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Celeb-inspired baby names, latest trend among Brit parents!

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:59:00 -0400

A large number of Britons are calling their babies Brooklyn, after ace footballer David Beckham’s son’s name, according to new figures.

The latest trend gripping British parents is to name their babies after celeb kids, and topping the list of copied names is Lennon, after Oasis singer Liam Gallagher’s son, copied 230 times.

“Parents are increasingly creative about the names they choose and many are taking their inspiration from celebs,” The Daily Star quoted Faye Mingo, of Bounty, as saying.

Brooklyn stands second at 185, while there are 29 Romeos and 21 boys called Cruz, named after Becks’ other kids.

Parenting club, Bounty, from its large database of baby names, compiled the list, which claims that there are 700 baby Lolas, named after nickname of Madonna’s girl Lourdes.

Lola, which is also the name of Emmerdale babe Lucy Pargeter’s daughter, was the most copied girls’ name, followed by Lexie, name of footie star Steven Gerrard and Alex Curran’s daughter. (ANI)

Mens'' ten best ways to impress women revealed

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:20:00 -0400

No matter how much you hate it, but if you want to impress a woman, just help her carry those shopping bags.

And in case that''s not enough to flatter your lady, below are 10 best ways that will surely make them fall for you, reports the Independent.

1. Ask questions
Over dinner, in a restaurant, nothing beats a good question or two.
For instance "How was your day?"

2. Stop asking questions
After you have asked enough questions, particularly the right ones, there will come a time when you should stop - when you''re in bed together.

3. Call me back straightaway
Verbose, over-worked text messages just look keen and girly. Be a man and say it in 350 characters or don''t say it at all.

4. Don''t be tight
When it comes to small change, taxi fares, coffee money, tips and treats, penny-pinching is a huge turn off.

5. Carry bags
If they''re heavy, please don''t make a fuss about it, just do it.

6. Don''t hide your appreciation
There is no girl alive who doesn''t want a priapic response to a new dress.

7. ''No'' to:
Clammy hands, grunting in public, salivating into earholes, ''sexy'' tickling, jokes about love handles and twanging bras.

8. ''Yes'' to:
A firm touch and a smooth hand, a frank attitude to nudity, evident and matter-of-fact carnal enjoyment, and an attentive approach to often overlooked areas of the female body.

9. Talk about ex-girlfriends
Too much detail about ex-girlfriends is as harmful as not talking about them at all.

10. Criticism
Say what you like about her friends, work, flat, table manners. (ANI)

Men who view women traditionally earn more than those who don''t

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:16:00 -0400

Men who believe in traditional roles for women earn more money than those who don''t, says a new survey.

The study, led by Dr. Timothy Judge and Beth Livingston, from the University of Florida, has also found that women with more egalitarian views do not make much more than their traditional counterparts.

During the study, the researchers examined data from a nationally representative study of men and women who were interviewed four times between 1979 and 2005.

In the beginning, a total of 12,686 people, aged 14 to 22, participated in the study, and there was a 60 percent retention rate over the course of the study.

In all the four interviews, the subjects were questioned about their views on gender roles in the work force and at home.

The questions varied from whether they believed a woman''s place is in the home, whether employing wives leads to more juvenile delinquency, if a man should be the achiever outside the home, and if the woman should take care of the home and family.

Participants were also asked about their earnings, religious upbringing, education, whether they worked outside the home and their marital status, among other topics.

The researchers focussed their study on gender role views as a predictor of a person''s earnings. They controlled for job complexity, number of hours worked and education.

Their analyses showed that men in the study who said they had more traditional gender role attitudes made an average of about 8,500 dollars more annually than those who had less traditional attitudes.

"More traditional people may be seeking to preserve the historical separation of work and domestic roles. Our results prove that is, in fact, the case. This is happening even in today''s work force where men and women are supposedly equal as far as participation," said Judge.

But, in case of women, the situation was completely different. Women who held more traditional views about gender roles made an average of 1,500 dollars less annually than the women with more egalitarian views.

In other words, if a married couple holds traditional gender role attitudes, the husband''s earning advantage was predicted to be eight times greater than a married couple where the husband and wife have more egalitarian attitudes.

"These results show that changes in gender role attitudes have substantial effects on pay equity. When workers'' attitudes become more traditional, women''s earnings relative to men suffer greatly. When attitudes become more egalitarian, the pay gap nearly disappears," said Judge.

However, the researchers claim that the gender pay gap is not just an economic phenomenon.

"Psychology has an important role to play, too. Our country''s policies have been leaning toward gender equality for decades now. But, according to our study, traditional gender role views continue to work against this goal," said Judge.

The results of the study were published in the latest issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association. (ANI)

Botox boosts dating success

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:16:00 -0400

Getting Botox jabs might be a painful procedure, but it indeed makes you look attractive and improves dating success, according to a new study.

The first impression of a person is influenced by facial appearance and improved by cosmetic surgery.

The researchers wanted to determine whether or not the use of botulinum toxin A (Botox) would contribute to a person receiving higher scores on a variety of first impression scales.

During the study, the researchers took photo of the participants before and after the treatment with the botulinum toxin A.

The photos were randomly divided into books with each subject represented only once per book.

Blinded evaluators completed a survey rating their first impression on various measures of success for each photo in the book.

The participants who received the injections improved first impression scores for scales of dating success, attractiveness, and athletic success

However, they did not find any positive correlation between Botox injections and increased scores regarding social skills, financial, or relationship success.

The study was presented at the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in Chicago, IL. (ANI)

The ten things you didn''t know about men and sex

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:15:00 -0400

If you thought men''s sexual response is quite simple and their needs can be met easily, then you certainly need to revise your knowledge of the "birds and bees," for men aren''t as simple as they are made out to be.

According to Fox News, here are 10 things that you didn''t know about men and sex:

1. Trapped Sperm

Not all sperm go racing for the egg at once. Once sperm has been deposited into the vaginal canal, some of them are temporarily trapped in a semen coagulate or clot. Eventually, they are decoagulated by enzymes, which set them free to swim about a female''s reproductive system. This clotting, according to scientists, is meant to pace the release of sperm into the uterus, increasing the chance that one of these sperms will reach the egg and fertilise it.

2. Oxytocin affects males too

It is believed that oxytocin affects females during sex (and breast-feeding). But this cuddle hormone, released by both sexes during intimacy, is also found to influence males. Research from Switzerland found that oxytocin is associated with increased feelings of trust in males.

3. High testosterone = Less sex

While higher testosterone levels is typically considered a good thing for men when it comes to their sex drive, still researchers continually found that males with higher testosterone levels marry less often, are more abusive in their marriages and divorce more regularly. In fact, married men see more action than single men.

4. Death during sex has a prototype

While examining the incidence of death during sex, a 1975 study discovered a unique pattern in males: the "deceased is usually married; he is not with a spouse and in unfamiliar surroundings," and death usually occurs after "a big meal with alcohol." Another study in 1989 found further evidence supporting the extramarital sex bit. Fourteen of the 20 cases of "la mort d''amour," or coital death, happened during an affair.

5. Orgasm ... or lack of ... may prevent breast cancer in males

A study in Greece found evidence that the frequency of adult orgasms may have an impact on the incidence of breast cancer in men. In fact, it was also revealed that males with breast cancer had experienced fewer orgasms on average than men without the disease.

6. You can tell a guy''s "size" by his fingers

A University of Liverpool research cited that if a man''s ring fingers are longer than his index fingers, this means there were healthy testosterone levels in the womb. If the ring fingers are the same size or smaller than the index fingers, then the male received lower levels of testosterone, implying that one can estimate the length of his organ by the length of the ring finger.

7. Men fall in love faster than women

It''s not the women, but men, who get out of control after a glimpse of the right attractive face and fall head over heels in love immediately, claimed love researcher Dr. Helen Fisher.

8. Family affects testosterone

As a man becomes increasingly attached to his family, his testosterone level goes down, according to a 2001 Mayo Clinic study. Particularly, fathers experience a significant decline in levels of testosterone with the birth of his child, especially when he holds the baby.

9. Can a bowel movement make for bliss?

In a 2002 study, it was mentioned that a male had a history of orgasmic-like feelings after going to the bathroom. After he answered nature''s call, his body went through the rest of the male sexual response cycle. His pulse rate increased as he reached climactic state, followed by relaxation, then extreme fatigue.

10. Males like ''unusual'' sex

Men have a 20 to 1 likeliness against women to practice an "unusual" and often socially unacceptable or illegal behavior, for example exhibitionism. (ANI)

The ten best romantic gifts

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:14:00 -0400

Love cannot be translated into materialistic pleasures, but for some, expensive and lavish gifts are the best way to express their romantic feelings.

According to The Independent, a Vintage Timepiece is a truly timeless present with style and shape to suit all. The watch needs to have a collectiblity factor that ensures that they become more valuable as time goes by.

The second best gift is a romantic film just for two. Hire an entire cinema, exclusively for you and your partner, showing your favourite slushy movie, whether it''s Gone With The Wind or Sleepless in Seattle.

Words they say is the best way to express your love, so standing third in the list is a bespoke book bound, which could turn out to be a very intimate way to express your affection. Either you can pen your own verses, or have your loved one''s favourite books bound. This will certainly be a lasting and unique expression of your love.

Vintage Wine and Chocolates stand fourth in the list, while a drive in style garbs the fifth position. Plan a an unforgettable day in a chauffeur-driven vintage or classic car, and you’ll surely have your partner falling all over in love once again.

The 10 best romantic gifts are:

1. Vintage Timepiece

2. A Romantic Film Just For Two

3. Words of Love

4. Vintage Wine and Chocolates

5. Drive in Style

6. Up, Up and Away (Hot air balloon)

7. Fragrant Memories (perfumes)

8. Trip in steam engine- The Venice-Simplon Orient Express

9. If Music be the Food of Love (cook sumptuous food)

10. Weekend Break (ANI)

Here’s why booze and work don''''t mix

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:34:00 -0400

Employers are being urged to stay alert at work-related social events where alcohol is involved, in a bid to avoid litigation.

Sarah Ralph, a workplace relations partner at Deacons law firm, said that bullying, sexual harassment and aggression are potential problems when alcohol is consumed in a workplace setting.

She said that employers sometimes forget the laws, which apply in an office, also apply at social work functions.

"I think that wherever there is alcohol, there is always a much greater risk of things like discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying," News.com.au quoted Ralph, as saying.

"You see more complaints and litigation when alcohol is involved. In our practice ... they definitely do come up.

"We would see a number of instructions about incidents where alcohol has been involved each year," she added.

She said that employers also needed to be aware of occupational health and safety issues at staff social events to insure no one was accidentally injured. (ANI)

Satisfying quickie sex is just about priming yourself, says expert

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:33:00 -0400

Madonna’s husband Guy Ritchie may have called a quickie the “best type of sex”, but in reality, one needs priming for a ‘fast’ session, says a leading sex expert.

In an interview with The Sun, Val Sampson, couples counsellor and consultant to Durex Play, revealed the mantra while giving some tips for a satisfying quickie.

“What you’re thinking about is that if you want to have wild sex when you get home in a very short time period, you need to prime yourself,” The Daily Telegraph quoted her, as saying.

She added: “If you had a terrible journey and caught your heel in something, you’re not going to feel in the mood so you need to think about sex during the day. Ideally 24 hours beforehand and basically, wake up your mind to the idea of sex. If you open your mind, the rest will follow.

“Apart from opening your mind, the number one tip is that women usually get turned on by what they hear and think.

"So you could get your partner to send you a sexy text – or call you during the day with a sexy message - saying how much he desires you and how gorgeous you are.

“You could also read erotic fiction. Those two are probably the two fastest routes to a quick turn on."

"Good quick sex is just about priming yourself. "

Madge’s husband Guy Ritchie recently said in an interview that the sex scene in his new movie RocknRolla, was kept to a mere four seconds, because quickies – in real life and on screen - are the “best type of sex”. (ANI)