The New Nation - Internet Edition

Poet Al Mahmud

Mohammad Shahidul Islam

Bangladesh's veteran poet Al Mahmud's 72nd birthday was celebrated on 11th July. He was born in a business family in 1936, in Kasba, Brahamanbaria. The night was full of showers when he came down on earth to colour Bengali poetry. He came to Dhaka for his livelihood when he was 21 years old. He started his writing career at his prime life. From 1954, his poetry began to be published in the literary supplements of Dhaka and Kolkata. Very soon he became popular with the lovers of poetry equally in Dhaka and Kolkata. He regularly wrote in Chotuskon, Choturanga, Moyukh and Krittibash. In "kobita" edited by Buddhadeva Basu, his several poems raised uproar amid the contemporary literary giants. In Dhaka he started writing regularly in Shikandar Abu Jafar's Shamokal.

Pastoral lives, rivers, villages, shoals centered lives, man and woman's love affairs and their biophysical urges are dominant in his poetry as subjects and objects. He provoked the core of poetic appeal through wielding so common words collected from local dialects that stood as a new style in Dhaka and Kolkata. A critique has evaluated him as an individual genius of poetry in the subjects of nature and rural community other than Jibonananda Das and Jashimuddin. In that exact time of his enormous recognition as a mastermind poet, his famous Lok Lokantor and Kaler Kalosh were published and for these two great works, he won Bangla Academy Award in 1968.

Freedom fighter Al Mahmud directly took part in the 1971 Liberation War. After independence he ran a daily named Ganakantha. For supporting democracy and communism through raising upheaval among freedom fighters, he was arrested and imprisoned. The government during his imprisonment banned and shut down the daily.

In 1975 after his release from jail, he joined the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy as Assistant Director of Research and Publication. In 1993 he retired from the academy as Director. Al Mahmud has published more than 50 books of poetry, short story, novel, articles and other forms of works. He also edited and ran a number of journals, magazines and dailies.

Al Mahmud's name will shine in the Bengali literature for his masterpiece Shonali Kabin. This is a landmark in the Bengali poetry. The book was first published in 1973. It drew much attention of all intellectual writers of home and abroad. After its publication, eminent thinker Sibnarayan Roy commented: "Al Mahmud has an extraordinary gift for telescopic discrete levels of experience; in his poems I find a marvelous fusion and wit which reminds me occasionally of Bishnu Dey. The complete secularism of his approach is also striking, more so,..he was born and brought up in a very conservative Muslim religious family; it is not a secularism forced by some ideology, but present naturally and ubiquitously in his metaphors, images and themes". Mahmud's other famous works include Mayabi Porda Dule Otho, Arobbo Rojonir Rajhash, Bokhtiyarer Ghora, Pankourir Rakta, Nodir Bhitorer Nodi, Pakhir Kache, Fooler Kache and Kobir Attobishshash etc.Al Mahmud?s poetic genius has been evaluated, recognized and honoured with many awards like Ekushe Padak, Philips Literary Award, Agrani Bank Children Award, Alakta Literary Award and Sufi Motaher Hossain Literary Gold Medal and many more.

Al Mahmud is fond of traveling and reading books. He has visited India, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Iran, UK, USA, Canada, France, etc. His poetic genius has been recognised and honoured with many awards like Ekushey Padak, Philips Literary Award, Agrani Bank Children Award, Alakta Literary Award, Sufi Motahar Hossain Literary Gold Award and many more.

He has five sons and three daughters. His wife Sayeda Nadira Begum is a major source of inspiration for the poet.

Females like to gossip

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As little kids we were repeatedly reminded by the parents and the teachers " Empty mind is a devils workshop", thus implying the need to keep one occupied constructively. But who hath not, once in a while, shared juicy tidbits with a close buddy. Gossip, the second oldest profession, may be defined as idle speculation, general talk or opinion of uncertain reliability. I would like to put it, 'giving wings to would be secrets', or fuelling silent ambers with audible winds. It all starts as a secret to be told to one person, - 'at a time'. The originators normally are the kind of people who regularly invite others by saying " If you haven't anything nice to say about anyone, come and sit with me". From here on if the talk was to walk, the Gossip flies. The story runs on wheels and every hand it passes, oils it.

The gossip has traditionally been associated with idling housewives who mastered the art of knitting and nitpicking, though some women-like-men also indulge in it. As Oscar Wilde said, "Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals". An ancient African (Kanuri) proverb says, "If a woman speaks two words, take one and leave the other". Notwithstanding who indulges in gossip, for some reason, it is an established fact that 90% of the women gossip with women, and the men with men. The invention of telephone greatly enlarged the area of operation and shifted the sphere of gossip's influence from the sun-bathed rooftop to far off by-lanes of the city and even beyond. The saying goes that if men must walk a mile, the women must talk an hour - it is their exercise. Those who still wanted to indulge in mouth-to-mouth recitation, and wanted to press flesh and see facial expressions, invented the now famous ladies kitty party. Here the X-ray is converted into hearsay. There is a general feeling that women talk of who's who, and about who's whose. A recent survey revealed that in order of statistical priority, they talk about, a third woman, about a fourth woman, about a fifth woman, household irritants, servants (in Asia), shopping and clothes, recipes, and of course the men are attached as an appendix to all these. There is a saying that the years that a woman subtracts from her age are not lost. They are added to the ages of other women. Men have always detested women's gossip. US writer Erica Jong said "because they suspect the truth: their measurements are being taken and compared". Whenever I have been in women's company, there have been only two possibilities, either silence or scandal. Alcohol fuels gossip. As walls have ears, wine has a mouth.

Gossip is mostly associated with malicious content and intent. Meant to give cheap thrill in seeing someone else belittled or relatively lowered in esteem. As Mark Twain had written long ago, " It takes your enemy and friend, working together, to hurt you to the heart; the one to slander you and the other to get the news to you". And as Bertrand Russell said "No one gossips about other people's secret virtues". Unlike the rolling stone, the gossip gathers moth. The story gets it's twists and adds on.

There is that Arabic proverb; gossip of two women will destroy two houses. The havoc that gossip can cause may be more destructive than hurricane 'Mitch'. Most gossip is not verifiable. The few elements of truth are enough to convince and render respectability to the whole story. The suspicion that follows incites the wreaking 'get even' vengeance. Peace of many a home has been shattered by Gossip. Gossip related to an adulterous relationship of a spouse could be most hurting, both above and below the belt. Luckily today with folding up of joint families, and more and more women taking employment, the family breaking gossip has somewhat shifted to the office. Romance, office politics and pay packages are the new prattle, how nice.

Well, like every thing else, gossip too has its good side. Greatest thing about it is its access and penetration - it is within everyone's reach. It is undoubtedly the most interesting form of speech. It is the ultimate escape for the back room girls. Greatly relieves the load off their chests. Management Gurus are seriously working on this very influential interpersonal communication tool. Therefore there is no need for a knee jerk reaction. Fighting it could be counter productive. Try joining it and have fun. One tends to believe gossip more than the office circular. If intelligently handled, this mouth-to-mouth link, which is mobile, has emotions, and requires no pressing of buttons, could do wonders.

Gossip is not a trivial pastime: it is essential to human social, psychological and even physical well-being.

Gossip is the human equivalent of 'social grooming' among primates, which has been shown to stimulate production of endorphins, relieving stress and boosting the immune system. Two-thirds of all human conversation is gossip, because this 'vocal grooming' is essential to our social, psychological and physical well-being. Men gossip as much as women. The study found that men gossip at least as much as women, especially on their mobiles. Thirty-three percent of men indulge in mobile gossip every day or almost every day, compared with twenty-six percent of women. Men gossip for just as long and about the same subjects as women, but tend to talk more about themselves. The study did find a sex difference in 'gossip partners', with men more likely to gossip with work colleagues, partners and female friends, while women gossip more with same-sex friends and family. Male and female gossip also sounds different, as women use more animated tones, more detail and more feedback.

Low investment home business ideas

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Flexible working hours, relief from office pressures, family compulsions or just the need to be independent - whatever the reason, working from home can be fun, challenging and extremely satisfying. Here we give you some ideas to start a home business with very little capital or investment.

It can also be demanding and requires efficient time management and planning skills. Any chosen home-based career, no doubt, requires special skills, but it need not require a large start-up capital investment. In fact, depending on the choice of career, sometimes no capital investment is necessary.

To start a home-based career, the first and foremost requirement is a good business idea. This would depend on the educational background and the skill set of the individual.

Home Tuitions

Starting a home tuition center is relatively easy and requires a negligible start-up capital. However, setting it up can be hard and time consuming.

Depending on whether you've chosen to teach a single subject or the entire syllabus, studying and preparing lessons can pose to be a challenge. Once past the initial stage, things get easier and less strenuous.

The key is to start gradually with just a couple of kids. As awareness of your services and reputation builds, the group of kids will grow larger.

Handling students requires a set of skills. Children from different families, religious backgrounds have different thinking and learning patterns. It becomes necessary, therefore, to be patient and understanding and have the ability to deal with each child at their own level.

Daycares Canter or Home Crèche

Starting a home crèche or day-care centre, requires a small start-up investment in terms of purchasing games, books and toys. Creating awareness includes word of mouth awareness, but it helps to advertise in a local publication.

Setting up a day-care centre at home also includes naming the operation, taking safety precautions like netting the balcony, keeping electrical appliances out of reach. A value addition could be having a doctor on call or offering on yearly medical checkups.

To further secure the safety net, set a limit for the age group of kids joining the day-care. Create a manual outlining all the rules and operational policies, such as fees, payment terms, pick up and drop off policies, allergy and illness policies, vaccines, meal planning, holidays and vacation planning. As time passes and the number of children starts growing along with reputation, more rules, policies can be framed as and when required.

Cooking Classes

An excellent choice of career, which needs no start up capital, is to start a cooking class. If you love cooking a variety of cuisines, you can easily convert this interest into a profitable venture. Word of mouth promotion among friends, family and neighbours is usually enough to start the ball rolling. The dailies often accept announcements on classes and workshops - a good way to get some free publicity.

Setting up the kitchen will include deciding on what cuisine and dishes to teach. Generally, you could start with a popular cuisine like Mughlai, Mexican or Italian. The cost considerations would include purchasing the ingredients, use of the stove, electricity. You can decide the fees you plan to charge by taking the cost of the items you need and adding a percentage of profit to it. Theme-based cooling classes can become very popular if you learn to keep up with the latest fads.

Home Library

If reading is a hobby for you and you possess a large collection of books, then starting a home library is an excellent way to build a profitable business.

Again, word of mouth to neighbours, family or a small advertisement in a local daily publication can get your library off the ground. A nominal refundable joining amount and a monthly fee will make it profitable, and you can add more books along the way.

You could dedicate an entire room, or a cupboard or shelf in your home, to store your books, and sort them by subject or author. Magazines can also be a part of this collection. The wider the collection on different subjects, the more members the library will attract.

Language Translations

This could be a freelance assignment where you offer services to different organizations to translate manuals, books or any material from one language to the other. Fluency in one or more languages is a strong requirement for such an assignment.

You may also need to research and keep in touch with organizations that require language translators and send them a proposal. A good start would be to tie up with typewriting institutes, which always need good language translators and then work your way up.

Party Planner

The flair to plan and organize, and a desire to succeed are all that's needed to become a party planner. No special education is necessary to break into this business. As a job it's interesting and a lot of fun, with little capital investment and high returns.

You could choose to plan only one aspect of a party, like the décor, food and drinks, or the entertainment. Or you could plan the entire event. Whatever you decide, your success in this field will depend on your individual ability to coordinate, network and organize events.

This business venture can be kick-started by planning parties for immediate family, friends or even your own children. You can create awareness of your venture by word of mouth, handing out business cards, even placing an advertisement in a local daily publication.

Some more ideas for a profitable business venture include

l Medical Transcription

l Internet Web Designing

l Stock Trading

l Arts and Crafts classes

l Tiffin Services.

These options require a specialized skill and/or some start-up capital. A little research on your part can open up a wide spectrum of career choices.

Even with the option of a home-based career and a choice of flexible working time, discipline, a positive attitude, time management skills, multi-tasking abilities, a healthy lifestyle and commitment to your assignments are essential to ensure success. Remember that there is no alternative to hard-work and no short-cut to success.

Short guide to enjoying webcasts

In its early days, the World Wide Web was a static, almost lifeless place. You only had text and graphics, with the occasional bit of animation thrown in for good measure. Then, someone came up with the bright idea to add video to the mix. The only problem was that you generally had to download each video you wanted, and play it offline. This took longer than the video's running time, and the whole process was an overall disappointment.

But you no longer need to wait for video to download before watching it, although you still can if you want to. Today, you can view rich visual content through for webcasting. Webcasting is the use of the Web to broadcast video, whether pre-recorded or as an event is happening. The video you see is as varied as the people producing it, and can range from the nightly news to live feeds from a film festival or press conference.

How It Works

Webcasting differs from the traditional click-and-download that you're used to. It relies on push technology. Push technology sends ("pushes") content to your Web browser when you click a link. It's sort of like changing channels on a TV. The information is there, and is waiting for you to tune into the right station to view it.

What gives a Webcast its flexibility is the ability to stream information. Streaming sends data so that your computer can deal with it in a stable, continuous flow. Unlike downloading, streaming starts playing Webcast before all of it reaches you. It's the next best thing to viewing content in real time. The only drawback of streaming is that your computer must be able to gather the information and present it to you as it arrives. If it can't, the computer and the software you're using to view the Webcast must be able to buffer the video. Buffering saves the data you haven't viewed in memory until your viewing software catches up with the video stream.

Formats

As you can expect, there is no single file format for Web video. While the situation isn't as bad as it is for graphics (with literally hundreds of types), there are two major video formats used for Webcasts. The first is RealVideo from Real Networks, which is the de-facto standard for online video. RealVideo is a well-developed format that is designed especially for streaming. It offers superior picture quality over different connection speeds. The other is the Windows Video from Microsoft that apes many of the features of RealVideo.

Three older formats, which were around during the early days of the Web, are also used for Webcasts. These formats are MPEG, AVI, and Apple QuickTime. MPEG, AVI, and QuickTime files are larger than RealVideo and Microsoft formats. If you add sound to the files, you'll see their sizes balloon dramatically.

Viewing Webcasts

Viewing Webcasts is easy. You simply have to point and click a link with your mouse. Once you click the link, the software that plays the video format being used by the site opens. After a delay of a few seconds or so, the show starts.

Of course, all of this doesn't work without the proper software, called a media player. To play RealVideo, you need the RealPlayer. This is a freeware application for Windows, the MacOS, and Linux. There's also a version available for $29.95 (U.S.) that contains a few features lacking in its free counterpart, including powerful full-screen video capabilities. You can view Webcasts in Microsoft's streaming video format using the Media Player that comes bundled with Windows. Media Player can also open AVI files, and you can download a QuickTime player from Apple's Web site. Some sites, like the Cable News Network and the BBC, do away with the need for launching a separate viewer. They embed the video in a Web page and play it on the page. The content of the Webcast appears as a graphic would, but with controls for playing, stopping, and rewinding the video. However, you still need the appropriate viewer installed on your computer.

Hardware Requirements

Your computer hardware will affect the overall quality of the video you view off the Web. Webcasts, and video in general, gobble a lot of your PC's resources. If your computer can't buffer a large amount of the information that you're receiving, the video will look choppy. To deal with Webcasts, your computer needs a fast processor, a good video card, and a good deal of memory.

So how much is enough? Average system requirements are often pegged at the following:

500 Mhz Pentium processor

64 MB of memory

A video card capable of 16-bit color (65,536 colors)

These are recommended minimums, and (except for the video card) have little basis in reality. You can use older Pentiums with less memory, but expect the video to come in with glacial slowness. Optimally, your computer should have as much memory and the fastest processor possible. A video card capable of displaying 24-bit color (a whopping 16,777,216 colors) is the icing on the cake.

Cutting Edge Gear

One piece of hardware you should seriously consider upgrading is your video card. It's easy to ignore this vital component, but a video card can make or break your Webcast experience. Video is buffered in the card, and if the card lacks sufficient memory, you'll run into problems. Most new computers come with a decent video card, but such cards aren't generally optimized for the types of tasks many users have in mind. They're just good enough for basic work and Web surfing.

If you can afford it, you should look into buying a new video card. Look at some of the mid-range or high-end offerings from companies like ATI and Diamond Multimedia. Both companies make excellent, powerful video cards. The better ones are more than adequate for viewing Webcasts.

If you can't afford a new video card, consider updating your card's driver software. You can download updated drivers from the manufacturer's Web site. This option isn't a good as getting a new card, but you will notice an improvement.

Questions of Quality

Two of the biggest complaints about Webcasts are that they're choppy and the quality of the images is poor. Some of this has to do with the video itself. The video might be compressed to decrease the file size and, therefore, decrease the time it takes to transfer. But there are a number of things you can do to ensure you get the best quality possible from the Webcasts that you view.

One aspect of Web video you may overlook is the size of what you're seeing. You view most video from the Web in an area only a few inches square. Most content providers do this so that the video is clear and so it transfers to your computer faster. If you try to increase the size of the viewing area, what you see becomes distorted. Using your media player in full-screen mode can make the video unwatchable. So, unless you have a good reason to do otherwise, you should keep the video at its original size.

Net Troubles

Get the fastest connection to the Internet that you can afford. High speed Internet, either through a cable modem or DSL, is your best bet. These connections can transfer data up to 100 times faster than a phone line. The only problem is that high-speed access can be expensive. Another reason for poor reception is high amounts of Net traffic. A large number of people could be using the Web, and connecting to the same site hosting the Webcast you're viewing. This can slow the server down tremendously. You might find that trying to visit another site while watching a Webcast can slow or stop the transmission. Real Player, for example, will display an error message attributing the problem to "Net congestion." It will then try to restart the video stream. More often than not, though, the video stream will hang and to get it started again you must shut down the player.

Software

You might also find that applications running in the background, like an e-mail client or a word processor, can affect the quality and buffering of a Webcast. You should shut down any programs you aren't using. You'll be surprised at the performance boost. Finally, keep your media player software current. Newer versions of the software have added features, and contain fixes for any bugs in the previous edition of the application.

Webcasting is rapidly maturing. There's quite a bit to see on the Web, and more is always on the way. Who knows, maybe one day your computer will replace your television!

Mushrooms for better health

For years now, the popularity of mushrooms as a medicinal plant is growing. Even though mushrooms have been acknowledged as one of the smart addition to your dining table, we really do not know what their value to our health is. But just like any other plants that are grown in our backyard, the mushrooms that we cook have their own advantages that will contribute to our health. Read on as we take a look at the benefits of the mushrooms to our body.

One of the best effects of mushrooms in our body is the ability to kill the bacterium that will cripple our ability to fight back to deadly diseases. Think of it as an alcohol for your internal system but instead of poisoning you, it will also give you more health. In any form of mushroom, these are the known effects that you should expect. Maybe it's not easy to imagine how mushrooms help our body, but it has been tested and proven to be very effective in fighting the bacteria that had been staying in our body for some time.

Mushrooms are also proven to help us in our immune system. The properties that were found in most mushrooms have preventive properties that are also transferred to humans who consume them. Through time, mushrooms acquire the behavior protecting themselves from bad conditions and this ability can somehow be transferred to humans.

Another important property of the mushroom is Adaptogens. The popularity of this toxin is not the same compared to other good toxins that are identified before. In other culture, however, it has been identified as a very important tool to make people healthy and have a good life. It's slowly gaining ground in the country and people have slowly acknowledged the idea of the use of Adaptogens. The most immediate use and benefit of Adaptogens in our body is its ability to fight against cold and flu. With enough Adaptogens in your body, you don't need to worry about the effect of changing weathers or other extreme weather conditions.

Mushrooms can be taken in various forms. The most popular are the cooked mushrooms. Very easy to prepare, mushrooms can give us the nutrients that we need when they are prepared and cooked well. However, it was even proven that mushroom could give better effects when they are taken raw. It's reported that raw mushroom contains three times more nutrients than the cooked ones. Lastly, as one of the known medicinal herbs in the country, the mushroom can now be taken as a pill. There are specific types of mushrooms that are already sold in pill and it's usually taken as part of the food supplement. Most of the time, you will find this type of pill associated with strong medicinal herb such as ginseng.

Mushrooms are now gaining in popularity in the country not only because of the good taste it will give. The medicinal benefits are also taking root and people are responding to the benefits of this great plant.

Creative floral displays

Fresh flowers and live plants always add a nice touch to any room, and spring is the perfect time to bring some of the outdoors inside. Try these creative ideas for displaying flowers and plants throughout the house.

Tin Can Planters and Vases

Recycle tin cans by using them as pots and vases. Place a potted plant inside the tin can top, pot and all, or re-pot the plant into the tin. If re-potting, add a layer of small rocks in the bottom allow for drainage. To display fresh-cut flowers, place a narrow glass jar inside the tin, fill it with water and then place a few flower stems in the jar.

Wineglass Vase

Make a creative statement by displaying a single blooming stem in a patterned wineglass. Fill the glass with glass pebbles and then insert one dramatic bloom. For flowers with smaller stems, use a raffia ribbon, bear grass or other ornamental grasses to tie the flowers together so they stand in the center. Position one of these creative vases at each place setting for dinner party guests.

Demitasse Cup Vase

Enhancing a table setting by placing a single stem of a Gerbera Daisy in Italian espresso or demitasse cups. Use gold or silver markers to write the name of the dinner party guest on the cup.

Toothbrush Holder Vase

Enclosed toothbrush holders are perfect for arranging small flower displays. Add water to the cup half of the holder, replace the top, and slip flower stems through the toothbrush holes.

Crate and Carry-All Planters

Old toolboxes, milk bottle carriers and other interesting carry-alls are suitable containers for small potted plants. Mix a variety of plants or plant colors in each partition of the container for a dazzling springtime display.

Old Jar, Jug and Bottle Vases

Old jars, jugs and bottles make very interesting vases, even if they're rusty.

Old Shoe Planter

Fill an old shoe with dirt and add a small plant to serve as a decoration on a table or simply as a conversation piece. To protect the shoe, wrap the plant in some floral or aluminum foil, or pot the plant in small container before placing it inside the shoe.

Indoor Bulbs

Grow springtime bulb flowers, such as paper white narcissus, inside. These bulbs are easy to force into bloom and do not need to be planted in soil. Place the bulbs on a thin layer of small rocks or pebbles in a low bowl such as a casserole dish. Position a few extra rocks around the bulbs to keep them in place, and fill the container with water just up to the rock line. Keep the water up to the rock line, adding more water as needed, and the bulbs will bloom within a few weeks. To keep the tall blooms upright, tie the stems together or plant the bulbs in a few rocks, at the bottom of a tall cylinder vase or spaghetti canister. The cylinder will keep the blooms upright.

How to prevent acne?

Contrary to what you may have heard, acne is not caused by dirty skin, eating chocolate, or drinking lots of soda. Acne is caused by overactive oil glands in the skin and an accumulation of oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria, which leads to inflammation in pores. Oil glands become stimulated when hormones become active during puberty, which is why people are likely to get acne in their teens. Because the tendency to develop acne is partly genetic, if other people in your family had (or have) acne, you may be more likely to develop it too.

Although there is no surefire way to prevent acne, there are several ways to help reduce the number and severity of your breakouts. Washing your skin is essential (it helps remove excess surface oils and dead skin cells that can clog your pores), but washing too much can actually cause damage by over drying your skin or irritating existing acne. Remember to wash after exercising because sweat can clog your pores and make your acne worse. If you work around greasy food or oil or if you've been sweating from heat or because you've been working hard, wash your face and other acne-prone areas as soon as possible.

If you use skin products, such as lotions or makeup, look for ones that are noncomedogenic or nonacnegenic, which means that they don't clog pores.

If you can't live without your hair spray or styling gel, be sure to keep them away from your face as much as possible. Many hair products contain oils that can make acne worse.

If you get acne on areas such as your chest or back, avoid wearing tight clothes, which can rub and cause irritation. Treatments

For some people, over-the-counter (OTC) products work to help clear up acne. It may take some time to find one that works best for you - some may not do the trick and others may cause irritation. OTC acne products come in different strengths. The most popular OTC acne-fighting ingredient is benzoyl peroxide. Another ingredient, salicylic acid, can help to dry up pimples.

If you find over-the-counter products aren't working for you, it's best to seek a doctor's advice. A doctor can prescribe special gels or creams, pills, or a combination of both. It may feel a bit awkward or embarrassing to talk about your acne with someone, especially a stranger, but your doctor is trained to help get your skin looking its best.

What about pimples you already have? It's tempting, but popping or squeezing a pimple usually won't get rid of the problem. Squeezing can actually push infected material and pus further into the skin, which can lead to more swelling and redness (not what you want before a big date!), and even scarring, which can be permanent.

If you are taking a prescription acne medication, finish your entire prescription even if your skin clears up, unless your dermatologist says you can stop. If you stop too early, there's a chance your skin could break out all over again. Eating nutritious foods can help keep you healthy of course, and your skin will benefit from getting enough vitamins and minerals. But the bottom line is that you don't need to be obsessive about what you eat or how often you wash your face to control acne. If you don't find an OTC product that works for you, talk to your doctor or a dermatologist for some advice on living through the acne years.

Don't Scrub

You can't scrub your acne away. In fact abrasive or frequent washing can lead to dry skin and irritated acne. Your skin will respond best to kind attention. Gently wash your face no more than twice a day with a mild cleanser and pat your skin dry with a clean towel. If you exercise hard and sweat a lot you may want to wash your face afterwards.

Gently Cleanse

Use a mild cleanser no more than twice a day and gently wash and dry your skin. Apply a noncomedogenic (won't clog your pores) sunscreen.

Don't Pop Pimples

The temptation to scratch, pick, squeeze or pop a pimple can be intense, but the consequences just are not worth it. You run the risk of pushing the bacteria from the pimple further into the skin and causing more breakouts.

Popping a pimple may also cause brown or red scars to appear that can last for months.

Use Only Noncomedogenic Products

When purchasing cosmetics, sunscreen or other skin care products, make sure the label reads noncomedogenic. These products, as well as those labeled nonacnegenic, won't clog your pores and therefore won't cause or make your acne worse.

Patience is a Virtue

Be patient. Healing takes time. Unfortunately this doesn't happen overnight. Results are generally seen in a few weeks, but may take up to 8 weeks or more. So give your acne treatment a fighting chance.

Use Sunscreen

Many acne medications contain ingredients that can make your skin extra sensitive to sunlight and ultraviolet light from tanning booths. Read the label warnings, avoid tanning booths, and always use a sunscreen with at least an SPF of 15. Sun exposure can actually irritate acne even if you are not using an acne medication. So don't make sunbathing a part of your lifestyle and always use sunscreen.

More is Not Better

If you use more acne medication than directed by your doctor you can actually worsen your acne. Many over-the-counter acne treatments contain active ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. Too much of either of these can cause your skin to become excessively dry or irritated. It can take time for your skin to adapt to new medications. Remember that it may take up to 8 weeks for any acne medication to have a noticeable effect. Use the medication exactly as directed by your doctor.

Consult a Dermatologist

A dermatologist is a doctor who specializes in conditions of the skin. If you are having a hard time treating your acne successfully, it might be best to visit a dermatologist. A dermatologist will be able to evaluate your individual skin type and recommend an acne treatment that is best for you.

Here's the Rub

Headbands and hats can aggravate your acne as they rub against your forehead. Try to avoid these things when possible.

Don't Touch Your Face

It's amazing how often we touch our faces during an average day. Our hands have oil on them and of course bacteria too, both of which can make acne worse. So avoid touching your face or leaning your chin on your hand. Be sure that other objects that come in contact with your face like cell phones, eye glasses, etc are clean.

Wash Your Hair Frequently

If your hair is long enough to touch your face, you'll want to wash it as often as necessary to keep the oils away. If you can't avoid hair sprays or gels altogether, try to keep them and your hair away from your face because they can clog pores.

Review Your Environment

Pollution, airborne grease (such as in a fast food restaurant), irritating clothing - all these can aggravate your acne. It isn't always possible to avoid all the various irritants that may contribute to your acne. Loosen tight, irritating clothing or find fabrics that breathe better and don't aggravate your acne.

Kitchen organization

Keeping a busy kitchen organized can be a challenge in even the most spacious environment, but those with small kitchens have to add an extra dose of creativity to the task. These tips for organization can help you put even the tiniest galley-sized cooking space into ideal shape.

Getting started

Remove everything from your cupboards. You may be surprised at some of the things you find. If you unearth specialty pans, serving pieces, or other items that you never or rarely use, consider donating them to a good cause and regaining the storage space they have been using.

For items that you do not use often, but want to keep - for example stock pots, roasting pans, or holiday serving pieces - look for storage outside your kitchen.

If you are only using them once or twice a year, you can keep these items in the laundry room, attic, or basement and use your valuable kitchen space for your more frequently-used items.

If you have space in a dining room, purchase a hutch or buffet to stash crystal, china, or serving pieces there instead of in your kitchen. Now you are ready to streamline your storage.

Cupboards and Cabinets

If you have a small kitchen, it is highly likely you think you do not have enough cupboard space. While this may be true, you are probably not using your cupboard space as efficiently as possible. If you have deep cupboards, one great way to make each shelf more accessible is to install sliding shelves or wire baskets on slides. Sliding shelves pull out to make it easier to see and reach items that are toward the back of each shelf.

Have an awkward corner cabinet? Install a Lazy Susan so that items are easy to spin toward the front. If your cupboard shelves are too widely spaced, insert an additional shelf so you do not waste the space. You can also find tiered shelf inserts to make it easy to see items that are stored in the back of each shelf.

If you have many small, loose items in your cabinets, try to group them and place them in stackable baskets.

As you place the items back in your cupboards, arrange them so the most commonly-used items are at the front of each shelf and less-used items are near the back. Also keep in mind what items you use together and keep them in close proximity to one another. These tips can save a lot of time since the cooking tools you use daily will be together and conveniently located.

Pan-lid storage is a common problem. If pans are stacked to conserve space, the lids must be stored separately. Some cupboards will accommodate lid hooks on the insides of the doors. If your doors will not work with hooks and you need to store the lids on the shelves, place them on their sides in order from smallest to largest. Or, try using a dishpan or wire basket to contain all of the lids.

Instead of storing baking pans in a large or nested pile, turn them on their sides and slide them into the cupboard like books on a shelf. This efficient method makes it very easy to find the pan you need and to remove it from the cupboard without having to dislodge every other pan.

Hanging storage

Want to free up an entire cupboard? Install a hanging pot rack and store your pots and pans overhead. Pans stored this way are easy to access and efficient to keep organized. Hanging pot racks can be purchased ready-to-hang at most cooking and home-improvement stores, or you can build your own custom solution.

If you have empty wall space, hang shelves or wire storage units to create additional storage space.

The space under cabinets can be used to hang smaller items on cup hooks or to hang spice racks. Also look for appliances such as can openers and coffee makers that are made for under-cabinet mounting.

If you have a pantry door, use over-the-door hangers to keep items conveniently arranged. This type of storage is especially useful for small baking items such as baking soda and powder, vanilla, and yeast. Small racks can also be used for baby food jars, pet food cans, and individually packaged snacks. Alternately, use a garage style pegboard system to store extra utensils and cooking implements in this area.

A magnetic knife rack can be mounted on the wall to hold knives conveniently within reach without using counter space for a knife block. Magnetic racks can also be used for other regularly-used metal utensils.

Instead of a counter or stovetop kitchen timer, purchase one with a magnet so you can hang it on the front of the refrigerator or oven.

Drawers

Drawers can keep your kitchen implements convenient and safe or they can become jumbled catch-alls. Invest in some drawer organizers, but make sure they are flexible enough to store everything you need and that they do not use up more space than they create.

If you have ample drawers but are tight on other storage, think about using drawers in novel ways. For example, devote a drawer to storing spices. Each bottle can be placed label up, making it easy to see all of your herbs and spices at once. Drawers are also good for keeping food and beverage items such as tea, seasoning packets, drink mix packets, and pudding and gelatin mixes.

Portable storage

If you have floor space but not enough built-in storage, look at portable islands, butcher blocks, and bakers racks. All of these are available with top work surfaces and additional shelf or cupboard space below and sometimes above. A unit with wheels can be moved to where you need it most, but make sure it also has a wheel-lock mechanism so you can secure it. Microwave carts with additional storage are another portable solution.

Food storage

If you are tired of half-empty bags and boxes of food products tumbling around your pantry shelves, it may be time to organize your cooking and baking ingredients. First, throw away old or expired items.

Invest in some good plastic storage containers: rectangular ones will allow you to put the most containers in your space. Not only do containers stack more easily than the bags that commonly hold flour, sugar, rice, and other staples, but they also keep food fresh longer and help prevent pest infestations.

Make sure to use clear containers so you can easily identify the food, but clearly label anything that is ambiguous or has an expiration date you may need to track.

In the refrigerator, make use of hanging under-shelf racks to contain beverage cans. Since most top or bottom freezers do not have more than one shelf, add wire stacking units to create more shelf space. This makes it easier to remove items from the bottom without unleashing an avalanche. Keep like items in the refrigerator and freezer grouped together so you can see what you have in stock at a glance.

Clean car is cool

Cleaning a car: a piece of cake, right? Certainly, if you follow the procedures suggested by the Car Care Council. While it's the most basic procedure in car care, it does deserve some thought. The first step in cleaning the car is to wash it. Give it a good rinsing from top to bottom, including the wheels and inside the fenders. Always clean the tires and wheels before washing the body, and don't use the same mitt for both. This way you'll avoid contaminating the vehicle's paint with debris from the wheels and tires.

Use a good tire cleaner with a stiff brush, to improve your tires' appearance even if you don't have white sidewalls or white letter tires.

Next, clean the wheels with a wheel cleaner that removes the brake dust, which often blackens the front wheels. Application of these cleaners vary, so be sure and follow the directions on the container.

Now it's time to wash the body. Use a product sold specifically for automobiles. (Household cleaners can strip the wax from the paint and damage the finish.) Starting at the top, wash one section at a time, thoroughly rinsing away the soap. Work your way down toward the front, sides, and rear of the vehicle. Clean the rear last since it usually has the largest accumulation of dirt and grime, which can contaminate the wash mitt. Wash the inside door jams about once a month.

To rinse, remove the spray nozzle from the hose. Starting at the top, let the water cascade down the surfaces of the vehicle.

Then, to avoid water spotting, dry with a chamois or other product made for this purpose.

Now is an excellent time for waxing, which not only protects the finish but also makes subsequent washing easier. Before proceeding, look for foreign particles on the paint. Use a car cleaner, available at auto supply stores, to remove contaminants imbedded in the paint.

Once the surface is clean, apply the wax, following the manufacturer's instructions for application of the product. Often they recommend not using the product in direct sunlight.

Keeping your vehicle clean, while it doesn't require a lot of effort, says the Council, it does foster a feeling of pride and accomplishment.

Helping your shy child make friends

A lot of value is placed by society and employers on being outgoing and being able to network with different types of people by building friendly and long term relationships. Hence it is no surprise that parents of children who are shy and are unable to make friends want their children to be more outgoing and make friends easily. They usually become anxious about their child's lack of social skills. In their anxiety they may push the child too hard to be more sociable and as a consequence the children might become more withdrawn and insecure. However, it is possible to help your shy child to make friends with the right knowledge and patience.

Many children don't need constant social interaction to be happy. Long periods of interaction with groups usually tire them out and they try to counteract this by craving for time to spend by themselves. The shy and introverted children tend to spend long hours in solitary activities. Their hobbies usually include video games, computers, art, playing alone with dolls, constructing things. They tend to spend long hours in front of the TV. These children feel anxious while approaching others. They spend a lot of time and energy managing their anxieties and fears. This needs to be remedied because only by having friends and by interacting with groups your child can learn important social skills necessary to succeed as an adult.

In their anxiety many parents push their shy children into too many group activities. This kind of pressure can make a child anxious and insecure and make him more introverted. It is best to expose your introvert child to more several types of group activities from which he or she can choose the ones that they are comfortable with. Encourage them to join small group activities like small art, music, dance classes or sports activities so that the child can make friends naturally. Most of these children like learning new skills in small groups and they can pick up a lot of social skills along the way. It is important that you let your child know that there is nothing wrong in being an introvert and it is natural for children to have different kinds of personality types. Whatever you do don't label your children as shy and don't tell others that they are shy while they are around. It can work as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Observe your child in a group activity setting. If your child shows more affinity towards someone in the group then arrange to invite that child for a play date. Keep is short initially; one or two hours are enough for them to get to know each other. Once your child is really comfortable suggest they fix a play date at the new friend's house. You can also find out from your children about other children with whom they like to spend time and contact their parents about a get-together at your or their place. Usually the other child will also be an introvert and their parents will welcome the opportunity. Make sure that the children are comfortable with or good at the games that are planned. Let your child choose the activities. Although you should not interfere you should supervise and prod them a little if needed.

Many times your child will want to talk about disputes in the playground. You should not get drawn into these arguments and avoid criticizing other children. If possible you should encourage the child to find solutions and suggest some of your own. If your child avoids talking about the day at school or the playground, discuss about your own problems at work while dealing with others in a group, so that your child will be encouraged to open up. As children make or break friendships on very flimsy grounds try to remain impartial and encourage your child to analyze the situation objectively and discuss how they would have behaved in a particular situation and how they would have resolved the issue. If your child is not ready to discuss such issues then have a word with the teacher about your child's shyness and how it can be resolved.

Help your children to become more independent by encouraging them to do small things by themselves. Encourage them to deal with salespeople while shopping, calling up friends to fix a play date, etc. Encourage children to resolve small problems by themselves. Assure them that you are always there to help but they should try first. One solution may be to associate your shy child with a more outgoing and extrovert child, so he or she picks up some social skills from the other child. On the other hand you can pair the child with someone even shyer so that he or she can help the shyer child to handle social situations successfully. Your child will thus gain more self-confidence to handle social situations successfully

Children are often into latest fads, like a particular video game, collecting and exchanging cards, etc. Find out what is the latest fad and encourage and help them to get involved. This may not excite you much but it can provide your child with common ground to interact with other children. These fads are usually harmless and are quickly replaced with new ones so you don't have to worry much even if they don't appeal to you. They provide common ground for interaction with other children.

Find out in what situations your child feels shy whether it is meeting new people, going to gatherings or parties, starting a new school, participating in class activities or something else. Discuss with your child about these situations and how best they can be handled. Practice together what to say and do in specific situations, give some ideas and help in preparing to face the situation. Your efforts will eventually payoff and slowly but steadily your child will acquire the necessary social skills.