Sunday, June 19, 2011

US working dads' changing concern, gives family priority—study | The Money Times

US working dads' changing concern, gives family priority—study | The Money Times


A latest study by Boston College’s Centre for Work & Family unveiled that priority of the US dads’ are changing from work to family.

Gone are those days when a father worked dedicatedly as a breadwinner. Now, the new dads’ are endeavoring to balance their lives both, as a worker and a father. In the midst of their working life, they assure to give their children the love and support expected by them.

A survey was conducted among 1,000 working dads employed in Fortune 500 companies.

Titled as ‘The New Dad: Caring, Committed and Conflicted,’ the report “illustrates the desire of today’s fathers to do meaningful work and live meaningful lives, to be effective as both workers and caregivers.”

Job security most important, claim fathers
According to the data provided by the researchers, apart from having a strong desire for career advancement, the US dads declared job security to be most important.



Moreover, they preferred a job with flexible working hours over good advancement opportunities and high income.

When quizzed about job satisfaction, most of the fathers were happy and satisfied with their work and career and expected promotions, but 16 percent dads’ interest was centered on their work.

The reports exhibited that 90 percent of the fathers were satisfied with their work, while three percent did not agree and seven percent response was neutral.

Fathers as caregivers
During the survey, fathers admitted that spending more time with children surges their confidence as parents.

While rating the aspects of a good father, the dads rated “Provide love and emotional support,” “Be involved and present in your child’s life” and “Be a teacher guide and coach” more significant over “Provide discipline,” “Provide financial security” and “Do your part in the day-to-day childcare tasks.”

“Only 1 in 20 fathers took more than two weeks off after their most recent child was born, and 1 in 100 took more than 4 weeks off,” revealed the study.


The dads even alleged that “work caused more conflict with family life than family life caused conflict with work.”


Besides, fathers believed that both the parents should take care of their child by contributing equal time.

"Fathers want to have more time to be with their children and they aspire to do more at home," said Brad Harrington, executive director of the Boston College Center for Work & Family.


"There is a higher level of awareness amongst fathers that being a breadwinner is an important thing to do but it's not the most important thing to do in terms of being an effective parent."


Interestingly, it’s believed that after becoming dad, men become more responsible and committed towards their work as compared to new mothers who face intricacies to be committed towards their work.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Foot the restaurant bill through iPhone | The Money Times

Foot the restaurant bill through iPhone | The Money Times


With the latest technology interceding, diners can now pay their bill in “less than a minute” through their iPhones.

One of the Britain’s biggest chain restaurants Pizza Express has initiated this service along with Paypal, an online payment company.

Pizza Express will be offering the service from this week in its 370 outlets. For the moment, the service will be available only for Apple iPhone users. However, to avail such facility, the users will have to download the application.

How to make the payment?
When the customer is about to pay the bill, he will be given a 12 digit code to be used for making the payment through iPhone.



The consumer and the restaurant’s treasury will receive an electronic confirmation, instead of receipt, that the bill has been successfully paid. This is done particularly to evade any confusion among the staff so that they don’t keep wondering why the person has left without paying the bill.

With just the help of few clicks, the user can leave the fast-food outlet whenever he feels.

Other features of the app
Besides paying the bill, iPhone customers can even take advantage of other features offered on the app.

Starting from finding and booking a table in Pizza Express, viewing menus to special offers and receipts, everything can be accessible with the help of the app. The users can even find the nearest Pizza Express outlet from their current location.

Pizza Express is even mulling to install free in-house wifi for the users to make easy and quick payment.

Chief Executive of Pizza Express Mark Angela said, “We knew there was no point just launching an app for the sake of it, so we waited until we had a system that could genuinely improve our customers' experience of eating out at Pizza Express.”

Mobile phones to ousted credit cards?
Undoubtedly, this facility will be quiet advantageous for the entrepreneurs who want to rush for their meetings, people who often forget their wallets, students who want to attend their classes on time and many more.

Contemplating the use of advanced technology, such facilities have become the need of the hour.

Cameron McLean, general manager of merchant services at PayPal, said, “Over a million UK PayPal customers have made a payment on their handset so combining our payments experience with Pizza Express's ground breaking app should be a perfect combination.

“The line between the high street and the online world is blurring, and innovative brands like Pizza Express recognize that payment by mobile makes a great service even better.”

Interestingly, the surging importance of mobile phones seems to oust the usage of credit cards.

Brain-training video games may help kids score better--study | The Money Times

Brain-training video games may help kids score better--study | The Money Times

Irritated that your child is always playing video games? Well, don’t be, as a latest study reveals that playing brain training computer games improves child’s intelligence.



Published in the journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,' the research states that video games improve child’s working memory, the ability to sustain and manipulate information in brain.
The kids who undergo such brain training drills have better fluid intelligence like abstract reasoning and they can solve problems easily and creatively.
62 children's working memory tested
The research, by the psychologists of theUniversity of Michigan, included a test in which 62 elementary and middle school children, with an average age of eight and nine, were recruited.



The test was conducted to analyze the effects of such video games on the child’s IQ.
Out of 62 children, 32 underwent video games sessions, termed as ‘n-back task’ by the lead author Susanne Jaeggi, to test the working memory for a month.
The other lot of 30 students were trained on a computer program, which required answering general knowledge and vocabulary questions.
In the former task, the children were “shown a picture of a lily pond and the image of a frog that appeared for three seconds at any one of six locations.”
The children had to press a key if the frog appeared in the same location like in the earlier two images, and another key if it was in the different location.
Outcome of the study
At the end of the study, it was noticed that children with the ‘n-back task’ performed better in tests of abstract reasoning and problem solving than the students who participated in the general knowledge and vocabulary test.
However, such drills turn out to be advantageous for children who find the computer games interesting and challenging, and not a burden.
Dr Susanne Jaeggi, the lead researcher of the study, said, “The current findings add to the literature demonstrating that brain training works, and that transfer effects may even persist over time.”
"If information is lost during this process due to working memory limitations, then the task cannot be completed," added Jaeggi.
"In general, working memory capacity is crucial for our general ability to acquire knowledge and learn new skills, and it has been shown that working memory is even better at predicting scholastic achievement than measures of intelligence."

Had teen sex? Caution, you might get divorced--study | The Money Times

Had teen sex? Caution, you might get divorced--study | The Money Times



Lost your virginity during adolescence? A latest study from the University of Iowa reveals that women who had teen sex are prone to get divorced.

The findings, published in the April issue of Journal of Marriage and Family, exhibited that 31 percent of women who had sexual intercourse for the first time got divorced within five years of their marriage, while 47 percent got separated within 10 years.

Besides, 15 percent of the women, who had sex during late adolescence, had split at five years and 27 percent got divorced at 10 years.

The study was conducted by the lead author Anthony Paik, the associate professor of sociology in the university’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Responses of 3,793 women analyzed
Anthony Paik derived the outcome of the research after analyzing the responses of 3,793 married and divorced women to the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth.



The study stated that women, who had sex, before the age of 16, are predisposed to marital separation.

As quoted by Daily Mail, the findings of the research stated: “Thirty-one percent of women who lost their virginity during adolescence had premarital sex with multiple partners, compared to 24 percent of those who waited.

“Twenty-nine percent experienced premarital conceptions, versus 15 percent who waited.

“One in four women, who had sex as a teen had a baby before they were married, compared to only one in ten who waited until adulthood.

“Only one per cent of women surveyed said they chose to have sex at age 13 or younger, compared to five per cent at age 14 or 15, and 10 per cent at age 16 or 17.

“Forty two per cent reported that their first sexual intercourse before age 18 that was not completely wanted.

“Fifty eight per cent of the group waited until age 18 or older to have sex. Of those, 22 per cent said it was unwanted, compared to 21 per cent who said it was wanted.

Others factors of divorce
Though the author has alleged sex to be the prime reason for divorce, there are other factors that might also lead to separation.

Sex with multiple partners, pregnancy or out-of-wedlock birth is also some pivotal reasons that can also be responsible for divorce.

“The results are consistent with the argument that there are down sides to adolescent sexuality, including the increased likelihood of divorce,” said the lead author Anthony Paik.

“But there's also support for the "more sex positive" view, because if a teen delays sex to late adolescence and it is wanted, that choice in itself doesn't necessarily lead to increased risk of divorce.”

“One possibility is a selection explanation, that the women who had sex as adolescents were predisposed to divorce. The attitudes that made them feel OK about having sex as teens may have also influenced the outcome of their marriage,” added Paik.

“The other possibility is a causal explanation - that the early sexual experience led to the development of behaviors or beliefs that promote divorce. If the sex was not completely wanted or occurred in a traumatic context, it's easy to imagine how that could have a negative impact on how women might feel about relationships, or on relationship skills.”

However, the research seems to be improper as the facts have been taken from 2002 survey. 

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Abhinav to direct action-thriller for SRK? | Total Filmy

Abhinav to direct action-thriller for SRK? | Total Filmy

Anushka doubts Ranveer Singh's fidelity? | Total Filmy

Anushka doubts Ranveer Singh's fidelity? | Total Filmy

Kesha to have her own range of condoms | Total Filmy

Kesha to have her own range of condoms | Total Filmy

Akshay says 'Pyaar Do Pyaar Lo' | Total Filmy

Akshay says 'Pyaar Do Pyaar Lo' | Total Filmy

Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 4: Meiyang Chang wins the trophy? | Total Filmy

Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 4: Meiyang Chang wins the trophy? | Total Filmy

Aishwarya is Madhur's new 'Heroine'? | Total Filmy

Aishwarya is Madhur's new 'Heroine'? | Total Filmy

Kareena promotes NDTV campaign 'Shakti' | Total Filmy

Kareena promotes NDTV campaign 'Shakti' | Total Filmy

Katrina's lip-lock with Gulshan Grover out | Total Filmy

Katrina's lip-lock with Gulshan Grover out | Total Filmy

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Shobhaa De to write a book on Bebo? | Total Filmy

Shobhaa De to write a book on Bebo? | Total Filmy


Good news for all Kareena fans. Wondering what? Well, rumors has it that soon you might get to read about Kareena's life penned down by Indian columnist and novelist, Shobhaa De.

Reportedly, Kareena and Shobhaa were spotted having numerous meetings in last six months as a matter of contention.

It's believed that Shobhaa De, who will be publishing the book, will rope in some writers to help her. Though the book will have Bebo's stamp, it's yet to be known whether she will be writing an overture, just like she did for her dietician's books.

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK
Hold on. It won't be an “authorised biography” of the Kapoor lassie, rather it will just detail about Kareena's journey as Karisma Kapoor's sister to “the Kareena Kapoor”.

According to a source familiar with the matter, “There is a lot of speculation about whether it is going to be an authorised biography on Bebo, but that’s not the case.”

“It will be on the lines of an acclaimed book based on Victoria Beckham. The book will trace how Kareena Kapoor became the brand Kareena Kapoor... how she became a name to reckon with from just being Lolo’s (Karisma Kapoor) sister.”

“The book will talk about her sense of style, her influences, her idols and how she has become a name in Bollywood to reckon with. It’s a little different from a biography in the strict sense of the term,” the source added.

Wondering, whether the book will share tad about her beau, Saif or ex-flame, Shahid?



WHEN WILL SAIFEENA GET MARRIED?
On one end, where Saif's sister Soha Ali Khan, who's currently dating Kunal Khemu, is planning to get hitched after two years, nothing seems to be confirmed from Saif's side.


Recently, when Soha was questioned whether she would be tying the knot before Saif, theactress said, “If I have to wait for Saif to get married, I may have to wait for another ten years! You just never know with him.”

Interestingly, Saifeena had disclosed their plans of getting hitched sometime in 2012.

Ranveer and Anushka smooch at Sasha's birthday bash | Total Filmy

Ranveer and Anushka smooch at Sasha's birthday bash | Total Filmy


What came as a surprise at Shahid Kapoor's birthday bash was the smoky smooch between the 'Band Baaja Baaraat' leads, Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma.

Their passionate lip-lock at Sasha's birthday bash was a smoking-gun depicting the existence of their “more than just good friends” relationship.



RANVEER AND ANUSHKA CAME TOGETHER AT THE BASH
Though they might be planning not to reveal anything about their hush-hush affair, they failed to escape the paparazzi, initially when they came to Sasha's birthday bash together holding hands and later, their lip-lock at the party.

Post midnight, Ranveer and Anushka were spotted burning the dance floor, and it was a matter of few glasses of wine, after which the duo started getting close to each other.
The special kiss by the alleged couple, Ranveer-Anushka, who will be featuring together in another venture of Yash Raj Filmstitled 'Ladies V/S Ricky Bahl', made other celebs, present at the party, go berserk.

Some of the celebs present at the party were Sonam Kapoor with daddy Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, Aamir Khan with wifey Kiran Rao, Karan Johar, Genelia D'Souza, Tabu, Raveen Tandon with hubby Anil Thadani, Riteish Deshmukh, Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, Sonali Bendre with Goldie Behl, Parmeet Sethi with wife Archana Puran Singh, Ramesh S Taurani, Ken Ghosh, Shruthi Seth and Danish Aslam, Kunal Kohli, and Punit Malhotra.

Interestingly, there “kiss” at the bash has become the talk of the town.



Whether their relationship is mere a publicity stunt is yet to be known as few weeks ago, there were speculations that the duo had headed towards splitsville.

Till then, it's a cool way to hog the limelight. What say?

It's Akshay vs Salman in 2012 | Total Filmy

It's Akshay vs Salman in 2012 | Total Filmy


After the successful trend of slapstick comedy genres, the two Bollywood bigwigs, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, are now gearing up to bring back the action genres.
           
Following action-comedy 'Dabangg', released last year, Sallu is all set for the sequel to 'Dabangg'.

Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar has been roped by 'Wanted' famed director, Prabhu Deva's for a action film to be produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film promises to change the typical Khiladi image of Akki.

Interestingly, the one thing that is common between them is newbie, Sonakshi Sinha. Lucky or not, the 23-year-old thespian will be starring in both the movies.



SALMAN HAS ADVANTAGE OVER AKSHAY?
It seems that 'Dabangg's' huge success has surged Salman's confidence so much that he's now completely energized to make the 'Dabangg 2' efficacious.

Reportedly, the Khan has zeroed in a Thai stunt director, who has worked with JackieChan, for 'Dabangg 2'. Surprisingly, the stunt director has even worked with Akki in a Dollar Underwear commercial.

A source familiar with the matter revealed to Mid-Day, “Salman is shooting heavy duty stunts with a Thai action director. This man has worked extensively with Jackie Chan. Now, Salman wants him to do the action sequences for Dabangg 2."

Considering the past facts, Salman has an advantage over Akshay as Sallu already had an experience of working with Prabhu Deva in 'Wanted'. Probably, Sallu is now aware of all action tricks of Prabhu. Beware Prabhu!

SONU SOOD BACK IN 'DABANGG 2'
Wondering, how Sonu Sood is back in the sequel to 'Dabangg' as he was dead in the prequel? Well, Hindi picture main kuch bhi ho sakta hai.

It's believed that Sonu Sood is back in the sequel as a twin brother, and this idea was suggested by none other than Salman Khan.

A source spilled the beans, “Salman has discussed the dynamics of the sequel with Arbaaz. He wants the main actors to stay put. Sonakshi will play his wife again and Sonu will be back as the main villain.”

Sonu, who is currently tight lipped about revealing any details of the sequel, only confirmed, “That's true. Salman was keen to build on the Dabangg franchise from the time he was shooting for the first film.

“In the climax, my character dies. They ensured I'm back, he conceived a dialogue on the spot regarding my twin. We were stunned when Salman mentioned the twin. That's when we realised that a sequel would be in order.”