Five bad skin habits to avoid!

 
Zee Media Bureau/Salome Phelamei
You cleanse, moisturise and you do everything you can to keep the skin, especially on your face looking supple, soft and young. But it doesn't help and you wonder why your skin still looks patchy, dull and dry besides doing so much.
May be it's because you do not follow the correct skincare techniques. Below are some bad skincare habits that you need to avoid:
Over exfoliating: Regular exfoliation can help you avoid blemishes. But overdoing it can actually exacerbate oil production and worsen breakouts by spreading bacteria.
Not using sunscreen: To keep your skin from getting wrinkled and saggy, use a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Apply all over your face and other parts of the body exposed to the sun. Not just in summer, but we should know that sunscreen should be worn every day and everywhere.
Using the wrong products: Using products that is wrong for your skin type is an enormously common mistake. So go for a product that will suit your skin type.
Sharing makeup: It is highly advisable not to share makeup with other people. Sharing makeup is really harmful as it is essentially swapping germs. Also, people have become infected with diseases like pink eye from sharing makeup.
Picking at your skin: Avoid picking at blemishes, pimples, moles and other spots as doing so can cause bleeding, creating an open wound that's susceptible to bacteria, and leave you with scars.

Skin care: 5 easy ways to keep pimples at bay

Zee Media Bureau/Shruti Saxena
New Delhi: Acne is amongst the most common skin problems that people of all age groups, especially teenagers face. There can be many reasons that attribute to the cause of acne like stress, puberty, hormonal changes, menopause etc.
Here are a few acne defense tips:
-Wash your face properly. It is recommended to clean your face twice a day and not more than that as it can leave your skin more oily.
-Always remember to wear sunblock as the sun has UVA and UVB rays which initially may worsen those pimples.
-Don't use make-up all the time or if required switch to water based make-up.
-Caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea are a strict no-no as they harm the skin a lot and further aggravate acne problem.
-Avoid using soaps as they damage skin by making it drier, rougher and more permeable to bacteria.

Your route to Beauty

Hectic life, unending tasks - make it difficult to concentrate on our own selves. Consequently, we all need few quick remedies to revive our skin and body without putting much effort or time. Gunjan Gaur, Permanent Makeup Expert, comes to rescue and reveals few such tips:
Scrub it off: To invent a home-made exfoliating scrub you may combine equal proportions of gram flour, orange peel powder, Calamine Powder and poppy seeds and store the mixture after adding few pinches of turmeric in an airtight jar. Use this preparation weekly as body and face scrub with curd or papaya pulp as base – it will infuse a fresh feel along with a new glow onto your skin.
Bleach Preach: You may also catch hold of an all-natural bleach. For this you just ought to add few drops of lemon and rose water to an ounce of milk powder – and, your homemade bleach for a fairer skin is ready to use.
Get Glowing: For infusing an instant glow on your face prepare a paste of Semolina (Suji), raw milk and honey; add a teaspoon of bran and a banana into it. Apply this paste until it dries and rub-off with soft hands. This will leave your skin looking softer and younger
Lips do Light!: To lighten dark lips one can opt for this ultimate remedy. Create a paste of rose petals, malai and honey; apply this ‘lip-pack’ two times in a day for few weeks to feel the difference.
‘Fair-o-fy’: If you are a victim of dark elbows you may try rubbing them with used lemon pieces – after adding half teaspoons of salt and sugar both. Wash off and be ready to flaunt those clean and fairer looking elbows.
(The author is the Executive Director of Alps Beauty Clinic)

Govt to set health rider for 49% FDI in insurance

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government is set to raise the foreign direct investment (FDI) threshold in insurance to 49 per cent with two riders. All companies will have to provide health insurance, and voting rights of foreigners will be limited to 26 per cent, the current investment cap.

The government is working on a three-pronged strategy to make health care affordable. First, ensuring availability of products by making it mandatory for all companies to provide standalone health insurance. Second, it will encourage people to go for health insurance by offering tax sops in the Budget.

Taiwan to assist India in accessing global business chains

With the new BJP-led dispensation in New Delhi looking to revive growth sentiment and boost investor confidence, partnering with countries that can help jump-start the reform process has become a priority. Taiwan with its dynamic manufacturing sector is one such country.

In a candid conversation with Reema Sharma of Zee Media Corp, Representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India, Ambassador Chung Kwang Tien, shares his views on India’s growth potential and its bilateral relationship with Taiwan

5 natural herbs to improve hair growth

New Delhi: Do you often face one of those mornings where your bath drain is blocked because of all the hair you’re shedding? It is true that losing hair is really heart breaking and the sight of seeing yourself going bald during your heydays is really a nightmare.
Hair fall is a common problem that people face these days. Now, hair loss can be due to various reasons as in this hectic life we hardly get any time to maintain a beauty regime.
Here are a few herbs that help in promoting hair growth naturally:

Aloe Vera gel: Aloe vera contains antibacterial and antifungal properties which help a lot in keeping a check on dandruff. Take some aloe vera gel and apply it on your scalp for around 30 minutes and later wash it off. It helps in blood circulation and also fights against alopecia.

Does skipping breakfast impact weight loss?

Breakfast is often regarded as the most important meal of the day. It is the food that kickstarts the body after a long period of inactivity and prepares you for the rest of the day to come. It is commonly recommended that we eat breakfast as part of a healthy lifestyle, but a new study led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham aims to challenge this assertion.
It has been regularly argued that skipping breakfast leaves an individual more open to the risk of snacking unhealthily and eating too heavily at future meals. In an article on dieting myths, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) stated:

Preterm risks for subsequent births after short intervals between pregnancies

Women may want to take more time between pregnancies, as new research suggests those who have short intervals between their pregnancies are more likely to experience a decrease in the length of the following one, even putting babies at risk of preterm birth in some cases.
The research, which used birth records from the Ohio Department of Health, is published in the journal BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), preterm birth is defined as one that lasts less than 37 weeks. Because important growth and development occurs throughout pregnancy, particularly in the final weeks, some premature babies may face lifelong problems, including intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, breathing and respiratory problems, visual problems, hearing loss, and feeding and digestive problems.
To further investigate how a short inter-pregnancy interval (IPI) might affect pregnancy duration, the researchers analyzed 454,716 live births from women with two or more pregnancies during a 6-year period and assessed the influence of short IPI on length of the following pregnancy.
For the study, IPI was defined as the time from the immediate preceding birth to conception of the next pregnancy.

Women with shorter IPIs gave birth earlier

The women were separated into two groups: those with IPIs less than 12 months and those with IPIs between 12-18 months. The team then compared these groups with women who had an "optimal IPI" of 18 months or more.

Women with an optimal IPI over 18 months were less likely to give birth before 39 weeks, compared with women with shorter IPIs.

The researchers found that, overall, women with shorter IPIs were more likely to give birth before 39 weeks of pregnancy, compared with women who had an optimal IPI over 18 months.
In detail, of the women with an IPI less than 12 months, 53.3% delivered before 39 weeks, whereas only 37.5% of women with an optimal IPI did so.
Additionally, pregnancies that lasted more than 40 weeks occurred less frequently in women with a short IPI of less than 12 months (16.9%), compared with women with a normal IPI (23.1%).
Regarding preterm births - those less than 37 weeks long - the rate was higher in women whose IPI was less than 12 months. Compared with women who had an optimal IPI, these women were more than twice as likely to give birth to a preterm baby.
Commenting on their findings, co-author Emily DeFranco, assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio and the Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, says:

"Short inter-pregnancy interval is a known risk factor for preterm birth, however, this new research shows that inadequate birth spacing is associated with shorter overall pregnancy duration.
This study has potential clinical impact on reducing the overall rate of preterm birth across the world through counselling women on the importance of adequate birth spacing, especially focusing on women known to be at inherently high risk for preterm birth."

'Women should be advised on importance of optimal birth spacing'

As part of the study, the researchers also analyzed differences in racial groups and found that black mothers tended to have shorter IPIs, compared with non-black mothers.
And the rate of preterm births was also higher in black mothers who had a short IPI less than 12 months, compared with non-black mothers, at 26.4% versus 8.7%, respectively.

Thaman confirms Shruti item song in Aagadu

Superstar Mahesh Babu’s ‘Aagadu’ will now have a sensational item song and the actress to shake a leg in the number will be none other than the sizzling hot Shruti Haasan. Music director Thaman promised to reveal a surprise a few days ago and this is the surprise he has been waiting to announce.

Will NTR attend CBN swearing in?

After a close fight, Chandrababu Naidu managed to emerge as the winner in the Seemandhra General Elections. Naturally, the party and all those celebrities who campaigned for the TDP are euphoric and they are planning to attend the swearing in ceremony, to celebrate the occasion.

Ram’s Pandaga Chesko from 12th

Hero Ram and Rakul Preet Singh will be the hero and heroine in a new film. This film is going to be ‘Pandaga Chesko’ and it is going to be a romantic comedy entertainer with lots of comedy and good songs.

Deadly MERS passed on from camels to humans: Study

Researchers have said they found the first direct evidence that the potentially deadly Middle East respiratory virus, or MERS, jumps directly from camels to humans.

The virus has hit Saudi Arabia the hardest, killing 282 people out of 688 infected, according to the Saudi health ministry's latest figures.

MERS has been found elsewhere in the Middle East and in Europe, Asia and North America, brought by travellers who were infected in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates.

Weakness in banks, RIL drag Nifty below 7,400

Markets have come off morning lows as gains in SBI and metal major capped losses in heavyweights. At 1040 hrs, the Sensex was down 88 points at 24,717 and the Nifty was down 16 points at 7,385.

Meanwhile, the broader market firmed with both the mid and smallcap indices adding 0.8% each.

Oil & Gas, Auto and Bankex were the only indices in red, down 0.2-0.6%. Defensives like IT and FMCG indices were down 0.1% each.

PM breaks the ice with secretaries, bowls them over

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, true to his style, opened a direct channel of communication with the country's top bureaucrats on Thursday. In a meeting of almost three hours and well into late evening, Modi is learnt to have clearly indicated to the secretaries (77 of them were present) that he's a hands-on prime minister.

The secretaries Business Standard spoke to said it was an upbeat experience for them. They could speak to the PM on any matter whenever there was a problem - on phone, email or through face-to-face interaction - Modi assured them, calling each by his name. Modi also recounted his first day in the Prime Minister's Office, saying he walked the corridors, greeting officials and catching a glimpse into their files.

Business Standard

Helping you make more informed investment and business decisions Wherever money is made, and where there are successful people, you'll find Business Standard. The country's most respected business daily, it's the preferred choice of industry leaders and serious business readers for the rich and varied information it ensures.

Bill Gates Biography (1955–)

Entrepreneur Bill Gates founded the world's largest software business, Microsoft, with Paul Allen, and subsequently became one of the richest men in the world.

Synopsis

Born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington, famed entrepreneur Bill Gates began to show an interest in computer programming at age 13. Through technological innovation, keen business strategy and aggressive business tactics, he and partner Paul Allen built the world's largest software business, Microsoft. In the process, Gates became one of the richest men in the world. In February 2014, Gates announced that he was stepping down as Microsoft's chairman.

Early Life

Bill Gates was born William Henry Gates III on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington. Gates began to show an interest in computer programming at the age of 13 at the Lakeside School. He pursued his passion through college. Striking out on his own with his friend and business partner Paul Allen, Gates found himself at the right place at the right time. Through technological innovation, keen business strategy and aggressive business tactics, he built the world's largest software business, Microsoft. In the process, Gates became one of the richest men in the world.
Bill Gates grew up in an upper middle-class family with two sisters: Kristianne, who is older, and Libby, who is younger. Their father, William H. Gates Sr., was a promising, if somewhat shy, law student when he met his future wife, Mary Maxwell. She was an athletic, outgoing student at the University of Washington, actively involved in student affairs and leadership. The Gates family atmosphere was warm and close, and all three children were encouraged to be competitive and strive for excellence. Bill showed early signs of competitiveness when he coordinated family athletic games at their summer house on Puget Sound. He also relished in playing board games (Risk was his favorite) and excelled at Monopoly.

Stock Market Investment Tips(16 - 20)

16. Recognize the Signs of a Top.Whether it is tulip bulbs in 17th century Holland, gold in 1849, or Beanie Babies and Internet stocks in the 1990s, any time a crowd has unanimously agreed that a certain investment is a "can't lose" opportunity, you are probably best off to avoid that investment. The tide is likely to soon turn. Also, when you see people making investments that they have no business making (think bellboys giving tips on bonds, auto mechanics day-trading stocks in their shops, or successful doctors giving up medicine to "flip" real estate), that's also a sign to search for the exits.
17. Look for Quality.
If you focus your attention on companies that have wide economic moats, you will find firms that are virtually certain to have higher earnings five or 10 years from now. You want to make sure that you focus your attention on companies that increase the intrinsic value of their shares over time. These afford you the luxury of being patient and holding for a long time. Otherwise, you are just playing a game of chicken with the stock market.  

Stock Market Investment Tips(1- 15)

1. Keep It Simple.Keeping it simple in investing is not stupid. Seventeenth-century philosopher Blaise Pascal once said, "All man's miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone." This aptly describes the investing process.
Those who trade too often, focus on irrelevant data points, or try to predict the unpredictable are likely to encounter some unpleasant surprises when investing. By keeping it simple--focusing on companies with economic moats, requiring a margin of safety when buying, and investing with a long-term horizon--you can greatly enhance your odds of success.  
2. Have the Proper Expectations.
Are you getting into stocks with the expectation that quick riches soon await? Hate to be a wet blanket, but unless you are extremely lucky, you will not double your money in the next year investing in stocks. Such returns generally cannot be achieved unless you take on a great deal of risk by, for instance, buying extensively on margin or taking a flier on a chancy security. At this point, you have crossed the line from investing into speculating. Though stocks have historically been the highest-return asset class, this still means returns in the 10%-12% range. These returns have also come with a great deal of volatility. (See Lesson 103 for more.) If you don't have the proper expectations for the returns and volatility you will experience when investing in stocks, irrational behavior--taking on exorbitant risk in get-rich-quick strategies, trading too much, swearing off stocks forever because of a short-term loss--may ensue.
 3. Be Prepared to Hold for a Long Time.

Microsoft Corporation

Microsoft Corporation, leading developer of personal-computer software systems and applications. The company also publishes books and multimedia titles, offers e-mail services, and sells electronic game systems, computer peripherals (input/output devices), and portable media players. It has sales offices throughout the world. In addition to its main research and development centre at its corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington, U.S., Microsoft has opened research labs in Cambridge, England (1997); Beijing, China (1998); Mountain View, California (2001); Aachen, Germany (2003); Sadashivnagar, Bangalore, India (2005); Cairo, Egypt (2006); and Cambridge, Massachusetts (2008).

Founding and early growth

In 1975 Bill Gates and Paul G. Allen, two boyhood friends from Seattle, converted BASIC, a popular mainframe computer programming language, for use on an early personal computer (PC), the Altair. Shortly afterward, Gates and Allen founded Microsoft, deriving the name from the words microcomputer and software. During the next few years, they refined BASIC and developed other programming languages. In 1980 International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) asked Microsoft to produce the essential software, or operating system, for its first personal computer, the IBM PC. Microsoft purchased an operating system from another company, modified it, and renamed it MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System). MS-DOS was released with the IBM PC in 1981. Thereafter, most manufacturers of personal computers licensed MS-DOS as their operating system, generating vast revenues for Microsoft; by the early 1990s it had sold more than 100 million copies of the program and defeated rival operating systems such as CP/M, which it displaced in the early 1980s, and later IBM OS/2. Microsoft deepened its position in operating systems with Windows, a graphical user interface whose third version, released in 1990, gained a wide following. By 1993, Windows 3.0 and its subsequent versions were selling at a rate of one million copies per month, and nearly 90 percent of the world’s PCs ran on a Microsoft operating system. In 1995 the company released Windows 95, which for the first time fully integrated MS-DOS with Windows and effectively matched in ease of use Apple Computer’s Mac OS. It also became the leader in productivity software such as word-processing and spreadsheet programs, outdistancing longtime rivals Lotus and WordPerfect in the process.
Microsoft dramatically expanded its electronic publishing division, created in 1985 and already notable for the success of its multimedia encyclopaedia, Encarta. It also entered the information services and entertainment industries with a wide range of products and services, most notably the Microsoft Network and MSNBC (a joint venture with the National Broadcasting Company, a major American television network).
As a result, by the mid-1990s Microsoft, which became a publicly owned corporation in 1986, had become one of the most powerful and profitable companies in American history. It consistently earned profits of 25 cents on every sales dollar, an astonishing record. In the company’s 1996 fiscal year, it topped $2 billion in net income for the first time, and its unbroken string of profits continued, even during the Great Recession of 2008–09 (its net income had grown to more than $14 billion by fiscal year 2009). However, its rapid growth in a fiercely competitive and fast-changing industry spawned resentment and jealousy among rivals, some of whom complained that the company’s practices violated U.S. laws against unfair competition. Microsoft and its defenders countered that, far from stifling competition and technical innovation, its rise had encouraged both and that its software had consistently become less expensive and more useful. A U.S. Justice Department investigation concluded in 1994 with a settlement in which Microsoft changed some sales practices that the government contended enabled the company to unfairly discourage OS customers from trying alternative programs. The following year the Justice Department successfully challenged Microsoft’s proposed purchase of Intuit Inc., the leading maker of financial software for the PC.

Company Name: Sony

Full Description

Sony Corporation (Sony), incorporated on May 7, 1946, is engaged in the development, design, manufacture, and sale of various kinds of electronic equipment, instruments, and devices for consumer, professional and industrial markets, as well as game consoles and software. Sony’s primary manufacturing facilities are located in Japan, Europe, and Asia. Sony also utilizes third-party contract manufacturers for certain products. Sony’s products are marketed throughout the world by sales subsidiaries and unaffiliated distributors, as well as direct sales through the Internet. Sony is engaged in the development, production, manufacture, marketing, distribution and broadcasting of image-based software, including motion picture, home entertainment and television products. Sony is also engaged in the development, production, manufacture, and distribution of recorded music. Further, Sony is also engaged in various financial service businesses, including life and non-life insurance operations through its Japanese insurance subsidiaries, banking operations through a Japanese Internet-based banking subsidiary and leasing and credit financing operations through a subsidiary in Japan. In addition, Sony engages in a network service business and an advertising agency business in Japan.
In December 2009, Sharp Display Products Corporation, a joint venture between Sony and Sharp Corporation for the production and sale of large-sized liquid crystal display (LCD) panels and modules was established. In January 2010, the Company's Sony Electronics acquired Convergent Media Systems, a provider of video integration solutions to the enterprise market. In February 2010, the Company established a wholly owned subsidiary, Sony Network Entertainment Inc., in the United States to function as the Company's integrated planner and operator of Internet-based content delivery services to owners of Sony televisions, game machines and other hardware.
Consumer Products and Devices

9 Natural Cures for Prostate Cancer

Prostate gland is a small gland in men which is situated below the urinary bladder. The size of this gland increases with age and at times it can cause pain and discomfort while urinating. However, prostate cancer is not related to the enlargement of this gland. It is a condition in which the cells within the gland start growing uncontrollably.
During the initial stages, urinary problems are usually the only symptoms of a prostate cancer. Old men are mostly prone to this disease and its development is rather slow. Mostly, it doesn’t cause any serious issue but in certain cases it may spread to other regions.

Treatment For prostate cancer

Radiation, surgery and chemotherapy are the major treatments available for prostate cancer. These procedures might cause certain side effects but they can be resolved with the help of certain natural cures that are quite simple and that have a potential to heal prostate cancer at its initial stages.

Natural Cures For Prostate Cancer

1.    Ginger

• Ginger is a powerful herb and its roots posses certain antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. When consumed on a regular basis, it inhibits the proliferation of cancerous cells and thus helps in treating prostate cancer.
• Taking ginger is also good for patients who are undergoing chemotherapy. Ginger can help them in reducing the side effects of chemotherapy such as vomiting and nausea.
• You can either drink its raw juice or mix it with honey to make it sweet.

2.    Tomatoes

• Tomatoes contain an active ingredient known as lycopene which is a strong antioxidant. This ingredient helps in preventing the occurrence and spread of cancer.
• You can either eat raw tomatoes or take processed tomatoes in the form of ketchup, tomato soups or spaghetti sauce.

What To Eat Now: Eggs, cholesterol and my fridge

Nutritionist Ian Marber weighs on the eggs-in-the-fridge storage debate, and foods that can help lower cholesterol absorption

What To Eat Now: Eggs, cholesterol and my fridge Photo: Cala Molden

I had friends from the country to stay in London last week and, being a good host, I made them breakfast. Over eggs and coffee the husband asked why I kept my eggs in the fridge. The conversation moved to other burning questions about eggs - should one eat the yolk and do eggs lead to high levels of cholesterol.