INSPIRATION

FRUIT ATTACK (Post-10)

2007-09-23T03:58:00.000-07:00

Drained out masticating fruits the same way..

That same old basket.. Same old corner.. Fruits howling in mercy ... pick me up...no first pick

me..no pick... me... pick.. no me....firstttt

Ahhhhwwww.....

Get out of this Boredom yaaaaaaaa.........

Come on ... lets make this Lively...

what say.....

Fruit Attacccccckkkkkk !!

Toss up fruits in syrups, melting chocolates, pies, puddings .........etc.

Hey.... I will share some mouth watering recipes that will be nutritious, scrumptious, filling and

yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.................................

Strawberry Fruit Dip
An Easy Snack Recipe for Kids!

Now your kids can dip their way into getting more fruit in their diets! Add fruit dip in the lunch box or on snack platters using sliced fruit like apples, strawberries or sliced melon. A great vegetarian snack recipe too.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:
2 Cups Strawberries, fresh or frozen (defrosted)
1 Cup Vanilla yogurt
1/4 Cup Cream cheese

Method:

Defrost frozen strawberries or, if using fresh strawberries, wash thoroughly.
Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and mix until smooth.

Note: Strawberries are a kid-friendly source of fiber and vitamin C.

Options for Strawberry Fruit Dip:

Low-fat cream cheese tastes great and cuts fat. Pineapple or raspberries are a good recipe substitute. Mix up the texture, adding chopped almonds or walnuts.

Berries In A Cloud

Ingredients:

6 egg whites at room temperature

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1/3 cup sugar

2-3 cups strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries

Directions:

1. Whip egg whites to soft peaks.

2. Add cream of tartar and blend for one minute. Sprinkle sugar over the blended mixture and whip until you have stiff peaks.

3. Spoon the mixture on a cookie sheet lined with ungreased parchment paper. Form a shell with each spooned mixture by creating a small well in the center.

4. Bake at 225 degrees for 2 to 2½ hours (check your oven temperature for accuracy), until meringue shells are dry and very pale beige.

5. Turn off oven and let meringues stand in oven with the door closed for two hours. Remove and cool.

6. Gently remove meringue clouds from paper with a flat spatula. Add fresh berries in the center. Serve with whipped cream, drizzle with chocolate, or garnish to your taste. Serves 10.

Tropical Fruit With Lime Dressing

This colorful dish highlights the exotic flavors of the tropics, using ingredients that grow where the weather is warm year-round.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
2 medium oranges
1 ripe mango
1 firm-ripe avocado
1 ripe papaya
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground red chile powder (optional)

Peel away the rind and the white pith (which tastes bitter) from the oranges and then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Help your child peel and slice the mango, avocado, and papaya. Arrange the slices in a decorative pattern on a platter. In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, and chile powder, if you like. Drizzle the dressing over the fruit. Serve at room temperature. Makes 6 servings.

Chocolate Fondue with Fresh Fruit

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup heavy cream, divided
4 ounces (1/2 cup) cream cheese, cut in chunks
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sucralose-based sugar substitute
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
24 green or red seedless grapes
12 small to medium strawberries, halved, or 6 large strawberries, quartered

Preparation:

1. Combine cocoa and 1/2 cup cream in small saucepan or fondue pot over low heat; whisk to mix completely. When cocoa mixture is hot and thick, add remaining cream and cream cheese. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and thick. Add sucralose and vanilla; stir to mix.

2.Keep fondue warm over very low heat. Arrange strawberries and grapes on a plate. Use wooden skewers or fondue forks for dipping.

Tip: Substitute fruit in season for the grapes and strawberries.

Great-Start Fruit Shake

When you need a refreshing alternative to orange juice, pour yourself a glass of this delicious breakfast shake.

Ingredients:

1 large frozen ripe banana, cut into small pieces
1 medium ripe mango (about 1 pound), peeled, pitted and chopped
1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple in juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup skim milk
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ice cubes

Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: None Serves 4

1. In a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine banana, mango, pineapple with juice, orange juice, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.

2. Add ice cubes, 1 at a time, to blender, pulsing after each addition, until mixture is smooth and foamy, about 1 minute. Pour fruit mixture into 4 chilled glasses. Serve immediately.

It's hot outside and you're thirsty! What to do? Instead of just reaching for a canned soda or drinks made from a mix, try a thirst quenching, simple to make homemade fruit beverage made from natural ingredients.

Nothing could be more invigorating and refreshing than a homemade fruit drink in a frosty glass on a warm Summer day! Here's an assortment of recipes for chilled fruit drinks and teas to try this summer season!

Cranberry Cooler

4 cups cranberry, cranberry-apple or cranberry-grape juice
2 1/2 cups club soda
ice cubes
Preparation - Mix together. Fill a glass with ice cubes. Pour juice over ice and serve.

Orangeade

2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water

Preparation - Combine ingredients and stir. Pour over cracked ice in tall glasses. Garnish with fresh oranges slices.

Smoothies... those delicious, creamy, frosty fruit drinks, are good for you and so simple to make. Creating the trendy, cool, thirst quenching concoctions in your kitchen couldn't be easier.

Choose your ingredients, wash the fruit, peel or cut into chunks, if needed, then let your blender do the rest. Kids love them too, and smoothies are a good way to add extra nutrition to their diets.

To make fresh fruit smoothies, use just one fruit or a few kinds of fruit that go well together, such as strawberries and bananas, pineapples and oranges, peaches and berries, etc.

Yogurt used in a smoothie can be plain, vanilla or yogurt with fruit... regular, low-fat or non-fat.

You can also use milk, either whole milk, 1%, 2% or skim milk, or use a combination of both milk and yogurt.

For high protein smoothies, replace the milk with soy milk. To cut the fat but still have a rich and creamy drink, use fat free or low-fat soy milk.

To reap the benefits of soy without sacrificing calcium, use calcium fortified soy milk.

When fresh fruit is not available, buy unsweetened frozen fruit... berries, peaches, melon, etc.

Use it straight from the freezer... no thawing needed. There's no need to add ice cubes when making smoothies with frozen fruit.

If you have bananas that are becoming over ripe, freeze them to use in smoothies. With frozen bananas you can also have cold frosty smoothies without adding ice cubes.

Fruit juice can be fresh, from a carton, or from frozen fruit juice concentrate.

Use orange juice, pineapple juice, white grape juice or a juice blend.

Your choice should compliment the fruit you're using. Add a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla or perhaps a little honey or maple syrup. Be creative!

For a basic smoothie, use -
1/2 to 1 cup fruit
1 cup plain or fruit yogurt
1/2 cup fruit juice
about 4 ice cubes

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Process on high until the ice is completely crushed and the drink is smooth and creamy.

The blender used to make smoothies can be a basic blender, with just a high and low setting, or a deluxe multi speed model, as long as it's powerful enough to crush ice cubes. Smoothie makers, new counter top appliances like the one shown above, feature powerful motors, heavy-duty ice-crushing blades, built in pusher/stirrers and convenient dispensing taps for easy serving.

Cherry Smoothies

Make a pretty, pink delicious smoothie with maraschino cherries. Use low-fat or lite yogurt and whipped topping for a healthier version of this cherry smoothie.

2/3 cup maraschino cherries, drained
1 container (8 oz. or 1 cup) cherry yogurt, regular or low fat
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 cup (approximately) frozen whipped topping, regular or lite
extra maraschino cherries for garnish, if desired

Preparation - Place the cherries, orange juice, pineapple juice, yogurt, and whipped topping in a blender or smoothie maker. Process for about 1 minute or until smooth. Makes 2 large smoothies.

Kiwi, Grape & Honeydew Smoothie

This pleasing combination of fruits makes a refreshing smoothie. There is no milk or yogurt in this thick and frosty drink, just pureed fruit and ice.

1 kiwi fruit - peeled and chopped
1 cup white grapes
1 cup honeydew melon chunks
1 cup white grape juice
6 tp 8 ice cubes

Preparation - Place all the ingredients in the blender container. Process on high speed until the mixture is well-blended, the ice is completely crushed and the drink is smooth and creamy.

After telling quite a few recipes I am sure you ought to try them.. And lemme know how they tasted...

So... Dump Cokes and use them as toilet cleaners...

Make your own drink frizzy and juicy...

Innovate your way!!

To every season
Fruits are a good reason
so mix and match and
grab the right patch...

A DELIGHT (Post-8)

2007-09-22T22:54:00.000-07:00

Envisage ....

Cosy in bed drapped in satin covers.

An hours of jacuzzi with rose petals all over,Wine in a champagne flute glass and a panorama of sea.

Spa with aroma candles around and an ayurvedic effleurage.

Sun bathing at the beach side or lazing on a hammock in the backyard seccedding the sea.

Haute cuisine for a candle light dinner dolled up in a dining dress.

Pilfered!! Realism is where you experience it....

How about 15 days retirement at Hawaiian Beaches...

Spellbinding.... Isn' it...

Lets Go Hawaii . . .

that beautiful land... the climate, one long delicious summer day, and the good that die experience no change, for they but fall asleep in one heaven and wake up in another."

Twain's depictions of Hawaii are as true today as they were in 1889.

A visit to Hawaii will leave an indelible impression on your memory.

And just like Twain himself, don't be surprised if you find yourself longing to return.

A gentle trade wind wakes you.

You wiggle your toes in the soft, golden sand

The rhythmic surf ebbs and flows against the shore as you nod off once again.

Welcome to a typical day in Hawaii.

Sunbathe on Big Beach in Maui.

Drift down Kauai’s Wailua River in a kayak.

Stroll through Halawa Valley in Molokai.

Play thirty-six holes unlike any other on Lanai.

Let a slack-

key guitar soothe your spirit in Waikiki .

Lounge at a café on Hawaii’s Big Island as you nurse a freshly roasted cup of Kona c offe e.

No matter how you choose to unwind, the Islands of Aloha are the perfect haven in which to refresh, relax, and rejuvenate.

as well as the ingredients for the healing indulgences of Hawaii. Wash away your cares with Thalasso ocean water therapy.

Give in to the soothing powers of a seaweed body wrap. Unwind with a warm lava-rock massage or a Hawaiian lomilomi massage.

Treatments on every island renew your sense of well-being and of being well.

If the spa treatments sound irresistible, wait until you try the food. Fresh ingredients and exotic seasonings from across the Pacific Rim meet with European counterparts to forge the culinary delights of Hawaiian Regional Cuisine.

Snapper with Thai basil. Wasabi aioli. Lemon grass sorbet.

From fine dining to the casual comfort food of the local-style "plate lunch," the food throughout each island tantalizes the senses and nourishes the soul.

Deep blue waters become playgrounds for surfers, swimmers, scuba divers, and kayakers off the coasts of Oahu and Maui.

Vast stretches of countryside become arenas for horseback riders and ATVs on Lanai and the Big Island.

Lush mountains on Kauai and Molokai become a maze of hiking trails and bike paths, begging to be solved.

Hawaii is a different kind of paradise for the thrill-seeker.

Here you'll find everything under the sun to get your heart pounding.

After a long trip to Hawaii, take pride in knowing your tan wasn't just the result of sitting by the hotel pool.

it's the warmth you feel from the moment you step off the plane. It's the friendliness, hospitality, and generosity you'll discover from everyone you encounter, from the hotel concierge to the people on the street. It's the love the people of Hawaii have for their home, their heritage, and each other.

Perhaps it was the ancient Polynesians who first arrived on the Islands who brought this sense of Aloha. Perhaps Aloha is a result of Hawaii's spectacular environment nurtured by a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities. Perhaps more than any of its incomparable natural wonders and diversions, the Aloha Spirit is what truly makes Hawaii unique. We invite you to visit Hawaii to discover what Aloha means to you.

Share a breathtaking sunrise atop Haleakala Crater in Maui.

Tandem kayak along the tranquil Hanalei River in Kauai.

Boat along the towering cliffs of Molokai’s North Shore.

Toast the sunset in a catamaran off Lanai. Stargaze atop Mauna Kea on the Big Island.

Dine and dance deep into the night on Oahu.

When the day is done, sip champagne on your balcony while relaxing to the rhythmic ebb and flow of the ocean.

Tomorrow there are beaches to explore. Sunsets to chase. Pleasant surprises to stumble upon.

You’ll see why the special moments of your trip to Hawaii become even more enduring when they’re shared together.

I am enclosing snippets from the Okinawan Festival held at the Kapiolani Park in Waikiki, Hawaii. (August 31 - September 2, 2007). Features clips of performances by Hanayakara, Ryusei Daiko, Sousakudaiko Ryukyu Yuihana, and the Rinken Band.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Zynk_e5QzgA

Domicile this Paradise :)

UTOPIA (Post-9)

2007-09-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Suitcase stuffed with clothes umpteen
Locked trunk with K 1113
Tags on even the smallest wear
I was all ready to leave for Mayo Ajmer.

Age so small
Responsibilities so called
Wet eyes
I left my parents behind..

Shivered in fear
Boarding so cruel
Strict Routine
With no fellow feel.

Slowly I learnt
The tactics so firm
Enchanting eyes
I enjoyed every bit of life.

Laloo’s daughter – my bestest friend
Shared us – our past school trends.

Holidays came
Showed an attitude of fame
Mayo girls blood running in my veins.

Along with these good days, hit the bad days
I skid and injured my left leg
And lost the fun filled rays.

No regrets
As time let me forget
The bad days
And left me with the memoirs of dear days.

This was “Best of my Life”

New school back home
Attitude so frown
For the first time it was co-ed
I flushed with crimson red.

I proved to be a scholar
With dance always on fire
Be it co curricular
I shone over other house intruders.

Always so Active
Certificates branded
Enjoyed this new fair
With Never wanted class affairs.

Basket Ball flourished
With my outstanding skills
The cluster came
And I cheered in frills.

Hand in hand invested in NEUMS
As a member of editorial board
I ceased smelling fumes.

Farewell came.
College to tame.
Selection so tough
Sophia College on thrust!!

This was “Best of my Life”

Again packed my bags
And was ready for rags.
Weeping eyes
Left my parents behind…..

Bombay – the place
was not ready for this race.
Tough Life it looked
The aim too was hooked.

Again hostel life
With nuns around
Stood as if
I was on the edge of sword.

Time went by
I enjoyed every fly
Be it as assistant co ordinator
Or an organizer
Or any ramp show
I rocked all in a flow.

Subjects so new
Crushed me to stew
Still I survived and
Earned the grades so bright.

Achieved my aim
A degree that
Shone my parents name With a pride
My hard work
Let Economics Single Majors to my stride.

I stood again on the road to farewell
With the remark
That I owned a Sophia College and the hostel as my habitat.

I engulfed the posture of a Sophian
And levied all my traits to my desire.

This was “Best of My Life”

Me a graduate moved to lead a further life
Joined a PG Diploma In EMDI.
Events Marketing Public Relations
Entirely new fields to my creations.

Knocked an opportunity -
Loreal Ford Super Model of India
Served 15 days as Celebrity and a Contestant Manager
The world of Glamour
Celebs all over.

In between the contest came
My Birthday to celebrate
An Apple I Pod – Bhai presented to my Surprise
Contestants too – called me upon
Where there rehearsals took place.
A chocolate iced choco cake
With the Celebs I celebrated this day.

This was "Best of my Life"

Then Interned with Lowe Lintas
And made contacts colorfast.
One year vanished in a click
I achieved a PG so quick.
Came the phase to work on a task
I Joined Planman with a bass.

6 months were so learned
With salary so crooked
Left this industry with a grin
No matter how good it was to my rim.

Packed all and now back to home,
Enjoying this life of toddler’s tomb!
A pamper so over nerved
I am now in the marriage life’s curve.

This is "Best of my Life"

I have cherished each and every moment of my life and I intend to forever and ever... :)

DISPOSE OFF TOXICS (Post-7)

2007-09-22T04:12:00.000-07:00

Green Nature Organic Compounds

Non Toxic Substances Pollution Free Environment Clean Water

Biodegradable compounds

I CALL IT NATURALNESS!!

Organic means our food is not grown in cocktail of chemicals that means chemical fertilisers or chemical pesticides (either used on the crop or already present in the soil owing to their use for decades) and is also not genetically modified or genetically engineered. Science says Fresh

Organic Produce contains many more vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Organic products protect us from toxic and chemical induced diseases while nourishing our bodies to promote good health. Non-organic food only appears to be cheaper, but it costs us our health, our farmland, our eco-systems and taxes to pay for the disasters that chemical farming create.

Chemical farming has led to dramatic erosion of the soil, killing off whole species of birds and near extinction of some of our beautiful wildlife. Sustainable Organic Agriculture is already feeding people around the world.

Chemical farming can seriously damage farmer's health.

It helps fights various diseases of which I will discuss Top Cancer-Fighting Foods

Mounting evidence shows that the foods we eat weigh heavily in the war against cancer.

By Elizabeth Heubeck WebMD FeatureReviewed by Louise Chang, MD

As researchers continue to wage war against cancer, many have begun to focus on what could be the most promising ammunition to date: diet.

“The easiest, least-expensive way to reduce your risk for cancer is just by eating a healthy diet,” says Rachael Stolzenberg-Solomon, PhD, MPH, RD, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute.

When it comes to a diet rich in cancer-fighting substances, most experts agree that it should consist of a predominantly plant-based diet. “If you have two-thirds of plant food on your plate, that seems to be enough to avoid excessive amounts of food high in saturated fat,” says Karen Collins, RD, nutritional advisor for the American Institute for Cancer Research.

That seemingly simple advice could mean a drastic change in diet for many people.
“People who are thinking that this is like a diet, and are trying to choke this stuff down, it’s never going to last,” Collins tells WebMD. “You’re looking at creating something for a lifetime. If it takes you awhile, but each month or so you enjoy [one more vegetable], then that’s great,” Collins.

You may want to start with some of the following food substances, all of which show promise as cancer-fighting agents.

Folate-Rich Foods

This B-complex vitamin can be found in many ‘good for you’ foods. Plus, manufacturers of cereals, pastas, and breads often fortify their products with folate.

How It Works

“The thought is that when someone has low levels of folate, it’s more likely for mutations in DNA to occur,” Stolzenberg-Solomon says. Conversely, adequate levels of folate protect against such mutations.

Cancer-Fighting Abilities

In a large-scale study, researchers evaluated the effects of folate on more than 27,000 male smokers between ages 50 and 69. Men who consumed at least the recommended daily allowance of folate — about 400 micrograms — cut by half their risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

How to Get It

Starting with breakfast, a glass of orange juice is high in folate; so are most cereals (check the box to see how much). For lunch, try a hearty salad with either spinach or romaine leaves. Top it with dried beans or peas for an extra boost. Snack on a handful of peanuts or an orange. At dinner, choose asparagus or Brussels sprouts as your vegetable.

Vitamin D

This fat-soluble vitamin which helps absorb calcium to build strong teeth and bones may also build protection against cancer.

How It Works

Researchers suggest that vitamin D curbs the growth of cancerous cells.

Cancer-Fighting Abilities:

A report presented at the latest meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) showed a link between increased vitamin D intake and reduced breast cancer risk. It found vitamin D to lower the risk of developing breast cancer by up to 50%.

Vitamin D may also improve survival rates among lung cancer patients, according to a Harvard study reported in 2005. Patients who received surgery for lung cancer in the summer, when vitamin D exposure from sunshine is greatest, and had the highest intake of vitamin D, reported a 56% five-year survival rate. Patients with low vitamin D intakes and winter surgeries had only a 23% survival rate.

How to Get It

In light of these recent findings, many researchers consider the current RDA of 400 international units (IU) too low. William G. Nelson, MD, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., suggests that the RDA recommendations for vitamin D be increased to 1,000 IU for both men and women. “Higher amounts may eventually prove better, but for now that amount is likely to be safe and have a protective effect,” he tells WebMD.

While vitamin D is often associated with milk, high concentrations also can be found in these seafood choices: cod, shrimp, and Chinook salmon. Eggs are another good source. And don’t forget sunshine. In just 10 minutes, you can soak up as much as 5,000 IU of vitamin D if you expose 40% of your body to the sun, without sunscreen.

Tea

If you enjoy sipping tea, you’ll be happy to know that it appears promising against some forms of cancer.

How It Works

Like many plant-based foods, tea contains flavonoids, known for their antioxidant effects. One flavonoid in particular, kaempferol, has shown protective effects against cancer.

Cancer-Fighting Abilities:

A large-scale study evaluating kaempferol intake of more than 66,000 women showed that those who consumed the most of it had the lowest risk of developing ovarian cancer. Researcher Margaret Gates, a doctoral candidate at Harvard’s School of Public Health, suggests that consuming between 10 milligrams and 12 milligrams daily of kaempferol — the amount found in four cups of tea –offers protection against ovarian cancer.

A separate study showed a link between consuming flavonoids and reducing the risk of breast cancer. The study, analyzing the lifestyle habits of nearly 3,000 people, showed that postmenopausal women who got the most flavonoids were 46% less likely to develop breast cancer than those who got the least. However, flavonoid consumption had no effect on breast cancer risk among premenopausal women.

How to Get It

Hot tea can be warming in the winter; ice tea offers cool refreshment in the summer. So enjoy tea year-round to boost cancer prevention.

Cruciferous Vegetables

They may not have been your favorite as a kid, but cruciferous vegetables — members of the cabbage family that include kale, turnip greens, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts — can help you ward off cancer.

How They Work

In lab experiments, substances released during either cutting or chewing cruciferous vegetables produced a cancer-killing effect.

Cancer-Fighting Abilities

Recent studies on cruciferous vegetables show promising results against prostate and colon cancers. In mice grafted with human prostate tumors and then treated with one of these cancer-killing substances, tumors began to shrink to half their size after 31 days. In another experiment, mice engineered to be a model for an inherited colon polyp condition that is at high risk for developing into colon cancer were fed the antioxidant called sulforaphane, also released when chewing cruciferous vegetables. The mice developed about half as many polyps as expected.

How to Get Them

Swallowing them whole won’t do. The protective effect of cruciferous vegetables seems to occur when they are cut or chewed. They’re great in stir fry, as side dishes, or tossed into salads raw. Experiment with flavors like lemon or garlic. “Vegetables can be a fabulous-tasting centerpiece of cuisine,” says Collins.
CurcuminBy sprinkling curcumin into your favorite dishes, you could be adding much more than a little zest to your meal — you could add years to your life.

How It Works

Experts credit curcumin’s anti-inflammatory effects for its ability to fight cancer. “Most diseases are caused by chronic inflammation that persists over long periods of time,” says Bharat B. Aggarwal, PhD, a biochemist at

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Recent studies have shown curcumin to interfere with cell-signaling pathways, thereby suppressing the transformation, proliferation, and invasion of cancerous cells.
Cancer-Fighting Abilities

Curcumin’s protective effects may extend to bladder and gastrointestinal cancers. Some say they don’t stop with these types of cancer. “Among all the cancers we and others have examined, no cancer yet has been found which is not affected by curcumin. This is expected, as inflammation is the mediator for most cancer,” Aggarwal tells WebMD.

How to Get It

Curcumin flavors lots of popular Indian dishes, as it is the main ingredient in curry powder. It complements rice, chicken, vegetable, and lentils. Some chefs sprinkle the bright, yellow powder into recipes for a burst of color.

Ginger

This popular spice, long used to quell nausea, may soon be used to fight cancer, too.

How It Works

Working directly on cancer cells, researchers discovered ginger’s ability to kill cancer cells in two ways. In apoptosis, the cancer cells essentially commit suicide without harming surrounding cells. In autophagy, “the cells are tricked into digesting themselves,” explains J. Rebecca Liu, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who has been studying ginger’s effects on ovarian cancercells. While this preliminary evidence shows promise, ginger’s cancer-fighting effects must still be proven in animal and human trials.

Cancer-Fighting Abilities

Armed with ginger, ongoing research is taking aim against the most lethal of gynecological cancers: ovarian cancer. “Most women [with ovarian cancer] develop resistance to conventional chemotherapy drugs,” Liu tells WebMD. Because ginger may kill cancer cells in more than one way, researchers are hopeful that patients would not develop resistance to it.

Because ginger’s effects on cancer haven’t been tested directly on human subjects, researchers can’t yet offer specific dietary recommendations. “We don’t know how it’s metabolized,” Liu says. But that needn’t stop people from adding ginger to their diet. “We know it’s relatively nontoxic,” Liu tells WebMD.

How to Get It

Go beyond the obvious choices, like sipping ginger ale and eating gingerbread cookies. Countless soups, sumptuous marinades, and zesty sauces call for ginger.

Taken from : http://www.webmd.com/

Must See :

http://www.organicindia.com/gallery/Tulsi_People/

Must Watch:

Organic India in Bundelkhand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXMZtehJus4

The wonder of Triphala

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOLDpdm5aIQ

Live Life KingSize ( Post-6)

2007-09-22T02:10:00.000-07:00

Trapped in a fantasy with no solution, Fighting back with your own defence mechanism...

What an unhealthy soul ?? with no life in action...

Rise up... Time to take a right action... Being Healthy is Being Fit...

Right your Attitude with creative thoughts...

Stuff your lungs with freshen air...

Strengthen your mind with blissful emotions...

And Churn unhealthiness to healthiness...

Live for your Life Being!!

Promised Healthiness...... With an extravagant wellness!!

8 Hours at workplace, full day household work, tension, stress, unhealthy food, fatigue...

Any more such excused complaints..

Look what you doing to yourself!

Where is the healthiness in the entire day's schedule... Every day is a same day.. Right!!

Pack up for an aged life in the age of 40's.. A pale looking creature...

Is that what you want??

Make your life visible...

Good exercising routine like jogging, cycling, gymming or

morning and night walks schedule or

be it a an hours outdoor play or

the best and most advised exercise Pranayama..... or something alike

can surely help you

overcome all the unhealthy aspects of your routine!

Its your wish how u want to give up on Stress!!

Join up ... may be in evenings when invest two hours playing and at night meditating like I do..

I have stated feeling Healthier day by day..

There was a time when I had full day work from morning leaving at 9 and coming back home late evenings.. I made it a point to walk early morning hours at Bandstand.. By the sea side good view.. Can say such an ambience motivated me with a walkman in my ears..

Look for your motivation... And go ahead...

Now are the days when I am chillaxing back at home.. Full day sitting on laptop and tv on.. What a stress to my body and eyes... I make it to play in evenings as I mentioned earlier.. This gives me strength and makes me active..

Its very necessary for you to sweat...

If cant dedicate time like me then put up this video and try to invest just 6 minutes everyday into this..

(atleast by this way u will visit my blogs daily ;p )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKRAi1hwPhw

Results takes time to for a insalubrious body.

For those who have the most natural surroundings around them with downstream river flowing by their backyard of the house and a Sun Rise to be felt so closely ...

Loosing out this advantage from Nature??

Surya Namaskar is another lovely activity which can make you and your well being very strong.

Check the following link to feel how to do such an activity and adopt it..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eibTC8nGd_c

Along with all these above mentioned a fact lies in the right diet which means a well balanced diet full of protiens,vitamins,carbohydrates!!

Nature's Syrup i.e. Fresh fruit juices and vegetable juices are the best drinks that enriches your body mind and soul.

Milk is also an essential drink to have daily atleast once a day.

It can be made tastier by adding flavoured cornflakes or chocoloate energy drinks..

Even oat meals in milk serves as the best breakfast meals....

There is this lovely campaign that wil surely motivate you and convince as to how tasty can milk be?

Milk can be seasoned and made savory...and build your bones strong..

Enjoy this campaign:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZjFH6yZ8LIA

Doodh doodh doodh doodh doodh hai wonderful, pi sakte hain roz glassful doodh doodh doodh doodh :)

Unleash the beauty within....

IS IT THE BRAND THAT SPEAKS?? (Post-5)

2007-09-21T23:02:00.000-07:00

Layman's language.... Quality is contained in a high priced Brand.....

More the hype more the consumption

But thats not all......

Over a period of time there is a shift in consumer's behaviour...

Initially the Brands were recognised by their names like Levis, Addidas, Nike,Honda etc...

Now they look for which country is producing what brand.. So the countries have become the recognition to these brands.

Ah.. so this ones from Europe.. wow... Is this from China... tch! cheap market... India.. hmm.. must be not that expensive... Italy... Really? So Beautiful!!

In this era, the consumers asks for Brand India, Brand China , Brand Itlay which thereby means that the enitre world is categorized into a hierarchy of Brand where in Brand India could be a mediocre or low cost Brand and Brand Europe on the other hand could be a high end Brand.

Recently I caught up an article in The Hindu Friday, Sep 07, 2007 that clearly states a behaviourial change in consumers in an IT industry as follows :

‘Quality key to Brand India edge’
Anand Parthasarathy

Speedy execution of infrastructure in IT cities essential, says Nasscom Chairman Lakshmi Narayanan

BANGALORE: International clients ask their suppliers today: Can you give me ‘India quality’? What a change from the attitude of industry here, less than a decade ago. National Association of Software and Service Companies President Kiran Karnik used this illustration to underline how India’s information technology industry has grown beyond seeking business based on compelling pricing — to become a synonym for quality. He was speaking at a panel discussion that kicked off the association’s annual quality summit that opened here on Thursday.

But infrastructure could still prove the Achilles’ heel, no matter how much product and services quality improved, he added. “About infrastructure in IT cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad, one can only say: Intention: good. Plans: good. Speed: Not good.”

Nasscom Chairman Lakshmi Narayanan pointed out some harsher aspects of the global services scenario, where sadly it is not the customer but the overall environment that sets the expectation level. Soumitra (‘Sammy’) Sana, Managing Director of Motorola’s Software Group in India, suggested that Indian players must redress this by putting the customer back into the equation. Alexius Collete, CEO of the Bangalore-based Philips Innovation Campus, felt that India could stake out its own unique brand by “exceeding the expectations of all stake holders — that meant both customers, clients and one’s own staff.”

Ganesh Natarajan, Zensar Technologies’ Managing Director, who chaired the panel, felt that the Chief Executive had a crucial role to play in setting a company’s quality agenda.

The two-day summit will see a cross section of technology, quality assurance and process management professionals exchange ideas on how to retain the edge that Brand India had gained in the fiercely competitive global IT space.

So now what do the Brands have to say??

I scrutinized some of the Archives.. follow them!

“There is a retail revolution that is taking place in the country. Consumers are well travelled, aware and quality-conscious. We thought that our only competition was from the unorganised market. With India getting so much organised retail space, we are sure that the growth phenomenon is here to stay. We have booked space in every possible mall that is coming up and hope to touch a figure of 230 stores by 2010.”

Pramod Arora, Executive Director, Archies Limited

“It is not like if one brand has become popular, we will sell everything under that umbrella. So, neither Rajnigandha can have a brand extension nor can any product fall in the category of Rajnigandha. Likewise, when we talk of Baba, the message is world’s best tobacco. So Baba cannot be about paan masala, it’s the nation’s first saffron flavoured chewing tobacco that has set global benchmarks for quality since 1929. It is not like anything and everything being sold under the same brand name.”

Ashok K Aggarwal, President, DS Group

"Considering that the pizza is a food foreign to the Indian palate, Pizza Hut tried to develop a bond with the Indian consumer. What has worked for Pizza Hut is the strategy to ‘think global and act local’. It is an international brand with an Indian heart, in terms product, quality of service as well as pricing."

Pankaj Batra, Director-Marketing, Indian Subcontinent, Yum! Restaurants International, Pizza Hut

“We have identified a set of power brands to focus on and maintain our leadership across flavors and price-points. This, along with continuous innovation, quality and our sales, marketing and distribution forte has helped us to maintain leadership.”

Vijay K Rekhi, President, UB Group Spirits Division and MD, McDowell

“The consumer really is not price sensitive today. If you are giving quality products and the latest technology, they want it. Then they won’t compromise. As for our prices, in every product category be it colour televisions, refrigerators, or washing machines, we have feature packed products at every price point. With the trend of 29”CTV, projection TV and plasma TV catching on, Videocon offers an entire premium range at competitive pricing.”

Sunil Tandon, VP- Marketing, Videocon India Limited

Hence........Quality! An attribute to a Brand...

A Trust or An Assurance or Our Expectation!

Is it that we create needs and so the brand develops?
Is it that we create the niche market so such Brands flourish?
or is that we behave in a certain manner that such quality products called Brands are developed??

Let me share with you a small video where you might get your answer!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QHyAHEzbEGc

Becker Multimedia asked Chief Marketing Officers with The Home Depot, General Electric, and The Coca-Cola Company; and a shrewd professor of advertising at UNC Chapel Hill. The answer may surprise you.

ROSE REVIVAL ( Post-4)

2007-09-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

Gone are the days where you will find youth sitting in a Pizza Hut and asking for a pizza with a bottle of Coke.

Rather they prefer to chill out at places like Mondey's or Leopolds with a Creme Pasta and a bottle of Rose Wine....

Summers were bashed on beaches with drinks like "SEX ON THE BEACH" or may be a Fosters.

Now the tastes are changing with the revival of drinks that existed in 70s ... People adopt ever changing trends and gets captivated with new names....

Rose Wines are in Fashion!!

Don’t write off rosés because you’ve had a few candy-sweet pink wines.

Depending on the grape and the winemaking method, the color of a rosé varies from pale to vivid.

Don't let that pink hue fool you: rosé is for grownups, and serious wine drinkers love it. It isn't candylike, it doesn't taste remotely like bubble gum, it's a great partner for food—and come summertime, pink is what you want to drink.

With a low to medium alcohol level, wonderfully perfumy nose, bright acidity, and refreshing blast of red berry flavors, rosé wines are charming. (I normally stay away from wine words that don't evoke flavor or texture, but with rosés, "charming" definitely applies).

When you're drinking, that mouthwatering zing of acidity brings you back for another sip, and when you're eating, it sets you up for another bite of food that captures the magic of what eating and drinking is all about.

Rosé comes from red wine grapes

Rosé can be a blend of several different red grape types or made from just one. In southern France, you'll find Grenache-based rosés from appellations such as Tavel and Cairanne, and fuller bodied Mourvèdre-based rosés from Bandol.

There are rosés based on Cabernet Franc from the Loire, and France's most expensive, exquisite rosé wine, rosé Champagne.

The Italians make delicious rosés from Sangiovese, the main grape found in Chianti; the Spanish use Grenache as the French do (in Spanish, it's Garnacha), as well as Tempranillo, the main grape in Rioja. I've enjoyed rosés made from Pinot Noir produced in the Napa Valley. (When they're made from Pinot Noir, lighter rosés are also referred to as vin gris—"gray wine"—because of the coppery-pink color the skins give to the juice.)

Other delicious rosés from California are made from Rhône-style blends of grapes, such as Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre.

Contact with grape skins gives rosé its color

A wine becomes pink wine before fermentation actually begins. Here are a couple of different ways that rosé gets its color—and its character.

Maceration.

After the grapes are crushed, they're moved to a large stainless-steel vat, where the juice stays in contact with the grape skins. After the desired color is achieved, the juice is drained off the skins into another vessel to ferment.

Thick-skinned grapes, such as Syrah, Cabernet, or Zinfandel, have shorter skin contact time, while thinner-skinned grapes, such as Grenache or Pinot Noir, are left on the skins longer. The longer the maceration time, the more color, flavor, and character are imparted to the finished wine.

Saignée, or "bled."

The grapes and skins—usually a blend of dark-skinned, intensely flavored grapes that would make a big, powerful red wine—are crushed and left in a large, stainless-steel vat. After an hour or two, a certain amount of juice is drawn off or "bled," and fermented into a delicate rosé (the juice that stays behind is made into red wine).

Saignée allows a winemaker the option of making a delicate rosé wine from intensely flavored grapes (it also concentrates both the color and the flavor in the juice that remains with the skins). The resulting rosé will be complex and flavorful, but lighter than the resulting red wine would be.

Blending red and white wines together. This is how a lot of mass-produced blush wines are made. (A lot of people pooh-pooh blush wine, but I don't. Blush gets people drinking wine who might not otherwise do so, and this popular seller helps wineries stay in business so they can keep making the high-end stuff.) Blending is also the way rosé Champagne is often made, and in France, that's the only time blending red and white wines is legal.

Rosé is deliciously versatile

Rosé's lively acidity and light to medium body make it a friendly partner for a wide range of flavors.

Here are some delicious excuses to open a bottle:

1. Smoked salmon with capers on toast.

2. Tomatoes and garlic on grilled baguette slices.

3. Seared veal chops, especially with fuller-bodied, Mourvèdre-based rosés, like those from Bandol.

4. Seared swordfish or tuna, brushed with some fruity olive oil, smeared with an olive-based tapenade.

5. Paella with shrimp, clams, and scallops.

6. Simple poached salmon with rosé Champagne.

Well chilled on a summer's day (or even on a warm evening), roses make a surprisingly good food match. They are not wines to dwell over too long, but are best glugged joyfully.

And they look so good in the glass, too: after all, aesthetics is an important but often underestimated part of the dining experience. In this sense, they are not 'geek' wines, but 'commodity' or 'situation' wines.

This is what that makes a really good product as its something you can enjoy with the season and the combination food....

My mouth has started watering ... I go to go and have my share before it gets over...

Dun miss to savour !!

SPEECHLESS (Post-1)

2007-09-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Its been a week that I visited Bombay just for my own fun and to meet my closest buddies...

We planned partying almost everynight...

One of the nights we spent was in Poison ( a discotheque).. There this guy standing in one corner of the area with a booze in his hand was constantly asking out all the gals who wore sexiest clothes to may be dance or may be for a one night stand...

I am not sure of that... But the body language and the eyes spoke all.. It so happened that he suddenly looked at me and constantly was staring at me.. I was a bit nervous but though I had my guy frens around I was kind a at ease... Anyhow for him that dint matter... So he.. managed to come to my side of the floor where i was in the trance of dance ;)

I believe I was lucky enough to be ignored from being his prey as i shifted to other side and my cousin came in between us... Phew... its actually very scary when desperates around you..
Then after some time I saw this guy is stuck with a clan of only girls... I was like wooooo....

First thing hit my mind was dont people care about their self - respect.. Has Bombay totally given up on its culture.. No values people are left with.. Whats with such a Westernisation where people give up on their emotional aspect!! I am sure it happens all over India but not in so open grounds and the degree has hit the threshold... It was a SICK feeling....

Then once we planned partying in Enigma... This dude enters with a bash and starts dancing.. Glares on.. Cant say a stud... but yeah a smart street... He was showing off a lot... I for once felt asking him as I was little high on music that day.. but could not make to ask... that "HAVE U LIKE GOT CONJUCTIVITIS" ;)

Heights of Fashion.... Bombay has like got anything and everything to talk about... all wierdest things... Trust me...

Alike, I never thought I will ever get to see a replica of Hippies... Really!! It was when we went for a Brunch at JUST AROUND THE CORNER.. one of the amazing places of Bandra where you can just clash with some celeb :) These two girls... what clothes and what sexy hairstyle - had lond spikes colored in crimson red... Body piercing and the tattoo art they carried.. It was unbelievable..

I wish I could manage the snapshots of these three incidences....

I was wondering one day will come when I ll get to see people dressed as tribes of Goa and coming for a lovely brunch with their lovely almost nude ladies.. wow...

Are we heading forwards or reviving backwards.... Its Crazyyyy....

Hey .. how can I forget this... A new place opened in Bombay for sluts and that too Russian sluts called China House and guess where its placed ....."HYATT".... :O

U have to stand .... if u cant afford a table for 25k to sit... God knows if you get a gal free in that ;p I chucked on this idea as I was so sure of me being straight :) but heard its become the new hangout place for rich brats who can flaunt their money on these good looking sexy haute sluts...

On top of it ... C where is the competition heading to... chuck studies .. chuck employment opportunities.. its between the call girls and the Hinjaras ( kinners) ... Supposedly its said that these hinjaras charge more for a night than these call girls.. Isn't this an interesting subject... U can c these kinners on the bestest of corners of Bombay and they are so damn sexy and beautiful that you will fail to understand are these actually kinners....

Bombay is all about this.... So much of culture from The WESt...

This place deals with psychopaths :

sexomaniacs :

tycoons to beggars........

There is this large visible inequality that follows.....

U can Ignore the castes that reside
but not the air that flows beside...

The place has its own charm - Life in a Metro... after all.

MONOMANIA (Post-2)

2007-09-21T05:26:00.000-07:00

A cute lil gal wearing polka dots

Blushing smile and astuteful eyes...

Spoofs on posters in an utterly way...

Grins us with slogans said in a butterly way!!

Guessed it right... I am talking about AMUL Butter Girl....

Only Brand I love and Respect.

There are various brands that I love and fond of like Levis, CCD, Elle Westend, Marlboro, Diesel, Versace, Louis Vuitton, Tarun Tahiliani, Coca Cola, Manish Malhotra, Ritu Beri, Pepe, Sony, Apple, Cross, Loreal, Body Shop, Carmichael, etc......... no end to it...

If you look at these lovesome brands ; actually they are just a Fashion Trend.

It is today , it may not be tomorrow.

Respect comes from within.... Taste of India! A pride you can call.. A gesture of patriotism...

The moppet who put Amul on India's breakfast table

50 years after it was first launched, Amul's sale figures have jumped from 1000 tonnes a year in 1966 to over 25,000 tonnes a year in 1997. No other brand comes even close to it. All because a thumb-sized girl climbed on to the hoardings and put a spell on the masses.

Bombay: Summer of 1967. A Charni Road flat. Mrs. Sheela Mane, a 28-year-old housewife is out in the balcony drying clothes. From her second floor flat she can see her neighbours on the road. There are other people too. The crowd seems to be growing larger by the minute. Unable to curb her curiosity Sheela Mane hurries down to see what all the commotion is about. She expects the worst but can see no signs of an accident. It is her four-year-old who draws her attention to the hoarding that has come up overnight.

"It was the first Amul hoarding that was put up in Mumbai," recalls Sheela Mane. "People loved it. I remember it was our favourite topic of discussion for the next one week! Everywhere we went somehow or the other the campaign always seemed to crop up in our conversation."
Call her the Friday to Friday star. Round eyed, chubby cheeked, winking at you, from strategically placed hoardings at many traffic lights. She is the Amul moppet everyone loves to love (including prickly votaries of the Shiv Sena and BJP).

How often have we stopped, looked, chuckled at the Amul hoarding that casts her sometime as the coy, shy Madhuri, a bold sensuous Urmila or simply as herself, dressed in her little polka dotted dress and a red and white bow, holding out her favourite packet of butter.

For 30 odd years the Utterly Butterly girl has managed to keep her fan following intact. So much so that the ads are now ready to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for being the longest running campaign ever. The ultimate compliment to the butter came when a British company launched a butter and called it Utterly Butterly, last year.

It all began in 1966 when Sylvester daCunha, then the managing director of the advertising agency, ASP, clinched the account for Amul butter. The butter, which had been launched in 1945, had a staid, boring image, primarily because the earlier advertising agency which was in charge of the account preferred to stick to routine, corporate ads.

One of the first Amul hoardings

In India, food was something one couldn't afford to fool around with. It had been taken too seriously, for too long. Sylvester daCunha decided it was time for a change of image.

The year Sylvester daCunha took over the account, the country saw the birth of a campaign whose charm has endured fickle public opinion, gimmickry and all else.

The Amul girl who lends herself so completely to Amul butter, created as a rival to the Polson butter girl. This one was sexy, village belle, clothed in a tantalising choli all but covering her upper regions. "Eustace Fernandez (the art director) and I decided that we needed a girl who would worm her way into a housewife's heart. And who better than a little girl?" says Sylvester daCunha.

And so it came about that the famous Amul Moppet was born.That October, lamp kiosks and the bus sites of the city were splashed with the moppet on a horse. The baseline simply said, Thoroughbread, Utterly Butterly Delicious Amul,. It was a matter of just a few hours before the daCunha office was ringing with calls.

Not just adults, even children were calling up to say how much they had liked the ads. "The response was phenomenal," recalls Sylvester daCunha. "We knew our campaign was going to be successful."

The Rebecca Mark favourite

For the first one year the ads made statements of some kind or the other but they had not yet acquired the topical tone. In 1967, Sylvester decided that giving the ads a solid concept would give them extra mileage, more dum, so to say. It was a decision that would stand the daCunhas in good stead in the years to come.

In 1969, when the city first saw the beginning of the Hare Rama Hare Krishna movement, Sylvester daCunha, Mohammad Khan and Usha Bandarkar, then the creative team working on the Amul account came up with a clincher -- 'Hurry Amul, Hurry Hurry'. Bombay reacted to the ad with a fervour that was almost as devout as the Iskon fever.

That was the first of the many topical ads that were in the offing. From then on Amul began playing the role of a social observer. Over the years the campaign acquired that all important Amul touch.

India looked forward to Amul's evocative humour. If the Naxalite movement was the happening thing in Calcutta, Amul would be up there on the hoardings saying, "Bread without Amul Butter, cholbe na cholbe na (won't do, won't do). If there was an Indian Airlines strike Amul would be there again saying, Indian Airlines Won't Fly Without Amul.

There are stories about the butter that people like to relate over cups of tea. "For over 10 years I have been collecting Amul ads. I especially like the ads on the backs of the butter packets, "says Mrs. Sumona Varma. What does she do with these ads? "I have made an album of them to amuse my grandchildren," she laughs. "They are almost part of our culture, aren't they? My grandchildren are already beginning to realise that these ads are not just a source of amusement. They make them aware of what is happening around them."

Despite some of the negative reactions that the ads have got, DaCunhas have made it a policy not to play it safe. There are numerous ads that are risque in tone.

"We had the option of being sweet and playing it safe, or making an impact. A fine balance had to be struck. We have a campaign that is strong enough to make a statement. I didn't want the hoardings to be pleasant or tame. They have to say something," says Rahul daCunha.

"We ran a couple of ads that created quite a furore," says Sylvester daCunha. "The Indian Airlines one really angered the authorities. They said if they didn't take down the ads they would stop supplying Amul butter on the plane. So ultimately we discontinued the ad," he says laughing.

Then there was the time when the Amul girl was shown wearing the Gandhi cap. The high command came down heavy on that one. The Gandhi cap was a symbol of independence, they couldn't have anyone not taking that seriously. So despite their reluctance the hoardings were wiped clean.

"Then there was an ad during the Ganpati festival which said, Ganpati Bappa More Ghya (Ganpati Bappa take more). The Shiv Sena people said that if we didn't do something about removing the ad they would come and destroy our office. It is surprising how vigilant the political forces are in this country. Even when the Enron ads (Enr On Or Off) were running, Rebecca Mark wrote to us saying how much she liked them."

Amul's point of view on the MR coffee controversy

There were other instances too. Heroine Addiction, Amul's little joke on Hussain had the artist ringing the daCunhas up to request them for a blow up of the ad. "He said that he had seen the hoarding while passing through a small district in UP. He said he had asked his assistant to take a photograph of himself with the ad because he had found it so funny," says Rahul daCunha in amused tones. Indians do have a sense of humour, afterall.

From the Sixties to the Nineties, the Amul ads have come a long way. While most people agree that the Amul ads were at their peak in the Eighties they still maintain that the Amul ads continue to tease a laughter out of them.

Where does Amul's magic actually lie? Many believe that the charm lies in the catchy lines. That we laugh because the humour is what anybody would enjoy. They don't pander to your nationality or certain sentiments. It is pure and simple, everyday fun.

(an article by Mini Varma published in The Asian Age on March 3, 1996)

This brand has a very strong unique selling proposition (USP).

1. The way its positioned.

2. Its hoarding ads that spoofs on controversies of various other brands.

3. Its hilarious and at the same time eye catching. This is called an ideal Marketing!!

What makes me close to this brand is a blind trust it has achieved in its consumers. The quality it serves, hygienic packaging, attractive products and all the more its yum yum taste!!

Amul wil always hit on the current events and happenings...... Thats the fun this brand has....

This brand has got an Authentic Indian culture attached to it....

Films that are featured on its website, a prayer as a part of Indian cuture, and various things..

(you gotta check the website http://www.amul.com/ i am not getting any comissions... do check... to get an assured essence of my India!!)

Enjoy some funny hoardings campaign :

Check out this 9 odd minutes movie on Amul India Story:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=njMYhH9bE4Y

And some not to forget ad campaigns...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RW9DSUbZX34

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xbdk89-8v1M

My Tribute to this Evergreen Brand - AMUL

ITS ALL ABOUT "ETHICS" (Post-3)

2007-09-21T01:38:00.000-07:00

Are these BRANDS born with it??

Its a question raised to each consumer who buys the brands.

What are consumers looking for? Just the quality? or may be how well the brand is positioned?

Is that all???

Wake up Intelligent Consumers!!

What is behind in building these Brands is very very important for us to know.

It can be any one of us labouring in raising these brands.

Are these standards ever spoken??

Who should we BLAME?

Let me give you the facts as to how companies behave and when it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility which is ultimately called "Ethics".

The concept of brand controversy has been around for years and perhaps entered its darkest hour in 1984, when a poisonous gas leak from a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, killed 8,000 people almost instantly.

Only 5 years later in 1989, the Exxon Valdez was grounded on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling almost 11-million gallons of crude oil from its hold.

The environmental impact was huge, as countless fish, bird and other local wildlife species were lost and the contamination spread 2400 miles along the shoreline of the Kenai Peninsula.

Not only were these incidents catastrophic in terms of their loss of human life and their impact on the environment, but the intrinsic damage that was sustained by both the Union Carbide and Exxon brands provided both companies with a legacy that shrouded them in shame.

But beneath this top tier of industrial ordinance, lies a deeper and more surreptitious layer of corporate malpractice that goes largely unseen by the public eye. And unlike the Exxon and Carbide disasters, which were largely the result of pathogenic circumstances, the organizations involved are usually fully aware of the crimes that they’re committing.

Take Nike, for example, who were accused by a CBS report in 1996 of mistreating workers in Vietnam.

The report claimed that contracted staff were subjected to a regime of both mental and physical brutality and made to work in appalling conditions in order to fulfill their daily quotas.

Although the company tried to play down the story, their attempts were thwarted in when the New York

Times ran a front-page narrative concerning a leaked internal inspection document by the global accountancy firm, Ernst and Young, which found that some workers in Vietnam were working in "unsafe conditions."

The document declared that tests at a factory near Ho Chi Minh City showed employees were "exposed to carcinogens that exceeded local legal standards by 177 times in parts of the plant and that 77 percent of the employees suffered from respiratory problems" (New York Times November 1997).

How do you feel when you get to know such reports about the brand you wear and are always flaunting around....

Though Nike has made its way out of these controversies....

When it achieved another milestone in 1996 - Erica Cantona was chosen as Footballer of the Year in England. The Chicago Bulls won their fourth NBA Championship title during 6 years. Nike had sign the contract with International Hockey League.

Another sporting brand to have suffered from accusations of poor corporate ethics is Adidas.

In November 2000, the UK’s Observer claimed that Indonesian factories supplying the company were using child labor and that workers as young as 15 were expected to work a minimum of 70 hours a week.

The paper also claimed that the picture was very similar in Thailand, where one woman reported that she had to work 12-hour shifts, 7 days a week in order to get paid the equivalent of US$1.50 per day.

For instance, just a few years ago, De Beers was facing accusations by human rights groups of buying "blood" diamonds from several African revolutionaries and as a result, indirectly funding their respective regimes.

In addition, De Beers was struggling with a colossal stock overhang of premium gems that, due to the company’s decreasing market share, was threatening to strangle the business from the inside. In solving both problems at once, De Beers publicly declared that it would cease buying diamonds from potentially illegal sources, and furthermore, that it would support embargoes by the UN on diamond sales from countries such as Angola and Sierra Leone.

The effect was dramatic; De Beers was able to reduce the amount of cut-price diamonds being fed into the world’s markets and reduce its stock overhang due to the upsurge in demand for "clean" gems. As an added bonus, the company was seen as an ethical champion by the same human rights protestors who were earlier calling for its head.

While the motivation behind De Beers decisions may well be questionable, the desire to protect the intrinsic value of its brand by disassociating from potential violations of human rights was still a key element of the process.

And with a recent Cone/Roper study showing that where price and quality are equal, up to 89% of U.S.-based respondents would be willing to switch brands in favor of those that are more ethically managed, the trend toward cause-related marketing looks set to continue.

In today’s global markets where freedom of choice has become the democratic right of the world’s consumers, it’s down to each organization to reflect its values and principles in its brand positioning.

Now lets see 2007 World's Most Ethical Comapnies :

Ethisphere Magazine recognizes and rewards ethical leadership and business practices worldwide

In assembling the 2007 rankings of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, the researchers and editors of Ethisphere examined more than 5,000 companies across 30 separate industries looking for true ethical leadership.

Companies were measured in a rigorous eight-step process and then scored against nine distinct ethical leadership criteria.Some may ask, “How can McDonald’s be on the list?” The answer is that the food service industry is the largest industry in the world—and McDonald’s has clearly stood apart in introducinghealthier food fare, sustainable packaging, food safety, and ethical purchasing practices.

The winners of the World’s Most Ethical Companies are the standouts. Each of these companies has materially higher scores versus competitors in their industries. Each forces other companies to follow its leadership or fall behind. Each uses ethical leadership as a profit driver. And each of these companies embodies the true spirit of Ethisphere’s credo: Good. Smart. Business. Profit.

SPOTLIGHT ON SELECTED WINNERS

As part of the 2007 Word’s Most Ethical Companies analysis, Ethisphere Council researchers interviewed dozens and dozens of companies in great depth about their compliance and ethics activities. This included talking to “both” CEOs (the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Ethics Officer) in most cases. Following are some excerpts and reports from selected companies that we found particularly worth highlighting.

Perry Minnis is the Director of Global Ethics & Compliance for Alcoa, a metals and mining company with over 120,000 employees in 44 countries. Minnis, who started with Alcoa in finance 39 years ago, runs the Global Ethics & Compliance department to track metrics and determine if the company has a positive impact on the community. According to Minnis, “Our management has a very strong focus on safety. Alcoa is considered to be one of the safest corporations in the world.” The company’s Ethics and Compliance Council, which includes the CEO, vice presidents, and department directors, was formed in order to notify all executives of the latest in operations. The Council presents findings to the Board on a quarterly basis.

Minnis told the Magazine that Alcoa’s Code of Conduct has been condensed to apply to specific roles and translated into different languages in order to make it an effective tool for all employees. The Code is also provided to suppliers, so they understand Alcoa’s expectations and policies. “If a vendor’s values or policies differ drastically from Alcoa, chances are they won’t be doing business with us,” emphasizes Minnis. He continues, “The most important thing is our values. We have a set of values and policies that is consistent across the company, and we train all employees to adhere to and uphold those values.”

Sandy Cutler, CEO of Eaton Corporation, spoke in great detail about the basic beliefs that make Eaton a value-based company. These core values have allowed Eaton to maintain a strong foundation and sense of stability during recent internal changes and mergers. Rather than approaching ethics as a compliance issue, Cutler believes, “It’s about doing business right through internal philosophies and customer commitments. We’ll lose business before we will compromise our values.”

Eaton employs 61,000 people in 125 countries, and almost all of their products target helping people and companies effectively use energy. For example, Eaton developed a technology with the EPA for UPS, that allowed the shipping company to save 70% in fuel economy. Additionally, Eaton developed a hybrid electric bus technology for possible use during the Beijing Olympics.

Eaton places high value on contributions in the workplace and community, believing they are key components for doing business right. “People will work where the company and the community involvement values reflect their own,” insists Cutler. Every employee at Eaton has the opportunity to raise questions if they believe their personal morals are at risk. If a company is committed to doing business ethically, “you can cut the top off and the bottom would keep working,” maintains Cutler.

When Magazine spoke to Knight Kiplinger about the company his grandfather started, his pride, dedication and passion was obvious. When Kiplinger speaks about the ethical culture of the company, he emphasizes that they “go the extra mile for their clients and their employees.” Founder W.M. Kiplinger, a social liberal and economic conservative of the 1920s, believed in communal capitalism within his company and shared his success with his employees by giving company stock to employees, among other great benefits.

Like many publishers today, Kiplinger is facing tougher times, but believes that “in the more difficult of times, the belt tightening should start at the top rather than at the bottom.” Setting the ethical tone at the top, Kiplinger maintains the idea that “we are all in this together” by freezing executive bonuses instead of cutting jobs. “It’s easy for a company to act generously and ethically during boon times. It’s when difficult times come that you see how a company truly is.”

Maintaining trust with non-employee family shareholders is also of great importance to Kiplinger. “Our company is a model of how to deal ethically with family members that don’t work in the business but have a stake within the business,” says Kiplinger. In the midst of maintaining company stability and sustainability, Kiplinger upholds its responsibility to its readers and will oftentimes reject ads that are of little or no value to its readers.

The Magazine spoke with Brackett Denniston, General Counsel for General Electric about creating an ethical culture and maintaining strong compliance programs. Denniston believes “a good company thinks about its human side,” and how people are impacted by business practices. To answer the needs of employees and communities, GE is active in organizations like NAFTA and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, and is a founder of Transparency International, a global society that fights the impact of corruption on people worldwide. “You have to act like a leader, be a leader, and be aware of the impact of your actions and how they affect hundreds of thousands of people,” says Denniston.

GE dates back to 1892 and carefully considers the social impact of its products and operations on the communities in which it operates. From jet engines to household appliances and financial services to plastics, General Electric is dedicated to converting ideas into leading products to help solve the world’s challenges. Compliance and governance challenges are equally important to GE and remain non-negotiable aspects of operations. “A strong compliance practice begins with the basics of incorporating good citizenship into the company culture,” says Denniston.

When MAgazine spoke to Neil Nyberg, VP of Ethics & Compliance and Gary Pilnick, General Counsel for Kellogg’s, they declared,
“W.K. Kellogg believed in doing things the right way and built this company on integrity.” In business for 100 years, Kellogg’s has taken pride in its ethics and compliance program known as “K Values.” According to Pilnick, “It starts with the values, which guide behavior and ethical choices.”

Founder W.K. Kellogg wanted to do good things for people, starting with nutrition and the environment, and began promoting environmentally-friendly processes by producing the first boxes of cereal in recycled packaging in 1906. Today, Kellogg’s uses 100% recycled packaging. In addition, Kellogg’s created a Social Responsibility Committee in 1979 that now deals with environmental concerns, health & safety, addiction and abuse, and other issues that impact employees and communities.

According to Nyberg, culture and diversity truly matter. “We see ourselves as role models. Our commitment to ethics is absolutely non-negotiable.” Kellogg’s recently received an award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for diversity in compliance and ethics. Kellogg’s is also the 2007 national sponsor for Race for the Cure, and has a comprehensive program for United Way’s Days of Caring, in which the entire company donates time. “You can tell in the eyes of the employees that it is a great reminder of what we have and how lucky we are,” says Nyberg.

In business for 170 years, John Deere prides itself on enabling “human flourishing.” With core values of integrity, quality, innovation and commitment, the company provides advanced products and services for agriculture, forestry, construction and landscaping, as well as manufacturing engines for use in heavy equipment. James R. Jenkins, Senior VP and General Counsel for Deere & Company, told us “John Deere fully recognizes the need to conduct business with integrity. Our broad approach to citizenship, coupled with market leadership, helps us improve the world while growing a business.”

Deere believes in creating and distributing service in ways that respect the earth’s limited resources while providing safe and healthy workplaces to help employees develop to their full potential. Deere continually reinforces its commitment to helping find policy solutions that benefit the environment. “We believe that effective policy to address global climate change must include development and support of renewable energy sources including agricultural, forestry, wind and bio-technologies, as well as processing and distribution improvements,” says Jenkins.

With a passionate commitment to doing what is right and operating ethically, John Deere makes their conduct guidelines transparent to employees, customers, and suppliers. Acting out of principled, long-term self-interest, Deere contributes to the greater good by supporting the quality of life in their communities, protecting the environment and preserving precious resources. According to Jenkins, “We believe that exceptional performance will not be sustainable if it is at the expense of our values.”

So.... The next time someone throws the Naomi Klein book at you, respond by saying: no logo, no knowledge of what’s going on in the developing world.”

Global brands make the connection on a mass scale between consumer choices “here” and economic and social realities “there.”

Brands are a battering ram for positive social change. In part, positive social change is a natural process that goes hand in hand with economic development, in the same way that social conditions in the rich West have improved since the Victorian era.

But in the developing world today, it’s happening more quickly than it otherwise would specifically because of corporations’ need to protect brand value by meeting consumers’ expectations.

So whichever way you look at it, brands are not the enemy of those wanting to make world a better place, but their greatest ally.

Too big a lecture is it??

but aint you feeling learned..... Come on say yes..... :)

Time to pour a large .... And watch this video

Brief : It was one of the first ethical fashion brands to hit the mainstream, has a range of Fairtrade and organic cotton in Topshop and is run by a charismatic leader who started out in Japan. People Tree is definitely no ordinary label - but what's it like to work there? And what inspired its team to join?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=amVmhSaRgnk

Henceforth, Ethical Brands are listening, learning and responding to your interests and concerns. They recognise their environmental, social and economic responsibilities...

Now I am sure everyone can recognise them...

So Cheers!! and pour another large...

Hic Hic.... :)