1st det 10ruls

Men often complain that women are mysterious, complicated creatures who are difficult to please. In truth, most women are quite easily pleased from a date one once you know how to make them feel desired, safe, and inspired. These 10 tips will ensure you put your best foot where it belongs... forward!

#1: A first date should be light, fun and romantic. A real first date is when you've both decided that you'd like to get together for more than a quick beverage. The female definition of a first date is this: You pick her up and make reservations. Any deviance from this time-tested formula is usually a red flag, and not what most females consider a proper first date.

Romantic Rule: Starbucks doesn't count!

#2: A long lead time.

Considerate and smart men make plans well in advance.

Considerate and smart men make plans well in advance. They know that women like to be treated like they're too in demand to have huge holes in their social calendars, (even if you have intel that would suggest otherwise!) You'll create romantic tension by giving her several days to look forward to seeing you. Besides, this creates the secret ingredient of seductive success... anticipation.

Romantic Rule: Create romance by planning in advance for it.

#3: Actions speak louder than words. Women know that men invest in the things that they value with whatever resources they have at their disposal, be it cash, creativity, energy, or enthusiasm. If you make plans that are insultingly casual, it's a clear sign that you're withholding your approval from her. Women will take this lackluster performance seriously, and often shoo you away without further ado. You don't have to spend big bucks, but if you like her, why not come up with something that will delight her?

Romantic Rule: The plans you make for her, tell her the plans that you have for her!

#4: A confirming call. Being vague about your plans will only cause most women needlessly anxiety. If you men had any idea about the pre-date regime that women go through to get ready for a high priority date, you'd all be much more on top of this one. When you call to confirm your first date late, she'll be irritated and stressed-out even if she doesn't show it.

Romantic Rule: Having good manners will make her feel like you're a great bet, and not a deranged stranger.

#5: A lovebird lands on her doorstop at the appointed time. It's bad form for a man to keep a woman waiting in general, but especially so on a first date. This often puts women into a state of "dressing disorder." When men are late, most women will just keep changing outfits until the doorbell rings and then be forced to greet you mid-outfit. She'll then blame this on you, the tardy man, who should've arrived on time to avert this crisis!

Romantic Rule: If you'll be delayed longer than 10 minutes, inform her of your new ETA as soon as you can. Most women l appreciate extra time to fluff-up before you ring their bell.

#6: Signal your attraction and approval immediately.

Men earn a woman's affection by consistent care and positive attention.

Men earn a woman's affection by consistent care and positive attention. On a first date, and every date, women will look for little clues that signal your desire. No matter how hot or how homely, she'll want to know that you find her fetching if she's agreed to spend quality time with you. To do this, quickly toss her a compliment. Try the old standby "You look great" or the new metrosexual classic, "Love your shoes" immediately upon your arrival. You'll have set a warm and positive tone and scored an easy point.

Romantic Rule: Quickly inspire romance and put her at ease by paying her a compliment.

#7: Woman are suckers for a man with a plan. Women love men who have the ability to care for them and about them. It's always a good sign when a man has made reservations because it's proof that you're not winging it. When you take control, it's a signal that she can relax and enjoy herself. The typical woman will also be wary of the man who asks in a whiny voice what she'd like to do.

Romantic Rule: Women assume that men who don't make reservations for them, have reservations about them!

#8: Pick up the check. If you're wondering who should pick up the first check. Please consider that women spend wads of money on first dates: there's the bikini waxing (painful), manicures, blow drys (time-consuming), lingerie (expensive), and Pilates (ridiculously over-priced). It's an investment for women to just show up.

Romantic Rule: The very least you can do is to pick her up and feed her. She's exhausted!

#9: Be a class act. If the date was a dud, don't weenie out and say "I'll call you." Just cut her loose by giving her a quick peck on the cheek and say, "Thanks for coming out tonight. It was great meeting you." That'll signal it's a wrap.

#10: Seal the deal. But if she knocked your socks off, walk her to her door, look her in the eyes, say "I had an amazing time tonight" and move in for the perfect nightcap... a goodnight kiss. If she turns her cheek, don't despair! She may not be ready for a liplock just yet. Tell her you want to see her again and set up your next date right then and there.

Doctor: To be or Not to be

No one ever said being a doctor was easy. School and training go on seemingly forever; once graduation arrives, doctors work long hours and are faced with life-and-death decisions daily.

But there were rewards. For decades, doctors earned hefty paychecks, had autonomy and respect. But those benefits are fading, and as a result, so is the number of doctors. Within the next 15 years, the United States will experience a shortage of between 90,000 to 200,000 physicians, according to the recently published Will the Last Physician in America Please Turn Off the Lights: A Look at America's Looming Doctor Shortage.

The American Medical Association recognizes there are shortages in certain geographic areas and in certain specialties. Part of that is due to the aging population and a stagnant number of medical-school applicants.

But there are other significant reasons. They include the increasing costs of medical malpractice coverage, higher practice costs, lower insurance reimbursement rates and insurance-company restrictions resulting in less autonomy over how patients are cared for.

In Pictures: Reasons Not To Be A Doctor

This is not just a question of career choice--consumers will be affected greatly by this shortage. If you think there's a long wait for an appointment now, it could be nothing compared with 15 years down the road. The three co-authors of Will the Last Physician in America Please Turn Off the Lights, all from the physician-staffing firm Merritt, Hawkins and Associates, say the wait will jump to three to four months or more to see a doctor for a non-emergency, and a routine doctor's visit will cost two to three times what it does now--whether you are insured or not, they say.

Insurance has become a loaded word. One-third of the country is insured by Medicare, and over the next nine years, the government program plans to cut payments to physicians by about 40%, while practice costs are projected to increase 20%, according to the American Medical Association. The first of those cuts will take place in July, when the reimbursement rate to doctors will drop by 10.6%. The next cut, of 5%, will occur in January.

It's expected to have a trickle-down effect. "If Medicare makes a change to their reimbursement, other insurance companies follow their lead, since Medicare drives the marketplace," says Lawrence Smarr, president of the Physician Insurers Association of America, a trade association for medical malpractice insurance companies.

But as costs continue to rise, many doctors say they need to see more patients in order to maintain their salaries and cover basic practice costs.

Are you a practicing physician? What's your experience of the workplace today? Would you encourage your children to follow in your footsteps? Let us know in the comments section below.

"We used to have a lot of respect for doctors, but now they seem like easy targets," says Phillip Miller, an author of Will the Last Physician in America Please Turn off the Lights. "There's a perception among patients that, 'I went to a doctor's appointment and he was 45 minutes late. He's probably on the golf course or driving his Mercedes.' The truth is, they're probably busy with patients."

The Association of American Medical Colleges projects that America needs a 30% annual increase in medical-school enrollment in order to keep up with need for doctors. In 2012, compared with 2002, medical-school enrollment will be up 21%.

But for potential physicians, there is a future of looming medical-school debt, which is higher than ever. Students who graduate from a public medical school have a median debt of $100,000; private-school students graduate with a median debt of $135,000, according to a 2003 study by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Compare that with 1984, when median debt for public-school graduates was $22,000 and private-school students was $27,000.

Monthly payment on a debt of $150,000 at the end of residency at an interest rate of 2.8% is $1,761, according to the study.

The amount of time it takes to pay off debt depends on the specialty. The average physician's net income, adjusted for inflation, declined 7% between 1995 and 2003, according to the Center for Studying Health System Change. In order to enter the most lucrative specialties, like radiology, ophthalmology, anesthesiology and dermatology, doctors must continue with their training into their 30s. That means they can't start chipping away at their debt--let alone make money--until a time by which their counterparts in law or business are usually prospering.

Meanwhile, getting sued by a patient is a major concern. Of course, doctors who make fatal mistakes and who are unqualified should be held responsible. But there's evidence that the bulk of lawsuits brought are frivolous. Of all malpractice lawsuits brought to jury trial in 2004, the defendant won 91% of the time. Only 6% of all lawsuits go to trial; those that aren't thrown out are settled. Only 27% of all claims made against doctors result in money awarded to the plaintiff, according to Smarr, president of the trade association for medical malpractice companies.

Regardless, doctors need to defend themselves against the possibility of damages--and that's an extremely expensive proposition. It takes about four-and-a-half years from the start of a lawsuit to the end, and the average cost to the defense in legal fees was $94,284 in 2004, according to the American Medical Association.

Many states are trying to establish laws to protect doctors from baseless suits. Texas went from the state with the most lawsuits filed to the only state that wrote tort reform into its constitution after its citizens voted it into law. Since tort reform was enacted in 2004, the yearly premium doctors pay in Texas for malpractice insurance has dropped by 40%. Now, the most plaintiffs can recoup for emotional damages is $250,000 from doctors and $500,000 from hospitals. Most interestingly, the number of claims filed against doctors has dropped by about half.

"The lawyers know the huge damages they were [previously] able to get are [now] limited," says Smarr.

Miami-Dade County, in South Florida, is now the most precarious place for doctors to practice when it comes to lawsuits. In 2007, OB/GYNs paid on average $275,466 annually for malpractice insurance. That number is a slight drop from 2006, when the average cost was $299,000, according to Mike Matray, editor of the newsletter Medical Liability Monitor.

Doctors have to practice defensive medicine, and their insurance rates are so high," says Matray. "But rates are leveling off and coming down right now. However, if history repeats itself, they will go up in a few years. A lot of doctors right now are not encouraging their kids to be doctors."

To support that assertion, a 2007 survey by Merritt, Hawkins indicated that 57% of 1,175 doctors questioned would not recommend the field to their children.

The solutions are widespread. Nine new medical schools are under development or discussion, according to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which accredits medical schools. The AAMC estimates that almost 800 first-year students will attend these new schools in the academic year 2012-2013, based on future enrollment figures.

Hospitals and medical practices are trying to entice doctors by addressing the work-life balance issue. Many hospitals now use "hospitalists," physicians that do shift work in order to relieve the physician shortage in many hospitals and practices. They chose only to work in hospitals and don't have outside practices. For instance, if a physician needs to admit a patient to the hospital, that patient might be seen by their primary doctor's hospitalist so the physician can continue to see scheduled patients. Laborists serve the same function in the OB/GYN field.

"That allows physicians to free up some of their time and makes them more efficient in their clinics," says Cindy Bagwell, vice president of professional staffing at Geisinger Medical Center in Dannville, Pa., a practice that uses hospitalists and laborists frequently.

On the flip side, many hospitalists and laborists enjoy knowing they have a set schedule and will never be woken up in the middle of the night by an emergency at the hospital. Many of these changes have to do with doctors wanting more free time and female physicians' desire to work and raise a family.

"It's hard to argue with people wanting to take great care of their children, so we try to make it work," says Bagwell. "As long as we can keep patient care at the forefront, we're willing to try things."

LaSalle Bank brand to Oblivion as BofA takes over

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Bank of America Corp. will officially mark its $21 billion purchase of Chicago's LaSalle Bank Corp. on Monday, taking down LaSalle's green and yellow colors for the blue and red of Bank of America.

"Those red signs will be very evident in Chicago," said Liam McGee, Bank of America's president of global consumer and small business banking, in an interview with The Associated Press. "When they walk into a former LaSalle banking center, it will look and feel like a Bank of America banking center."

The nation's second largest bank by assets bought LaSalle Bank last year, picking up the unit of ABN Amro Holding Co. as Europe's biggest banks fought over the rest of the Dutch company. The deal filled a key gap in the Charlotte-based bank's national coverage map, adding thousands of ATMs and hundreds of branch offices in Chicago and Michigan.

While Bank of America and LaSalle customers have had access more than 18,500 ATMs to make cash withdrawals with no fees since October, McGee said customers as of Monday will have greater access to most of the bank's products and services in its banking centers.

A complete system conversion will occur later this year, he said.

In the coming weeks, LaSalle's roughly 1.5 million customers will receive new Bank of America-branded debit and ATM cards, and will begin to see account statements displaying the Bank of America name. To help ease the transition, existing customer account numbers and information will remain the same.

McGee said Bank of America still plans to lay off about 2,500 employees in Illinois over the next year. "There were redundancies and overlap between the two companies," he said. After the layoffs, Bank of America will have about 8,000 Illinois employees.

Best Foreign Cuisine book in the Gourmand World Award in the US "Taste of Nepal"

 

When Jyoti Pathak (pictured, right) went to live in the United States 40 years ago, she did her household chores, spending a lot of time in the kitchen trying to make Nepali meals for her doctor husband and three children.

There were not too many Indian spice shops in the remote corner of New York state where they lived, and Jyoti had to rely on friends and family bringing masala, gundruk, maseura and tama from Nepal.

There were some Indian cook books in the bookshops, but nothing about Nepali cuisine. That is when the idea to write a Nepali cookbook first came to her.

Today, nearly four decades later, Jyoti has been awarded the Best Foreign Cuisine book in the Gourmand World Cookbook Award in the US for her book, A Taste of Nepal. Jyoti was in London last week to receive another nomination for her book to be declared the best foreign cuisine book internationally.

There have been quite a few Nepali cookbooks that have come out in the past 15 years. And, marching with these more inclusive times, there are books now on Newari, Sherpa and even Thakali cuisine. Jyoti's book weaves in Nepal's history and culture and how the food here has been influenced by Tibetan and Indian culinary traditions.

A Taste of Nepal Hippocrene Books, 2007 Hardcover 470 pages ISBN – 10: 078181121X

'Nepali food is characterised by its simplicity, lightness and healthfulness,' she writes, 'a typical meal uses the freshest ingredients, minimal fat and an artful combination of herbs and spices.'

Observing the mountains of rice that people eat on the food stalls along Nepal's highways, however, one could argue that it is the sheer volume of food ingested that makes Nepali diet unhealthy. Nepalis may have a low-fat diet, but the middle class ODs on carbs and does very little exercise to burn it off.

Jyoti's recipes include the simple mutton curry, and she uses the elaborate and exotic sounding Dahi Haleko Boka-Khasiko Masu which is guaranteed to make the diaspora Nepali's mouth water just hearing about it. Then there are the momos and raw marinated water buffalo and even the Basi Bhat Bhutuwa, the ingenious Nepali way to re-use leftover rice for an appetising snack.

A Taste of Nepal doesn't leave out the ingredients and recipes that make Nepali food different from Indian or Tibetan: Alu Tama, Gundruk Bhatmas ko Jhol, Maseura Alu, Jimbu, Lapsi ko Achar, Kalo Dal. Nepalis abroad may find it difficult to find these ingredients, but with 15 percent of Nepalis now living outside Nepal it is only a question of time before stores spring up stocking up on jimbu and
lapsi too.

Jyoti held long-range consultations with her family back home in Nepal and researched the 350 recipes thoroughly. "I used to cook with a pinch of this and a dash of that, but in preparing the book I actually had to go out and measure everything," she says.

Because it is primarily written for the western audience, the book has made it easy by including the masalas usually found in the ethnic food section of any US or European supermarket.

bon Vivant Nepamerican

The first time I came to Nepal I was kind of intimidated by the food. Placed in front of me was a plate piled so high with rice that I feared having to reject half of it, an act which many have told me was one of the worst insults a person can commit in this country. Having managed to eat it all somehow, I had to fast for a day afterwards.

A friend in Kathmandu doesn't eat rice because she is allergic to it. I am impressed she is able to survive in Nepal. The only places where you can do this are big cities, or ironically, the poorest villages on the Mahabharat Lekh and remotest mountain districts, where people eat dhido or potatoes.

It's a shame that people look down on alternative staples like makai, alu and kodo, as poor man's food. Most of them are actually more nutritious than polished rice. Many rural Nepalis know this too, but those without khet would still rather sell cash crops and buy rice than eat makai day in day out, even though they remember that they used to be stronger on a maize diet. I suppose rice is more prestigious than maize and the rest, and if you're eating the same every day, it tastes more interesting.

Glamor of Nepali cuisine is known only to select few. Some people regard it as the lavish cousin of Indian food, people get to know this once they experience the subtleties of Nepali gastronomy.

The most delicious Nepali foods are really hard to explain to the uninitiated. How do you explain what gundruk is like? By describing the preparation? "Well, it's kind of half-fermented dried spinach." By describing the taste? I don't think there are words in English to describe the bouquet of gundruk ko jhol. Many foreigners are initially suspicious of gundruk, but once they have tried it lose their hearts to it.

The same can be said for tama. The first time I had it I was somewhat perturbed to find out I was eating bamboo. But now just thinking about alu tama with golbheda ko achar makes my mouth water.

There is also something lost in translation when they tell you sekuwa is "burnt meat". Only those who have tried it (preferably with jad or tongba, which I am saving for another column), know that pork sekuwa at the Airport Sekuwa Pasal can be one of the most delicious dishes in the world. Who cares about the tapeworms?

Part of the reason for Nepali food's mysterious profile outside of Nepal is translation problems. I have been served things in Nepal for which there is no word in English, or probably any other language.

Some of these I have only tasted in one or two households. Although the holy trinity of dal, bhat and tarkari  with spicy pickles holds sway in most of the country, its preparation varies between districts, villages and even from house to house.

Many of the real Nepali delicacies are home recipes, sometimes made from ingredients which are specific to that area and unknown elsewhere. I have had foods in Panchthar which people had not heard of even in Ilam.

Many – not all – 'Nepali' restaurants in England serve Indian food, may be to attract a bigger crowd. A token hat is dipped to Nepalipan by including momos in the menu. But then again most Indian restaurants in New York and London don't serve real Indian food either. They conform to American & British expectations and tastes, which are used to canonical vindaloo, madras and tikka masala.

Hopefully with time and the spread of the diaspora, the profile of Nepali cuisine will rise internationally. Sadly, many of the local ingredients which make the food special in each place are not available outside the country (some are not even available in Kathmandu).

I just hope Nepali food doesn't sell out, and remains true to its spicy, salty, sour, and other tastes that I can't even name. The world will eventually understand the genius. Let them come.

New Gold Rush

Thinking of throwing out your old cell phone? Think again. Maybe you should mine it first for gold, silver, copper and a host of other metals embedded in the electronics -- many of which are enjoying near-record prices.

It's called "urban mining," scavenging through the scrap metal in old electronic products in search of such gems as iridium and gold, and it is a growth industry around the world as metal prices skyrocket.

The materials recovered are reused in new electronics parts and the gold and other precious metals are melted down and sold as ingots to jewelers and investors as well as back to manufacturers who use gold in the circuit boards of mobile phones because gold conducts electricity even better than copper.

"It can be precious or minor metals, we want to recycle whatever we can," said Tadahiko Sekigawa, president of Eco-System Recycling Co which is owned by Dowa Holdings Co Ltd.

A tonne of ore from a gold mine produces just 5 grams (0.18 ounce) of gold on average, whereas a tonne of discarded mobile phones can yield 150 grams (5.3 ounce) or more, according to a study by Yokohama Metal Co Ltd, another recycling firm.

The same volume of discarded mobile phones also contains around 100 kg (220 lb) of copper and 3 kg (6.6 lb) of silver, among other metals.

Recycling has gained in importance as metals prices hit record highs. Gold is trading at around $890 an ounce, after hitting a historic high of $1,030.80 in March.

Copper and tin are also around record highs and silver prices are well above long term averages.

RECYCLING METALS

Recycling electronics makes sense for Japan which has few natural resources to feed its billion dollar electronics industry but does have tens of millions of old cell phones and other obsolete consumer electronic gadgets thrown away every year.

"To some it's just a mountain of garbage, but for others it's a gold mine," said Nozomu Yamanaka, manager of the Eco-Systems recycling plant where mounds of discarded cell phones and other electronics gadgets are taken apart for their metal value.

At the factory in Honjo, 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Tokyo, 34-year-old Susumu Arai harvests some of that bounty.

A ribbon of molten gold flows into a mould where it sizzles and spits fire for a few minutes before solidifying into a dull yellow slab, on its way to becoming a 3 kg (6.6 lb) gold bar, worth around $90,000 at current prices.

Wearing plastic goggles to protect his eyes while he works, Arai said he was awestruck when he started his job two years ago.

"Now I find it fun being able to recover not just gold, but all sorts of metals," he said.

The scrap electronics and other industrial waste is first sorted and dismantled by hand. It is then immersed in chemicals to dissolve unwanted materials and the remaining metal is refined.

Eco-System, established 20 years ago near Tokyo, typically produces about 200-300 kg (440-660 lb) of gold bars a month with a 99.99 percent purity, worth about $5.9 million to $8.8 million.

That's about the same output as a small gold mine.

Eco-System also recovers metals from old memory chips, cables and even black ink which contain silver and palladium.

RECYCLING CELL PHONES

But despite growing interest in the environment and recycling, the industry struggles to get enough old mobile phones to feed its recycling plants.

Japan's 128 million population uses their cell phones for an average of two years and eight months.

That's a lot of cell phone phones discarded every year, yet only 10-20 percent are recycled as people often opt to store them in their cupboards due to concerns about the personal data on their phones, said Yoshinori Yajima, a director at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Just 558 tonnes of old phones were collected for recycling in the year to March 2007, down a third from three years earlier, industry figures show.

As metals prices rise, the Japanese industry faces growing competition for scrap, which is pushing up prices.

"We are seeing more competition from Chinese firms, and naturally the goods go where the money is," Dowa's Takashi Morise said.

In response, Japanese firms are importing used circuit boards from Singapore and Indonesia, as they also contain valuable minor metals that Japan is particularly eager to recover.

These minor metals such as indium, a vital component in the production of flat panel televisions and computer screens, antimony and bismuth are indispensable for producing many high-tech products.

However, they are often not easy to acquire as China has tightened export controls, making it harder for Japanese manufacturers to buy these metals.

That's where the "urban miners" step in.

"Our wish is to be able to help Japanese manufacturers that need these metals," Eco-System President Sekigawa said.

Solution to Dinner-time Embarrasment

How to Survive the 5 Most Embarrassing Dinner Date Mishaps

Dining mishaps come in all forms. And no, we're not talking about using the wrong fork for your salad! Spills, slip-ups, unsightly smears, these can turn a delightful dinner into a bit of a nightmare. Here's a guide to make the best of some messy situations...

• The Spray  Chatting while in the midst of chewing a bite is never desirable, although sometimes it's unavoidable. If you accidentally spit a bit of "collateral" on your company, it can be downright mortifying! Take a napkin and playfully wipe them off. A laugh and a shrug can do wonders! If you get lucky and they don't happen to notice that spot of food that landed on their sleeve, reach over and brush it off by touching their arm to emphasize something you're saying -- they'll never know.
  
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• The Whole Tooth  Poppy seeds, fresh ground pepper, and shredded lettuce are top threats to your dignity. There's nothing like enjoying a delicious meal and leisurely conversation only to discover you've had a ribbon of green stuck around your tooth for the last hour. If your date points it out, laugh it off and graciously excuse yourself to remove it. Do not try to pick it out at the table! If you discover it on your own by way of a trip to the restroom, let it slide or make a light joke of it when you return to the table (depending on whom you're dining with).
  
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• The Spaz  You pick up your fork to take a bite of tomato basil linguini and then SPLAT, it's all over your lap. Whether it's pasta sauce or iced tea, there's nothing slick about spilling food on yourself or the table, but you can handle the aftermath with grace. Just smile and say "whoops," then gently wipe yourself off with a napkin. If the spill calls for a more hardcore anecdote, excuse yourself to the bathroom to wipe it away with soap and water. It's better than feverishly scrubbing at the table.
  
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• The Drop Out  If you drop a utensil on the floor, flag the waiter and politely ask for a replacement. He or she will generally retrieve the fallen item, so you don't end up diving under the table. Handle it as a non-event and move on with your meal. If you're at someone's home, subtly retrieve the item and go to the kitchen to rinse it off.
  
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• The Food Face  Even for the most cautious diners, certain foods are always a bit messy -- take hot-and-cheesy pizza, sauce-laden barbecued chicken, and double-decker burgers for instance. If a speck ends up on your cheek, no worries. Delicately wipe it off. If you aren't aware of it, and your companion points it out, wipe it away with a good-natured laugh and a "thank you!!" When your dinner date is the one with a little stray sauce on his or her face, a simple "you've-got-a-little-yummy-right-here" will let them know in an amusing embarrassment-free way.