Dad influences daughters' sexual behaviour

Girls' decisions about sex are significantly influenced by their father’s parenting skills, a new study shows.

“Girls who receive lower quality fathering tend to engage in more risky sexual behaviour - sex without a condom, having sex while drunk, multiple sexual partners and becoming pregnant before age 19 - in adolescence,” said Bruce J. Ellis of the University of Arizona Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, who led the research to be published in the journal of Development and Psychopathology.

Ellis said taking both genetic effects and family dynamics, the results demonstrated a cause-and-effect relationship - different amount of exposure to different kinds of fathers altered daughters’ sexual behaviour.

“We know that poor fathering and daughters’ risky sexual behaviour go together, but we haven’t known why and haven’t known how. Our study was meant to figure out that issue,” he said.

Ellis and his team developed a methodology to test for the impact of fathers on their daughters’ sexual risk-taking.

They looked at 59 pairs of sisters from families in which the parents had divorced and the father moved out and compared with 42 pairs of sisters from intact families.

Source: The Korea Herald/ANN
Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

Cheetah caught roaming in Abu Dhabi

An animal activist says a cheetah has been captured roaming the streets of the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi.

Raghad Auttabashi of the Al Rahma Welfare and Rescue Society told The Associated Press the big cat appeared to be seven or eight months old and had an injured front left paw. It also had a broken metal chain around its neck, suggesting it was being kept as a pet.

She says it was rounded up Sunday by animal control authorities in a residential neighborhood and has been handed over to a wildlife conservation center.

Another cheetah was captured on the prowl in the Emirati city of Sharjah in December. Cheetahs are no longer believed to have any native habitats on the Arabian peninsula. - AP

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

Premature ejaculation drug sells out

Priligy, touted as the world's first drug to treat premature ejaculation, sold out just one month after its launch in Singapore.

The first batch of pills was made available in March and was meant to last three months.

But it was cleared out last month as demand was much higher than expected, said a spokesman for American-based manufacturer Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

However, the company declined to reveal the exact number of pills sold.

The pills, which come in packs of three and are prescription-only, have since been restocked. Patients are advised to take one pill one to three hours before sex, and no more than one a day.

Priligy works by increasing levels of serotonin, a chemical involved in controlling ejaculation.





While it is said to triple the time a man can sustain an erection, it does not cure premature ejaculation.

A pack goes for between S$80 ($187) and S$90 (RM210), which means each pill costs as much as S$30 (RM70). This is comparable to other established sexual enhancement drugs like Viagra, which treats erectile dysfunction.

Doctors say the brisk sales may indicate how more men are willing to seek help for the embarrassing problem of premature ejaculation, caused by various factors including anxiety.

According to a survey of more than 240 men in October last year, as many as one in three Singaporean men may suffer from this condition.

But the survey, conducted by doctors in Singapore, also revealed that 77 per cent of men have never discussed their sexual health with a doctor.

Urologist Chin Chong Min, who practises at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, said a 'big pool of sufferers' are now coming forward to try the pill as "they haven't found anything that works". He drew parallels with the busy period when Viagra first came to Singapore about 10 years ago.

Although Priligy has not sparked such a frenzy, it has been flying off the shelves, said Gleneagles Hospital urology centre head Peter Lim, president of the Society of Men's Health (Singapore). He has treated 30 to 40 sufferers with the pills: "So far, I have not had any complaints from patients - in fact, they usually come back for more."

Both doctors said the pills were effective for most patients, most of whom did not complain about side effects like nausea and headaches.

However, several doctors are not stocking the pills just yet. Said Dr Sam Peh at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre: "There are other drugs around that are just as effective." One example is Zoloft, which treats anxiety and depression, but has also been used to treat premature ejaculation. A pill costs S$5 (RM117) to S$6 (14).

Source: The Straits Times/ANN

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

Man keeps wife's body in fridge for 10 years

Authorities say a US man kept his wife's body in a freezer for a decade so he could continue to collect her benefits.

Officials say Allan Dunn committed suicide last August at age 86.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office reports that a woman who was helping prepare his estate went to the Sun City Center condo Tuesday to clean. That's when she found the remains of an elderly woman, believed to be Dunn's wife Margaret, in a freezer on the back porch.

The medical examiner believes the woman died of natural causes in 2000. Investigators say Dunn became guardian of his wife's estate in 1999 and hid the body so he could keep collecting her benefits. - AP

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

Child-in-suitcase mum charged

An emaciated 14-month-old girl apparently died of "nutritional neglect" before she was stuffed into a suitcase and put in a neighbor's trash can, according to police who charged the mother with homicide.

Tania R. Coleman, 20, was being held without bail Thursday after identifying herself as the mother as police canvassed the neighborhood. Coleman is pregnant and has two other girls, ages 2 and 3, authorities said.

The other children were examined and appear unharmed, authorities said. They were placed with Coleman's relatives.

It's not clear how long the youngest daughter had been dead, but Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook told the Erie Times-News the remains were "in very poor shape." There were no obvious signs of trauma, he said. DNA tests will be done to confirm her identity.

Coleman and a man described by police as her boyfriend, 19-year-old Xavier A. Hollamon, tried to conceal the death by removing the body from the home, he said.

They were charged with concealing the child's death, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. Coleman is charged with child endangerment, along with criminal homicide. - AP

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

School bans high-fives, handshakes and hugs

A London school has banned pupils from giving each other high-fives, handshakes - or even HUGS.

Governors imposed the "no contact" rule as they say it prevents fighting or bullying.

Dayna Chong, 15, was thrown into detention for cuddling a female pal at The Quest Academy, in Croydon, South London.

Mum Anita, 33, from nearby New Addington, said the policy was "extreme" and "ludicrous".

She said: "If the kids can't even hug each other at school some of them will never learn how to be socially interactive.

"School is supposed to be where we start teaching our children how to be social - shaking hands, hugging, opening up. You need an embrace to comfort you when things go wrong. I've never heard of anything so crazy in my life."

Year Ten pupil Dayna said: "I was just hugging my friend in the morning to say hello and I had to sit on my own and miss out on break because of it.

"They're trying to turn us into robots."

Fellow mum Sarah Hope's 15-year-old daughter got into trouble for giving a friend a high-five.

She said: "It's a very, very cold policy. I think it's sad that the children are missing out on this sort of closeness."
 
The Quest Academy has 800 pupils aged from 11 to 18.

A spokesman said: "Physical contact between students is not allowed because it is often associated with poor behaviour or bullying and can lead to fighting."

Principal Andy Crofts added: "It creates a disciplined environment which is essential for learning and respect." - www.thesun.co.uk

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

Virginity for sale: Mum faces 15yrs jail

A 32-year old woman in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the US tried to sell her 13-year-old daughter's virginity to a man for $10,000 (RM30,390).

Felicia Rae McClure, 32, was charged in Utah's 3rd District Court with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

She could face 15 years to life for each of the two first degree felony charges.

McClure's  proposal was discovered by her boyfriend Richard Glazer, who found a series of text messages discussing the deal on her phone.

The man in question has been identified only as being called 'Don'.

Salt Lake County prosecutor Sim Gill said the woman, 32, had promised 'Don' that her daughter would perform sex acts in exchange for US$10,000.

The girl told police she initially consented to the arrangement but later decided she didn’t want to follow through.

McClure admitted to taking her daughter to a Victoria’s Secret store, where she opened the dressing room door for 'Don' to watch the girl model bras and thongs.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported she is further accused of sending pictures of the girl wearing lingerie to another man in exchange for cash.

Negotiations for the pictures and the sex acts are alleged to have occurred between April 1 and May.

McClure has been remanded in Salt Lake County Jail.

Watch the video here.
Source: Agencies


Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

BEWARE OF RUBBER HAIR BANDS and SLIPPERS from China

Be careful about these Chinese products

Very important! Please spread the news!!

Be cautious of hair bands at open markets around the city – they are probably from China since they are purchased in bulk very very cheap !!!! 

Take a good look before buying hair bands in future – specially like the following kind….. 


These Hair bands were made from used condoms and threads. 








BEIJING (AFP) - Used condoms are being recycled into hair bands in southern China threatening to spread sexually-transmittable diseases they were originally meant to prevent, state media reported Tuesday

In the latest example of potentially harmful Chinese-made products, rubber hair bands have been found in local markets and beauty salons in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in southern Guangdong province, China Daily newspaper said.

'These cheap and colorful rubber bands and hair ties sell well ....... threatening the health of local people,' it said.. Despite being recycled, the hair bands could still contain bacteria and viruses, it said.

'People could be infected with (genital) warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while waving their hair into plaits or buns,' the paper quoted a local dermatologist who gave only his surname, Dong, as saying. A bag of ten of the recycled bands sells for just Rs.5, much cheaper than others on the market, accounting for their popularity, the paper said.

A government official was quoted as saying recycling condoms was illegal. China 's manufacturing industry has been repeatedly tarnished this year by a string of scandals involving shoddy or dangerous goods made for both domestic and foreign markets.

In response, it launched a public relations blitz this summer aimed at playing up efforts to strengthen monitoring systems. 

Check your kids hair bands and make sure they do not put them in their mouth while trying to plait or tie their hair . 

See below for Chinese Slippers now being sold in Walmart in the US . Hopefully, they are not yet in India ....

REMEMBER THE PAINT ON KIDS TOYS

? 

This is very true as I heard it in news from one of our localradios here that our govt has to be extra careful on these cheap imports from china.. These includes clothes, food, toys, slippers and even glasses because the Chinese are using some strong but cheap chemical in their manufacturing process. Cheap is becoming expensive and at the same time fatal. 














Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

How big are your problems really?

Wow, and to think of the small things I complain about! This woman is a treasure and her horse is heaven sent! The determined Bettina Eistel and her very special horse, Fabuleax 5.I saw this photo today and it took a while for my brain to register what I was seeing   Take a look. Look closely... Yup.  No arms.  Her name is Bettina Eistel and her horse is Fabuleax 5. What is even more compelling than the fact that she can brush her horse with her feet, is that she competes, very well, at the Paralympics in dressage. Bettina didn’t just overcome her disability, she walloped it! (Kinda makes me feel ridiculous for complaining about anything having to do with just about anything…) Cantering WHY NO ARMS? Thalidomide.  (I wanted to read her book but it isn’t translated into English and I cannot read German.  I wonder if a Kindle could translate it?…)  Anyway, she was born in 1961 in Germany, with no arms due to the drug, Thalidomide. Her book What is Thalidomide?  Thalidomide was a drug they gave pregnant women before it was known that it caused birth defects   Hence, Bettina was born without any arms. When I was too little to understand manners, I can remember my mother telling me not to stare at kids I would see who had birth defects.   She would shake her head and just whisper, “Thalidomide”.   I remember being very appreciative that I didn’t have that kind of a birth defect. Saddling FAST FORWARD Bettina doesn’t let her disability stop her.  After all, this way of being is all she has ever known… As an aside, another disabled Olympian was explaining the difference between being born with a disability versus being born “whole” and acquiring the disability.  This concept is an interesting topic.  You probably can come to some of your own conclusions here. Bridling... look at him drop his head. Anyway, as a small child, Bettina learned how to use her feet and toes as her hands and fingers.  As a youngster, she started in horseback riding lessons.  (Thank goodness her parents supported her and let go of their fears around this.) She wears riding boots with cut-outs in the toes so she can have ‘hands’ (imagine how cold her toes must get … and how often they clip a branch or a fence board – ouch!).  She can saddle, bridle, hose down, wrap, blanket and do just about anything else that is needed for her horse.  And, she rides by steering with her legs and holding the reins in her mouth.  IN HER MOUTH.  Try that… I tried to hold my brush in my mouth while braiding my girl’s hair and I ended up drooling all over the place in about a minute.  I have no idea how she does it.  Amazing. Oh, and besides all those horse riding feats, she can text, write and put on mascara with her toes! Hmmmm.  I’m starting to feel sheepish for complaining about anything… They say Bettina is a master at hose water fights! “After highschool in 1979, Bettina studied the History of Art, Archaeology and Ethnology in Hamburg, followed by an eight-year study of psychology. During her psychology studies, she  participated in a project with Hamburg’s home for children. In 1989 she completed her studies with a diploma and has since worked as a graduate psychologist in a Hamburg counseling center for children and family therapy.” PARALYMPICS I really couldn’t find much information on her coaching (Her coach Franz-Martin Stankus) or how she learned to ride.  But, I did find out that she: “Eistel was formerly Vice-Europe and Vice World Champion (two silver and bronze at the European Championships in Portugal in 2002 and three silver at the World Championships in Belgium in 2003) and won two silver and one bronze medal at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens , she won also three times the German championship.  As the most recent successes are the bronze medal in the required tasks of the individual competition and the silver medal in the team standings at the 2008 Paralympics in Hong Kong.” Not bad even for a girl WITH arms… With her dressage medal HER HORSE You have to really think about the kind of horse who would let this kind of a rider be his partner.  Really… what temperament is needed to perform at high level dressage as well as take care of a disabled rider?  Wow.  I wish I knew if they looked high and low for him… or if they simply trained a good horse to understand this rider?  (I need to read her book.)  I mean, did they find a horse and say to him that this is the way we are going to do it now?  Or, does the Fabuleax 5 ‘know’?  I often hear that certain horses are much more gracious with disabled riders than with regular riders.  I know that my Gwen is much nicer to children than to me… I wonder how that happens?  Is it the horse or the quality/feel/spirit of the disabled rider/child that effects the horse?  Dunno. Taking a treat from Mom Bettina says she trained her horse via voice commands, head movement and leg aids.  Funny, I bet hardly any of us would think it was even possible to ride a horse without arms. From where I sit, I would like to be in the presence of  the wonderful Fabuleax 5.  He is a saint in my book.  Fabuleax lets Bettina ride him in the only way she can… with the reins in her teeth and the other set of reins between her toes.  And, he does his job.  Simple.  Gosh.  Impressive. If you notice in the photos, he lowers his head to be bridled and to be brushed.  Atta boy! Beautiful boy TELEVISION HOST Bettina also landed a gig as a Talk Show Host.  With a weekly show on German TV station ZDF, Bettina is something of a media star.  They say her popularity is because of her engaging and optimistic personality… but one cannot ignore her amazing ability to do everything, literally everything, with her feet.. Bettina as talk show host AFTERTHOUGHT I wanted to bring this story to you because I think sometimes we give up too easily.  Or maybe it is just me… maybe I think I give up too easily or don’t push through my/my horse’s issues or don’t get over myself/my fears or don’t put as much effort/time into training my horses as I could.  Reading about Bettina was a good shot in the arm for me… I sure don’t feel like making any excuses or complaining… I cannot even imagine folding the laundry with my feet, let alone living 24 hours without my hands.  Wow.  Very inspirational. What a great team!

 

 

"The happiest people don't necessarily have
the best of everything;  they just make the
best of everything they have. "

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

Oprah Winfrey's talk show ends

Oprah Winfrey's talk show ends Wednesday with an episode featuring only the talk show queen thanking her viewers and highlighting the lessons they have learned from one another over 25 years.

Audience members who attended the Tuesday taping in Chicago of the final episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" said Winfrey was the only person on stage.

"When she came out, her appearance, the way she stepped on stage and the message she brought about finding yourself, your purpose," said Wanda Nash, 47, of Chicago, an executive assistant and foster parent. "It was all about Oprah."

Fans leaving Tuesday's taping said Winfrey had tears in her eyes as the television icon said a final thank you.

Winfrey kissed and hugged her longtime partner, Stedman Graham, and made her way through the halls of Harpo Studios, saying goodbye to her staff, audience members said.

There was a single chair on the stage, but Winfrey stood most of the time, they said.

Winfrey announced in November 2009 that she would end her popular talk show after 25 years.

Tuesday's taping came a week after Hollywood's A-list and 13,000 fans bid Winfrey farewell during a double-episode extravaganza at Chicago's United Center. The shows that aired Monday and Tuesday included Aretha Franklin, Tom Cruise, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jordan and Madonna, among other stars of television, music and movies.

The bare-bones final taping had its share of celebrities in the audience including Tyler Perry, Maria Shriver, Suze Orman and Cicely Tyson, but none of them joined Winfrey on stage.

The finale of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" has remained a secret, even as Harpo Studios hyped it as a television event.

Source: AP

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

Multi-purpose multi-storey car parks - VERY BAD MORAL OF YOUNGEST

A young couple was caught getting hot and heavy at a carpark.

Residential multi-storey carparks in Singapore are no longer used solely for parking vehicles.

They are now an urban beach for sun worshippers, a natural laundry drier and a ‘love hotel’ for youngsters too.

A half-naked man and a bikini-clad woman have both been recently spotted sunbathing on the roof of a multi-storey carpark.

Residents in Bukit Batok central have also found laundry being hung out to dry on the top level of a multi-storey carpark.

Meanwhile, some lovers have other ideas on how to use a carpark.

Young couples have been spotted engaging in hot and heavy action when they think they are away from prying eyes.

Source: AsiaOne

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

Cross-dressing engineer wants his job back

A Taiwanese engineer, who was sacked for dressing like a woman, wins his suit against his employer.

The Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei has been fined NT$50,000 (RM5,250) by the labor department for violating gender equality laws.

Chou Yi-jen, who was sacked in December last year, said he wished to get his job back.

"I have deep feelings towards Mackay and the many familiar faces there, although anger, I still wish to go back," said the 35-year-old.

He also demanded the employer to continue paying him the salary of NT$30,000 (RM3,150) per month from the day he was unlawfully sacked.

Chou said he was recruited by the hospital in 2007.

"At first, I wore the men attire to work but I couldn't curb my desire of wanting to be a woman.

"So I started keeping long hair, wearing women clothing to work and use the female toilet," he said.

The hospital has yet to announce if it wants to appeal the ruling.

Source: Apple Daily

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

Workers dig up gold coins worth RM1.6m

Hundreds of historic gold coins have been uncovered by building workers in Albany, on West Australia's south coast.
 
Albany police confirmed the reports that workers doing excavations on Stirling Terrace had found around 300 gold sovereigns buried under concrete.

Initial reports said the sovereigns dated back to the year 1800, and were worth more than A$500,000 (RM1.6million).

Albany was the first settlement in WA, established in December 1826, even before the Swan River colony which led to the Perth's early development.

Gold sovereigns dating back to 1800 have been unearthed in Albany

A replica of the historic brig - a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts - named Amity, the first ship to arrive in the town, is one of the main tourist attractions less than 1km away from where the coins were uncovered.

The town's The Rare Coin Company managing director Rob Jackman queried those claims, saying sovereigns were a common coin and more importantly, they weren't in production until 1817.
  
Jackman, who has 30 years experience with rare coins, said he had not yet seen the coins but queried the initial report and their estimated value.

"They didn't make a sovereign in 1800," he said. "They're very, very common coins."

"Until we see them, we would just estimate their value at around A$320 (RM962) to A$330 (RM1,059) per coin, the gold bullion price.
 
"They would have to be in very top condition for that price (A$500,000), but if they've been buried, they're likely to be damaged. It seems exaggerated."
 
However Jackman said the discovery was significant and he had never heard of an antique coin find of that magnitude in Albany before.   
Source: news.com.au

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

Man eats human liver with potatoes

Russian police had detained a man who was caught eating an acquaintance's liver.   

Police tracked down the suspect after a trail of severed body parts including limbs and a head were found across Moscow.

"When the police came to arrest the suspect, he was eating a human liver with potatoes," a police spokeswoman for the Moscow's western district told Reuters.

The rest of the human liver was found in a refrigerator in the suspect's flat.

The police spokeswoman said the cause of the acquaintance's death was not clear.

The suspect "admitted his crime and that he had eaten part of his acquaintance's liver," the prosecutor general's main investigative unit said in a statement.

Source: The Korea Herald/ANN

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

US$1,000 ice lolly is world's most expensive

You had better believe it. The world's most expensive ice lolly is selling for US$1,000 (RM2,900).

Sold at Marquis Los Cabos, a hotel resort in Mexico, the lolly is made with premium tequila which is worth US$1,500 (RM4,350)) a bottle.

To top it all off, the popsicle includes several 24-carat gold flakes inside.

General manager Ella Messerli said: "From mini-indulgences like the Tequila Pop to indulgent fantasy services and programmes, Marquis Los Cabos allows guests to personalise their hotel stay as part of the resort's new approach to service, 'Customised Luxury'."

Image source from www.digitalspy.co.uk
Source: Digital Spy

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

Bra with messages of encouragement

A Japanese lingerie maker unveiled a bra that carries messages of encouragement as the country struggles to recover from a devastating quake and tsunami.

The white, bustier-style garment and matching skirt by Triumph are covered with messages from 36 different countries.

The messages were received in the aftermath of the disaster, each accompanied by a tiny flag of the nation that sent it.

Messages ranged from simple good wishes, such as "Japan, with you 100 per cent" from France, to expressions of admiration for Japan's strength and dignity. Others were poignant.

"Those who have already left us let us know life is so fragile, and those who are alive let us know life is so strong," said one from China.

The company, known for its concept designs, said it came up with the bra after receiving messages of support from branch companies around the world, along with relief supplies.

"I read each message myself, and I realised that everyone around the world is sending their support," said 20-year-old Hikaru Kawai, who modelled the outfit.

"So I decided that I needed to do my best as well."

Nearly 26,000 people were killed or are unaccounted for after the disaster two months ago.

The tragedy also triggered the world's biggest nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.
Source: China Daily / Agencies

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian

Rome empty due to old earthquake prediction

Tourists heading to Rome may find it a little less chaotic than usual Wednesday - that's because hundreds of people are taking the day off following a prediction of a huge earthquake.

Businesses have reported requests from one in five people to have time off work and many are also keeping children away from school and heading to the beach or country for the day.

With memories still vivid of March's tremor in Japan and an earthquake in the Italian city of L'Aquila in 2009, which killed 300 people, it is understandable so many people are taking the warning seriously.

But the panic has not been caused by a recent prediction - it is based on a forecast made in 1915 by seismologist Raffaele Bendandi who said that a "big one" would hit Rome on May 11, 2011.

But many Romans - fanned by SMS, Facebook and Twitter messages - are talking of little else, and leaving little to chance.

Local newspapers have even been publishing survival guides with tips of what to do if the ground starts to tremble. - www.dailymail.co.uk

Warm Regard, Sara Pandian