Tuesday 31 July 2012

Smile! It Might Lower Your Stress Level, Study Shows

(HealthDay News)

Friday 27 July 2012

8 Diet and Exercise Mistakes That Age You


From The Editors of Prevention
Eating too much sugar
Eating too much sugar certainly isn't wise for your waistline, but did you know that overindulging in dessert can add years to your face? And even if you do strenuous cardio workouts each week, you'll be missing out on potential anti-aging body benefits if your schedule doesn't include yoga, weight training, and rest.
"Good nutrition is a fundamental building block of healthy skin," explains Leslie Baumann, MD, a Miami Beach dermatologist. The natural ingredients in whole foods such as romaine lettuce and strawberries help increase cell turnover, and boost production of collagen fibers to help keep skin smooth and firm. Conversely, foods with little-to-no nutritional benefits, like sugar-packed doughnuts, can actually damage the collagen and elastin that keep skin firm and youthful. These aging effects start at about age 35 and increase rapidly after that, according to a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology.
Even if your diet is wholesome, you could be making exercise mistakes that age you as well. For example, if you only do cardio at the expense of other types of exercise, like yoga and strength-training, you could be missing out on skin-protective benefits.
Find out if you're making one of these 8 common aging diet and exercise mistakes, and get smart prevention strategies that can keep you slim and youthful for years to come.
You Overdo Dessert
The breakdown of sugars, called glycation, damages the collagen that keeps skin smooth and firm. To prevent this natural process from careening out of control, Naila Malik, MD, a derm in Southlake, TX, sticks to low-glycemic carbs like whole grains; they're naturally low in sugar, and the body processes them slowly to limit the loss of collagen. If you want to sweeten up your tea or oatmeal without making your skin look older, try all-natural stevia. It's an easily digested herbal sweetener that doesn't trigger glycation, according to board-certified dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, MD, an adjunct professor of medicine at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine.
You Spin Away Stress
Taking your work angst out on the Spinning bike or treadmill might make you feel better for a little while, but incorporating yoga into your fitness routine regularly may help you look younger and prevent breakouts while whittling away stress. Sounds like a winning workout to us! "Yoga moves like Child's Pose, Downward-Facing Dog, and Sun Salutations improve circulation--the boost of oxygen is what gives skin that lovely yoga glow," says Hema Sundaram, MD, a Washington, DC - area dermatologist. New research finds regular yoga practice may reduce the inflammation and stress that speed skin aging. If you need another reason to om away your stress: High levels of tension can spike hormone production that leads to breakouts or aggravates conditions like psoriasis. "Controlling stress keeps your skin calm," says Annie Chiu, MD, a derm in LA.
You Always Choose Coffee Over Tea
Research suggests that green and black tea contain protective compounds--like EGCG and theaflavins--that help prevent skin cancers and the breakdown of collagen, the cause of wrinkles.
You Pretend to Be Allergic to Dumbbells
Following a regular strength-training routine that creates better, more supportive muscle tone will help you firm sagging skin from the neck down. "I am religious about strength-training, and I always tell patients to do it more as they get older," says Patricia Farris, MD, a dermatologist in Metairie, LA. "It's like adding volume to the face with fillers, except on your body," says Dr. Farris.
Your Meat and Dairy Aren't Organic
"Hormones in traditionally produced dairy, poultry, and meat may contribute to acne," says Katie Rodan, MD, a dermatologist in the San Francisco Bay area. She says that her patients who eat those less frequently--or at least choose grain-fed beef and poultry and organic dairy--often notice their skin looks better.
You Don't Give Your Body a Break
When your exercise routine is so intense that you're tired all the time but can't sleep at night, you're setting yourself up for overuse injuries--not to mention dark circles and bags under your eyes from those sleepless nights. These symptoms could be a sign of overexhaustion, says Ryan Halvorson, personal trainer, IDEA Health and Fitness Association expert, and author. Other clues that you're working out too much include extreme muscle soreness that persists for several days, unintended weight loss, an increased resting heart rate, interruptions in your menstrual cycle, or decreased appetite. "Plan your rest as well as you plan exercise," says Polly de Mille, RN, a registered clinical exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. "If there is no balance between breakdown and recovery, then the muscle is in a state of chronic inflammation and what may start as a simple case of soreness after a hard workout can turn into an actual overuse injury."
You Drastically Cut Fat, Carbs, or Calories
When your diet isn't balanced, your skin, hair, and nails will suffer. Cutting calories can deprive your body of certain nutrients that promote healthy cell division, cell regeneration, and overall skin tone and texture, explains David E. Bank, MD, FAAD, director of the Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic and Laser Surgery in Mount Kisco, NY. "The skin also requires essential fatty acids--which the body can't produce on its own--to maintain hydration. A diet that's too low in fat could cause dry skin, hair loss, and brittle nails." Other key youth-boosting nutrients include vitamins A, C, and E. Being deficient in A can cause acne, dry hair, dry skin, and broken fingernails. Get your daily vitamin A fix by eating five baby carrots each day. A lack of vitamin C can affect collagen synthesis (the "glue" that binds our ligaments, bones, blood vessels, and skin), impair wound healing, and make you more likely to bruise. Incorporate vitamin C - rich foods in the form of citrus fruits, brussels sprouts, peppers, and leafy greens. Low levels of vitamin E can result in easy bruising and cause chronic skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis to flare up. Get more vitamin E in your diet by eating almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, spinach, and fortified cereals.
You're Missing Alkaline-Rich Foods
Kimberly Snyder, a Los Angeles nutritionist and author of The Beauty Detox Solution ($9.77; amazon.com), says she sees a big improvement in her clients' skin and hair when they eat more alkaline-forming foods, such as parsley, almonds, kale, pears, lemons, and apples. "If your body is too acidic, which can happen when your diet is unbalanced, it leaches the alkaline minerals, such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, that allow us to have strong, healthy bones, teeth, and hair," Snyder explains.

More from Yahoo Health




Thursday 26 July 2012

8 Ways to Be a Happier Mom


By Woman's Day | Team Mom 

Lifestyle Advice for Busy MothersLifestyle Advice for Busy Mothers
While our greatest hope is for our children to turn into happy adults, most of us moms grit our teeth a fair amount on the road there. After we hustle our kids off to soccer practice, shop for dinner and hunt down the perfect kindergarten, we are left with little inspiration to model the one thing we most wish for our children: happiness. It's not that we don't want to be happy. It's more a question of how to fit it into our schedule. Read on for some practical tips from parenting experts on how to move "be happy" to the top of your to-do list. 

1. Be Yourself
Much of our stress and irritation as parents comes from trying to live up to impossible standards. "Mothers universally feel that they 'are never good enough,'" says Meg Meeker, MD, author of The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers: Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose and Sanity. A lot of these feelings of inadequacy come from comparing ourselves with other moms and competing in ways both small (bringing an elaborate dish to the potluck) and large (pushing our kids to achieve on the playing field). "It's tempting to look around us to see if we measure up with other moms," says Meagan Francis, author of The Happiest Mom: 10 Secrets to Enjoying Motherhood, "but when we're comparing our private lives to somebody else's public game face, we're not getting a very accurate picture." Francis adds that the best way to be a happy mom-and a good mom-is to be yourself. "Don't try to be anyone else's version of what a good mother should be," Francis says. "Be the best version of who you are, and your children will recognize that and learn from it." Think about your own strengths and work them into your everyday life as a mom. Maybe sewing costumes isn't your thing, but you love to bake. This Halloween, buy costumes even though all the other moms are making theirs, and instead bake a batch of cookies to munch on while you all get ready to go trick-or-treating. When you play up your strengths as a parent, you are bound to have more fun and be happier.

2. Pencil in Solitude

Routinely setting aside time to go for a walk, write in a journal or read a book is one simple way you can raise your daily happiness quotient. "Mothers contend with so much stimulation during the day that life becomes overwhelming. From kids crying and older children needing homework help to answering cell phones and replying to emails, mothers can feel as though their nervous system is becoming fried," says Dr. Meeker. Solitude is a necessity for our mental health. "Solitude achieves two very important purposes," Dr. Meeker explains. "First, it allows mothers to quiet the 'noise' in their lives so that they can refresh themselves and hear themselves think. It allows our nervous system to slow down and become quieter so that we can recharge mentally, physically and emotionally. Second, solitude gives us a reprieve from giving. No woman can sustain constant giving to other humans (even if they are children) without a break." If you don't have even a half-hour to yourself each day, it may be time to reassess your to-do list. For example, do the brownies for this year's bake sale really need to be made from scratch? Probably not-and by opting for the easier method, you can carve out a little bit of time for yourself.
3. Practice "Slow Family Time"
Slowing down the rush of family life has been one of the keys to happiness for Tsh Oxenreider, creator ofSimpleMom.net and author of Organized Simplicity. "For our family," Oxenreider says, "we've defined slowing down as 'moving together at a deliberate and unhurried pace.' When we slow down, we're able to choose how to spend the 24 hours in each day, and therefore find more meaning in our activities." Oxenreider achieves this by planning activities around family life, not the other way around: "Each Sunday, my husband and I meet to talk about our upcoming week. It only takes 30 minutes, but that brief connection gives us a chance to look at our calendars and decide how many evenings we'll schedule out of the house, how we can help each other with upcoming tasks and how to dictate our commitments, instead of letting our commitments dictate us." For other families, "slow family time" might mean leaving unstructured time in your schedule or simply hanging out with your kids at home with no particular plans or goal in mind.
4. Put Your Girlfriends Back on the Schedule
One of the quickest routes to getting your smile back is picking up the phone and calling a friend. Remember how good it feels to catch up? So often we put our friends on the back burner when we become mothers, forgetting that friendships are an essential source of joy. "Friends act as a tremendous support, but they also contribute to a mother's happiness by acting as a release valve," Dr. Meeker says. "When frustration or other emotions run high in a mom, a woman friend can provide a safe place for her to vent. And a key to a mother's sanity and happiness is having an outlet for intense emotions." Feel like you don't have time for friends? Try the multitasking approach: Exercise with a friend, invite another mother over while your kids play in the backyard, offer to drive a mom to the baby-and-me class or invite a single girlfriend over for Sunday dinner.
5. Create a Weekly No-Work Day
Once upon a time, Sunday was strictly a day off. No one went to work and most stores were closed. It was a day to recharge and spend time with family. But with the advent of email and flexible schedules, any day can now be a work day-and any time can be work time. By integrating a regular "No Work Day" into your family's weekly routine, moms can create more time for family fun while decreasing household stress levels. To pull off a day without work, family members will need to join forces in preparation for the day, including agreeing upon guidelines such as no checking email or work phone calls. To ensure that it's a day off for stay-at-home parents as well, plan to work together the day before to clean up the house and prepare heat-and-eat meals such as lasagna or chili. If a full day dedicated to not working seems like too much of a leap from your current hectic schedule, start off with just one evening: one night a week, have the family gather to relax and play games or watch a movie with cell phones and computers off. The kids might balk at first, but soon they too will see the benefit of a time designated exclusively to leisure.
6. Share Your Passion with Your Kids
Somewhere between the afterschool shuffle and the rush to make dinner, many of us have lost track of our own passions. We are so in the habit of standing on the sidelines of our children's activities that we've forgotten to share our own hobbies and passions with them. However, when you share the activities you like and enjoy with your kids, you will most likely be laughing, smiling and showing what happiness looks like to the people you care about the most. Think about simple ways you can enjoy your passions with your kids. Are you a music lover? Break out your CDs or old LPs and play DJ. Love to paint? Sit down with your kids and make art with them. By doing what we enjoy, we model happiness and show our children who we are.
7. Conquer Clutter
"Clutter is one of my biggest cranky-mom triggers," Francis says. And most moms would agree that a messy house is one of their primary obstacles in the pursuit of happiness. "Adopt a no-prisoners approach to clutter control," she suggests. "Toss unneeded papers in the recycling bin daily, come up with a simple system for keeping track of pending bills and paperwork, and, most important, become ruthless about which papers you're willing to keep in the first place." Having a routine can also help contain clutter. Have every member of the house do the same thing when they come home for the day: Hang up their coats (be sure to have a row of child-height hooks near the foyer), put shoes in the closet and place backpacks, purses, briefcases, keys and lunchboxes in their designated spots.
8. Outsource It
"We can't do it all," Francis reminds us, "and just because something needs to be done doesn't mean that youneed to do it." Acknowledging that we can't all hire household help, Francis suggests using a more flexible definition of 'outsourcing' for getting the help we need. "When we all focus on what skills and talents we bring to the table-without any shame for the stuff we aren't so great at-we can meet our kids' needs without having to try to do everything ourselves," Francis says. Assess each family member's skill set and delegate duties based on ability. Have a teenager who's good at math? Assign her to help your middle school-age son with his algebra homework. Is one of your kids great at organizing? Assign him to create order out of a pile of mismatched plastic food containers. "We're all good at different things," Francis explains. "And it makes a lot of sense to divvy up household and parenting tasks by interest, skill and available time." Apply the same concept of teamwork to cleaning the house, too. Hold 10-minute tidy-up sessions: Gather your family, cue up the dance tunes and set the timer for 10 minutes. You'll be surprised how much you can get done working together-and how much fun you'll have doing it!

Original article appeared on WomansDay.com

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Woman in Space

Sally Ride Remembered: Tributes to 1st American Woman in Space
RELATED CONTENT
Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, died Monday (July 23) at the age of 61.
Ride made history when she launched aboard the space shuttle Challenger on the STS-7 mission in 1983. She became only the third woman to ever travel in space, after Soviet cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova in 1963 and Svetlana Savitskaya in 1982.
Ride traveled into space once more in 1984, as a member of the STS-41G crew on the space shuttle Challenger. Over the course of her career, Ride logged a total of 343 hours in space.
Sally Ride's death came after 17 months of battling pancreatic cancer. Here are some tributes to Sally Ride from astronauts, scientists, historians, industry officials and other luminaries:
Barack Obama, President of the United States
Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Sally Ride. As the first American woman to travel into space, Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model. She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars and later fought tirelessly to help them get there by advocating for a greater focus on science and math in our schools. Sally’s life showed us that there are no limits to what we can achieve and I have no doubt that her legacy will endure for years to come. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sally’s family and friends.
Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator
Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism — and literally changed the face of America's space program. The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sally's family and the many she inspired. She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly. [Sally Ride: 1st American Woman in Space (Pictures)]
Lori Garver, NASA Deputy Administrator
Sally was a personal and professional role model to me and thousands of women around the world. Her spirit and determination will continue to be an inspiration for women everywhere.
Sally Ride Science, Company Statement
Sally lived her life to the fullest, with boundless energy, curiosity, intelligence, passion, commitment, and love. Her integrity was absolute; her spirit was immeasurable; her approach to life was fearless. 
Sally was a physicist, the first American woman to fly in space, a science writer, and the President and CEO of Sally Ride Science. She had the rare ability to understand the essence of things and to inspire those around her to join her pursuits. 

Steve Hawley, Former NASA astronaut, ex-husband
(married to Ride from 1982 to 1987)
Sally was a very private person who found herself a very public persona. It was a role in which she was never fully comfortable. I was privileged to be a part of her life and be in a position to support her as she became the first American woman to fly in space.
While she never enjoyed being a celebrity, she recognized that it gave her the opportunity to encourage children, particularly young girls, to reach their full potential. Sally Ride, the astronaut and the person, allowed many young girls across the world to believe they could achieve anything if they studied and worked hard. I think she would be pleased with that legacy. [Video: Sally Ride's Memories of Historic Spaceflight]
George Whitesides, president and CEO of Virgin Galactic
Sally was an American hero and a historic space explorer. Her legacy will be in the millions of kids that she inspired by her mission and in the educational efforts that followed. It will also be in the positive changes and insights she brought to American space policy through her continued service to the country.  She was committed, intelligent, serious about our biggest challenges, and had a wonderful sense of humor. Our nation and planet have lost an incredible human being.
John Logsdon, Professor Emeritus at George Washington University
Sally Ride's impact on the U.S. space program, and indeed on this country overall, was pervasive. From her pioneering flight as the first U.S. woman in space to her efforts in recent years to stimulate young girls to stay with the study of science, engineering, and math, she was a model citizen. Sally contributed her keen intelligence to many key studies, ranging from the Challenger and Columbia accident investigations to examinations of alternatives paths for the nation in space.
Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman/CEO, X PRIZE
I remember clearly the signs at the Cape during STS-7..."RIDE SALLY RIDE AND ALL YOU GUYS CAN GO ALONG TOO"... All of us rode with Sally on that flight. Her passion and dedication to education and to inspiring women to become scientists and engineers will be sorely missed.
Elliot Pulham, Space Foundation CEO
The space community, teachers and students around the world have lost a great friend and role model. Sally was more than a trailblazing astronaut and brilliant scientist. She was deeply concerned about the state of education in the United States, and worked tirelessly to reach students, especially at-risk young women, with programs filled with hope and inspiration -- to enable our next generation of explorers.
Whether on board a space shuttle, inside a corporate board room, or with students at one of her Sally Ride Science events, she was a motivational and inspiring leader. She was a friend to all explorers, and she will be deeply missed.
Roger Launius, Space History Curator at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
She was highly significant in a lot of ways. As the first American woman to fly in 1983, that's significant in and of itself. Beyond that, she was involved in both Columbia and Challenger accident investigations, and was critical to the recovery from both of those accidents.
Her report on leadership at NASA in the aftermath of Challenger was really significant. That's where she laid out, really for the first time, the idea that had been floating for a while — mission to planet Earth, which is now Earth science. It had not been a major part of NASA's efforts prior to that time, but has become incredibly significant since. She's an enormously significant voice for children's investigation in science and technology, and especially for girls. It's quite a tragedy we've lost her."

Maria Zuber, Lead Scientist for NASA's Grail Moon Mission
(Sally Ride Science operates Grail's MoonKam for students)
Sally was an icon in the history of space exploration. She realized the great honor associated with being the first American woman in space and used her notoriety to promote education. Her influence in inspiring students to pursue careers in science and technology is one of her many extraordinary achievements. In her role as an astronaut and as an educator Sally changed the lives of countless young people and that will be her legacy.
Scott Hubbard, Stanford University professor, B612 Foundation Program Architect and former NASA "Mars Czar"
Over the last 9 years I was fortunate to work with Sally on the Columbia Accident Board, as a sponsor for Sally Ride Science, and most recently as a reviewer of my book. Sally was kind-hearted, gracious, a strong role model for young women in science and a thoughtful scientist. I am profoundly grateful to have known her and had the opportunity to work with her over the years.
Lon Rains, Chairman, Coalition for Space Exploration
Today, the Coalition for Space Exploration is saddened to say goodbye to our dear friend and colleague Sally Ride - physicist, astronaut, educator and American hero.  After her trailblazing career in space, Sally dedicated her life to the mission of opening the world of science to girls, with the Sally Ride Science Academy and Camps. 
She was a role model, a mentor and one of our most effective champions for STEM education.
Our sorrow in her passing is only exceeded by our deep respect and gratitude for her contributions to our nation and our future.
Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

‘Total Recall’ three-breast actress both irked and excited

By Meriah Doty | Movie Talk 
One of the less-revealing photos of Leeb at Comic-Con (sorry, guys) and her prosthetics. (Photo: SplashNews)
You might think it strange that an actress who proudly displayed three breasts at Comic-Con 2012 was offended by some of the attention she got.
Well, she was.
Toronto-based actress Kaitlyn Leeb, who reprises the role of a three-breasted prostitute in the upcoming "Total Recall" remake, has quickly become an Internet sensation as photos of her --un-dressed in character -- have spread.
In response to her new-found fame, Leeb has emphasized that the breasts are fake [via theCalgary Herald]: "There were a bunch of people at Comic-Con asking if I had surgery for the third one. Others thought that the two on the side were real. I guess that's the one thing that bothers me the most is that they think I'm out there prancing around Comic-Con with my breasts out. They really are not mine."
[Video: Comic-Con 2012]
Trending on Yahoo! since July 15th, "kaitlyn leeb" made the top 6,000 searches on Yahoo! in the past seven days. Not surprisingly, 77 percent of her online interest has come from men. Perhaps an indication that some parents and wives need to do more policing, searches for the actress are coming from kids under 13 all the way to appreciative gents in their fifties. Leeb, however, would have to do more than don prosthetics to outshine her female lead stars Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel, who dominate her in online look-ups.
The 24-year-old actress, who has acting credits dating back to 2006, has said she has worked very hard for this moment [via the Toronto Star]: "It feels amazing that you're recognized. It's surreal, the past couple of days. It's all new and exciting." Leeb, who used to go by Kaitlyn Wong, has appeared in television shows as well as film, including 2010's "Locked Down" with Vinnie Jones and Bai Ling.
The woman who originated the role is Lycia Naff, who has appeared in soap opera "General Hospital"  and beachy '90s television show "Baywatch." Now 49, Naff started her career as the lead dancer on the show "Fame."
More on Yahoo

Monday 23 July 2012

Colorado theater shooting suspect appears dazed in court

By Jason Sickles, Yahoo! | The Lookout 

Holmes in court, July 23, 2012. (AP/Pool)
CENTENNIAL, Colo.—James Holmes, the suspect in the Colorado theater massacre, appeared in a Colorado courtroom on Monday, three days after one of the deadliest shooting sprees in modern American history.
Arapahoe County District Court Judge William B. Sylvester advised Holmes of his Miranda rights, and that there was probable cause to continue to hold him without bond on suspicion of first-degree murder.
Holmes, who was transported from a holding cell to the courtroom via an underground tunnel, appeared dazed. His brow furrowed. His head bobbed. His eyes opened and closed often. His hair was dyed red. His hands and feet were shackled. He did not speak.
Seated in a jury box next to Tamara Brady, a public defender, Holmes never looked in the direction of a gallery that included about two dozen victims and their advocates. Two sheriff's deputies stood watch nearby.
The preliminary hearing lasted about 11 minutes. Holmes' next court appearance is July 30, when he is expected to be charged.
[COMPLETE COVERAGE: Colorado theater shooting]
A decision on whether to seek the death penalty could be weeks or months away, District Attorney Carol Chambers told reporters as she entered the courthouse.
"It will be a conversation we have with the victims before we make that decision," Chambers said.
Holmes could also face additional counts of aggravated assault and weapons violations stemming from the mass shooting that killed 12 and injured 58 people at an Aurora, Colo., screening of "Dark Knight Rises."
Holmes, clad in full body armor, surrendered to officers in a parking lot behind the cinema. He did not resist arrest, but investigators have since described the former PhD student at the Univ. of Colorado-Denver medical school as uncooperative.
Authorities and news reports have portrayed the native Californian as smart and shy, but no motive for the shooting spree has surfaced.
Federal investigators were dispatched to assist local authorities with the investigation, but officials have indicated justice will be sought in a state courtroom.
Colorado has a death penalty, but only one inmate has been executed since 1977. Three inmates are currently on death row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
"If James Holmes isn't executed," former Denver prosecutor Craig Silverman told Reuters, "Colorado may as well throw away its death penalty law."
Despite the fact that Holmes was arrested with weapons on him—and his apartment found "booby-trapped"—Chambers said investigators are still diligently pursuing more evidence.
"I would say there's no such thing as a slam dunk case," she said during a press conference outside the courthouse. "It is a case where we are still looking at the enormous amount of evidence."
The district attorney, who admitted she was seeing the defendant for the first time, was asked if Holmes might have been on medication at the hearing.
"We have no information about that," Chambers said.
All 110 seats in the courtroom were full for the hearing, with some 80 or so occupied by victims, their families or counsellors recruited from local police departments to help those grieving. A few of the victims, some of the wearing dark sunglasses, embraced in long hugs before taking their seats.
Jessica Watts was in the court to represent her cousin, Jon Blunk, who was fatally shot in the theater after pushing his girlfriend out of harm's way.
Watts said she held back her emotions when the alleged killer was ushered in.
"I tried not to have a reaction because I wanted the focus to be about Johnny," she said. "There's so many emotions that I have for him."
[Yahoo News senior media reporter Dylan Stableford contributed to this report.]

Penjawat awam Selangor bakal terima bonus Aidilfitri

The Malaysian Insider 

Oleh Mohd Farhan Darwis
SHAH ALAM, 23 Julai — Berikutan pemberian bonus sempena perayaan Aidilfitri bulan hadapan oleh kerajaan Pusat, kerajaan negeri Selangor pimpinan Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim turut dijangka akan memberikan bonus sama kepada penjawat awam di negeri pimpinan kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat tersebut.
“Kakitangan awam kerajaan negeri Selangor juga akan menerima imbuhan Aidilfitri jika Kerajaan Pusat memutuskan pembayaran bonus perayaan bulan depan, kata Khalid hari ini.
Tambah Khalid (gambar) lagi, pentadbirannya akan memastikan kakitangan awam di bawah kepimpinannya akan menerima jumlah sama sepertimana penjawat awam kerajaan Pusat sekiranya mereka memutuskan untuk membayar “bonus” sempena sambutan Aidilfitri kali ini.
“Jika kakitangan Pusat dapat, begitu juga kakitangan awam yang bekerja di peringkat negeri. Kadarnya akan sama sebab ia ada kaitan dengan pencen,” kata ADUN Ijok itu kepada pemberita di sini, hari ini.
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak sebelum ini telah mengumumkan akan mempertimbangkan pemberian imbuhan sempena sambutan Aidilfitri kepada penjawat awam kerana ia bergantung kepada kemampuan kerajaan.
Najib turut berkata beliau akan melihat “buku kira-kira” kerajaan terlebih dahulu berhubung perkara itu.
“Nantilah kita semak-semak dahulu, belek-belek dahulu, kena tengok-tengok buku kira-kira dahulu... kalau apa-apa pun kita semak dahulu, apa-apa keputusan mesti berdasarkan kepada kemampuan kerajaan,” katanya ketika diminta mengulas tuntutan Kongres Kesatuan Pekerja-pekerja Dalam Perkhidmatan Awam (Cuepacs) mengenai pemberian imbuhan itu baru-baru ini.
Pada 16 Julai, Presiden Cuepacs, Datuk Omar Osman berkata pihaknya sedang mencari pendekatan terbaik bagi memastikan 1.4 juta penjawat awam mendapat imbuhan itu dan tidak menyebabkan pihak tertentu mengambil kesempatan seperti menaikkan harga barangan.
Sumber;  Yahoo

Man sets fire to own house

Bernama Media 
KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- A man, believed to be with mental problems, set fire to his own house at Taman Serdang Utama near here after beating his 15-year-old son today. Serdang deputy police chief DSP Lam Chien Fei said the man, aged 53, lit the house while his wife, who brought along their three other children, took the 15-year-old son to Serdang Hospital for treatment. "The man was said to have beaten up his son at about 4am and about two hours later, while the wife and children were at the hospital, set fire to the house."The man was still in the area when police arrived and he claimed to have
set the house on fire when police questioned him," he told Bernama when contacted today. Lam said the man would be remanded until Wednesday to facilitate police investigations into the case.
--BERNAMA
NAK2 HK MIS

21 burned in walk over hot coals at Robbins event

By JOHN S. MARSHALL | Associated Press 
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Fire officials said 21 people at an event hosted by motivational speaker Tony Robbins suffered burns while walking across hot coals and three of the injured were treated at hospitals.
The injuries took place during the first day Thursday of a four-day event at the San Jose Convention Center hosted by Robbins called "Unleash the Power Within." Most of those hurt had second and third degree burns, said San Jose Fire Department CaptReggie Williams.
Walking across hot coals on lanes measuring 10 feet long and heated to between 1,200 to 2,000 degrees provides attendees an opportunity to "understand that there is absolutely nothing you can't overcome," according to the motivational speaker's website.
Robbins Research International said in a written statement that 6,000 attendees of the event walked across the coals Thursday.
Requests for additional information from The Associated Press were not immediately returned.
Organizers had an "open burn permit" and medical staff at the event, and there was also a fire inspector on the scene, Williams said.
"Once they (the medical staff) became overwhelmed, our inspector called for us," Williams said.
Witness Jonathan Correll was not attending the event, but when he saw a large crowd gathered on a closed-off surface street near the convention center, he got off the light rail he was riding to see what was going on.
"I just heard these screams of agony," he told The Associated Press. People were in pain. It sounded like people were being tortured."
Correll, 25, of San Jose, said he saw three ambulances, about 10 to 15 people on the ground being treated by paramedics and some people being wheeled away on stretchers.
"It was really just chaos," he said.
Participant Sahar Madani told KTVU-TV that attendees were warned that they might get burns or blisters.
"The intention of the event is to get your focus and your attention away from that and look into the power within yourself and focus on just walking on the fire," she told the station.
Robbins, 52, who bills himself as an entrepreneur and "peak performance strategist," has written five books that are published in 14 languages, and has sold more than 40 million audiotapes of a professional development system dubbed "Personal Power," according to his website.
His infomercials have continuously aired on average every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day somewhere in North America since their initial introduction in April 1989, the website says.
Robbins Research International said Friday, "We have been safely providing this experience for more than three decades, and always under the supervision of medical personnel ... We continue to work with local fire and emergency personnel to ensure this event is always done in the safest way possible."
Williams did not have any additional details, such as the ages or names of those hurt.
Information from: San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, http://www.mercurynews.com