Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.
Without a proper House Plans or Home Plans, you can easily get your bank account busted. Why am I saying so? I have seen many house owners overvalue their properties without going through a proper analysis and study. They value their house by just listening to their house brookers. Therefore these poor house owners only regreted after the house purchase. So, where can potential house owners seek info from? Normally what I'll do is I'll Log home plans websites and do my own research. It doesn't took me a long time to get the info that I needed. Most of the infos that I got pretty up to date. Even a few of my house brookers are impressed with my housing valuation knowledge.
DO NOT INCLUDE THIS TEXT IN YOUR POST: This post DOES NOT require a disclosure link or statement. To manually approve your post, go to the "My Posts" page at least 10 minutes from now and within the next 2 hours.
Eating tomatoes could help protect your skin against sun damage and ageing.
The fruit already has superstar status because of its antioxidant links and now researchers say that tomato paste may be the key to keeping a young skin.
The revelations from researchers at Manchester University come in a study where 10 people were given tomato paste with olive oil each day for 12 weeks while another 10 did without the paste.
The skin was exposed to ultraviolet light - found naturally in sunlight - at the beginning and end of the trial.
The team found significant improvements in the skin's ability to protect itself in the paste-eating group.
"The tomato diet boosted the level of procollagen in the skin significantly," said Professor Lewley Rhodes, a dermatologist at Manchester.
These increasing levels suggest potential reversal of the skin ageing process.
This is in addition to the significant reduction in sunburn.
"These weren't huge amounts of tomato we were feeding the group," Prof Rhodes said.
"It was the sort of quantity you would easily manage if you eating a lot of tomato-based meals.
"People should not think that tomatoes in any way can replace sun creams, but they may be a good additive.
"If you can improve your protection through your diet then over several years, this may have a significant effect."
Many of the harmful effects of UV light are due to the over production of harmful molecules known as 'reactive oxygen species' which result in sun-damage that includes premature wrinkles and skin cancer.
The tomato's key skin saving property is a powerful antioxidant called 'lycopene', which is able to neutralise or 'quench' the harmful molecules.
Lycopene is the bright red pigment found in a number of red fruit and vegetables, but with its highest levels in cooked tomatoes.
As tomato paste contains a high concentration of cooked tomatoes, it is an ideal source of lycopene.
Lately, the office hallways have been unusually quiet, and you've noticed a few more empty desks in your department. You and your colleagues have taken on new projects within the past year, but the workload has been manageable and the assignments engaging – definitely nothing worth making a fuss about. Team dynamics are great, and your supervisors are supportive. So, why are your coworkers jumping ship?
Research shows they could be moving on to greener pastures. According to the 2008 Salary Guides from Robert Half International, average starting salaries are increasing for many positions in the finance and accounting, administrative, technology, legal, and creative and marketing fields. Some job candidates with in-demand skill sets are even receiving multiple offers as companies compete to secure the best talent.
With this in mind, there's a good chance you could be due for a raise. While you don't have to quit your current position to fatten your paycheck – especially if it's one you enjoy – you do have to speak up.
Here are some steps you can take to obtain the raise you deserve:
Build your case.
Your desire to move into a new condo or goal of paying off student loans are not valid reasons for a higher salary. Instead, you must demonstrate a compelling business reason for being paid more. Document all your responsibilities to date, focusing specifically on how your efforts have helped the company achieve its objectives. For example, perhaps you helped redesign a website that increased traffic and sales by 15 percent or took on additional responsibilities to save others time. Gathering concrete data, and being able to present this information in an organized manner, is critical to positioning yourself as a valuable asset to your employer.
Research the going rate.
It's always a good idea to investigate what others in your area and with your qualifications are being paid before approaching your boss for a raise. Online services, such as PayScale.com and the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook are excellent sources. Complimentary publications, like the Robert Half Salary Guides, also provide compensation figures for a variety of jobs in various industries. Estimating your worth on the open market will ensure you don't under- or oversell your services.
Build your case over time.
Despite his or her best intentions, your boss may not be aware of the many projects you're involved with. To prevent your achievements from being overlooked, consider providing your manager with a weekly status report that summarizes the assignments you're working on and have recently completed. A record of consistent performance can bolster your case for a raise.
Time it right.
While the most logical time to discuss a raise is during your performance review, it could be advantageous to speak with your supervisor about the issue before your next evaluation rolls around. For example, you might broach the subject with your boss after you've successfully completed a major project. Just be sure to schedule the meeting at a time when you know he or she won't be overwhelmed with deadlines.
Prepare a 'Plan B.'
If a pay raise is not in your employer's budget, consider negotiating other benefits, such as more vacation time, a flexible schedule or a larger performance-based bonus. If these requests are denied, ask your boss how to best position yourself for a future raise and arrange a date for a follow-up meeting to discuss your progress toward this goal.
Like any negotiation, securing a raise requires preparation and finesse. Taking the time and effort to craft a compelling case and make your value to the company clear will help you increase your chances of getting paid what you're worth.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we've all heard it before. The Beatles sang about it, thousands have written about it, countless young hopefuls have pondered it….
'All you need is love'.
(Or, so they say).
With today's divorce rate climbing faster than you can swallow a slice of wedding cake, it seems that we need a lot more than just a bit of love to make our relationships go the long haul.
The cold hard truth is this: having your dream relationship fall out of the sky, into your lap and spending the rest of your life 'happily ever after' with zero effort on your part - is about as likely as finding a pork chop at a bar-mitzvah.
It's true.
HowEVER…recognizing what you have in your hands, appreciating it and working on it TOGETHER to make your relationship everything you ever dreamed of, is actually far more attainable than you can possibly imagine.
And, pretty easy too…
Give exactly what you want to get: Try not to think about what you are getting; focus on what you are giving. If you want a partner that is more thoughtful, attentive, romantic, whatever, become that way yourself and you'll be surprised how the other side reacts. It's amazing; partners tend to mirror each other's behavior.
Remember your partner is not a band-aid: It's easy to assume that your partner was put on this earth to heal every old wound you ever had. Not so; your partner is human and they are more than likely dragging enough of their own baggage to fill JFK airport. Remember that you are the only person that can heal you. You are also the only person responsible for your own happiness. The realization of this is more liberating than you can imagine and opens you up to endless personal growth possibilities that will in turn, no doubt, reflect positively on your relationship.
Being in a relationship never made anyone blind: Jealousy. A tricky one. Try to remember that mad love does not necessarily make either of you blind. By that I mean, it's inevitable that he will raise the odd eyebrow at your new sexy next-door neighbor with that itzi-bitzi mini skirt, just as that man in line at the post office the other day, may have made your heart go 'boom boom' (or vice versa). We are human. There will always be moments when we may be attracted to others. However, we have the power of CHOICE. We can be attracted, but choose our partner. In the face of jealously, letting your partner know that you constantly and consciously choose them, on a daily basis, can really strengthen your bond.
Say what you mean, mean what you say: Ladies, say what you mean! That means: no hints, no double messages and no saying the complete opposite and expecting your partner to miraculously become clairvoyant. Contrary to popular belief, guys are not mind readers!
Guys, you too - communication is KEY to a good relationship. Allow yourselves the pleasure of having a conversation that lasts more than halftime of a football game! A wise person once told me to "marry someone you can talk to". When we are old and grey, talking will count for more than we can imagine today.
Always assume your partner's intentions are good: A little tolerance goes a VERY long way. Count to 10 before pulling your hair out, screaming your head off or microwaving your partner's iPod next time they do something that irritates you. Try to always assume that your partner means well, despite their sometimes incredibly infuriating actions. 9 times out of 10, they probably do not know the effects that their annoying little habits have. Breathe out…then talk it out.
Remember the virtues of friendship: Seems obvious doesn’t it? But many people have relationships with people that they either don't actually like, or are not friends with.
Make your partner your best friend. Be reliable like you would be with your best friend. Be there like you would for a best friend. Be supportive, loving, kind and everything else, in good times and bad, just like you would for your best friend. Get this one nailed and everything else should pretty much take care of itself.
Britain's super-rich have never had it so good, with the UK's top 1,000 multimillionaires adding nearly £53bn to their collective wealth last year.
According to The Sunday Times Rich List 2008, the cash boost means they now sit on a fortune of £412.8bn - an annual increase of nearly 15%.
The UK is now home to some 75 billionaires - up from 68 in 2007 - 40 of whom arrived from overseas to settle in the country.
Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal again tops the list, for a fourth year running, with a personal wealth of £27.7bn, up more than £8bn on last year.
Russian Roman Abromovich has increased his wealth by another billion pounds to £11.7bn and is still the second richest man in the country, while the Duke of Westminster is third with £7bn.
A brace of new entrants figure in this year's top 10. Steel and mines magnate Alisher Usmanov comes in at five with £5.726bn.
One place below are Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli. The former Miss UK winner and her husband sit on a fortune of £5.65bn built on pharmaceuticals.
Among the fallers in this year's list is Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson. The value of his transport, internet and mobile phone empire fell by £400m this year to £2.7bn.
It saw him slump from 11th in 2007 to 20th in the latest report.
The top 1,000 wealth creators included 762 self-made millionaires.
Britain's super rich needed a personal wealth of more than £80m to feature in this year's list, up from £70m last year.
Philip Beresford, who has compiled list, said: "Much of the rise in this year's wealth can be attributed to one factor: the number of foreign rich who have made London or its environs the main home and base of operation."
Top 10 billionaires (Last year's rank and wealth in brackets):
Jennifer or better known as Ah Jenn, is one of my best net friends. She's been an optimistic lady sharing a lot of hopes with others. Here I would like to take this opportunity to thanks Jennifer. Came to know that she will be leaving soon to pursue her career, I would like to take this opportunity to wish her the best for all her upcomings. This is a beautiful song that she send to me and I would like to share with everyone. The song is "Somewhere Down The Road". Enjoy...
Advances in nanotechnology are having a profound effect on our everyday lives.
NFAB is developing an electron microscope which will reveal the atomic structure of single protein molecules and viruses.
This is the HIV virus very close-up. This kind of image could eventually help with a cure.
This is a human hair with the logo of the University of Salford etched onto it.
This picture gives a good idea of the scale of nanotechnology - the logo is 10 Microns wide, which is 10,000 nanometres. Scientists work in sizes much smaller than this.
This is a close-up of a beetle's eye.
It's not a flower, it's actually the graphite at the end of a pencil. The scale at the bottom shows how many microns wide parts of the image are.
NFAB's prototype microscope is currently in the development stage and is expected to be available for trials within two years.
Electron microscopes with similar ability currently cost around £4m - NFAB hopes its model will cost around £100,000.
Advances in nanotechnology mean that hydrophobic materials which are resistant to water can now be developed.
P2i initially developed Ion-Mask for the military so that army clothing would be resistant to chemical attack.
Water droplets can simply sit on a surface without penetrating it and will then just roll off.
Footwear manufacturer Hi-Tec will soon be bringing Ion-Mask to the mass market. It will be selling a range of walking boots treated with ion-mask which will be completely waterproof.
Oxonica has created Envirox, which is added to diesel fuel.
It acts as a catalyst in the engine burn when the fuel is processed, reducing dirt in the engine as well as harmful emissions.
It is currently being used by the Stagecoach bus company but the company says that it could lead to significant reductions in CO2 if it was used in diesel across the country.
The Nano B-12 and Nano Super B Complex from Revital are the first vitamin supplements in the UK which use nanotechnology. They are sprayed into the mouth and go quickly into the system, rather than having to be digested.
If you have found a career you enjoy – one that makes you feel good about what you are doing, highlights your talents, and makes you happy about going to work in the morning, you have taken a huge step in the right direction. Most of us want a great career. Not necessarily one that pulls a six-figure income, but one that we find fulfilling.
Now that you have your career, it is time to commit to excelling at it. The amount of enjoyment you receive from your career, in fact, will be largely determined by how much commitment you give it. There are several ways you can go about ensuring you are giving your career the level of commitment it deserves.
Work on Career Development: Make time during your day to engage in activities that will increase your success at work. Read books or trade magazines relating to your career, learn the latest trends or newest technologies. Take classes, attend seminars or conferences, and do everything you can to build your expertise.
Delve into the specifics of your chosen field. If there is one aspect you love more than the rest, make yourself an expert in that area and carve out a niche for yourself. Sometimes tackling the unusual and excelling at it can open the doors to possibilities you never before imagined. Once you have developed yourself as an expert, you will be amazed how many people will seek you out for assistance and advice.
Examine the Emotional Aspect of Your Career: Stay tuned to your feelings regarding the work you are doing. Discover the reasons why you find it appealing, take the time to enjoy the aspects of it you love or are proud of, and allow yourself the liberty to dislike those things that you find frustrating.
Take time to actively think about your feelings as they relate to work. If it helps, keep a log or journal and write in it every day. Use your journal to acknowledge and then leave behind any negative emotions you may be experiencing about your job. Also take the time to write out all of the positive things you enjoy. When you are having a bad day, go back and read your positive entries as a source of inspiration or motivation.
Somewhere in your journal, write down why you are glad you have your career, and all of the positive things it brings to your life. List your goals, so you can go back and use it as a reference.
Join a Professional Association: If there is an association of professionals from your chosen field in your town, join it and attend meetings on a regular basis. Networking can create opportunities down the road that you may not even be aware of right now. It also allows you to find out the latest in trends, technologies, or anything else that affects how you do business. Expanding your perspective beyond your office walls allows you a better chance to stay on top of the latest developments.
If there is no professional group in your area, join a regional one, or become involved in an organization such as Toastmasters, which will help you improve your public speaking skills. Find opportunities to learn and to develop your talents, which will help you be more engaged when you are in your office.
The act of engaging in career enhancing behaviors demonstrates your commitment to your success in your career, not only to your superiors but to yourself as well. It provides ongoing motivation to ensure you keep striving to excel, allowing you to fully achieve the greatest satisfaction and enjoyment.
Having your emotional reasons for doing your job in alignment with the physical aspect of performing your job will enhance your work experience and increase your chances for personal growth within the scope of your career. You must make a conscious effort each day to acknowledge those reasons why you love your job, and take steps to foster those good feelings. Tending to your career as you would any other important relationship in your life greatly reduces your chances of suffering from job burnout or stress, and will prevent you from falling into the trap of dissatisfaction and apathy.
Ipods and music players of the future could have the capacity to store 300 million songs thanks to a breakthrough by scientists in Glasgow.
A team of nanotechnology researchers has devised a way for data storage to be dramatically increased without the need to increase the size of devices.
Current devices can store a maximum of 3.3 gigabytes of data on one square inch of microchip, around 40,000 songs.
Professor Lee Cronin and Dr Malcolm Kadodwala's work would see 500,000 gigabytes squeezed onto a microchip the same size.
Professor Cronin said: "What we have done is find a way to potentially increase the data storage capabilities in a radical way.
"We have been able to assemble a functional nanocluster that incorporates two electron donating groups, and position them precisely 0.32 nm apart so that they can form a totally new type of molecular switching device."
Microchips rely on transistors, which are glorified switches, and the new development may mean that a novel kind of switching device can be created.
The scientists are a long way off being able to bring the change to commercial MP3 players, but Professor Cronin said the work showed "conceptually that this is possible".
The work is being carried out in conjunction with scientists at the STFC Daresbury Laboratory in Warrington, Cheshire.
Nanotechnology is the science of the tiny, and it is leading to a number of advances in a wide range of disciplines such as health, fuel and clothing.
Way before the sun peeks over the horizon, a few chosen people awaken from their slumber and dive head first into their day. These chosen few accomplish a ton before the rest of us would ever consider rising from our nice warm beds.
Who are these juggernauts that have command over the morning hours?
In theory, your productivity level shouldn't differ if you rise at 4am or 11am. What matters is the quality of sleep that's giving your mind and body sufficient time to recover.
These early rising juggernauts, these unstoppable agents of productivity, they see things differently. They see these early hours as their chance to lay claim to their share of the day. They rise with purpose, act with determination, and achieve ruthlessly.
The sun has not caught me in bed in fifty years. - Thomas JeffersonThe world is in awe of these special people, so let's take a look at what pops them out of bed like a toaster strudel and what gets them up, sometimes before the alarm!
Appointment With Waking: The harsh truth about the human body is that we're creatures of habit. In some ways this can be extremely inconvenient when trying to take on new things. However, if we allow ourselves to live within the rules of our body's natural cycle, which is a 24-hour circadian rhythm, we will be pleased with the body's functionality.
This means that when you find a waking hour that will work best for you each day of the week, you should stick to it. This will allow your body to want to support you in your endeavor of waking up, and rise you out of bed feeling fresh as a daisy.
The King and The Pauper Way Of Eating: The way our bodies function optimally is if we eat like a king in the morning and a pauper in the evening. This means that it's best to eat heavier, bigger portions in the morning because these meals will give us high energy throughout the day and then burn off.
Eating like a pauper, meaning small light meals, in the evening allows us to go to sleep on an empty stomach. If your body is functioning normally, and you don't have stomach ulcers, going to sleep on a mostly empty stomach will allow you to sleep better. This nightly fast allows your body to take it's focus away from digestion and put it towards repair and rejuvenation of the body's cells.
Living With Purpose: Young children will do anything to avoid going to sleep at night. These same children are also the ones that can't wait to get out of bed first thing in the world. The simple reason for this non-lazy behavior is that they don't want to miss a thing.
As adults we may need more persuasion than 'not wanting to miss a thing'. This is why we take extra steps in creating fun, life changing goals, and scheduling specific ways of how we'll get a step closer to these goals during this coming day. What we all need is not necessary a cause we're willing to die for, but at least a cause we're willing to LIVE for.
Plan Your Day: We can say we're going to live with purpose, but unless we plan, we can tell ourselves that we'll start living with purpose next week, or the week after that. Planning is one of the fundamental ways to maximize your mind to achieve your goals, and as such it plays a critical role in allowing us to have an awesome day, everyday. We need not do more than take 15 minutes the night before to succinctly organize the next days schedule.
A schedule complete with waking time, most important things of the day, eating and recreational allowances. Having a tight schedule allows me to live out my day with definitive purpose, while getting more done, having more fun, and not wasting precious moments of my life.
The Water Hack: A bit of water before bed and half a liter as soon as you get up. The water before bed will serve in the rejuvenation process we mentioned above. While you sleep all your cells will fill up with this fresh water and create an over all well being within your body.
The water in the morning does two things. One is it provides your first dose of water to get your mind and body going. Another function, as told to me by my endocrinology teacher (a very qualified person to say this), is that a dose of water in the morning triggers a cascade of physiological functions that engages your digestive system and causes you to excrete feces. You'll feel nice and light first thing in the morning!
Work That Body: In number 1 above I mentioned that our bodies adapt around a 24-hour circadian rhythm. This works for sleep, eating, exercise, and many other bodily functions. We're a pretty efficient physiological machine when you think about it. This is why getting a dose of exercise is optimal in the morning. It gets the blood flowing and stimulates you to function on a higher level.
"Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness." - Edward StanleyOnce you're used to this routine, your body will prepare by providing you with high energy before you start to work out. As you can see, if you wake up with this high energy, you're going to just pop out of bed.
Have 'Me' Time: No morning is completely satisfying unless you've scheduled in some 'Me' time. Whether you enjoy meditating to clear you mind and give you laser sharp focus, or reading to gain some new knowledge about the world, make sure you schedule in this time.
There may very a variety of things you enjoy doing, so this will be custom tailored to the individual. The point is that when you have something you REALLY enjoy doing right when you get up, you won't be able to wait until that alarm goes off till you jump out of bed and get to it!
A sex tape of Marilyn Monroe has been sold to a New York businessman for $1.5m.
The explicit 15-minute film shows the Hollywood legend performing a sex act on an unidentified man.
But it is unlikely to be the latest online celebrity sex tape phenomenon or even see the light of day - because its new owner wants to protect Monroe's privacy.
"The gentleman who bought it said out of respect for Marilyn he's not going to make a joke of it and put it on the internet and try to exploit her," said memorabilia collector Keya Morgan, who arranged the sale.
"That's not his intention and I would never get my name involved if that were to happen."
Monroe is clothed and the man's head remains out of shot for the entire length of the film, which was sold by the son of a dead FBI informant.
The actress, who died in 1962 aged just 36, was rumoured to have had an affair with US President John F Kennedy.
Former FBI Director J Edgar Hoover, a Kennedy rival, went to great lengths to try to prove it was Kennedy in the film, Morgan claimed.
One of Monroe's ex-husbands, baseball star Joe DiMaggio, once tried to buy the tape from the collector but "he would not part with it," according to FBI files.
A Good Life is not a destination. It is not far off in your future.
Living A Good Life is not doing ten things you hate doing today so you eventually achieve something good in the future. The good life is not about goals or dreams.
As long as you view the attainment of A Good Life as a future phenomenon you will never attain it. That is what A Good Life is not. So, what is it?
A Good Life is:
Real —many, many people experience A Good Life everyday
Attainable —it is within everyone’s grasp, everyday
Immediate —it is possible today and everyday of your life
Life-changing —once you experience the benefits of A Good Life everyday will be fulfilling
Let’s approach the definition and attainment of A Good Life by answering the questions Who? What? Where? When and How?
Who? Only you can define how you will live A Good Life. No one else can describe your good life, but you. What matters to you, what you feel is important, what makes you unique is only defined by you.
What? What is A Good Life? It is the life you live by sharing your unique gifts in a way that enriches you and those around you. A Good Life is not about money, wealth, prestige or power. If that is how you are defining your good life, you are on the wrong track…A Good Life will remain a distant phenomenon. A Good Life is much more personal and much “closer to home.”
Where? A Good Life is everywhere you go in everything you do. It permeates every conversation, relationship, and encounter from your home life to the stranger on the street. A Good Life is everywhere.
When? All the time. Notice, everyday is included in each of the above qualities of A Good Life. Daily is when and how you live A Good Life. What you do today dictates how you feel today. It may also influence how you feel tomorrow, but there are no guarantees for that. Only today can you absolutely impact how you feel and act today.
HOW? The $64,000 question…Rick Warren states, “The good life is about being good and doing good…giving your life away.”
You may think his definition means you have to become a “do-gooder.” That is not what he means. His definition of “being good and doing good” has more to do with you being true to yourself and others than adopting “do-gooder” behavior. The real clue to attaining and living A Good Life is his last line”…giving your life away.”
Consider this question: What do we all possess that we all value?
The answer: Our unique selves.
In this booming age of blogs and Web 2.0, individual ideas and opinions reign supreme. We all want to know what the other has to say…what opinions others express, reviews of products, new ways to apply technology. We want to know what web sites others feel are important or interesting. We place high value on others’ opinions even when the others are strangers. Exchanging ideas and opinions is an expression of our true selves. Each of us brings a different perspective, a new thought, or a unique challenge. All of us learn from what others express. We place high value on the uniqueness of others.
Why? Simple.
1. We are all most unique when we express our opinions.
2. We are all most truthful when we express our opinions.
3. We are all most altruistic when we express our opinions.
Sharing our unique, honest expressions with complete strangers so others can gain from our wisdom and experience is “giving your life away.” It is altruistically sharing your unique gifts with others….”being good and doing good,” by giving it away.
Rick Warren also states, “Your value is not based on your valuables.” Your value is based on who you are; the unique you who possesses unique talents. Only when we give our unique value away do we attain what is most valuable…A Good Life. The purpose of our unique value is not to hoard it, but to share it, and only in sharing it will we feel valued. Here are six simple things you can share that will help you live A Good Life:
1. Your thoughts, ideas, opinions
2. Your experience—show others what you can do for them
3. Your smile; your enthusiasm, your willingness
4. Your touch—give a pat on the back...shake a hand…show affection
5. Your time---a few minutes, an hour, or a day devoted to another
6. Your talent---share your creativity, your mechanical ability, your technical skills
How do you live A Good Life?
Everyday, share what is unique about you. Kindly, generously, share your opinions and ideas. Be truthful, honest and willing. Smile and be optimistic about your gifts. Give of yourself so others can gain. Do it everyday, with every encounter. At the end of the day, reflect on what you did and what made you feel the best about yourself. That will be your clue about what you do and how you live tomorrow. Enriching another’s life with your unique gift is living A Good Life…however and wherever that manifests itself.
“Significance in life comes from giving it away,” Rick Warren guides us to the path of living A Good Life.
What makes you significant? Answer that question…then give it away, everyday. Then, you will be living A Good Life.
When you talk about making money online, there are so many ways of doing it. You can either sell itmes by using eBay or plant Adsense advert in your blog or even become affiliates of Clickbank. Believe it or not, there are many people who's earning a decent monthly income from internet. Some of the webmasters even post their monthly earnings in their website.
Lately I just came across metaRL as a another metaversal way of earning currency. Not only you can make money, but also you can earn metaPoints which you can transfer into your account whether its free lindens for SecondLife, free peds for Entropia, or free imvu credits for IMVU! But what is metaRL? MetaRL basically is a portal for everyone who visits virtual worlds. When earn metaPoints at metaRL.com, and these points can be converted and transfered to online virtual worlds.
Facelifts, eyelid surgery and even breast reduction operations are reportedly becoming more popular among middle-aged men, with many citing a second marriage as the reason.
The Harley Medical Group, which operates cosmetic surgery clinics nationwide, said it had seen over 5,200 men in the last six months alone for consultations on youth enhancing procedures.
According to the group, surgeons have seen a growing interest from men influenced by the high-profile marriages of French president Nicolas Sarkozy and actor Michael Douglas to younger women.
This has led to the industry dubbing the trend "the Sarkozy syndrome or Douglas effect".
Dr Julian Northover from the group said: "Our patients are looking to gain an edge in their looks and take off a few years.
"The desire to have Botox treatments is driven by both business and social reasons.
"Quite regularly we treat patients who have a much younger partner.
"The results from a short treatment with Botox and possibly fillers can be dramatic and make them much more confident in their relationship.
"The main areas that men seek treatment for are excessive smile lines (or crow's feet) and the deep horizontal lines across their forehead associated with ageing."
The Harley Medical Group compared figures from January to March this year with the same period last year and found that 17% more men had undergone facelifts this year.
There was a dramatic rise in Botox (up 57%) while 47% more men had breast reduction surgery.
Skin microdermabrasion was up 43%, eyelid surgery was up 25% and chin lifts were up 44% on the same period last year.
Do you believe that you are not alone? Yes, I do believe in that. In fact friends can be found anywhere, anytime, any moment. Within your finger tips, you can make a new friend in just minutes. So, what is the catch? Very simple! All you need to do is join 3gb community www.3gb.biz. It's one of the latest social community network, which is as good as Facebook, Myspace and even Friendster. Life can never be lonely again!
The number of viruses, worms and trojans in circulation has topped the one million mark.
The new high for malicious programs was revealed by security firm Symantec in the latest edition of its bi-annual Internet Security Threat Report. The vast majority of these programs have been created in the last twelve months, said Symantec.
Cyber criminals pump out malware to fool anti-virus programs which look for characteristics they have already seen.
Money game
The latest edition of the Symantec report covers the second half of 2007 during which time the security firm detected 499,811 new malicious code threats. This figure was up 136% on the first six months of 2007.
Throughout 2007 Symantec detected more than 711,912 novel threats which brings the total number of malicious programs that the security firm's anti-virus programs detect to 1,122,311.
The report notes: "almost two thirds of all malicious code threats currently detected were created during 2007."
The vast majority of these viruses are aimed at PCs running Microsoft Windows and are variants of already existing malicious programs that have proved useful to hi-tech criminals in the past.
Symantec said part of the rise was down to criminals increasingly using trojans as a "beachhead" to gain access to a PC and then use that route to download and install a variety of other malicious programs.
Popular malicious installations include key loggers that spring to life if particular websites are visited or programs, such as online games, are started up.
The report also put the growth in malicious code down to the increasingly professional digital criminal underground.
Typically, groups engaged in hi-tech crime employ groups of programmers to generate the novel variants.
The fact that these programmers expect to be paid drives the criminals to make as much money as possible out of the information they steal and to be constantly on the look out for new victims.
Said the report: "The combination of these factors results in a high volume of new malicious code samples that threaten users online."
Are you concerned about job security? Or, have you found yourself without work and need to find a new job? Use these tips to get a new job in your current field or to pave a new career path.
Teresa, a 40-something manager, rode a career wave that peaked and crashed. The major telecommunications company where she had worked in Silicon Valley for many years showed signs leading up to the lay off. When Teresa lost her job, it marked the third round of layoffs at her company. The first had occurred four months earlier…
''You could see a trend," says Teresa. "I knew my position was in peril because I was finished with a large project and was looking for things to do. I was not surprised, but it was disturbing."
The company dwindled from 700 employees to 400. Last to be laid off were well-paid managers and directors. When Teresa found herself in that group, she deployed a seven-tiered approach to facing the job market anew. You can use these tips too. Use them to get a new job in your current field or to pave a new career path.
Seek Training and Support
Get the training you need to sharpen your interview skills and update your resume. Career transition companies like Lee Hecht Harrison (http://www.lhh.com) offer courses to give you a roadmap that optimize your job search results. Certified career coaches, like the author, are also available.
Other resources such as professional organizations offer job leads, an opportunity to network within your industry and can provide subgroups for job seekers. Join existing job seeker groups within an organization or start your own. The success team that Teresa joined provided her with support during a time of uncertainty. It offered shoulders to cry on and a cheering squad to motivate each other onward. The group also provided answers and self-esteem boosters. Teresa explains, "When people get laid off, it really is a loss. When it happens each of us needs to address the lingering issues and come to terms with: why was I laid off? Why not this other person?" Bringing these questions to a facilitated group helped build morale.
Set Goals and Work Toward Them
Take some time to set both short term and long-term goals. Do you want to work toward a new career path? Do you need to find a job right away? Based on your professional and personal needs, form goals directed toward your next employment move. Sometimes setbacks can hold the gem of an exciting new opportunity. For example, let's say you enjoy designing web sites for friends and you have your own blog. You've dreamed about taking this hobby to a professional level. Does the ending of your current job give you the chance to go for your dream? You may opt to work either full time or part time while you get trained for and launch a new business. There are many ways to make it happen. Look for the opportunity in the setback. Shape a goal around it.
Each person in Teresa's success team created six-week goals and shared them with the group. This created instant accountability. Teresa's goals were: Join two volunteer organizations and to have a job offer at the end of six weeks. Teresa accomplished her goals. You can too by mirroring what she did. No matter how scared you are take action anyway. The next tip will give you what you need to create a plan and go…
Create a Plan and Go
Your goals are in place. Now post them in a visible area to remind yourself of them every day. Then let the rubber hit the road. Take at least one hour to figure out how you will achieve them. Develop a marketing plan featuring you as the product. Don't know where to begin? Seek the advice of a certified career coach or talk with a successful colleague. Bouncing ideas off of someone and saying your thoughts out loud can clarify next steps.
To discover her personal job roadmap, Teresa asked herself these questions: What are my job search objectives? How will I position myself in the job market? What skills and experience will I emphasize? With whom will I network? What companies will I target? What types of jobs will I seek?
Ask yourself the same questions. Also ask: What is my purpose? Why do I need a new job?
Set and Hold Daily "Work Hours"
If you are unemployed, your job is now to get a new job. That means that you must dedicate part or full time hours to a structured job pursuit.
Teresa set regular 9 to 5 work hours. To lock in this schedule four days a week, Teresa rewarded herself for hard work. She says, "I took one day off as an incentive because you know how demoralizing it can be to find a new job."
You can also set up rewards or consequences to help you stick to your job search schedule. Another professional woman, for example, enjoyed spending summer weekends at the local water slide with her kids. She decided that if she didn't get her focused tasks done during the week as planned then she would have to spend the weekend working while her family was off playing. Her family wanted to spend fun time with her so they all rallied behind her to get her job activities done during the week. It was a strong incentive to keep her going even when she didn't feel like picking up the phone or dressing for an interview.
Broaden the Range of Jobs You Will Consider
You're sending email blasts to get the word out. You’ve researched companies of interest and tapped into your network. But still no results. To get back out there, earn some income and re-build your confidence, you may need to broaden the jobs that you'll consider.
A colleague of Teresa's, Jim, approached the job market as if the economy was still robust. As an ex-director, he pursued vice president and director-level positions, which made high salary demands. But, given the rapidly declining market and changed hiring needs, potential companies were not interested.
Jim started looking into government postings. But city and government positions, once overflowing, had been dramatically cut. To avoid a prolonged job search like Jim's, Teresa says, "Lower your expectations about what you're going to get. When your gut feeling says to take the job, do it. Don't let pride get in the way." Do not stall. You never know where the position will lead.
Fill Your Job Search with Leveraged Tasks
Whether you're dedicating 40 hours a week to a job search or devoting an hour a week outside of your current job, continue to take steps toward your next position.
As mentioned, Teresa filled four full days a week with the targeted actions. You can take the same steps to accelerate your job search. - Research job search engines like http://www.monster.com and Yahoo's http://www.hotjobs.com. Also peruse local on-line job listing sites to check out openings in your area. - Contact hiring managers to ask questions by phone or in person. Or try contacting someone in a department of interest and see if they'll chat with you for 10 minutes about what it's like to work there. - Network. Contact colleagues for job leads. Set up lunches and coffee meetings to let people know you're searching. Friends and colleagues can be your greatest allies in finding work. - Research companies before interviews. Even reading a press release about a new product the company created can let the interviewer know you did your homework. - Follow up with prospective employers. After an interview, call the person who interviewed you, send an email or a hand written thank you note. Re-emphasize your commitment and enthusiasm for the job.
Find Meaning Outside of Work
Many of us define ourselves by work, work, work. But when we lose our jobs, our identity in work is gone. There's a pause in those dinner party conversations when someone asks, "What do you do?" Before you could happily say, "I'm overseeing the Benefits Department at Seagate Technology." Now you fumble for words explaining your situation. Finding meaning outside of work will help you define yourself beyond your job. You are still worthy. Your job loss may even connect you with dormant parts of yourself. Was there a time in your life that you did a fun hobby? What's that volunteer organization that you used to joyfully devote time to?
As you recall, one of Teresa's job search goals was to join two volunteer organizations. She says she did this to "get out there and do something. It was a way to make myself feel valued during this time of uncertainty. If I'm not working, I might as well be doing something." She enjoyed spending one Saturday a week leading tours at a historical property in Palo Alto, California.
Dig your hands into volunteering at the community garden or take that Pilates fitness class one day a week. Do something that increases your energy and reminds you that there is more to life than work.
DeBakey pioneered numerous cardiovascular procedures, including the coronary bypass and the artificial-heart transplant. In 1954, he devised a technique to repair arteries using a Dacron tube he made on his wife's sewing machine. In 2006, he became the oldest survivor of the procedure he invented.
One of the rarest things that we do is think. I don't know why people don't do it more often. It doesn't cost anything. Think about that.
There are questions that I'd like answered. But there aren't any answers to those questions.
If world leaderswere doctors, I think they would be more concerned with the welfare of people. There would be less poverty. There would be medical care for everybody, no matter whether people paid for it or not.
In any good society, every member should be interested in the health of every other member. Because if any member is unhealthy, it's a burden on the society.
What advice would I give a doctor preparing for surgery? First and foremost, walk into the right operating room. After you've got the right room, make sure you've got the right patient.
I've done more than sixty thousand heart operations. I used to start operating at six in the morning. Sometimes I wouldn't finish until ten or eleven at night. I've been fortunate in that I need very little sleep. I can get along well on four or five hours.
Okra is the key to good gumbo.
I'm not sure I can answer that question specifically. But the operation I did in '53 for aneurysm of the thoracic aorta gave me great satisfaction. It had never been done successfully before, and lots of doctors took the position that you shouldn't try it. You've got to push ahead in spite of them. I learned that lesson early.
I don't think the difference between ninety-nine and a hundred is important.
I scheduled my last operation when I was ninety. I just felt that I'd done enough and should turn it over to my colleagues.
If you had a heart problem right now and needed an operation and I was the only doctor around, sure, I'd do it.
The best lesson my mother taught me involves an orphanage we had in town. Every Sunday after church we would get in the car and drive to the orphanage. Mother would bake bread and cookies, and she would go through our clothes and give the items we'd outgrown to the children at this orphanage. One Sunday, she was putting clothes in the basket and I noticed she had put one of my favorite caps inside. I immediately protested, but she reminded me that I had a new cap. "The child that's going to get this cap doesn't have a parent to give him a new cap," she said, "and you do." She told me I ought to be glad that I could give up the cap. I never forgot that.
Being compassionate, being concerned for your fellow man, doing everything you can to help people—that's the kind of religion I have, and it's a comforting religion. I don't get involved in discussions of intelligent design. You can't answer those questions, so why fool with them?
You can never learn enough.
It's important for a patient to go into an operation with confidence. The functions of the heart will be abnormal if they go in scared to death.
The worst thing, of course—and you're never quite prepared for it—is when the patient dies during the operation. You die a little every time that happens.
There was a historian in the fourteenth century who wrote a book about what he knew of the world, and for that time it was pretty good. One of the interesting observations he made is that all the tribes that have difficulty feeding themselves are lean and healthy, and those that have plenty of food are fat, lazy, and unhealthy.
People often use words in a loose way that covers over what they're talking about. I like to choose words that get to the basics.
The doctor who operated on me only a few years ago was one that I trained. I was lucky to have somebody like that.
Never had a symptom. The pain came like a bullet out of the blue. I was alone when it started. My wife and my daughter had gone out. The pain is often described as the worst pain you can have. The pain was so severe that I would have welcomed anything to relieve it—including death. I wasn't going to fight it. I look upon death as a part of living, just as some trees lose all their leaves in the winter and have them replaced in the spring. But at the same time, part of me was thinking, What caused this pain? Part of me was doing a diagnosis on myself—which, as it turned out, was correct. Aortic dissection. I'd written more articles about the condition than anybody in the world, and I resigned myself to having a heart stoppage. The pain didn't teach me anything about the heart. It simply emphasized what I had already learned.
I was a little surprised to find myself recovering after the surgery. Then gratified to have been given a second life.
During my recovery, I played possum. I pretended to be sleeping and listened to what the doctors standing over my bed were saying about my condition. Then I'd argue with them about the therapy. I'd make them prove that I needed it.
No matter where you live and what you drive, you can maximize every gallon of fuel. Every gallon of fuel that you don't use saves you money and helps to reduce global warming.
Here's how you can start making a difference today:
Regular Servicing Is Important
Keep your vehicle well-maintained with regular servicing to keep it operating at peak efficiency. An inefficient engine—with fouled spark plugs, for example—won't make optimum use of fuel. Be sure the air filter and the fuel filter are clean. Put in new ones if they're not. A new oxygen sensor alone can improve gas mileage by as much as 15 percent, according to AutoZone, a car parts store.
Don't forget little things like the air in your tires. Having tires inflated to the automaker's maximum recommended pressure can improve gas mileage by as much as 6 percent, while periodic wheel alignments can help improve fuel economy up to 10 percent, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Clean out that trunk, cargo area or pickup bed. Take out unneeded items that only add weight to your vehicle. Extra weight decreases gas mileage. According to AutoZone, every 200 pounds of unnecessary weight shaves one mile per gallon off your fuel mileage.
Be a Different Driver
Change your driving style. Accelerate gradually, drive smoothly and with care and you could see as much as a 20 percent gain in fuel economy compared with what you'd get with an aggressive driving style, the EPA says. Skip those jackrabbit starts and sudden pedal-to-the-metal maneuvers if you want to save gas. Anticipate stops so you avoid sudden braking, and take a long view of the road ahead, coasting safely to an intersection in front of you where you see traffic stopped.
Don't speed. A car or truck moving at 55 miles an hour can get about 15 percent better fuel economy than the same car going 65 mph. Use your vehicle's navigation system, if you have one, in your travels to new locales. This can save you from getting lost and wasting gas.
Drive Smart
Don't be idle too long. Don't waste fuel by sitting in that drive-thru lane at McDonald's or Taco Bell. Park and go inside instead. Don't let your vehicle idle as you wait outside the elementary school to pick up your children. Idling uses more fuel than turning the engine off, waiting for your youngsters and then restarting the engine.
When you're in slow city traffic, keep the air conditioner off, if possible. Roll down the windows and open the air vents to keep you and your riders comfortable. That air conditioner is a burden that uses fuel, and if you're tooling around town, you can see a "very slight" improvement in gas mileage by keeping it turned off, a Mercedes-Benz spokesman said.
Plan Ahead
Combine your errands into one trip, rather than taking multiple trips from home. Organize your stops so they're near each other and so you don't retrace your path. You may even be able to park in one central spot and walk between some of your stops rather than driving and parking at each one. For large gatherings like family reunions and church picnics, organize a carpool. If the distance to these events is long, Budget Rent a Car Corp. suggests even renting a 15-person van to maximize fuel savings vs. driving a number of separate vehicles in these circumstances.
Plan your trips so you go out during less-congested times of day. When there's less traffic, you're more apt to be able to drive smoothly. Use navigation aids on the Internet or in your vehicle to keep from getting lost—and thus wasting fuel—when you're headed to a new, unknown location.
Weather Effects
Note that road and weather conditions have a role, too, in the fuel economy of your vehicle. Driving into a 20-mph headwind can reduce fuel economy by as much as 6 percent. Driving up a mountain road with a 7 percent grade can cut fuel economy by as much as 25 percent. Driving on gravel and in slush and snow requires a bit more fuel, too.
Other Modes of Transport
Look at alternative transportation options—even if it's just for one or two days a week. Walk, bicycle, carpool or take public transportation and leave your vehicle at home. The League of American Bicyclists, based in Washington D.C., notes that cycling to work not only saves on gas, it is an excellent cardiovascular workout. And in some cases, the league says, commuters actually arrive at their destination quicker on a bicycle than they would via congested auto roadways.
When you shop for a new vehicle, compare fuel economy. Bear in mind how bigger vehicles, bigger engines, four-wheel drive and lots of optional equipment can add to a vehicle's weight and, as a result, reduce its fuel efficiency. Even larger tires can have an effect. A tire with a larger "footprint" on the road that doesn't have a special rubber compound designed to improve fuel economy has more rolling resistance than a comparable smaller tire, and this can lower fuel economy.
You don't always have to avoid popular vehicles in order to save money at the gas pump. Some smaller trucks and sport-utility vehicles rank better in fuel economy than do some cars. For example, the Ford Ranger 2WD with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine and manual transmission is the "most efficient standard pickup truck," according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It gets an estimated 24 miles a gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway, the EPA says, for a combined rating of 26 mpg.
Watch for New, High-Tech Solutions
Check out the newest automotive technology. It's getting more mainstream with each passing year.
In spring 2002, Honda began selling its second gas-electric hybrid car in the U.S., the Civic Hybrid. It joined the Honda Insight, the first gas-electric hybrid car available in the United States, and Toyota Prius hybrid car, whose U.S. sales started in the 2001 model year, as very fuel-thrifty vehicles.
The Civic Hybrid is rated at 50 miles a gallon in combined city/highway fuel economy by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This was the first sedan already in production to be made available with a hybrid powertrain. It has since been followed by a number of passenger cars, including the Honda Accord Hybrid and Toyota Camry Hybrid.
Ford Motor Co. introduced the first gas-electric hybrid sport-utility vehicle—the Escape Hybrid—in calendar 2004, and other automakers have added hybrid entries as well.
New technology efforts don't end there. Virtually all automakers are researching ways to build a commercially viable fuel-cell vehicle.
Even if you don't decide on a new-technology vehicle, you should carefully consider whether you really need a V6 or a V8 in your next car or truck. The National Automobile Dealers Association advises consumers to test drive models with various engines in a range of driving conditions to determine what fits them best, and to assess the tradeoffs.
Other Costs Affected
Keep in mind you might pay a bit more for that next new car. Higher fuel prices in recent years have prompted many automakers to boost the price of delivering vehicles to dealerships. You see these higher trucking charges on the window sticker, on the "destination and delivery" line.
An Eye to the Future
Think about how your fuel conservation efforts benefit the Earth and future generations.
Scientists say global warming and its projected disastrous effects on weather, rising sea levels and heat deaths are due, in part, to the burning of fossil fuels.
So, every gallon of gas you don't use can help ease global warming.
What if negative thinking does creep in and you find yourself mired in unpleasant emotions. Then what? Cognitive therapy calls for tackling the problem using the seven easy tips. Seven tips may not sound like many, but simplicity is one of cognitive therapy’s major strengths. It is quick and easy, and once people understand the basic concepts, almost anyone can practice it. Sometimes, though, cognitive therapy’s very simplicity puts people off. They say that it is so simple, it can’t work. In fact, they are jumping to a conclusion – the “fortune-telling” kind – and urges them to try the tips anyway. Give it a try for any given problem and see what happens.
Write Everything Down
The act of writing automatically puts some distance between you and your negative thought. Jotting things down provides perspective and helps people detect distorted thinking more easily. If you are in a situation where you just can’t put pen to paper, it is recommended saying things out loud.
Identify The Upsetting Event
What’s really bothering you? Is it simply the fact that you got a flat tire? Or is it that you soiled your outfit while changing it? Or that you knew you needed a new tire but did not replace it? Or that the flat made you late for your daughter’s soccer game?
Identify Your Negative Emotions
You might feel annoyed about the flat, frustrated that replacing it soiled your outfit, angry at yourself for not replacing it in time and guilty for being late for the soccer game.
Identify The Negative Thoughts That Accompany Your Negative Emotions
About failing to replace the tire: “I always procrastinate. I never take care of things in time.” About soiling the outfit, “ I’m a slob. I can’t go anywhere and look okay.” About being late for the game: “My daughter will make a scene. She’ll think I do not love her. And the other adults there will think I am a bad parent.”
Identify Distortions And Substitute Rational Responses
About the tire: “ I don’t always procrastinate. I juggle my job and family and accomplish just about everything that has to get done. I would have replaced that tire in time, but I had to deal with an emergency at work, and the tire just got by me.” About the stained outfit: “ I’m not a slob. I’m usually very careful about my appearance, more so than most people, which is why things like this upset me.” About the tardiness: “ My daughter knows I love her. She knows that if I am late, whatever detained me was beyond my control. She is unlikely to make a scene, but if she does, the other adults there will comfort her. I have done the same for their kids and never thought them to be bad parents. No one will think the worst of me.”
Reconsider Your Upset
Are you still heading for and emotional tailspin? Probably not. But you still feel annoyed about getting the flat.
Plan Corrective Action
“As soon as the game is over, we are getting that tire. That will take the time I have planned to spend cooking dinner, so I have pick up some take-out instead.”
Sufiah decided to CONFESS ALL after we revealed how the former child prodigy was working as a £130-an-hour prostitute while studying for a masters in economics. It is the latest heartbreaking twist to a life that seemed so full of promise—but went tragically wrong when she cracked under the pressure of her bullying father's cruel academic regime and fled university at 15.
Eight years on, he is now in jail for sexually assaulting two girl pupils and Sufiah has somehow convinced herself that her seedy new career is the answer to all her problems. "People think escorting is sleazy and terrible but I don't see it like that," she says. "I've always had a high sex drive—and now I'm getting all the sex I want—and guys are much better in bed with an escort than a girlfriend.
"I have men who are thrilled about my passion for mathematics. In fact one made me recite equations while he pleasured me, then I gave him oral sex while he chatted about algebra. It drove him wild." And brainbox Sufiah has worked out that subtracting your respectability to become a prostitute can equal big money.
Peeling "I have a nice life and I am in control," she says. "I hate this stereotype society has of escorts being exploited. It is so far from the truth. "My clients treat me like a princess. One guy I see in London took me shopping on Bond Street. He bought me a beautiful black Gucci dress for £700 and then took me to Selfridges and told me to pick any handbag I liked."
She chose a £600 Gucci clutch. "I'm a Primark and Topshop girl normally! I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. "Later that night we went for dinner. I wore my Gucci dress and sexy lingerie and took great pleasure in peeling it off for him later on back at his hotel." Sufiah was working as an administrative assistant earning £ 16,000 a year in Manchester when an escort agency boss approached her in a bar four months ago. She'd run up debts of £3,500 in rent arrears and credit cards.
And she was still haunted by her hellish childhood—subjected to her father Farooq's Accelerated Learning Technique where she studied maths day in day out in rooms kept freezing cold to improve her concentration. So the big rewards the agency boss promised seemed more than tempting. "I have studied so intensely for so many years I wanted to have fun," she says.
She can't see the sordid side of prostitution—and instead likens herself to Belle De Jour—the saucy hooker played by Billie Piper in the TV drama. "I'd read Belle De Jour's Diary of a London Call Girl and was fascinated," she said. "When this immaculate lady in a designer suit asked if I had ever considered escorting, I found it appealing.
"I went home, researched agencies on the internet and found one I thought looked professional. I sent them photographs and they put me on their site." A couple of days later Sufiah was offered her first client. She recalls: "I felt quite nervous but excited too. I slipped on some black lace underwear and stockings and suspenders and a dress, and just though, ‘Wow, this is thrilling.' "He was waiting for me at the bar of the Hilton. I expected him to be older but when I saw him he was lovely.
"He was only in his late 20s, tall and handsome. I thought, ‘I can't believe I'm getting paid to have sex with this man.' "I'd have been thrilled if he chatted me up in a bar. We had a drink then went upstairs to his room and had fantastic sex. I left that night feeling totally elated having had an amazing time with £250 in my purse." Since then, she has built up a base of regular rich clients and sees between five and ten men each week. Her sugar daddies have treated her to fabulous clothes, designer bags, trips on yachts and even helicopter rides.
Sufiah, whose interview can be seen on video at notw.co.uk, brags that she can earn more than £1,000 in a night by having diner with a client and staying over. "It's like they want to rescue me. One man asked me how much I earned a year. I said £60,000. He told me, ‘I'll pay that amount straight into your bank and buy you a flat and you can be my mistress.'
"But I don't want that because I'm happy doing what I do. Now I wonder if I could go back to a normal relationship, where you watch EastEnders and have boring sex. I've got used to being treated like a princess." It is as if she has run away from reality—just as she ran away from university and her father's dominance at 15.
Sufiah becomes solemn and subdued when she talks of her upbringing. "As I grew older I began to clash with my father," she says. "He was violent on occasions. Because he pushed me so far academically, I became more confident for a girl of my age. I grew up too quickly. "From 11, I was studying maths all the time. I didn't have any friends. I wasn't in the Brownies. My father said they didn't teach Muslim values. I hardly ever played with other children."
She passed her maths A level aged 12 and started at St Hilda's College, Oxford. "It was an amazing place but I was too young. By the time I was 15 I wanted to be in control of my life. I fought back." Sufiah sparked a two week nationwide police hunt when she ran away instead of going home at the end of term, saying she'd "had enough of 15 years of physical and emotional abuse". Her father claimed she had been kidnapped and brainwashed by members of a socialist organisation.
But now, speaking about it for the first time, Sufiah says: "I couldn't bear the thought of going home so I ran away. I'd saved up £200 and found a hostel in London for £14 per night. After a week I moved to a hostel in Bournemouth. I knew I could survive on my own." When she was found in an internet cafe, Sufiah refused to go home and was placed in foster care by Bournemouth social services. She says: "I stayed with two families who were very good to me. My mum and dad would call me and ask me to go home—but I didn't want to."
Rich
Her 50-year-old father is now in jail for 18 months after being convicted of sexually assaulting two 15-year-old girls he taught at his home in Coventry. When Sufiah reached 18 she returned to Oxford to continue her studies—and fell in love with fellow student Jonathan Marshall. They married a year later but it barely lasted a year.
"At the time I thought we would be together forever, but we married too young and grew apart," she says. After the split she moved back to London where she taught maths in the evenings to make ends meet. Then six months ago she moved to Manchester—and stumbled across her new career. "I'm still only young and I can't decide what I want to do," she says. "My escort work provides me with a fabulous life.
"I still enjoy learning and I find it puts me in the right frame of mind for an intelligent conversation with my clients." But she admits not all her sexual encounters work out. "At the end of the day you don't have to sleep with a client if you don't want to. I've done that twice now. Both men were young and very nervous. I just left. "The dullest client I've ever had was a rich man who talked about cars all night. It was really, really boring."
Sufiah is well aware she could easily find a job in the City where she could match her £60,000 a year sex earnings. But she said: "I don't want to take anything away from people who do jobs like that but it's not for me. I have a nice life. I don't want for anything." Her mother Halimahton is now divorcing jailed Farooq and is desperate for her daughter to get in touch with her. "I was shaking when I found out what had become of her," she says.
But talking about her bitter split with her parents, Sufiah says: "I would describe our relationship as estranged. "I have contact with them occasionally but I couldn't speculate on what they will make of my new life. "I don't have any regrets. I've never felt more confident about my body and I've had some of the best sex of my life."
Stumble It!
