6 Ways to Build Super Confidence

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time on this planet, it’s that a man with confidence has the keys to the kingdom. But while some men are raised in an environment where this trait is facilitated and encouraged, most aren’t. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can build confidence the same way you can build python biceps or a washboard stomach. Here’s how.

1. Think Positive
Yeah yeah, roll your eyes all you want. Positive thinking isn’t going to keep your cancer from metastasizing, but it will help you gain confidence over time. Here’s what you do: spend a month looking on the bright side, finding the silver lining in things like ruining your car or running out of beer. My method is, for every negative event, stretch and think of three positives that can come out of it. Pretty soon, your brain will be trained to find the positive in just about everything. This in turn will make you a more optimistic—and confident—guy.

2. Be A Cheerleader… For Yourself
All too often, men don’t acknowledge the things they do right. You spend time calling yourself on perceived inadequacies, but you probably don’t take credit for the aspects of life where you’re totally killing it. Why the hell not? Any time you do something right, no matter how inconsequential it might seem, give yourself some mental daps. One easy way? Keep a record of at least one cool thing that you do every day. After a month, go back and take a look at it. You’re going to be pretty amazed at how much ace stuff you get done.

3. Get Some Exercise
There are a couple reasons exercise works. The endorphins your brain releases combined with your growing muscles make you think you’re one bad mother-… hey, I’m just talkin’ ’bout exercise. But another benefit comes when you actually do start looking good, and the ladies can’t keep their hands off you. That does wonders for any guy’s ego. Oh, and for those of you who “don’t have time” to work out, ask yourself which option fits your busy schedule better: exercising for one hour three times per week, or being dead 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

4. Pick Up A New Skill
Not only will learning French or ballroom dancing give you a great way to meet women, it also boosts your esteem. Because really, what makes you feel better about yourself (and in a totally lasting way?) than manufacturing a new talent. Pick the thing you’ve totally always wanted to do, but thought was impossible, like preparing filet mignon or how to weld. Even the smallest accomplishments can make you feel like a million bucks, giving you energy you can carry to other aspects of your life. Bonus: guaranteed turn-on for women? Being totally stoked on something. Anything. True story.


5. Take A Breath
You know what kills confidence? Anxiety. And how do we get rid of anxiety? Barring a severe anxiety disorder, breathing is great start. When you feel out of your element or about to lose it, step back for a few, take a couple deep breaths and collect yourself. Then hold your head high, push on and take control of the situation. That’s what confident guys do.

6. Set and Meet Goals
Just having a goal gives you the confidence of forward momentum, the feeling of going somewhere. The trick to goals is to make them SMART. Nope, that’s not me accidentally tapping caps lock. It’s an acronym.

Specific: Learn a foreign language is a bad goal. Complete a semester of Chinese at the local community college is better.

Measurable: Get better at running is a bad goal. Shave a minute off your mile is better.

Attainable: Become king of the moon is a seriously bad goal, dude.

Relevant: The goal should have some kind of significance to you personally.

Timely: Set a realistic deadline by which you are aiming to reach your goal. Otherwise it just becomes another thing you don’t do.

Alright, I’m done writing and you’re done reading. Time to take action. After all, grabbing life by the horns is something confident dudes do on the regular. Get after it.

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Nanay at Ulan

sa bawat patak ng ulan
ay unti unting bumabalik
mga ala ala ng aking kamusmusan
tuwing umuulan,

ang tinig ng inay na wari'y galit
ngunit ngayon ko lang napag tanto
eto palay pagmamahal
"anak huwag ka mag basa sa ulan, baka ikay magkasakit"

ngunit dahil sa bata
turing ng ina ay di inalintana
patuloy sa pag takbo
at basang basa

ng ang langit ay lumiwanag
at ang ulan ay tumila
salubong ng nanay
tuwalya at yakap

o kay sarap balikan
mga panahong ganoon
damang dama mo ang pag aaruga
at pagmmaahal ni nanay

tumigil na rin ang ulan
sabay ng busina sa likod na sasakyan
kailangan na palang magpatuloy
upang makarating sa paruruonan

sa bihirang pag ulan dito sa gitnang silangan
ganun din ba ka bihira
sumagi sa ating isipan
mahal nating inay na sa atin ay naghihintay.



rjm.

Who's Spying You on Facebook?

There can't be many Internet users who haven't heard of Facebook – the social network site, brainchild of U.S. college student Mark Zuckerberg. But worryingly, it's not just our friends who are keeping up with what we're doing online. Debt collectors, potential employers and even lawyers could be finding out much more than you'd want them to. Here we examine the worrying trends on the social network site and consider how you can take steps to avoid being spied on.

Debt Collector Watch
It seems that debt collectors have caught on to how difficult it is to hide on Facebook. According to MSN Money, debt collectors are infiltrating social network pages, contacting you, your friends and family through the site to force you to pay what you owe.

One debt collection agent, Michelle Dunn, confirms that this is a strategy used by debt collection agencies today. "If you look like a really good-looking girl, a lot of people would accept a friendship even if they don't really know the person," she explains. Luckily the The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, designed to protect consumers against abusive practices by the debt collection industry, does offer you some protection in this area. Although it is not forbidden for collectors to post on your Facebook wall or ask your contacts of your whereabouts, they cannot post about your debt, because that is a serious breach of privacy. Nevertheless, it should be common practice not to accept friend requests from people you don't know, and of course, if you do owe money, in order to avoid being found and potentially harassed on Facebook, you should answer mail or calls or from collection agencies in the first instance. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away.

Job hunting
When you're applying for a new job, polishing up your resume may not be enough anymore. Rather, you should check what information is out there about you on the web. Facebook profiles are routinely being checked by your future employers. According to a survey carried out by Careerbuilder in 2009, 45% of employers check your social media presence when hiring, and some 35% of employers reported that they have found content on social networking sites that meant they did not hire the candidate. As social media has only grown over the past few years, we can only imagine that this figure would be much higher today.

More than half of the employers questioned said that provocative photos were the biggest factor contributing to a decision not to hire a potential employee, while 44% of employers pinpointed references to drinking and drug use as no-go areas. While this might seem obvious, you can never know what a company might deem "provocative." It seems wise to keep all content absolutely clean, otherwise who knows what job prospects you are thwarting.

Passwords Please
In an even more worrying development in Maryland, a man has recently been asked to hand his Facebook login details over to his employee. He was outraged and made a complaint to the American Civil Liberties Union. As a result the updated policy at the Maryland Department of Corrections states that job candidates won't be asked to share their login or password information, but job applicants will be asked to log into Facebook "voluntarily" as an interviewer looks over their shoulders.

Legal Snooping
Beware what you post on the web, because, as a Staten Island woman recently discovered, the legal profession is snooping too. Dorothy McGurk claimed that she couldn't work, rarely left home and didn't socialize because of injuries from a 1996 car accident. The dancer, on disability, had been seeking lifetime alimony of $850 a month from her husband due to this accident. Unfortunately, Facebook revealed that all was not as it seemed, and showed that she was in fact working as a belly dancer. When the Facebook evidence came to light as evidence in court, the alimony was lost.

The Bottom Line

Unfortunately, many of us fail to realize that content we post on the Internet is really out there in the public domain. If you do want to continue using Facebook, what can you do to protect yourself from unwanted prying eyes? Be sure you've checked those privacy settings. It is sensible to keep any personal content away from the public eye. Also, be careful what you are making available to your networks. It might seem safe enough to let people who graduated from the same college as you view your profile, but this will include several thousand – if not tens of thousands of – people who you have never met nor know, and who may have ulterior motives when checking out your profile. Keep it clean and professional. Ask yourself: would you want your future employer to read this? If the answer is no, don't post it. There's really nowhere to hide on the world wide web.

Pinoys among the most polite, least rude people in the world

The Philippines is among the least rude countries for foreign tourists, a survey by a leading European travel site showed.

France, meanwhile, is considered the world’s rudest nation followed by Russia and the United Kingdom, according to the poll conducted by Skyscanner.
“Taking 19 percent of the vote, the French have long been known for their abrupt and curt nature, especially when dealing with foreign tourists, which has often been taken as rudeness by visitors,” Skyscanner said.
Russia got 17 percent and 10 percent for UK.
“Russians can be more direct when talking, which may be misconstrued as being rude,” said Tatiana Danilova, Russian market manager for Skyscanner. “However this is more a difference in culture than genuine rudeness.”
Danilova attributed this to the Russian language, which “is not as polite as English…”
“So when Russians translate directly from Russian to English, it can sound rude to an English speaker even if they don’t mean it to,” Danilova. “Russians tend to consider British people extremely polite due to their courteous way of speaking.”
The least rude, meanwhile, are Brazilians followed by the Caribbean islands and the Filipinos.
World’s rudest nationalities:
French 19.2%
Russian 16.6%
British 10.4%
German 9.9%
Chinese 4.3%
American 3.3%
Spanish 3.1%
Italian 2.3%
Polish 2.2%
Turkish 2.1%

Getting Derrick Rose in sync, Luol Deng some rest should be Bulls’ priorities

The theory that the Bulls are better without Derrick Rose is gaining momentum as 
circumstantial evidence 
accumulates. It’s absurd, of course.


When the Bulls have been at their best, Rose has been at the top of his game. What’s important now is that he and his teammates return to that level before the playoffs begin.


It’s all about peaking for the Bulls now that they are all but assured of home-court advantage through the Eastern Conference finals. Coach Tom Thibodeau’s list of priorities became clear as fans streamed out of the United Center after the Bulls’ 96-86 overtime victory Thursday against the Heat. A schedule that has been an enemy all season now becomes an ally.


The Bulls’ next three opponents have an average winning percentage of .248. The Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Bobcats provide ample opportunity for the Bulls to accomplish two objectives that will assure they will be healthy, rested and playing at a high level when the postseason begins.


The first is obvious: Rose needs to get his timing back and his legs under him. I had a hunch heading into the game against the Heat that Rose was going to do something he never had done before. The last time he had played — Sunday against the New York Knicks — he committed eight turnovers and missed two clutch free throws that cost the Bulls a victory. He wanted to play in the rematch Tuesday against the Knicks, but the decision was made for him.


I expected a memorable performance against the Heat, but I wouldn’t have guessed he would be held to a career-low two points and find himself on the bench during overtime.


It never has been more obvious that Rose is out of sync. His shots aren’t falling, and he’s playing tentatively, which might be the result of not having his usual extraordinary lift because of groin and ankle injuries. He needs time to round himself into shape and create synergy with his teammates. The next three games provide ample opportunity for him to do so.


‘‘It’s been a hard year for him, a hard year,’’ guard Kyle Korver said. ‘‘You’re 23 years old. You were MVP last year. You come in and get four or five different injuries in a crazy season with all these games. It says a lot about him and his character.


‘‘There’s not a lot of superstars who can take the criticism that he gets and play the minutes that he does and still keep [his] head. He’s a really humble guy. He’s all about winning. . . . Obviously, he has the ball most of the time — he’s the MVP, a great player — but if someone else is open, he’s going to pass the ball. He’s a great guy.’’


Rose and guard Rip Hamilton need time to develop into the kind of one-two punch that can help the Bulls be as successful against the Heat in the playoffs as they have been in their last two regular-season victories. About 30 minutes a game for the next three games should do the trick. Then Thibodeau can unleash the hounds when the Bulls visit the Heat on Thursday.


‘‘My mind was thinking something that my body couldn’t do,’’ Rose said after the game Thursday. ‘‘I’ve never had a problem getting my rhythm back. I should get it back soon.’’


The second priority should be getting forward Luol Deng some much-needed rest. He played more than 42 minutes against the Heat and is averaging a league-leading 39.4 minutes despite having a torn ligament in his left wrist.


Rookie swingman Jimmy Butler has been effective guarding the Heat’s LeBron James and the Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony this season and might be of use as a spot defender in the playoffs. Getting Butler on the floor in the final seven regular-season games will give Deng some rest and prepare Butler for his postseason assignment.


Thibodeau wants to win every game, regardless of the circumstances, and that philosophy has served the Bulls well in the last two years. The schedule now allows him to continue accomplishing his short-term goal while taking a longer view that can help the Bulls maintain the momentum gained Thursday.


‘‘It was a fun game [Thursday], but it was just a game,’’ Korver said.

5 Ways to be Anxiety-Free

Guys everywhere deal with anxiety regularly, even if we don’t admit it. That’s because men are subject to multiple factors that create it. We are under pressure to perform at work and elsewhere. We don’t get many chances to share or vent. We are constantly judged on our confidence, wealth and successwith women. Being a man isn’t easy, and making it worse is the notion that men aren’t expected to get help for their mental health.

How do I know? I struggled with anxiety for years. Since coming to terms and taking steps to overcome it, I’ve been helping others through my website, calmclinic.com.

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Chances are, you have a friend who sucks. Maybe even several friends who suck. They aren’t helping. Dump ’em.

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Now, there’s nothing wrong with seeing a therapist. Think of it this way—if seeing a therapist helps eliminate your anxiety to the point you can confidently deal with your boss, flirt with women and hang out with your friends, then seeing a therapist is the better option. But for those not ready for that kind of commitment, here are five ways to fight back and ultimately live anxiety-free.

1. Exercise

Let’s get this out of the way first—exercise is not just for building muscles. Just 30 minutes of running every day can almost single-handedly cure anxiety for a few hours and prevent anxiety from coming back for most of the day. Exercise releases endorphins, a natural painkiller that also reduces stress, and uses up cortisol, a stress hormone that contributes to anxiety. Exercise has real benefits for decreasing anxiety that even medicine struggles to match. If you’re not yet exercising every day, try it.

2. Get Rid of Your Sucky Friends

Chances are, you have a friend who sucks. Maybe even several friends who suck. Spending time with them isn’t helping. It’s not sappy to expect your friends to be supportive. Friends are supposed to give you confidence, and you’re supposed to be happy around them. If you’re friends with someone who’s reckless, negative, insulting or otherwise affects your ability to enjoy yourself, dump that friend in favor of someone who does bring that additional stress into your life.

3. Stop Gambling

This one may be painful for a lot of guys, but gambling is one of the worst things you can do for your anxiety. Not only is gambling stressful itself—and anxiety from financial problems related to gambling is a separate issue—but gambling actually rewards anxiety, causing you to experience anxiety more often. Imagine you’re playing poker, you have pocket kings and go all in before the flop, and your opponent calls. Chances are you get a rush of anxiety. Then you see that the other guy has something worse, like pocket queens, and you end up winning the hand. Suddenly you feel pretty good. That’s gambling’s natural way of rewarding anxiety, and it can be addictive. Gambling may be fun, but it’s just not worth the price.

4. Have Lots of Sex

Nothing cures daily anxiety quite like sex. Find yourself a girlfriend or a friend that wants you for some reason and have at it. Sex also releases stress-relieving hormones, relaxes the body, and takes your mind off of life’s problems. If your anxiety leaks into your sex life, just talk about it with the girl. Most women can handle a guy that needs some time to get over his performance anxiety as long as she knows ahead of time, and the sex you get will go a long way toward curing it. Besides, if it doesn’t work, you still had sex. High five, big guy.

5. Fake It

Finally, an unusual way to deal with anxiety is to pretend you’re dealing with it. If you find yourself shying away from talking it up with your buddies, for example, take a deep breath and act like a guy that’s got a load of confidence. Make an idiot of yourself if you have to. Faking it and letting yourself get the rush of anxiety anyway can actually train your body to get over some of your anxiety symptoms. And that’s the whole point, right?

US warns 2 drugs may cause orgasm disorders

WASHINGTON - Two Merck drugs for treating male baldness and enlarged prostate will now carry extended labels to add more possible sexual side effects, US regulators said.

The changes involve Propecia and Proscar, both of which contain the active ingredient finasteride, after patients reported additional adverse effects that were not apparent at the time of the drugs' approval, the US Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

The new Propecia label will include "libido disorders, ejaculation disorders, and orgasm disorders that continued after discontinuation of the drug," the FDA said. Propecia is a drug to treat male baldness.

Proscar, which treats symptoms of enlarged prostate, will now have a label that adds "decreased libido that continued after discontinuation of the drug."

In addition, both labels are being revised to "include a description of reports of male infertility and/or poor semen quality that normalized or improved after drug discontinuation," the FDA said.

FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Yao said the drugs were previously known to cause adverse sexual events in a small number of patients, and that information was included on labels at the time of approval.

The latest labeling change "expands the list of sexual adverse events reported to the FDA postmarketing," she told AFP, adding that "no new clinical studies were reviewed to evaluate these adverse events."

Proscar was approved for the US market in 1992 and Propecia in 1997. In 2011, both drugs' labels were "revised to include erectile dysfunction that continued after drug discontinuation," the FDA said.

Last year, labels for Proscar and Propecia were also changed to advise of the possibility of an increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer.

The agency noted that even though "clear causal links between finasteride (Propecia and Proscar) and sexual adverse events have NOT been established, the cases suggest a broader range of adverse effects than previously reported in patients taking these drugs."

Since these side effects may be important to some patients, doctors were urged to discuss them with patients when deciding on treatment options.

In the case of Propecia, clinical trials showed 3.8 percent of men had reported one or more adverse sexual experiences, compared to 2.1 percent who were taking a placebo.

"Propecia and Proscar are generally well tolerated and effective for their respective intended uses in accordance with their approved product labeling," Merck said in a statement.

The company added that "a causal relationship between the use of Propecia or Proscar and continued sexual dysfunction after discontinuation of treatment has not been established," and expressed support for ongoing monitoring of adverse event reports. 

CNN says 2 Philippine dive sites are among world’s best

Two destinations in the Philippines are among the best in the world, according to the travel news website of the Cable News Network (CNN).

The Tubbataha reef, located southeast of Palawan, ranked eighth on CNNGo’s list of best dive sites in the world.

“Super-size your dive experience at Tubbataha, where everything comes in giant form. The main advantage to diving at Tubbataha is that the water is exceptionally clean, so the marine life lives much longer, making it grow to silly proportions,” the website said.

“Expect kaleidoscopic colors combined with guitar sharks, black tip reef sharks, nurse sharks, gliding blue-spotted lagoon rays, unicorns, boxfish, scorpion fish and more,” it added.

Another dive site in the Philippines that made it to CNNGo’s list is The Canyons in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, which ranked 45th.

The Canyons in Puerto Galera

“Schools of spotted and ribbon sweetlips, shiny trevallies and weird-looking batfish make up the scene at this first-rate dive site. There’s also an explosion of coral and plant life including beautiful delicate gorgonian sea fans and hollow barrel sponges; look inside for critters lurking within,” the website said about The Canyons.

Topping CNNGo’s list of 50 best dive spots in the world is Barracuda Point in Malaysia’s Sipadan island, followed by Yongala in Queensland, Australia and SS Thistlegorm in Red Sea, Egypt.

Earlier this year, CNNGo recognized Siargao, a teardrop-shaped island in Surigao del Norte, as the eighth best surf spot in the world.

Manila, meanwhile, was hailed by the website as one of Asia’s greatest food cities.

PH embassy clarifies case of OFW on death row

AL KHOBAR, SAUDI ARABIA - The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh has clarified the status of the case of Rodelio “Dondon” Celestino Lanuza, an overseas Filipino worker on death row in Saudi Arabia.

Lanuza has been in jail since August 2000 for killing Saudi national Mohammad Al Qathani.

In a draft press release from the Philippine Embassy which was acquired by ABS-CBN Middle East, the embassy aimed to shed light on the misleading information circulating online and on the social media sites.

A press release by Migrante Middle East stated that “the formal acceptance of the aggrieved family spared Lanuza’s life”. The embassy said that this statement is premature.

The Diyya or blood money has not yet been paid to the heirs of Qathani.

The claim that “a reconciliation team led by former Ambassador Antonio Villamor was responsible in convincing the aggrieved family to formally accept the blood money” was also belied by the embassy.

As early as February 2011, the heirs of the victim signified their willingness to accept the blood money.

Ambassador Ezzedin Tago and DFA Undersecretary Rafael Seguis met with the victim’s father and brothers through the efforts of the Saudi Reconciliation Committee and a relative of the family. In that meeting, the victim’s family expressed their willingness to accept 3.0 million Saudi Riyals, not 3.5 million as mentioned in the media, and forgive Lanuza.

The embassy also explained the process the case has to go though. First, the family of the victim must receive the blood money as agreed upon for the settlement of the private rights aspect of the case. The courts should record the settlement and the family should execute the tanazul or the affidavit of forgiveness and desistance.

With the execution of the tanazul, manifesting that the accused has been forgiven, the case file is then sent to the Emir or Governor’s office, who will issue a release order for the accused.

Lanuza is still in prison and not yet spared from the death sentence and the process for his release will start only when the blood money is paid to the victim’s family in the court.

The public is then reminded by the embassy that inaccurate and misleading information in news articles might affect the case of Lanuza. The family of the victim has yet to receive the blood money and formally forgive him.

As of the moment, the entire amount of the blood money has yet to be completed.

Filipinos around the world are urged to help in whatever way they can to raise the blood money.

For those who are willing to help visit www.helpdondon.com

Career portal ‘Work Abroad, Live Here’ launched

MANILA, Philippines - Job hunters now have the option of finding great jobs in the IT-BPO industry without having to go abroad.

A new career portal "Work Abroad, Live Here" has been launched to provide information about global job opportunities in the industry.

“We have jobs for animators, game developers, IT professionals, software developers, financial analysts, accountants, doctors and nurses, and many other professionals,” said Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) president and CEO Benedict Hernandez.

Hernandez said many do not know where to look for jobs that allow them to work in a global environment while living in the Philippines.

“The career portal is intended for students, fresh graduates, young professionals, and experienced workers who want to work for world-renowned companies that provide their workforces financially and professionally rewarding careers. They don’t have to go overseas for great jobs,” Hernandez added.

The Information Technology-Business Process Outsourcing  (IT-BPO) sector is aiming to generate 1.3 million jobs by 2016. Among BPAP’s principal target for the campaign are an estimated 517,000 college graduates this year who will look for jobs during the summer.

According to BPAP, job postings on the portal will include an expanding array of opportunities available outside Metro Manila. Hernandez said emerging IT-BPO hubs all over the Philippines are experiencing significant demand for professionals.

“Fast-expanding IT-BPO centers in Davao, Laguna, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cavite, Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Malolos, Baguio, and Dumaguete, are also in need of professionals to fill jobs in voice and non-voice BPO in these cities," Hernandez said.

The portal will be supported by a Facebook page and Twitter account--also called “Work Abroad. Live Here.”

10 Fat-Fighting Secrets

Shedding excess pounds is easier when you know the right weight-loss tips. A few simple changes are all you need to fat-proof your body without dieting and stay healthy over the long term.

Eat more lean protein.
The debate over how much protein is ideal continues. One thing that's becoming clearer is that eating a little more protein and a little less carbohydrate can help you maintain lean body mass and adhere to your dietary regimen. Why? Higher protein diets may make you feel fuller on less food. Your body also works harder to digest protein than fat or carbs, which means more calories burned. This is not a license to eat bacon-cheeseburgers, according to Cathy Nonas, RD, principal investigator for the Centers for Obesity Research and Education and author of Outwit Your Weight (Rodale). Get your protein from healthier choices such as fish, nonfat dairy, and soy products. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recommends getting 10 to 35 percent of daily calories from protein.


Dine in more often.
The rise in obesity parallels a rise in the number of restaurants, the percentage of meals eaten out, and the amount of money spent on food away from home. Eating at a fast-food restaurant may be easy to do, but ultimately it's hard on your body. If you're eating out every day of the week, try cutting back. When you do eat out, choose grilled food. Skip the high-fat, high-cal fixings such as cheese and sour cream and opt for soup or salad instead of French fries. When you can, eat at home, where you have more control over what's on your plate.


Indulge your cravings.
If you resist sour-cream-and-onion potato chips only to eat an entire bag of rice cakes, you haven't done yourself any favors. Denying a craving can lead you to eat everything but the kitchen sink in an effort to avoid eating what you think you shouldn't have. Instead, indulge in a reasonable portion of the food you crave. Take a small serving of the food out of its container, then put the rest away. Sit down and savor the extravagance. Then go do something else—away from food.


Load up on the good stuff.
Most of us are not eating enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. A diet devoid of these foods is one of the reasons for the rise in obesity, according to Paula Quatromoni, DSc, RD, assistant professor in the departments of epidemiology and social and behavioral sciences at Boston University's School of Public Health. In a recent study, she compared women with different eating styles to see if it had an effect on their weight. Turns out those who ate a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains were less likely to gain weight over the years. Those who consumed too many unhealthy snacks, fatty foods, and sweetened drinks were more likely to gain.


Always read labels.
Don't throw food in the shopping cart without reading the label. Look at how many calories are in a serving and what a serving size is. Check the saturated fat content and other ingredients like sugar. Ingredients are listed by the amount the product contains, with the most at the top of the list. If sugar tops the list, pick something else: Added sugars do nothing for your figure but make it fuller.


Sit down to breakfast.
A muffin in the car does not a breakfast make. Why not wake up 10 minutes earlier and have a heartier, more satisfying bowl of whole-grain high-fiber cereal topped with fresh fruit and skim milk, or half a grapefruit and some whole-grain toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter? Breakfast isn't just good for your health: It may help keep you slim, too. Research shows that 78 percent of successful dieters eat breakfast every day. The subjects are part of the National Weight Control Registry, which tracks people who've lost 70 pounds and kept it off for at least a year. If successful dieters eat breakfast, you should too!


Watch what you drink.
When the first Coca-Cola was introduced in 1915 it came in a 6-ounce bottle. Today, you'd be hard-pressed to find one that small; instead you get 20-, 32-, even 64-ounce sodas loaded with calories. You may also drink sweetened teas, calorie-laden coffee drinks, and juices that contain very little real juice but a lot of sugar. Sugared drinks don't provide vitamins, minerals, or fiber. "They also tend to displace healthier choices," says Nonas, "like fruits and vegetables." Her advice: Drink water, flavored seltzer, 100 percent fruit juice, and fat-free milk instead.


Eat lighter bites.
You probably consume larger portions than you should. In a recent study, Lisa Young, PhD, RD, assistant professor in the department of nutritional studies at New York University, found that portion sizes at take-out and fast-food restaurants are bigger than those established by the USDA. A typical bagel is about four times bigger than a USDA serving, a bowl of pasta about five times bigger, and French fries and hamburgers anywhere from two to five times larger. "Food manufacturers offer super-size versions of everything so you think you're getting a bargain," says Dr. Young, "but all you're getting is excess calories." Don't think you have to clean your plate. Eat a reasonable amount and take the rest home.


Get your exercise.
Did you know that the Institute of Medicine recently found that we should be getting at least an hour of moderately intense exercise every day to stay slim and protect against heart disease? This new goal came from research showing that people who are slim get at least that much. If you think getting an hour of exercise would be impossible, remember that it's cumulative. If you climb the stairs for 10 minutes, clean house another 20, and walk fast 30 more, that adds up to an hour of exercise—no gym required.


Don't eat more than you burn.
Figure out a rough estimate of the number of calories your body uses:


Step one: Calculate your basic needs by multiplying your healthy desired weight (in pounds) by 10 (for women, 11 for men).


Step two: Calculate your energy needs for physical activity by multiplying your basic calorie needs by your activity level (20 percent for sedentary, 30 for light activity, 40 for moderate activity, and 50 for very active).


Step three: Add the calories required for digestion. Get this by adding your basic calorie needs (from step one) to your physical activity needs (step two), then multiplying by 10 percent (0.1).


Step four: Add the results from steps 1, 2, and 3 to get the calories you need to maintain the weight you want.

Jessica Sanchez thankful for 'letting me make it this far'

MANILA, Philippines – A calm and happy Jessica Sanchez thanked her supporters in a video taken right after being saved by the “American Idol” judges in this week’s elimination round.

The 13-second clip, which Sanchez posted on Twitvid, showed the Fil-Mexican-American walking inside the “American Idol” studio.

“So I just sang my save song and year, I got saved (laughs) and I’m so grateful,” she said. “I just want to thank you guys for letting me make it this far. Thank you so much. Love you guys.”

In a surprising twist, “American Idol” judges Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler used their one “save” for the season to keep Sanchez on the show.

The three rushed to the stage and did not wait for Sanchez to finish her performance, which was supposed to be the contestant’s way of convincing the judges to let her stay in the competition.

Sanchez was set to be eliminated from the show after getting the least number of votes.

“Give me that mic! This is crazy! We’re using the save. You ain’t going home! Go sit down,” Lopez told the 16-year-old contestant.

Not letting her emotions get in the way of her performance, Sanchez ended the episode by singing “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here” by Deborah Cox to the delight of the audience.

Sanchez has consistently been praised by the “American Idol” judges for her vocal skills.

On Wednesday (Thursday in Manila), Sanchez gave a soulful rendition of Jazmine Sullivan’s “Stuttering,” prompting Jackson to say that she “slayed the biggest fish of the night.”

Rose To Be A Dad For First Time

Source: chicago.cbslocal.com


CHICAGO (CBS) — The Bulls’ Derrick Rose is set to become a father for the first time, according to a published report.


The Chicago Sun-Times’ Stella Foster reported Monday night that Rose and his girlfriend of nearly four years, stylist Meika Blackman Reese, are expecting their first child. The baby is likely to be due in October, Foster reported.A source told the Sun-Times’ Foster that the “mutual families are very excited and looking forward to the baby’s arrival.”


Rose and Reese met at a party at the Excalibur nightclub.

Pacquiao's liquor ad in NY draws mixed reactions

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Manny Pacquiao’s fight billboards have often been seen in the middle of a sea of billboards and gigantic widescreen TVs in Times Square, but none of them became as controversial as his latest billboard endorsing Hennessy, an expensive Cognac brand.

The ad quotes Pacquiao, “Fighting the fights that really matters: That’s my wild rabbit.”

Pacquiao said it’s not about Hennessy. It’s more of an inspiring ad on how to follow your dreams and be successful.

But Filipinos in the East Coast who have seen the ad had mixed reactions.

Bernard Guerzon of Rockland, New York said, “When you’re in an alcohol ad, you’re not being the best role model for everyone that looks up to him.”

While East Brunswick, New Jersey resident Nora Sagad said, “Napatunayan naman natin na he’s a changed man, part lang yan ng trabaho, advertisement lang naman yun.”

“Well it’s just an advertisement, since he says he’s a changed man, he’s probably not drinking that thing, that liquor,” said Issalina Sagad.

Another East Brunswick fan, Ruth Uchida said, “Hindi mo mapi-please ang lahat so as long as his personal life, pina-practice niya yung napag-aaralan niya sa Bible then that’s what matters.”

The ad came out just weeks after Pacquiao confessed on national TV that he is a changed man. He said he’s done with gambling, women and alcohol.

But Ron Vicencio of Torrence, California said, “Hindi ako naniniwala diyan, hindi ako naniniwala diyan, you have more money, there are more temptations, right? I don’t know, it depends on the guy.”

Long Island City, New York resident Gerald Fernando said, “That’s the one thing about celebrities, if they’re going to change, it should be more in their actions, they don’t have to be walking around with the bible to reflect that they are a changed person.”

Critics believe Pacquaio’s presidential ambitions could be the real motive for his new clean lifestyle– one reason why his decision to endorse alcohol is being seen as questionable.

Newborn baby found alive in morgue 12 hours after being declared dead

Source: yahoo.com 


A newborn in Argentina was found very much alive in a morgue by her mother 12 hours after hospital staff had declared the baby dead.

Parents

The mother, Analia Bouguet, tells TeleNoticias TV that the hospital still has issued her only a death certificate for the infant rather than a birth certificate. Bouguet said she is planning to pursue a medical malpractice suit.


The Daily Mail reports that the baby was Bouguet's fifth and was born prematurely.


Two hours after being issue a death certificate, Bouguet and her husband visited the morgue because they wanted to see their child one more time.


"The baby was there and they put the little casket on a stretcher. We looked for a bar to pry it open," the baby's father, Fabian Veron, said in a press conference. "My wife looked and uncovered it slowly. She saw the little hand and then uncovered the face. That's when it let the first little cry out."


"That night, we went to the morgue. We wanted to take a photo of our daughter," Bouguet told Argentina's Clarin newspaper. "But when a worker opened the drawer, we heard a cry and she was alive."


The newborn has been named Luz Milagros, or "Miracle Light." She is still listed as being in critical condition but is said to be improving. The deputy provincial health minister announced that five medical professionals involved in the case have been suspended, pending further investigation.
"At the moment we have no explanation," hospital director Jose Luis Meirino told the paper. "The baby was attended to by obstetricians, gynecologists and a neonatologist. They all reached the same conclusion, that this girl was stillborn."

Bulls' Rose practices, likely to face Heat

Derrick Rose participated fully in the Chicago Bulls' non-contact practice Wednesday and likely will return from missing one game with a sprained right ankle to face the Miami Heat on Thursday night.


"He’s fine," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He went through practice and we’ll see where he is (Thursday). He’ll be game-time again.

"When he’s healthy, he can go. He probably could’ve gone last night but we wanted to be safe with it. He’s feeling a lot better. All the swelling is out so that’s good."


Rose's swelling decreased throughout Tuesday and he badly wanted to play against the Knicks. But management and the medical and training staffs convinced Rose to sit for the 23rd time this season. The Bulls are 16-7 in those games.


"I just think it was the smart thing to do," coach Thibodeau said. "If we’re going to err, we’re going to err on the side of caution. He wanted to play. We felt it best that he didn’t."


Rose tested the ankle in front of the training and medical staffs and management before Tuesday's game. The Bulls beat the Heat at home once already without Rose this season.


"Derrick is a great player," Thibodeau said. "We want him to be out there. We feel good about the guys who are filling in and getting the job done. That’s been a strength all year. But Derrick has to get some games under his belt too so he can play well. It’s not an individual sport. It’s a team sport.


"You have to get your timing with your teammates and your defensive schemes down and all that. So him playing is important but not at the expense of him playing hurt or injured. We certainly don’t want him to do that. If he’s healthy enough to play, he will. If he’s not, he won’t."


If the Bulls win Thursday, they would move closer to locking up the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They will clinch the Central Division title Wednesday if Indiana loses.


"They’re the Eastern Conference champions so we’re chasing them," Thibodeau said of the Heat. "That’s the way we’re looking at it. That’s the reality of it."

Filipina Jasmine Lee wins seat in S.Korea parliament

MANILA, Philippines - Filipina TV host and actress Jasmine Lee has been elected as a lawmaker in South Korea's parliament. This makes Lee, a native of Davao, the first naturalized Korean to win a seat in the National Assembly.

Lee was a candidate for proportional representation for the ruling Saenuri Party, which won a majority of 152 seats in the 300-strong assembly, election results on Thursday showed. The conservative party is headed by Park Geun-hye, who is the daughter of the late Korean president Park Chung-hee and one of the leading candidates in the presidential elections in December.

The 35-year-old Lee was number 15 in the Saenuri Party's list of candidates for proportional representation. The party had included a naturalized citizen high on its list of proportional representatives, to gain the support of the majority of 110,000 foreigners who are now Korean citizens.

South Korea's National Assembly is similar to the Philippine Congress, where most of the members are elected in districts across the country. However, some 54 seats are elected through proportional representation, similar to the Philippines' party-list system. Political parties come up with a slate of candidates for proportional representation.

The Filipina-Korean's rise in politics has not been smooth, as anti-multicultural groups in Korea have raised criticisms against her.

Lee is an advocate for multicultural families and the Filipino community in South Korea.  She met her husband Lee Dong-ho when she was still a college student at Ateneo de Davao, and moved to Seoul in 1995. She became a naturalized Korean citizen in 1998.

Her husband died in 2010 while saving their daughter from drowning in a mountain stream in Okcheon-dong, Gangwon province.

Lee is secretary general of Waterdrop, a charity formed by foreign spouses of Koreans and the team manager of the city government's Seoul Global Center.

Last year, Lee co-starred with Korean heartthrob Yoo Ah-in in the blockbuster hit "Wandeugi" (Punch) last year. Since 2006, she has appeared on the KBS program "Love in Asia" and a Korean language program on educational channel EBS.

In December 2011, she was named the first recipient of the Korea Image Millstone Award from the Corea Image Communication Institute. She was cited for her volunteer and charity works for foreign immigrants in Korea.

Earlier, Vice President Jejomar Binay said Lee “gives hope not only for Filipinos but for all migrants and immigrants”.

"We are all very proud that a full-blooded Filipino is being given the opportunity to be a member of the Korean Parliament," Binay told South Korean media. "It shows that Korea is prepared to extend the opportunity to become a public servant even to those who were not born here."

Factbox: Strongest earthquakes since 1900

Here is a factbox showing the 10 strongest earthquakes recorded since 1900, by order of magnitude as Indonesia issued a tsunami warning after a huge 8.6 magnitude earthquake struck off its westernmost province of Aceh on Wednesday.

May 22, 1960 - Chile - An earthquake of magnitude 9.5 struck Santiago and Concepcion, triggering tidal waves and volcanic eruptions. Some 5,000 people were killed and 2 million made homeless.

March 28, 1964 - Alaska - An earthquake and ensuing tsunami killed 125 people and caused about $310 million in property loss. The magnitude 9. 2 qu ake buffeted a large area of Alaska and parts of western Yukon Territory and British Columbia in Canada.

Dec. 26, 2004 - Indonesia - A magnitude 9.1 quake struck off the coast of Aceh province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, setting off a tsunami that killed more than 226,000 people in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, India and nine other countries.

Nov. 4, 1952 - Russia - An earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 g enerated a tsunami that reached the Hawaiian islands. No lives were lost.

March 11, 2011 - An 9.0 magnitude quake struck Japan, causing many injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey verified the quake at a depth of 15.1 miles and located it at 81 miles east of Sendai, on the main island of Honshu.

-- The quake was the strongest in Japan on record, and a big tsunami followed, which triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis in the 25 years since Chernobyl. More than 15,000 people died from the combination of the earthquake and tsunami.

-- The Philippines, Taiwan and Indonesia all issued tsunami alerts, reviving memories of the giant tsunami which struck Asia in 2004. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued alerts for countries as far away as Colombia and Peru.

Feb. 27, 2010 - Chile - An 8.8 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami in Chile killed more than 500 people and caused some $30 billion in damage, wrecking hundreds of thousands of homes and mangling highways and bridges.

Jan. 31, 1906 - Ecuador - An earthquake with a magnitude of 8 .8 s truck off the coast of Ecuador and Colombia, generating a tsunami that killed up to 1,000 people. It was felt all along the coast of Central America and as far north as San Francisco and west to Japan.

Feb. 4, 1965 - Alaska - An earthquake of magnitude 8.7 generated a tsunami reported to be about 35 feet (10.7 metres) high on Shemya Island.

April 11, 2012 - A huge 8.6 magnitude quake struck Indonesia's Aceh province some 308 miles southwest of the province's capital Banda Aceh.

-- The quake was felt as far away as Singapore, Thailand and India.

March 28, 2005 - A magnitude 8. 6 quake off Sumatra was estimated to have killed 1,300 people, many on Nias island off Sumatra's west coast.

8.6 quake off Indonesia triggers tsunami warning

No tsunami threat to Philippines, Phivolcs says

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (UPDATE 10) - An 8.6 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia on Wednesday, sending residents around the region scurrying from buildings and raising fears of a huge tsunami as in 2004, but authorities said there were no reports suggesting a major threat.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in Aceh, the Indonesian province closest to the earthquake.

The quake struck at 0838 GMT and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said soon afterwards a tsunami watch was in effect for the entire Indian Ocean.

It later said the threat of a big tsunami had receded, although the warning remained in place.

"It doesn't look like a major tsunami. But we are still monitoring as tsunamis come in waves," Victor Sardina, a geophysicist on duty at the Hawaii-based institute, told Reuters.

Individual countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India, issued their own warnings.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami watch was in effect for the entire Indian Ocean and individual countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India, issued tsunami warnings.

People near the coast in six Thai provinces were ordered to higher ground.

Countries covered by the Indian Ocean-wide tsunami alert are:

• Australia
• Bangladesh
• Comores
• Crozet Islands
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Kenya
• Kerguelen Islands
• Madagascar
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Mauritius
• Mozambique
• Myanmar
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Reunion Island
• Seychelles
• Singapore
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Sri Lanka
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• UAE
• United Kingdom
• Yemen

The Philippines is not on the list.

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum on Wednesday said the earthquake will have no effect on the Philippines.

The quake struck 308 miles (500 km) southwest of the city of Banda Aceh, on the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, at a depth of 20.5 miles (33 km), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The USGS initially measured the quake at 8.9 before lowering it to 8.7, and later 8.6 magnitude as more accurate data came in.

The quake struck 308 miles (500 km) southwest of the city of Banda Aceh, on the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, at a depth of 20.5 miles (33 km), the U.S. Geological survey said.

Indonesia's disaster management agency said power was down in Aceh province and people were gathering on high ground as sirens warned of the danger.

"The electricity is down, there are traffic jams to access higher ground. Sirens and Koran recitals from mosques are everywhere," said Sutopo, spokesman for the agency.

But Yudhoyono said there were no signs of a disaster.

"There is no tsunami threat although we are on alert," said he said at a joint news conference in Jakarta with visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said Britain was standing ready to help if needed.

"The situation in Aceh is under control, there's a little bit of panic but people can go to higher ground," Yudhoyono said.

He said he had ordered a disaster relief team to fly to Aceh, which was devastated by the 9.1 magnitude 2004 quake, which sent huge tsunami waves crashing into Sumatra, where 170,000 people were killed, and across the Indian Ocean.

In all, the 2004 tsunami killed about 230,000 people in 13 Indian Ocean countries, including Thailand, Sri Lanka and India.

'Horizontal shift'

Wednesday's quake was felt as far away as the Thai capital, Bangkok, and in southern India, residents said.

Hundreds of office workers in the Indian city of Bangalore left their buildings while the Indian port of Chennai closed down because of the danger of a tsunami, the port said.

The quake was in roughly in the same area as the 2004 quake which was at a depth of 18 miles (30 km) along a fault line running under the Indian Ocean, off western Indonesia and up into the Bay of Bengal.

One expert told the BBC the Wednesday quake was a "strike-slip" fault, meaning a more horizontal shift of the ground under the sea as opposed to a sudden vertical shift, and less risk of a large displacement of water triggering a tsunami.

The quake was also felt in Sri Lanka, where office workers in the capital, Colombo, fled their offices, and in Phuket, both of which were hit hard by the 2004 tsunami.

Mahinda Amaraweera, Sri Lanka's minister for disaster management, called for calm while advising people near the coast to seek safety.

"I urge the people not to panic. We have time if there is a tsunami going to come. So please evacuate if you are in the coastal area and move to safer places," Amaraweera told a private television channel.

In Bangladesh, where two tremors were felt, authorities said there appeared to be no threat of a tsunami. Australia also said there was no threat of a tsunami there.