Month: March 2008
Vitamin B does the ‘fatherly’ trick
Vitamin B does the ‘fatherly’ trick
Press Trust Of India London, March 21, 2008
Men are more likely to father healthy children if they eat a diet rich in vitamin B, a new study has revealed. A team of international researchers has found that regular consumption of green vegetables, fruits and lentils – all containing folic acid – can protect men against producing abnormal sperm and kids with genetic abnormalities.
According to lead researcher Prof Brenda Eskenazi of the University of California, while the importance of maternal diet on reproduction was well known, the study suggested that paternal diet might also be important.
“In previous studies, we and others have shown that paternal reentrant intake may contribute to successful conceptions by improving the quality of the sperm.
“This study is the first to suggest that paternal diet may play a role after conception in the development of healthy offspring,” the ‘BBC News’ portal quoted Prof Eskenazi as saying. The team came to the conclusion after they analysed sperm samples from 89 healthy, non-smoking men, and quizzed them about their intake of zinc, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene.
In their study, the researchers found that men who consumed the most folate — between 722 and 1150 micrograms a day — had 20 to 30 per cent lower levels of several types of aneuploidy than men with low folate intake. It is estimated that up to four per cent of sperm in a healthy man carry either too many or too few chromosomes — a condition known as aneuploidy which is linked to failure to conceive, miscarriages, and children born with conditions like Down’s syndrome, Turner’s syndrome and Klinefelter’s syndrome.
If the findings were confirmed, the current recommended daily folate intake for men of 400 micrograms might have to be revised upwards for men trying for a baby in order to reduce the risk of chromosomal abnormalities in their children, Prof Eskenazi said. The results of the study have been published in the Human Reproduction journal.
Flowers, plants and trees in UAE
A casual or pass time look at the flowers, plants and trees in UAE.
Enjoy it. All these are grown and maintained with plenty of human effort. A big thank you to the numerous workers from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other Emirates’s municipality and landscaping department workers for keeping the surround green and clean.
Photos and video by Ramesh Menon
Ant Kingdom
Ant Kingdom
We think our life is the most busiest. Have a look at what’s happening here. There is totally a much more busier world out there.
Oil prices fall in Asian trade
Oil prices fall in Asian trade
20 Mar 2008, 1326 hrs IST,AFP
SINGAPORE: World oil prices continued to fall in Asian trade on Thursday, with more volatility expected as investors continue to assess the US economy, dealers said.
In early morning trade, New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for May fell 60 cents to USD 101.94 per barrel from its close of USD 102.54 during floor trading in the US on Wednesday.
The April contract had expired on Wednesday at USD 104.48 a barrel, after plummeting USD 4.94. The contract had hit a record peak of USD 111.80 on Monday.
London’s Brent North Sea crude for May dropped 60 cents to USD 100.12 a barrel, after settling at USD 100.72 on Wednesday.
The commodities market is in a situation where “investor sentiment is potentially shifting” as they reassess the outlook for the US economy, said David Moore, a commodity strategist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney.
“The market has been extremely volatile over the last week, and it is very difficult to say with any confidence when prices could bottom or turn around,” said Moore.
Traders continued to focus on the global credit squeeze amid concerns over the impact it might have on global economic growth and oil demand, and largely overlooked the headline US energy inventory data showing a smaller-than- expected rise in crude supplies.
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said crude stocks rose by just 200,000 barrels to 311.8 million barrels in the week ended March 14, about average for this time of the year.
Markets were expecting stocks to rise by around 2.3 million barrels.
Photo Speaks – Tile Arts
Enjoy viewing these beautiful tile arts, at one of the under-passes in Abu Dhabi Corniche.
Photos by Ramesh Menon
Jaaju Jaaju Stories – Three men and a Woman
Jaaju Jaaju Stories – Three men and a woman
This time it is a story about the famous King Vikramaditya.
Once three men disputed about a woman. This is a perfect example of a story that demonstrates the duties involved in lokasamgraha.
Keshav, the Brahmin, had a daughter whose name was Madhumalati. She had three suitors: Tribikram, Baman and Madhusudan. However, before Keshav could decide on the best suitor, Madhumalati was bit by a serpent and died. Each, deeply embittered by the death of their beloved, acted differently. They divided the relics of their beloved before parting and went their ways. Tribikram collected Madhumalati’s bones and became an ascetic. Baman tied up a bundle of Madhumalati’s ashes and went to live in the forest. He mourned Madhumalati’s death while in sannyasa lying in her ashes from dusk to dawn. Madhusudan, like Tribikram, became an ascetic. However, he was so disheartened by his love’s demise that he chose not to have anything to do with her remains.
On his journeys, Madhusudan learned how to bring the dead back to life. He hurried back and assembling the others brought Madhumalati back to life. The question that the vampire asks here is who should lay claim to her? The King answers correctly. Tribikram preserved her bones, and in doing so, placed himself in the position of Madhumalati’s son. Madhusudan, by restoring his beloved’s life, placed himself in the position of a father. Baman by preserving Madhumalati’s ashes and lying in them performed the duty of a husband.
King Vikramaditya is a ruler of high virtue. Obviously he knows the intricacies of lokasamgraha. This story outlines the various duties associated with different people in samsara.
Photo Speaks – Through the lanes of Bur Dubai
Migratory birds
Dubai is famous as a Conference Centre now. Here is one such conference happening. This time it is of a conference by Migratory birds at the Creek.
A fruit juice stall at one of the Abra Stations in Bur Dubai
A Water Bus at one of the Abra (boat) stations waiting for commuters
An Abra Station near Bur Dubai Textile Market
A walk through the Textile market – Bur Dubai
Handcarts lined up for transporting Textiles from wholesale markets at Bur Dubai
Photos by Ramesh Menon
IPIC, Uzbek companies sign MoUs to set up JVs
IPIC, Uzbek companies sign MoUs to set up JVs
(Wam)19 March 2008
ABU DHABI – The International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) signed two MoUs yesterday with Uzbekistan’s oil and gas and chemical companies to set up joint venture projects in the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The MoUs were signed in the presence of Elyor Ganiev, Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Investment and Trade of Uzbekistan.
Budget airline to operate out of Jebel Ali
Budget airline to operate out of Jebel Ali
Saifur Rahman, Business Editor Published: March 19, 2008, 14:10
Dubai: The new budget airline announced by the Dubai Government will base its operations at the new Al Maktoum International Airport, a top official told Gulf News on Wednesday.
“We expect to start the airline within a year’s time from the Jebel Ali airport,” Ghaith Al Ghaith, the airline’s new chief executive said in an exclusive interview.
“It will be a new company, separate from the Emirates Group. However, Emirates will help to set up the airline. Its operations will be based in the low-cost terminal of the Al Maktoum International Airport in Jebel Ali.”
Ghaith could not give any indication of the airline’s capital requirements.
“It’s too early for us. However, you could be sure that whatever capital requirements we have, the government of Dubai is there to back us up. So, money is not an issue,” he said.
Al Ghaith said it was too early for him to offer any details on the airline’s fare structure. “You’ll come to know in due course,” he said.
Al Ghaith said preliminary work on setting up the office would be done from his current office at the Emirates headquarters.
“I’m still with the Emirates Group. However, my focus will gradually shift in setting up of the new airline,” he said.
8 things you should NOT do in a GD
8 things you should NOT do in a GD
Kshipra Singh | March 18, 2008 | 09:46 IST
A group discussion or GD, is a form of many-on-many discussion. It has become an inseparable part of admissions to management institutes and your selection in campus interviews.
A GD is held to identify certain traits that companies and institutes like to see in their employees or students. Let’s take a look at the traits which the evaluators look out for in a candidate during the GD. ?
~ Knowledge: Whatever you do in a GD, your knowledge about the subject can’t be replaced by anything else. You are required to talk in a GD but inputs that don’t contain any substantial value will not help in any way. Be a voracious reader to increase your knowledge on various subjects. Newspapers, TV, magazines, news portals etc are great sources of knowledge.
~ Alertness and presence of mind: In a GD you are required to carefully listen to the other person’s thoughts and keep an argument, example or a supportive statement, fact, example ready to participate in the discussion. Here comes into picture your alertness and ability to think and act immediately. As you participate in a GD, make sure that you sit with an attentive mind and keep taking down the relevant points put forward by others.
~ Communication: You may have a lot of good points to put across but if you can’t communicate them clearly, you won’t stand a chance when it comes to impressing the evaluators. Practice communicating in a clear and effective way with your friends, family or study group.
~ Confidence: Your self confidence adds a lot of value to your candidature. Look at every group member as you speak, avoid too much hand movement and looking at evaluators.
~ Leadership and team skills: Your participation in a GD clearly establishes not only your leadership skills but also your capability to work in a team. To meet the objectives, a good leader has to be a team player.
~ Goal orientation: Since so many people participate in a GD, the chances of the discussion moving away from the subject are high. Your focus on the goal can get you some extra points.
Now, as you are being evaluated for the above discussed traits, you must avoid things that can work to your disadvantage and might cost you the selection. Here are some things that you must avoid doing as a GD participant:
~ Initiating the discussion without proper subject knowledge
Although initiating the discussion helps you get the immediate attention of the evaluators, sharing irrelevant details just for teh sake of talking can work to your disadvantage. Start first only if you know the subject well otherwise wait for others to start and get a feel of the subject before entering into the discussion.
~ Snatching another’s chance to speak
Give your group members a chance to speak. Talking more won’t get you through the GD. In fact it will give the evaluators a feeling that you are not a team player. Making short and relevant contributions of 20-30 seconds 3-4 times in the discussion is enough.
~ Interrupting others
Let the other person finish his comment before you speak. Interrupting someone is counted as a negative trait. Remember, it is a discussion not a debate. Don’t jump at the conclusions. Listen carefully to the other person before putting your point across.??
~ Dialogue
In a GD you are expected to communicate with all the members of the group. Do not keep looking at one person while talking. Establish eye contact with all the members of the group. It is a many-on-many discussion not one-on-one.
~ Shouting or dominating
Keep you emotions in check. Do not try to dominate the others or let your emotions rule you. Sometimes it might happen that a group member might say something that hurts your feelings such as a comment on your race or religion, make sure that you do not get into an argument. Your focus should be to effectively meet the goals of GD topic.
‘I nailed my IIM group discussion & interview!’
~ Showing offYou have to put across your knowledge on the subject during the GD but you have to be very careful about the thin demarcation between showing off and knowledge sharing. For eg, using statistics and facts during the GD is a good thing to do but you must not overdo it enough to nauseate the group members.
~ Low self confidence or insecurities
As we have seen earlier, one of the traits evaluated during a GD is your self confidence. Do not hesitate to speak confidently, even if you might be short of ideas or knowledge on the subject. Listen to others and put across your thoughts in a clear and audible voice. Make sure that you make eye contact with all the group members.
~ Slang and negative gestures
GD is a formal discussion. Avoid informal words and negative gestures. For eg avoid words like gonna, wanna, ya etc. Similarly avoid gestures like pointing fingers, tapping the desk with the pen.
If you ensure that you do not commit these mistakes during the GD, you will not have to worry too much about the negative marks and your chances of getting through it also become much brighter.
Kshipra Singh is a contributor to http://www.CareerRide.com, a website that addresses technical and personal aspects of an IT interview. CareerRide also provides sample CVs and answers to questions asked in a personal and technical interview.
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