Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.
Experience is perhaps one of the mankind's most useful tools - and explains just why the world is watching the progress of Hurricane Gustav with such stunned horror; it's arrival, size and destination all redolent of Hurricane Katrina which devastated parts of the Gulf Coast almost exactly three years ago.
To be fair, any hurricane measuring above 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale is cause for concern, particularly in that part of the world where the warm Gulf waters feed these monster storms with the energy they need for ultimate destruction, right up to the moment they hit land.
So Gustav started off as a hurricane, was downgraded to a tropical storm, picked up force again as it charged towards the superheated waters close to Cuba and is now forecast to become a superstorm - Category 5 - as it passes through the Gulf of Mexico. Like Katrina three years ago, however, it may well be that Gustav will lose a little ferocity, making landfall as a category 4.
Category 4 or 5, it really doesn't matter. What is important is that Hurricane Gustav is heading for New Orleans - again. Three years ago, despite a last minute attempt at evacuation, the collapse of the levees that protect this low-lying area led to 1800 deaths as floodwaters swamped 80% of the city.
Hurricane Gustav is strong, packing winds of up to 150 mph. It is huge, with storm force winds extending out 175 miles from the eye of the storm and it also threatens frightening storm surges, the like of which will obliterate even the rebuilt levees of the bruised and battered New Orleans.
Lessons have been learned. By Sunday night, New Orleans airport will be shut. The population, which had just returned to around 80% of the pre-Katrina figure, will have been mandatorily evacuated, with the Mayor making it crystal clear that anyone wishing to resist evacuation would do so at their own risk.
Pets are being safely moved, practical precautions being taken to protect property, and a state of emergency has already been declared. The city will lock down until the storm has passed through, with police and National Guard on standby to prevent the looting and lawlessness that added insult to the injury of Katrina's devastation.
So whilst New Orleans will almost undoubtedly suffer another severe lashing - and a degree of flooding seems inevitable - it does seem that all the measures that can be taken, have been taken.
Potentially, it could be two days before this hurricane makes landfall, and herein lies the second area of worry - where? Subject to the wanton elements of nature, these huge areas of vorticity are notoriously fickle and forecasters will be working at fever pitch to correctly identify exactly where along that Gulf Coast Gustav is going to cause the most damage.
With the benefit of experience, New Orleans will be a ghost town with few to bear eye witness to the storm's arrival - but along the coast one has to hope that all those oil-producing rigs have been evacuated and locked down, and that places such as Morgan City, Port Arthur, Galveston and Houston have some contingency plan should they suddenly find themselves in the path of the hurricane.
Let's face it; we all don't make millions of dollars a year, and the odds are that most of us won't receive a large windfall inheritance either. However, that doesn't mean that we can't build sizeable wealth — it'll just take some time. If you're young, time is on your side and retiring a millionaire is achievable. Read on for some tips on how to increase your savings and work toward this goal.
Stop Senseless Spending
Unfortunately, people have a habit of spending their hard-earned cash on goods and services that they don't need. Even relatively small expenses, such as indulging in a gourmet coffee from a premium coffee shop every morning, can really add up — and decrease the amount of money you can save. Larger expenses on luxury items also prevent many people from putting money into savings each month.
That said, it's important to realize that it's usually not just one item or one habit that must be cut out in order to accumulate sizable wealth (although it may be). Usually, in order to become wealthy one must adopt a disciplined lifestyle and budget. This means that people who are looking to build their nest eggs need to make sacrifices somewhere — this may mean eating out less frequently, using public transportation to get to work and/or cutting back on extra, unnecessary expenses.
This doesn't mean that you shouldn't go out and have fun, but you should try to do things in moderation — and set a budget if you hope to save money. Fortunately, particularly if you start saving young, saving up a sizeable nest egg only requires a few minor (and relatively painless) adjustments to your spending habits.
Fund Retirement Plans ASAP
When individuals earn money, their first responsibility is to pay current expenses such as the rent or mortgage expenses, food and other necessities. Once these expenses have been covered, the next step should be to fund a retirement plan or some other tax-advantaged vehicle.
Unfortunately, retirement planning is an afterthought for many young people. Here's why it shouldn't be: funding a 401(k) and/or a IRA early on in life means you can contribute less money overall and actually end up with significantly more in the end than someone who put in much more money but started later.
How much difference will funding a vehicle such as a Roth IRA early on in life make?
If you're 23 years old and deposit $3,000 per year (that's only $250 each month!) in a Roth IRA earning an 8% average annual return, you will have saved $985,749 by the time you are 65 years old due to the power of compounding. If you make a few extra contributions, it's clear that a $1 million goal is well within reach. Also keep in mind that this is mostly interest — your $3,000 contributions only add up to $126,000.
Now, suppose that you wait an additional 10 years to start contributing. You have a better job and you know you've lost some time, so you contribute $5,000 per year. You get the same 8% return and you aim to retire at 65. When you reach age 65, you will have saved $724,753. That's still a sizeable fund, but you had to contribute $160,000 just to get there — and it's nowhere near the $985,749 you could've had for paying much less.
Improve Tax Awareness
Sometimes, individuals think that doing their own taxes will save them money. In some cases, they might be right. However, in other cases it may actually end up costing them money because they fail to take advantage of the many deductions available to them.
Try to become more educated as far as what types of items are deductible. You should also understand when it makes sense to move away from the standard deduction and start itemizing your return.
However, if you're not willing or able to become very well educated filing your own income tax, it may actually pay to hire some help, particularly if you are self employed, own a business or have other circumstances that complicate your tax return.
Renting Versus Buying
At some point in our lives, many of us rent a home or an apartment because we cannot afford to purchase a home, or because we aren't sure where we want to live for the longer term. And that's fine. However, renting is often not a good long-term investment because buying a home is a good way to build equity.
Unless you intend to move in a short period of time, it generally makes sense to consider putting a down payment on a home. (At least you would likely build up some equity over time and the foundation for a nest egg.)
Buying Expensive Cars
There's nothing wrong with purchasing a luxury vehicle. However, individuals who spend an inordinate amount of their incomes on a vehicle are doing themselves a disservice — especially since this asset depreciates in value so rapidly.
How rapidly does a car depreciate?
Obviously, this depends on the make, model, year and demand for the vehicle, but a general rule is that a new car loses 15-20% of its value per year. So, a two-year old car will be worth 80-85% of its purchase price; a three-year old car will be worth 80-85% of its two-year-old value.
In short, especially when you are young, consider buying something practical and dependable that has low monthly payments — or that you can pay for in cash. In the long run, this will mean you'll have more money to put toward your savings — an asset that will appreciate, rather than depreciate like your car.
Don't Sell Yourself Short
Some individuals are extremely loyal to their employers and will stay with them for years without seeing their incomes take a jump. This can be a mistake, as increasing your income is an excellent way to boost your rate of saving.
Always keep your eye out for other opportunities and try not to sell yourself short. Work hard and find an employer who will compensate you for your work ethic, skills and experience.
Bottom Line
You don't have to win the lottery to see seven figures in your bank account. For most people, the only way to achieve this is to save it. You don't have to live like a pauper to build an adequate nest egg and retire comfortably. If you start early, spend wisely and save diligently, your million-dollar dreams are well within reach.
A mother found guilty of killing her baby by burning her to death in a microwave is facing the death penalty.
China Arnold, 28, put her baby Paris Tallery in the microwave and cooked her to death following a fight with her boyfriend in 2005.
A jury in Dayton, Ohio, found the mother guilty of aggravated murder and she is now facing the possibility of being sentenced to death.
Arnold showed no reaction when the verdict was announced, only lowering her head to look down at the defence table.
Relatives in the Montgomery County courtroom cried and covered their faces with their hands.
Arnold, her four children and her then-boyfriend Terrell Talley lived in a flat at a housing complex, which has since been condemned.
Her cellmate told the court that Arnold had confessed to putting the baby in the microwave.
She said Arnold told her she turned it on because she was worried her boyfriend would leave her if he found out the child was not his.
Prosecutors said the baby's DNA was found inside the microwave in Arnold's apartment.
Arnold's defence team had claimed an eight-year-old boy was responsible for the death.
Judge John Kessler declared a mistrial in February after he had privately heard testimony from the juvenile and a retrial began on August 18.
The young boy's mother told the court they lived some distance away and they were not at Arnold's apartment complex when the baby died.
Her former boyfriend also said he was certain the boy was not at the flat.
The jurors are due to return to the court on Tuesday to consider whether Arnold will face the death penalty.
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has agreed to pay billions of dollars in compensation to Libya as an apology for its colonial rule.
The "friendship pact" has been signed by the Italian leader and his Libyan counterpart Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
The North African country accuses Italy of killing thousands of Libyans and driving thousands more from their villages and cities during its 1911-1943 rule.
On his arrival in Libya, Mr Berlusconi said the deal would see Italy invest $200m every year for the next 25 years.
"Italian companies will set up more business in Libya," he added, without giving details.
Italian officials said the deal covered "some billion dollars" in compensation and $5bn in investments, including the construction of a highway across Libya from the Tunisian border to Egypt.
It also involves a project to clear mines dating back to the colonial era.
In return, Italy expects to win energy contracts as well as see a tightening of security measures that will stem the flow of illegal migrants across the Mediterranean.
As a gesture of goodwill, Italy has returned the ancient statue of Venus of Cyrene that was taken to Rome during colonial rule, according to Libyan state media.
Italy has suffered difficult relations with Colonel Gaddafi since he took power in 1969, expelling Italian residents and confiscating their property.
The SuperSmoker is an electronic alternative to a normal cigarette, which allows you to beat the smoking ban.
The device contains nicotine, has a real cigarette filter tip and even produces a vapour that looks like real smoke.
It's manufacturers claim that it doesn't contain any carcinogenic substances because it doesn't burn tobacco and is therefore completely legal to smoke in public places.
Lulu gave it a puff and this was her review of it.
"The cigarette reminded me of the days when you could buy fake cigarettes in a sweet shop, a must for every child wanting to mirror their mummy or daddy.
But times have changed and, in this politically correct world, it wouldn’t have the same appeal.
The cigarette “experience” is complicated to work out – the battery needs to be charged beforehand - it’s heavy and the “drag” is pure nicotine.
You have to have the lungs of a non-smoker to inhale successfully and, when I did finally manage it, I was left with a strange unappealing aftertaste.
To give the effect of a real fag, the cigarette lights up at the end as you inhale. But it’s a battery-operated light. Spooky.
I don’t think I’m a dedicated enough smoker to appreciate fully the benefits. I can imagine it would be fun for the young at heart to use it provocatively in a pub to wind up staff and customers but what then?
I can’t help feeling it’s better as a thought than a practicality. Rather like the couple who took to the air for their wedding. A great idea after a few drinks, but not one that’s likely to stand the test of time."
TV's Californication and The X Files star David Duchovny has checked into rehab for sex addiction.
In a statement released by his lawyer Stanton Stein, the actor said he had entered a rehabilitation facility and had done so "voluntarily".
The 48-year-old plays sex-obsessed character 'Hank Moody' in the hit TV series 'Californication,' which has recently aired on Channel 5.
Duchovny rose to fame playing FBI agent Fox Mulder in The X Files, which began in 1993.
A second spin-off feature film of The X Files - 'I Want To Believe' was released in UK cinemas in July.
Duchovny has been married to actress Tea Leoni since 1997, the couple have two children.
Californication earned Emmy nominations for casting and cinematography.
The show's second season begins September 28.
An expensive cream that is claimed to remove tattoos does not work and is a waste of money, doctors are warning.
For about £200, you can buy six months worth of supplies from companies operating online and advertising in national newspapers.
One of the sites says it has proven success with volunteers and claims that some "95% of them reported their tattoo having either completely disappeared, or barely visible".
And there are long lists of testimonies from satisfied customers to back this up.
One user from Stafford wrote: "After two months of using the cream you could barely see it, and now I'm just finishing the final tube of cream which is my fifth month and it has nearly gone.
"I am just totally shocked by it. I definitely recommend it."
Paul Stevens from tattoo2go told Sky News: "We have a really high success rate. Unlike other treatments which can burn you skin ours doesn't. And we'll give a full refund after six months if customers aren't happy with the results."
The company even offers a full refund if customers are not happy with the results.
But despite the convincing before and after pictures, medical experts say the idea that a simple cream could erase a permanent tattoo is nonsense.
Dr Patrick Bowler is a surgeon doctor and director of Court House Clinics. He told Sky News: "It is too good to be true.
"There's no scientific evidence that these things work. I think they're really expensive and there's no given of any outcome. My advice would be to avoid them."
The Tattoo Club of Great Britain says the nature of tattoos means removal is not possible with a cream. Lionel Titchener, who set up the club, told Sky News: "The pigment is injected right under the skin.
"I cannot understand what cream could safely dissolve the tattoo. I would urge people to speak to their doctor before putting anything on their skin."
There is no denying tattoos are back in fashion, and the number of people having them done is on the increase.
Part of the reason some say, is the celebrity endorsement factor. The likes of David and Victoria Beckham and Amy Winehouse, all have several.
But fashion is fickle, and doctors believe once the trend changes, they will be seeing a lot of patients who want their tattoos removed.
The most common method of removal is laser treatment. It is a long and sometimes painful experience, and can cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
Different lasers are used for each different colour, and complete removal is not always possible.
Dr Bowler says prevention is better than cure. He warns: "It's a bit like deciding to have a facelift. You need to give good thought to it and remember, they're permanent."
A baby boy born with two heads has died after developing a fever and breathing difficulties, a Bangladeshi doctor says.
The boy, named Kiron, was born by Cesarean section on Monday weighing 5.5 kgs (12lbs 1oz) in Keshobpur, 85 miles from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
Earlier, gynaecologist Mohamad Abdul Bari said: "He has one stomach and he is eating normally with his two mouths. He has one genital organ and a full set of limbs."
"He was born from one embryo but there was a developmental anomaly."
The boy was placed under police protection because of the curiosity his birth caused.
He and his mother, 22, were later moved to a larger hospital in nearby Jessore city because crowds had gathered at the clinic.
Mr Bari said: "Around 150,000 people gathered yesterday (Wednesday) from different areas. It became tough for us to care for the baby.
"We called police to tackle the situation and they are guarding the hospital in Jessore as well."
But his parents could not afford any further medical care and against doctors' advice, they took the child home.
"We wanted to refer him to a hospital in Dhaka but the family was so poor that they could not afford to take him there, so they took him home where he died," paediatrician KS Alam told the AFP news agency.
You may think of them as squalid vermin - but a slice of rat meat in Cambodia has quadrupled in price.
Soaring inflation and increased popularity is putting the normally affordable meat beyond the reach of the country's poor.
A kilogram of the protein-rich flesh would cost you 5,000 riel in Cambodia, or about 70p. That is up from 1,200 riel last year.
Spicy field rat dishes, with a touch of garlic, have become particularly popular at a time when beef costs 20,000 riel per kilo.
The rats have also become easier to catch as they flee to higher ground from flooded areas of the lower Mekong Delta.
But soaring prices is not bad news for everyone.
"Many children are happy making some money from selling the animals to the markets, but they keep some for their family," agriculture official Ly Marong said.
"Not only are our poor eating it, but there is also demand from Vietnamese living on the border with us."
He estimated that Cambodia supplies more than a tonne of live rats a day to Vietnam.
In August, a welfare minister in India suggested that the Bihar state set up rat farms and rat meat centres to beat global food prices.
The world of business is getting more and more competitive. If you are not sensitive of your competitors activities around you, in any minute, any time, you'll be kick out of the game. Therefore if we want to sustain any business, one of the key strategy is to always stay ahead of everyone and always keeping tab on our customers.
Nowadays customers are getting more and more demanding. A good communication between us and customer need to be established frequently. With the technological world today, it's to get connect with our customers are getting much simplier than before. One technique is by using a remote computer software design by http://www.ntrglobal.com/ .
The software helps to improve the communication in order to meet the needs of our customers in a very convinient and fast manner. The software is user friendly, can remotely support your customer no matter where they are. Currently they are offering 15 days free trial period for everyone.
Holidaymakers tired of glossy hotel pictures which don't live up to reality have a new website at their disposal, and it could earn them money along the way.
Tripr.tv features video clips of hotels as filmed and posted by travellers worldwide, and promises to show what they are really like.
What makes the site unique, is that if someone books a room at the hotel as a result of watching your video, you get a cut of the booking commission.
"We bring clients to travel agencies and they pay us in return for that," said Tripr.tv co-founder Jan Kooman. "We want to share that with our online community."
"You could be booking a boutique Paris hotel after seeing lovely pictures of the lobby, but then you end up with dirty sheets in the room. With the video you can capture that straight away."
Every film posted that results in a hotel booking will earn the maker 33% of the booking commission - approximately £5.
With monetary rewards however, there is a danger that less scrupulous travellers will be tempted to distort reality.
"There is a risk you won't get the truth", said Ian Rumgay from Tripadvisor.com.
"If you're offering a financial incentive, people may be tempted to post something which is perhaps not as truthful as it would be... to get a reward."
However, the website founders do not believe this will be a problem.
"It's harder to hide the truth in a video than it is in words," said Kooman.
"Videos capture straight away the atmosphere of the hotel so it is difficult to make the experience more positive than it is."
Those who try, he said, will be named and shamed.
"Like with YouTube, visitors can comment on the videos. Reviewers can get negative comments on their posts."
"The most rated videos get more prominence on the site. If a video gets a negative response, the video will go downwards."
Tripr.tv is part of a growing trend on the internet for user generated travel reviews.
"In the old days it was word of mouth," observed Ian Rumgay, "now it's word of mouse."
7-year Jaimee Armstrong was unable to sleep without her missing 50-year-old best friend. So parents Deb and Dan dug deep to bring the unofficial family member back home.
After calling the airport, staff told the couple that Orange Ted was still continuing his holiday in the lost baggage department.
And so began a mammoth mission to bring Orange Ted home to Burnham-on-Sea.
The family contacted a travel agent friend, Kim Hughes of Travel Counsellors, who sent an SOS to 1,000 of her colleagues to see if anyone would be stopping at the airport.
A passing rep collected the bear and handed it over to a colleague in Toulouse.
Orange Ted was then taken to North Yorkshire and posted the final 200 miles back to Burnham-on-Sea.
But Mr Armstrong had already bought a ticket for the Costa Brava to pick up the bear in person.
The family said they had spent £1,000 on airfares, telephone calls and a hotel room.
Mrs Armstrong, 45, said: "One thing is absolutely certain. He is never leaving the country again."
A hurricane that lashed Haiti is making its way toward the Gulf of Mexico and some of the world's largest oil rigs.
Hurricane Gustav could shut down offshore rigs which account for a quarter of all US crude oil and much of its natural gas.
Already the region's biggest producer Royal Dutch Shell has announced it will evacuate workers on Wednesday.
If it continues on its path past Cuba and Jamaica toward the Gulf, it could drive up oil prices in the US by as much as 10c per gallon, according to analysts.
"Oil markets are keeping a nervous eye on Hurricane Gustav, with forecasts showing it may move into the Gulf of Mexico," said David Moore, an Australian-based commodity analyst.
A hurricane warning had been issued for parts of Cuba, including the US military base at Guantanamo Bay.
Gustav hit Haiti on Tuesday triggering lanslides and torrential rains, and threatened to destroy the country's crops.
One man was killed in a landslide in the mountain town of Benet, an official told local radio.
In the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince, cars pushed through standing water as fallen trees and landslides blocked a major road out.
"If the rain continues, we'll be flooded," UN food consultant Jean Gardy said from the town of Marigot..
August 29 marks the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the American Gulf coast.
It was a monstrous Category 5 hurricane in the Gulf before it came ashore as a Category 3.
Manchester United's Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic has gone on the attack - slating the city, its culture and the weather.
After two-and-a-half years in the country, the 26-year-old international has had enough declaring: "I will never stay to live in England."
The uncompromising centre-back, whose family escaped Kosovo as refugees, complained of the hardship of life in a city which "rains, rains, rains".He told Russian magazine Football Weekly: "'The climate here is something special! You get only a brief glimpse of sunlight before it's all cloudy again. The winters are mild, but in summer the temperatures seldom go higher than 20C.
"(Manchester's) main attraction is considered to be the timetable at the railway station, where trains leave for other, less rainy cities."
It is not uncommon for a foreign footballer to deliver a damning verdict of the British weather.
But few feel too aggrieved after enduring a bitter Russian winter, as Vidic faced during an 18-month stint at Spartak Moscow, before Sir Alex Ferguson brought him to United for £7.2m in January 2006.
The former student of economics at Belgrade University said he also felt alienated among an English population who "just don't have time to feel the joy of life".
He said: "In Russia and Serbia the people's way of life is similar. In England it's totally different.
"Throughout the week they all work so hard. They only talk to people at lunch break. Then in the evening they come home and watch the telly, so they can get up early for work the next day.
"The only time to meet friends is at weekends, but for football players it's the busiest time of all."
Vidic was born to a working-class family in Uzice, in the west of Serbia, whose population is dwarfed by an Old Trafford home crowd.
Visitors pay tribute on Virtualtourist.com to a town boasting "beautiful views", with an old fortress and mountain river travelling through "many unique sites including a deep canyon in the area".
Another entry praises the many modest attractions, including cafes, a library, museum, disco and hotels.
Manchester can certainly compete comfortably with those, but it's not enough for Vidic, who says his next move might be to Spain.
"At least there will be no reason to complain about the weather."
Starting Wednesday, users with pirated copies of Microsoft Corp's Windows XP Professional operating system (OS) on machines that are Internet-capable could find their computer displays going black and with no screen icons visible.
There are 8.6 million users of Win XP Pro in Malaysia and about three million are expected to suffer the “blackouts,” according to Microsoft Malaysia.
To continue working, the user would need to reset the machine’s desktop background. Everything will return to normal. But when 60 minutes are up, the black screen will reappear and the user must go through the whole process again.
This will keep happening until the user licenses the copy of Win XP Pro on the machine by going to a Microsoft reseller or getting a licence online at the www.microsoft.com/malaysia/genuine. Each licence costs RM580.
This initiative is part of Microsoft’s antipiracy campaign, dubbed Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), aimed at educating users on the benefits of using genuine software, K.T. Ng, Microsoft Malaysia’s director of client business group, told The Star on Tuesday.
Win XP Professional was chosen for the antipiracy blitz because it is the most pirated version of Microsoft’s Win XP operating system. The other version is Windows XP Home, which is for home users.
This is the second time that Microsoft is needling users of pirated copies of its operating system to go legitimate. Two years ago, it sprang its WGA initiative on local users of Win XP Pro and Win XP Home.
That time, a pop-up message showed up whenever the PC with a pirated Windows OS was switched on, with the intention of shaming business and home users into getting legitimate copies. The message said “This copy of Windows is not genuine.”
It was quite successful. At that time, there were about 5.1 million pirated copies of Windows XP Pro and after the exercise, about two million of the copies were validated, said Microsoft Malaysia.
“We are encouraged by that response,” said Ng. "So this time, we have escalated the penalty to a black screen that reappears every hour until the user validates his or her copy of Win XP Pro.”
Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, chief executive officer of Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), lauded the WGA campaign.
MDeC is caretaker of the country’s MSC Malaysia initiative, which is working to build up the nation’s knowledge economy.
“MDeC respects the rights of companies to protect their intellectual property. It’s a reminder that software piracy doesn’t pay, especially when Malaysians are themselves putting a lot of effort into creating original software,” he said.
Several users and industry pundits believe Microsoft is using its WGA campaign to herd business users into upgrading to its newest operating system, Windows Vista, which hasn’t garnered interest among companies because of its higher hardware requirements.
“Microsoft has stopped selling Win XP in the market, so you have to wonder why it is spending time and money to take down users of pirated copies of this OS,” said a PC user, who asked for anonymity. “Why isn’t it also targeting users who have pirated copies of Windows Vista?”
“So if I’m using a pirated copy of Vista at this time, I won’t be hassled? Got to wonder about that.”
Ng replied that the concern now is XP Pro, which is widely pirated. “Vista isn’t pirated as much. WGA is continuous and should there be a Vista piracy problem, we will address it down the road,” he said.
Everyone want to lose weight to looks good. But does losing weight can makes you lose health? This is a discussion point that we need to understand before we enrol into any lose weight program.
What is a healthy weight?
A healthy weight is the weight your body naturally settles into when you consistently eat a nutritious diet, are physically active, and balance the calories you eat with the physical activity you do. Reaching a specific weight is not as important as the lifestyle changes you make to become healthy.
Why is a healthy weight important?
Being at a healthy weight can reduce your risk of weight-related diseases, such as coronary artery disease, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke. But weight is only one part of health. Even if you carry some extra weight, by eating healthfully and getting plenty of physical activity, you will feel better and have more energy. In fact, you may be healthier than a thin person who eats poorly and isn't physically active.
Why is losing weight so hard?
Although a weight-loss diet may help you lose a few pounds quickly, following a restrictive diet long-term is unrealistic and requires extraordinary commitment. Once you stop dieting and exercising, the weight comes back. Some people fall into an unhealthy cycle of losing and gaining weight, which may be harder on the body than just being overweight.
It may be difficult to overcome the roadblocks to weight loss: lack of time for exercise, family and work commitments, easy access to less-healthy foods, and illness or injury.
Research shows that people who are most successful in improving their health have made the broader and more significant shift to a healthier lifestyle rather than targeting weight loss alone. A lifestyle of healthy eating and regular physical activity will improve your health and quality of life, no matter what you weight.
How do I achieve healthy weight?
One of the technique to achieve a healthy weight is follow the Jenny Craig program. It's one of the most successful Weight watchers program that's even highly recommended by many health gurus. You can learn a simple and idiot proof tips from it without feeling exhausted. Most importantly is that you will see a much improved results if you follow the program strictly.
Experts have warned the traditional English breakfast is a double cancer risk death trap.
Bacon and sausages, the basis of a fry-up, are processed meats which are linked to an increased risk of developing bowel cancer.
And greasy additions of fried bread, fried egg and black pudding result in a hefty calorie count that can lead to obesity - and a raised risk of suffering a host of other types of cancer.
Lovers of the English-breakfast are 63% more likely to develop bowel cancer if they tuck into two sausages and three rashers of bacon daily, The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) warned.
The charity added that the evidence that processed meat is a cause of bowel cancer is so strong, people should avoid eating it.
There is also convincing scientific evidence that excess body fat is linked to six different types of cancer, including bowel cancer and breast cancer, the WCRF said.
Experts now believe that, after not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight is the most important thing people can do to prevent getting the disease.
Professor Martin Wiseman, medical and scientific adviser for WCRF, said: "For some people, having a fry-up with bacon and sausages might seem like a good way to start the day.
"But if you are doing this regularly then you are significantly increasing your risk of bowel cancer, which is one of the most common cancers in the UK.
"Only a third of people are aware of the link between processed meat and cancer, which means two thirds of people are not in a position to make an informed choice about how much of it they eat.
"This is not a question of all or nothing because the more processed meat you eat, the greater your risk.
"As well as the processed meat increasing the risk of bowel cancer, fry-ups also tend to be high in calories.
"We recommend people limit consumption of high calorie, or energy dense foods because eating them regularly makes you more likely to gain weight.
"This is important because there is convincing evidence excess body fat increases risk of six different types of cancer."
In terms of overall risk, the chances of developing bowel cancer are one in 18 for men and one in 20 for women in the UK.
Police are investigating whether a man arrested with rifles, ammunition and drugs near the Democratic Convention may have been plotting to kill Barack Obama.
Officers in Denver, Colorado, have confirmed three men are being held in connection with drugs and weapons offences.
Sky News' political editor Adam Boulton, in Denver, said one of the group is reported to have made comments alerting police to a potential assassination plot.
Security services are confident there is no "credible" threat to Mr Obama.
Tharin Gartrell, 28, was arrested following a traffic stop for erratic driving early on Sunday by police in the eastern Denver suburb of Aurora.
Detective Marcus Dudley, of Aurora Police Department, said: "The sergeant discovered inside his truck a bullet-proof vest, two rifles, ammunition, walkie-talkies and drugs."
Police alerted federal authorities, who used additional information to arrest Nathan Johnson, 32, in Aurora.
A third man, Shawn Robert Adolf, 33, was arrested at an Aurora hotel.
Police said that when they knocked on the door of the hotel room, he jumped out of a sixth-floor window, landed on an awning and ran off.
Officers later found him with a broken ankle.
Officials with the FBI, Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Aurora police are to hold a news conference later.
Law enforcers in Denver are now trying to find out how valid the reported threats to Mr Obama were.
"It could also turn out that these were nothing but a bunch of knuckleheads," the US government official said.
Democratic delegates have gathered in Denver for a party convention that will see Mr Obama formally confirmed as the first black man to run for President in US history.
The Senator, whose family spoke at the Democratic Convention, is due to arrive in Denver on Wednesday at the earliest.
Boulton described security as "pretty intense" in the build-up.
He said: "The fact that Barack Obama is the first African-American to become a nominee does raise some concerns."
One of the men arrested is reported to have links with a white supremacist organisation.
US Attorney Troy Eid said security services are "confident that there is no credible threat to candidate, convention or city of Denver".
Boulton added: "It is unknown whether the absence of a threat is because the group are in custody or because they were never frankly up to it."
It does appear, he said, they are a "fairly ramshackle bunch of redneck supremacists".
Jamie Oliver has blamed booze culture for England's poor cuisine, saying better food can be found in the slums of South Africa.
In a French magazine interview, the celebrity chef suggests that English people care more about getting drunk than eating well.
Although England is one of the richest countries in the world, there exists an unhealthy culture of alcohol, he says.
"The people I'm talking about have enormous televisions - a lot bigger than my own - the latest in mobile phones, cars and they go and get drunk in pubs at the weekend," he tells the Paris Match.
"The only people who drink more than us are the Irish and the Scottish."
He adds: "I found the cooking of people living in the slums of Soweto more diverse than ours."
The chef also bemoans the demise of British cuisine when compared to that of France.
He says: "We used to do fabulous dishes, but that is in the past. Contrary to you, we have lost our traditions."
The comments come on the back of a controversial "joke" about the holocaust made by Oliver at the Edinburgh International Television Conference.
The chef remarked on the high number of complaints from Germans about the gassing of chicks during his Jamie's Fowl Dinners show.
Apple has unveiled the new, upgraded iPhone - and some UK customers will be able to get hold of it for free.
Apple chief Steve Jobs said that iPhone 2.0 will have a faster internet connection, GPS capabilities and a lower price tag.
O2, the only company in the UK which supplies the iPhone, said that consumers choosing either £45 or £75 per month tariffs will get the new 8GB iPhone 3G for free.
It will cost £99 for those on a new £30 per month tariff or on the existing £35/month rate.
The new 16GB model will be free for those on a £75/month tariff, rising to £159 for lower tariffs.
It will also be available to Pay & Go customers, with pricing still to be announced, and to business users.
The new phones will be available from July 11.
It had been widely predicted that Apple needed to slash the price and improve the iPhone to work over 3G wireless networks if it wanted to reach its target of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of the year.
Initially they will be available in 22 countries but Apple has deals for wireless carriers in 70 countries to carry the new iPhone.
Users complained of painfully slow data download speeds on the original model.
But Mr Jobs said Apple had deliberately decided to wait to improve the device until better chip technology was developed to fit the iPhone's slim design.
New software developments could be as significant as changes to the hardware. Apple has created a Software Developer's Kit to allow independent developers to create their own Apps for the phone.
If they get Apple approval, they will be available to download via the online App Store and Apple will get a cut of around a third of the revenue.
Among the add-ons expected are iControl, which allows you to monitor your home security and web cams, and Super Monkey Ball, a Sega game made for iPhone.
A five-year-old girl shot her 18-month-old brother in the head with an airgun in what police said was a "tragic accident".
Family members said the girl had accidentally fired the gun her father had been using for target practice while he was on the phone.
The father had put the gun down while he answered a call on his mobile.
The boy remains unconscious and seriously ill in hospital .
His grandfather Bakht Rammand, 48, said: "Everybody's in shock. There are no words to describe it really. The whole road loves them.
"He [the boy's father] was target practising with the gun and then somebody rang his mobile.
"The gun was ready to fire and he answered the phone.
"Rashid's sister is really active and she got hold of the gun and pointed it at her brother. He was on the high ground and she was on the low ground. It hit him right in the middle of the back of his head."
The incident happened in the Washwood Heath area of Birmingham.
The family come from north-west Pakistan.
West Midlands Police said the shooting appeared to be a "tragic accident".
A police spokesman said: "An 18-month-old boy is in a critical condition in hospital with a serious head injury after what appears to be a tragic accident yesterday afternoon at the youngster's home in Birmingham.
"The toddler was playing with other young children in the garden of his home in the Washwood Heath area when he sustained a pellet wound to the back of the head from an air weapon."
There is new hope for people suffering from severe facial disfigurement after doctors performed a successful face transplant on a Chinese man.
The 30-year-old man suffered horrific injuries when he was attacked by a bear in 2004.
During an 18-hour operation, doctors re-connected arteries, veins and nerves, andrepaired his nose, upper lip and sinuses.
His case is one of two which suggest that face transplants can be a successful long-term treatment for disfigurement.
Last year French doctors operated on a 29-year-old man with severe tumours.
They gave him new cheeks, a nose and mouth. Six months on he could already blink and smile again.
In a study published in the Lancet medical journal, doctors said that despite some complications, face transplant techniques were proving surprisingly effective.
In the case of the Chinese man, the transplanted tissue survived well, the researchers reported.
No infections occurred, but the patient suffered three acute rejection episodes and high blood sugar, which was controlled by medication.
The researchers wrote: "Facial transplantation could be successful in the short-term, but the procedure was not without complications.
"However, promising results could mean that this procedure might be an option for long-term restoration of severe facial disfigurement."
Worldwide there have been three successful operations so far.
The world's first was on a French woman whose face was bitten off by a dog.
There are thousands of people living in the UK with facial disfigurement caused by burns, tumours or car accidents.
John and Gina Rodrigues have always been good with numbers. John is a software engineer who manages a team at Microsoft, and Gina spent years processing mortgages at Wells Fargo and Countrywide Home Loans. But the numbers they are especially good at are the kind with dollar signs in front of them.
At age 27, John and Gina already earn a combined $174,000 a year, save half of what they make and have built a formidable portfolio of $380,000 in stocks, mutual funds and cash. Their goal: to become millionaires and retire by the time they turn 40, just 13 years from now.
To make that dream a reality, they have become black-belt practitioners of an art rarely practiced in America these days: While others with their earning power might indulge in fancy dinners, luxury vacations and designer wardrobes, the Rodrigueses live like young couples did before the era of easy credit. They rent the house where John grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area for a mere $650 a month; rarely travel; split an entrée on the rare occasions they eat out; and spend almost nothing on clothes (John wears free Microsoft T-shirts, while Gina gets hand-me-downs from her sister).
They are driven by a fierce determination to control their own fate. John yearns to quit his job to indulge his passion for the outdoors, and Gina plans to cut back her hours at the boutique they own to work with animals and, possibly, raise a family.
Can the couple do it? The outcome depends on the answers to three key questions: Will they be able to keep up their spartan lifestyle? (Anxious for a home of their own, they are now shopping for a house in one of the priciest areas of the country.) Will they invest wisely? (Among their goofs so far: They snatched up three properties near the height of the real estate bubble.) And even if they do, is 13 years really enough time to amass the huge sums required to retire at 40 - enough money to last them for the ensuing 50 to 60 years?
A Great Start
John learned the importance of saving early. When his father quit his job as a retail store manager to follow his dream of becoming a high school special-ed teacher, the family's income took a big hit. They squeaked by thanks to their rainy-day funds, but there wasn't much left for extras. When John, then 12, wanted the latest video-game system, his parents told him to earn it. So he raked leaves and mowed lawns for nine months until he'd scraped together the $150 he needed.
Later, when John saw his high school classmates tooling around in expensive cars, he worked long hours at a computer store so he could buy a used Honda Prelude. "I don't need my mom or dad to buy me a $60,000 Mercedes," he recalls thinking. "I can do it on my own."
John and Gina met at that computer store, where she was a cashier. They began dating and spent money like typical teenagers, going out to dinner and the movies, shopping at the mall. But starting in his sophomore year as an information systems major at the University of California at Santa Cruz, John had to pay his own tuition (his grandfather had paid for the first year). He saw a stark choice: take out loans like his friends or get a job and live frugally. He chose the latter, working 30 hours a week while packing his schedule with extra classes. "People said it was too hard; I wanted to prove them wrong," says John, who graduated with highest honors in just three years, free of debt.
Gina was slower to embrace John's money-saving ethic. Midway through college, as their relationship got serious, she revealed that she had $5,000 in credit-card debt. "I loved shopping," she remembers. "If I had a tough day, I'd go to the mall to make myself feel better." John was not pleased, but Gina devised a plan to dig out. Shortly after graduating, she got her real estate license and paid off the debt with the $9,000 commission she made selling her first home.
About a year after they began their careers - John at Microsoft, Gina at Wells Fargo - John proposed. But first he drove to Oregon (12 hours each way) to buy Gina's engagement ring, thereby avoiding $1,500 in California sales tax. They married in 2004 and moved into a two-bedroom condo in Dublin, Calif. that they bought for $377,000, putting down 5% of the price and financing the rest.
Within a year the condo had appreciated to $535,000. Tempted by their success, John and Gina decided to buy an investment property, settling on a $141,000 three-bedroom house in Phoenix, where friends had invested. They put down 10% and hired a property manager. Within 18 months the home's value had shot up to $240,000. They refinanced, taking out a $190,000 mortgage to free up cash for more properties. In late 2005 they bought two $150,000 homes near San Antonio with a 20% down payment.
Not that the Rodrigueses were relying on real estate alone to build their fortune. They were also saving furiously, putting 15% to 20% of their income in a mix of stock and cash investments. By the time they turned 24, when many of their peers were struggling with student loans and crushing credit-card bills, Gina and John already had nearly $70,000 set aside for retirement, plus their real estate equity.
Buckling Down
Then came a stumble, followed by an epiphany. John decided he could use tips from a financial adviser. After picking one he deemed astute and trustworthy, he bought a pair of variable life insurance policies at the planner's suggestion, only afterward looking at the fine print to find that the policies were loaded with fees and cancellation penalties. John stormed into the adviser's office demanding an explanation, then realized it was his own fault for not being more careful. "I was so angry that I didn't catch it," he says.
It wasn't just the $5,000 it cost to cancel the policies that had John steaming. His very identity - the financial whiz kid with a chip on his shoulder who could shut up those who doubted him in high school and college - was shaken. So he gave himself a crash course in finance, spending weekends with Gina poring over investment magazines and books. One day, he says, they hit upon a stunning realization about the power of compounding: "If we just push as hard as we can for another 10 years or so, there could be an explosion of financial growth at the end for us."
The Rodrigueses vowed to yank their belts even tighter. Like Tiger Woods restructuring his swing after winning the Masters a decade ago, they took their already phenomenal savings game to a new level. They sold their condo in late 2006, netting $110,000, and moved to John's childhood home, which they rented from his parents (his mom and dad had moved to a house nearby). They cut back on eating out to once a month, going to cheap chain restaurants and sharing a meal. They vowed to drive their cars until they died. Their clothes budget dropped to $300 a year.
Their new minimalist approach caused a few problems socially. Gina recalls awkward moments going out to eat with her family or friends when she would order only an appetizer and tap water and didn't think it was fair to split the check equally. John had to "respectfully decline" when buddies invited him to fly to Las Vegas for the weekend. "We're kind of boring," says Gina.
Their restricted lifestyle sometimes chafes, both admit. Living in John's boyhood home, furnished with his parents' stuff, is tough. "It's hard to see other couples living in their own houses the way they want," says Gina. And yes, she sometimes resents John's constant admonitions to save, save, save: "I'd say, 'We could die in a car crash tomorrow, so let's enjoy ourselves now!' " John, though, revels in his thriftiness: "I'm okay with people calling me cheap."
Over time they've learned to compromise. They eat out two or three times a month now and recently splurged on tickets to the show Jersey Boys (it was their anniversary). Gina convinced John to buy something he'd been craving for years - a $30,000 Subaru WRX STI to indulge his hobby of rallycross racing. And John has promised Gina they'll buy a home of their own as soon as they find a suitable one (they're looking in the $350,000-to-$450,000 range).
The Rodrigueses still manage to save more than half of their income, which is spread among different investments. John aggressively buys discounted Microsoft shares through an employee stock-purchase plan and contributes nearly the max to his 401(k). Additional savings go into a diversified mix of stock funds and cash accounts.
Bumps in the Road
But they have a long way to go before they're millionaires. And the Rodrigueses have run into a few snags that underscore how hard the path to wealth can be even for the most dedicated savers.
For one thing, owning real estate so far away has turned into a headache. Make that a migraine: One house stood empty for nine months because of a dispute with a former tenant, and their Phoenix property has dropped so sharply in value that they now owe nearly as much as the house is worth. Carrying costs for the properties exceed the rental income they generate by $9,000 a year. Given the downturn in real estate prices, if they sold all three homes today, they'd barely break even.
The Rodrigueses have also seen how a blip in their careers can undermine their saving efforts, even temporarily. Last year Gina quit the mortgage underwriting business - the hours were too long, she says, and the work wasn't creative enough. During the year she was out of work, the amount the couple were saving dropped by 20%. Then, earlier this year, Gina found a boutique called La Lavande, which sells imported soaps and handbags, for sale in nearby Walnut Creek. The Rodrigueses took out a $75,000 loan to buy the store - and Gina had found her calling.
Eventually, though, the Rodrigueses both hope to stop working altogether. Their plan is to move away from the Bay Area to a less expensive locale like Arizona by age 40. They want to buy a ranch where outdoorsman John can go hiking and camping while Gina starts a small farm, raising sheep and chickens and maybe a family. "I'd like a really simple life where John and I can just spend more time together," says Gina.
The Advice
Money asked California financial planners Eric Toya of Redondo Beach and Mike Chamberlain of Santa Cruz to assess the Rodrigueses' chances of retiring by 40 and recommend steps to help them reach that goal. Their suggestions:
Rethink that exit date. If John and Gina maintain their current rate of saving, they'll build an impressive nest egg over the next 13 years. Assuming they get raises of 4% annually and their portfolio averages gains of 6% a year, Toya estimates they'll have $2.9 million at age 40. Combined with the income they might earn from any ventures they pursue in retirement (John's thinking about buying more investment properties or starting a small business), that might be enough to last them the following 50 to 60 years.
Toya, however, stresses that making projections for such a long period is inherently risky because the unknowns are so great: What path will their careers take? Will either one develop a health problem? Might the financial markets go through a protracted downturn? To compensate for those risks, Toya says, "the younger you retire, the more conservative your withdrawal rate should be." But even if the Rodrigueses draw down their portfolio at a 3% rate vs. the 4% typically recommended for retirees, they'll run out of money before age 80.
What to do? Delaying retirement by just five years will greatly increase the chances that their money will last their lifetime, Toya says. When they're 45, their portfolio will be worth $4.75 million, according to his calculations. They could tap their savings at an even lower 2.5% annual rate - giving them an extra cushion for bad market years and big expenses like raising kids and paying for college - and they'll still likely have enough to live comfortably to age 100.
Dump the company stock. The Rodrigueses have 37% of their portfolio in Microsoft. That's far too much in a single stock, especially since they're also dependent on the company for most of their income. Chamberlain advises selling the shares in increments every two weeks or so to get the stock down to 5% of their portfolio.
John strongly disagrees. "Frankly, I think it's dumb to sell low," he says. "I think it's a safe investment to hold until the market comes up." Replies Chamberlain: "I don't care what the stock is: To diminish risk, you need more diversification in your portfolio."
Add a few bonds. Gina and John scored off the charts for risk tolerance in a questionnaire Chamberlain gave them. But even for fearless investors, having 99% of a 401(k) in stocks and just 1% in fixed-income assets is too aggressive, warns Chamberlain, who suggests a 90/10 split. Best bet: intermediate-term bonds, which historically have returned about 5% a year.
Consider a real estate sale. The Rodrigueses are losing about $750 a month on their three investment properties. If they sell one or two of the homes now, they can stop the bleeding and probably break even on their purchase. If they're forced to sell later on and the market is still in a free fall, they stand to lose a lot more money.
But John is adamantly against a sale, an odd position for a man who splits entrées at a restaurant to save a few bucks. Chamberlain believes John has developed an emotional attachment to the properties - or he may simply be unwilling to admit that they made a mistake. John counters: "I think those properties are going to come back eventually. Even if they don't, our retirement plan is not based on any return from those properties anyway."
After meeting with Chamberlain, John and Gina are relieved to know they're on the right track. They do understand that life is uncertain - that John could lose his job and that investment returns could keep shrinking. If that happens, they say, they're prepared to work past 40 and retire later.
But John remains optimistic about their chances of reaching their goal. "I get tired of the naysayers around me," he says. "Sure, it gets lonely sometimes, but look, I have a beautiful wife, I'm happy, I've got good friends...." He pauses, as though hearing a cash register ringing. "Well, I don't need a hundred friends. That usually means a hundred gifts a year."
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been backed by Gordon Brown as the man to lead an all-British football team at the 2012 Olympics.
The Prime Minister yesterday told Sky News plans were underway to have a British squad competing at the London Games.
Now he has confirmed he wants to sign up Sir Alex as manager.
"I have talked to him about it," Mr Brown said on BBC1's Olympic Breakfast.
"I think he would have to be approached formally by the relevant authorities but he is one of the people mentioned and he has not turned it down."
Ferguson is unlikely to be compromised by club duties in four years' time.
He is widely expected to retire as boss at Old Trafford at the end of this season or the next - a minimum of two years before the Olympic showcase.
Britain did not enter a team at the Beijing Games due to a lack of support from the four constituent countries' football associations.
But the Prime Minister is keen to see a unified team - Team UK - field on home soil in four years' time, the first time a composite British squad had entered the Games since 1960.
He said: "I hope there will be a team by 2012. It will be team UK. I hope we can get an agreement on that.
"Britain is the home of football, which we gave to the world, and people will be surprised if there is an Olympic tournament in football and we are not part of it."
Mr Brown said he had met with head of FIFA Sepp Blatter, Olympic organisers and FA organisers in Britain in order to broker an agreement.
The notion of a British football team has been regularly raised but always suffered from a lack of support within the domestic game.
Criticism for the idea centres on the structure of the team.
Some fear the team would rely too heavily on English players, while others resent the introduction of a fixed quota of players from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
A unified British team could match up with Olympic champions Argentina in 2012.
The South Americans claimed the football gold medal today in Beijing, beating Nigeria 1-0 in the final.
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