Viva Life Jan Mar

8/7/2019 Viva Life Jan Mar

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Living Life to the Fullest

VivaLife

Warm Winter RecipesBeat the Cold

In Praise of the lowly VinegarA housewifes best friend

Turning on the HeatEnergy crunch in Kuwait

Ultimate Social ExperienceTraveling with Friends

Nobel Prizes 2010Who won and for What

The Empty ChairIncarceration of Liu Xiaobo

Flashback on 2010A look at some of the best and worst

The World according to theWorld Bank

January - March, 2011Volume 3 - Issue 1


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Managing Editor Sunil Pvee Senior Editor Yacoub Omar Editorial Assistant Marcel AssousiContent Contributors Jon Butcher - Ken Rubin - Leena Ayyad - Martin Tobola - Rick Schefren

Art Director Reyas Ensign Design & Layout TMC Kaur Web Designer Mohammed AbbasPhotography Ashraf Hassan Marketing Analyst Namaya Jayamanae Sales Co-Ordinator Michelle PauleFor Content [email protected] ForAdvertisement [email protected] For more info [email protected]

Website www.vivalife1.com

TIMES Group Publication - All rights reserved

5 Editorial

6 Toyota launches Avalon 2011

10 Business Bytes

12 Flashback on 2010

14 The Empty Chair

16 How to Make the Most of 2011

19 A Thought to Begin 2011 On

20 Nobel Prizes 2010

24 Turning on the Heat

26 In Praise of the lowly Vinegar

29 The World according to the World Bank

32 Ultimate Social Experience

34 Warm Winter Recipes

36 Your Cosmic Calendar

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5www.vivalife1.com Jan - Mar 2011

Most people would love to buy the latest electronic products; thethe problem is not in the desire, it is in the fact that many peopleoften make their purchases without fully understanding what theyreally want and whether the product they are buying will meet theirneeds. Many of the products and services that are purchased by themillions, are usually bought with incomplete knowledge of the prod-ucts capabilities and whether it will meet the needs of the buyer.

For instance, do you need to replace the new LCD television with theeven newer LED modelts; how about High Denition (HD) and whatexactly is the difference between optical zoom and digital zoom in adigital camera. And, how can we possibly expect any regular personto have even the faintest idea of what a wireless router might be?Sure, its on sale at a very nifty price, but what is it?

Is it wenough to explain that it is an All-in-one Internet-sharingrouter, 4-port switch, and 54Mbps Wireless-G access point is almost5 times faster than 802.11b, but can also interoperate with any802.11b device (at 11Mbps)?

Consumer electroncis are no doubt very popular, but also increas-ingly sophisticated and complex. Simple editorial content, writtenclearly for regular people becomes a necessity, especially when theMr and Mrs Regular-Person, is trying to buy into a complex technol-ogy that they do not understand.

And that is what we aim to do from the next issue onwards. To pro-vide, simple, objective editorial content on complex technologiesthat will help buyers make right choices. While clearly written edito-rial content is good, the key word here should be objective.

In some publications, it is the publisher who also writes the editorialcontent, so the same person who is supposed to be writing objec-tively about a product is also being paid to run an ad for it, or han-dling giveaways of the product to readers. In other instances, thepublisher is constantly watching over the shoulders of editors andcontributors; with the Damocles Sword of their livelihood hanging

in the balance, most editors would be reluctant to step on advertis-ers toes, and the publishers income.

Editorial content is not supposed to regurgitate advertising content.Offering views different from what is published by the advertiser,is what differentitates a publication from a catalog. The world doesnot need more catalogs.

But, if you the reader do not stand up for more objecitve editorial,you can expect to see more of this editorial-in-an-advertising cloakappear luckily, not in Vivalife.

An Editorial Note ...

SunilPve

e


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6VIVALIFE Jan - Mar 2011

Toyota recently in-troduced the boldly

redesigned 2011Avalon. Evoking a timewhen travel was sophisti-cated, elegant and com-fortable, the new Avalonpossesses a distinctivenew exterior style whileoffering a restyled interiorrich with premium touchpoints and practical new

technologies.

Dynamic New ExteriorRe-styled Avalon proj-ects an elegant, outgoingpresence; a wider, moresubstantial grille ties intostate-of-the-art projectorheadlamps, working witha broad, undisturbed front

hood to suggest a lowered

center of gravity that em-phasizes the Avalons wide

stance.

The new headlamps, whichcombine multi-reectorhalogen high beams withhalogen or HID low beams,utilize light pipes to cre-ate a signature, night-timeappearance. The front foglamps, now integrated into

a trapezoidal front bumper,provide a wider angle ofillumination.

Viewed from the side, NewAvalon is enhanced byadditional use of chrometrim, redesigned rockerpanels, and glare-resistantouter mirrors with inte-

grated turn signals.

Toyota launches Avalon 2011


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At the rear of the car, iden-tication is clearly denedby a single Avalon logolocated above the licenseplate. Dual-exhaust pipesare integrated into thecutaway trapezoid shape

of the lower bumper for amodern image. Taillightshave been reshaped toreduce turbulence at therear, and integrate stop,turn and side marker light-ing functions in one com-bined lamp.

Spacious Interior Built For

ComfortA new interior has beendesigned with a contempo-rary style. The new interiorremains generously spa-cious and elegant, ttedwith comfortable seatingand thoughtfully integratedamenities. The rear seat-ing area is congured toseat three passengerscomfortably, with amplelegroom and reclining rearseats, unique in the seg-ment. The rear headrestshave also been reshapedand enlarged for bettersupport, and a convenientip-down center armrestprovides storage when themiddle seat is not in use.

The steering wheel in-cludes controls for Blu-etooth hands-free phones,the audio system, climatesystem, and the informa-tion center.

A dual-zone climate controlsystem has nine air-ow

modes for more precise

control of interior cli-mate, and a clean-air lter

removes dust and pol-len. The front-console boxhas a sliding armrest thatmoves 4.7 inches front torear, able to accommodatea wide range of driver po-sitions.

Performance and EfciencyCombined

Avalons exceptional com-bination of ample horse-power and excellent fueleconomy offers one ofthe best overall dynamicperformances in the largesedan segment.

New Avalon is powered bya 24-valve, dual-overheadcam 3.5-liter V6 enginethat produces 268 horse-power at 6,200 rpm.The engine is equippedwith the latest dual VVT-ielectronic valve-controlmechanism that providesa broader power-band,while requiring less fueland generating feweremissions. It is mated to a

multi-mode six-speed au-tomatic transmission.A roadworthy mix of neride quality and accuratedriving control is deliveredby the Avalons MacPher-son strut suspension,which uses coil springs atall four corners. Rack-and-

pinion steering combines

with front-wheel-drive andoptimized steering gear fora natural handling feel.

Safety is StandardThe new Avalons occu-pant-safety strategy in-

cludes use of extensivelytested energy absorbingstructures, protective sideimpact beams and over-head structure, advancedbelt systems and activefront headrests as stan-dard equipment. Avalonwill also have a redesignedaccelerator pedal assembly

and a brake override sys-tem.

Seven airbags, includinga front knee bag for thedriver, and front side cur-tain airbags for both rows,are also standard. Toyotasstandard Star Safety Sys-tem includes Vehicle Sta-bility Control (VSC), anti-lock braking system (ABS)with Electronic Brake forceDistribution (EBD), BrakeAssist, and TRAC tractioncontrol system.Each wheel has its ownpressure sensor to warn iftire pressure drops, pro-viding the driver with anearly warning to change a

tire safely.

Avalon 2011Even with numerous re-nements inside and out,the Avalon remains trueto the idea that comfort ishonest and uncomplicat-ed, and Traveling AvalonClass is rich in simple,

familiar pleasures.

Avalon will also have a re-designed accelerator ped-al assembly and a brake

override system.


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The Toyota Hybrids

Toyota Motor Corporation(TMC) recently announcedthat cumulative sales inJapan of its hybrid ve-hicles have topped the 1million mark, while morethan 2.68 million unitshave been sold globally as

of July 31, 2010.

TMC launched its rsthybrid vehicle, the ToyotaCoaster Hybrid EV mini-bus in Japan in August of1997. In December of thesame year, TMC launchedthe Toyota Prius theworlds rst mass-pro-duced hybrid vehicle. Theuse of the Toyota hybridsystem was subsequentlyexpanded to such vehiclesas minivans, SUVs andrear-wheel-drive sedans.In 2009, TMC broadenedits range of hybrid vehiclesfurther with the launch ofthe third-generation Prius,as well as two other dedi-

cated hybrid vehicles, the

Business Bytes

Lexus HS250h and theToyota Sai.

Outside of Japan, eighthybrid passenger vehiclemodels are sold in ap-proximately 80 countriesand regions, with cumula-tive overseas sales havingtopped 1.68 million units.

TMC is committed to aug-menting this lineup evenfurther and increasing thenumber of countries andregions in which it sellshybrid vehicles.

As of July 31, 2010, TMCcalculates that since 1997,the use of TMC hybridvehicles in Japan have led

to approximately 4 millionfewer tons of CO2 emis-sions considered to bea cause of global warm-ing, and approximately 15million fewer tons globally,than would have beenemitted by gasoline-pow-ered vehicles of similarsize and driving perfor-

mance.

TMCs stanceis to furtherpromote theuse of hy-brid vehicles,through suchmeasures asaiming to sell

1 million hy-brid vehicles

a year as early as possiblein the 2010s, and intro-ducing hybrid models in allvehicle series in its lineupas early as possible in the2020s.

New CEO at the helmfor Amadeus

Amadeus, the leading trav-el technology partner andtransaction processor forthe global travel and tour-

ism industry, announcedthat as of 1 January 2011,

Luis Maroto, former Dep-uty CEO of Amadeus, willreplace David V. Jones asPresident & CEO of thecompany.

The succession plan forLuis to become President& CEO was originally an-nounced in January 2010.

Since then Luis has been


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working closely with Da-vid and the Amadeusexecutive team, to ensurea smooth transition andsuccession.

Luis Maroto has worked

for Amadeus for 11 yearsin a number of positionsincluding CFO. For the lasttwo years as Deputy CEO,he has been instrumen-tal in Amadeus return tothe stock market with thecompanys successful IPOin April 2010 and the sub-sequent inclusion in Span-

ish blue-chip index IBEX-35, where the company isdebuting today.

Luis joined Amadeus in1999 as Director, Mar-keting Finance. In thatrole, he was instrumentalin supporting Amadeuscommercial organisationthroughout its internation-al expansion and consoli-dation. He was promotedin 2003 to Chief FinancialOfcer (CFO), taking re-sponsibility for the globalAmadeus Finance organi-sation.Prior to joining Amadeus,Luis held several manage-rial positions at the Ber-

telsmann Group.

A Spanish citizen, Luisholds a degree in Lawfrom the ComplutenseUniversity, Madrid, an MBAfrom the IESE BusinessSchool and further post-graduate qualicationsfrom Harvard Business

School and Stanford.

Talking about hisnew role, Luis Maro-to, President & CEOof Amadeus, said:It is an honor forme to take on theposition of President

& CEO of Amadeusand I take up thischallenge with hugeenthusiasm andlook forward to workingwith our customers, em-ployees and investors inthis exciting and growingindustry.

I am condent that, along-side the companys out-standing team of profes-sionals, we will ensure thatAmadeus continues to be agreat company to do busi-ness with and continuesto lead innovation in thetravel and tourism indus-try.

American Expressends 2010 in a spirit ofgiving

American Express MiddleEast announced today thatit has ended the year witha campaign of charitableactivities across the com-

munities in which it oper-ates. American ExpressMiddle East has given bothtime and money to a rangeof good causes, with a par-ticular focus on disadvan-taged children.

William Keliehor, ChiefExecutive Ofcer, AmericanExpress Middle East, said:At American Express we

believe that serving thecommunities in which welive and work is an exten-sion of the service ethicthat lies at the heart ofour business. We activelyencourage charitable and

voluntary activities withpartner organizations tobring about lasting, posi-tive change in our com-munities.

In Kuwait, American Ex-press MENA donated amassage therapy machineto Khalifa School, for use

by children with specialneeds. The school, whichhas 190 students rangingin age from 3 to 21 years,is recognized as the rstprivate educational insti-tution for special needsstudents in Kuwait.

The donation from Ameri-

can Express enabled theschool to buy a squeezemachine, which bringscomfort to children withspecial needs, particularlyautism, by applying relax-ing, deep pressure to theirbodies. Over 30 AmericanExpress MENA staff alsospent time at the school,and met with the children.


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January isnamed afterJanus, the

Roman Godof the Doors,Gateways, Be-ginnings andEndings (fromthe Latin wordianua meaning

door). Janus isusually featuredwith two faces,one looking for-ward to the fu-ture and otherlooking back on the past.So as the world celebratesthe birth of another NewYear and televisions relay

the wave of reworks thatlight up night skies overnations and through timezones, and we step for-ward to face the New Year,perhaps we too should likeJanus spare a moment tolook back on the year thatwas 2010.

January

1: Suicide bombing oc-curs at a volleyball gamein northwestern Pakistan,killing at least 95, and in-juring over 100

4: The tallest man-madestructure to date, the BurjKhalifa in Dubai, United

Arab Emirates, is opened.

12: A 7.0-magnitudeearthquake occurs in Haiti,devastating the nationscapital, Port-au-Prince.

With a conrmed death tollover 230,000 it is one ofthe deadliest on record.

25: Ethiopian Air-lines Flight 409 crashesinto the MediterraneanSea shortly after take-offfrom Beirut Rac Hariri In-ternational Airport, killing

all 90 people on-board.

February

3: The sculpture LHommequi marche I by AlbertoGiacometti sells in Lon-don for 65 million(US$103.7 million), settinga new world record for awork of art sold at auction

Flashback on 2010


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12-28: The 2010 WinterOlympics are held in Van-couver and Whistler, Can-

ada

27: An 8.8-magnitude earth-quake occursin Chile, trig-gering a tsuna-mi over the Pa-cic and killing497. The earth-quake is one ofthe largest inrecorded history

March

23: The ROKSCheonan, a South Ko-rean Navy ship carrying104 personnel, sinks offthe countrys west coast,

killing 46. In May, an in-dependent investigationblames North Korea, whichdenies the allegations

April

10: The President of Po-land, Lech Kaczyski, isamong 96 killed when their

airplane crashes in western

Russia.

13: A 6.9-mag-nitude earth-quake occurs inQinghai, China,killing at least

2,000 and injur-ing more than10,000.

14: Volca-nic ash fromone of severaleruptions be-

neath Eyjafjallajkull,an ice cap in Iceland,

begins to disrupt air traf-c across northern andwestern Europe

20: The Deep-water Hori-zon oil plat-

form explodes inthe Gulf ofMexico, killingeleven workers.The resulting oilspill, one of thelargest in his-tory, spreads forseveral months,damaging the

waters and the

United States coastline,and prompting internation-al debate and doubt aboutthe practice and proce-dures of offshore drilling

27: Standard & Poors

downgrades Greeces sov-ereign credit ratingto junk four days afterthe activation of a 45-billion EUIMF bailout, trig-gering the decline of stockmarkets worldwide and ofthe Euros value and fur-thering a European sover-eign debt crisis

May

2: The Eurozone andthe International MonetaryFund agree to a 110billion bailout packagefor Greece. The packageinvolves sharp Greek aus-terity measures

4: Nude, Green Leavesand Bust by Pablo Pi-casso sells in NewYork for US$106.5 million,setting another new worldrecord for a work of artsold at auction


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7: Scientistsconductingthe Neanderthalgenome projectannounce thatthey have se-quenced enough

of the Neander-thal genome tosuggest thatNeanderthalsand humansmay have interbred.

12: Afriqiyah AirwaysFlight 771 crashes at run-way at Tripoli International

Airport in Libya, killing 103of the 104 people on board

20: Scientists announcethat they have created afunctional synthetic ge-nome

22: Air India ExpressFlight 812 overshoots therunway at Mangalore In-ternational Airport in India,killing 158 and leaving 8survivors

31: Nine activists are killedin a clash with soldierswhen Israeli Navy forcesraid and capture a o-tilla of ships attempting tobreak the Gaza blockade

June

11: The month-long 2010FIFA World Cup beginsin South Africa, and is

won by Spain on July 11.

July

8: The rst 24-houright by a solar poweredplane is completed bythe Solar Impulse

25: Wikileaks, an online

publisher of anonymous,covert, and classied ma-terial, leaks to the pub-lic over 90,000 inter-nal reports about theUnited States-led in-volvement in the Warin Afghanistan from2004 to 2010

29: Heavymonsoonrains be-gin tocause wide-spreadooding inthe Khyber-Pakh-tunkhwa provinceof Pakistan. Over1,600 are killed,

and more than

one million are displacedby the oods

October

13: Thirty-three min-ers near Copiap, Chile,

trapped 700 metres un-derground in a miningaccident in San Jos Mine,are brought back to the

surface after surviving fora record 69 days

22: The InternationalSpace Station surpassesthe record for the longest

continuous human occupa-tion of space, having beencontinuously inhabitedsince November 2, 2000

(3641 days)


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25: An earthquake andconsequent tsunami off thecoast of Sumatra, Indone-sia, kills over 400 peopleand leave hundreds miss-ing.

26: Repeated erup-tions of Mount Merapiin Central Java, Indonesia,killed at least 240 peopleand forced hundreds ofthousands of residents toevacuate

November

4: Aero Caribbean Flight883 crashes in cen-tral Cuba, killing all 68people on board

13: Burmese opposi-tion politician Aung SanSuu Kyi is released from

her house arrest.

17: Researchersat CERN trap 38 anti-hy-drogen atoms for a sixthof a second, marking therst time in history thathumans have trapped anti-matter

21: Eurozone countries

agree to a rescue pack-age for the Republic ofIreland from the Euro-pean Financial StabilityFacility in response tothe countrys nancialcrisis

22: A stampededuring Bon OmThook (Khmer WaterFestival) celebrationsin Phnom Penh, Cambodia,

kills 347

28: WikiLeaks releasesa collection of more than250,000 American dip-lomatic cables, including100,000 marked secretor condential. Swedenlater les case againstWikileaks founder JulianAssange.

29: The EuropeanUnion agrees to an 85billion rescue deal for Ire-land from the EuropeanFinancial Stability Facility,the International MonetaryFund and bilateral loansfrom the United King-dom, Denmark and Swe-

den

December

2: NASA announces thediscovery of a new arsenic-based life form in Califor-nia10: A ceremony is held inNorway to award the NobelPeace Prize to Chinese dis-sident Liu Xiaobo in absen-tia

11: Delegates at the Unit-ed Nations Climate ChangeConference in Can-cn, Mexico, agree to a

compromise on slowing cli-mate change, though over-all failing to reach a dealthat many activists andgovernments want.


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The Empty Chair

C

hinese leaders prob-ably failed to an-ticipate the battering

that Chinas image abroadwould suffer as a result ofthe awarding of the Nobelpeace prize to an impris-oned Chinese dissident, LiuXiaobo.

They would have expectedthat their boycott of theaward ceremony in Oslo

on December 10th wouldinvite comparisons in theWest between China andthe Soviet Union, whichresponded with similarfury to the award of theprize to Andrei Sakharovin 1975. It is unlikely theyfully realized that theirbehavior would be equated

even more prominentlywith that of Nazi Germany.

The empty chair reservedfor Mr Liu at Oslos townhall, and the absence of

any of his family membersto receive the award on hisbehalf, made this the rstsuch ceremony since 1936when Carl von Ossietzky, ajailed German pacist, wasa similar no-show. AdolfHitler refused to let himgo to the ceremony. MrSakharov was not allowed

to pick up his prize either,but his wife, Elena Bonner,happened to be abroad atthe time and was able togo in his place.

China is extremely pricklyabout being compared withNazi Germany. This news-paper got an earful from

Chinese ofcials in 2001for publishing a leader

arguing that China was notsuited to host the OlympicGames because the world

has no cause to honor agovernment that governsin this way with a sportingevent intended to promotehuman dignity. The Econ-omist reminded readersof the similar position ittook on the Nazis hostingof the Olympic Games in1936.

Chinese ofcials are lesstouchy about Soviet analo-gies. Indeed, they playthem up. The state-con-trolled Chinese media havenot been bashful aboutcasting Mr Sakharov andMr Liu in the same light:both tools of a Westernconspiracy to underminecommunism. Never mind


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that Western governments,anxious to secure Chinesehelp with everything from

global economic rebal-ancing to curbing climatechange, have little interestin annoying China by talk-ing about Mr Liu. Chinaspropaganda machineryprefers to portray the Westas duplicitous.

But the propagandists

probably had not fullythought through the head-lines that would be createdby the sweeping crack-down on dissidents sincethe prize was announcedin October. By putting MrLius wife and numerousothers under house arrest,and stopping activists fromleaving the country in or-der to prevent them from

going to Oslo, the head-lines were re-calibrated toreect a comparison with

1936, not 1975 (or 1983,when Lech Walesas wifeaccepted the award onhis behalf, or 1991, whenAung San Suu Kyis sontook home his mothersprize).

China knows that memo-ries of Nazi Germany

evoke a more visceralrepugnance in the Westthan do those of the So-viet Union. Comparisonswith Germany early in thelast century are also un-welcome for Chinese lead-ers given their efforts toconvince the world thatChinas rise will have noneof the same consequencesthat Germanys did.

The battering suffered bythe West during the globaleconomic crisis appears to

have made Chinese lead-ers thicker skinned. Butthe state-controlled me-dias handling of the rstConfucius Peace Prize,which was awarded inBeijing this week, suggeststhat ofcials remain sensi-tive.

The Chinese press playedthe event down. Ofcialssaid the government didnot have a hand in it.Perhaps they might haveworried that Hitler tooorganized a home-grownversion of the Nobel prize,the German National Prizefor Art and Science, in re-sponse to von Ossietzkysaward.


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The very bestway to make2011 the best it

can be is to leverageyour past experience.In other words, yousimply must take along, hard look atwhat happened in2010.

I gured out yearsago that doing anhonest analysis of myprevious mistakesand accomplishmentsis the best way tocontinually improvemy company and my ownperformance.

Lets all face a simple, hardfact of life: no matter howgood or bad your results,you can always do better.

Yet the single biggest keyto improving both per-formance and results isignored by almost every-body. If you want to be at

the top of your game, youabsolutely must learn fromwhat has already hap-pened. Unfortunately, mostpeople either cannot or donot want to use their mis-steps and achievementsas learning experiences.And they end up becomingstagnant... or repeating

the same mistakes overand over again.

I am going to share withyou how I leverage all

my experiences intogreater levels of success.Follow my lead, and youcan make 2011 your verybest year (so far).All you need to do is an-swer ve questions. If youare serious about yoursuccess, you should do thistoday!

Question 1: What wereyour greatest accomplish-ments in 2010?

Even if 2010 was the worstyear of your life, odds are,if you look hard enough,there is something some-where to be proud of. If2010 was a great year foryou, that makes answering

this question eveneasier.

After you have listedall your accomplish-ments, go back tothem. This timethrough, identifyseveral takeaways foreach one what you

learned from or werereminded of by it.

Question 2: Whatwere your biggestdisappointments in2010?

Practically every companyand individual resists ana-lyzing their mistakes.

Thats a shame, becausethis is where the bestlearning comes from.

No matter how well every-thing is going, we all makemistakes. The trick here isto examine what precededthem, what you could have

done differently, and howyou can prevent makingthe same mistakes in thefuture.

As you did with your ac-complishments in 2010,list your biggest disap-pointments and thenidentify several takeaways

for each one.

How to Make the Most of 2011By Rich Schefren


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Question 3: How did youlimit yourself last year, andhow can you remove thoselimits in 2011?

Were there certain actionsyou took or did not take

that came back to hauntyou? You need to bringthese self-defeating ac-tions to the surface, shinelight on them, and, mostimportant, determine whatyou must do differently tomake sure you do not limityourself the same way allover again. Here are just a

few of mine...Not reviewing my goalsdailyNot sticking to a dailysleep scheduleHoping things would workout in situations where mygut told me not to.

Once again, make a listand identify the take-aways. For example, oneof the self-defeating ac-tions on my list was notreviewing my goals on adaily basis (even thoughI know better). When Idont review my goalsdaily, I get sucked intowhat is currently happen-ing and distracted from

what is most important.That caused me to missthe mark on a few goals Ihad set for myself in 2010.The takeaway: I am de-termined not to make thesame mistake in 2011.

Question 4: What did youlearn from your answers to

the rst three questions?

This is where it gets in-teresting. Remember, thepurpose of this exercise isnot simply to know your-self and your business bet-ter ... but actually to usewhat you learn to make

certain that 2011 trumps2010.

What are your main take-aways from the rst threequestions? What do younow know about yourselfor your business that youdid not realize or were notthinking about before?

Here are two random nug-gets from my completelist...Creating products, pro-grams, and free mate-rial to help entrepreneursand their businesses growconsistently gives me mygreatest feeling of accom-plishment. Therefore, Ineed to spend time dailyon creating these materialsand not let the fast growthof our business pull me toofar away from what I dobest.For my company, StrategicProts, to positively impacteven more small-businessowners, we have to reli-giously stick to our sched-

ule of introducing newfront-end products. Wecannot allow ourselves todeviate from the schedule,no matter how well thingsare going, because clientacquisition is the lifebloodof any business.You should shoot for asmany takeaways as possi-

ble, because its here that

the rubber meets the road.Its these takeaways thatwill practically guaranteethat 2011 will be the bestyear of your life.

Of course, its not enough

to just make your list (al-though that, by itself, willget you part way there).You still need to take thisinformation and USE IT!

And that is where our nalquestion comes in...

Question 5: How can you

use this information tomake 2011 your best yearyet?

The idea is to take every-thing that surfaced in youranswer to Question 4 andbuild it in to your sched-ule, your interactions, yourmanagement style, and soon.

For example, I have al-ready scheduled on mycalendar two hours a dayof content creation and 10minutes every morning toreview my goals. Plus, Ihave slotted a weekly 20-minute appointment withmyself to surface and then

analyze whatever concernsI have.

There are lots more on mylist - but you get the point.And besides, whats impor-tant here is not what I amgoing to do to make 2011great for me... its whatYOU are going to do to

make 2011 great for YOU.


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It is January and the outside cold ismatched only by the empty coldnessof a house from which all holiday dec-

orations have been removed. Decemberscrowded celebration calendar has givenway to Januarys social slump.

However, there is a hearty side to Janu-ary. A fresh new year extends in front ofyou. Hopefully, the mound of gift wrap-pings and other holiday clutter have been

cleared and the tinsels put away. You canonce again see your furniture, which usedto be draped with packing and presents.

January brings with it a fresh slate thathas just been wiped clean. You are brim-ming with energy and rearing to go, sowhere do you start.

Decide that if there is one resolution

you are going to keep this year it will beto get organized. And act on your deci-sion. Get on the computer or whereverit is that you store the list of family andfriends, their information and addresses.

Start working on updating and classify-ing the list any new names to be hap-pily added to the list; any to be sadlyremoved. Any new addresses to be trans-ferred from your mobile or your paperaddress book to the computer. Do it nowand work on getting organized, diligentlyIn the months ahead we will look more indepth on the art of getting organized.

Meanwhile, here is poem we came acrossthat was rst published in the early1900s, proving that way back then, as itis now, getting organized was a hurdle ...

There may be nothing wrong with you,The way you live, the work you do,But I can very plainly seeExactly what is wrong with me.

It isnt that Im indolentOr dodging duty by intent;I work as hard as anyone

And yet I get so little done.

The morning goes, the noon is hereBefore I know the night is nearAnd all around me I regretAre things I havent nished yet.

If I could just get organizedI often times have realizedNot all that matters is the manThe man must also have a plan.With you there may be nothing wrongBut heres my trouble right alongI do the things that dont amountTo very much of no accountThat really seem important thoughAnd let a lot of matters go.

I nibble this I nibble thatBut never nish what Im at

I work as hard as anyoneAnd yet I get so little done.

Id do so much youd be surprisedIf I could just get organized!

Author Unknown

A Thought to Begin 2011 on


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Nobel Prize inChemsitry

Richard Fred Heck wasjointly awarded the NobelPrize in Chemistry alongwith the Japanese chem-

ists Ei-ichi Negishi and Aki-ra Suzuki, for their workin palladium-catalyzedcoupling reactions in or-ganic synthesis.For their work in what?Sufce to know that thegreatest societal impactof their work has been the

concoction of a reactionthat was usedto couple uo-rescent dyesto DNA bases,allowing theautomation ofDNA sequenc-ing and theexamination

of the humangenome.And, that wassupposed tohelp?

Well, the examination ofthe human genome helpedscientists to emphaticallyprove that humans carrymany of the same genesfound in the common fruity with the very uncom-mon name of drosophilamelanogaster (Greek for,black-bellied dew lover).

It now appears that a hugemedical breakthrough maybe in the ofng as a resultof this very tiny insect. A

revolutionary nding in the

common fruit y could leadto a greater understandingof how the human brainlearns and retains memo-ries.So now you have a validexcuse for the forgotten

birthdays, anniversariesand mother-in-laws ap-pointment at the dentist.Blame it on the y.

Biotech scientists haveidentied a new gene inthe y that may functionsimilarly in humans andlead to treatments for neu-

rological disorders such asAlzheimers.

This breakthrough is excit-ing researchers worldwidebecause it marks the rsttime that a memory andlearning gene has been

discovered outside of thenormally studied and typi-cal learning pathways.

Fruit y genes have al-ready been closely linkedto those of humans. Previ-ously, scientists pinpointeda shared gene between theies and humans called the

dunce gene, which in hu-

mans indicates a predispo-sition to schizophrenia.

By taking the studies of ygenomes a few steps fur-ther researchers now hopeto nd answers to dis-

eases of the brain includ-ing learning and cognitivedisorders.

Scientists are still in theearly stages of connectingthe y memory genes andthe human disease, butmuch of the informationalready obtained provides

valuable insights into hu-man brain disorders.

Although thisis fundamen-tal researchand cures arenot likely inthe very nearfuture, studiescontinue to un-derstand brainfunctions suchas learningand memory in

human and in the fruit y.So, the next time youtake a swatter to smacka y at, remember thatthe part of your brain thathelps you remember to

remember ... owes its ori-gins to this tiny insect.

Nobel Prize inEconomics

Peter Arthur Diamond anAmerican economist knownfor his analysis of U.S.Social Security policy and

his work as an advisor to


22/38


the Advisory Council onSocial Security in the late1980s and 1990s, wasawarded the Nobel Prize inEconomic Sciences, alongwith Dale T. Mortensenand Christopher A. Pis-

sarides for their analysisof markets with searchfrictions.Now that is quiteself explanatory.

It offers a way of model-ing markets in which fric-tions prevent instanta-neous adjustment of thelevel of economic activity.

This theory has been es-pecially inuential in laboreconomics, where it hasbeen used to describe theformation of new jobs, aswell as to describe otherhuman relationships likemarriage.

Nobel Prize in

Literature

Jorge Mario Pedro Var-gas Llosa (born March 28,1936) is a Peruvian writer,politician, journalist, es-sayist, and Nobel Prize lau-reate, currently servingas a visiting professorat Princeton University.

Vargas Llosa is one of LatinAmericas most signicantnovelists and essayists,and one of the leadingauthors of his generation.Some critics consider himto have had a larger inter-national impact and world-wide audience than anyother writer of the Latin

American Boom.

He was awarded the2010 Nobel Prize in Litera-ture for his cartographyof structures of power andhis trenchant images ofthe individuals resistance,revolt, and defeat.

What was that award foragain?

Nobel Prize in Physics

Andre KonstantinovichGeim, FRS (born 1 October1958) is a Dutch physi-cist. Geim was awardedthe 2010 Nobel Prize in

Physics jointly with Kon-stantin Novoselov for theirwork on graphene. Geimis the Langworthy Profes-sor and director of theManchester Centre for Me-soscience and Nanotech-nology at the University ofManchester.Graphene is a one-atom-

thick planar sheet of bond-ed carbon atoms that aredensely packed in a hon-eycomb crystal lattice.

The term graphene wascoined as a combinationof graphite and the suf-x -ene by Hanns-PeterBoehm, who describedsingle-layer carbon foils in1962.

Graphene is most easilyvisualized as an atomic-scale chicken wire madeof carbon atoms and theirbonds. The crystalline orake form of graphiteconsists of many graphenesheets stacked together.

The carbon-carbon bondlength in graphene isabout 0.142 nanometers.Graphene sheets stackto form graphite with aninterplanar spacing of0.335 nm, which means

that a stack of 3 millionsheets would be only onemillimeter thick.

Graphene is the basicstructural element of somecarbon allotropes includinggraphite, charcoal, carbonnanotubes and fullerenes.It can also be considered

as an indenitely large ar-omatic molecule, the limit-ing case of the family ofat polycyclic aromatichydrocarbons.

The Nobel Prize wasawarded to the pair fortheir groundbreakingexperiments regardingthe two-dimensional mate-rial graphene. It is nowwell known that tiny frag-ments of graphene sheetsare produced (along withquantities of other de-bris) whenever graphiteis abraded, such as whendrawing line with a pencil.

There was little inter-

est in this graphitic resi-due before 2004/05 and,therefore, the discovery ofgraphene is often attrib-uted to Andre Geim andcolleagues who introducedgraphene in its modernincarnation.

In 2008 graphene pro-

duced by exfoliation was


23/38


one of the most expen-sive materials on Earth,with a sample that canbe placed at the crosssection of a human haircosting more than $1,000as of April 2008 (about

$100,000,000/cm2).

Since then, exfoliationprocedures have beenscaled up, and now com-panies sell graphene bythe ton.On the other hand, theprice of epitaxial grapheneon SiC is dominated by

the substrate price, whichis approximately $100/cm2 as of 2009.

Even cheaper graphenehas been produced bytransfer from nickel byKorean researchers, withwafer sizes up to 30 re-ported.

Nobel Prize in Physi-ology or Medicine

Robert Geoffrey Ed-wards, CBE FRS (born 27September 1925, Man-chester) is a British bi-ologist and pioneer in re-productive biology andmedicine, and in-vitrofertilization (IVF) in par-ticular.

Along with surgeon Pat-rick Steptoe (1913 1988), Edwards success-fully pioneered conceptionthrough IVF, which led tothe birth of the rst test-tube baby, Louise Brown,

on 25 July 1978. Ed-

wards was awarded the2010 Nobel Prize in Physi-ology or Medicine for thedevelopment of in vitrofertilization.

Recently the Vaticans

powerful doctrinal ofceissued a statement thatreports of Pope BenedictXVI condoning the use ofcondoms was pure heresy(that should read hearsay) and that the Pontiff inno way justied the use ofcondoms to prevent preg-nancy (makes you wonder

what are condoms justi-ed for).The doctrinal ofce furtherclaried that the Popespurported remarks didnot signify any change inCatholic moral teachings.

And that, is quite a reliefto know.

Nobel Prize in Peace

Liu Xiaobo (born 28December 1955) is aChinese literary critic,writer, professor, and hu-man rights activist whocalled for political reformsand the end of commu-nist one-party rule in Chi-

na. He is currently in-carcerated as a politicalprisoner in the PeoplesRepublic of China.

Liu has served from 2003to 2007 as President ofthe Independent Chi-nese PEN Center, an orga-nization funded by the Na-

tional Endowment for

Democracy. On 8 Decem-ber 2008, Liu was detainedin response to his par-ticipation with the Charter08 manifesto.

He was formally arrested

on 23 June 2009, on suspi-cion of inciting subversionof state power. He wastried on the same chargeson 23 December 2009, andsentenced to eleven yearsimprisonment and twoyears deprivation of politi-cal rights on 25 December2009.

Deprivation of what? Andhere we thought he wasbeing imprisoned for de-manding political rights.

During his 4th prison term,he was awarded the 2010Nobel Peace Prize, for hislong and non-violent strug-gle for fundamental humanrights in China.Liu is the rst Chinesecitizen to be awarded aNobel Prize of any kindwhile residing in Chi-na. He is the fourth per-son to be awarded theNobel Peace Prize while inprison or detention, af-ter Nazi Germanys Carl

von Ossietzky (1935),the Soviet Unions AndreiSakharov (1975), andMyanmars Aung San SuuKyi (1991).

Liu is also the rst personsince Ossietzky to be de-nied the right to have arepresentative collect the

Nobel Prize for him.


24/38


For a countrythat holdsaround 8% of

global oil reserves,it may be difcultfor many of us tobelieve that Ku-wait faces seriouspower concerns.For the last couple

of years, Kuwaithas been expe-riencing recordtemperatures insummer, leading topower consumption thathas tottered on the brinkof the red line and withmany areas experiencingpower outages. Legislatorsand the public have de-

rided and taken the gov-ernment to task for its lackof foresight in building thenecessary power genera-tion capacity to meet thecountrys increased powerneeds.

The nation has one ofthe worlds highest per

capita consumption ratesof electricity, and dur-ing the summer months,when temperatures hoveraround 50C, it is esti-mated that around 70% ofenergy is consumed by airconditioning units.

At present output levels,

Kuwait is capable of pro-ducing 11,200 MW of elec-

tricity. Yet, with soaringtemperatures in the low50s, consumption reacheda record 10,823 MW(98.5% of grid capacity).In 2009 the peak summerdemand was 9961 MW.

Considering that mostcountries strive to operatewith a spare capacity ofaround 15%, authorities inKuwait have been settingup emergency meetingsand working out strategiesto ensure summer outagesdo not become a regular

occurrence.

Kuwait has not built newpower plants since 1998,and over that period hasseenn power demand growat an annual average of8%. While new powerplants are in the planningand construction stages,no new plants are set tocome on-line until next

summer at theearliest.

In September 2009the governmentsigned a $2.7bndeal with Gen-eral Electric andHyundai HeavyIndustries of South

Korea to build a2000-MW gas-redplant at Subbiyain the north of the

country. The plantis expected to be opera-tional in June 2011 andproduce 1320 MW, with anadditional 680 MW to beproduced by 2012.

In the meantime, it isbelieved that deterioratingcabling has caused up to80% of the recent outagesexperienced, promptingcalls for immediate effortson maintenance and re-pairs. Experts believe thatwhile the governmentsspending billions on new

power plants is a deniterequirement for the future,they could spend farl lessmoney and ensure im-mediate results by refur-bishing and improving theefciency and output ofexisting ones.

Existing power and de-

salination plants areowned and operated by

Turning on the Heat


25/38


the Ministry of Electric-ity and Water, and manybelieve improvements inquality and delivery couldbe made through priva-tisation. Analysts pointout that when a sector is

opened to market competi-tion, customer service andproduct delivery improvedramatically. However,unlike other economieswhere the primary role ofprivatisation is to bringinvestment funding, whatKuwait requires is privatesector expertise.

To this end, in May parlia-ment passed a bill to allowprivate sector involvementin the operation of thecountrys power plants.The legislation allowsfor the establishment ofshareholding companies tobuild new power and wa-ter desalination plants inthe country, the rst timeprivate entities will havea stake in the local powersector. Under the termsof the law, up to 50% ofshares in the company willbe sold to nationals in aninitial public offering, whilethe government and stateinstitutions will hold up

to 24% of newly formedcompanies. The remaining26% will be sold to public-ly listed Kuwaiti companiesor foreign companies ap-proved by the government.

While it is believed thatinvestments in new powerfacilities and an engage-

ment with the private

sector will result in ad-ditional supply down theroad, equally importantfrom many observers viewis the need to better man-age electricity demand anddiscourage excessive con-

sumption. The residentialsector accounts for around60% of the total currentload, with the govern-ment heavily subsidisingelectricity and charginghouseholds a mere $0.07per kilowatt hour, abouthalf the average price inthe US. In addition, many

households do not paytheir bills and are rarelypenalised for not doing so.

According to Dr SaadAkashah, an advisor theArab Fund for Economicand Social Development,There is huge wastageand overuse of electric-ity in this country, and itis harming future genera-tions. So long as electricityis essentially free, peoplewill not concern them-selves with how much theyuse. We do not need to getrid of subsidies entirely,but should introduce sometiered pricing that chargespeople an affordable rate

while at the same timemaking them think beforethey consume.

The nancial implicationsof such high energy usageare also signicant, notonly for industries con-cerned over a steady sup-ply of energy, but also for

the government due to the

high fuel bill and large cap-ital investments. Accord-ing to the Kuwait Institutefor Scientic Research, ifcurrent demand trendspersist, Kuwait will needto add another 14,000 MW

in generating capacity by2025, bringing overall ca-pacity to 25,000 MW at acost of KD7bn ($24.1bn).The accompanying fuel billto meet this extra capacitywould reach approximatelyKD3.8bn ($13.1bn), atcurrent prices.

As a stop-gap measure,the government has signeddeals with Shell and Vitolin 2009 and April 2010respectively for the importof approximately 500,000cu ft per day of liqueednatural gas to help fuel itspower stations. In addi-tion to the environmentalbenets of being a clean-er-burning alternative,importing gas is consid-ered less costly than usingexport-revenue-earningoil-derived fuels to gener-ate electricity.

In the longer term, Kuwaitis hoping to boost its natu-ral gas production and has

targeted levels of 5bn cuft per year, up from cur-rent level of 1.2bn cu ft ofnon-associated gas fromits northern gas elds. Toachieve this, the govern-ment has enrolled thehelp of Royal Dutch Shell,signing a deal estimatedat $700m to help tap the

complex reservoirs.


26/38


Copenhagen 7 - 18 December, 2009

In Praise of the lowly Vinegar

Vinegar has been aroundfor a long time; traces

of it have been found in

excavated Egyptian urns that

date back to 3000 BC. Vinegar

is made from the fermenta-

tion of ethanol derived

from different sources includ-

ing wine, beer or fermented

fruit juices by acetic acid

bacteria. It is also made syn-thetically from natural gas and

petroleum derivatives. The two

popular forms of vinegar in the

region are balsamic vinegar,

made from the concentrated

white grape juice and distilled

or white vinegar produced by

distilling any type of vinegar to

produce a colorless solution

of 5 to 8 percent acetic acid in

water. True balsamic vinegar,

very expensive and at one

time available only to the Ital-

ian upper classes, is aged, in a

successive number of special

casks made of different woods,

for anywhere from 12 to a hun-

dred years. The commercial

supermarket balsamic is made

from concentrated grape juice

mixed with strong vinegar andlaced with caramel and sugar

to give it a distinctive color and

avor.

Vinegar is generally used in

food preparations, salad dress-

ings and pickling processes.

It is an ingredient in mustard

sauce, ketchup and mayon-

naise and marinades often use

vinegar.

Many cultures ascribe re-medial properties to vinegar

and it has been used in treat-

ments of various afictions.

For instance, Posca, made by

mixing sour wine or vinegar

with water and avoring herbs,

was a popular drink in ancient

Rome and Greece. It was an

everyday drink for the Ro-

man army, as it was not only asource of liquid and of calories,

but it also prevented scurvy by

providing vitamin C. In France,

according to legend, during the

Black Plague four thieves were

able to rob houses of plague

victims without being infected

themselves. When nally

caught, the Judge offered to

grant the men their freedom,

on the condition that they

revealed how they managed to

stay healthy. They claimed that

a medicine woman sold them a

potion, made of garlic soaked

in soured red wine (vinegar).

Variants of the recipe, called

Four Thieves Vinegar, have

been passed down for hun-

dreds of years. Though many

of the medicinal properties ofvinegar have not been scien-

tically proven, let us look at

some of benecial uses of this

versatile liquid.

White vinegar applied as a

spray to tissue draped over a

sunburn helps restore the lost

acidic level to the skin, and

gives a cooling effect

A 2006 study concluded that a


27/38


test group of rats fed with ace-

tic acid, the main component

of vinegar, had signicantly

lower values for serum total

cholesterol and triacylglycerol,

among other health benets.

These rats were found to have

lower blood pressure thancontrol rats, although it must

be mentioned that the effects

have not been tested on hu-

mans. However, in a different

trial conducted on humans,

reduced risk of fatal ischemic

heart disease was observed

among participants who ate

vinegar and oil salad dress-

ings frequently. Also, prior tothe discovery of hypoglycemic

agents, diabetic patients were

known to use vinegar teas to

control their symptoms. Tests

have shown that about 20ml of

white vinegar added to food,

or taken along with a meal,

reduced the glycemic index of

carbohydrate food for people

with and without diabetes. Vin-

egar has also been proven toincrease satiety, or the feeling

of fullness, thereby lowering

the amount of food consumed.

White vinegar is often used as

a household cleaning agent.

Because it is acidic, it can dis-

solve mineral deposits from

glass, coffee makers and other

smooth surfaces. For mostuses dilution with water is rec-

ommended for safety and to

avoid damaging the surfaces

being cleaned.

Vinegar is an excellent solvent

for cleaning epoxy resin and

hardener, even after the epoxy

has begun to harden. Vinegar

sprinkled onto crumpled news-

paper is a traditional, and still-

popular, method of cleaning

grease-smeared windows and

mirrors and in many places it

is used for polishing brass or

bronze

Recently, vinegar has been

marketed as a green solution

for many household cleaningproblems. For example, vine-

gar has been cited recently as

an eco-friendly urine cleaner

for pets and as weed killer,

since it is not absorbed into

root systems, the vinegar will

kill top growth, but perennial

plants will reshoot.

Commercial vinegar, available

to consumers for householduse, does not exceed 5%, and

solutions above 10% need

careful handling since they

are corrosive and damaging to

skin.

It is said that when we are

good to our environment, we

are good to ourselves. For

instance, we could do without

many of the cleaning chem-

cials we commonly use in ourhomes, and the environment

would be better off from our

not using those products.

Because of its acidity, white

distilled vinegar is super-

effective at killing most mold,

bacteria and germs, and it is

eco-friendly. Here are some

suggestions on how to use

vinegar to clean your home:-Shine chrome and remove

lime buildup by making a paste

of 2 Tablespoons salt and 1

teaspoon of white distilled

vinegar.

-For a natural scouring cleans-

er, mix cup baking soda with

1 Tablespoon liquid detergent

and just enough white vinegar

to give it a thick and creamy

texture.

-Make your own window clean-

er with cup ammonia, 2 cup

white vinegar and 2 Table-

spoons cornstarch in a gallon

of water.

-Deodorize a garbage disposal

by pouring in cup bakingsoda and cup hot white

vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes,

then run hot water down the

disposal.

-Mix cup white vinegar with

cup water in a microwave

safe bowl, put in the micro-

wave and let it boil to clean

baked-on foods and remove

odors. Wipe clean.-Mix equal parts water and

white vinegar into a solution

to clean the refrigerator inside

and out.

-Mix equal parts of salt or bak-

ing soda with white vinegar to

scrub away stains from coffee

and teacups, then rinse clean.

-Polish brass and copper with

a mix of 2 Tablespoons ketch-

up and 1 Tablespoon whitevinegar. Rub it on with a clean

cloth until dry and shiny.

-Soak a sponge in white vin-

egar to wipe grease off of

exhaust fans.

-Clean grout with full strength

white vinegar and a tooth-

brush.

-Kill germs by spraying full-

strength white vinegar on door-knobs and then wipe dry.

-Clean your BBQ grill by spray-

ing white vinegar on it and

then scrubbing with wadded up

aluminum foil.

-Clean off stickers, decals, or

sticky stuff with a cloth dipped

in white vinegar.

Be good to the environment ,

be good to yourself.


28/38



29/38


The World Banks re-port on the outlookfor the global econ-

omy in 2011, brings twothings to the forefront.The rst is that economicactivity in most develop-ing countries has gener-ally recovered from the

deep crisis of 2008-09.The second, and probablymore important message,is that over the next 20 to30 years, economic powerwill move from West to theEast.

This point is highlightedby agreement among

economists and nan-cial analysts at the WorldBank, that growth in 2011is likely to remain slug-gish at around 2.4 percentin most of the developedworld, while it would aver-age 6 percent in the devel-oping world. Although the

emerging market countriesaccount for only around25 percent of global GDP,in 2011 they will accountfor almost half of globalgrowth.

Experts are of the opin-ion that while this single

year growth rate on itsown would hardly make adent in the huge economicdisparity between rich andpoor nations, compoundedover three or four decades,it could change the wholeball game. The economicclout could return to theera before the Industrial

Revolution when Chinaand India by virtue of theirlarge populations were thebiggest economies in theworld.

Work by John Hawks-worth, chief economist atPricewaterhouseCoopers

The World according to theWorld Bank


30/38


ing countries and nallyprotectionist pressurescould bring about the riskof hunger and malnutritionfrom rising food prices.

All are real and present

dangers. The crisis in theEurozone has not goneaway and is likely to beone of the big stories of2011. Brazils decision toimpose capital controls tocap the rise in the value ofits currency is an indicationof protectionist sentiment.The last time commodity

pressures were rising rap-idly, in 2008, there werefood riots.

But there are also colossallonger-term risks. Growthrates of the sort envis-aged for developing coun-tries by the World Bankand PwC will put massivepressures on commodityprices and the environ-ment. After two centuriesof economic and politicalhegemony, rich countriesmay not take kindly to be-ing challenged by Chinaand India.

And if, as looks highlyprobable, clashes over

resources and currenciesare a proxy for a deeperpolitical struggle betweenthe emerging East and thedeclining West, the worldwill need a robust and ef-fective system of globalgovernance to manage thetensions. And, as the fail-ures to conclude a trade

deal or make progress on

(PwC) has shown that thecurrent G7 (US, UK, Ger-many, France, Japan, Italyand Canada) will be chal-lenged by an E (Emerging)7 of China, India, Russia,Brazil, Mexico, Turkey and

Indonesia. These countrieswill benet from economiccatch-up, low labor costs,technology transfer andpopulation growth.

In one sense, the prospectof rising incomes in largechunks of the develop-ing world is good news,

especially since the solidgrowth in emerging mar-kets includes the poorestcountries of all in sub-

Saharan Africa. Strongergrowth will help reducepoverty and, of course,provide markets for West-ern goods.

But there are dangers too.Three short-term risks areidentied by the World

Bank in its recently pub-lished Global EconomicProspects 2011. First is thesystemic crisis in the Eu-rozone that sees more andmore members of the sin-gle currency under specu-lative attack. The second isthe potential for high andvolatile capital ows that

could destabilize develop-

The bank says the devel-oping world is likely to beresponsible for almost half

of the 3.3 percent globalexpansion in 2011

In one sense, the pros-pect of rising incomesin large chunks of thedeveloping world is

good news, especially

since the solid growthin emerging marketsincludes the poorest

countries of all in sub-Saharan Africa.


31/38


Hans Timmer - World Banks

Director of Development Prospects

a climate change accordhave shown quite clearly,there is currently no suchgovernance.

Heavy and volatile owsof speculative capital into

developing countries arehighlighted by the WorldBank as a signicant riskto global economic re-covery. Stressing the im-portance of the emergingworld as a force behindgrowth, the bank saysthere is a sharp contrastbetween the robust per-

formances of Asia, LatinAmerica and Africa and thesluggish recovery in thericher nations of the West.

The bank says the devel-oping world is likely to beresponsible for almost halfof the 3.3 percent globalexpansion in 2011, when itexpects a slowdown fromthe 3.9 percent of growthnotched up in 2010.Justin Yifu Lin, the WorldBanks chief economist,says: On the upside,strong developing-countrydomestic demand growthis leading the world econo-my, yet persistent nancialsector problems in some

high-income countries arestill a threat to growth andrequire urgent policy ac-tions.

In its Global EconomicProspects 2011, the WorldBank says growth of 6percent in developingcountries will be more than

double the 2.4 percent in

high-income countries. Itadds that global growthwill pick up slightly in2012 to 3.6 percent. Butthe study expresses con-cern that ultra-low inter-est rates in the West are

leading to large capitalows into developingcountries, causing bigswings in exchange ratesand asset prices.

Net international equityand bond ows to develop-ing countries rose sharplyin 2010 by 42 percent

and 30 percent respec-tively, according to thebank, which notes that

nine countries received thebulk of the capital. Brazil,one of the nine, has al-ready announced curbs oncapital, which have fannedfears of currency wars andprotectionism.

The pick-up in interna-

tional capital ows re-inforced the recovery inmost developing coun-tries, says Hans Timmer,the World Banks directorof development prospects.However, heavy inows tocertain big middle-incomeeconomies may carry risksand threaten medium-

term recovery, especially if

currency values rise sud-denly or if asset bubblesemerge.

The report notes: Capitalinows into some middle-income countries haveplaced undue and poten-tially damaging upwardpressure on currencies.Many of these ows areshort-lived, volatile andsometimes speculative innature. Left unchecked,

such ows can lead toabrupt real appreciationand depreciation andcan do lasting damage toeconomies.

East Asia topped the re-gional growth table in2010, the World Banksays, showing expansion of9.3 percent. Latin America

bounced back from a 2.2percent fall in output in2009 to grow by 5.7 per-cent. But while noting thatsub-Saharan Africa, ex-cluding South Africa, hadgrown by 5.8 percent in2010, it warns that ris-ing food prices threaten areturn to the hunger and

malnutrition of 2008.

After two centuries ofeconomic and politicalhegemony, rich coun-

tries may not take kind-ly to being challengedby China and India.


32/38


J

on Butcher, founder ofLifebook, reminiscenc-es here about a recent

trip to Greece. And, as henotes, travel is all aboutsharing good company andtreasuring great memories...

Im enjoying a tastyEspresso, while watch-ing the morning sun warmthe crystal clear waters of

the Caldera in Santorini,Greece. The sleepy townof Fira is starting to cometo life now; shopkeep-ers and caf owners greeteach other, farmers driv-ing horse-drawn carts haulvegetables into town, dogsbark, motorbikes hum inthe streets above the vil-lage

Im looking at the ash-black outline of the activevolcano, ominously smok-

ing in the middle of theCaldera. It blew half thisisland apart 500 years agoand destroyed an entirecivilization. Only a fewruins remain, which Missyand I are planning to visitlater in the day.

An old man with a wind-

burned face greets mecasually from the streetbelow. He speaks in Greek,so I cant understand thewords, but I think I knowexactly what hes saying.Its a beautiful morning. Ireply by nodding my headand raising my coffee cup.Yes, it certainly is.The air smells differenthere. The light has a dif-

ferent quality. I have neverhad a feeling quite like thisbefore, simply because

Ive never been here be-fore.

And I think to myself, thisis why I travel: To cre-ate moments exactly likethis. To remove myselffrom my everyday life andexperience a new way ofseeing things. To develop

an appreciation for othercultures as well as myown. To learn, grow andeducate myself. To chal-lenge myself and stretchmy limits. And to create alifetime of memories withthe people I love.

Travel is not just aboutthe pleasure, the um-brella drinks, the unspoiled

Ultimate Social Experience-Traveling with Friends

By Jon Butcher


33/38


beaches and the relaxing(all wonderful things, bythe way!)

Travel is about stimulatingyour mind in ways that en-hance all 12 categories of

your life. It doesnt matterwhere you go or what youdo - its the physical actof traveling and the new-ness you experience thatgenerates new thoughtsand new perspectives.Sharing these experiences,thoughts and perspectiveswith people you care about

in REAL TIME is absolutelypriceless.

The most memorable ex-periences Missy and Ihave had with our dearestfriends have been whiletraveling. We discovered along time ago that the bestway to get to know some-one quickly is to take a tripwith them. And when itcomes to deepening exist-ing friendships and creat-ing lifelong memories withthe people you care mostabout, weve found thattravel is in a class by itself.

Traveling creates a kind ofheightened experience that

deepens your social inter-actions. The dinner con-

versations youll have withfriends while watching the

sun set over the SerengetiPlain of Tanzania will differsubstantially from thoseyoull have at your localdiner. Wandering with closefriends through the narrowalleys of Beijing or Shang-hai will be innitely morememorable than walkingdown your own block. Hag-gling with friends in thecrowded markets of Cairowill be a more interestingtopic for future conver-sation than visiting yourlocal supermarket. Travelgives you something funand interesting to talkabout for years and yearsto come. It forges a bondthat cant be duplicated in

any other way.

Were so passionateabout travel as the ulti-mate social experience,that we started organiz-ing Lifebook trips, so ourMembers could travel theworld together! LifebookMembers have traveled to

Peru, Bali, China, Tanza-

nia, Hawaii, Vietnam andMorocco together. Each

and every one of themhas been a wonderful so-cial experience, creatingfriendships and memoriesthat will last a lifetime.

Over the next year wellbe organizing Lifebooktrips to Egypt, Bali, andthe remote Hawaiian is-land of Molokai. We wouldlove for you to join us! Ourrst trips are to Bali, Indo-nesia, and you can learnmore by reading the travelannouncement in our Life-book e-magazine.

In the immortal wordsof Mark Twain, Twentyyears from now you will be

more disappointed by thethings you didnt do thanby the ones you did do. Sothrow off the bowlines, sailaway from the safe harbor.Catch the trade winds inyour sails. Explore. Dream.Discover.

And lets do it all TOGETH-

ER.

It doesnt matter whereyou go or what you do- its the physical act oftraveling and the new-

ness you experience thatgenerates new thoughtsand new perspectives.


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Warm Winter Recipes

When the weather turnschilly, try out our warmwintery recipes

Grapefruit Avocado Salad

Even in the dead of winter,

brighten up lettuce greenswith the fresh fruity tart-ness of pink grapefruitand orange juice. Thissunny and elegant cit-rus salad pairs well withmost entrees. For extraelegance and color, addsliced Kalamata or greenolives to the Grapefruit

Avocado Salad.

Ingredients ( Yield: 8servings)6 cups torn leaf lettuce3 large pink grapefruit,peeled and sectioned1 medium ripe avocado,peeled and sliced1 small red onion, thinlysliced1/4 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons olive oil1 tablespoon lemon juice3/4 teaspoon ground cum-in1 garlic clove, mincedDash hot pepper sauce1/4 cup chopped pecans,toasted

PreparationDivide lettuce among eight

salad plates. Arrange thegrapefruit, avocado andonion over lettuce. In asmall bowl, whisk theorange juice, oil, lemonjuice, cumin, garlic andpepper sauce; drizzle oversalads. Sprinkle with pe-cans.

Roasted Chicken NoodleSoup

Bring out your soup potand try out this warmbroth. Every spoonful of

this creamy, nicely sea-soned soup is chock-full

of old-fashioned goodnesswith tender chicken, pota-toes, carrots and celery.

Ingredients (Yield: 8 serv-ings)1 cup chopped onion1 cup chopped carrots1 cup chopped celery2 teaspoons olive oil1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup all-purpose our1/2 teaspoon dried orega-no1/4 teaspoon dried thyme1/4 teaspoon poultry sea-soning6 cups reduced-sodiumchicken broth4 cups cubed peeled pota-toes

1 teaspoon salt2 cups cubed cookedchicken breast2 cups uncooked yolk-freewide noodles1 cup fat-free evaporatedmilk

Preparation;In a stockpot, saute the

onion, carrots and celeryin oil for 5 minutes or untiltender. Add garlic; cook 1minute longer. Stir in theour, oregano, thyme andpoultry seasoning untilblended.Gradually add the broth,potatoes and salt; bring toa boil. Reduce heat; coverand simmer for 15-20 min-

utes or until potatoes are


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tender.Stir in chicken and noo-dles; simmer for 10 min-utes or until noodles aretender. Reduce heat. Stirin milk; heat through (donot boil).

Italian Pasta Casserole

All the traditional avorsabound in this dish remi-niscent of lasagna. This isa zippy and hearty recipethat family and guests willequally like.

Ingredients (Yield: 6 serv-ings)2 cups uncooked spiralpasta250g pound lean groundbeef

250g Italian turkey sau-sage links, casings re-moved1 small onion, nelychopped1 garlic clove, minced2 cans (450ml each)Diced Tomatoes, undrained1/3 cup tomato paste3/4 teaspoon Italian sea-

soning

1/2 teaspoon chili powder1/4 teaspoon dried orega-no1/8 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon garlic powder1/8 teaspoon dried thyme1/8 teaspoon pepper

60 g sliced turkey pep-peroni1 cup shredded part-skimmozzarella cheese

PreparationCook pasta according topackage directions. Mean-while, crumble beef andsausage into a large skil-

let; add onion and garlic.Cook and stir over me-dium heat until meat isno longer pink; drain. Stirin the tomatoes, tomatopaste and seasonings.Bring to a boil. Reduceheat; simmer, uncovered,for 5 minutes.Drain pasta; stir in meatmixture and pepperoni.Transfer half of pastamixture to a 2-qt. bakingdish coated with cookingspray. Sprinkle with half ofcheese; repeat layers.Cover and bake at 175Cfor 20-25 minutes or untilbubbly.

Chocolate Snowballs

These dainty cookies justmelt in your mouth. En-joy making them for fam-ily and friends, especiallywhen there are lots ofkids around to really enjoythem. And, the recipe gen-erously ensures that thereare enough to go around

Ingredients ( Yield: 6 doz-en)3/4 cup butter, softened3/4 cup packed brownsugar1 egg1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 cups all-purpose our1/2 cup Cocoa1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking sodaConfectioners sugar

PreparationIn a large bowl, creambutter and brown sugaruntil light and uffy. Addthe egg, milk and vanilla;mix well. Combine theour, cocoa, baking pow-der, salt and baking soda;

gradually add to creamedmixture. Cover and refrig-erate overnight.Shape into 1-in. balls;place 2 in. apart on un-greased baking sheets.Bake at 175C for 7-8minutes or until tops arecrackled. Remove to wireracks to cool completely.

Roll in confectioners sugar.


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ARIESYou reach outto people in arare show ofwarmth, con-nubial bliss andfriendship. Thisis a rather hap-

py, goal-orientedperiod. Forming pleasant, affec-tionate social friendships, pos-sibly related to activities withinan organization/society, cangure. You may meet someonethrough such group activities;consequently, your interests willbe shared. This is a time whenyour best course of action is torecognize that you need, or relyon, others for support. Coopera-tive efforts revolve around mak-ing the most of all the resourcesbelonging to other people, orga-

nizations or groupings

TAURUSYou may feelthat youre inthe grip of aforce beyondyour control,since it is a timefor great, per-haps even radi-cal or drastic, changes in yourmaterial as well as emotionalworld. This is an especially in-trospective month during whichyou have the chance to trulyuncover your personal strengthsand talents. This is a very ex-pansive time when you have lotsof liveliness, but not necessar-ily self-discipline to match. Nowsuch a careless attitude maylead to undesired troubles. Youtake much more interest in play

and pleasure!

GEMINIThe preced-ing time spanhad lots ofhighs and lowsfor you toreckon with.The upcoming

period reorientsyou to your lasting values, andgreater idealism is the result.You are confused about whatfuture directions to take. Youwant both absence of worry,and at least some, if not all, thegood things of life. Imaginationand desires may fog your deci-sion making capabilities andcreate confusion. Relationshipups and downs characterize thisphase. Disputes with co-workersare possible. If you are feelingparticularly annoyed, it wouldbe wise to nd little projects and

things to do on your own

CANCERFinancial mat-ters becomeimportant or atleast the mainfocus, but goodmoves haveto be thoughtout. Back your own judgment,but do so with caution and re-straint. The ability to relate well

with others might enhance yourown personal nances duringthis period. This is a stable posi-tion for love matters and closerelationships. Group activitiesand joint efforts are the bestway to accomplish your goalsright now. In fact, you have allsorts of ideas about what youwant to do. You would want toorganize projects and put thingsin shape

LEOYour vision ispractical rightnow, and youwant to seetangible resultsfor your efforts.More contact

with authority gures is likelyduring this period. Recogni-tion is likely to come your waywhether you ask for it or not.You are most charismatic andwell-received on the job. Youare socially go-getting rightnow, and success may comethough your good managerialqualities or some form of artistictalent. Try to work cooperativelyon relationship problems, andwhen differences arise show tol-erance for minor issues as thats

the need of the hour.

VIRGOYou are likelyto throw cau-tion to thewind, especiallywhere bound-aries betweenfantasy andreality can beblurred, so tread carefully. Youwill have a sense of aware-ness of your own limitationsthis month, leading up to mid-month phase, be they physical,emotional or even nancial. Youwant more than what mundanereality offers, but perhaps toomuch. Avoid secret dealings,especially the ones that arenot clearly legitimate and jus-tiable. It can be better to bemotionless and still, and feel thewind change, than to row in thewrong direction

Your Cosmic Calendar


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LIBRAThe trulyintimate andpersonal you,needs to beexaminedminutely andwhere there

is room for improvement, posi-tive action be taken. There is acertain determination buildingup within you to alter not just

your life or circumstances, butpractically cast yourself in a newimage. People could literallyapproach you and appreciateyou for who you are. A moodof elation sustains you even aspeople question your values andyour ability. The entire rangefrom new contacts and ac-quaintances, to lifetime ties andbonds like marriage, are all very

important, indeed.

SCORPIOOne-to-onelinking appealsto you morethan group ac-tivities or morecasual associa-tions. If single, you are moreeager than usual to enter into adevoted relationship. In general,

you are exible when it comesto your affections - very willingto negotiate and make harmony.You may have a greater thanbefore wish to rule the roost.Family-related conicts and dis-putes may arise; you may havearguments with them, aboutthem, or on their behalf. It couldalso happen that youre so busyworking for others that you haveno time for yourself, missing out

on the good things of life

SAGITTARIUSYou may bemaking changesin your job/pro-fession, in yourrelationshipswith colleagues,health and diet.

There may besome mental strain, or perhapsnancial difculties. This phasepresents an opportunity to get

rid of what doesnt work in yourlife, while also discovering whatdoes. You could seek distinctionand strive towards perfection inyour work. You have a tendencyto act and reect automati-cally, and you could come acrossas an open book now. Its afavorable time for solving prob-lems and to work on improving

your skills.

CAPRICORNAfter a pe-riod of self-protectiveness,you are nowmore spon-taneous andmore willing totake risks. A rich, fruitful andhappy phase comes to you andyoure enjoying it. Rashnessin an affair of the heart mightleave you hurt and scattered, ifnot shattered. At this time, youintuitively know how to positionyourself in the best light in orderto make a good impression onothers. Financial conditions andrelated areas may see advances,with a boost in both resourcesand possessions. You have moreoomph at your disposal to makemoney, but also to support your

ideals in self condence.

AQUARIUSYou are ableto stand yourground andassert your-self more thanusual. You wantworking condi-

tions that satisfyyou in every way, physically,technically and in the prevail-ing atmosphere and will takepains to achieve just that. Thereis a marvelous closeness builtup with parents, older people,in-laws, who might not alwaysapprove of your eccentric andstrongly different opinions. Youwill do your best to make an im-pression and these attempts areeither assisted or challenged bythe circumstances in which yound yourself and by others

PISCESAll your mentalactivity will beintensely per-sonal, subjec-tive and evenegocentric. Nocarelessnessof any kind tobe made if you want to achieveyour goals. You are more curi-

ous and alert than usual, andyou could be quite busy with er-rands, paperwork, phone calls,and light socializing. As a result,fresh acquaintances and friend-ships come to you, giving plea-sure, inspiration and ideas. Youare especially good at mediatingconicts. Try smoothing overdifferences using your diploma-cy skills. Being clear-cut in yourideas and this is a good time to

schedule interviews, meetingsand one to many discussions..

Our in-house astrologer gazes at planetary positions in the skiesto nd out what the stars foretell about your health, wealth,family, work and social life in the New Year and beyond ...


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Viva Life Jan Mar

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