Salman and Aamir strike a deal

Did Salman Khan and Aamir Khan strike a barter deal between them when it came to four of their upcoming biggies? That's the question making rounds of the industry ever since last couple of days brought around interesting development w.r.t. arrival of DHUAAN, EK THA TIGER, DHOOM 3 and the newest entrant DABANGG 2.

"It had seemed like Salman doing a favour to Aamir when he vacated his June slot for his DHUAAN and moved EK THA TIGER to Eid. However it seems like there was a lot more happening in the background, what with Aamir vacating his patent Christmas slot by moving ahead DHOOM 3. It is quite obvious that there was a deal struck between the two Khans as DABANGG 2 now comes next Christmas," says a senior filmmaker.
Guess this is what further reinforces friendly relationship that the two Khans share since despite the two biggies that moves belonged to Yash Raj Films, the production house that seldom changes its release plans, everything was done amicably.
When contacted, Arbaaz Khan, who is producing and directing DABANGG 2, didn't deny the possibility of such deal being struck. However he stayed on a neutral line and said, "May be something like this would have been discussed. All I can tell you is that 'bhai' called up and reconfirmed with me that if I was ready with the script and other logistics, then he was ready to begin shooting in March itself since his dates were available. He also asked me if we could work towards December release and I was game for it. Other than that I didn't ask him about any conversations with Aamir. What was the need for me to do so?"
The film would retain more or less the same cast with Sonakshi Sinha and Sonu Sood joining Salman.

Female Hormone Disorder

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), an endocrine disorder that often leads to infertility, are more likely to have parents with some form of heart disease, according to a new study.

"By further understanding the link between PCOS and other family medical conditions, we might be able to diagnose and treat all of these illnesses at an earlier stage," the study's lead author, Michael Davies, an associate professor from the University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute, said in a university news release.
In conducting the study, researchers examined the medical histories of more than 700 women. They found that mothers of women with PCOS are more likely to suffer from some form of heart disease and almost twice as likely to have high blood pressure than mothers of other women.
Meanwhile, the findings, published Oct. 4 in the online journal PLoS ONE, revealed that fathers of women with the condition are more than twice as likely to have heart disease, and more than four times as likely to suffer a stroke than other fathers.
"Our results show there is a strong link between cardiovascular disease in both mother and father and the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome in their daughters," said Davies. "It suggests that PCOS may be the consequence of a family susceptibility to chronic disease," he explained.
The study authors noted that more research is needed on the familial link between PCOS and heart disease.

Blood Infection Costliest

Septicemia was the single most expensive condition treated in U.S. hospitals in 2009, with a cost of about $15.4 billion, according to a federal government report.

Septicemia is a life-threatening illness caused by blood infections with bacteria such as E. coli and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
The analysis of national data also showed that the number of hospital stays for septicemia more than doubled between 2000 and 2009, from 337,100 to 836,000 admissions. In 2009, septicemia was the sixth most common primary cause of hospitalization in the United States.
Complications from medical devices, implants or grafts were the leading cause of these admissions, accounting for 20 percent of the septicemia stays.
The report is published in the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
In 2009, the in-hospital death rate for septicemia was 16 percent, more than eight times as high as for all other hospital stays, according to an agency news release.
Elderly patients accounted for more than half of all patients hospitalized for septicemia. Nearly 40 percent were 65 to 84, and about 14 percent were 85 and older. Patients 45 to 64 represented 27 percent of cases; nearly 11 percent of patients were 18 to 44, and only 1.6 percent were ages 1 to 17.

Aishwarya fan

I am a big fan of Aishwarya Rai, says Playboy model Candice Boucher, who is set to make her Bollywood debut with 'Aazaan' and describes it as an opportunity of a lifetime.

'I did know about Bollywood before doing this film because while growing up in South Africa, we did have a few Indian movies showcased on the TV. I was aware a little bit about the industry that it's very colourful and has a lot of music and dance,' Candice told IANS in an interview.
Video: First Look: Aazaan
'I don't remember the names of the film right now, but as far as the actors are concerned, I am a big fan of Aishwarya Rai. She is gorgeous and a great actress too. The fact that she has made a mark not only in Bollywood but also Hollywood, speaks a lot about her. She is beautiful,' added the model who visited India six times earlier and loves the family bond people share here.
Photos: Aishwarya is expecting
The 27-year-old, who also modelled for magazines like FHM, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Sports Illustrated and Elle, is excited about director Prashant Chadha's 'Aazaan'.
Also read: Aazaan-one of the most expensive films of Bollywood
Entrepreneur-turned-actor Sachin Joshi plays the male lead in the film, while Candice is roped in as a sand artist and as Sachin's love interest in 'Aazaan', slated for an Oct 14 release.
The model says being a part of a Hindi film was nerve-wracking for her.
'Prashant got this project to me. He gave me a call when I was in New York last year and told me that he has a part that is perfect for me. I was little nervous because it was a Hindi movie. I don't speak the language and my dancing is also not really up to the mark.
'But Prashant kind of scripted the role around me and my personality and then he changed all my dialogues to English. It was a fun experience, but equally nerve-wracking,' said Candice.
Will she stay and make a career in Bollywood?
'Prashant just gave me an opportunity of a lifetime and I couldn't say no to it. It was a learning experience. If I think about going in the Bollywood direction, I have to see my Hindi definitely. It has to be a lot better and also the dancing. So at the moment I'm happy that I got this opportunity and I'll keep on trying to learn Hindi. But Bollywood isn't something I'll only concentrate on.
'However, if something great comes up, I'm open to the idea,' said Candice who has done an item song in the film, which was choreographed by Ashley Lobo.

Relocating to India: Madhuri

Bollywood diva Madhuri Dixit, who shifted base to Denver in the US after marrying Shriram Nene 12 years ago, is returning to India permanently.

'For all my fans, we are relocating to India! It will be good to be back home,' Madhuri wrote on microblogging site Twitter.
Madhuri tied the knot with Shriram Madhav Nene, a cardiovascular surgeon in 1999 and left her acting career to shift to Denver soon after. Post-marriage, Madhuri featured only in one film 'Aaja Nachle' in 2007, as she got busy with family, including two children.
This year, the actress came to India for three months to judge the fifth season of dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa'. After that she has been flooded with offers.

Assets Start To Look Risky

This year's heady bout of risk aversion on financial markets has ratcheted up demand for gold, U.S. Treasuries and the Swiss franc to levels that suggest they may no longer be the "safe havens" they are billed as.
Some investors see all three as vulnerable to a sharp selloff should the global economic environment improve over the coming months, or simply because prices are too high in the absence of outright financial catastrophe.

"A safe asset is something that is going to be safe across economic environments," said William De Vijlder, chief investment officer at BNP Paribas Investment Partners. "It means you'd better make sure your forecast is right."
There are already signs the demand froth is coming off, at least in gold and the Swiss franc.
All three safe havens highlighted have distinct features, so losses from renewed demand for riskier assets would not hit each equally. Gold, for one, might fare better given that underlying demand for the metal is not all based on risk aversion.
But none are "safe" in all circumstances, and their remarkable rises this year may now pose some risk for those holding them.
Graphic on "Safe havens"
Ten-year U.S. Treasuries recently traded with yields below 2 percent -- their lowest in generations -- and, according to Merrill Lynch data, have returned some 11 percent over the summer.
The Swiss franc has risen by 15.3 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively, to record highs against the dollar and euro, prompting moves from the Swiss National Bank to rein its currency in.
Perhaps most spectacularly, gold has risen as much as 33 percent, taking it to just below $2,000 an ounce -- a startling performance on top of a decade-long rally that has seen the metal's price rise more than 600 percent.
In the last few days, however, there has been a sharp selloff -- nothing really to dent the asset's major gains, but a reminder of how quickly heady gains can run out of steam.
"It is not difficult to believe that gold could correct a reasonably good amount," said Ashok Shah, chief investment officer at London & Capital, adding that this would not necessarily undermine its long-term bullish trend.
DIFFERENT RISKS
Of the three assets benefiting richly from the slowing global economy, lower interest rates and debt crises in the euro zone and elsewhere, gold is arguably the least vulnerable to a huge reversal.
It offers no yield or dividend and can rise and fall rapidly based on investor fear alone.
But the drivers behind its rise are diverse and it may hold up better than others when economic conditions change.
Demand has been bolstered by central banks buying the metal as part of their diversification of foreign reserves. Even more significant may be the buying of bars and coins by newly wealthy Asian consumers, notably those in China.
The World Gold Council estimates there was a roughly 25 percent rise in demand for gold from Chinese consumers between the second quarters of 2010 and 2011,
Gold is also not particularly subject to what BNP Paribas' De Vijlder calls the "feedback loop", which occurs when a significant price rise begins to affect economies and prompts policy changes by governments.
The same cannot be said for the Swiss franc, which has also wobbled recently courtesy of the SNB's moves to cap its gains.
The SNB has cut official rates to near zero and pumped out more money to lower the franc's value. It has also sold francs in the forwards market to drive rates lower and make it expensive to hold the currency.
This is only a part of what it could do, meaning investors will have to battle to protect gains -- something that detracts strongly from the concept of a "safe haven".
Charlie Morris, head of absolute returns at HSBC Global Asset Management, believes investors have been treating the Swiss franc as something that it is not.
"It is easy to forget that the Swissie is a relatively minor currency and not the global liquidity pool that it is cracked up to be," he said.
'POINTLESS AND DANGEROUS'?
U.S. Treasuries, meanwhile, are at the point where investing in them is only slightly more lucrative than putting money under the mattress.
They are supported, like gold, by outside-the-market factors such as Federal Reserve buying and huge inflows from China. Some of that will change as the U.S. economy improves or as Beijing diversifies.
Mainly, though, yields of around 0.2 percent for short paper and only 2 percent for long, offer little. It would not take much of an inflationary spike or economic rebound to prompt a rush to the exit.
"Treasuries are either pointless at the short end or dangerous at the long end," Morris said. "Either we have deflation and bonds deliver paltry yields ... or, more likely, inflation resurges and investors in bonds lose their shirts."

High Cholesterol

A daily dose of niacin, also known as vitamin B3, improves erectile function in men with high cholesterol, a new study has found.
The results show that the 80 men who took niacin and began the study with moderate or severe erectile dysfunction (ED) reported an improvement in their ability to maintain an erection.
The 80 men who took a placebo pill, who also began the study with only mild ED, did not have a change in symptoms, the study said.
In addition to ED, all 160 men also had high cholesterol and lipid levels.
"The exciting thing about this finding," said study author Dr. Chi-Fai Ng of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, "is that niacin is a very old drug and the safety of it is quite well-documented. Basically, it's just a vitamin, and so this would be a very simple way to improve erectile function."
The men taking niacin not only scored better on a self-reported test of erectile function; their lipid levels also improved.
For most patients, current ED drugs improve erectile function, but only during that brief time span.
"Niacin is much more convenient," Ng said. "You take it once a day, whenever you want, and you can have sex any time."
The niacin used in his study was formulated in slow-release pills, designed to seep slowly into the bloodstream over the course of a day. The men started with a daily dose of 500 milligrams (mg), to make sure they had no adverse side effects, then increased to 1,000 mg and then 1,500 mg.

Stop Love From Making

Falling in love makes otherwise smart and self-respecting people feel, and act, ridiculous. This is a fact. Whether it’s finding pathetic excuses to call again when he doesn’t call back right away, or scheming to run into her outside her office “by accident,” I don’t know anyone hasn’t, at least once, gone a bit bonkers for new love.

It’s not as if you don’t at least suspect, when it’s happening, that you’re being an idiot. But that doesn’t help you, because you tackle your idiocy from the wrong end – you try, by sheer force of will, to purge yourself of your idiotic impulses. This never, ever works. Which is why, despite swearing to yourself and your friends that you are going to play it cool this time, you’ll still end up sneaking off to the bathroom to check your messages again, for the twentieth time that day. You need a better approach.
The fact of the matter is, you can’t make yourself stop wanting to do dumb things when you have fallen hard for someone, any more than you can make yourself stop wanting cheesecake, or a cigarette, or a martini, or anything else that tempts you. Take a moment to let that sink in, because it’s really important. I’ll wait.
Now, the good news is that you can stop actually doing the things that make you look and feel like an idiot, despite the fact that you really want to do them, if you use the right strategy. You can stop the compulsive voicemail and email-checking, the constant texting, and the Facebook stalking. You can stop yourself from Googling his name (again). You can shut out all those premature thoughts of what your wedding will be like, and what you’ll name your children. And when you’re wondering on your second date if she has fallen in love with you yet, you can stop yourself from actually asking her.
The solution begins with embracing the idea that dating is like dieting. Nobody loses weight by deciding that they just won’t want calorie-rich food anymore. You can’t talk yourself out of wanting french fries. And if you’re counting on the sheer force will to see you through when you feel tempted, you’re going to end up eating a lot of french fries.
The next step is to do some if-then planning. Over a hundred scientific studies - on everything from diet and exercise to curbing spending and quitting smoking - have shown that deciding in advance how you will handle your impulses (e.g., “If I am hungry and want a snack, then I will choose a healthy option like fruit or veggies,” “If I want to smoke, then I’ll step outside and take a deep breath,”) will double or triple your chances for success.
The key to a successful plan involves deciding what you will do instead. So when you are taken by the desire to try to track him down on Facebook or Foursquare, or to leave the “not sure if you got my last message” message on her answering machine, what more productive, non-creepy behavior will you replace it with? My mother once giving me some excellent advice about a boyfriend I was obsessing over. “If you feel like calling him,” she said, “then call me.” You don’t have to call your mother when love messes with your head, but having some sort of plan in place is essential.
If-then plans are simple, easy to create, and extraordinarily effective when it comes to resisting temptation, edible or otherwise. Just taking a moment to decide, in advance, how you will handle your less attractive impulses could mean the difference between finding Mr. Right, and seriously freaking him out.

Grace Of Life

Grace is that abstract and innate aura in you that shines out brightly, from everyone else. It is the principles you hold and the deeds you do. It's the heart of yours that doesn't mind blood on your clothes when trying to help a hit animal. It's that smile of yours so passionate as you pass a child and the kiss that you give her, kneeling down on your knees, going down to her level of thoughts and fun. It's the way you hit me, in full knowledge of being strong enough to hit me such that it pains, yet, pretending to be less stronger so that you wouldn't have my ego hurt. It's in those powerful strides in spikes across the stadium's track, those legs moving in expertise, living in its fleeting space in air.
It is in that loud laughter of yours that lets out happiness without being bothered about a second person's opinions... it's in your eyes that I see true joy and bliss, when you smile! Your eyes that smile. It's elegance that pushes you forward in a crowd of hundred to dance first... a confident woman. It's grace, the way you ride my bike, which other girls might not even try, It's your hot temper that I see, and annoying nature that makes me think you're adorable. It's the guts with which you stand up for; when you know you're right. It's graceful; when I see you walk from far, waving to me and the jumps of a kid that you possess. It's that factor that makes you go haywire and do things, gracefully, in a way that other people are too scared to attempt.
It's that grace in you that makes me love you. It's that grace that made me see the truth. It's that grace, which is you!"
He beamed, in seriousness. She saw the soft lines of his face and the curves of his smile. She squeezed his hands in gratitude and understanding. Looking down at his hands, she smiled and cried, a moment to herself. A moment to cherish.
"So, did you now, my love," he said cheesily, "understand what it is, that is, grace? And what makes you a woman more than anything else?"
She smiled. The sun was fast setting and his face grew decreasingly visible. She knew he was waiting for her, to speak. To reply.
"I don't know if I exactly understand, what that grace is, that makes me a woman..." she said."But I know, now, what it is, that makes you a man."

Make Your own Exfoliating Scrub

Almonds for Radiant Skin Soak two or three almonds overnight, and in the morning work them into a fine paste. Add 3-4 table spoons of fresh milk to the paste, mix well and keep it aside for ten min. Apply on the face and other exposed areas. For better results, it s recommended to massage the paste on your skin. Leave for 30 minutes and wash off with cold water. Even if done twice a week, this formula will give you a magically glowing skin. read more ... For Beautifully Painted Nails Most of the times we spoil our polished nails due to our inability to sit at one place and allow the nail paint to dry. Next time, when in such situation, dip your fingers into a bowl of ice-cold water (avoiding the sides of the bowl). You can renew a thick nail polish by adding a few drops of nail polish remover to the bottle. read more ... Make Your own Exfoliating Scrub at Home For dry, parched elbows and ankles, every night before going to bed, take one tablespoon of milk cream and add a few drops each of glycerine, castor oil and rose water. Mix them well and apply the paste to the dry skin. For radiant skin, leave the mask overnight and rinse it with cool water in the morning. read more ... Do Not Apply Lip Balm Before Bed If you think you will wake up with mushy lips, here's a reality check – you might just wake up with zits and blackheads on your chin. While you sleep, certain ingredients in lip balm can liquefy at body temperature and spread to the skin above and below your lips, clogging your pores and resulting in breakouts. read more ... Oily Skin Also Needs Moisturizing Those with oily skin should clean the oil off the skin first and then use a light, water-based moisturiser. Do not wash your face several times. If too much of the skin's natural oil is washed away, it may begin to itch and flake. Because the skin's natural process is interrupted, it may produce more oil than usual, which can cause acne. read more ... Home Remedy for a Glowing Complexion For combination skin, mix half a banana with some sugar and use it as a scrub. For dry skin, apply almond oil all over the face before going to bed. Wash it the next morning with milk and honey. For oily skin, blend half a teaspoon lemon juice, egg white and a drop of jojoba oil. Apply on face and wash in 10 minutes. read more ... For Trouble-free Waxing Apply baby powder to the area being waxed as it removes oils, helping the wax stick better. Peel the strip in the opposite direction of hair growth, don't pull straight up. It's less painful if you keep the strip as close to the skin as possible. If the area stings immediately after strip removal, moisturise and massage well. read more ... Scrub off Your Tan Has the sun left you tanned beyond recognition? Exfoliate your skin to remove dead cells. Scrubbing with a loofah also helps. Try rubbing baking soda on wet skin, it is an age-old therapy. You can also rub a puree of potatoes, tomatoes and papaya on the skin, leave on for some time and then wash it off. read more ... Water Can do Wonders for Your Skin In summers, the body gets badly dehydrated and the dryness leads to skin that is wrinkle prone, less elastic and allergic to various problems. So it's a good idea to keep the skin and body hydrated with vegetable juices, watermelon juice, aam panna, coconut water, barley, chana, sattu, jaljira and lemonade.