Year: 2014

Today we join the people of the world in celebration of the progress made for women’s rights, women’s empowerment and gender equality. We also acknowledge that progress has been slow, uneven and in some cases women and girls face new and more complex challenges. International Women’s Day is therefore also a day to recommit ourselves to working harder for gender equality, together as women, men, youth and leaders of nations, communities, religion and commerce.

If we act decisively, with the knowledge that empowering women and girls and supporting their full participation can help solve the greatest challenges of the 21st century, we will find lasting solutions to many of the problems we face in our world. Major challenges such as poverty, inequality, violence against women and girls, and insecurity will be addressed substantially. Women spend the majority of their income on the well-being of their children and family.

Raising women’s labor force participation increases economic growth. By ending women’s poverty, we will sustainably and significantly reduce extreme poverty worldwide. By keeping girls in school longer, with quality education we will empower young women to play their full role in society and build stronger families, communities and democracies. By advancing equal opportunity and removing structural barriers to women’s economic empowerment, we will reduce inequality and spur inclusive economic growth. By supporting women’s equal representation in leadership positions in peacemaking, in communities, in politics, in business and in religious institutions, we will build a more just, peaceful and secure world.

By working with men and boys, and doing it together, we will engage humanity in a task that is a responsibility for all. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we remember and celebrate the women who, led by women in trade unions on this day more than a century ago, called for better working conditions, peace and bread. Their call is still valid today. Given slow and uneven progress, we continue to call for change. And we pay tribute to the countless women around the world who are making change every day as they go about their daily lives.

Nearly 20 years after the Beijing Women’s Conference, and 15 years after the Millennium Summit, we look back with pride at the achievements that have been made. More women are working. More girls are in school. Fewer women die in pregnancy and childbirth. And more women are in leadership positions. But no country in the world has achieved equality between women and men and girls and boys, and violations of the rights of women and girls are an outrage. So let us build on the lessons learned and the knowledge that equality for women is progress for all, and make greater and bolder progress as we work to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and chart a new post-2015 development agenda.

We can no longer afford to hold back half the world’s population. The 21st century has to be different for every woman and girl in the world. She must know that to be born a girl is not the start of a life of hardship and disadvantage. Together we must make sure that: SHE is Safe and Secure from genderbased violence. SHE has Human rights that are respected, including reproductive rights. SHE is Empowered economically and in every way through Education, Equal opportunity, participation and leadership.

This is the SHE Imperative to which I call on you to commit. Let us all cross the line and stand on the right side of history. Today and every day, UN Women will stand strong for women’s rights, women’s empowerment and gender equality. Equality for women is progress for all.

To me, woman is the embodiment of love and spiritual values. All that is beautiful in body, mind and soul is “woman.” On International Women’s Day, we celebrate both women and woman empowerment. We also celebrate all that women have achieved over the years. At the same time we take stock of the changes in the status of women. We find out if women are getting equal opportunities for education and health care. We ask ourselves: Is society giving women honor and dignity? Long ago, I had written, “A woman was created to blossom and bloom, in the colors and fragrance of her choice.

The way an unwatered plant becomes parched and dies, so does the personality of a woman who is struggling to break through the shackles of social conditioning, to achieve recognition as a separate individual, with a distinct identity. The change will be complete when society recognizes that it cannot benefit from preventing the emergence of the pearl from the oyster.” When I started my career, more than four decades ago, women were stepping out of their homes into the career world. They were looking for jobs that were better suited to women. But, times have changed. Women have made their mark in every field. They are acquiring professional qualifications and are no less than men in ability or intelligence.

Financial independence is so important for women. It gives confidence and strength. The woman does not have to endure and suffer in silence. But, attitudes need to change too. She has to realize her own potential and strength as an equal member of society. A woman has the strength to bring about change in the society and in her own status. When I represented India at President Obama’s Summit for Entrepreneurs in Washington DC, we had a seminar on women empowerment. Mrs. Hillary Clinton was there and she spoke on the upliftment of women in rural areas and education of the girl child.

She said the quality of life needs to improve in terms of basic health care too. We discussed that education and health care would help child mortality rates go down. In fact, I feel that special attention should be given to extra-curricular activities for girls and women in rural areas. An exercise and diet regime would help both mental and physical health. Great emphasis should be given to every mother to empower her financially and mentally, so that she can educate her girl child of her rights and also inculcate the values of good health, nutritious diet and education.

When I lectured at MIT, I also spoke on the relevance of education for woman empowerment and quoted Mahatma Gandhi, who had said, “If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate an entire family.” Today, I feel proud that women have achieved so much. But we still have a long way to go. Woman empowerment is not just about one day in the year. It should be an on-going process, so that each of us can focus on the areas that need change and do our bit. The woman has to realize her own potential and strength as an equal member of society.

In fact, the educated and self-reliant mothers can also bring about change in the mindset of society and teach their sons to honor and respect women. Empowerment is also about women realizing that they should embrace change. Creating awareness is so important. The work of rural women and women activists, who are working in rural and tribal areas, can be highlighted through awards and functions within the rural community itself. I feel that we need to emphasize the work of rural women who are struggling to better society and their own lives. They should draw public attention to instances of injustices towards women. They should also highlight instances where women have excelled, in order to inspire other women.

Educated women and professionals can work together to focus on issues – like literacy, learning of skills and opportunities for entrepreneurship, through kitchen and cottage industries. They can also participate in programs on social issues and health care. The “Pulse Polio” program for instance, is a successful example. Father and mother must value the girl child and give her equal opportunities. Changes cannot come from outside and by force. It has to come from within the society.

The change can be complete when society recognizes that the woman has a separate identity, her own dreams and ambitions and every right to fulfill them. To women, I also want to say – Believe in yourself and your own abilities. Keep learning. Do you dream of being successful? Don’t stop! It is important to dream. Then have the faith and courage to take the first step towards realizing the magic of your dreams. Let each woman also redefine her place in the world, giving it her own color and fragrance and make this world a better place.

Different way to use mirrors in home decor to accentuate artefacts, add dimension, give the illusion of space and play with light. Gone are those days when a mirror was used merely for the dressing table; it has now become an essential piece of home decor. According to the space and proportion, mirrors can be aesthetically used to reflect your taste and create drama. Says Subbanshu Jaiin, director of Blackberry Overseas, distributors of luxury mirrors, “Since mirrors are movable, they can be placed and moved around depending on your choice or need. They have the benefit of reflecting and accentuating the colours of artefacts and walls.”

Mirrors add dimension
Use mirrors to give a sense of visual expansion in a particular room. The location and placement of mirrors in a given space creates a focal point by avoiding undesirable reflections. For example, mirrors in a dining room can be used to create luminosity and add dimension to the space.

Pieces of art
Indian royalty used bold and gorgeous mirrors as a focal point of a room, so that they reflected the light from the outside and illuminated the room further. Mirrors themselves become artworks in this minimal set-up. Says Jaiin, “You can create a dramatic effect by placing a fulllength mirror on the floor and resting on a wall. Long passages and hallways are most suitable for this placement.” Or hang multiple mirrors together on the same wall.

For the outdoors
Mirrors can amp up the aesthetics in a private garden or verandah. If you have a hanging garden, place mirrors adjacent to it with a source of light directly opposite so that the mirrors sparkle when the light falls on them.

In the bedroom
Using mirrors in the bedroom is crucial. As each bedroom reflects the energy of the space, a large stand up mirror works best. Says Jaiin, “If you want one only for the dressing table, consider a full-scale mirror — from ceiling to floor — with a light framework that reflects your personality.”

Follow these gym tricks to help you cut down on the minutes without compromising on results Are you struggling to find time to accommodate a good workout in your busy schedule? Here are six effective time-saver techniques that will help you burn more calories in a short span, and show you the same results as it would in an hour-long regime.

Cardio on the way
If you live close enough, walk or jog to the gym to get in the cardio mode on the way, or park your car a few kilometres from the gym. Increase the distance every couple of weeks. This will increase the difficulty as your conditioning improves. The time shouldn’t increase much, but the speed at which you run, should.

Pan your drill
Be it for work or workout, planning ahead always saves you time. If you exercise in the morning, the key is to plan your workout the previous night. But try and vary your scehdule. For instance, you could start with warmup exercises, followed by a 15-minute walk on the treadmill or elliptical trainer, and then move on to practising weights. You could also mix cardio with weights. Experts recommend that you start with a few minutes of warm-up on a stationary bike or treadmill. Stop and perform sets of lunges or squats and ab curls. Hop back on the treadmill for a twominute cardio interval (or an intense oneminute interval) and continue alternating cardio and weights until you’ve completed a full-body weight workout.

Jump your way up
Research shows, plyometric exercises, such as jumping rope or jumping jacks, are a good way to burn more calories in a short span. This form of exercise also involves working type 2 muscle fibres, which tend to grow and also help you tone faster. Use foot contacts to determine quantity — so every time your foot (feet) lands on the ground. Start with 25 foot contacts and gradually work your way up.

Raise the path
So also, upping the incline on the treadmill, even just a little bit, helps cut the flab quickly. When you brisk walk (four miles per hour) for 30 minutes at no incline, you burn 145 calories. If you raise the incline from zero to five per cent, you’ll burn 244 calories within the same time; raise it to 10 per cent and burn even more than 343. But don’t incline that high, or else you’ll hang off the machine, and strain your back.

Juggle stuff around
You could also put your daily multitasking skills to use. Fitness experts don’t see the need to come to a stop in-between workouts. They feel, it is better to use that time to work a different muscle group instead. For instance, if you’re performing a set of chest presses on a fitness ball, put the dumbbells down, stay put on the ball and immediately follow up with a set of crunches to keep your heart rate up. This increases your metabolism and keeps the intensity high so you don’t have to do as many sets, as you had set out to do.

10 out of 30
If you can’t devote half-an-hour a day for your workout regime, aim for 10 minutes. A recent research suggests, three, 10-minute sessions of treadmill exercise throughout the day was more effective at reducing blood pressure in adults than a single, 30-minute session. So if you’re strapped for time, take off for a 10-minute walk to and from work. Then all you need to do is spare another 10 minutes at lunch, and then in the evening.

Researchers have suggested that paracetamol use in pregnancy affect neurodevelopment and cause behavioral dysfunction in tots. The authors studied 64,322 children and mothers in the Danish National Birth Cohort (1996-2002). Parents reported behavioral problems on a questionnaire, and HKD diagnoses and ADHD medication prescriptions were collected from Danish registries.

More than half of the mothers reported using acetaminophen while pregnant. The use of acetaminophen during pregnancy appeared to be associated with a higher risk of HKD diagnosis, of using ADHD medications or of having ADHD-like behaviors at age 7 years. The risk increased when mothers used acetaminophen in more than one trimester during pregnancy.

Your tummy’s girth could indicate health risks, courtesy a new method developed by scientists to quantify the risk specifically associated with abdominal obesity. In 2012, Nir Krakauer, an assistant professor of civil engineering in City College of New York’s Grove School of Engineering, and his father, Jesse Krakauer, MD, developed a new method to quantify the risk specifically associated with abdominal obesity.

A follow-up study, published Feb 20 by the online journal PLOS ONE, supports their contention that the technique, known as A Body Shape Index (ABSI) is a more effective predictor of mortality than body mass index, the most common measure used to define obesity. The results tracked closely with the earlier study, which used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), conducted in the US between 1999 and 2004.This provides stronger evidence that ABSI is a valid indicator of the risk of premature death across different populations. Further, they showed that ABSI outperformed commonly used measures of abdominal obesity, including waist circumference, waisthip and height ratio.

Also, because the data came from two surveys seven years apart, the researchers were able to assess the effect of change in ABSI on mortality. They found an increase in ABSI correlated with increased risk of death, and that the more recent ABSI measurement was a more reliable predictor. Noting this, the researchers contend that more investigation is warranted into whether lifestyle or other interventions could reduce ABSI and help people live longer.

Beet roots may have high carbohydrate levels and highest sugar content of all vegetables but it has several nutrients that can improve your health in the following ways

Lowers blood pressure
Drinking beet juice may help to lower blood pressure in a matter of hours. One study found that drinking one glass of beet juice lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of 4-5 points. The benefit likely comes from the naturally occurring nitrates in beets, which are converted into nitric oxide in your body. Nitric oxide, in turn, helps to relax and dilate your blood vessels, improving blood flow and lowering blood pressure.

Boosts stamina
Those who drank beet juice prior to exercise were able to exercise for over 15 per cent longer. The benefit is thought to also be related to nitrates turning into nitric oxide, which may reduce the oxygen cost of low-intensity exercise as well as enhance tolerance to high-intensity exercise.