Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.
Health experts have long warned of the risk of obesity, but a new Japanese study warns that being very skinny is even more dangerous, and that slightly chubby people live longer.
People who are a little overweight at age 40 live six to seven years longer than very thin people, whose average life expectancy was shorter by some five years than that of obese people, the study found.
"We found skinny people run the highest risk," said Shinichi Kuriyama, an associate professor at Tohoku University's Graduate School of Medicine who worked on the long-term study of middle-aged and elderly people.
"We had expected thin people would show the shortest life expectancy but didn't expect the difference to be this large," he told AFP by telephone.
The study was conducted by a health ministry team led by Tohoku University professor Ichiro Tsuji and covered 50,000 people between the ages of 40 and 79 over 12 years in the northern Japanese prefecture of Miyagi.
"There had been an argument that thin people's lives are short because many of them are sick or smoke. But the difference was almost unchanged even when we eliminated these factors," Kuriyama said.
Main reasons for the shorter lifespans of skinny people were believed to include their heightened vulnerability to diseases such as pneumonia and the fragility of their blood vessels, he said.
But Kuriyama warned he was not recommending people eat as much as they want.
"It's better that thin people try to gain normal weight, but we doubt it's good for people of normal physique to put on more fat," he said.
The study divided people into four weight classes at age 40 according to their body mass index, or BMI, calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by their squared height in metres.
The normal range is 18.5 to 25, with thinness defined as under 18.5. A BMI of 25 to 30 was classed as slightly overweight and an index above 30 as obese.
We’ve all heard countless studies, articles and TV interviews on happiness. But the other day I stumbled upon something that is just now being revealed to the media for the first time.* It's a 72 year old study that began all the way back in 1937 when 268 Harvard University sophomores were asked to participate in a study measuring “a formula-some mix of love, work, and adaptation-for a good life.” And while many of those who were college sophomores in 1937 are now dying or in their fading twilight, this study continues to be diligently maintained to this very day.
And never before has science been able to report such fascinating and thoroughly time-tested results on happiness. Following are 3 powerful lessons from this study.
1. Have a Healthy Outlet
So many of the people in this study seemed to have all their ducks in a row. In their prime years in the 1950’s and 1960’s, they were making big money in powerful careers. They had beautiful families and lived in idyllic neighborhoods. Oddly enough, later in life, many of these fortunate people ended up breaking down mentally and physically. Why? If one didn’t have a healthy outlet for their fears, nerves, and struggles, it was only a matter of time before repressed demons erupted to the surface. The happiest people in this study had a healthy outlet. They were altruistic or had a rich sense of humor. They funneled their issues into sport, “their lust into courtship.”
It’s something important to consider. As the study proves, a human being can get away with sustaining daily nerves, fears, and doubts for a number of years. But ultimately, such a nervous nelly will crack. If you haven’t already, develop an outlet…find a sport, commit to helping others, lighten up, and laugh more often. A wise one said, "A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs, jolted by every pebble in the road."
2. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously
This study, as reported in Atlantic Magazine, was summed up beautifully by the journalist Joshua Shenk: “Herein lies the key to a good life--not rules to follow, nor problems to avoid-- but an engaged humility, an earnest acceptance of life’s pains and promises.”
In other words, one can only carry the burden of a big ego and lots of pride for so long before your proverbial knees will buckle. Don’t take life too seriously. We all have weaknesses. Do you really want to battle your dark side year after year? Or might it just be time to lay down your arms, take a deep breath, and enjoy life. It’s shorter than you think.
3. Happiness Must be Shared
The other night I was watching the movie adaptation of Into the Wild, the true story of Chris McCandless (see above photo which is a self-portrait found undeveloped in McCandless's camera after his death). Fed up with the rat race, McCandless graduated college in the early 1990's, left his worried parents in the dust, sold all his belongings, and ventured deep into the Alaskan wilderness. Before dying of starvation, he seemed to regret his isolationist ways and wrote these last words in his journal, “Happiness only real when shared.” According to the 72 year old study, McCandless was spot on. In the study, those who spent too much alone time ultimately struggled. The happiest subjects in the study were those who sustained meaningful, healthy relationships with friends and family. One can never give enough hugs, say enough "I love you's," and send enough "I miss you's."
A monkey has urinated on Zambian President Rupiah Banda as he spoke to journalists outside his State House offices.
The president softly shouted: "You have urinated on my jacket," and paused as he looked up to see the animal playing in a tree just above his chair.
"I will give this monkey for lunch to Mr Sata," he joked, referring to opposition leader Michael Sata, who Mr Banda defeated in last year's elections.
"Perhaps these are blessings," he said continuing his address amid laughter from the audience of journalists and diplomats.
Several monkeys play around the grounds of Mr Banda's residence and his office.
There are also many species of antelope and birds in the State House grounds in capital city Lusaka.
Mr Banda devoted much of the news conference to reassuring Zambians over the dramatic economic slowdown resulting from plunging prices for copper, the country's main export.
"Our growth prospects have diminished, such that the projected gross domestic product has now been revised downwards to 4.0% or below," he said.
"This reduction has implications for the domestic revenues, with both co-operate and income taxes likely to reduce."
India's security forces are planning to mix one of the world's hottest chilli powders in hand grenades to control riots and battle insurgents.
Defence scientists said they will replace explosives in small grenades with a certain variety of red chilli to immobilise a person without killing him.
"We are working on a project on how to use the hottest chilli in different applications in defence forces," said RB Srivastava, a scientist at the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation.
The chilli found in the country's north east generates so much heat it was enough to startle a person for a while when used as a weapon, researchers said.
The bhut jolokia chilli is said to generate 1,000,000 heat units on the Scoville scale - a measure of hotness.
It is at least a thousand times more than a common kitchen chilli.
The Scoville scale was named after American scientist Wilbur Scoville, the first to measure the heat component in chillies.
The bhut jolokia will also be used as a food supplement for soldiers deployed in cold weather conditions to raise their body temperatures, Mr Srivastava said.
Scientists are hoping to use a coat of the chilli powder in fences around army barracks too, as its pungent smell keeps wild animals away.
Pepper spray, which contains a chemical derived from peppers, is another commonly used riot control agent in many parts of the world.
Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted "King of Pop" who emerged from childhood superstardom to become the entertainment world's most influential singer and dancer before his life and career deteriorated in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. He was 50.
The person said Jackson died in a Los Angeles hospital. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.
The circumstances of his death were not immediately clear. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m., Capt. Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told the newspaper.
Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.
His 1982 album "Thriller" — which included the blockbuster hits "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" — remains the biggest-selling album of all time, with more than 26 million copies.
He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves, his high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove and tight, military-style jacket were trademarks second only to his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.
As years went by, he became an increasingly freakish figure. His skin became lighter and his nose narrower. He surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, often wore a germ mask while traveling and kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions.
In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him. The case took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.
It’s all about timing. Try some of these if you want to fall asleep easily and rest through the night.
If it takes you more than 15 minutes to fall asleep at night, quicken your trip to dreamland by changing what you eat in the evening. It can make the difference between staring at the ceiling and sleeping like a baby.
For years, the top food on the snooze list was turkey, because it contains sleep-inducing tryptophan (credited with all those Thanksgiving naps). But researchers have done an about-face and nixed this connection. Why? Turkey, like most foods, just doesn't contain enough tryptophan to put you to sleep, explains Elizabeth Somer, R.D., author of The Food & Mood Cookbook: Recipes for Eating Well and Feeling Your Best.
Instead, think light but high-carbohydrate snacks. Carbs boost levels of the brain's sleep chemical serotonin without overloading your digestive system. If you like, wash them down with something warm and soothing, such as a cup of herbal tea (chamomile, lemon balm, or valerian) or warm milk.
10 top sleep boosters
Nibble on one of these 10 high-carb calmers an hour before bedtime. You'll be yawning in no time.
Half of a whole-wheat English muffin or raisin bagel drizzled with honey
Two cups of air-popped popcorn
A small slice of angel food cake topped with berries
A frozen whole-wheat waffle, toasted, with maple syrup
Half a cup of pretzels
Fresh strawberries dunked in a little fat-free chocolate syrup
Half a cup of pasta topped with marinara sauce
A 4-ounce baked potato topped with salsa
A handful of oyster crackers and a piece of fruit
Canned mandarin oranges sprinkled with crystallized ginger
The benefits of sleep go well beyond good moods and lots of energy. Getting six to eight hours of sleep a night can make your Real Age as much as three years younger.
Herbs have been part of every culture and medical tradition since the earliest humans walked the earth for treatment of everything from colds to digestive issues to depression. You may be surprised to learn that the herbs you have been regularly using to infuse your food with appetizing flavors also have amazing healing abilities. They are easily grown in your own home so you can have them on hand to use whenever the urge to cook strikes you. Read on to find the healing health benefits of these commonly used herbs.
1. Rosemary
Rosemary has been used as a brain tonic in Chinese traditional medicine for thousands of years. Rosemary contains volatile oils that help stimulate brain activities and increase brain alertness. One compound it contains, cineole, has been found to enhance the ability of rat to navigate mazes. So skip the harsh coffee and spice up your energy level with rosemary. Other benefits? Rosemary also aids in digestion and perks up your immune system. Steep it as tea, use in your poultry dishes and soups--or just crush some up to fill your home with an energizing scent.
Growing tips: Rosemary needs to live in a very sunny window and may even need supplemental light. It is sensitive to overwatering so keep it on the dry side.
2. Mint
Peppermint, spearmint, and other mint-family plants are considered one of the most versatile herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. Peppermint has many well-documented properties: It increases healthy gastric secretions, relaxes the intestines, soothes spasms, settles the stomach, and alleviates gas. In a culture marked by poor diet and digestion--and the heartburn that comes with it--peppermint can be your best friend. Additionally, peppermint is rich in antioxidants that support good vision and also cleanses your liver, helping to eliminate harmful toxins from your body. Steep peppermint as a tea and drink it a half an hour after mealtimes for untroubled digestion.
Growing tips: Mint is an easy-to-grow herb that is invasive, so be sure to grow it in its own pot.
3. Oregano
When you're suffering from cold or flu, steep oregano in a pot of water and inhale the vapors, which are antibacterial, antiviral and decongesting. This immunity-enhancing herb also settles digestion and prevents bloating.
Growing tips: Oregano needs a lot of light to grow so find a window with direct light or grow out-of-doors.
4. Sage
Chinese traditional medicine has long used sage to help prevent the loss of mental function that comes with age. Sage has been found to increase oxygen to the brain cortex and to help improve concentration. Sage is easy on the digestion. Cook it up in soups and poultry dishes.
Growing tips: Sage can be a bit difficult to grow. It is very sensitive to overwatering because it is more susceptible to mildew than other herbs.
5. Chives
A member of the garlic and onion family, chives have been used throughout history for natural healing because they contain a substantial amount of vitamin C as well as essential minerals such as potassium, calcium, iron and folic acid. In Chinese medicine they are used to clear stuffy noses, prevent bad breath, ease stomach aches, strengthen the lower back, and improve poor circulation that gives you cold hands and feet. Some serving suggestions? Chop up chives and add them to stir-fries or mix in with ground poultry to stuff ravioli or dumplings.
Growing tips: Chives are fairly easy to grow because they don't require as much light as other herbs.
6. Basil
A favorite herb in Italian cooking, basil's scent can perk up your energy level and it is filled with luteolin, a bioflavonoid that studies have shown to be the best protection of cell DNA from radiation.
Growing tips: Basil can be more difficult to grow. Your best bet is to grow it during warm, bright summer months.
7. Cilantro
Cilantro is an energy tonic that can boost your immune system and smooth out your digestion. Use it in your cooking to get its health benefits.
Growing tips: Cilantro, the name for the stems and leaves of the coriander plant, can be hard to grow. Sow the coriander seeds in a thick concentration in a shallow tray.
8. Parsley
Parsley is used in a Chinese folk remedy for cooling the liver and clearing the eyes. Parsley is packed with luteolin, and there is some evidence that this helps protect the eye from UV radiation damage and from glycation, a process in which sticky sugar molecules bind up protein, potentially damaging the retina. The age-old folk remedy recipe for vision protection is a juice blend of celery, peppermint, and Chinese parsley, made fresh daily.
Growing tips: Parsley doesn't need very much sun, but it is a slow grower, so don't expect a high yield.
Herbal Tea Recipes
Aside from use in cooking, all of the above herbs can be used to make aromatic potent teas. You may use the herbs individually or experiment with combinations. For example, to make a tea that soothes digestion and prevents bloating: Steep 1 teaspoon each of mint, rosemary, oregano, cilantro, sage and basil and in a cup of hot filtered water for five minutes.
Other herbal teas that can bring big benefits to your health are my specially formulated Ancient Treasures tea and Internal Cleanse tea, which will gently cleanse your body of toxins and bring you emotional tranquility.
Grow Your Own
To grow your own herbs, all you need is some terra cotta pots with drainage holes, high-quality organic potting soil, and a window sill that gets at least six hours of light per day. A southwestern-facing window is your best choice for good light. If this isn't possible, you can get a few clamp-on reflector lights with compact fluorescent bulbs and place them about six inches away from the plant. Keep in mind that overwatering is the biggest mistake people make when trying to grow herbs inside. The rule of thumb is to let the herbs dry out completely, and then water. Beginning with baby plants will be less troublesome than starting from seed. With practice, you will learn the best ways to grow and care for your indoor herbal garden.
Some people are part of your life, whether you want them there or not. What if you don’t have the warmest of feelings for your boss? Your mother-in-law? Your next-door neighbor?
It’s easy to come up with a mental catalog of all the ways in which that person could change to be less annoying, domineering, passive-aggressive, arrogant, etc.—but the fact is, you can’t change anyone but yourself.
Here are some tips about how to help yourself cultivate more friendly feelings. It’s quite a strain to hide feelings of dislike; if you can manage to change your feelings, you’ll be much happier. It’s hard, but not impossible.
1. Seek contact. This is a bit counter-intuitive. If you don't like someone, you probably feel like avoiding that person, but because of the psychological phenomenon known as the mere exposure effect, we tend to like people better the more we see them.
2. Do nice things for that person. “We prefer to see those to whom we do good than those who do good to us,” as La Rochefoucauld observed.
3. Give that person a brief touch. Subliminal touching, i.e., touching a person so unobtrusively that it’s not noticed, increases people’s sense of well-being and positive feelings.
4. Lighten up. Joke about whatever annoys you, and if you can manage it, laugh about it with that person, or poke fun at your own reaction. Nothing neutralizes bad feelings like a good laugh. This can be tough, however.
5. Act friendly. We think we act because of the way we feel, but often we feel because of the way we act. So act the way you want to feel. This is uncannily effective—just try it.
6. Resist criticizing that person. When you voice your complaints, they assume a solidity in your mind that’s hard to eliminate. When your thoughts remain unspoken, they can more easily be changed.
7. Remember happy shared experiences. Recalling good times elevates mood and will help warm your feelings.
8. Be grateful. Reflecting on reasons to feel grateful, instead of reasons to be angry or annoyed, will help change your view.
Pardon the cliche, but it's one of the holiest of Holy Grails of technology: Wireless power. And while early lab experiments have been able to "beam" electricity a few feet to power a light bulb, the day when our laptops and cell phones can charge without having to plug them in to a wall socket still seems decades in the future.
Nokia, however, has taken another baby step in that direction with the invention of a cell phone that recharges itself using a unique system: It harvests ambient radio waves from the air, and turns that energy into usable power. Enough, at least, to keep a cell phone from running out of juice.
While "traditional" (if there is such a thing) wireless power systems are specifically designed with a transmitter and receiver in mind, Nokia's system isn't finicky about where it gets its wireless waves. TV, radio, other mobile phone systems -- all of this stuff just bounces around the air and most of it is wasted, absorbed into the environment or scattered into the ether. Nokia picks up all the bits and pieces of these waves and uses the collected electromagnetic energy to create electrical current, then uses that to recharge the phone's battery. A huge range of frequencies can be utilized by the system (there's no other way, really, as the energy in any given wave is infinitesimal). It's the same idea that Tesla was exploring 100 years ago, just on a tiny scale.
Mind you, harvesting ambient electromagnetic energy is never going to offer enough electricity to power your whole house or office, but it just might be enough to keep a cell phone alive and kicking. Currently Nokia is able to harvest all of 5 milliwatts from the air; the goal is to increase that to 20 milliwatts in the short term and 50 milliwatts down the line. That wouldn't be enough to keep the phone alive during an active call, but would be enough to slowly recharge the cell phone battery while it's in standby mode, theoretically offering infinite power -- provided you're not stuck deep underground where radio waves can't penetrate.
Nokia says it hopes to commercialize the technology in three to five years.
Gunshot executions are being replaced with "more humane" lethal injections in Beijing.
Five thousand condemned prisoners are expected to be put to death by an armed officer in China this year - but no longer in the capital city.
Hu Yunteng, research director of the People's Supreme Court, said injections are considered safer.
"Lethal injection is considered more humane as it reduces criminals' fear and pain compared with a gunshot execution," he said.
The Beijing Municipal People's Court is training police and medical staff how to administer the lethal doses.
Many of the executions will take place in purpose-built execution vans. The prisoner is strapped to a stretcher and put to death by injection. The sentence is carried out in private.
The vans costs $60,000 (£37,000) but can be driven to courts across the country according to need.
At present the lethal injection policy is limited to Beijing, but could be extended nationwide.
Human rights activists believe there is dual purpose for the use of the execution vans.
The jabs would end public executions that have done little to counter international opposition to China's frequent use of capital punishment.
They would also give the authorities the opportunity to harvest organs of executed prisoners to supply the insatiable demand from the country's growing market for organ transplant.
Amnesty International has opposed the introduction of the lethal injection policy and calls for a blanket ban on the death penalty in China.
The Chinese government has amended legislation in 2007, before the Olympics, to ensure all death sentences are reviewed by the Supreme People's Court.
A pet cat has survived being shot 50 times by yobs in an attack which left her "covered in blood".
Two-year-old Rosie's body was littered with pellets, fired from a suspected air rifle, after the cruel attack in Guisborough, Cleveland.
Vets could only manage to remove 20 pellets for fear of injuring the poor animal further.
It means Rosie, who is recovering after emergency surgery, will have to live the rest of her life with 30 pellets inside her.
Her outraged owner Tracy Homan said she believed the cat had been pinned down, or tied up, before a gun was used to fire the pellets repeatedly into her body.
Ms Homan said she was "furious" at the "absolutely horrendous" brutality.
"I just can't believe somebody could be so cruel to an animal," she added.
Cleveland police are now investigating the attack.
But Ms Homan fears she may "never know what actually happened".
The vet initially thought Rosie had been victim of an animal attack.
But closer inspection revealed the wounds had been caused by pellets.
Rosie underwent surgery at Wilton House Veterinary Clinic in Guisborough after her ordeal last Thursday.
Vet Clare Turner said "she's been very lucky".
"I've only been qualified for a year," she added. "But this is the first time I've dealt with a cat that has been shot. Fifty pellets in a cat is a lot."
Ms Homan said her three children, aged seven to 12, were "absolutely horrified".
"They just can't believe it. When I think about what's happened it brings tears to my eyes.
"If it had been done by a cat or a dog I could have got over it, but I just can't believe a person could do that - especially in this area."
It is not the first time the family's pets have been targeted.
Three years ago, thugs broke into Ms Hogan's former home and killed her rabbit.
Malaysia’s opposition Islamic state of Kelantan wants to emulate Singapore’s success in fighting graft and keeping the city clean.
Chief minister of the opposition—held state, Nik Aziz Nik Mat, said this when he met Singapore Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew, who is currently on an eight—day visit to Malaysia.
It is the first time both leaders have met in their political careers spanning half a century.
Tok Guru, as the 78—year—old spiritual head of the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) is affectionately known, met Mr Lee for slightly over an hour.
Both leaders discussed various issues — from strengthening ties to the importance of the English language in global affairs, where Singapore shared its experience in implementing the English language policy.
Mr Nik Aziz in turn explained PAS’ Islamic policies.
He said: "We are all human beings, regardless Chinese or Malays. I apply Islamic principles to govern Kelantan and in international relations. I respect those who are good, even though they are Chinese, and despise those who are bad, even though they are Malays."
Mr Nik Aziz’s moderate way of life has won the respect of many, including Singapore Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
Mr Tharman said: "Tok Guru has a reputation that extends beyond Kelantan, a man of belief who practises his beliefs in a way that inspires many people. (He is) someone whom we politicians can learn from."
The delegation was later treated to a traditional nasi dagang lunch as a local troupe performed Dikir Barat.
Mr Lee and the Singapore delegation were then taken on a city tour of Kota Baru before heading to their final stop, Kuantan.
Australian Hajnal Ban asked doctors to keep her conscious as they broke her legs and attached them to stretching frames because she wanted to remember it as the moment that changed her life.
For as long as she could remember the 31-year-old lawyer and politician had felt deeply insecure about her height, but had resigned herself to life at 1.54 metres (just over five feet).
"If you're not happy with the other parts of your body you can change them through fairly routine cosmetic surgery but this is something that couldn't be fixed," Ban told AFP.
"For a long time I thought nothing could be done."
It was a chance conversation with friends as a 23-year-old that first alerted Ban to the concept of limb lengthening -- a cosmetic procedure popular in China, Italy and the United States but little-known in Australia.
"My ears just pricked up and I thought 'wow, this is incredible'," Ban said.
After months of standing in front of the mirror on top of phone books the Israel-born Ban said she saved enough for the 30,000 US dollar operation and travelled to the Ilizarov clinic at Kurgan, in the Siberian depths of Russia.
Doctors fed 14 wires through the flesh, soft tissue, muscle and bone of both legs to suspend them in circular stretching frames, and then broke them in two places.
"I had an epidural so I was awake for the whole thing, it was a four-hour operation," Ban said.
"I know this sounds quite weird and a lot of people probably won't understand it, but I was so excited. It was a day that I had been waiting for for such a long time, I relished that four hours.
"I was laying there and I recall quite vividly thinking this is just great, I'm finally here, I'm getting this done and it's going to change my life forever."
Over the next nine months Ban's legs were stretched every day as the broken bones healed, eventually boosting her to a height of 1.62 metres (5 feet 4 inches).
Once the frames were removed Ban spent another three months with both legs in plaster, and it was a "good solid year," she said, before she was "back to wearing heels and back to normal life".
Australian genetics researcher Sylvia Metcalfe said the intensive procedure was mainly used in Australia for people with dwarfism, and its cosmetic application was questioned by some.
"One of the most controversial aspects is people's perceptions of themselves," she said.
Side-effects and complications could include disfigurement, muscle, joint and nerve damage, infection, arthritis and chronic pain, Metcalfe said.
Following a series of botched operations, Beijing in 2006 banned the surgery, which was performed there for the image conscious by a largely unregulated beauty industry.
Popular among young Chinese professionals who believed height would help them climb the career ladder, the procedure was developed in Russia to help patients with birth defects such as dwarfism.
Under the 2006 ban, only hospitals that conducted at least 400 orthopedic operations a year and offered post-surgical care and rehabilitation were allowed to continue the surgery, and only on strictly medical grounds.
Ban kept the operation a secret from all but her closest family and friends, and said many were shocked.
"It is extreme, it is different and it is unique," she said.
"But I don't judge people about how they look and I don't want people to judge me and who I am based on a medical decision that I made seven years ago."
Now a qualified barrister with two university degrees, Ban was elected to Queensland state's Logan City Council in 2006 and made a failed bid for Australian parliament in 2007.
Following the operation, Ban said her height insecurity "just seemed to vanish" and she had a new confidence in her professional credibility.
"But I guess had I not had this operation I probably wouldn't be insecure about my height at this age because I would just accept who I am," she conceded.
"As you get older as a woman I think you become more mellow and you become more comfortable in your own skin."
Despite this, Ban said she had no regrets and refused to be judged for the message her story could send to young women.
"A lot of women can look within and find happiness within but there are a lot of women, just through the way that society is and the pressure that we have, have insecurity and have some self-doubt," said Ban.
"I think harnessing or using surgery that's out there for cosmetic applications is acceptable if it makes people feel good about themselves.
"I'm an advocate for women feeling good about themselves by whatever means necessary and available."
Angelina Jolie has been named the most powerful celebrity in the world, knocking former number one Oprah Winfrey down a place.
The annual Forbes Celebrity 100 Power List sees a strong showing from women,
with Madonna and Beyonce Knowles claiming the third and fourth spots.
Coldplay are the highest ranking of the Britons, reaching number 15.
But Brits who have appeared on the index in previous years, Gordon Ramsay and JK Rowling both failed to make the cut this time round.
And although 2009 saw her pick up an Oscar, there was also no room for Kate Winslet.
Golfer Tiger Woods filled the fifth slot - the only man in the top five.
Forbes' senior reporter Lacey Rose said: "It really was the year of the woman. What we see at the top of the list is tabloid-targeted people who command a big attraction through their artistic work and at the news stands."
The list is compiled based on stars' annual earnings and media visibility.
Although Oprah Winfrey was 2009 top earner, taking home $275m (£168m), she was beaten to the top by Jolie due to her greater appearance in the media.
The continued success of Pop Idol, X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, ensured Simon Cowell took 25th place, with his earnings for the year estimated at $75m (£46m).
And despite recently becoming President of the world's most powerful nation, Barack Obama only managed to reach number 49.
Komodo dragons have shark-like teeth and poisonous venom that can kill a person within hours of a bite. Yet villagers who have lived for generations alongside the world's largest lizard were not afraid _ until the dragons started to attack.
The stories spread quickly across this smattering of tropical islands in southeastern Indonesia, the only place the endangered reptiles can still be found in the wild: Two people were killed since 2007 _ a young boy and a fisherman _ and others were badly wounded after being charged unprovoked.
Komodo dragon attacks are still rare, experts note. But fear is swirling through the fishing villages, along with questions on how best to live with the dragons in the future.
Main, a 46-year-old park ranger, who like many Indonesians goes by a single name, was doing paperwork when a dragon slithered up the stairs of his wooden hut in Komodo National Park and went for his ankles dangling beneath the desk. When the ranger tried to pry open the beast's powerful jaws, it locked its teeth into his hand.
"I thought I wouldn't survive... I've spent half my life working with Komodos and have never seen anything like it," said Main, pointing to his jagged gashes, sewn up with 55 stitches and still swollen three months later. "Luckily, my friends heard my screams and got me to hospital in time."
Komodos, which are popular at zoos in the United States to Europe, grow to be 10 feet (3 meters) long and 150 pounds (70 kilograms). All of the estimated 2,500 left in the wild can be found within the 700-square-mile (1,810-square-kilometer) Komodo National Park, mostly on its two largest islands, Komodo and Rinca. The lizards on neighboring Padar were wiped out in the 1980s when hunters killed their main prey, deer.
Though poaching is illegal, the sheer size of the park _ and a shortage of rangers _ makes it almost impossible to patrol, said Heru Rudiharto, a biologist and reptile expert. Villagers say the dragons are hungry and more aggressive toward humans because their food is being poached, though park officials are quick to disagree.
The giant lizards have always been dangerous, said Rudiharto. However tame they may appear, lounging beneath trees and gazing at the sea from white-sand beaches, they are fast, strong and deadly.
The animals are believed to have descended from a larger lizard on Indonesia's main island Java or Australia around 30,000 years ago. They can reach speeds of up to 18 miles (nearly 30 kilometers) per hour, their legs winding around their low, square shoulders like egg beaters.
When they catch their prey, they carry out a frenzied biting spree that releases venom, according to a new study this month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The authors, who used surgically excised glands from a terminally ill dragon at the Singapore Zoo, dismissed the theory that prey die from blood poisoning caused by toxic bacteria in the lizard's mouth.
The long, jagged teeth are the lizard's primary weapons, said Bryan Fry of the University of Melbourne.
"They deliver these deep, deep wounds," he said. "But the venom keeps it bleeding and further lowers the blood pressure, thus bringing the animal closer to unconsciousness."
Four people have been killed in the last 35 years (2009, 2007, 2000 and 1974) and at least eight injured in just over a decade. But park officials say these numbers aren't overly alarming given the steady stream of tourists and the 4,000 people who live in their midst.
"Any time there's an attack, it gets a lot of attention," Rudiharto said. "But that's just because this lizard is exotic, archaic, and can't be found anywhere but here."
Still, the recent attacks couldn't have come at a worse time.
The government is campaigning hard to get the park onto a new list of the Seven Wonders of Nature _ a long shot, but an attempt to at least raise awareness. The park's rugged hills and savannahs are home to orange-footed scrub fowl, wild boar and small wild horses, and the surrounding coral reefs and bays harbor more than a dozen whale species, dolphins and sea turtles.
Claudio Ciofi, who works at the Department of Animal Biology and Genetics at the University of Florence in Italy, said if komodos are hungry, they may be attracted to villages by the smell of drying fish and cooking, and "encounters can become more frequent."
Villagers wish they knew the answer.
They say they've always lived peacefully with Komodos. A popular traditional legend tells of a man who once married a dragon "princess." Their twins, a human boy, Gerong, and a lizard girl, Orah, were separated at birth.
When Gerong grew up, the story goes, he met a fierce-looking beast in the forest. But just as he was about to spear it, his mother appeared, revealing to him that the two were brother and sister.
"How could the dragons get so aggressive?" Hajj Amin, 51, taking long slow drags off his clove cigarettes, as other village elders gathering beneath a wooden house on stilts nodded. Several dragons lingered nearby, drawn by the rancid smell of fish drying on bamboo mats beneath the blazing sun. Also strolling by were dozens of goats and chickens.
"They never used to attack us when we walked alone in the forest, or attack our children," Amin said. "We're all really worried about this."
The dragons eat 80 percent of their weight and then go without food for several weeks. Amin and others say the dragons are hungry partly because of a 1994 policy that prohibits villagers from feeding them.
"We used to give them the bones and skin of deer," said the fisherman.
Villagers recently sought permission to feed wild boar to the Komodos several times a year, but park officials say that won't happen.
"If we let people feed them, they will just get lazy and lose their ability to hunt," said Jeri Imansyah, another reptile expert. "One day, that will kill them. "
The attack that first put villagers on alert occurred two years ago, when 8-year-old Mansyur was mauled to death while defecating in the bushes behind his wooden hut.
People have since asked for a 6-foot-high (2-meter) concrete wall to be built around their villages, but that idea, too, has been rejected. The head of the park, Tamen Sitorus, said: "It's a strange request. You can't build a fence like that inside a national park!"
Residents have made a makeshift barrier out of trees and broken branches, but they complain it's too easy for the animals to break through.
"We're so afraid now," said 11-year-old Riswan, recalling how just a few weeks ago students screamed when they spotted one of the giant lizards in a dusty field behind their school. "We thought it was going to get into our classroom. Eventually we were able to chase it up a hill by throwing rocks and yelling 'Hoohh Hoohh.'"
Then, just two months ago, 31-year-old fisherman Muhamad Anwar was killed when he stepped on a lizard in the grass as he was heading to a field to pick fruit from a sugar tree.
Even park rangers are nervous.
Gone are the days of goofing around with the lizards, poking their tails, hugging their backs and running in front of them, pretending they're being chased, said Muhamad Saleh, who has worked with the animals since 1987.
"Not any more," he says, carrying a 6-foot-long (2-meter) stick wherever he goes for protection. Then, repeating a famous line by Indonesia's most renowned poet, he adds: "I want to live for another thousand of years."
A teenage US-Indonesian model has returned to her family in Indonesia with tales of abuse, rape and torture at the hands of a Malaysian prince, after her dramatic escape with the help of Singapore police.
Manohara Odelia Pino, 17, told reporters she was treated like a sex slave after her marriage to Tengku Temenggong Mohammad Fakhry, the prince of Malaysia's Kelantan state, last year.
Her mother, Daisy Fajarina, said she would press charges against the prince and blamed the Malaysian and Indonesian governments for trying to cover up the abuse.
"The things I've been afraid of were revealed to be true. Manohara has suffered physical abuse. She's got several razor cuts on her chest," Fajarina told AFP on Monday.
"I will sue him. No parent could be silent if their child was treated in such a barbaric way."
The Malaysian government had ignored her pleas for access to her daughter and had blocked her from entering the country, she said, while the Indonesian embassy had said that Manohara was fine with her new husband.
But the young woman -- a well-known socialite in Jakarta -- said her life at the royal palace involved a "daily routine" of rape, abuse, torture and drug injections which made her vomit blood.
"I am still traumatised by all that happened and it has left an impact on me," she told reporters in Jakarta on Sunday, after escaping the royal family during a trip to Singapore over the weekend.
"Sexual abuse and sexual harassment were like a daily routine for me, and he did that every time I did not want to have sexual intercourse," she was quoted as saying in The Jakarta Globe.
"I could never think a normal man could do such things," she said, adding: "Some parts of my body were cut by a razor."
She said she was forced to pretend she was happy with the prince and to attend social functions with him as his happy young bride.
"Every time I went for events they forced me to smile and would torture me if I did not do what they said," she told the press conference.
She said she secretly called Singaporean police and pleaded for help after the royal family took her to the city state when they accompanied Fakhry's father, Sultan Ismail Petra Shah II, for medical treatment.
A spokesman for the Indonesian foreign ministry said the government would help Manohara if she wanted to file charges against her husband.
She has already filed for divorce.
There has been no comment from the Kelantan royal family or the Malaysian government.
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