The new miracle face cream: The £3.49 Aldi serum that beats Boots

By Katherine Faulkner

Top spot: The new Aldi serum


It was hailed as the most effective anti-wrinkle cream on sale - and was so popular it had to be rationed.

But now Boots Protect And Perfect anti-ageing serum has been kicked into second place by a rival costing a fraction of the price.

Aldi's Lacura Multi-Intensive Serum is better than Protect And Perfect at reducing the appearance of wrinkles, according to a study.

The serum is one of the cheapest around but beat 2,000 rival products in a series of blind tests.

The Boots Protect And Perfect Intensive Serum came second.

At £20.50, the Boots serum is six times more expensive than the Aldi version, which costs £3.49.

The Boots serum sold out in hours after scientists on the BBC's Horizon programme found it worked better than expensive rivals.

When more supplies were sent out, several stores opened at 7am to cope with the massive demand and restricted customers to one bottle each.

At one point, the 30ml bottles were changing hands for up to £75 on eBay.

The signs are that Aldi's serum will be just as popular. Sales have soared by 2,150 per cent over the past month with many stores selling out.

Women who tested the product said they noticed dramatic results in weeks.

Christine West, a 58-year- old from Sheffield, said: 'I noticed wrinkles reducing in the third week.

'All of a sudden my face just looked younger. My hairdresser remarked on the difference - I was delighted someone noticed.'

Aldi claims the serum's combination of shea butter, macadamia nut oil and vitamins C and E smooth out wrinkles and improve the elasticity of the skin.

A £1.99 face cream in the supermarket chain's same range is also selling out fast after coming top of its class.

Sales of the Lacura Shimmering Day Cream, which claims to make skin look more even and radiant, are up by 1,581 per cent.

Boots's £15.50 version, No7 Instant Radiance Beauty Balm, was once again knocked into second place in the survey, which was carried out by Celebs On Sunday, the Sunday Mirror's magazine.

The survey was carried out by 1,000 women who tested 2,000 products.

All of the creams were put into plain containers and each product was tested by ten different women.

The women were asked to mark each product out of ten.

They were asked whether they had noticed an anti-aging benefit, whether friends and family had noticed any difference, and whether they would buy the product again.

source: dailymail

The future face of 40: Botox, fillers and high-tech face creams all mean the Big Four-0 doesn't look like it used to

By Alice Hart-davis

Faces of beauty: All of these 19 celebrities are pictured at the age of 40 - looking fresh-faced and full of vitality

We used to know what 40-something looked like. It meant short, neat hair, sensible clothes and the onset of middle-aged spread.

It meant less focus on yourself and more on those around you (who's going to be looking at you, anyway?), a time for slipping gradually into the cosy cardie of your middle years. 'Forty, fat and frumpy' was the tag that women dreaded, not least because it was so often true.

Now, 40-something looks . . . different; none of the old rules seems to apply. Thanks to those Desperate Housewives, we've come to feel that tousled tresses aren't just for youngsters. Madonna, in her 40s, cavorts on screen in leotards that Lady Gaga would be proud of.

Forty-something mothers borrow their teenage daughters' skinny jeans, chunky ankle boots and jackets - they're trim enough, after all that Pilates. And no one bats an eyelid, not when their lithe-limbed, 40-plus role models Liz Hurley and Elle Macpherson are flaunting their just-as-perfect-as-ever bodies.

Botox and wrinkle-fillers, skin peels and SmartLipo - procedures that hadn't been invented a generation ago - are becoming the norm, to the extent that many women in their 40s appear peculiarly ageless. Cindy Crawford and Demi Moore have 'forever faces' (though Cindy has had the grace to admit that she owes the quality of her skin to her cosmetic surgeon).

And while '45-year-old mother of three', is still a loaded description, when you see it alongside a photograph of Yasmin Le Bon and her teenage daughters you realise the big 4-0 is no longer such a major stepping stone towards incapacity, irrelevance and old age.

'Forty is just a little step,' says Dr Nick Lowe, consultant dermatologist at the Cranley Clinic in London. 'If a woman comes to me in her 30s and takes my advice on looking after her skin, I can certainly keep her looking that way until her early 50s.'

That advice will include trying out non-invasive and non-surgical treatments; lasers and radio-frequency devices, as well as Botox and fillers, along with broad-spectrum sunscreen by day and prescription skinrepair creams by night.

The stigma of messing around with your face has vanished. This has been aided by the plethora of extreme makeover TV shows and an increasing desire among women with well-known and well-preserved faces to confess to having work done.

'If they say it's all down to yoga and face cream, they've normally done Botox and fillers,' said one industry source. 'If they're admitting to Botox, there's usually been an awful lot more than that going on.'

It's become hard to gauge how old women actually are. Celebrity nail technician Andrea Fulerton observes many famous faces close up.


Fit at 40: Model Cindy Crawford and actress Demi Moore have 'forever faces'


'Women are looking after themselves so much better nowadays that they always look at least five years younger than they are and that goes for their hands, which used to be a real giveaway of age, as well as their faces,' she says.

But cosmetic work is a slippery slope. At first, it's just powder and paint - the clever use of the latest high-tech cosmetics, such as skin primers that gloss over flaws and light reflecting particles that make your pout look fuller.

Next, there's eyebrow- shaping, hairdyeing and facials, possibly involving machines with electrical currents to liven up slackening muscles. So far, so acceptable. But then come needles delivering line-relaxing Botox or fillers that plump up shrinking lips, puff out cheeks or pad out hollows. It sounds scary. It is scary, but it's a transition that is becoming a lot easier to make. In future, it will be easier still, as the lines begin to blur between the treatment options.

Face creams will become more powerful and personalised. Already, you can have a cream tailored to match your precise skincare requirements. Bionova is a cult brand available at Harrods that prompts biologically active substances within the skin to trigger self-healing processes.

Then there are the prescription anti-ageing creams containing tretinoin, a derivative of Vitamin A, which so far has been the only thing clinically proven to reduce wrinkles. These creams will be prescribed more often as wised-up consumers demand them.

Technically, face creams are cosmetics, so should not make a physiological change to the skin. But there are two on the market (Olay's Pro-X, available only in the U.S. at present, and No 7's Protect & Perfect Intense, at Boots) that have been shown by stringent clinical tests to rejuvenate wrinkled skin in a way that could previously be achieved only by the prescription- only treatment tretinoin.

They work by boosting collagen production in the skin, while Olay Pro-X also increases cell turnover so that skin regenerates faster. Meanwhile, Clinique's Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector, available at Selfridges from Friday, promises to brighten skin and minimise pigmentation marks. It has been shown to work as well as the standard dermatologist prescription treatment that uses 4 per cent hydroquinone, which whitens the skin.

Pro-X, just like L'Oreal's Youth Code, uses technology based on genomics - working out what has changed, in terms of the genes between young skin and old skin, then identifying ingredients to tackle those changes. Its potential is mind-boggling - once scientists have worked out which genes they need to tackle, they can find ways to activate the right 'youth' genes to, say, produce more collagen or reduce inflammation within the skin.

The menu of non-surgical treatments will expand as new technology develops, too. There will be machines that can use combined laser technology to tackle pigmentation and resurface skin at the same time. And face and body sculpting using stem cell-enhanced fat grafting will become more widespread.

NHS surgeons trialling this technique have been getting promising results in breast enhancement, while cosmetic surgeons in London have been using the same technique to revolumise sagging faces.

By next year, when the results of the NHS trials are published, you can expect far more women to be demanding these kinds of procedure, despite the £7,000 price tag (which is as much as for a traditional facelift). Surgical facial adjustment will become increasingly subtle as existing techniques are refined to give less discernible, though reliable, results, with less recovery time and scarring - keyhole forehead lifts and mid-facelifts are already available.

We will even be able to pop pills to return our hair to the colour of its youth. L'Oreal has been working on hair re-pigmentation technology for years and hopes to have the results on sale within a decade.


40-plus role models: Liz Hurley, left, and Elle Macpherson, right


Most surgeons prefer to take a 'little and often' approach to facial rejuvenation, changing a face by degrees with a series of subtle tweaks rather than one hugely obvious lift. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) recorded 36,400 procedures last year among members, a rise of 6.7 per cent from the previous year, despite the financial downturn.

'There is tremendous interest in cosmetic surgery,' says leading cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon Charles Nduka, who has commissioned a comprehensive survey of attitudes to cosmetic surgery among 5,000 women aged 16 to 60 for the not-for-profit website www.safercosmeticsurgery.co.uk.

'Around 7 per cent of the women questioned had already had a surgical procedure of some sort,' he says.

Another major reason why women are looking younger at 40 is a shift in our attitudes to ageing. Or perhaps that should be to growing up. There used to be a divide between the generations because women of a certain age surrendered to it.

Now, the middle-aged want to stay young, act young, think young. They gather friends on Facebook; they tweet. Along with their teenage daughters, they are addicted to Grazia and pore over the weekly charts of top new looks.

Pop into Topshop or American Apparel on a weekday morning, when all the lissome 15- year-olds are safely in their classrooms, and you might find their mothers trying on the clothes. Better health and healthy habits are another contributing factor.

Pilates, FitFlops and low GI are the staples of the 'are-you-really-40?' generation. They get their five-aday, 10,000 steps and eight hours of beauty sleep. And the savvy ones may also be getting their hormone levels checked out, too.

'Looking young is not just about Botox,' says Maria Somers, managing director of the HB Health clinic in Knightsbridge. 'What's the point of doing over the outside if you don't check what's going on on the inside?

'Your lifestyle has an enormous impact on how old you look. Making sure you have enough sleep, exercising and eating a wellbalanced diet are important.'

So how will 40 look in 40 years time? That, I suspect, will depend on who you are, your personal values and how rich you are. If you can afford the work, and attitudes towards it continue to become more permissive, then, unless you insist on ageing gracefully, why not?

And in the future, if you can't afford any work, it's going to show, in the way that today in the U.S. the poor are marked out by their bad teeth. Barring a volte-face in attitudes, the pressure for women to look young for their age will increase.

Youth and beauty have always gone hand in hand. There is a generation of girls growing up who have learned to adopt skin-friendly habits. Any dermatologist will tell you that the lines that show up when you're 40 are the result of everyday exposure to daylight.

Many girls use sunscreen daily, avoid sunbeds and have never smoked. They've savvy about popping pills - high-dose fish oils and antioxidants - to maximise their skin health. They started on pre-emptive Botox and Vitamin A creams in their early 20s, not to freeze their faces, but just enough to prevent their lines of expression from becoming permanent features.

They don't lie on the beach on holiday. By the time they're 40, they will be laughing. They simply won't look as old as 40-year-olds do now.



source: dailymail

Take that power nap - you could end up smarter

By David Derbyshire

Medical researchers have shown that power naps not only refresh the mind, they also make people smarter


It may not make you popular with your boss but a snooze in the middle of the day dramatically boosts your brain power.

Medical researchers have shown that the power naps favoured by Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Margaret Thatcher not only refresh the mind, they also make people smarter.

They found snoozing for just one hour in the day is enough to increase the brain's ability to learn new facts in the hours that follow.

Dr Matthew Walker, a psychologist at the University of California, who led the study, said: 'Sleep not only rights the wrong of prolonged wakefulness but, at a neuro-cognitive level, it moves you beyond where you were before you took a nap.'

While many people will ridicule the idea of taking 40 winks at lunchtime, some of the most influential people on the planet were keen cat nappers.

Lady Thatcher claimed she got by on just four hours of sleep each night but had a short sleep in the day, while Bill Clinton famously took a 30-minute nap after lunch.

Famous daytime dozers also include John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Florence Nightingale.

Many sleep researchers argue that the British habit of trying to stay awake from morning until night is inherently unhealthy.

They point to countries such as Spain where most people traditionally go for a post-lunch siesta.


In the Californian study, the researchers split 39 healthy students into two groups and asked them to carry out a learning task - linking faces with names - intended to tax the hippocampus, the region of the brain that helps store facts.


At 2pm, half the group took a 90 minute siesta, while the rest stayed awake.
At 6pm, the students were asked to carry out a new round of learning exercises.

Those who had a siesta performed
much better than those who remained awake throughout the day.

Overall, the nappers improved their capacity to learn in the evening session, the researchers told a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in San Diego, California.

The researchers say sleep is needed to clear the brain's short term memory and make room for new information.

'It's as though the email inbox in your hippocampus is full and, until you sleep and clear out those fact emails, you're not going to receive any more mail,' said Dr Walker.

'It's just going to bounce until you sleep and move it into another folder.'

Using ECG tests of the brain's electrical activity the scientists found that this memory-refreshing process takes place in a period between deep sleep and the dreaming state known as REM, or rapid eye movement.

The average person spends half their sleeping hours in this transitional sleep period, which is known as Stage 2 non-REM sleep.

'I can't imagine Mother Nature would have us spend 50 per cent of the night going from one sleep stage to another for no reason,' Dr Walker added.

'Sleep is sophisticated. It acts locally to give us what we need.'

The same study also found that students who have all-night revision sessions in the run up to exams, reduce the brain's ability to cram in new facts by a staggering 40 per cent.


source: dailymail

'I eat half an apple before bedtime': Kelly Osbourne reveals the secrets to her incredible weight loss

Body makeover: Kelly Osbourne (left last night and right, in 2007) says nibbling on an apple before bedtime has helped her lose weight


She once claimed that she never wanted to be skinny.

But Kelly Osbourne seems to have had a change of heart after losing three stone. And she says the secret behind her transformation has been to nibble on half an apple shortly before bed.

The 25-year-old daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne has waged a long, public battle with her weight.

Now the former 'wild child' is slimmer than ever after overhauling her lifestyle and her dramatic weight loss has been the talk of New York Fashion Week.

Miss Osbourne lost almost two stone during her appearance last year on Dancing With The Stars, the U.S. version of Strictly Come Dancing.

She said she had expected to put the weight back on after the competition ended, but she has in fact continued to shrink.

'I've completely changed the way I eat since doing Dancing With The Stars,' she told U.S. magazine Life & Style.


Toast of the town: The blonde wowed the New York Fashion Week crowd with her new knock-out figure

'A trick I've learned is to eat just a little bit of something that has no carbs and no sugar in it before you go to sleep because it keeps your metabolism going.

'They say you should never eat before you go to bed, but I've found just having a tiny little snack - like half an apple or something like that - before you go to sleep really helps.'

Miss Osbourne, who was once a size 14 and weighed 11.5 stone at her heaviest, has kept up her dancing since coming third on the programme and is now also a devotee of Pilates.

'Pilates is amazing, my posture is so much better and I'm even starting to get muscles on my tummy - it's incredible,' she has said.



source: dailymail

'I had 10 plastic surgery treatments in one day,' boasts new-look The Hills star Heidi Montag, 23

'I see an upgraded version of me': Heidi Montag unveiled her new look to the world after undergoing 10 plastic surgery procedures in one day


By her own admission, Heidi Montag is 'beyond obsessed' with plastic surgery.

So much so that the 23-year-old star of The Hills underwent 10 procedures in just one day in her quest for 'perfection'.

The reality star, who is hoping to launch a pop career, this week unveiled the startling results after going under the scalpel in November

Heidi was no stranger to surgery - by the time she was 21, Heidi had already had a nose job, collagen lip injections, and implants that turned her A-cups into 32-Cs.

But this time around proved more dramatic.

In a transformation chronicled by America's People magazine, she had work done on almost every part of her body, ranging from neck liposuction to a buttock augmentation.

She had a mini brow lift, chin reduction, Botox in her forehead and frown area as well as fat injected into her cheeks, nasolabial folds and lips.

Afterward, she told the publication: 'I love my body. I still feel a little fragile, but I've never felt more beautiful and sexier. I didn't know I could have this much confidence.

'I see an upgraded version of me. It's a new face and a new energy. It's a new person and I feel like almost all of the things I didn't want to be and who I turned into kind of got chiseled away. So I'm very excited for the world to see the new me and a real me.'

She admitted that in recovery 'the pain was everywhere', adding: 'My head felt like it had a jackhammer on it. I couldn't talk because of my jaw and chin... I was like, "I wanna die right now. I'm in so much pain. I don't know what to do".'


Dramatic transformation: The Hills star in 2006 and right, modelling the results of her first round of surgery in 2008...


...and outside her home in Los Angeles yesterday


She hasn't ruled out having more procedures to maintain her looks.

But the move has already seen her branded a bad role model by none other than her own co-stars.

Lo Bosworth, who also appears in The Hills, said: 'I hope that girls don't read the article, look at the decisions that Heidi made, and think that's normal.'

Chimed Audrina Partridge: 'Ten procedures in one day is a little much.'

Meanwhile, actress Emily Rossum said she was 'upset [to see] a young women in the spotlight advocating plastic surgery.'

But the now pneumatic blonde responded to her critics during an interview on Good Morning America yesterday, commenting: 'I would say that none of those people know me at all, and that's just a judgment.'

Heidi first stepped into the spotlight as the best friend turned nemesis of The Hills' central star Lauren Conrad.

In 2006, she began dating fellow cast member Spencer Pratt and the pair went on to marry on the show.

She has just released an album called, rather appropriately, Superficial


source: dailymail

Why A BlackBerry Outage Is Good For You

By Brad Miles
Lifestyle Correspondent

It’s a common enough scenario: Your buddy just got a new home theater system complete with a gigantic LCD screen, and he invites you over to watch the game and bask in the HD glow of his new setup.

After the requisite couple of minutes spent being impressed by his new system, you settle in for some quality uninterrupted sports watching -- but he won’t shut up about the “killer feature set” of his new obsession. “Just check this out for a sec,” he keeps saying, and yet another dialog box pops up at the bottom of the screen. You’re very tempted to tell him to shut up; can’t a guy just watch the game? The image quality is awesome, yes, in the end it’s all about the game, not the gadget -- right? We’re beginning to worry that for some guys, that distinction is getting blurred.

What really matters? Hint: not iPhone apps

Enjoying an experience -- whether it’s the thrill of watching the one-handed catch that leads to a touchdown win or finding the nearest beer store without the help of your iPhone -- is lately getting overwhelmed by our obsession with the gadgets that are meant to help us. And over time, we’re concerned that our increased reliance on these gadgets will erode our resourcefulness, or at the very least our ability to enjoy the simplest pleasures of manhood -- like a long stretch of undisturbed football on TV, or the confidence you have in your innate sense of direction.

We’re going to get right to the point here: You need to be able to function without your smartphone, GPS and home theater. If you can’t, you’re not much different than a baby who cries when his pacifier is taken away. We’re encouraged to think that as men, being proficient with tech is crucial – and it is. But, when the chips are down, who cares how many e-mails you can bang out on your BlackBerry while waiting for your latte to be ready? The skills that really matter are those that come into play when the network is down.

The legendary plastic saxophone concert
In May of 1953, the legendary jazz saxophone player Charlie “Bird” Parker, along with four other celebrated musicians, were scheduled to play a concert at Massey Hall (Toronto, Canada). Parker was a heroin addict, and, in a characteristic move, he pawned his saxophone in the days leading up to the show in order to get money for drugs. He showed up in Toronto without a horn, and given that it was evening, all of the music stores were closed. He and his band combed the city for something for Parker to play, and they finally found a plastic Grafton sax – hardly the instrument for the job.

Nonetheless, Bird played the plastic sax like his life depended on it, and the resulting live recording (released under the name The Quintet: Jazz at Massey Hall) is often cited as one of the best live jazz recordings ever made.

Now, we’re not trying to glorify heroin addiction, but the fact remains that few musicians today operate with such resourcefulness as that shown by the Quintet that night.

take control of your resources
There’s something impotent about obsessive control, whether it takes the form of getting just the right image quality on your flat-screen or shaving that last 30 seconds off your commute with the help of your GPS. Next time you’re in a new city, we encourage you to go GPS-free; next time your smartphone dies, try taking a couple of days off to see how you handle the challenge. It might take a day or so to get used to, but you’ll feel like a human, and the inconvenience might just bring about some unexpected brilliance.


source: askmen

If you want a job done properly... Holly Willoughby models her own new dress range herself

By LIZZIE SMITH

Figure hugging: Holly Willoughby shows off her curves as she models a flattering red dress for Very.co.uk


When Holly Willoughby made the move from children's presenter to Dancing On Ice frontwoman, her plunging necklines helped made her a star.

Now her fans can recreate her curve-flattering wardrobe, with the launch of the star's latest fashion range.

New mother Holly, who previously designed a maternity range, showed off her figure as she modelled the flattering dresses.

They will be sold by website Very, which also carries ranges by Holly's best friend Fearne Cotton, and party-girl Peaches Geldof.

The dresses are designed to flatter curves, with low-cut necklines, and nipped in waists.

Holly has previously defended her dress sense.

'I love the dresses I wear, I think they are beautiful and until I think differently, I'll carry on,' she said.


Designed for curves: Holly has previously refused to change her dress style


'I'm womanly, I have boobs and hips and I dress to accommodate them - that's not going to change.'

The 28-year-old's sequinned party dress was the online store's top seller at Christmas, with more than eight million snapped up.

And early buyers are already praising her new range on web forums.

'So flattering. Everyone comments when I wear it out, its very sexy,' wrote one.

The dresses, designed by Holly, range in price from £39 to £89.


Well received: Reviewers have praised Holly's designs


source: dailymail

A noisy road to riches: The advantages to living on a busy route

Desirable: Cottages line the main road through Shanklin, Isle of Wight

Most people want to live well away from the noise and pollution of Britain's 25,000 miles of roads.

But in these belt-tightening days, there is one compelling reason why you might want a roadside home - it will cost you less.

Fenella Russell-Smith, of estate agent Hamptons International, says many people change their minds about living on a busy street when they find how much more space they get for their money.

'Buyers can get somewhere that would ordinarily be way beyond their means. In today's market, this equates to a price reduction of 30 to 40 per cent and, in a strongly rising market, to 10 to 20 per cent,' says Russell-Smith.

You can see the price effect of a noisy road with properties such as a large house in Stretton-on-Fosse, Warks. It is on Fosse Way, an A-road, and has five bedrooms, off-road parking and a large garden.

Away from the traffic, it would sell for £500,000, but it is priced £350,000 through Hayman-Joyce.

'That's an awful lot of house for your money in this part of the Cotswolds,' says an agency spokeswoman. Ed Church, of Strutt & Parker in Canterbury, was brought up in a house on a main road and is a fan. 'Only a few decades ago, proximity to a main road was held in much higher regard, because it brought so many conveniences.'

Businessman Craig Moore and his wife Linda live on the busy A57 Liverpool Road, close to Warrington town centre.

He says: 'There are no parked cars obstructing the drive and easy access to wherever we want to go.'

The number of homes on main roads has boomed since 1997 thanks to government planning policies.

These insist developments have a higher density - so most new homes are flats, not houses - and are built, if possible, on brownfield sites, which often used to be old schools, offices or industrial sites near main roads.

So if you do live on a busy route, how can you minimise the downsides? Many main roads have sleeping policemen, pedestrian crossings, traffic lights and safety cameras to keep traffic speed low.

Most police forces and local councils encourage residents to suggest other measures.

And you won't be snowed in, because main roads are cleared first. Triple glazing - three layers of glass, with one highly-absorbent laminated safety glass - should keep out most noise.

It's about 40 per cent more expensive than conventional glazing, but it's effective and wil enhance the property when you sell. If you have a front garden, nurture a sound barrier.

Evergreens grow rapidly and are full-bodied. They make effective hedges that act as sound breaks and give some privacy. Gardening experts recommend yew, cotoneaster, boxwood and leylandii.

But the most effective action is to reconfigure the internal rooms.

'Rearrange accommodation so primary rooms face the back,' says James Greenwood, of buying agency Stacks.

'If possible, change the main access to the house so that you don't enter directly onto the road.'

With so many ways of counteracting the problem of noise, there are precious few reasons these days to reject a home near a road.

And who knows, with fuel prices soaring and increased awareness of global warming, traffic levels might well fall in years to come.



source: dailymail

China introduces women-only car park... with extra wide spaces to cater for their 'special needs'

Fairer sex: The women's parking area at the Wanxiang Tiancheng shopping centre in Hebei province, China, features oversize spaces


Women drivers have long been the subject of ridicule.

But a Chinese shopping centre has gone one step further and developed a car park to cater for their 'special needs'.

The facility features bigger-than-normal parking spaces - clearly for all those ladies who simply can't manage any tricky manouevres on their way to the mall.

Bays have extra lighting and the colour scheme is pink and light purple. There are also specially trained female parking attendants to guide drivers into spaces.


Special needs: The parking lot also has trained attendants and a women friendly colour scheme


Wang Zheng, an official at the Wanxiang Tiancheng shopping centre in Hebei province's Shijiazhuang city, said the car park aimed to address women's 'strong sense of colour and different sense of distance.'

The spaces are 'one metre wider than normal parking spaces,' Wang said, adding that the mall had 'installed signs and security monitoring equipment that corresponded more to women's needs.'

Driving in China is notoriously dangerous, with nearly 73,500 people killed in road accidents last year, or just over 200 fatalities per day, according to police statistics.


source: dailymail

How to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions: Advice from the Experts

About half of all American adults (48%, according to a Marist poll taken in December) say they are at least somewhat likely to make a New Year's resolution this year. Their top vows: to lose weight (19%), quit smoking (12%) and exercise more (10%). Sound familiar?

The Marist poll also found that while 65% of people who made a resolution in 2008 kept their promise for at least part of the following year, 35% never even made it out of the gate. Indeed, when you wake bleary-eyed on the first day of a new year — or decade — resolutions to "cut back" and "moderate" seem both an excellent idea and an impossibly hazy dream.

But consider this: if hard-core addicts can break bad habits — some by moderating, not just quitting — there's still hope for you. Whether your goal for 2010 is to get fit or tame your drinking, experts say there's a lot you can learn from people who have successfully moderated their habits to help keep you off the resolution merry-go-round.

1. Don't Kid Yourself

"The most important thing is to be honest with yourself," says Howard Josepher, a former heroin addict and president of Exponents Inc., an organization that provides support and educational services to people with substance misuse issues. "You need to know the difference between enjoying yourself and self-medicating. It's not that self-medicating is necessarily bad — but you should give yourself parameters. If you are adhering to them, O.K. If not, you need to check yourself."

Successful moderators decide in advance how much is "too much" — and stick to their limit, no matter what. Have a cookie a day, if that's what you've deemed acceptable. But if you "cheat" by having "just one more," know that you are only cheating yourself and exacerbating the problem, experts say. The point is to learn how to hold yourself accountable.

For those who are concerned about drinking in particular, a free, research-based online tool called Drinker's Checkup can help you determine whether you are drinking at unhealthy levels, and what to do if you are.

2. Quit Cold Turkey — Temporarily

"Theoretically, there are very good reasons to take a break from a behavior, totally," says Reid Hester, director of research at Behavior Therapy Associates, explaining that an initial period of complete abstinence can make it easier for people to moderate behavior, by eliminating the habitual, automatic aspect of the unwanted activity.

Take a cue from the self-help group Moderation Management (MM), which advises problem drinkers to abstain completely for a month before attempting moderate drinking. If you can't achieve a month of abstinence, the thinking goes, successful moderation is unlikely.

The best way to stay on course is frequent self-monitoring; use as many behavior-modification tools, support groups and programs as you can. In October, Hester and colleagues published a randomized controlled trial in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment comparing heavy drinkers who used MM's website to help them quit with those who used the MM site plus another online tool, which teaches behavior-control tactics and helps chart drinking. While both groups significantly reduced their drinking and alcohol-related problems, the group that used the additional tool had more days abstinent and drank less when they drank.

3. Do What the Dalai Lama Would Do

Alan Marlatt, director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, studies "mindfulness-based relapse prevention," which uses meditation and other ideas from Buddhist teachings to help people break bad habits.

"Between stimulus and response, there's a space, and in that space is our power to choose our response, and in our response lies our growth and freedom," says Marlatt, quoting author and Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl. Marlatt says, "Mindfulness gets you into that space."

Being mindful may involve traditional meditation, in which you sit quietly and observe your thoughts and breathing without judgment. But here, it is also used to focus awareness on thoughts and feelings that lead to unwanted behavior. Simply recognizing the triggers to relapse can help you choose not to give into them. "When there's a fork in road, craving is pulling you one way. Well, what's the other way? You have to look down other road see where it takes you. Then, you have a choice, instead of being on autopilot," says Marlatt.

One tactic he recommends for resisting those cravings is called "urge surfing." It involves being mindful of the fact that craving is like a wave — it rises to a peak, then falls. This happens whether you yield to the urge or not, though most people erroneously think their craving will escalate endlessly, unless they give in. In fact, succumbing to cravings only reinforces them — resisting, in contrast, reinforces resistance. Marlatt advises watching your urge, noting its peak and "surfing" it, rather than allowing it to wipe you out.

Another trick to recognize is that willpower is like a muscle — it gets stronger with appropriate use, but ultimately weakens if overloaded. That's why Hester recommends setting short-term goals that are "moderately difficult, realistic, concrete and measurable." As with weight-lifting, starting at a level that is challenging but not overwhelming can provide a sense of achievement and success — which can give you the drive to take on bigger challenges.

4. Don't Try to Scare Yourself Straight

Research shows that in the long term, the pleasure of victory is a better incentive than the agony of defeat. "Punishment is a poor motivator," says Hester. "It sets people up for failure. If all you do is punish yourself for failure, you won't stay motivated to change for very long."

Instead, reward yourself for sticking to your limits and focus on the benefits of changing. For instance, if your goal is to drink less or lose weight, treat yourself to something you want — a new book or DVD, say — each time you successfully resist a tempting dessert or achieve a goal, like a month of abstinence. Success tends to beget greater success. If you do slip back into old patterns, avoid recriminations. "Don't say, 'I can't do it,'" says Marlatt. "People make mistakes. If you keep working at it, you will get better over time. That's what the research shows."

For some people, trying to moderate bad habits is not achievable or takes more effort than abstaining altogether — as the philosopher Saint Augustine put it, "Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation." Recognizing this by trying and failing can also be a critical step toward behavior change.

5. Get Better Friends

Consciously and unconsciously, people tend to imitate those around them. That's why the latest research shows that things like happiness, quitting smoking and obesity can spread like a contagion through social networks. So, surround yourself with friends who can also be role models. "Make sure that people you hang out with are people who look and act the way you would like to. Social imitation is the easiest form not only of flattery but of self-improvement," says Stanton Peele, author of Seven Tools to Beat Addiction.

Social support is critical to changing all kinds of behavior. Good friends can not only help you through slip-ups, but they can also help keep your New Year's resolution from taking over your life. Rather than obsessing about what you shouldn't be doing, think about things you should, experts say. The distraction will help you curb bad habits. "Focus on your higher goals and positive activities, things that both sustain you and fill your life," says Peele. If you regularly engage in meaningful activities that give you pleasure — whether it's visiting friends, picking up a hobby, taking a class or doing volunteer work (one of the most overlooked sources of personal joy and meaning is helping others) — you'll simply have less time to crave or engage in the behavior that you want to reduce.


source: Time

Home Office uses new advertisements to warn Brits to keep their property safe

of the times: The new Home Office adverts will teach Brits how to avoid being a victim of crime


The public is warned not to leave themselves open to thieves and burglars in a new advertising campaign today.

Around one-third of burglaries are carried out when windows and doors have been left open.

The Home Office campaign also highlights the danger of personal theft when mobile phones and other items are on show.

The adverts encourage householders to lock doors and windows and not to leave expensive items or car keys on display.

Advertisements will appear on TV, radio, the internet and on posters.

Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said: 'Simple things like locking your doors and windows when you're out, not leaving valuables on display or just making sure your bag isn't hanging open on the bus will keep the criminals out.'


Valuables: the ads warn people to ensure their property is kept safe, at home and on the streets


source: dailymail

The only thing stopping you from getting what you want is you... here's to a new you in 2010

By Fiona Duffy

A new you: Make 2010 your best year yet by reading the following tips


Getting what you want in 2010 is easier than you think. First, identify what it is you want to achieve in life — that’s the hard part. Once you have done so, our top life coaches are here to help you achieve it. The only thing stopping you is you.

But with a little help, 2010 can be your best year yet. Just go for it.


FINDING LOVE
Dr Pam Spurr, relationship expert (drpam.co.uk)
When looking for love, there are three key things you can do.

First, widen your circle of opportunity. We tend to live within a certain circle — visiting the same cafe at lunchtime, the same supermarket on a Saturday morning, the same bar for an after-work drink with colleagues.

Studies show that the two most common ways to meet someone are through work or within a mile radius of where you work or live

So if you both widen and deepen your circle, you are likely to bump into more people, meet friends of friends and encounter new faces.

Second, be prepared at any moment for that special person to cross your path.

Be aware of both your body language and your attitude. People always remember the very first time they clapped eyes on their partner, but chances are it wasn’t someone slouching, unsmiling, looking stressed and fed up, with the world on their shoulders.

You miss your chances if you cut yourself off with your body language, but it’s so easily done.

Be prepared for that first encounter before it even happens. Be confident, have a ready smile and wear that ‘front’ that you have on a first date.

Third, adopt a new attitude. If you’ve emerged from a bad break-up or been single for a while, you may well be harbouring all sorts of damaging self-myths about yourself.

Thinking ‘I’m unlovable’ or ‘I’m unlucky in love’ (the top ones I hear) shows in your attitude and the vibes you give off.

Substitute these thoughts for more positive ones. Tell yourself: ‘Yes, that break-up was sad, but I’m not unlovable just because he broke up with me.’

Finally, be prepared to make changes. Don’t think: ‘How embarrassing!’ if a friend tries to set you up at a dinner party. Be thankful.

If you’ve gone along to a class for two years in the hope of meeting someone, have the courage to say: ‘It hasn’t worked’ and try something different. Don’t cling to habit in the hope something new will come along.


FINANCES

Yvonne Goodwin, financial adviser and director of Yvonne Goodwin Wealth Management (yvonnegoodwin.co.uk)
My most successful clients have one thing in common which we could all learn from: they’ve always carried a little notebook and jotted down what every single penny of their money is spent on.

This isn’t being tight or Scroogelike, it’s sensible. If you keep the book hidden away in the bottom of your handbag or back of your wallet, no one else need know what you are doing.

But keeping a basic account is like casting an X-ray over where your money is going.

It’s so easy to take cash out of a hole in the wall and fritter it away. I’m as guilty of that as anyone else.

By realising both where you are wasting money in some areas of your life and not spending enough in others, you can make huge changes.

Spending wisely and depriving yourself is not the same thing, and I’d never recommend denying yourself the small treats you really enjoy.

But take that daily cappuccino on the way to work, which probably costs you around £2 a cup: at the end of a working week, you’ll have spent at least £10.

Treating yourself to just one cappuccino a week means you’ll enjoy it all the more as a special treat, but you’ll also be saving £8 a week.

Over a year, that works out at around £400 — enough for a cheap holiday somewhere, or a hefty chunk towards a credit card debt or retirement fund.

Keeping a note of your spending also allows you to look back and see where you paid for a cab when you could have walked or taken the train if you’d planned ahead by a few minutes.

It’s never too late to improve your finances. Keeping a little tally will improve anyone’s financial situation — regardless of whether you are comfortable or struggling.

If you are having financial problems, do face them. Interest rates on credit cards have gone up this year despite base rates coming down.

If you are struggling or need help, go to one of the charitable organisations such as the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (cccs.co.uk).

You’re not the only one — the sooner you do something about it, the quicker things will start to improve.


WORK

Andy Gibney, business coach with Speaker Seeker (speakerseeker.net)

Be happy in your work. Enjoy what you do, or do something else. It’s as simple as that.

It sounds obvious, but check the basic factors which affect your mood.

Are you hydrated, taking regular exercise to keep your serotonin (or happy) levels topped up, getting enough sleep?
If you’re not, perhaps it’s not your job that’s negatively affecting your mood, but these other factors.

Simply making basic lifestyle changes can make the world of difference to your mood, stress levels and performance.

But if it really is a case of your career not being happy, ask yourself why. Is it the way you’re treated? Perhaps you’re working overly long hours.

If your hours are the problem, give yourself a reason to leave the office on time. Perhaps it’s someone at home
who loves you (partner, children, pet), or an activity you’ve made a commitment to outside of work (exercise is perfect).

Before starting work each day, decide in advance what time you are going to stop.

Recognise that by staying too long doing anything, you’ll get diminishing returns.

Give yourself some self-respect. Aim to feel like a valuable team member — not the ‘put-upon’ workhorse.

Occasionally you can put in extra hours, but overall, get a life worth living, not one worth dying for.

If you identify that your job really isn’t right for you, consider what would make you happy.

If this seems like an impossible question, turn the issue around and ask: ‘What would make me unhappy?’
It’s never too late to make changes or embark on a new career.

A lot of people feel like a square peg in a round hole when it comes to work, and the main thing stopping them from moving on is fear — the fear of giving up a regular salary, or perhaps a fear of rejection in attempting to take a new career path.

But sometimes you have to step off the precipice to see what’s on the other side.

Often you’ll need to get to a stage in your life where your job has caused enough pain to make changing it a necessity.

Remember, when you buy a new home there are all sorts of pains you will encounter — the worry of being gazumped, the financial cost of paying solicitors, the rigmarole of packing.

But, ultimately, the thing that keeps you going is the thought of your dream home.

And when you’re settled, you look back and think: ‘It was all worth it.’

Let the thought of your dream job keep you going in the same way.





EXERCISE GOALS

Kathryn Freeland, personal trainer (absolutefitness.co.uk)
Yo-yo exercising is just as harmful for you as yo-yo dieting.

It confuses the body, causes muscle soreness and injury, puts stress on the heart and lungs and increases the production of fat cells, leading to weight gain.

To make 2010 the year you get — and stay — fit you need to devise a realistic and ‘tailored-to-you’ routine that you’ll enjoy and stick to.

Sit down with a pen and paper and figure out what makes you tick.

First, why did your previous attempt at getting fit fail?
Were you too tired for the gym after a day at work, or bored by the same aerobics class?
Now ask yourself: ‘What type of exercise do I enjoy doing?

'Are there times of day I’m more likely to work out?
'Am I better alone or with company? Can I combine it with the commute or school run?
'Will I feel motivated or resentful if I pay for a course in advance?’
Keep scribbling until you have a list of pros and cons.

Finally, set a goal. Do you want to lose weight, complete a 5k run, or have a less snug waistband on your favourite jeans?
Only now can you start forming a realistic plan.

If leaping straight into a new regime has been your problem, start with a target of just one weekly session that you can gradually build on.

But only ever ‘up’ your efforts by 10 per cent a week — if you’re jogging or walking briskly for ten minutes, increase it by just one minute, not another ten, and aim only for gradual improvements in fitness and weight loss. Weigh yourself once a week, no more. Or judge progress on how your clothes feel.

An exercise diary will keep you monitored and motivated in scheduling your weekly sessions and in recording your progress.

Keep focusing on how much better you feel and why you are doing this.

Within just a few months, exercise will be as natural as eating and sleeping.

But remember, always consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise regime





source: dailymail

The couple who wash the dishes together will stay together, research reveals

By Jonathan Petre, Mail on Sunday Reporter

Domestic bliss: Research says sharing chores leads to happiness


It is what women have been saying for decades but men have not wanted to hear - the key to a happy marriage is doing the dishes together.

Researchers have found that couples who share household chores are happier than those where one partner is the breadwinner and the other is the home-maker.

According to new research, neither partner should ideally take on more than 60 per cent of domestic chores, from cleaning to childcare.

As a result, the traditional family in which the husband goes to work while his wife remains at home to look after the children and do all the housework is less likely to result in a happy marriage, says the research.

It found that the ‘working husband and stay-at-home wife’ relationship puts pressure on him to provide and leaves her feeling unfulfilled at not contributing more financially.

A non-earning wife also feels more vulnerable and fears ending up on her own, whether as a widow or divorcee, it adds.

But a family in which the wife is the breadwinner and the husband looks after the house is also problematic because the man is unhappy and unhealthy and the woman is too stressed.

The findings by Canadian academics follow a 2006 study by the British Economic and Social Research Council, which concluded that most women are happier with non-traditional domestic arrangements and do not want to be housewives or stay-at-home mothers.

The Canadian researchers analysed national surveys in which nearly 50,000 adults answered questions about their lives, including the amount of paid and unpaid work they did.

The academics from the University of Western Ontario estimated the levels of happiness experienced by the participants, taking their personal circumstances into account.

The happiest couples share equally the unpaid work, are most likely to be both working and either do not have children or have older children who do not need constant care.

The research found that religious families are most likely to stick to traditional roles, with the husband working and the wife staying at home and doing most of the chores, which academics called the ‘augmented complementary traditional model’.

However, reversing the roles does not work because the man is unfulfilled and the woman feels the pressure to provide as a breadwinner.

The research also looked at other types of partnership.

It found that women who are both the major breadwinner and do housework – called the ‘women’s double burden model’ - are stressed and have low levels of satisfaction. Men who are the breadwinner and also take on their fair share of housework - the ‘men’s double burden model’ - suffer poorer health, though the women have low stress.

The study concludes: ‘For both men and women, the highest average level of happiness and satisfaction with life occurs within the shared-roles model.’

Lead researcher Rod Beaujot said the findings showed the value of providing equal opportunities in the workplace and better childcare, and the benefit of men taking an active part in domestic chores.

‘Adequate childcare facilities and equal opportunities for parental leave should be a focus of public policy,’ he added.

‘By supporting the shared-roles model, there would be support for the type of family model that many would prefer, with less burn-out.’

Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent, said: ‘This research shows that it is very important for both parties to have something in their lives from which they derive a sense of independence and accomplishment.

‘But if in addition they do things in common – which could be the domestic chores or the childcare – it creates a bond that facilitates closeness, communication, emotional warmth and, most importantly, trust.’


source: dailymail

10 ways to avoid mother-in-law meltdown this Christmas...

By Fiona Gibson

Don't hit the bottle: There's something about a mother in law's arrival that has us madly rummaging for the corkscrew. Yet if relations are strained, alcohol can exacerbate tensions


Mother-in-law has arrived for Christmas. Your hackles are up - and she hasn't even done anything yet. However, you know it's only a matter of time before she's muscling into the kitchen, wincing at your carrot-chopping technique and shuddering as you make bread sauce from a packet.

'The kind of work we do, it's just never done, is it?' remarked my friend Sophie's mother-in-law last Christmas as she watched her peel a mountain of spuds.

Sophie was confused. She runs the language faculty at a comprehensive school. As far as she is aware, her mother-in-law doesn't have a career.

'She refuses to acknowledge that I have a paid job, let alone one that I trained hard to do. It's another way of undermining me,' says Sophie.

If that sounds horribly familiar, you are not alone. When I ask women in their 30s and 40s - all of whom are juggling families and careers - everyone has a horror story about entertaining their mother-in-law over the festive season.

There's the one who barked 'Some people don't bother having their children christened these days' over Christmas dinner - triggering her grandchild to cry: 'Why haven't I been christened? Does it mean I won't go to heaven when I die?' Cue hot tears and the festive atmosphere killed stone dead.

Another friend tells me that when her mother-in-law came to stay last Christmas, she turned off the heater in the guest bedroom and proceeded to spend the night 'freezing to death'.

Naturally, she developed a terrible cold that dragged on until Easter, and it was all her daughter-in-law's fault 'for putting me in that cold, damp room', implying she'd been trying to kill her off.

'Having anyone to stay at Christmas is stressful,' says psychologist Dr Terri Apter, author of What Do You Want From Me? (Norton, £18.99), which explores the complexities of in-law relationships. 'You have put a huge amount of work into getting things ready and expect to be rewarded by others' pleasure in what you've done.'

Yet all too often, your mother-in-law not only fails to appreciate your efforts, but criticises. My neighbour is still annoyed by the fact that her mother-inlaw once scraped an entire meal off her plate, complaining: 'You always give me far too much to eat.'

Instead of hitting the sherry, bear in mind that your mother-in-law probably finds the festive get-together as challenging as you do.

'Your partner's mother was once his main carer, influence and provider of love,' says Tina Lamb, senior partner at Impact Factory, which specialises in personal development. 'She has been replaced by you.

'Like it or not, many women feel as if they are in competition with their daughters-in-law and find it difficult to let go.'

It doesn't make her visit easier, but it helps explain the barbed comments.

Here are ten smart ways to avoid mother-in-law meltdown this Christmas.


1 CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES

Weigh up what it would cost you to agree that, yes, of course the bacon should be placed that way on the turkey, rather than your way,' says Tina Lamb.

'You might flatter her by saying: "What a great idea. I hadn't thought of that."

'You should not be a pushover - she should never dictate what you wear or who you invite to your house. But nor is it worth fighting over which way the onions should be chopped.'


2 DON'T HIT THE BOTTLE

There's something about a mother in law's arrival that has us madly rummaging for the corkscrew. Yet if relations are strained, alcohol can exacerbate tensions.

'Judgment is impaired and we become more reactive when we are under the influence,' says Neil Shah, director of the Stress Management Society.

'We know alcohol is part of Christmas, but balance it by taking plenty of water on board. Coffee is another stimulant that can make you edgy.'

Deep breathing, perhaps in a darkened room, may help you to avoid blowing up, pressure-cooker style. And never underestimate the restorative effect of retiring to the bathroom for 15 minutes with the door locked.


3 PLAN THE DAY

You might want to kick back and relax. However, the key to cordial relations is to plan the big day.

'Make sure there's structure by factoring in games that will appeal across all age groups,' says Neil Shah.

'A walk may sound old-fashioned, but it's a great refresher when everyone has been sitting in close proximity, watching yet another re-run of The Great Escape.'

Getting out of the house also offers an opportunity to chat to and bond with your mother-in-law. Often, conversation flows more naturally than when you are crammed together on the sofa in an over-heated living room.

4 GET YOUR PARTNER TO HELP
After all, he's known her all his life. 'Ask him how you might make her visit run more smoothly,' says Tina.

'For instance, would she appreciate coming earlier, before everyone else arrives? Might she enjoy being given a chore so she feels included and useful?'

A friend complains that her mother-inlaw always demands a duster and starts wiping down the piano, 'implying that we live in filth'.

'If yours starts cleaning immediately, then ask her to do something that will actually help you,' says Tina. 'It may still annoy you, but at least it will lessen your workload.'

Remember, too, that the more comfortable she feels, the more likely she is to be on best behaviour. We tend to show our worst sides when we feel ignored or threatened.

5 DON'T ASK HIM TO TAKE SIDES

Dr Apter's research suggests that a man often sides with his mother because he perceives that she is weaker than his partner and therefore needs his support more than you do.

Maddening, yes - but it explains why he won't agree that she's an interfering old bat. He just wants to keep the peace, especially at Christmas. If his mother is causing strife, broach it with him after the holidays so you can devise a future strategy together.


6 LET HER HAVE OPINIONS

You might not agree with her views, but she is still entitled to them.

'Try to de-personalise what she says,' suggests Gladeana McMahon, a fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. 'Rather than taking everything as a personal slight, assume it's just a comment.'

She also recommends talking openly, adult to adult: 'Don't feel you should automatically agree on everything. You are aiming for a healthy, grown-up relationship, so try to communicate as you would with any other woman, always addressing her in a respectful way.'

If she still irks you - such as commenting that your skirt is awfully short - try McMahon's three-pronged approach: 'Show her that you've heard by acknowledging the comment. Say what you think, then move swiftly on.'

So you might say: 'I know, it's a bit mini for me, but I couldn't resist it. Anyway, I fancied being a bit daring today.'

Finish with a broad smile and try to avoid adding: 'By the way, your cardie is the exact colour of bile.' Naturally, your mother-in-law's dress sense is always impeccable.


Try not to read hidden messages into your gift. If she gives you an oven glove, it doesn't mean that she thinks your entire raison d'etre is to sweat over a hot stove


7 WORK THE ROOM (ONE SHE'S NOT IN)

Two-thirds of British women admit they resent their mother-in-law DESPITE gargantuan efforts, you may find it impossible to maintain a sunny demeanour around his mother. 'Irritation is one of the most difficult responses to control,' says Dr Apter.

'However, being annoyed doesn't mean you have a right to be rude. In fact, you'll feel even worse if you are. The best tactic is to limit close contact with her. Talk to someone else or go to another room.'

8 DON'T READ TOO MUCH INTO HER PRESENTS
Sensitive area, this one. Last Christmas, a friend raged that her mother-in-law had not only given her an XXL dressing down, but had been put out that it didn't fit (my friend is a size eight).

My friend was seething and couldn't accept that her mother-in-law might simply have made a mistake.

Try not to read hidden messages into your gift. For instance, if she gives you an oven glove, it doesn't mean that she thinks your entire raison d'etre is to sweat over a hot stove. It simply means she's bought you an oven glove. So don't throw a tantrum about it.


9 BE KIND AND GRACIOUS (THROUGH GRITTED TEETH)
A DIFFICULT mother-in-law is rather like a challenging child who derives pleasure from annoying you. 'Don't give her the satisfaction of rising to the bait, thus confirming her belief that you are the difficult one,' says Tina. 'Be polite and gracious, no matter how angry you feel.'


10 REMEMBER THAT SHE'LL GO HOME EVENTUALLY
Once she's gone, you'll be able to take off that halo and laugh about her foibles. That's when the fun really starts.


source: dailymail

It's panic Saturday: High Street giants slash prices and open till midnight in bid to lure Christmas bargain hunters

By Sean Poulter

Last-minute: 15 million people are expected to hit the shops tomorrow in a bid to pick up Christmas bargains


A staggering 15 million people are expected to hit the shops today for last-minute gift buying on 'Panic Saturday'.

It is predicted to be the busiest retail day of the year, with High Street takings set to top £2billion.

Sales figures suggest that millions have delayed their Christmas shopping until the last minute in the hope of picking up a bargain, and stores are now promoting significant price cuts on a wide range of gift items.

Shopping malls and stores will extend their trading hours in the coming days, with some staying open until midnight.

Many will push Sunday trading restrictions to breaking point tomorrow by introducing a 'browsing time' of up to one hour to extend the normal six hours of opening

From Monday, more than 800 supermarkets and smaller food stores will be trading 24 hours a day through to Christmas Eve.

The director of the Centre for Retail Research, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said: 'When money is tight, there is a tendency to push back Christmas shopping until the last minute.

'There will be a big surge from now on. You could call it a planned panic.

'Many people will now be off work through to Christmas and so they are free to do the shopping that they have put off until now.'

Christmas and the January sales are critically important for retailers, accounting for a quarter of their entire annual takings and profits. For some, the figure is as high as 60 per cent.
The Saturday before Christmas is normally the busiest of the year.

Last year, poor trading over the festive season led to 20 major retailers going into administration, the loss of 40,000 jobs, and the proportion of shops that are empty rising to 10 per cent.

Any failure to hit sales targets today will be the deciding factor on whether full-blown January sales will be brought forward.

Discount frenzy: High Street stores are slashing 50 per cent off prices to entice recession-hit shoppers

But a discounting frenzy has already begun on high streets as retailers look to entice recession-hit shoppers into spending their money.

Many of the popular chains have slashed 50 per cent or more off prices.

At Currys Digital, a Kodak wireless digital photoframe which was £99.99 has been reduced to £59.99, and a Tom Tom satnav has been slashed from £279.99 to £129.99.

At Marks and Spencer all hampers have 50 per cent off. Boots is running a fragrance promotion and has discounted a range of aftershaves or perfumes.

The clothing store Coast has discounted some dresses by £100 and evening wear in Oasis is marked down by 50 per cent.

However, the scale and size of reductions is expected to rise sharply over the next six days.

Professor Bamfield said: 'There has been something of a stand-off between shoppers and retailers. It is a question of who blinks first.

'I would say we will be seeing some significant price cuts over the next few days.'
The professor says that many shoppers have shifted their spending this year to the internet.

'We forecast that online spending will reach £8.9billion this Christmas, representing £1 in every £5 that is spent,' he said.

'This year shoppers said that 72 per cent intended to use online retailers to buy goods at this Christmas and 38 per cent would buy most of their Christmas goods online.'The number of shops planning to open round the clock is a record.

Among the supermarkets, Tesco will have 495 large stores trading 24 hours a day from Monday morning, while Asda will have 223 and another 100 open until midnight.

Sainsbury's will have 24 stores trading 24 hours a day, plus 221 open until midnight.
Morrisons opens its stores until 10pm.

Marks & Spencer will be opening 28 of its larger stores until midnight next week, while 113 of its Simply Food outlets will trade round the clock.

Debenhams will open 100 of its 156 department stores until 11pm. Other retailers will be also be trading late into the night.

Official retail sales figures published earlier this week revealed a fall in the value and volume of sales in November compared with October, the first monthly fall in six months.

City analysts believe this is indicative of a shift to last-minute panic buying.

The director general of the British Retail Consortium, Stephen Robertson, said: 'As many people start their holidays, we're expecting bumper trading - retail sales for the day should top £2billion.

'In recent years people have increasingly left their Christmas shopping to the last minute.

'This is a risky strategy if you want to be sure must-have presents aren't sold out, but it is likely to mean there is plenty of shopping still to be done.

'Let's hope snow doesn't stop people getting to stores.'

source: dailymail

A Bachelor's Guide to Holiday Cooking

By Gregory Cartier
Lifestyle Correspondent Every other Friday

From Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve, there are so many chances to feast that at a certain point you have to stop being a guest and host a dinner yourself.

Holiday cooking demystified
Before you take out the apron, one must acknowledge that baking a chicken or turkey is no small feat -- until now that is. AskMen.com has realized that conventional turkey cooking is a thing of the past and absolutely not for today's man.

Every time we hear others talk about turkeys, they all put down some instruction as to how to pull it off but never address the ultimate challenge of the Big Bird: Too dry? Overcooked? Exactly.

Don't dry out the bird
The biggest problem is that everyone assumes that the bird must be presented in one piece. While we'll be the first to agree that presentation is a huge part of the culinary science -- we'd would also add that what any chef is concerned with is what people say after they eat, and not before.

Turkeys have always presented the challenge that the breasts must not be overcooked, since they will get dry, stiff and essentially crappy, whereas the legs have to be cooked until they practically melt in your mouth. It is for this reason that the bird cannot and should not be left in one piece. Sacrilegious? Perhaps. But who cares, your guests will be delighted.

Hunt for the ultimate fowl
When looking for a bird, assuming you will serve six people, get a 10-pound organically raised fresh bird (fresh as in "not frozen," lads). The trick here is to ask your friendly butcher to cut the turkey's breasts.

Now, the butcher might know your mom as she visited him often (get your mind out of the gutter), but seeing how this just might be your first visit, be prepared to leave him the change in order to persuade him or her to go this extra mile (hey, why include the "or her" when we talk about CEO's and lawyers only? Women could be butchers too).

Anyhow, the advantage of separating the bird is that each portion of the foul will get cooked to perfection

Cook the components
Leave the skin on, as these four parts should be roasted in order to ensure that they get nice and crisp. Place the meat on a tray, with the skin part facing the sky. Although this may not be customary, we personally add mushrooms, baby carrots, broccoli, onions, and a cup of water. Let the meat sit in the oven for one hour at 350 degrees.

As much as you would like to forget about the bird and down some beers with your buds, you have to visit Big Bird after one hour and baste it, add water and turn the oven to 315 degrees. Now you have one more full hour to drink in peace.

Cook the turkey breast

If you were lucky (and not cheap), then the butcher has already cut the breast into fairly thin filets (not too thin, roughly half an inch) and skinned the foul.

The breasts can be prepared several ways. We shall explore some alternatives; pick your preference and go crazy.
Fry them in a frying pan.
Saute the breast in a pan with vegetables and oil. Stir-fry the strips of turkey breast with cream, butter and white wine. Bread the filets and fry them to get schnitzels. Slap the filets in flour and sautee them (similar to chicken Parmigiana). Whichever style you choose to take with the breast, you will get your succulent, tender and moist meat in less than 10 minutes.

Something on the side
Roasted potatoes aren't just a holiday dish; you can serve them year-round, even alongside meats from the grill during the summer.

So here is an easy way to prepare roasted potatoes:

Wash potatoes
Boil for 30 minutes Before removing them, poke the potatoes with a fork to make sure that they are not undercooked. Cut them in half or quarters depending on their size. Place the potatoes on a tray, add some butter (gentle on the butter... OK, go crazy), and then add some pepper, salt and oregano. Leave in oven at 350 degrees until they are broiled to perfection. (We prefer a nice golden and crispy texture.)
holiday cheer all year
Although we're presenting this as holiday fare, these are recipes you should use all year long. A roasted chicken or goose will respond just as well to these methods as a turkey, thus, as always, put your creative spin on our basic guidelines. Happy holidays!

How To: Be The Cool Uncle (At Christmas)

By Ryan McKee
Lifestyle Correspondent

This Christmas, take your first step toward changing a child’s life forever. Don’t just donate money to some faceless cause; become a child’s cool uncle. Even if you don’t have any nephews or nieces, find friends or coworkers with kids and be their "cool uncle." There's no limit to how many you can help, but every kid should have a cool uncle. The world would be so much better if every teen learned to taste whisky without gagging or not to bring their debit card to the strip club.

How much better would young relationships be if guys knew that “loving” doesn’t mean “smothering?” Or if young girls knew that guys sometimes “love you” only for one night? These are all things the cool uncle teaches. While everyone has a story of the teacher who made a difference in their lives, those with stories of "cool uncles" are forever in their debt.

Buy the irrational present
It doesn’t have to be the most expensive video game or remote-controlled car, it just has to be something their parents would never buy because they can’t justify it. It may be the $40 pair of princess shoes for a niece or the loudest laser gun for a nephew. Just ask yourself two questions: Does this gift completely lack any educational value? And will the parents hate it? If the answer is yes to both, you’re well on your way to being the cool uncle at Christmas.

Don’t talk to them like children
Children are smarter than most adults give them credit. They know when you’re talking down to them or hiding something. While you don’t have to start telling your most obnoxious drinking stories, don’t assume they only want to talk about puppies. Speak to them as if they’re on your level. Listen to what they say, and take them seriously. Be age appropriate, but don’t treat them like subhumans.

Make time just for them
After they open presents, take time away from the Bowl games to help program their new iPhone or check out their G.I. Joe collection. If you’re challenging them with their new Wii game, don’t just let them win. Feel free to taunt them good-naturedly. Even if they cry, they’ll respect you more later on. Not enough adults teach children how to bust each others’ balls, so they have to learn it from other kids. Clueless verbal sparring is like listening to puppies drowning.

Don’t be overly available
Treat the kids like you would treat a woman you just started dating: Be slightly aloof. Let them know that you have other things on your plate besides them. Don’t follow them around asking if they want to show you their fort or Barbie Dream House. This projects neediness. Kids don’t need that kind of stress. They can barely take care of themselves, let alone your lonely ass. Let them come to you. Then, don’t overstay your welcome. Leave on the early side -- letting everyone know that you have other holiday blowouts to attend.

Give them your info
Don’t give them your Facebook account; that brings you down to a weird childlike level. Plus, that’s just creepy. However, give them your e-mail or cell phone number. Let them know that if they ever have a question or just want to chat, they can give you a holler. Just be sure that’s cool with the parents because if they suddenly find tons of unknown e-mails to you, that will give you a "to catch a predator” vibe. As they grow older, they will no doubt come to you with questions about sex, drugs and general stuff they’re not comfortable asking their parents about. You’ll be an exciting source of information for them, but know where to draw the line. Don’t try to be too cool and let a drinking problem or credit card craze go unnoticed. Know when to do something totally uncool: Tell the parents.

bob's your cool uncle
Those steps will make you forever infamous in one child’s mind. You will stand above that English teacher who made a real difference or that football coach who taught the true meaning of confidence. Plus, for purely selfish reasons, you’ll get a true taste of parenting. That will let you know if you want kids of your own, or if you just want to keep mooching off others’ parenting experiences.


source: askmen.com

Brother and sister barred from school's Christmas disco for taking time off when father died of cancer

Sean Watson, five, with his seven-year-old sister Claire: The youngsters were barred from a school disco because they took time off when their father died of cancer


A primary school barred a grieving five-year-old boy from a school disco organised to reward children with good attendance after he took time off when his father died of cancer.

Samantha Watson's children, Sean and his sister Claire, seven, were distraught when they were not allowed to go to the end-of-term Christmas event at Ryecroft Primary School, Bradford.

She had hoped the event would cheer them up after a traumatic year.

The 35-year-old was told both children did not to have a perfect attendance record because they had taken some time off when their father, Michael Watson, died from an aggressive form of throat cancer at the age of 46.

Outraged Samantha, of Bradford, said: 'They had a couple of days off when their dad passed away and then a couple the week after because of the funeral.

'I then found out that they were not allowed to go because they had time off so I rang the school office to check this was the case and the woman said "bereavements count".

'Michael had cancer for two years and got it really bad. The school knew he was poorly and we said we had been told he had not got long.

'I made them aware that if the worst happened we would have to drag the kids out of school.

'It's a lot for them to take in at Christmas.'


Tragic: Michael Watson died from an aggressive form of throat cancer at the age of 46


A spokesman for the school said: 'Following conversations with the headteacher, it appears there was a mistake about the Year 1 little boy and he could have attended the disco.

'This would have been put right if the mother had spoken to the right person, because of the way the mother spoke to the admin assistant the opportunity to rectify this appropriately was missed.

'The school will apologise to mum for this genuine error.'

Headteacher Jayne Clarke said an extensive programme of Christmas events was taking place at the school that would involve every child without exception.

She said: 'We have an attendance disco and within that policy we look at the children who have a 100 per cent attendance record.
'It's not instead of all the normal Christmas parties, it's in addition to that as a reward.

'We are trying to build a community that attends school and regards school as absolutely vital for the future.

'It's so strict that, for example, families who have a lot of lates are not invited to the disco because we are committed to getting children here.

'I would feel so sad to take away this reward for excellence because some people are sad that they are not invited.'

Mrs Clarke said the school always supported families that suffered bereavements and was sympathetic to the Watsons' situation.

She said: 'We have gone from the bottom six up 39 places in the league tables of achievement in Bradford.

'We beat the national standard for writing and for science.'


source: dailymail.co.uk