If you are about to enter the world of professional sports or get into the health groove, this is one YouTube video that you must surely be watching. The video helps you gain complete insights into the world of power-packed performance, which is stimulated by anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs.

To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature.  Most persons do not see the sun.  At least they have a very superficial seeing.  The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and heart of the child.  The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood.  – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon.  A happiness weapon.  A beauty bomb.  And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one.  It would explode high in the air – explode softly – and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air.  Floating down to earth – boxes of Crayolas.  And we wouldn’t go cheap, either – not little boxes of eight.  Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in.  With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest.  And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination.  - Robert Fulghum

When childhood dies, its corpses are called adults and they enter society, one of the politer names of hell.  That is why we dread children, even if we love them, they show us the state of our decay.  – Brian Aldiss

From yahoo.com:

That great scientific and philosophical mind, Sir Francis Bacon, way back in the seventeenth century, opined that all scientific knowledge must be put to use for the greater good of humankind. While we have to acknowledge that he was probably a corrupt old bean, and dressed funny, it cannot be disputed that in making this statement, he was spot on. What is the use of all this fancy-schmancy science if, in the end, it does not benefit us all?

Yet our governments and scientists continue to pour their efforts into obscure, esoteric and mostly useless disciplines that have no discernible positive impact on the common man’s life. For instance, we recently celebrated, like so many delirious parakeets, the discovery of water on the moon. The moon? Seriously? This is like a starving man in Gobichettipalayam, Tamil Nadu celebrating wildly on learning that there is some leftover pizza in somebody’s house in Italy. Worse – said starving man could theoretically get to Italy, but no way in hell is he ever making it to the moon.

It costs us so much to send out a space probe to the moon (or Mars. or the planet Stroggos.) that it wouldn’t matter a duck if it were to discover whisky. This is a colossal waste of money, and a criminal distraction of the world’s finest minds, who should be working on more useful and productive stuff. It’s like a farmer purchasing a pair of fine, strong oxen, and then entering them in beauty contests instead of using them to plough the field. The oxen might even win (look at the standard of beauty contests today), but it doesn’t really help the farm.

Since I’ve always got mankind’s best interests at heart, let me make a few suggestions regarding where our scientific research budgets should be focused.

A solution to the mosquito problem: While our scientists are busy futzing about in the vast reaches of outer space, these little yet deadly creatures are busy wreaking havoc right here on earth. They kill huge numbers of people every year, and, even worse, they give you a nasty itch. Surely, if more funds were devoted to solving this problem, we could easily annihilate them? I have an idea – why not use genetic engineering to create a super-breed of killer cannibal mosquitoes that feed only on other mosquitoes? That way, they’d eat all the normal mosquitoes, and then, with nothing left to feed on, they’d starve to death. Mosquitoes all gone. Elegant.

Pressure-sealed jam bottles that can be opened by people who aren’t Prem Chand Degra: Seriously? What’s with those bottles? The ones you are supposed to twist off sharply to open? These devilish contraptions cause untold hurt and mental agony to millions of people, who struggle for minutes trying to twist the lids off, only to have them easily opened by some smug jerk who lands up at the right moment, when it’s about to come off anyway thanks to the efforts of all the previous people who had a go. The usual lecture on technique, strength and overall awesomeness (delivered in invariably mocking tones) that follows is one of the scourges of modern civilization, having nipped many budding romances in the . . er . . .bud. Better jam bottles for everyone.

A system to predict sports results: If a stupid octopus can get it right, it can’t be that hard for our finest mathematical minds to figure out a foolproof way to predict the outcomes of sporting events? Think of the benefits. Irate groups of moronic fans can start burning effigies and stoning players’ houses even before the match begins – giving them more time to plan things out. Clueless TV panelists can conduct the post-match analysis at a convenient evening slot, even if the game is to be televised in the wee hours of the morning. In fact, sports bodies can entirely avoid actually organising the games altogether, and merely publish the results in advance – huge savings. Suresh Kalmadi would wholeheartedly approve. In fact, I’d suggest that Mr. Kalmadi provide the seed fund for this project, if not for his recently demonstrated skills in not being able to raise funds.

Products that prevent their owners from acting like douchebags: It can’t be that hard to make car horns that deliver an electric shock to the driver if used incessantly in a traffic jam. Or a cell-phone that heats up to red-hot temperatures if used in a movie hall or auditorium. Or whisky that begins to taste like complan if the drinker starts misbehaving with a member of the opposite sex. Or a necktie that chokes its wearer if the latter happens to be Arnab Goswami. Or a deodorant that, by osmosis, transfers itself onto all those smelly people on the bus, who need it far more than you do. The possibilities are as utilitarian as they are endless.

See? There’s a host of ways that scientific research and invention can be used to actually help people, instead of just generating pointless knowledge that has no application outside of quizzes and possibly the Discovery Channel. It’s very interesting to learn that the planet Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen, but most of us can live without knowing this, especially if it’s costing us several crores to maintain an elaborate set-up that generates such interesting but pointless facts.

Considering that much of our tax money goes into funding the government’s hare-brained research programmes, it’s only fair that we start demanding that they stop meddling about with frivolous things like launching satellites that plunge into the ocean, researching obscure animal husbandry practices and rinderpest eradication, and get cracking on stuff we really care about. Like cutlet flavoured ice-cream, for a start.

One way to sum all this up is to say that science is creative, rather than foundational.

This diet plan is rated by health experts as one of the best plans in order to create and maintain high standards of health, fitness, and body appeal.

From Blogforyouth.com:

A lot of young people ignore the benefits of a carefully planned and implemented teen nutrition plan. Most of them think that diseases are for the elderly people but they forget that mortality rate surveys, all over the world, have revealed that children and young adults are at an increased mortality risk than the elderly. It is, therefore, important to note that eating healthy is just not about losing weight or building solid muscles. Unless an individual is fit and healthy, he or she cannot face intense pressure in the society or everywhere. Therefore, every member of the youth community must have his or her eyes focused on a healthy diet plan such as a grapefruit diet plan.

The grapefruit diet plan or the Mayo Diet Plan is focused on creating and maintaining high standards of health and fitness. This is done by eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice. Person following such a diet plan needs to consume 8-10 glasses of water a day and has to limit intake of tea and coffee to just one cup per day. The diet has no place for junk foods, desserts, and breads and one needs to feed the body with lots of healthy and fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, and meat. By following this plan, one can experience dramatic health and fitness benefits in as short as 8-10 weeks.

By taking this plan, you stand to lose nothing and gain everything since there are no side effects of this health plan.

Dating violence

Kacey Kirkland, a victim services specialist with the Fairfax County Police Department, disclosed to the Washington Post that he has seen textual harassment in many forms such as lies, late-night questions, and threats.

From in.news.yahoo.com:

“It’s gotten astonishingly worse in the last two years,” the Washington Post quoted Jill Murray, who has written several books on dating violence and speaks on the topic nationally, as saying.

“Especially for those who have grown up in digital times, it’s part and parcel of every abusive dating relationship now,” she said.

According to the paper, the harassed often feel compelled to answer the messages, whether they are one-word insults or 3 a.m. demands.

For some, 100 or more texts arrive in a day in class, at the dinner table, or in movie theatres.

“Harassment is just easier now, and it’s even more persistent and constant, with no letting up,” the post quoted Claire Kaplan, director of sexual and domestic violence services at the University of Virginia, as saying.

Cindy Southworth, founder of the Safety Net Project on technology at the National Network to End Domestic Violence, said “What technology offers is irrefutable evidence of the abuse,”.

From Timesofindia.com:

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai opened an international conference on Tuesday aimed at charting a new course on how billions in development aid are to be spent in the next few years.

Enhancing the capacity of the Afghan security forces, political reform, reconciliation with Taliban militants and improving governance, including the fight against endemic administrative corruption, are high on the agenda of the Kabul Conference, attended by nearly 70 international representatives.

The delegates include representatives from 57 countries, including 40 foreign ministers and 11 representatives from regional and international organisations, among them UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

After the opening of the conference by Karzai and Ban, the top UN envoy to Afghanistan Staffan de Mistura and Afghan Minister of Finance Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal are to co-chair the conference.

Afghan officials, speaking ahead of the opening, said that they expect the donors to align 80 percent of their nearly $13-billion pledges with the Kabul government’s priorities. A peace plan to reintegrate Taliban militants into civilian life is also expected to be discussed.

The conference is marking a new phase into deepening and broadening of our international partnership and we also hope that they would make a formal statement in the coming days.

From Yahoo.com:

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) on Sunday said it has decided to examine the issue of insurance companies withdrawing the cashless facility for hospitalisation of patients to mediclaim policy holders.

IRDA chairman Hari Narayan told Mail Today that ‘appropriate action’ would be taken in the matter after discussing the issue with the concerned stakeholders.

“Let us examine the issue. We are gathering the background information from the insurers. We would then take appropriate action,” J Hari Narayan told Mail Today on phone from IRDA’s headquarters at Hyderabad. Asked whether there had been a breach of trust between the mediclaim policy holders and the insurers, he replied, “Let me first get into the issue. It would be too early to make any statement. The issue is being examined by us.”

The move by insurance companies to withdraw the facility of cashless hospitalisation has left the middle-class in a lurch.

At least 18 insurance companies, including public sector entities, have withdrawn the cashless mediclaim policy facility and stopped direct payment of treatment charges to high-end hospitals in Delhi, NCR and at other metros like Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai from July 1.

The policy holders are fuming. They feel cheated. “It’s a breach of trust. I availed the mediclaim policy for a year and paid Rs 30,000 for my family members where they offered me cashless hospitalisation. How can they write-off the agreed contract,” says Rajesh Kumar, a resident of North Delhi.

At least 100 hospitals in Delhi and NCR, besides other metros, have been taken off the designated list of hospitals eligible to extend the cashless facility of treatment. These hospitals include high-end ones like Max or Medicity, Apollo, Fortis, Ganga Ram and other big hospital chains in Delhi and NCR. Mediclaim policy holders who want to avail the facilities at these hospitals, will now have to pay. They can then claim the amount from the insurer with no guarantee that the entire amount would be reimbursed.

Taking serious note of the issue Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Sunday said the state government would take every possible step to ensure that people are not held to ransom in the fight between hospitals and insurance firms.

She promised to look into the issue. “We will hold talks within a week and try to find a solution to the problem,” she said.

Terming it as a serious issue, Delhi health minister Kiran Walia said, “We are really concerned as we know the impact. We cannot allow somebody to hold the patients to ransom in the fight (between insurers and hospitals),” said the health minister.

Industry bodies too have reacted sharply to the development. The chairman of the Federation of Indian Chambers for Commerce and Industry (Ficci) health services committee, Anjan Bose, termed it a retrograde move.

” This will put the policy holders, particularly the middle class patients, who do not have ready cash available with them at a disadvantage. Such a step will have adverse impact on the penetration of the health insurance market in India,” Bose said.

Insurance companies have been providing cashless services at over 3,000 hospitals across the country. Dr KK Aggarwal, president of the Heart Care Foundation of India, said the cap on charges for particular treatment by insurance agencies is a right move. “But why should the policy holders suffer,” he said.

Around 18 insurance companies have stopped direct payment of treatment charges. The mediclaim policy holders will now have to pay with no guarantee that the money will be reimbursed. There is a raised question among the agitated policy holders that why can’t they take benefit for the insurance done.

The locally-established targets included persuading more people to quit smoking, reducing heart-related deaths, and improving waiting times across a variety of fields.

From News.scotsman.com:

Labour’s health spokeswoman in Edinburgh, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “In the end it can actually cost more money because if people’s health gets worse, that will be more expensive to treat in the long run.”

TOOTH DECAY FIGURES RAISE A SMILE

RECORD numbers of Scots schoolchildren are free from dental decay, new figures revealed today.

A report on children’s dental health showed the Scottish Government has surpassed the target of having 60 per cent of primary seven pupils without any obvious sign of tooth decay.

Across the country, 64 per cent of youngsters leaving primary school were found to have healthy teeth.

Five years ago, the figure was just 52.9 per cent.

Minister for public health Shona Robison announced the findings and said: “Dental health in Scotland is improving and this is a trend that we want to continue.”

Labour’s health spokeswoman in Edinburgh, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said expenses will be more in the long run if health of people gets worse.

Want to get insights on importance of an eating regimen or diet in bodybuilding? This YouTube video from a professional bodybuilder on building muscles is one of the best on buildup of solid muscles and enhancing performance. The video will surely help you get close to secrets of muscle building and fitness.

Miranda Kerr,

Kerr, 27, told men’s lifestyle website AskMen.com that small things do count and men must pay attention to even the smallest of things for enjoying a satisfying and healthy relationship.

From Timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

If more men made an effort to do these little things for their partner throughout their everyday life they would be guaranteed to have a more romantic relationship,” she added.

Kerr’s 10 romance tips :

1. Treat her like a goddess

2. Pamper her

3. Be healthy

4. Get a baby sitter

5. Tell her she is beautiful and romance her

6. Don’t be afraid to show her love

7. Know what you want

8. Connect with her

9. Listen to her

10. Buy the right size

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted her as telling the website, “In my experience, it is the random small gestures that I find the most romantic,”.