texas, said people really are in charge of what they feel in their bodies. If we focus on positive things, we do feel good, and being happy can trigger endorphins and other chemical elements that often affect moods and healing processes.

Grubb welcomes the scientific approach to gratitude but says religious people have intuitively come to similar conclusions for years. "Now we have the scientific evidence to back it up," he said.

James Campbell Quick, professor of leadership at the University of Texas, said positive psychology is becoming a major influence in many fields. "Those who live with gratitude," he said, "are living with a sense of thanksgiving for all they receive, starting with the breath of life, when we get slapped on the bottom." Image and article source: Deccan Chronicle

Angelina Jolie Nominated for Indie Spirit Award

Angelina Jolie is already attracting movie awards attention.

Jolie was nominated Tuesday for a Spirit Award for her role in A Mighty Heart, which was co-produced by Brad Pitt and based on the life of slain American journalist Daniel Pearl. "She could make any film she wants," Dawn Hudson of Film Independent, which gives the awards, said after the announcement.

"It's a feat for such a movie star to be so much in that role." Jolie, who plays Pearl's wife, has never been nominated for a Spirit Award, though she won an Oscar and Golden Globe in 2000 for Girl, Interrupted. Her competition includes Sienna Miller (Interview), Ellen Page (Juno), Parker Posey (Broken English), and Tang Wei (Lust, Caution). Other nominees included Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There), Don Cheadle (Talk to Me) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Savages). Zach Braff and Lisa Kudrow, both past nominees of Spirit Awards (Braff won for 2004's Garden State), announced this year's nominees. "I was a giant fan of The Comeback, her show on HBO, I just loved it so much," Braff told PEOPLE of Kudrow.

"Every free moment I've gotten with her today, I've been telling her how much I love The Comeback." The Spirit Awards, held the day before the Oscars, will air live on IFC on Feb. 23.
Image and article source: www.people.com

Holy smoke! Cigarettes can make men bald..

Most people that smoking causes cancer, heart attack, lung disease and impotence. Now, a study on Asian men has revealed that cigarettes also lead to baldness. Male-pattern baldness runs in families and is influenced by male sex hormones and some environmental factors such as diet and stress. Researchers are now saying that smoking also causes hair loss by lowering the supply of blood to the hair follicles. In fact, so strong is the impact of smoking on hair health that it even causes hair loss in Asian men, who are genetically less likely to go bald than white Caucasian men, report researchers in the journal Archives of Dermatology.

"The findings are not surprising. It's well established that smoking causes the blood vessels to constrict, lowering the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the heart. Here, too, the hair follicles are being deprived of oxygen and nutrition," says Dr R.R. Kasliwal, senior consultant cardiologist, Apollo Hospital. Scientists studied 740 Taiwanese men with an average age of 65. After gathering information about the age at which they started losing their hair, their smoking history and their height and weight, as well as taking blood samples, they found cigarettes led to significantly more hair loss even after taking other factors into account. "After controlling for age and family history, statistically significant positive associations were noted between moderate or severe palepattern baldness and smoking status," said Dr Lin-hui Su of the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in Taiwan.

Cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. Apart from cancer, smoking is also a major risk factor in chronic bronchitis, heart disease and stroke, and other disorders such as slowed healing of wounds, impotence, infertility and peptic ulcer disease. Tobacco is the second biggest cause of death in the world, according to the World Health Organisation. It currently kills about 5 million people - one in 10 adult deaths - each year globally Half the people that smoke or consume . Tobacco in other forms today - about 650 million people - will eventually be killed by their habit, says the WHO.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, tobacco use is responsible for over 10 lakh deaths each year - about 2,800 people every day Some 250 million people use tobacco in some . form or the other. Apart from the smoked forms (cigarettes, bidis and cigars), several smokeless forms of consumption exist and they account for 40 per cent of the total tobacco consumption. 250 mn tobacco users in India 16% of them are cigarette smokers 44% smoke bidis 40% have gutka, mishri (roasted black tobacco powder applied to gums) and chewing tobacco in betel-quid.
image and article source:hindustantimes.com

Bombay HC judge's 'drunk' son mows down man

The son of a Bombay High Court ran his car over a man in Mumbai's D N Nagar area on Thursday night. The police have registered an FIR against the accused who was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. The victim has been admitted to the hospital with injuries. This is not the first time that children of high profile people have been caught on the wrong side of the law.

Last year, 21-year-old Alistair Pereira, the son of a Mumbai-based industrialist had rammed his Toyota Corolla in the pavement at Bandra killing sleeping labourers. Seven labourers had died and several others were injured. The Bombay High Court had re-opened the case after a public outcry over a sessions court judgement which let off Pereira leniently with just a six-month jail term and a fine of Rs five rupees.

Pereira has now been sentenced to three years’ Rigourous Imprisonment under Section 304, one year under Section 338 and six months for causing grevious injuries. In January 1999, Sanjeev Nanda, the son of a Navy officer, was driving his BMW in an "inebriated" state and ran over six people in New Delhi. It is alleged that Nanda and his friends, who were travelling in the car, fled the scene of the accident though the police found some bloodstains on the vehicle later.

More recently, actor Salman Khan was charged with running over pavement dwellers in Mumbai, allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.
image and article source:ibnlive.com

Army called in to control protests in Kolkata; curfew may be imposed

The army will stage a flag march in Kolkata after protests over the Nandigram issue turned violent, Kolkata Commissioner of Police Gautam Mohan Chakraborty said.

The state government has sought six army columns. While Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya has called a high level meeting, top police officials were coordinating with the army, Home Secretary P R Roy said. The government is contemplating imposing curfew in some areas of Kolkata at night, he said. Activists of the All India Minority Forum clashed with the police, pelted stones and set buses ablaze. The police had to use batons and teargas to disperse the activists. Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) Jawed Shamim was injured when the police tried to lift the blockade on the arterial AJC Bose Road.

Rapid Action Force personnel swung into action after the police failed to control the mob, hundreds of whom pelted stones and empty glass bottles from lanes and bylanes. The protestors also ransacked the Communist Party of India-Marxist's office. After a baton-charge failed to restore order, teargas shells were lobbed at the agitators, the police said. There were major traffic snarls in the southern and central areas of the city during the morning rush hour.

The AIMF and the Furfurasharif Muzadeddia Anath Foundation, which called for paralysing the state for three hours from 9 am, resorted to road blocks in some other districts including Howrah, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas. West Bengal Inspector-General of Police (law and order) Raj Kanojia said most of the blockades have been lifted without using force, but two in neighbouring Howrah district were still on.

Train services were not affected anywhere in the state, Kanojia said. Forum president Idris Ali claimed outsiders infiltrated the ranks and unleashed violence. Ali said the blockade was also called to demand the resignation of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and the cancellation of the visa of Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen.

He claimed Nasreen had made comments about Islam, which were blasphemous and sought immediate deportation of the writer.

Article source: www.rediff.com

Bips named Asia's sexiest woman!

Actress Madhuri Dixit was the runner-up while last year's winner Priyanka Chopra was placed third by a London newspaper. Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu has been named the sexiest Asian woman in the world 2007 by a leading London-based Asian newspaper.

Legendary Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit, 42, was the runner-up while last year's winner Priyanka Chopra, 25, was placed third by Eastern Eye newspaper. The top ten women are - Bipasha Basu, Madhuri Dixit, Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai, Laila Rouass, Shilpa Shetty, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Lara Dutta and Iman Ali. Advertisement Brit babes on the 2007 list include Laila Rouass (5), Amrita Hunjan (20), Sophie (33), Pooja Shah (36), Konnie Huq (40) M I A (42) Parminder Nagra (43), Bat for Lashes (46), Selina Soopramanien (47) and Anjlee Desai (48). It is the third time that Eastern Eye has published a list of 50 Sexiest Asian women. The 2005 winner was also Bipasha.

Commenting on her selection, 28-year-old Bipasha said: "I'm glad I got the crown back and will try and hold onto it this time. I think sexiness goes beyond just looks and is a total package, from your personality to the way you carry yourself in your every day life. I'm really grateful to whoever voted for me because I work very hard." Bipasha will next be seen on the silver screen in Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, alongside boyfriend John Abraham. Hamant Verma, Editor of Eastern Eye and founder of its Sexiest Asian women in the world list, said: "Bipasha Basu is a living embodiment of sexual attractiveness. Her acting ability, beauty and charm are capable of arousing great interest in her from the world's media." image and article source: www.screenindia.com

CAT 2007 Verdict Out: Math tough, English easy

It was a big day on Sunday for MBA aspirants as nearly 2 lakh of them took the CAT (Common Admission Test) in 23 cities across the country for admission into B-schools.

About 35,000 students from the Delhi region appeared for the test, sources said.

Many of the city’s students said while they found the Math section of the exam tough, English was easy. “Paper was not a balanced one. Math was tough,” said one student. “The easiest was verbal section. English was easy but Math was tough,” said another.

The 150 minute test evaluates candidates on their quantitative skill, verbal ability and logical reasoning.

The total number of seats in IIMs this year is expected to be in the range of 1700. Currently, 15 per cent and 7.5 per cent seats are reserved for SCs and STs respectively, while 3 per cent of the seats are reserved for people with disabilities.

This year the number of seats in IIM Indore and Bangalore have been increased and IIM Shillong is the new addition to the current list of IIMs.

image and article source: www.ibnlive.com

Shah Rukh beats Tom Cruise

Shah Rukh Khan and writer-director Farah Khan exceeded the wildest forecasts as they not only beat the Tom Cruise, Robert Redford and Meryl Streep starring political drama Lions for Lambs over the weekend outside America but also propelled their into world movie Om Shanti Om history.

The film grossed a mighty $17 million gross in India and an estimated $4 million in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the UAE. Ken Naz, who runs distribution company Eros International in North America, called the phenomenon a high watermark for Indian movie industry.OSO could exceed the $3 million mark set by each Kabhi Alvida Naa Kahna and Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gam in North America and the United Kingdom. Shah Rukh featured in those films, too well.

Shah Rukh Khan produced OSO was the highest grossing film outside North America, followed closely by the boldly successful Sanjay Leela Bhansali's intensely romantic Saawariya, the first film the Hollywood giant Sony made with an Indian producer. The film, which too performed far beyond the expectations, grossed $14.4 million in India, according to Sony. In North America, Australia, the United Kingdom and the UAE, it mesmerized an impressive $1.2 million. The grand success of two Indian films caught the attention of leading publications ranging from The Washington Post to Variety, the influential trade publication.

Variety declared that 'Bollywood stole the spotlight from Tom Cruise's Lions for Lambs at the international box office over the weekend, with a pair of socko launches for Om Shanti Om and Saawariya.' While Lions for Lambs launched with a $10.3 million in 45 foreign markets that number was easily topped by the two Indian films each showing in less than a dozen markets. It was also the first time in recent Indian movie history two very big films opened with huge numbers the same weekend. Such a phenomenon is not uncommon in Hollywood. For instance, 10 days ago American Gangster opened with $43 million, and the animated comedy Bee Movie sucked in $39 million. While many critics had welcomed OSO as a lively crime comedy, they were harsh on Saawariya calling it meandering and boring. But the audiences thought the opposite. Even if the film were to come down mightily in the next few weeks, it could still prove to be profitable, trade insiders say. Its opening weekend success was even more impressive than that of OSO since the film had newcomers Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in the lead. In North America, OSO, which was No. 12 on the box-office chart led by Bee Movie's $26 million in its second week, the crime comedy took in $1.5 million making it not the highest grossing Hindi film of all time, beating KANK 's $1.3 million. But while the latter produced and directed by Karan Johar also starred Shah Rukh, it had a huge cast comprising Amitabh Bachchan , Abhishek, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee [Images], OSO was a solo show for Shah Rukh who was cast opposite debutante Deepika Padukone.

The film also had a widest opening for an Indian film in North America with the distributor Eros International taking up 117 theaters. Usually star-driven Hindi films open in 70 theaters. In many cities including Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, several shows went full on Saturday. Sony too gave Saawariya, which opened the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival in New York on Thursday, a big release, unleashing it in 85 theaters in North America. It generated $600,000 in the U.S., $340,000 in the U.K. and $100,000 in Australia, according to the distributor. 'The stunning numbers for both pics comes two months after Sony pacted with Eros -- the leading Indian movie group -- for a multipicture production and distribution deal that encompasses six to eight movies in the first year of the agreement,'
image and article source:http://www.rediff.com

Skippers plays down Afridi-Gambhir spat

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik played down an incident that took place during his team’s second one-dayer against India when Shahid Afridi had a war or words with Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir. ‘It was nothing,’ Malik said after the match which Pakistan lost.’It just happened in the heat of the moment and later I went to Gautam and apologised to him on behalf of Afridi,’ he added.

After the first two games that went smoothly, the cricket community was reminded about the intensity of Pakistan-Indian encounter when Afridi and Gambhir had a spat during the Kanpur one-dayer.

It all happened when Gautam came to the crease at the dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar and soon drove Afridi for a boundary after which the duo got engaged in a verbal clash. It got worse when Gautam decided to go up to Afridi and said something which by judging Afridi’s reaction made it clear that Gambhir wasn’t exchanging any pleasantries.

The eyeball-to-eyeball encounter between the rival players was finally cut short by umpire Ian Gould. The umpire took Gambhir aside and asked him to control his emotions and also gave a similar advice to Afridi. Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni also played down the incident. ‘Agar yeh nahi hota tau pata kaisay chalta ka yeh Pakistan-India series hay (If this hadn’t happen then how will you know that it is a Pakistan-India series),’ he said smilingly at a post-match press conference.

image and article source:http://www.cricketviewer.com

Esha Deol turns 26 in Tirupati...

Unlike other girls her age, Esha Deol didn't bring in her birthday at a passionate pub with her perky pals. "I'm in Tirupati with my mom, conversing with the Gods," she said on her 26 th birthday on Nov 2. "People see me as this carefree bindaas girl. But there's this other very quiet and religious side to me. I've these long conversations with God. So here I am, at Tirupati. What did I ask Him for? Doesn't everyone want something or the other from God?"

Right now Esha wants to change lanes in her career. "Enough of doing nothing in big-banner films. I've become selfish .I've recently learnt to say no. So I've been saying no to guys and to movies. I'm exercising the right to decline men and movies quite democratically. I've been turning down big banners because I had nothing to do in their films. I'd rather do the things that interest me instead of movies that misuse me."

Esha is now going back to a childhood passion. "I used to learn Russian ballet as a child. I think I'll pursue that again, and practice my Odissi dancing while I wait for good roles to come my way. Can you believe I've been around here for 5 ½ years! Have I changed? Yes! I used to be vulnerable and naïve. Now I'm a tough nut to crack. Let's see who finally cracks this nut," she laughs heartily. So will Esha's guy be from outside the industry? "Why?" she shoots back. "My father is from the film industry. And he's the nicest guy I've ever met. So why not an industry guy for me? You never know."

Esha returned to Mumbai from Tirupati on the evening of her birthday. "For a quiet dinner with just close family and friends. That's the way I like it. I want to be alone with just the people who matter to me. I'm now getting settled in my space."

image and article source:india FM

Spinners tighten grip on Pakistan

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first in the first One-Day International against India in Guwahati on Monday.

After ensuring a solid start, Pakistan lost the wicket of Kamran Akmal in the 11th over when Irfan Pathan broke through for India by trapping him in front of the stumps.In fact, Zaheer Khan struggled a little bit with his line and length in the initial stages of the match as the Pakistan batsmen, particularly Salman Butt, helped himself to a couple of boundaries while from the other end R P Singh bowled a good line and length.

The introduction of one change bowler Irfan Pathan further tightened the visitor’s run rate as the new batsman Younis Khan found runs hard to come by.From the other end Butt was gaining in confidence and completed his quick-fire fifty. However, soon after reaching his half-century, he was run out after a mix-up with Younis, as Pakistan fell to 69 for two. Pakistan opened with their wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal and regular opener Salman Butt while India opened their bowling with the left arm duo of Zaheer Khan and Rudra Pratap Singh.India rested Praveen Kumar, Rohit Sharma and S.Sreesanth from the playing eleven while Pakistan left out Sohail Tanvir, Imran Nazir and Fawad Alam from the eleven.

The teams:
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Robin Uthappa, and Rudra Pratap Singh.

Pakistan: Shoaib Malik (capt), Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikar and Abdul Rehman.
image and article source:www.cricketnext.com

Cancer doesn't "just happen"

What people eat and how fast they grow are both significant causes of cancer, but many Americans still incorrectly believe that factors such as pesticides on food are bigger causes, experts reported on Wednesday.Breastfeeding reduces the risk of cancer for mother and child, and tall people have a higher risk of cancer than shorter people, the report found."We need to think about cancer as the product of many long-term influences, not as something that 'just happens,'" Dr. Walter Willett, a nutrition expert at the Harvard School of Public Health in Massachusetts, told a news conference.The report, released jointly by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research, is the result of five years of study by nine teams of scientists.They reviewed 7,000 studies on diet, exercise, weight and cancer.

Most of what they recommended is in line with what health experts, including governments and the World Health Organization, have long been advising -- that diets based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains and that go easy on red meats, dairy products and fats protect against heart disease, diabetes and cancer.They found evidence that factors such as hormones that cause the body to grow quickly may be involved in some cancers."We found that tallness is also probably linked to increased risk for ovarian, pancreatic and pre-menopausal cancer as well," said Willett. He stressed that tall people are not destined to get cancer but should take care to maintain healthy habits.The groups make keeping a healthy weight their No. 1 recommendation to reduce the risk of cancer.
AS LEAN AS POSSIBLE:
"Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight," the 400-page report reads. That means keeping a body mass index, they said, of between 21 and 23. BMI is a calculation of height to weight, and the normal range is usually considered to be 18 to 25, with anything over 25 being overweight.Exercise is also key. "Be physically active as part of everyday life," is the second of 10 recommendations made by the expert panel. The recommendations also include eating mostly plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables and grains, avoiding calorie-dense foods such as sugary drinks, and limiting red meat, alcohol and salt.The American Institute for Cancer Research also released a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults that show most do not understand these risks. Only 38 percent knew of the link between cured and processed meats and cancer, 49 percent knew that diets low in fruits and vegetables raised the risk of cancer and 46 percent knew that obesity was a well-documented risk.But 71 percent thought that pesticide residue on produce was a cause -- something that has never been shown; 56 percent thought stress causes cancer, again not proven; and 49 percent believed hormones in beef cause cancer.

"Americans are increasingly likely to attribute cancer to factors over which they have no control, and for which no proven links to the disease exist," the report reads."This reflects an 'everything causes cancer' mindset," it adds.The meat industry quickly denounced the report."WCRF's conclusions are extreme, unfounded and out of step with dietary guidelines," said American Meat Institute Foundation Vice President of Scientific Affairs Randy Huffman.

image and article source:www.reuters.com

Lesbian wedding stuns Vizag (Andhra Pradesh)

Two young lesbian lovers got married in a temple recently shocking their families and neighbours. The lovers, K. Kumari, 19, and Varalakshmi, 18, tied the knot at the Lingala Tirugudu temple near Sabbavaram on October 16 and later exchanged Bibles in a local church to further cement their relationship.They have also started living together in a separate house like any other married couple and are working in a nursery. Kumari dons the role of the ‘husband,’ wearing trousers and shirt while Varalakshmi, the demure one, wears the mangalsutra.Though the shock is yet to wear off, the people of the small town of Sabbavaram are now slowly accepting their relationship. Sources said that Kumari, a native of Anakapalle, came to the town to live with her married elder sister after she lost her parents. She soon met Varalakshmi, who lived in the neighbourhood, and they became close friends.The duo started working in a church together to earn money, but they were sacked after their colleagues complained about their ‘intimate’ behaviour. Undaunted, the couple rented a small house and started living there. However, Varalakshmi’s mother was upset at her daughter’s friendship and took her home. But the couple got married without much publicity and during Dasara, Kumari appeared with cropped hair. “She was wearing trousers and T-shirt like a man,” said a neighbour. Another curious neighbour saw a photograph in a local studio in which Kumari and Varalakshmi were exchanging Bibles, which is how Christians in the rural belt get marriedThey made further enquiries found that the young women (both belong to the goldsmith community) also got married according to Hindu rites in Lingala Tirugudu temple. It was performed according to traditions and Kumari tied a mangalasutra on Varalakshmi’s neck. Interestingly, Varalakshmi’s mother and another witness were present during the exchange of vows.“We are not ashamed,” said Kumari. “First we became good friends and later lovers. Now we live as husband and wife.” Varalakshmi was earlier married to a man in Srikakulam but walked out of the marriage. She is not formally divorced. The owner of their rented house is not too bothered about their relationship. “As long as they pay the rent and keep quiet, it is ok with me.” he said. Women in the neighbourhood have also more or less accepted their relationship. Of course, they have stopped taking baths with Kumari in the pond, which is fair enough.

image and article source:http://www.indianpad.com