Cars of the future: safer, cleaner, more comfortable

Hamburg (Germany), July 24 (DPA) Within a decade, most new cars will be equipped with clean-drive technology and a host of easy to serve technical gadgets that will make driving much more comfortable and safer than today.

Engineers are currently working on several technologies that were still fiction in the 1980s American television series 'Knight Rider' in which David Hasselhoff is partnered by an autonomous car called KITT with artificial intelligence.

Like KITT, the car of the future recognises its owner with a mini iris-recognition camera.

The front-mounted 'scan bar' in KITT is similar to the mini cameras currently being tested that perceive the car surroundings, informing the driver of possible danger zones. It even brakes automatically if the driver does not react.

Some of the gadgets such as night vision and brake-assist are already available in premium cars such as the new BMW 7-Series but will become the norm in a few years time.

Once the driver sits into the car, the vehicle automatically adjusts the seat and steering wheel settings to the ideal position. The car entertainment system meanwhile plays his/her favourite music while the navigation system begins to choose the best route.

Like KITT, the car could theoretically drive itself, drop its driver outside the office and choose the next available parking space.

Cars will be in contact with other cars and traffic information centres picking up information on accidents, traffic jams or parking areas.

Many of the functions presently in use have complicated menu programmes, switches or buttons. In future you will be able to speak to your car like Hasselhoff to KITT, telling it what to do.

German automaker Volkswagen's head of future research and trend transfer, Wolfgang Mueller-Pietralla, says that the car of the future will be a 'lot more fun, evolving from purely a vehicle to a living space' where we can do most of the things we do at home or in the office like phoning, shopping, watching television or surfing the internet.

Car assistance systems will eliminate most of the risks we have on the road today. Camera-assisted fatigue recognition systems tell the driver when to rest.

The mini cameras with night vision monitor the vehicle surroundings by 180 degrees, picking up possible dangers from any angle, informing the vehicle information system on what action to take.

The car will not be able to fly or jump over objects with rocket boosters, but a lot of the fiction we saw in 'Knight Rider' will have merged into everyday reality.

- IANS

Finding Men Who Are Paid to Watch Porn for a Living

BBC News

It's 2008 and sex seems to be everywhere. So who holds the line between permissiveness and obscenity? What is obscene these days? And how do those people entrusted to make these calls cope with the harrowing work?

"People think 'what a great job - you sit and watch porn all day'," says Inspector Andy Shortland, who heads the Metropolitan Police's Obscene Publications Squad.

"I think to myself you really would not want to see this stuff. It's not top shelf magazine stuff or soft-core porn which you might hire at Blockbuster. This is really horrible stuff. And when I say that it usually stops them dead.

"But it's just human nature to laugh about it," he adds.

The squad, the only one of its type in the country, consists of 12 officers, including one woman. Its role is threefold - to monitor what is on sale at licensed sex shops, to target and convict pedlars of illegal pornography and to advise other law enforcement agencies.

Lady Chatterley's Lover was once considered obscene but certainly wouldn't be now Inspector Andy Shortland

But what, in these more permissive times, is considered obscene?

During the trial of American pornographer Larry Flynt in the 1970s, his lawyer Louis Sirkin observed: "One man's obscenity is another man's art." In England, the law is governed by a piece of legislation almost half-a-century old - the 1959 Obscene Publications Act.

It defines obscenity as "content whose effect will tend to deprave and corrupt those likely to read, see or hear" it.

It helpfully adds: "This could include images of extreme sexual activity such as bestiality, necrophilia, rape or torture."

Insp Shortland says: "What was socially unacceptable 10 or 20 years ago may be acceptable now. There is a moving line. For example Lady Chatterley's Lover was once considered obscene but certainly wouldn't be now.

"But bestiality, necrophilia, rape and torture would still be considered obscene," he says, as would depictions of sexual gratification through lavatorial functions.

The Obscene Publications Squad works closely with the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which is responsible for censoring and labelling all films released in the UK, whether they are movies for the cinema, videos and DVDs for the regular retail market or specialist sex shop material.

Straw dogs release

Rape and torture scenes - sometimes in mainstream movies - have been problematic for both the police and the BBFC.

In America Larry Flynt fought a long fight to defend pornography

"There is quite a high threshold," says Insp Shortland. "Some caning films can have bad injuries - which are not life-threatening - and that is considered to be obscene. Some rape films are 'fake' with actors portraying rape. It is quite a difficult line to judge."

The case of the 1971 film Straw Dogs, directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George, is well known to many film buffs. Originally banned because of a horrific rape depiction, the BBFC passed a different edit of the film in 2002 - which included the scene.

It would be wrong to assume the decision was due to greater tolerance of sexual violence, says the BBFC's senior examiner, Murray Perkins. Far from it.

"Sexual violence is one of the areas where our position which has not changed much over the years," says Mr Perkins. "It's still one of our main concerns. The mixing of sex and violence is something which concerns people and rightly so.

"The makers of Straw Dogs had done their own edit and in the process the film gave the impression that the female character enjoyed the rape. In the full uncut version, that was balanced by another event in the film which gave it context and that was why we were able to pass it."

'They want to be here'

Viewing the scene is deeply unpleasant even for someone who appreciates the film's artistic merit. So how do those who must watch this sort of material for hours each week cope?

Insp Shortland admits it can be tough on his team, but says there are safeguards in place to ensure officers' mental health is not endangered.

"They will not be monitored all the time. If there is one officer dealing with all the material then they will be offered open access to the occupational health department.

"If someone comes to me and says 'I can't take any more of this' I will listen to that. But at the end of the day they are here because they want to be here. They work as a team and are quite open about what they can and can't manage to watch. Each person knows their limit and what they feel less comfortable with."

The workload for Mr Perkins and his fellow examiners at the BBFC is less gruelling.

"Some people think it sounds like the best job in the world," says Mr Perkins. "But the way we do the viewing you are disengaged to a certain extent because you are making notes and are hyper-sensitive to the language and the context. You are viewing it as a job and you've got to be mindful of policy, guidelines and public expectation."

But do examiners risk becoming desensitised?

Legal defence

"If you see something which is raw, misogynistic, aggressive and violent you don't become desensitised to it. What is not right is never right."

The film Nine Songs, which came out in 2004, contained real sex but was uncut

Last year the BBFC issued 1,159 films with an R18 rating, meaning they could only be sold in licensed sex shops. Of those, 27% required cuts.

"The majority of the cuts were little sections rather than a whole scene. It may be strong abuse, violent behaviour, temporary strangling, or it may be a reference to under-age sex," Mr Perkins says.

While an R18 rating is not a legal defence for a pornographer, it would be very unlikely for the Obscene Publications Squad to take action over a film passed by the BBFC.

Insp Shortland says they have had very few trials as few pornographers are willing to pin their hopes on 12 jurors. And he thinks pushing smut has become too easy nowadays. "You just get a master DVD burner and make thousands of copies in your attic. The overheads are very low."

Back at the BBFC, there have been glimpses of more permissiveness in what it's willing to license for mainstream distribution. Films given a regular 18 certificate are only supposed to contain "simulated sex" but there are exceptions, such as Michael Winterbottom's controversial 2004 movie Nine Songs.

The censors judged it to be "exceptionally justified by the context of the film". Surprisingly, perhaps, the only DVD rejected outright by the BBFC was a box set of season two of the TV series Weeds. That was not because of sex or violence, but a scene was seen as promoting drug use.

Stolen laptop! How do I protect my identity?

The most common computer crime isn't virus attacks or hackers breaking into your network. It's laptop theft. And as Arash notes, it offers one-stop shopping for anyone who can smash a window and grab a computer.

I won't rehash advice here on protecting your laptop from theft and the importance of encrypting data. This post assumes it's too late, and the laptop is gone. Preventive measures are a topic for another day.

Acting quickly is key when it comes to preventing identity theft. You're right to have taken the first step already, which is to change every password you can think of. If you have a copy of your bookmarks file (it's a good idea to make a backup), go through and systematically change every login password on the list. It's not just banks and email accounts that will need updates, but also shopping sites (like eBay and Amazon) and social networking sites, too. Remember that a crook won't need your actual password to get into any of these places if you've used "remember me" on the site or have set browser or toolbar auto-fill features to automatically enter passwords for you. One click could be all it takes to order thousands of dollars worth of merchandise on your behalf. It's also a good idea to go through your old credit card statements to make sure you've gotten every website you've done business with in the last six to 12 months.

Your next step should be to cancel and replace your credit cards-at least any you've ever used online. Even if you think you've changed all your passwords, chances are that you've missed one. Getting a new credit card takes minutes and provides pretty much foolproof protection.

After you line up your new cards, add a fraud alert message to your credit report. It can help to protect you if someone tries to open a new account under your name. A fraud alert still lets you open new accounts, but it requires that creditors take extra steps to verify that you are who you say you are. An initial security alert stays on your account for 90 days. You can file an extended alert (for seven years) later if you are victimized. Phone numbers for each credit agency are at the bottom of this post. Note that you may need a current copy of your credit report in order to file the alert.

Now that things have settled down, file a police report and get a copy of it-this is critical if you're filing an insurance claim. Since your laptop was stolen during a break-in, your local police department is the place to call. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) handles many computer crimes but probably won't get involved unless you're actually a victim of identity theft. (If you are, visit this site.) Hopefully, if you've followed these instructions, that won't be the case!

Finally, keep an eye on Craigslist and eBay for your laptop. You'd be shocked by how many stolen laptops are unloaded on these sites, often very quickly. If you see a listing that matches your machine (especially if you can verify that it really is yours), alert the authorities and see if they can help you recover it. Good luck.

Credit agency phone numbers:
Experian: 800-493-1058
Equifax: 866-640-2273
TransUnion: 800-916-8800

Eating eggs can reduce breast cancer risk

Washington, Apr 4 (ANI): Eating more eggs can help prevent breast cancer, for a study has suggested that an essential nutrient, choline, found in foods such as eggs, can reduce the risk of breast cancer by about 24 percent.

This new case-control study, led by Steven H. Zeisel, MD, PhD, University of North Carolina, added another piece of evidence to indicate the link between egg consumption and decreased risk of breast cancer.

The study was conducted on more than 3,000 adult women, and it was observed that the risk of developing breast cancer was 24 percent lower among women with the highest intake of choline as against women with the lowest intake.

Those women, who had the highest intake of choline, consumed a daily average of 455 mg of choline or more, getting most of it from coffee, eggs and skim milk. Women with the lowest intake consumed a daily average of 196 milligrams or less.

"Choline is needed for the normal functioning of cells, no matter your age or gender. Increasing evidence shows that it may be particularly important for women, particularly those of child-bearing age," said Zeisel.

One egg contains 125.5 milligrams of choline, or roughly a quarter the recommended daily supply, making eggs an excellent source of this essential nutrient. Choline is found exclusively in the egg's yolk. Other top food sources of choline include liver, wheat germ and cauliflower.

"While choline is an essential nutrient to the human diet, most people haven't even heard of it. Given that in the U.S. there is a real need to understand how much choline we require in our diet, we hope that research, education and awareness about choline will increase as a result of this study published in The FASEB Journal," said Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor in Chief of The FASEB Journal and research professor of medicine and director of the Biotechnology Study Center at the New York University School of Medicine.

In fact, two of the earlier studies have also shown that women who eat eggs have a lower risk of developing breast cancer.

Choline, not only plays a vital role in the normal functioning of all cells, including brain and nerve function, liver metabolism and the transportation of nutrients throughout the body, it also has other benefits.

Apart from preventing birth defects, choline improves memory and reduces heart disease risk.

The study will be published in The FASEB Journal's print issue in June. (ANI)

Top 10 April Fool's work pranks

Does April Fools' Day (or the mere thought of it) strike fear in your heart? Do memories of walking into your aluminum foil-covered office still haunt you at the end of every March?
Or, do you spend 364 days of the year plotting the mother of all pranks against your co-workers?
Whichever side you fall on, 32 percent of workers say they have either initiated or been on the receiving end of an April Fools' Day prank at work, according to CareerBuilder.com's annual April Fools' Day survey.
"Pranking at work can be risky business," says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.com.
"When determining whether a prank is a good idea on April Fools' Day, employees should consider the worst case scenario of their joke. Will his or her joke simply result in a laugh from fellow co-workers? Or could anybody, including you, lose their job?"
While faking a resignation, gluing office supplies to the desk and covering someone's cube in aluminum foil are among the most common office pranks, here are 10 of the most memorable pranks from this year's survey:

1. Placed a pair of pants and shoes inside the only toilet stall in a men's room to make it appear someone was using the stall. It sat there for hours until someone called security to check if the person had died.
2. Sent a fake love note to a co-worker from another co-worker.
3. All the women in office individually spoke to the president, confiding that she is pregnant. By noon, he 'knew' that all of his female workers were pregnant and he could not tell anyone because each asked for confidentially.
4. Called the electric company, used a co-worker's name and told them he was moving so the electricity got turned off at the co-worker's house.
5. Filled the vending soda machine with cans of beer.
6. Rigged the boss' chair to drop suddenly during a staff meeting.
7. Placed a sign on the restroom door that read, "The company ran out of toilet tissue; please use your own resources."
8. Paged a co-worker over the loud speaker claiming the CEO was looking for him. The worker went into the CEOs office and the CEO didn't know who he was or why he was there.
9. Shrink-wrapped everything in a co-worker's cubicle.
10. Put a 'house for sale' ad in the newspaper regarding a co-worker's home.

Experts shed light on origins of April Fools' Day

Washington, Mar 30 (ANI): For an average person, April Fools' Day might be a date to play pranks, but for some experts the day has more to it than just the fun element.

April Fools' Day is believed to be several hundred years old. However, experts say that its origins are still shrouded in mystery.

According to the most popular theory, France changed its calendar in the 1500s so that the New Year would begin in January to match the Roman calendar instead of the start of spring in late March or early April.

However word of the change traveled slowly, and many people in rural areas continued to celebrate the New Year in the spring.

These country dwellers became known as 'April fools'.

Alex Boese, curator of the Museum of Hoaxes in San Diego, Californiaoese, who has studied the holiday's origin, however, disagrees with this interpretation.

"[The French] theory is completely wrong, because the day that the French celebrated the beginning of the year legally was Easter day, so it never really was associated with April first," National Geographic quoted him, as saying.

"Traditionally it was only a legal start to the year-people in France did actually celebrate [the New Year] on January first for as long as anybody could remember," he added.

Instead, Boese believes that April Fools' Day simply grew out of age-old European spring festivals of renewal, in which pranks and camouflaging one's identity are common.

Joseph Boskin, professor emeritus of American humor at Boston University, has offered his own interpretation of the holiday's roots -as a prank.

In 1983, Boskin said that the April Fools' Day idea came from Roman jesters during the time of Constantine I in the third and fourth centuries A.D. As the story goes, jesters successfully petitioned the ruler to allow one of their elected members to be king for a day.

So, on April first, Constantine handed over the reins of the Roman Empire for one day to King Kugel, his jester. Kugel decreed that the day forever would be a day of absurdity. Incidentally, Kugel is an Eastern European dish that one of Boskin's friends had been craving. (ANI)

The Curious Lives of Surrogates

Thousands of largely invisible American women have given birth to other people's babies. Many are married to men in the military.

Jennifer Cantor, a 34-year-old surgical nurse from Huntsville, Ala., loves being pregnant. Not having children, necessarily—she has one, an 8-year-old daughter named Dahlia, and has no plans for another—but just the experience of growing a human being beneath her heart. She was fascinated with the idea of it when she was a child, spending an entire two-week vacation, at the age of 11, with a pillow stuffed under her shirt. She's built perfectly for it: six feet tall, fit and slender but broad-hipped. Which is why she found herself two weeks ago in a birthing room in a hospital in Huntsville, swollen with two six-pound boys she had been carrying for eight months. Also in the room was Kerry Smith and his wife, Lisa, running her hands over the little lumps beneath the taut skin of Cantor's belly. "That's an elbow," said Cantor, who knew how the babies were lying in her womb. "Here's a foot." Lisa smiled proudly at her husband. She is, after all, the twins' mother.

It is an act of love, but also a financial transaction, that brings people together like this. For Kerry and for Lisa—who had a hysterectomy at the age of 20 and could never bear her own children—the benefits are obvious: Ethan and Jonathan, healthy six-pound, 12-ounce boys born by C-section on March 20. But what about Cantor? She was paid, of course; the Smiths declined to discuss the exact amount, but typically, surrogacy agreements in the United States involve payments of $20,000 to $25,000 to the woman who bears the child. She enjoyed the somewhat naughty pleasure of telling strangers who asked about her pregnancy, "Oh, they aren't mine," which invariably invoked the question, "Did you have sex with the father?" (In case anyone is wondering, Lisa's eggs were fertilized in vitro with Kerry's sperm before they were implanted on about day five.)

But what kind of woman would carry a child to term, only to hand him over moments after birth? Surrogates challenge our most basic ideas about motherhood, and call into question what we've always thought of as an unbreakable bond between mother and child. It's no wonder many conservative Christians decry the practice as tampering with the miracle of life, while far-left feminists liken gestational carriers to prostitutes who degrade themselves by renting out their bodies. Some medical ethicists describe the process of arranging surrogacy as "baby brokering," while rumors circulate that self-obsessed, shallow New Yorkers have their babies by surrogate to avoid stretch marks. Much of Europe bans the practice, and 12 states, including New York, New Jersey and Michigan, refuse to recognize surrogacy contracts. But in the past five years, four states—Texas, Illinois, Utah and Florida—have passed laws legalizing surrogacy, and Minnesota is considering doing the same. More than a dozen states, including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and, most notably, California, specifically legalize and regulate the practice.

Today, a greater acceptance of the practice, and advances in science, find more women than ever before having babies for those who cannot. In the course of reporting this story, we discovered that many of these women are military wives who have taken on surrogacy to supplement the family income, some while their husbands are serving overseas. Several agencies reported a significant increase in the number of wives of soldiers and naval personnel applying to be surrogates since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. At the high end, industry experts estimate there were about 1,000 surrogate births in the United States last year, while the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART)—the only organization that makes an effort to track surrogate births—counted about 260 in 2006, a 30 percent increase over three years. But the number is surely much higher than this—in just five of the agencies NEWSWEEK spoke to, there were 400 surrogate births in 2007. The numbers vary because at least 15 percent of clinics—and there are dozens of them across the United States—don't report numbers to SART. Private agreements made outside an agency aren't counted, and the figures do not factor in pregnancies in which one of the intended parents does not provide the egg—for example, where the baby will be raised by a gay male couple. Even though the cost to the intended parents, including medical and legal bills, runs from $40,000 to $120,000, the demand for qualified surrogates is well ahead of supply.

Another reason for the rise in surrogacies is that technology has made them safer and more likely to succeed. Clinics such as Genetics & IVF Institute in Virginia, where Cantor and the Smiths underwent their IVF cycles, now boast a 70 to 90 percent pregnancy success rate—up 40 percent in the past decade. Rather than just putting an egg into a petri dish with thousands of sperm and hoping for a match, embryologists can inject a single sperm directly into the egg. The great majority of clinics can now test embryos for genetic diseases before implantation. It's revolutionizing the way clinics treat patients. Ric Ross, lab director at La Jolla IVF in San Diego, says these advances have helped "drop IVF miscarriage rates by 85 percent."

IVF has been around only since the 1970s, but the idea of one woman bearing a baby for another is as old as civilization. Surrogacy was regulated in the Code of Hammurabi, dating from 1800 B.C., and appears several times in the Hebrew Bible. In the 16th chapter of Genesis, the infertile Sarah gives her servant, Hagar, to her husband, Abraham, to bear a child for them. Later, Jacob fathers children by the maids of his wives Leah and Rachel, who raise them as their own. It is also possible to view the story of Jesus' birth as a case of surrogacy, mediated not by a lawyer but an angel, though in that instance the birth mother did raise the baby.

Read More >>

Security lapse exposes Facebook photos

SAN FRANCISCO - A security lapse made it possible for unwelcome strangers to peruse personal photos posted on Facebook Inc.'s popular online hangout, circumventing a recent upgrade to the Web site's privacy controls.

The Associated Press verified the loophole Monday after receiving a tip from a Byron Ng, a Vancouver, Canada computer technician. Ng began looking for security weaknesses last week after Facebook unveiled more ways for 67 million members to restrict access to their personal profiles.

But the added protections weren't enough to prevent Ng from pulling up the most recent pictures posted by Facebook members and their friends, even if the privacy settings were set to restrict the audience to a select few.

After being alerted Monday afternoon, a Facebook spokeswoman said the Palo Alto-based company would look into the problem. By late Monday, Facebook appeared to have closed the security hole.

The lapse serves as another reminder of the perils of sharing sensitive photos and personal information online, even when Web sites pledge to shield the information from prying eyes.

Before the fix, Ng's computer-coding trick enabled him to find private pictures of Paris Hilton at the Emmy awards and of her brother Nicholas drinking a beer with friends and photos of many other people who hadn't granted access to Ng.

Using Ng's template, an AP reporter was able to look up random people on Facebook and see the most recent pictures posted on their personal profiles even if the photos were supposed to be invisible to strangers.

The revealed snapshots showed Italian vacations, office gatherings, holiday parties and college students on spring break. The AP also was able to click through a personal photo album that Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg posted in November 2005.

Some members of social networks like Facebook post photos of themselves or others in potentially embarrassing or compromising situations that include illegal drug use or underage drinking that can cause trouble at school or work. None of the photos reviewed by the AP appeared to fall into this category.

- Associated Press

Office romance: What's wrong?

Office romances are commonplace now, what with long working hours, high-pressure situations and close proximity with colleagues. Most offices are quite lax about rules governing these personal relationships.

As long as the employees meet their work objectives efficiently, the boss seldom interferes in their personal lives. Often, light-hearted teasing is a natural consequence of such relationships.

Vineeta Limaye, team member at a BPO, narrates, "My boss refused to allocate adjacent cubicles to my fianc and #233; and me, the reason given was that we wouldn't concentrate on our work if we sat next to each other. It was in good spirit though.

" Boss's quandary Some couples keep their relationship a secret and work with their usual efficiency, like Preeti Vijayakar and Kunal Shah, who are software professionals. The problem arises when the personal relationship encroaches the professional sphere and work is affected.

The boss is in a Catch-22 situation. Getting the people involved to quit is hardly an option, because good employees are hard to come by.

However, missed deadlines and mistakes, because the couple refuses to work on time, throw the project off schedule. Mitali Desai, team leader in a software company faced a potentially explosive situation when a couple in her team got involved.

They spent a lot of time together in office and disappeared for long hours without informing her. This affected team discipline.

Things reached a head when the company had to incur losses because of missed deadlines. The two even covered up for one other's mistakes.

Ultimately, Desai's boss had to intervene and speak to them. Desai says, "My boss told them that this could be detrimental to their careers.

They told him not to interfere in their personal lives. But things got worse.

Eventually the man was moved to another project." Quality at stake Another downside to this is when the couple's personal problems affect their productivity.

Michelle D'Souza, marketing manager in a travel agency, did face a similar situation recently. A girl from her team was involved with a man from another team.

Their parents opposed their relationship. The girl unburdens her emotional distress to D'Souza and has become inefficient in her work.

If she is pulled up, she garners sympathy by citing her personal problems. D'Souza explains, "The man is good at his work.

Talking to the girl is useless. I cannot ask either of them to quit.

I'm contemplating moving the girl to another team, probably with a demotion, so that she wakes up to the reality. It is an unpalatable task for me, but I have to do it.

" Being firm Unfortunately, most companies do not have a clear Human Resources policy for such issues and the boss needs to deal with the impasse. Desai advises, "Speak to the people involved and ask them to pull up their socks.

Let the annual performance appraisal reflect their inefficiency. But then is it enough? "If that doesn't work, move them to different departments.

Only in extreme cases, should the Human Resources department feel the need to ask either of them or both to quit.".

- Yahoo News

Top Healthy Fast-Food Breakfasts

You know those time-crunched mornings when you're starving and an Egg McMuffin seems like the only fast-enough solution? But you know it's a 300-calorie, 12-grams-of-fat freeway to diet disaster? Turn into the McDonald's anyway (or a handy facsimile). There actually are fast-food ways to start the day that won't wreck your waistline.

These choices will tame your appetite (with extra protein), curb afternoon cravings (with a hit of fiber), and even help you concentrate (that protein-fiber combo supplies the brain with a steady stream of energy). Use this cheat sheet when you need a wakeup fast.

McDonald's
There are a couple of options with enough fiber and protein to fill you up and keep you going:

• Fruit n' Yogurt Parfait with Granola
  160 calories, 2g fat (1g saturated), 5mg cholesterol, 85mg sodium, 1g fiber, 4g protein
  
• Snack Size Fruit and Walnut Salad
  210 calories, 8g fat (1.5g saturated), 5mg cholesterol, 60mg sodium, 2g fiber, 4g protein

Starbucks
You'll find two good high-flavor choices here:

• Spinach, Roasted Tomato, Feta, and Egg Wrap -- it's a little high in fat but compensates with lots of fiber and protein.
  240 calories, 10g fat (3.5g saturated), 140mg cholesterol, 730mg sodium, 7g fiber, 13g protein
  
• A Skinny Latte and a package of SB's dried fruit and nut mix. The latte's made with nonfat milk and a shot of sugar-free syrup. (Try the caramel or hazelnut: yum!)
  Latte (12-oz. "tall"): 90 calories, 0g fat (0g saturated), 5mg cholesterol, 125mg sodium, 0g fiber, 0g protein
  Fruit/nut packet: 150 calories, 9g fat (1g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 100mg sodium, 2g fiber, 4g protein

Jamba Juice
Two groups of smoothies will be your wake-up call as long as you add a soy protein booster. For just 30 more calories you'll get an extra 7g of tummy-taming, brain-fueling protein.

• Any 16-oz. "Jamba Light" smoothie
  150-160 calories, 0-0.5g fat (0g saturated), 5mg cholesterol, 210-220mg sodium, 2-3g fiber, 6g protein
  
• Any 16-oz. "All Fruit" smoothie
  200-220 calories, 0-0.5g fat (0g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 5-20mg sodium, 4g fiber, 1-2g protein

Dunkin' Donuts
Make this your last resort but if it's the only choice, go for:

• Egg and Cheese English Muffin Sandwich
  280 calories, 9g fat (4.5g saturated), 140mg cholesterol, 1010mg sodium (yikes -- that's why it's your last resort), 1g fiber, 15g protein
  
• If the smell of doughnuts gets to your head, order 4 Powdered Cake doughnut holes (Munchkins in DD-speak).
  260 calories, 15g fat, 7g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 210mg sodium, 2g fiber, 3g protein

Burger King
Keep driving until the competition appears. BK is behind on banning risky trans fats, and we recommend avoiding it until the place smartens up.

Is breakfast really worth the bother? You bet. Not only does eating it help keep you slimmer and smarter, but skipping it can make your RealAge as much as 3 years older. So it's definitely worth knowing your best AM road-food options.

When 9-to-5 Turns Naughty

Don't Be Shy About Meeting Your Mate At Work (but Follow the Rules):

Work can be romantic. Stephanie Losee and Helaine Olen, the authors of 'Office Mate: The Employee Handbook for Finding -- and Managing -- Romance on the Job,' know a little about that.

The book opens with a note from each woman on how she found her perfect mate at the office. But don’t get the wrong idea: These aren’t your average chickliteers. Both are, as the book’s site jokingly puts it, “otherwise dignified journalists” who felt passionately that office romances were getting a bad rap when they might actually be the best way to find love. So the two decided to apply their journalistic verve to the topic and share the results in this witty guide to everything from “How to Indicate Interest -- Without Indicating Yourself Right Out of a Job” to “When He’s Out of Your Life But Not Out of the Office Next Door.”

# Find a Job in Journalism

It’s help many of us can use. Research cited in the book indicates that half of all office workers have dated an office mate. But then, you probably could have guessed that. As Olen says, “This has been going on since men and women have worked together, since they were sowing crops in the field.” And just because work has gone high-rise and hi-tech, doesn’t mean much has changed in the romantic arena: “The physical community of yore didn’t relocate to the Internet, it relocated to the workplace,” says Losee. “That’s so much more heartening than the possibility that we’re all just sitting in our rooms, plugged in, but completely disconnected from each other.”

So if you’re thinking of making some romantic work history of your own, a few words of encouragement and strategy from our Office Mate experts …


1. Take your time.
Taking it slow is important in any relationship, but it’s crucial when considering a coworker who as could easily be your wonderful future spouse as your insane future ex. And this goes triple for we Yers, who, to put it gently, are perhaps most likely to fall prey to that disaster-waiting-to-happen otherwise known as the happy-hour hookup. (Seriously. Remember “How much is too much at happy hour?”)

“If you jump into an office relationship and turn it into a hookup, you’re not taking advantage of the one thing that meeting someone at the office offers you — the advantage of time,” says Losee. “That’s silly, and it’s just going to lead to drama.” Instead of letting Cupid catch you unawares (or, um, un-sober) at the local watering hole, take the opportunity to get to know your potential office mate as well as possible before pursuing a relationship.

2. Get out of the office.
“Just because it’s an office romance doesn’t mean it’s conducted in the office,” says Olen, who cautions against mooning over your honey in his or her cubicle, or otherwise making yourself insufferable and/or an obvious target for downsizing. This extends to technology, too: Your office romance does not count as office work, so don’t use company tools to carry it out. Because you could find yourself in any number of unpleasant situations, like one Office Mate source, who found herself facing a less-than-sympathetic boss armed with printouts of her instant messenger pillow talk. So try to avoid that.

But doom and gloom aside, knowing your office mate outside of work is ultimately good for the relationship. “You don’t want to be two soldiers in a foxhole, thrown together because you work together,” says Olen. “You want to make sure you have more to talk about than work. And if you don’t, then you should take a strong look at your relationship, because you don’t want to change jobs and realize that you need to change boyfriends.”

3. It’s all about the rules.
The biggest potential pitfall in an office romance is, of course, an office breakup. Any relationship split can be messy, but things can get especially awkward when coworkers part ways. Handle it wrong, and not only can a bad breakup ruin your reputation at work, it can end your job altogether. So our experts say, do yourself a favor and lay down some ground rules at the very start. “It’s much easier to do when you’re first dating, when you’re in love and it’s all very theoretical, than when you’re at each others’ throats,” says Olen.

And even if your partner doesn’t respect the parameters when things go awry, the key is to remain professional and above it all — even if he or she is determined to bring the drama to work and risk taking you both off a professional cliff. But chances are, Olen says, it won’t come to that: “The office romance is the last bastion of old-fashioned courting. Because you were friends, you can remain friends. And you have a different history, because you weren’t always a couple.”


4. Think normal.
Many office romantics suffer from serious anxiety. Can you tell? And if so, whom? And how much? “The first impulse when you start dating someone at the office is to drop out of the office gang,” says Losee, “because that’s the best way you can think of not to divulge anything. But you’re just alienating yourself from your network.” It’s possible, she says, to behave with dignity and intelligence, still be part of the group, and be respected for it. “Besides, they don’t want to know all the details!”

And speaking of details, avoid PDAs. Married couples don’t neck at company dinners, and neither should you. But you shouldn’t stay in hiding forever, either. “Why does etiquette exist?” Losee asks. “To make people feel comfortable. Early on, discretion makes people comfortable. And as a relationship progresses, and everyone’s aware, openness makes them comfortable.”

5. Don’t worry; no one really minds.
Somewhere, somehow, many of us got the notion that office romances were right up there with embezzlement and miniskirts on the list of corporate crimes. Not so, say the Office Mate experts. “Contrary to myth,” says Olen, “most people don’t disapprove. Well over two-thirds are happy for you or don’t care.” It’s a good idea, if you’re considering an office romance, to check if your company has an official policy on dating at work, but the truth is that many companies don’t, and those that do tend to focus on dating subordinates and other potential harassment issues.

That doesn’t mean you should keep your boss out of the loop — after all, you don’t want him or her finding out about your love affair third-hand — but you should go in as a courtesy, not cowering in fear. And believe it or not, many HR professionals are actually supportive of office romances, since nothing builds company loyalty like being in love with a coworker. There’s even evidence that after falling in love, your productivity can increase 20 percent. “It stands to reason,” explains Losee, “you’ve got that buzz on, you’re excited to come to work, you want to impress your honey. You’re committed, and you’re going to produce.”

- AOL

Now, kiss for better health!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

© Copyright 2007 PTI. All rights reserved

Read this before you swipe! Debit-card dangers

Yes, debit cards are convenient — but consider these points of caution

By Sloan Barnett

TODAY

updated 10:58 a.m. ET Feb. 13, 2008

First, some basics: A debit card looks just like your credit card, but works like an electronic check. The payment is deducted directly from your checking or savings account. When you use your debit card to purchase items, you or the cashier slides the card through a scanning machine that enables your bank to verify that the funds are available and then approve the transaction. Most debit cards can also be used to withdraw cash at ATMs, and can also look just like your ATM card (look at the face of the card to find the “debit” language).

Debit cards are handy — so handy, in fact, that two-thirds of American households have them. They are more convenient to carry than cash or a bulky checkbook, plus swiping the card is easier and faster than writing a check. In addition, there are no interest payments. The money is deducted out of your account right when the purchase is made. Finally, you can use your debit card’s cash-back feature to get cash when you make purchases at a store, avoiding a separate trip to the bank or the ATM.

Despite all these benefits, there are some cautions to keep in mind:

Credit-building
You are not building credit with a debit card like you do with a credit card. Your debit card purchases do not enable you to build up positive credit. That means your good habits go unnoticed. However, by using your debit card instead of your credit card, you can avoid running up a big bill and making late payments, harming your credit. So if you have trouble making payments on time, a debit card would be the way to go.

Fraud protection
Debit cards do not give you the same fraud protection as credit cards do. The federal regulations are very different for debit cards than for credit cards when it comes to financial liability. When using a credit card, you are generally responsible for the first $50 of fraudulent charges, whereas your liability on many debit cards can be as high as $500. In addition, unlike a credit card, if there is a problem with your purchase, you are not able to withhold payment until further investigation by the credit-card company. If your debit card is stolen or lost, report it to your bank immediately. In many cases, if you wait more than 60 days to report your card lost or stolen, you could be responsible for all of the damages. Of course. always check with your bank to understand its policies and applicable state laws. Don't take this lightly: A recent study in 2007 put fraud losses from debit-card purchases at $245 million.

Lost or stolen cards
A debit card is like a blank check, so you need to guard the card and the number on the card. If your card gets stolen, a thief can empty your bank account in minutes. Thieves don’t even need your card. As long as they have your name and card number, they can shop online or over the phone with your card information. If your debit card is lost or stolen, call your bank immediately! Follow the phone call with a letter.

Protect your debit card by holding on to your debit-card receipts and checking them against your bank statement each month.

Merchant disputes
If there is a dispute regarding a purchase you make, you are in a weaker position when you use a debit card instead of a credit card. The merchant already has your money when you pay with a debit card. So while the dispute is taking place, your money will remain with the merchant and you will only see that money again if you win the dispute.

Rewards
While some debit cards are beginning to offer rewards, they are still far fewer and less valuable than those offered by credit cards. Ask your bank if there is a rewards program you can enroll in to earn points toward travel or goods every time you use your debit card. Most likely the rewards will not be as valuable as the ones you get with your credit card.

Immediate deduction
When you use a debit card, the money is immediately taken out of your banking account. With a credit card, there is a float period between the time you make the purchase and the date the credit-card bill is due. This means that you earn a little bit of extra interest on your money sitting in your bank account when you use a credit card vs. a debit card.

No added services
Credit cards often come with added benefits, such as extended warranties on products purchased and insurance for rental cars and airline travel. Debit cards do not offer these services.

Tracking spending fees and overdrafts
When using a debit card, it can be difficult to keep track of what you purchased if you aren’t diligent in writing down everything or if you don’t go online constantly to check your account. Making a mistake on the balance can cause you to think you have more in the account than you really do, and can ultimately result in accidental overdrafts.

If you unintentionally let your balance get too low, each debit that comes through will bounce. With fees as high as $34 per bounce, this can add up to hundreds of dollars in a matter of seconds. So, for example, if you forgot to track a few debits and you have written a large check, many banks will honor the large check and then bounce all the debits, even debits as small as $2.

Even if you do keep track of your accounts, the bank's calculations may not be as accurate as you are. It takes time for deposits to become available and the funds may not be accessible as soon as you would like, leading you to believe you have more in your account than you really have access to. This can cause you to spend more than is in the account and rack up overdraft fees.

Debit-card overdraft loans are more expensive than overdraft loans from any other source, including overdrafts by check. Debit-card overdrafts cost people $2.17 in fees for every dollar borrowed, compared to check overdrafts, which cost $.86 per dollar borrowed.

Fees
Banks prefer the credit option when you use your debit card, because they make more money in fees. For a $200 transaction, for example, a bank could make $1.99 if the customer chooses the “credit” option and signs his or her name. This is more than three times the 60 cents they usually make from customers who choose “debit” and enter a PIN number.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Here are some ways to stop banks from stealing your hard-earned money.

Keep your balance up
Keep a cushion of money in your account to avoid bouncing checks or debits. Decide that you are not going to let your account fall below a certain amount, like $1,000; when you see it getting close, transfer money into it from another account. If you don’t have the money to replenish it, then you should cut back on spending.

Track your account
Sign up for your bank’s online banking program. This is an easy way to see what is going on with your checking account. Pay close attention to the available balance.

A lot of us think that once you deposit a check in the bank, it’s yours for the spending. Watch out, this is not the case! Most banks put holds on checks for several days, even up to a week. Until the money clears, you should not use your debit card. Debits go through right at the time of purchase, and if the bank is holding your deposit, you’ll get huge fees on the overdrawn debits. If you need the money right away, take the check to the bank and have it turned into cash, then deposit it. When you deposit cash it is available almost immediately.

Call your bank
When it comes to overdraft fees, banks hope you won’t fight back and request courtesy credits. Many banks will credit you back the fee or part of the fee if it’s your first offence.

Use cash
Cash can’t bounce and that’s the beauty of it. If you are not willing to use a credit card, then cash is the next best option. I’ve found spending actual cash makes you more aware of what you are spending. It seems when you swipe a debit card, you tend to spend more because it doesn’t seem like spending “actual” money. At the beginning of each week, take out what you think you’ll need and stick with that.

Go.. Get a Red Valentine !!

You have finally fallen in love. There are just two little problems - you have no idea whether the person in question reciprocates your feelings and you don't know how to make him/her do so, either. Make it Happen is a mantra that will help you cross these hurdles.

Tips for Women in Love

Attire

Dress for the occasion. Find a balance between dressing too casual that will make it seem as if you are disinterested in the date, and too provocative that will make it seem as if you are trying too hard.

Make up

Looking good is one of the first steps to attracting anyone's attention. But, it is highly recommended that cosmetic beauty be reserved for occasions like a party or an exclusive restaurant. On a normal day, excessive make up is a complete no-no.

Be Independent

It is but natural to get carried away when men are at their chivalrous best. It never hurts though, to offer to pay for the coffee once in a while. Men respect women who are independent and have a mind of their own.

Body Language

Body language is the most essential part of getting someone thinking about you. An occasional glance, a smile and a friendly demeanour, in general, will give him the confidence to approach you.

Intelligent Conversations

Outward beauty may attract a man for the moment, but it takes more than that to sustain his attention. Most men appreciate a woman with whom they can relate to and with whom they can share a lively conversation. So, an interest in current affairs and topics other than the usual girls' favourites will get you a long way.

Appreciation

People have a tendency to feel insecure if their efforts go unappreciated over time. So, if you notice that the guy in question has missed his usual football game on TV just to meet you or has taken care of you while you were ill, make sure you let him know that you appreciate his efforts with a gift or a timely thank you.

Beyond Looks

Looking beyond a person's physical appearance is a sure way of knowing that you will never miss out on what could have been a wonderful relationship but was lost just because of personal prejudices.

Tips for Men in Love

Assertive vs. Aggressive

There is a thin line between being assertive and being aggressive. Women prefer confident, assertive men versus bullies with an intimidating attitude. Politeness, respect for others and dealing with panache in heated situations are traits that a woman notices in a man.

Modesty

You might own a Ferrari or wear a Rolex but if you cannot stop bragging about them or about your achievements in every conversation, maybe then its time to adjust the attitude a little.

Research vs. Stalking

There is a difference between doing some research about the girl you are in love with and stalking her. It is always good to know something about the girl, like her family background or her hobbies but what needs to be sternly avoided is stalking her by following her around everywhere, giving her blank calls or calling her repeatedly. It is important to give the other person enough personal space to bring in the comfort factor.

Right Moves

The woman in question could be the most beautiful creature one has ever set eyes on, yet it would be considered extremely rude to stare at her. Be a perfect gentleman and avoid staring at her bare shoulders or low neckline. Watch out for her behaviour. If you do not sense the vibes you expect to receive, it is better not to push it. Patience pays.

Appearance

One of the biggest turn offs is body odour. A fresh and neat look not only makes you feel good but also tells a lady that you value the time you spend with her and have taken the effort to be at your best.

Chivalry

Chivalry may sound conservative but it never goes out of style. Women still love men who don't feel shy to show them some old fashioned chivalry like opening the door for them or pulling out a chair for them. Here are a few pointers to get you a head start;

• Be punctual if you have offered to meet her somewhere or are picking her up
• Ask her if she minds before you light up your cigarette
• Open the door for her; be it the car or the restaurant
• Allow her first, whether you're getting into a seating row at a theatre or when you are in a queue
• Lead the way while crossing the road
• Pull out the chair for her at the table
• Sit only after the lady has taken her seat and rise when she does so
• Make the move to pay the bill, but if she insists, back off
• Remember important days like anniversaries and birthdays

Follow these pointers and one never knows, it might lead you to the beginning of a great relationship.

9 Conditions You Couldn’t—and Shouldn’t—Do A Thing About

Sometimes it's best to let the body heal itself

By Rich Maloof for MSN Health & Fitness

“First, do no harm.”

That’s the numero uno credo of physicians around the world, and a reminder that medical intervention can sometimes do more harm than good. The human body has a remarkable ability to function as its own pharmacy and even its own emergency room. Sometimes, wise doctors know, we need to step aside and let the body conduct its own repairs.

Several of the conditions listed here can be difficult to endure, and perhaps the future of medicine will save us the pain and speed the healing. Until then, let time heal all of these wounds.

Broken Rib

For years, physicians would wrap a patient’s chest tightly in bandages to immobilize a rib fracture—until it was understood that the practice led to increased instances of pneumonia. Bandaging a torso inhibits deep breathing, which can lead to respiratory infection. Your upper body’s muscles and skeleton adequately form a de facto cast of their own. Unfortunately, all you can do for a broken rib is try not to laugh or cough too much; the force of either is very painful and can even re-fracture a healing break.

Food Poisoning

So you thought the deli’s tuna salad was supposed to be brown, and now you can’t be more than eight feet from a toilet. A wave of vomiting and three or four hours of diarrhea is not the best way to spend an afternoon, but it’s the best way to clear your body of the bacteria you’ve ingested. “The more you try to stop it, the more trouble you’re going to get into,” warns Dr. Thom Horowitz, chairman of family medicine at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. “Your body is trying to clean itself out. Our rule is, ‘The first couple of hours of diarrhea are your friend.’” When you’re finally ready to eat again, find a new deli. And a new friend.

Conjunctival Bleed

This condition sounds and looks far worse than it is. When tiny blood vessels burst in the eye, blood gets trapped beneath the eye’s clear surface (the conjunctiva), leaving red splotches in the white part (the sclera). Your doctor may want to check your blood pressure and discuss blood-thinning medications, but a conjunctival bleed can occur with no apparent cause—and there’s no treatment necessary. The blood will disappear, absorbed into your eye, within two weeks.

Hematospermia

They say one of the few times a man pays full attention is when he’s talking about himself. Another is when blood is coming out of his penis. Traces of blood in the semen, known as hematospermia, seems nightmarish but is typically the harmless result of blood vessels breaking in the testicle or along the urethra. The condition often follows sexual exploits that are a bit too, er, vigorous. “It happens when someone’s into indoor sports,” Horowitz adds dryly. “Men almost always panic when they see that but it’s not associated with any bad diseases. Unless it keeps bleeding, get a good night’s sleep. And be a little more gentle next time.”

Coughing

A cough that results from an upper respiratory infection is one of the body’s protective mechanisms; expelling air prevents secretions from getting into the lungs. Though very annoying to the patient (and to others in their vicinity), coughing can and should last the six or so weeks it takes to completely clear the infection. Says Horowitz, “As long as a person is not having fevers or bringing up large amounts of colorful phlegm—or getting exhausted because they can’t get any rest—it is actually counterproductive to stop a cough.”

Sheared-off Nail

Having a fingernail or toenail torn off can be torturous, there’s no question about it. But once the nail comes sliding off its bed, there’s little to do other than cover the area and wait for it to start growing back from the cuticle. If there’s blood under a nail and the patient is desperate to save it, a doctor can sometimes drill a small hole to drain the blood.

Fractured Skull

When you break an arm or a leg, the fractured bone needs to be immobilized (with a splint, cast and/or sling) so that it can heal in its proper position. When the dome of bone around your brain is cracked, though, only rarely will movement cause the fissure to open or worsen. Short of a second blow to the head, the fracture most likely will stay aligned and heal on its own. “There can be a problem if the fracture is out of place, putting pressure on a nerve, or if there’s bleeding underneath it,” Horowitz says. “The issue is not whether the skull is broken but whether it’s out of alignment.”

Ruptured Eardrum

The eardrum is a thin membrane that can be breached by loud noise, air pressure (e.g., on an airplane or while scuba diving), infection, or by having a friend stick a pencil in there. A perforation of the membrane is like a tear in fabric, but the hole will usually close on its own as the delicate tissue grows back. One of the worst things you can do for a ruptured eardrum is to use ear drops, because the ear needs to remain dry and free of infection to repair itself. When a rupture worsens or won’t heal, a doctor may patch it in a simple office or outpatient procedure.

Missing Recommended Sleep

“People get very concerned if they’re not getting eight hours of sleep because they see the commercials on TV and the propaganda,” asserts Horowitz. “Getting people into a coma for a full eight or nine hours has turned into a multimillion-dollar business.” It’s an oppositional view in the age of Ambien and Lunesta, but people vary tremendously in the amount of sleep they require. When assessing your own requirements, separate the concepts of sleep and of rest. Are you functioning properly in the daytime? Are you alert and clear-headed, or were you fired for napping in a board meeting? As long as you regularly feel rested and healthy, there’s not a pressing need to spend a third of your life in your pajamas.

Is Sarkozy's new wife too sexy for France?

Paris, Feb 4 (DPA) The news that French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his girlfriend of scarcely four months, singer and former supermodel Carla Bruni, tied the knot Saturday will no doubt come as a relief to friends and political allies who feared he was spending too much time on his personal affairs and not enough on affairs of state.

French conservatives, facing an uphill struggle in next month's local elections, may well be hoping that normalizing the relationship will go a long way to repairing Sarkozy's with the French, who have grown tired of seeing their president and his mistress monopolize the covers of France's glossy glamour weeklies.

But France is still, despite all of Sarkozy's efforts, a morally traditional country - a macho country - where it is more or less expected that men are promiscuous and women are tactful.

This applies particularly to the country's First Couple. For example, Francois Mitterrand was known as a philanderer and even had a second family, with a daughter, Mazarine, born to his mistress. Asked to comment on it, Mitterrand said, 'So what?' His wife, Danielle, on the other hand, was seen as cultured, loyal and prudent.

And stories are legion about the liaisons of Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac. A book published in 2007, Stranger in the Elysee, detailed his numerous extramarital affairs - but no one in France cared. Yet there was never any suggestion of his wife Bernadette stepping out.

Mitterrand's predecessor, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, was also known for his gallivanting. And there were few eyebrows raised in France when Sarkozy's ex-wife was quoted in a recent book as describing him as a 'skirt-chaser.'

But the wives of French presidents, on the other hand, have always been seen as well dressed, self-effacing and discreet. That tradition may have ended Saturday, because Carla Bruni is not a typical First Lady.

Her list of former lovers is long and illustrious, and is said to include rockers Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, real estate mogul Donald Trump, actors Kevin Costner and Vincent Perez and former French prime minister Laurent Fabius.

According to her sister, the actress-director Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, 'When my sister wants someone, she takes him. You remember with Mick (Jagger)? How many evenings she spent at Eric Clapton's home to start a relationship with Jagger ... Even now that she's almost 40, she's in love like a 16-year-old.'

Not surprisingly, she told Le Figaro magazine last year that she was not by nature monogamous.

'I am a tamer (of men), a cat,' she said. 'Monogamy bores me terribly ... I am monogamous from time to time but I prefer polygamy and polyandry (its female equivalent).'

Love, she said, 'lasts a long time, but burning desire - two to three weeks.'

She reportedly met philosopher Raphael Enthoven, the father of her son, while living with his father, the publisher Jean-Paul Enthoven.

Raphael Enthoven's ex-wife, Justine Levy - the daughter of yet another French philosopher, Bernard-Henri Levy - later wrote a novel about the end of her marriage and Bruni's part in it.

In a book titled Nothing Special, Levy described the character representing Carla Bruni as a 'Terminator,' a woman who was 'beautiful and bionic, with the look of a killer.'

France's new First Lady has embraced her reputation as a femme fatale. 'I'd rather be called a predator than an old hag. Predator - that's not bad for a woman,' she said.

But do the French think so too? With local elections coming up and then France's turn to assume the rotating presidency of the European Union, Sarkozy - and the country - can little afford to have the First Lady's private life dominate the news.

- Yahoo News

'High' way to sex!

Stilettos can improve women's sex life

Washington, Feb 3 (ANI): Wearing high heels not only makes a woman look sexy, but also improve her sex life, says a new study.

Lead researcher Maria Cerruto, a urologist at the University of Verona, said that she conducted her tests because she wished to tackle "bizarre" non-scientific theories blaming high heels for a range of ills, including schizophrenia.

The study found that wearing a pair of moderately high heels could tone the body, condition muscles, and even improve a woman's sex life without the need for onerous exercise sessions.

"As a woman who loves heeled shoes, I tried to find something healthy in them. In the end I achieved my goal. Heels affect pelvic floor activity, reducing pain and improving your health. We now hope to prove that wearing heels during daily activity may reduce the need for pelvic exercises," Times Online quoted her as saying.

During the study, the researcher studied 66 volunteers aged under 50 and measured the electrical activity in the pelvic muscles of the women.

She discovered that women who held their feet at a 15-degree angle to the ground, the equivalent of a 7cm heel, showed up to 15 per cent less electrical activity in their pelvic muscles.

The results suggest the muscles are more relaxed when women wear higher heels, increasing their strength and ability to contract.

"Women often find it difficult to complete their exercises. This may prove a solution," Cerruto said.

Matt Roberts, a personal trainer whose clients have included Madonna, Naomi Camp-bell, Natalie Imbruglia, Mel C and John Galliano, said: "A woman wearing high heels will hold the muscles tight to compensate. When you are standing on tiptoes you have to clench the buttocks, the inner thighs and the pelvic floor muscles. It would potentially give them a short-term tension and toning. But the negative effects can outweigh the positive."

He added: "The knees and metatarsals are put under strain, the hips are out of position. It can lead to long-term health risks."

The study is published in the journal European Urology. (ANI)