ONE MORE YEAR - NEW GOOD THINGS TO COME, A BETTER YEAR FOR EVERYONE

At the end of one year, everybody spend times reviewing what went right and what went wrong, tv shows, radios, newspapers, all media stations of all kinds remember good and bad thing happened in this 2012.

We only remember the good things! and we wish you the best and to keep looking at THE GOOD WILL TIMES!

 

 

Because good things always happents and more, and even more  and better things will keep happening till the end of our days, with no more words to say that,"thanks", enjoy"  "happiness" "wisdom" peace" "love"

 

WISH THE BEST TO EVEWRY SINGLE PERSON IN THE WORLD AND THE UNIVERSE!!!!

HEALTH AND FITNESS - Five tips to avoid holiday weight gain - MALAYSIA

  

According to research, most people gain around one kilo a year in midlife, and the added bulk tends to arrive around holiday time.

 

Heftier people tend to gain even more -- 2.2 kilos -- and as most anyone knows, weight loss doesn't come easy. Your best approach: keep it off in the first place, and here's how.

 

 

1. Don't eat seconds, and keep the serving dish off the table.

According to Dr. Mache Seibel of the Huffington Post, keeping the serving trays in the kitchen can reduce your food intake by up to 29 percent.

 

 

2. Sleep

Research has linked sleep-deprived people with increased belly fat, compared to those who slumber for seven hours. But Dr. Seibel says don't overdo it: too much sleep, more than seven hours a night, can increased belly fat as well.

 

 

3. Skip the eggnog

While drinking alcohol is part of the merriment for a lot of us, avoid drinking your calories. Opt for red or mulled wine over white wine, beer, or spirits, advise British fitness trainers Shaun Petafi and Dean Connor, in a statement from Rippedtoshreds.co.uk. Red wine is packed with fewer empty calories and higher in flavonoids, polyphenols, and heart-protecting reservatrol. Frozen creamy drinks can have as many as 800 calories, while eggnog with a jigger of rum comes at more than 400 calories a glass.

 

 

4. Control your snacking

Avoid racking up extra calories with snacks, but if you must, opt for meat or cheese rather than cakes or biscuits, say Petafi and Connor. Also monitor your appetizers, which can add 1,000 extra calories to your meal, writes Seibel.

 

 

5. Go easy on the starches

Starchy foods such as breads, rice, pasta, cakes, potatoes and yams can cause insulin levels to spike, resulting in more fat storage, say Petafi and Connor. Opt for a second slice of turkey, but leave the stuffing alone. Or pile on the non-starchy vegetables, such as cabbage, kale, spinach, leeks, and broccoli.

LIFE AND STYLE - Overcome your fears and phobias today - THE GULF

 

How, or why, we scare ourselves into having debilitating phobias, nobody seems to know. What we do know is that they are curable. Louisa Wilkins delves into the deep, dark waters of irrational fears and discovers that there’s really nothing to be afraid of

• Image Credit: Supplied picture
• The strange and sometimes complex side of phobias is that they are often linked to something completely unrelated, such as a situation, an experience, or a belief.

 

Illustration: Kerrie Leishman

FORGIVE me for saying so, but don't you think you'd be better off going for a run - even a brisk walk - than reaching for another fruit-mince pie? Chances are you don't think it. Or maybe you think it, but you don't intend to act on it. If you can't take a day off on Boxing Day, when can you?

I hate to say it, but humans have a slothful streak. We want to live comfortable, enjoyable lives and we assume the less physical effort this involves the better. But one of the most unremarked and remarkable discoveries of our times is that it doesn't work like that.

As a writer about economics, I suppose I'm required to be an advocate of progress. A major element of humankind's progress - of our civilisation - has been our unrelenting efforts to take the effort out of all we're required to do to live our lives. That story begins with our discovery of first stone, then metal tools. It progresses to our discovery that settling in one spot and farming crops and animals was a lot safer, more comfortable and prosperity-inducing than hunting and gathering.

Fast forward to the industrial revolution, which began in the second half of the 18th century. It, too, was fundamentally about taking the physical effort out of work, first with the discovery of steam power, then later, electricity and the internal combustion engine - all of them powered by the burning of fossil fuels.

 

Along the way we invented a multitude of ways to mechanise work - from the spinning jenny to the typewriter - thereby greatly reducing the number of workers needed to produce a given quantity of goods and services or, looking at it another way, allowing a given number of workers to produce a much greater quantity of goods and services.

Whichever way you look at it, our unceasing search for new and better ''labour-saving'' devices has greatly increased the productivity of our labour - the quantity of goods and services the average worker is able to produce in an hour - and this explains why our material standard of living is much higher than at the time of white settlement in Australia.

Usually, this is what economists portray as the object of this grand exercise, making ourselves richer. But it's equally true that a central element of the exercise has involved taking the physical exertion out of work. We haven't ended up doing a lot less work than we used to, but our work has become much less physical and much more mental, requiring us to be a lot better educated and trained.

More recently - and particularly with the advent of the information revolution - we've moved from taking the physical effort out of work to also taking it out of leisure. We drive when we could walk or ride around our suburbs at the weekend. For home entertainment we no longer sing or recite to each other, but turn on an electronic device. And the commercialisation of sport means not only that we watch professionals rather than playing ourselves, but needn't even leave the house to watch a game.

This is where we've overreached, however. This is where nature is striking back. Combine the way machine-produced food has never been more enticing, more plentiful or as cheap with the success of our efforts to strip physical exertion from work and leisure, and you get an obesity epidemic.

And it's not just that. As each year passes the medicos uncover ever more evidence of the many ways our lack of exercise is contributing to our ill health, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, depression and anxiety, arthritis and osteoporosis.

To put it more positively, and to borrow a slogan from the American College of Sports Medicine, exercise is medicine. This is what I find so remarkable, so surprising.

Recent research by medicos in Texas found that previously sedentary women who began moderate aerobic exercise a third of the way into their pregnancy had significantly fewer caesarean deliveries and recovered faster after the birth.

Research by Dr Dick Telford and colleagues at the Australian National University has found that primary school children who are more physically active and leaner get better academic results and, even more so, that primary schools with fitter children achieve better literacy and numeracy.

Research quoted on the Exercise is Medicine website says active people in their 80s have a lower risk of death than inactive people in their 60s.

Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of recurrent breast cancer by about half, lower the risk of colon cancer by more than 60 per cent, reduce the risk of Alzheimer's, heart disease and high blood pressure by about 40 per cent and lower the risk of stroke by 27 per cent. It can decrease depression as effectively as Prozac or behavioural therapy.

According to the site, a low level of fitness is a bigger risk factor for mortality than mild-to-moderate obesity. And regular physical activity has been shown to lead to higher university entrance scores.

But here's the bit I like best (and know from experience is true): research shows that exercise makes you feel better, reducing stress, helping you sleep better and feel more energetic. The unexpected truth is that it's exertion, not the avoidance of it, that makes you happy.

SOLIDARIDAD - El regalo prometido: una movida solidaria les cumplió los deseos a 850 chicos - ARGENTINA

 

 

Puente. Pilar y Melanie con su muñeca pepona.

Sueños cumplidos. Pequeños Puentes entregó 850 regalos. (Silvana Boemo)

UNA FIESTA. La entrega de regalos en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, en San Miguel. (Silvana Boemo)

CARTITA. El pedido de Nico.

UNA FIESTA. La entrega de regalos en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, en San Miguel. (Silvana Boemo)

UNA FIESTA. La entrega de regalos en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, en San Miguel. (Silvana Boemo)

UNA FIESTA. La entrega de regalos en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, en San Miguel. (Silvana Boemo)

UNA FIESTA. La entrega de regalos en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, en San Miguel. (Silvana Boemo)

UNA FIESTA. La entrega de regalos en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, en San Miguel. (Silvana Boemo)

UNA FIESTA. La entrega de regalos en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, en San Miguel. (Silvana Boemo)

UNA FIESTA. La entrega de regalos en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, en San Miguel. (Silvana Boemo)

UNA FIESTA. La entrega de regalos en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, en San Miguel. (Silvana Boemo)

UNA FIESTA. La entrega de regalos en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, en San Miguel. (Silvana Boemo)

UNA FIESTA. La entrega de regalos en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, en San Miguel. (Silvana Boemo)

UNA FIESTA. La entrega de regalos en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, en San Miguel. (Silvana Boemo)

Sueños cumplidos. Pequeños Puentes entregó 850 regalos.

UNA FIESTA. La entrega de regalos en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, en San Miguel. (Silvana Boemo)

Sueños cumplidos. Pequeños Puentes entregó 850 regalos.

Sueños cumplidos. Pequeños Puentes entregó 850 regalos.

• "Querido Papá Nuel, a mí me gusta que me regales una pistola de agua y una pelota de cuero”. Debajo del pedido, Nico, de 10 años, dibujó con lápiz negro los regalos que le encargó al gordinflón de barba cana para esta Navidad. Como él, 850 chicos de seis comedores y dos hogares de San Miguel, Morón y José C. Paz escribieron sus cartas y en la víspera de la Nochebuena se encontraron rompiendo coloridos envoltorios que contenían justo eso que esperaban. Eran regalos nuevos, especialmente comprados para ellos por cientos de papá noeles que apostaron a cumplir los sueños de nenes y nenas que “suelen estar muy acostumbrados a la solidaridad en masa: todos la misma comida, todos el mismo regalo”.
  
  La que habla es Pilar Medina, una profesora de Literatura de 32 años, impulsora de Pequeños Puentes, la iniciativa que en poco más de un mes motorizó la compra y distribución de una gigantesca montaña de juguetes. Unos 100 alumnos de la Escuela Integral Jorge Luis Borges y del Instituto Cultural Roca no tardaron en prenderse (“casi todos levantaron la mano cuando les pregunté si se querían sumar”). También padres y 10 docentes. Divididos en grupos fueron a visitar los comedores y hogares donde se juntaron con los chicos y les ayudaron a escribir las cartitas. Después, las repartieron entre familiares y amigos que serían los encargados de que los deseos se materialicen. Algunos pedidos encontraron padrinos a través de Facebook. La condición ineludible: que los regalos no sean usados.
  
  “Un regalo nuevo supone mucho más que plata; supone tiempo, dedicación y un momento de elección del mejor regalo posible. No es lo que me sobra lo que doy, no es lo que ya no uso. Es el regalo que yo le haría a mi hijo. Y para el niño es sentir que alguien lee, alguien escucha, en definitiva, que a alguien le importa”, continúa Pilar.
  
  El viernes 21 los saqueos en algunos puntos del Conurbano amenazaban con frustrar la cita en el comedor La Ranita Feliz, del barrio Trujui, en San Miguel. Imposible. La ansiedad era tanta que nada justificaba postergar la fiesta. La mesa estaba preparada. Sobre el mantel de motivos frutales había sanguchitos, budines, galletitas y gaseosas. El olorcito a comida asaltaba al olfato al cruzar la puerta. La música animaba la fiesta. El arbolito esperaba los regalos. Y los chicos más.
  
  Cuando llegó el momento, los 85 se sentaron en el suelo e hicieron silencio. Escucharon con atención la carta que Papá Noel les había escrito en un papiro grandote. Todas las miradas estaban puestas en Pilar. De su boca comenzaron a salir uno a uno los nombres que figuraban en los paquetes. Melanie Ortiz extendió bien alto el brazo cuando llegó su turno. La sonrisa al abrazar a su muñeca pepona de trenzas rosas dejó ver el hueco abierto por la caída de sus paletas. “Una gorra, lo que yo había pedido”, respondió Franco cuando le preguntaron qué le habían regalado. En segundos, la timidez del principio se convirtió en un bullicio ensordecedor. Papeles opacos y metalizados en el suelo, nenas acunando bebotes y chicos haciendo jueguito con sus pelotas recién estrenadas. En el medio del alboroto, un perrito regordete y de patas cortas aprovechaba para robar los restos de comida que habían caído al piso.
  
  En el patio, mientras Lara bailaba al ritmo del Tutá Tutá con su disfraz de princesa, Milagros le aconsejaba a Samira que le pusiera Jazmín a su muñeca. A la de ella la bautizó Morena. Más allá, Gabriel armaba un avión justo al lado del arbolito navideño. Y en la calle, Mateo daba las primeras pedaleadas a su bici roja.
  
  En La Ranita Feliz la alegría fue completa, pero en algunas entregas no todo fue color de rosa. “Esa fue la parte más amarga del proyecto: la desilusión de un chico de 10 años que recibe una pelota de goma playera cuando lo que había pedido era una pelota para jugar al fútbol con sus amigos es terrible”, cuenta Pilar y agrega: “El padrino tenía que ser sumamente consciente de que probablemente ese regalo que estaba comprando sería el único que ese niño iba a recibir, entonces no podía comprarle algo que se le rompiera a los cinco minutos de abrirlo”. De todas maneras, “como fue la primera vez que lo hicimos, ya vamos a ir pensando en todo lo que podemos mejorar para la próxima”.
  
  “Re lindos los regalos”, suelta casi al aire Milsa, que lleva a Candela, de 2 años, en brazos. “Muchos no tenemos la posibilidad de comprar. Yo no podía”, se sincera. Mientras los demás chicos juegan con sus flamantes regalos, se acerca Laura, otra de sus hijas, con su paquete cerrado, confiada de que en su interior esté el set de balde y palitas que pidió. “No voy a abrirlo, cuando llegue a casa lo voy a poner en el arbolito”, revela en secreto.

ENVIRONMENT - UP Govt to clean up river Ganga ahead of Maha Kumbh Mela - INDIA

 

 

 

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LUCKNOW: In a bid to make available clean and continuous flow of water in river Ganga during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad next month, the UP government has issued directions for shutting down industrial units that discharge pollutants in the river, officials said today.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Javed Usmani yesterday asked the concerned district magistrates to constitute a committee for inspection of polluting industries and ensure that they are closed within three days, an official spokesperson said here.

He also asked for ensuring that eight industrial units banned by the UP pollution control board, including distilleries and leather units in different districts remain closed.

Uttarakhand government has also assured full co-operation in controlling pollution, the spokesperson added.

The chief secretary has also directed for release of additional 2,500 cusecs of water in the Ganga between January 1, 2013 to February 28 and 1,500 cusecs of water between March 1 to March 7 for the good flow in the river.

HEALTH - Stay active if you want to stay alive - AUSTRALIA

 

 

 

Illustration: Kerrie Leishman

FORGIVE me for saying so, but don't you think you'd be better off going for a run - even a brisk walk - than reaching for another fruit-mince pie? Chances are you don't think it. Or maybe you think it, but you don't intend to act on it. If you can't take a day off on Boxing Day, when can you?

I hate to say it, but humans have a slothful streak. We want to live comfortable, enjoyable lives and we assume the less physical effort this involves the better. But one of the most unremarked and remarkable discoveries of our times is that it doesn't work like that.

As a writer about economics, I suppose I'm required to be an advocate of progress. A major element of humankind's progress - of our civilisation - has been our unrelenting efforts to take the effort out of all we're required to do to live our lives. That story begins with our discovery of first stone, then metal tools. It progresses to our discovery that settling in one spot and farming crops and animals was a lot safer, more comfortable and prosperity-inducing than hunting and gathering.

Fast forward to the industrial revolution, which began in the second half of the 18th century. It, too, was fundamentally about taking the physical effort out of work, first with the discovery of steam power, then later, electricity and the internal combustion engine - all of them powered by the burning of fossil fuels.

Advertisement <iframe id="dcAd-1-4" src="http://ad-apac.doubleclick.net/adi/onl.smh.news/opinion/societyandculture;cat=opinion;cat1=societyandculture;ctype=article;pos=3;sz=300x250;tile=4;ord=5.4488009E7?" width='300' height='250' scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"> </iframe>

Along the way we invented a multitude of ways to mechanise work - from the spinning jenny to the typewriter - thereby greatly reducing the number of workers needed to produce a given quantity of goods and services or, looking at it another way, allowing a given number of workers to produce a much greater quantity of goods and services.

Whichever way you look at it, our unceasing search for new and better ''labour-saving'' devices has greatly increased the productivity of our labour - the quantity of goods and services the average worker is able to produce in an hour - and this explains why our material standard of living is much higher than at the time of white settlement in Australia.

Usually, this is what economists portray as the object of this grand exercise, making ourselves richer. But it's equally true that a central element of the exercise has involved taking the physical exertion out of work. We haven't ended up doing a lot less work than we used to, but our work has become much less physical and much more mental, requiring us to be a lot better educated and trained.

More recently - and particularly with the advent of the information revolution - we've moved from taking the physical effort out of work to also taking it out of leisure. We drive when we could walk or ride around our suburbs at the weekend. For home entertainment we no longer sing or recite to each other, but turn on an electronic device. And the commercialisation of sport means not only that we watch professionals rather than playing ourselves, but needn't even leave the house to watch a game.

This is where we've overreached, however. This is where nature is striking back. Combine the way machine-produced food has never been more enticing, more plentiful or as cheap with the success of our efforts to strip physical exertion from work and leisure, and you get an obesity epidemic.

And it's not just that. As each year passes the medicos uncover ever more evidence of the many ways our lack of exercise is contributing to our ill health, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, depression and anxiety, arthritis and osteoporosis.

To put it more positively, and to borrow a slogan from the American College of Sports Medicine, exercise is medicine. This is what I find so remarkable, so surprising.

Recent research by medicos in Texas found that previously sedentary women who began moderate aerobic exercise a third of the way into their pregnancy had significantly fewer caesarean deliveries and recovered faster after the birth.

Research by Dr Dick Telford and colleagues at the Australian National University has found that primary school children who are more physically active and leaner get better academic results and, even more so, that primary schools with fitter children achieve better literacy and numeracy.

Research quoted on the Exercise is Medicine website says active people in their 80s have a lower risk of death than inactive people in their 60s.

Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of recurrent breast cancer by about half, lower the risk of colon cancer by more than 60 per cent, reduce the risk of Alzheimer's, heart disease and high blood pressure by about 40 per cent and lower the risk of stroke by 27 per cent. It can decrease depression as effectively as Prozac or behavioural therapy.

According to the site, a low level of fitness is a bigger risk factor for mortality than mild-to-moderate obesity. And regular physical activity has been shown to lead to higher university entrance scores.

But here's the bit I like best (and know from experience is true): research shows that exercise makes you feel better, reducing stress, helping you sleep better and feel more energetic. The unexpected truth is that it's exertion, not the avoidance of it, that makes you happy.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/stay-active-if-you-want-to-stay-alive-20121225-2bv39.html#ixzz2G9Eq6e6u

FRIDAY DECEMBER 21ST - GOOD THINKING - GOOD WISH - GOOD WILL DAY!! SHARE!!

FRIDAY DECEMBER 21ST – WORLD MEDITATION DAY! GOOD THINKING - RECCOMENDED!! / INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND EVERYBODY!

This FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, I Invite you to spend from one to five minutes meditating or just thinking about something in this world you want, can and would like to be improved......

It can be to stop the war , stop the poorness in the least developed countries, stop cntamination and global heating, or even something more personal, like get closer to people you would like to, say i love you to somebody you feel like, or just wish the best and happiness to whoever you want even yourself.

 

 

But it would be great to have everybody involved in this, for which tell your friends, family co-workers, known people, even your enemies if you have, your ex friends, your ex boyfriend of girlfriedn, everybody is invitred to share something that just need to have one thing: A GOOD THINKING OR A GOOD WISH

 

Because the place where we go is the same and the world that we live belongs to all of us, lets give him an opportunity and hope to be with us and we be in it for the rest of our live and let all the future generations enjoy a good, perfect and wonderfull world as it is today

 

And whatever you do or think, and whoever want to participate on this is invited, because there will be always an open door, no matter sex, race, religion, thiking or whatever distinction that the society may do or have, but most important than anything, we are all just one and perfect HUMANITY

 

 

INNOVATION - Agensi Inovasi Malaysia all out to commercialise good ideas - MALAYISIA

 

By WONG LI ZA
star2@thestar.com.my

Promising: Serotech CEO Sharifah Nur Rahimah Syed Alias with Assoc Prof Dr Ahmed Mahir Mokhtar Mohamed Bakri at a contract farmer’s farm in Selangor. The CiliBangi project has generated good response from investors.

 

Innovation Business Opportunities, an initiative by Agensi Inovasi Malaysia, is all out to commercialise good ideas to generate new wealth.
A GOOD idea remains just that – a mere idea – if it does not take shape.

Throughout history, thousands of brilliant inventions worldwide have gone unnoticed due to lack of buy-in from relevant parties and financial support.

However, these creations could potentially have generated much income or benefited society, or in short, been transformed from being an invention to an innovation.

Bridging the gap between invention and commerce is an initiative facilitated by Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM) called Innovation Business Opportunities (IBO).

AIM is a statutory body set up by the Government via the AIM Act 2010 with the primary purpose of being the driving force behind Malaysia’s push towards establishing an “innovation economy” and the country’s aspiration of achieving high-income nation status.

Launched in April this year, IBO offers intellectual properties owned by universities, and public research and development organisations in Malaysia, to the private sector for them to be taken up and commercialised.

“Innovation Business Opportunities is one of the initiatives undertaken by AIM to ensure ideas are taken through from creation to commercialisation,” said Faizal Hasan, assistant vice-president (IBO) with AIM.

“Under IBO, innovations from public universities and research institutes are documented, analysed and offered to the rakyat for bidding. The idea is to provide these government-funded innovations as opportunities for the rakyat to create new wealth,” he said.

What a harvest! Cilibangi, a top quality chilli, being dried at Rumah Tumbuhan, UKM.
 

He added that in tandem with the positive feedback received, AIM has widened the scope of the innovations to include those from the private sector.

Phase Two of the IBO was launched recently by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who also announced the progress from Phase One.

Of the 42 IBOs offered in Phase One, 33 had the potential to generate revenue totalling RM1.58bil over three years, 15 had been taken up by industry partners for commercialisation, while 18 others were in different stages of negotiations.

These 18 projects have the potential of adding another RM748mil to the nation’s Gross National Income (GNI), while the total revenue potential for the 15 projects is estimated at RM832mil.

Under Phase Two, 50 new technologies and products, which are open for transparent and competitive bidding, have the potential of generating RM560mil after three years of operation.

When this article went to print, at least nine projects had received bidders.
They include, with projected third year revenue in parentheses, the LesTani: Biofungicide for Control of BSR Disease of Oil Palm (RM45.6mil); Production of Bioethanol from Palm Oil Waste (RM17.72mil); MyCOACH Software for Sports Motion Coaching System that analyses human motion on video without using any additional physical marker or special tight fitting clothing (RM360,000); Commercial Sweetener, a project that aims to produce Sorbitol, a natural sweetener used in health foods and sugar-free products, from sawdust (RM6.4mil); the AquaTCS fish tank filter (RM2.7mil); and the Sundait Board Game, a Borneo-based educational and entertaining board game that incorporates Kadazan-Dusun riddles (RM290,400).

Another two projects with high potential revenue are the Wengtonia: Detoxificant for Drug Addiction, a health supplement with antioxidant and anti-microbial properties for detoxification purposes (RM36.7mil), and Natural Colourant for Cosmetics, derived from orchid pigment (RM117mil).

Wengtonia’s main ingredient is derived from a local plant called daun putat (Barringtonia racemosa), traditionally consumed as a salad and found largely in rural areas.

Natural colourants in biomaterials are stabilised in the form of macrobeads through environmentfriendly biotechnological processes.
 

It took researchers Aweng Eh Rak and Dr Lee Seong Wei, senior lecturers at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), three years to develop the supplement.

Wengtonia has powerful antioxidant properties which enhance the immune system and encourage anti-microbial activities against various species of pathogens.

“It is suitable for both new drug users and also hardcore addicts, but the latter may have to take higher dosages,” said Lee, adding that UMK has started planting the daun putat.

“Depending on the dosage applied, basically it will take a week before the detoxification effect shows. Theoretically, Wengtonia may also help patients on long-term medications reduce their dependency on their medication due to the high antioxidant content in the plant,” he said, adding that they hope to set up their own company and commercialise the product.

Wengtonia costs US$100 (RM310) for 500 pills.

Aiming to tap into the billion-dollar colour cosmetics market is the natural colourant IBO spearheaded by Prof Dr Lee Pat Moi, former researcher at the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam.

Currently founder and CEO of PML ChemBioTech Sdn Bhd based at FRIM-MTDC Technology Centre in Kepong, Selangor, Prof Lee’s project plans to commercialise natural and functional floral colourants for food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products.

“The purpose is to enable the general public to consume colourful, yet safe food products and use appealing and safe cosmetic products,” said Prof Lee.

The spectrum of colourants are violet, blue, green, yellow, orange and red, obtainable from a single species of orchid flowers such as dendrobium or cattleya, red hibiscus and clitoria ternatea. The red, blue and violet colourants possess antioxidant properties and other health benefits as well.

Daun putat (Barringtonia racemosa), the main ingredient in Wengtonia, a health supplement for detoxification purposes.

Prof Lee said that natural red colourants obtained from other natural resources are usually not stable when exposed to air, light and heat.

“We have stabilised our natural red colourants in biomaterials in the form of macro-beads. micro-beads and nano particles through mild and environment-friendly biotechnological processes.

“They are brightly coloured and the biomaterials used for stabilisation also have anti-microbial and antioxidant properties. In addition, they are biodegradable and safe to be consumed,” she emphasised, adding that the natural colourants are more stable than other natural colourants by two- to three-fold at temperatures of less than 45°C.

Prof Lee added that she and her team have also developed formulations for blue and violet lipsticks which contain blue and violet floral extracts respectively.

“When the blue lipstick is applied to lips, the colour changes from blue to red. Similarly, the colour of the lips changes from violet to red upon using the violet lipstick,” she said, adding that the lipsticks also have moisturising effect.

To date, the company has filed seven patents in Malaysia and the natural colourants have also won several international awards, including two Geneva Gold Medal Awards (Switzerland), the Eureka Special Gold Medal Award (Brussel) and Biotech Asia Gold Medal Award.

“Our plan is to further strengthen our research and development to produce natural product-based aesthetic healthcare and therapeutical bioproducts to add aesthetical value as well as contribute to the quality of life,” she shared.

One of the IBOs from Phase One which has generated good response from investors is the CiliBangi project, which has the potential to generate a revenue of RM44.5mil in three years.

CiliBangi is a top quality chilli that is virus-resistant, high yielding and easily harvested. The chilli was first cultivated by the late Professor K.M. Graham in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 1978. The work was continued by Assoc Prof Dr Ahmed Mahir Mokhtar Mohamed Bakri in 1987.

After 15 generations, Cilibangi-1 and -2 varieties were developed and introduced in 1995. Cilibangi-3 and Cilibangi-4 were cultivated after 20 generations and launched in 1998.

In 2010, another new variety combining the previous traits of Cilibangi was developed and named Crunchious, a trademarked premium hybrid which has a longer life-span.

“Crunchious is the brand given to two varieties of Cilibangi which have two heat levels – hot and mild. This brand is positioned for the international market. An international company has shown interest in planting Cilibangi in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and are negotiating on the licensing agreement which will be signed soon,” revealed Serotech Sdn Bhd CEO Sharifah Nur Rahimah Syed Alias.

Serotech is a subsidiary of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), set up through its commercial arm, UKM Technology Sdn Bhd. It is tasked to handle the production and distribution of Cilibangi to the market.

“Cilibangi’s synchronised flowering and fruiting makes it easy for farmers to plan large-scale staggered planting to produce a continuous supply of chilli throughout the year. This unique characteristic of Cilibangi has attracted investors,” explained Sharifah.

Since April 2012, over 10,000 seedlings have been sold to contract farmers, both directly and via outsourcing.

“We are evaluating a buy-back programme from them. At the moment, we are helping them find the market for the chillies. So far, it is going very well,” said Sharifah.

“Farmers have shown a lot of interest in planting Cilibangi. However, we have to ensure only quality farmers and entrepreneurs are selected to ensure the success of our Cilibangi Planting Programme,” she said.

Currently, the company’s target market for the fresh chillies is end-product industries like chilli sauce and sambal-related producers, which constitute the largest percentage (40%) of the Malaysian chilli market segment.

“We are planning to enter the hypermarkets once we’ve started our large-scale planting programme. Other than fresh chillies, we’re also planning to produce our own Cilibangi powder and paste.
“We’re confident of achieving our target revenue. We expect next year to be a very productive year with many big projects coming in,” added Sharifah.

■ For more info, visit innovation.my or cilibangi.com or facebook.com/Cilibangi

- Five quick tricks to revamp your look - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

 

Wouldn’t it be great if we had a magic wand? Then, with a quick twinkle and flick of our wrist we could transform our drab, dull looks and become popping, vivid versions of ourselves. Since we don’t have one, we’ve instead decided to show you five quick tricks that will help you revamp your look in a flash.

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• To give yourself a quick and almost instant revamp you should change your brows. The right brows can frame your favourite features and change your appearance

 

Quick trick to revamp your look: Stand up Although we risk sounding like your mother, if you want to revamp your look stand up straight. Your posture is hugely important to the way you look. Even the world’s prettiest woman would look unattractive if she stooped and slouched through life. Not only will maintaining a good posture make you appear more confident you will also look slimmer. Patrice Winter, a spokeswoman for the American Physical Therapy Association, says that standing tall can make you look 5kgs slimmer. So ladies, shoulders back and stand tall.
Instructions: Having good posture doesn’t mean standing polka straight. You need to stand naturally, allowing your spine to curve in an S shape. Make sure when you are standing that your hips and ears are aligned. Also if you sit at a desk, make sure you use your legs to distribute your weight and help relieve some of the pressure off of your tailbone.

Quick trick to revamp your look: Dye When you think of having a makeover or revamping your look it can be easy to think you have to clear out the bank balance and take out a second mortgage on your home. Changing your look doesn’t have to be expensive though and it can be as cheap as you want it to be. If you feel like your wardrobe needs updating, take a look at what you already own. If you have a pair of trousers or skirt that fits well but is looking a little old, pop it into the washing machine and add in some fabric dye (see below for instructions). To create an entire outfit, you could also pop a few accessories into the washing machine too, such as a fabric brooch or fabric bag. Then you have an instantly colour coordinated outfit.
Instructions: Fabric dye is a simple way to revamp your wardrobe. Make sure you check the dye you use for instructions, but generally you will simply need to put in the dye from the box into your washing machine and add salt. Then turn on your machine and wash the clothes in a hot wash until the cycle is complete.

Quick trick to revamp your look: Eyes and lips Your eyes and lips are your chance to have fun and, if you want to give yourself a makeover using makeup, start with these areas. First, take a look at the colour of your eyes and try to find an eyeliner pen or pencil that matches your natural eye colour. Then play around with designs. You could add flicks to the corners of your eyes to make them appear bigger, or add dashes on your lower lash line. Have fun and find out what works for you. If you have bright eyes, choose a neutral lip shade and vice versa. For bright lips that pop why not try using two shades of lipstick to your lips. If you use a lighter shade around the outer edge of your lips your lips will appear plumper.
Instructions: When applying your eyeliner make sure you keep checking what your liner looks like when your eyes are open so that you get the finished look you were after. Also, to keep your lipstick on for longer first apply a lip liner and use a lip brush to apply your lipstick. This will also give you more control during application.

 

Quick trick to revamp your look: Eyebrows We all know that your eyebrows can dramatically change your face. To give yourself a quick and almost instant revamp you should change your brows. The right brows can frame your favourite features and change your appearance. If you have a long face and would like to make it look shorter choose a flat brow shape. If you have a round face then choose a brow shape with a high arch. Finally, if you have a heart shaped face, choose brows that balance your face by creating a soft curved arch. Remember, some people benefit from darkening their brows. You could get an eyebrow tint or use an eyebrow pencil to achieve this look.
Instructions: Although a DIY job can work wonders, sometimes getting some professional guidance goes a long way. If you want to change your entire brow shape book an appointment at a brow bar or with a beauty therapist. Then once you’ve had them re-shaped you could maintain your look at home with tweezers.

Quick trick to revamp your look: One statement piece Sometimes a total revamp or makeover isn’t necessary. All you need is one statement piece that ties together your outfit. To find that magical piece of clothing, scour the shops and the internet. Try on lots of different items and explore new styles, cuts and colours. Ideally, your statement piece will have a wow factor so that it can turn an ordinary outfit into one that will turn heads. The key to getting this wow factor is to look for bold, unusual colours. Don’t choose a multi-coloured item though, unless lots of your other clothes are plain. This is because you want to be able to wear your statement piece with a lot of outfits, so choose items in bold, block colours.
Instructions: Your statement piece should be a little out-there and should definitely reflect you and your personality. Take time to find this special item and you’ll soon reap the rewards.

BUENA VIDA - De la naturaleza, "remedios para melancólicos" - ARGENTINA

 

El exceso de azúcares y harinas dificulta la absorción de una sustancia natural, el triptófano, que fabrica serotonina y equilibra el ánimo. Las flores de Bach, variedades definidas por el médico inglés Edward Bach, pueden ayudar a superar el problema. Cuáles son las específicas en estos casos.

Gorse, para los que ven todo negro

 

Allá por los tiempos de la Antigua Grecia, la llamaban melancolía y le echaban la culpa de su aparición a uno de los humores del cuerpo, la bilis negra, que provocaba tristeza y hasta locura. A partir de 1725, a esta afección del humor comenzamos a llamarla depresión.

La falta de ganas de vivir, de encontrarle sentido a simplemente levantarse por la mañana es considerada hoy una enfermedad psiquiátrica que se trata con antidepresivos, según la medicina convencional.

En la dietoterapia natural, la depresión se vincula con nuestros hábitos alimenticios, ya que los azúcares y las harinas refinadas consumidos en exceso dificultan que absorbamos una sustancia natural, el triptófano, de los alimentos.

Y resulta que, sin triptófano, no podemos fabricar serotonina, una neurohormona que produce sensación de bienestar, buen humor y distensión.

Pero, sin duda, y homenajeando a Ray Bradbury, los mejores “remedios para melancólicos” que pueden aportar las terapias complementarias por su eficacia, su suavidad y la ausencia de efectos secundarios son las Flores de Bach.

Sus nombres y efectos
Las Flores de Bach, un sistema de esencias a base de flores silvestres elaborado por el médico inglés Edward Bach hace 80 años, que no contiene drogas ya que pertenece a los llamados preparados energéticos, es de especial ayuda en trastornos del ánimo.

Se la llama “ la psicoterapia líquida”, porque son esencias diluídas en agua que se toman en gotas, varias veces al día. Según su creador, estas gotas aportan la cualidad energética necesaria para que una emoción desequilibrada vuelva a la salud.

Hoy, las utilizan y recomiendan numerosos psiquiatras y psicólogos en todo el mundo. También en Argentina hay terapeutas florales calificados y existen escuelas donde se estudia el uso de estas flores y es muy sencillo acceder a una consulta.

Hay 38 flores, con nombres en inglés. Con ellas se equilibran rasgos ya crónicos de personalidad y también estados transitorios. Las Flores para distintos grados de depresión que más se utilizan son:

Mustard, para la depresión endógena de la psiquiatría clásica, que no tiene causa conocida ni se debe a un evento externo como una pérdida, por ejemplo. También, para la depresión que aparece en momentos específicos del ciclo menstrual femenino, o la depresión invernal.

Larch, indicada para aquellos que piensan que lo bueno de la vida no es para ellos, porque no confían en sus valores y anticipan el fracaso.

Gorse, para los que piensan que ya nada puede mejorar sus vidas y se muestran demacrados, vencidos, en un estado más allá de las lágrimas.

Gentian, cuando la depresión se debe a una causa externa como una mudanza, una pérdida de trabajo, un divorcio.

Wild Rose, cuando hay resignación, falta de interés por lo placentero y pérdida de la libido.

Hornbeam, indicada para quienes no tienen fuerzas para encarar las tareas cotidianas, se sienten aburridos y faltos de entusiasmo.

Sweet Chesnut, para los estados de desesperación extrema.

Elm, para los que siempre han sido luchadores y valientes, pero de pronto caen en un estado de abrumamiento, de abatimiento; sienten que no estarán a la altura de los desafíos que antes encaraban.

Las Flores de Bach, como otras medicinas, complementarias, no pretenden reemplazar al médico en ningún caso, sino que son acompañantes de cualquier tratamiento.

Edward Bach escribió el libro Cúrate a ti mismo, donde explica su uso y allí dice: “La vida es un día de colegio”. Para él, aprender a ser felices era clave para la salud del cuerpo, de las emociones y del alma.

Marisa Cortéz es periodista especializada en medicinas integrativas y terapeuta holística. marisafloresygemas@hotmail.com

 

                                  

 

SOCIEDAD - Soderos que van puerta por puerta y hacen de psicólogos de los clientes - ARGENTINA

 

Comen asado, escuchan confidencias y hasta saben de las infidelidades de sus clientes. Dicen que cuando les tienen confianza, no los cambian ni aunque otros les bajen los precios. A mejores vínculos, más ventas, afirman.

 

Expertos. De izquierda a derecha, Ariel Aibar y Claudio Fiori, ambos de más de 15 años de profesión como repartidores de agua y soda./JUAN JOSE TRAVERSO

Expertos. De izquierda a derecha, Ariel Aibar y Claudio Fiori, ambos de más de 15 años de profesión como repartidores de agua y soda./JUAN JOSE TRAVERSO

04/11/12

Fue hace poco, un mediodía. César Darritchon regresaba a la fábrica cuando cruzó a uno de sus repartidores: era el de la zona de Versalles. Estaba en la puerta de un súper chino, sentado en una silla de plástico. El chino Juan le servía unas tiras de asado en una mesa improvisada en la vereda, pegada a la parrillita. El camión y los sifones descansaban en la calle. Cuando terminó el reparto, Ariel Aibar se acercó a la oficina. “Me pidió disculpas por lo del chino. Le dije que me encantaba que mis repartidores tuvieran esa relación con el cliente. Más que un producto, vendemos un servicio”, recuerda Darritchon, gerente general de El Jumillano. Cuando el chino tiene ganas de hacer asado lo llama a Ariel, le pregunta en qué parte del barrio está, y lo invita.

Se estima que quedan 4.000 soderos . Soderos significa fábricas formales y emprendimientos personales.

Hay que sumar a los repartidores que tiene cada una y a las relaciones que se generaron, como la de Ariel y el chino Juan. Una buena fábrica puede tener un promedio de 1.250 clientes para cada repartidor por semana.

Es el único servicio que se vende puerta a puerta.

A pesar de la inseguridad, la tecnología y las nuevas costumbres.

Claudio Fiori lleva 15 años en el rubro. Su zona es Villa del Parque. Por este trabajo donó sangre para un cliente, otro le ofreció su casa en Brasil para las vacaciones, y otra se le puso a llorar durante media hora porque su pareja había suspendido el casamiento por mensaje de texto. “Te encontrás con gente que quiere hablar; a veces llegás y el cliente está mal. Muchos nos ven más a nosotros que a sus familiares. Somos psicólogos”, dice.

Los soderos saben todo del barrio y de las casas a las que entran.

Consciente, o inconscientemente. Les pasó de llegar y encontrarse con que la señora de la casa estaba con un amante. O con maridos que le cuentan que engañan a sus mujeres. Mujeres que los repartidores también conocen. Ellos sostienen que “ los soderos no tienen memoria” ; dejan la soda y se olvidan de lo que vieron o escucharon.

“Es muy importante la ‘charla’ que se da con el cliente más allá de la compra; eso estrecha la relación y la confianza ”, dice Darritchon. “No lo vemos como una pérdida de tiempo. Son dos minutos en los que se recuerda algo que ocurrió en la última visita. Los vendedores más exitosos son lo que desarrollan este vínculo y hacen muy difícil que los clientes los cambien”.

Cuentan que en el centro de San Justo los jubilados compiten para tener en sus casas almorzando al sodero de la zona.

En algunos barrios de Capital, son los únicos que tienen la entrada permitida cuando no están los dueños. Los hacen pasar los porteros. Si hay un robo se sospecha de cualquiera pero nunca de ellos. “Hasta ahora ninguno de nosotros se mandó alguna macana. Pero creo que uno no podría ensuciar al resto. La gente nos conoce hace años y confía”, dice Ariel Aibar, el amigo del chino. Lleva 16 años de sodero. Es el único tipo del mundo que se da el gusto de comer asados cocinados y pagados por un chino. Y es de Independiente. Un lunes, tras el clásico de Avellaneda, un cliente lo esperó envuelto en una sábana que decía que era “el fantasma de la B”. “Llegué a estar hasta media hora hablando con un cliente. Alguno me dijo ‘te quiero como a un hijo’, y me regaló $ 100 de propina. Es muy loco. Otros les ofrecen pruebas gratis y mejor precio, pero mis clientes me siguen eligiendo. Cuando me voy de vacaciones me compran por esas tres semanas”, asegura. Diciembre es el mes preferido de los soderos. Temporada, las ventas aumentan y buena parte de sus sueldos es por lo recaudado. Y además, la época de los regalos: sidras, pan dulce, turrones...

Siete y media de un viernes en Ciudadela. Claudio y Ariel descargaron sus camiones y hablan con Clarín . Sus colegas los cargan. Los soderos tienen caras parecidas. Hace más de diez horas que trabajan. Afuera está la calle. Así define Aibar su profesión: “No es para cualquiera; tenés que amar la calle. Podés tener una cartera de clientes, una responsabilidad, pero el horario lo manejás vos. Los soderos somos libres”.