Pooch Luck

Now, that's what happens when Lady Luck decides to favour you, I guess.

Don't you agree that this is one helluva lucky pooch?

Queen of Mean a.k.a Leona Helmsley must have loved Trouble (that's the name of the dog which inherited $12 million from Helmsley's estate) so, so, so much that the man's best friend became the biggest beneficiary following the death of the master.

The precious four-legged beat 'human' competitors to be the single largest beneficiary from the will of the late master, Helmsley.

If the pooch can talk, am sure it will rebut the US media's nick name for its master - Queen of Mean - to the core.

If you don't call this pooch luck, then what is?

Lucky dog inherits $12m fortune

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

New York hotelier and real estate billionaire Leona Helmsley has left $12m (£5.97m) to her pet dog, Trouble.
The pampered pooch received the largest bequest from Mrs Helmsley's will.
The will also says that when Trouble dies, she is to be buried alongside Mrs Helmsley, who died last week, and her late husband in their mausoleum.
But some human members of Mrs Helmsley's family fared less well, with two of her four grandchildren cut out of the will entirely.
Mrs Helmsley, who died last week, was dubbed the "Queen of Mean" by the US media, and was known for her tough approach to business.
She and her late husband, Harry, built a company which managed some of New York's most prestigious addresses, including the Empire State Building, as well as hotels across the country.
The money for Trouble's upkeep was left in the hands of her brother, Alvin Rosenthal, who himself inherited $10m.
Two grandchildren, David and Walter Panzirer, were left $5m each on condition that they visit their father's grave at least once a year.
Their father, Mrs Helmsley's son Jay Panzirer, died in 1982.
But grandchildren Craig and Meegan Panzirer received nothing - "for reasons which are known to them", according to Mrs Helmsley's will.
Mrs Helmsley left her chauffeur $100,000.
She also set aside $3m for the upkeep of her and her husband's final resting place.
Proceeds from the sale of Mrs Helmsley's residences and belongings will go to a charitable trust.

Braid It Like Beckham...Not!

First, the world was going gaga over bending it like Beckham.

Remember the movie Bend It Like Beckham?

I personally know of friends who watched it over and over again not because they enjoyed the story nor the cast of the movie, but more because they just loved anything Beckham.

These friends (okay, yeah they are females) drool over Beckham's posters and watch live matches aired at anytime of the day not for the love of the most beautiful game on earth, but more because of their 'undying love' for Beckham's 'good' looks.
They go 'oooooo' and 'aaaaaaaaah' each time he strikes and exposes more flesh compared to other players - there just was some 'X' factor about him that made females around the world melt to their knees.

Now, after much time spent on copying his style and aura, we have come to know something we shouldn't, after all, emulate after him - I'm talking about his precious mane being braided the way it is - we finally hear experts saying that braiding your hair like Beckham has done it, is not good for you on the long term.

Braiding 'can lead to hair loss'
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Braiding like Beckham's could cause permanent hair damage.

Popular modern hairstyles which tightly braid the hair at the scalp can lead to permanent bald patches, say experts.
"Corn rows" and other styles, like extensions, which pull the hair are to blame, particularly if combined with hair straightening chemicals.
The South African research, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, looked at almost 2,000 adults and children.
A UK dermatologist said that affected hair follicles may never recover.
Specialist braided hairstyles are increasingly popular in the UK, particularly among young people from the Afro-Caribbean community.

Short cuts
The Cape Town-based researchers wanted to find out if they, and other popular cuts such as short "brush-cut" haircuts could cause skin problems.

Some of these hairstyles might be fashionable, but they can lead to permanent
hair loss.
Spokesman, British Association of Dermatologists

They found that nearly one in seven children and a third of women suffered from "traction alopecia", a type of hair loss directly linked to the hair being constantly under tension.
The problem was even more common if chemical "relaxers" had been used to straighten the hair, with one in five children who had used the chemicals suffering hair loss.
The research also found that very short haircuts made men much more prone to developing severe acne on the scalp, thought to be caused by the hair clippers damaging the scalp when pressed hard against the head.
They pointed out that the risk of catching a disease such as HIV or hepatitis could be increased by this type of haircut.
No growth
Dr Nonhlanhla Khumalo, who led the research, said: "Traction alopecia is common in women and girls and is significantly linked to hairstyles, particularly when relaxed hair has braids, extensions or weaves attached.
"This can cause unsightly hair loss which is distressing."
In the UK, dermatologists are reporting similar problems, both due to braiding, and to other popular hairstyles where the fringe is dragged backwards and tied.
Dr Andrew McDonagh, from the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, said: "The best thing is to try to identify the problem early - if this happens for a long time, the hair follicles may be permanently damaged, and hair will not grow back."
A spokesman for the British Association of Dermatologists added: "Some of these hairstyles might be fashionable, but they can lead to permanent hair loss, which is difficult to cover up and can have a huge impact on a person's confidence."

Penis Emporioum

Aha...I know the title is a bit corny.

I can even hear my fellow colleague remark 'Gayathri, are you really gonna label this entry as Penis Emporium? It's very lewd lah...and...and...it is so not you one', but, hey, the title's not even my own creation.

It's taken from the BBC.co.uk where I was randomly reading world updates when I came across this arguably 'interesting' article - though its dating back to last year, I found it to be so amusing.

I didn't find it spirit-lifting, in case some of you are wondering, but I just loved the author's knack of writing the article with so much wit - reading through every word and expression mentioned in here, I can practically imagine being in the author's shoes.

Well, may be, IF, I ever get into such an awkward situation such as the author, I wouldn't have behaved so well - I doubt I would have been able to stand the 'guided tour' of penis delicacies without expressing some level of gastronomical disgust all too obvious on my face and -- on second thoughts -- I might have even be rolling on the floor laughing, just like most of my colleagues did when they knew I stumbled upon an article of this nature.

You know, on one end, I'm feeling really uneasy with this whole animal-penis-eating culture to boost a man's virility and on the other end, I'm feeling really tickled knowing that I did learn some new 'animal-penis' facts after reading this piece.

I grew up in an environment where the word penis, boobs, etc. were terms never used in a household - for Pete's sake, I'm sure no one will buy my story when I say I first learnt the meaning of penis and what is it is (as in it's a sexual organ of the male homo sapiens) in secondary school, at the age of about 14/15.

Those born in the 80s will recall that the human reproductive organs and system is among the first few chapters of the Form 3 Science subject (yes, we never were taught a subject called 'Science' prior to Form 3 at that point in time and yes again, that's why I don't have much science) and that's about when people of my time (teens and even adults younger than me by about five years learnt this much, much earlier in life...sadly) learnt about the birds and bees, so to speak.

And even after acquiring the knowledge of what the penis is, it wasn't exactly something commonly uttered - until of course I entered working life.

Then some years ago, I had the opportunity of listening to a close relative's three year old son, when told to narrate a bed time story, out of the blue, decided to amuse us with a story of a 'tiger which bit the lady bird's penis'.

Just don't ask me how he figured that the tiger will know a lady bird has penis or even if a lady bird does have a penis - I just don't know - none of us knew - but we couldn't help but laugh at this little one's amazing bed time story.

He, in turn, found it odd that we are laughing at his story, because just weeks before, his daddy thought him the names of the various organs in his body - so he assumed that even a lady bird would have it.

Enough said I think - I still can't help laughing when I recall the incident and the innocent look on the boy's face while at the same time, I'm trying to muster courage so that I can ask the next China-mari investor I meet on the job, if he had ever eaten any of the below-mentioned penis-es...

So, how'd you like your animal penis today - cooked, uncooked-sushi style, hot pot, pickled?

Beijing's penis emporium
By Andrew Harding BBC News, Beijing
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/

There are many thousands of Chinese restaurants around in the UK and everyone has their favourite dish, but only in China itself do chefs specialise in a range of slightly more unusual delicacies.
Many of the restaurant's guests are wealthy businessmen.
The dish in front of me is grey and shiny.

"Russian dog," says my waitress Nancy.

"Big dog," I reply.

"Yes," she says. "Big dog's penis..."

We are in a cosy restaurant in a dark street in Beijing but my appetite seems to have gone for a stroll outside.

Nancy has brought out a whole selection of delicacies.

They are draped awkwardly across a huge platter, with a crocodile carved out of a carrot as the centrepiece.
Nestling beside the dog's penis are its clammy testicles, and beside that a giant salami-shaped object.

"Donkey," says Nancy. "Good for the skin..."

She guides me round the penis platter.

"Snake. Very potent. They have two penises each."

I did not know that.

Deer-blood cocktail

"Sheep... horse... ox... seal - excellent for the circulation."

She points to three dark, shrivelled lumps which look like liquorice allsorts - a special treat apparently - reindeer, from Manchuria.

The Guolizhuang restaurant claims to be China's only speciality penis emporium, and no, it is not a joke.

The atmosphere is more exotic spa than boozy night-out.

Nancy describes herself as a nutritionist.

"We don't call them waiters here. And we don't serve much alcohol," she says. "Only common people come here to get drunk and laugh."

But she does offer me a deer-blood and vodka cocktail, which I decide to skip.

Medicinal purposes
The restaurant's gristly menu was dreamt up by a man called Mr Guo.
The Chinese believe that eating penis can enhance your virility. He is 81 now and retired.
After fleeing China's civil war back in 1949, he moved to Taiwan, and then to Atlanta, Georgia, where he began to look deeper into traditional Chinese medicine, and experiment on the appendages of man's best friend.

Apparently, they are low in cholesterol and good, not just for boosting the male sex drive, but for treating all sorts of ailments.

Laughter trickles through the walls of our dining room.

"Government officials," says Nancy. "Two of them upstairs. They're having the penis hotpot."
Most of the restaurant's guests are either wealthy businessmen or government bureaucrats who, as Nancy puts it, have been brought here by people who want their help.

What better way to secure a contract than over a steaming penis fondue.

Discretion is assured as all the tables are in private rooms.

The glitziest one has gold dishes.

"Some like their food served raw," says Nancy, "like sushi. But we can cook it anyway you like."

Rare order
"Not long ago, a particularly rich real estate mogul came in with four friends. All men. Women don't come here so often, and they shouldn't eat testicles," says Nancy solemnly.

The men spent $5,700 (£3,000) on a particularly rare dish, something that needed to be ordered months in advance.
"Tiger penis," says Nancy.
Bull's perineum is also a delicacy
The illegal trade in tiger parts is a big problem in China.

Campaigners say the species is being driven towards extinction because of its popularity as a source of traditional medicine.

I mention this, delicately, to Nancy, but she insists that all her tiger supplies come from animals that have died of old age.

"Anyway, we only have one or two orders a year," she says.

"So what does it taste like?" I ask.

"Oh, the same as all the others," she says blithely.

And does it have any particular potency?

"No. People just like to order tiger to show off how much money they have."

Welcome to the People's Republic of China - tigers beware.

Sliced and pickled
"Oh yes," she adds, "the same group also ate an aborted reindeer foetus.

"That is very good for your skin. And here it is..."

Another "nutritionist" walks in bearing something small and red wrapped in cling film.

My appetite is heading for the airport.

Still, I think, it would be rude not to try something.

I am normally OK about this sort of thing. I have had fried cockroaches and sheep's eyes, so...

There is a small bowl of sliced and pickled ox penis on the table.

I pick up a piece with my chopsticks and start to chew. It is cold and bland and rubbery.

Nancy gives me a matronly smile.

"This one," she says, "should be eaten every day."

Essence of Gita

Go For A Paid Second Honeymoon

It's an interesting notion - having the government pay you a cash incentive for putting off childbirth to a later stage or have a second paid honeymoon.

No, no, I'm not hallucinating although I have yet to be able to afford my very first honeymoon (now that's a different story altogether) but this paid second honeymoon thingy is for real - at least in India, if we go by the following BBC report:

Honeymoon offer to delay babies
By Sanjay Dasgupta BBC South Asia regional editor
Source: BBC.co.uk

Authorities in west India are offering to pay for a second honeymoon for couples who delay starting a family, in an attempt to control birth rates.
Officials say the scheme is targeted at young couples, especially those who get married before the age of 18 - the legal age to get married in India.

The scheme launches on 15 August - India's independence day.

In a country of one billion people and an exploding population, this is an imaginative attempt at controlling it.

The district of Satara in Maharashtra has a population of three million.

About 25,000 couples get married in the district every year, and more than 85% of those couples have their first child within their first year of marriage.

This is what the scheme wants to change, explains the district health officer, VH Mohite.

"We are producing about 51,000 children every year, so we have decided to start a new scheme and label that the second honeymoon package," he said.

"If the couple postpones the first pregnancy by two years, then the couple will be getting 5,000 rupees ($125, £60) as a cash incentive, or a second honeymoon.

"And if the couple postpones their first pregnancy by three years, then the couple will get 7,500 rupees ($190, £90) as a cash incentive."

It is not just the money.

Couples who enlist in the scheme will also be provided with marriage counselling, free contraceptives and, when the time comes, advice on childcare.

In a society which places a huge premium on having children and especially on producing male heirs, this is an interesting attempt to convince young couples to put off having children.