The flashing blade

An expert explains the lost art of shaving

Many men nowadays prefer the convenience of an electric razor, but British celebrity barber Daniel Rouah advocates the closeness of a traditional wet shave. Here's how to get it right:

Wash your face with warm water and a mild soap. Apply a moisturizer, then brush on the shaving soap in circular movements, lifting the hairs into an upright position. Apply the lather to one area at a time, to prevent the skin becoming dried out. Using a sharp safety razor, glide downwards in the direction of hair growth using short, even strokes. Dip the razor in hot water frequently. After shaving, wash face and apply moisturizer or alcohol-free aftershave. Change your razor blade frequently. » Continue reading

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New Job, First Day...

According to surveys, the toughest task for new recruits, particularly younger ones, is striking a balance between confidence and over-assertiveness. The solution is often just common sense -- observe the way things are done, show willingness and be honest about what you know and do not know.

• Don't be afraid to ask questions.
  
• Be friendly and enthusiastic, but don't overdo it -- no one likes a know-it-all.
  
• Don't be afraid to discuss your skills and career development. Understand what is expected of you and agree on a set of objectives.
  
• Treat your boss as an authority figure, but remember it's obvious when you're flattering someone.
  
• Be punctual -- an 8:30am meeting means be there ten minutes before, not five minutes after.

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A good, clean fight

The sound of raised voices fills the air -- your children are squabbling again. Should you intervene? Here are tips from child psychiatrists:

• Don't stop every argument. Children need to learn to negotiate.
  
• Step in immediately if they are hurting each other or you suspect bullying.
  
• When you do intervene, describe what each child is doing to the other, what each might be feeling and what might be a fair solution. Even better, get them to do this themselves. Say you believe they can sort it out and give them time to try again.
  
• Offer some age-appropriate ways of dealing with anger: walk away; use words instead of fists; take turns; count to ten; think first; try to see things from the other's point of view.
  
• Don't solve their fights over possessions by providing two of everything. It's better that they learn to share.
  
• Try not always to blame the older kids. Younger children can be very frustrating -- and in the wrong.
  
• Make your own handling of arguments a model for your children to follow.

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Estate Planning in a Pinch

It's hard to think straight when a loved one is seriously ill. Martin Shenkman, an American lawyer and author of 32 books on estate and financial planning offers this checklist:

Draw up papers.
Everyone needs a durable power of attorney and a will. The first one names someone to manage affairs if the person cannot, the second specifies how assets are to be divided among heirs. In addition, a "living will" can tell hospitals what to do regarding possible life support.

Update records.
Locate financial documents, such as tax returns, shares, FD receipts and bank accounts. See if the right co-owners and beneficiaries are properly identified and named.

Discuss private matters.
Jot down lock combinations, passwords, and locations of any hidden valuables.

Limit fights.
Ask the person to tell heirs about his or her wishes. "When heirs hear those wishes, they're more likely to accept them," Shenkman says.
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Living in style with a well furnished home

Who wouldn't want to live in a posh, well furnished mansion? If you live in the US and are looking forward to furnish your home, you would want to consider checking out FurnitureFromHome.com, an exclusively online furniture store who claim that their prices are generally better than the brick and mortar stores. They have been into business since September, 2003.

They have a neat website with stylish design and great pictures of bedroom sets, living room sets, dining room sets, home office furniture and leather furniture. Items worth a look on their website are the pop up tv cart, bar stools, storage beds and the dining room furniture. All of their products come with at least 1 year guarantee.

Once you get your brand new furniture, you might want to know the kind of finish that has been used on your furniture. To find out you will have to do a solvent test. Dip cotton in some nail polish remover or acetone and rub over an area that is not easily visible. If the finish softens then the finish is nitrocellulose lacquer, which is the most popular finish in the furniture industry. If the finish softens with alcohol then the finish is shellac. If it does not soften with either acetone or alcohol then the finish is varnish, polyurethane, catalyzed lacquer etc. that cannot be dissolved by its original solvent. » Continue reading

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Midair Yoga

Passengers on JetBlue, a low-fare US domestic airline, are getting a free lesson in stress management. The airline has introduced instruction cards produced by Crunch Fitness that depict four different yoga postures to unkink muscles and increase circulation. The yoga exercises include Bidalasana, which entails hunching over in your seat (sort of like you need the barf bag), and Uttita Hastasana, where you interlace your fingers and stretch up towards the air duct while relaxing your face, jaw and eyes. "We want passengers to feel better, be relaxed and take a little stress off for a while," says JetBlue's marketing vice-president, Amy Curtis. "If you don't feel like watching TV, have a little stretch and chill out."

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Managing your core business

Small and medium sized business owners have to take care of a lot of nitty-grittys of their business, taking away their precious time from the crucial aspects of the business or the core business activities. It is also impractical to outsource such not-so-important activities due to the size and nature of the business. Hiring employees to handle such tasks could be a little expensive and sometimes create more responsibilities than reducing it.

In such a scenario business owners have to take complete advantage of information technology to help reduce the burden. In this age of Web 2.0 the web browser has almost replaced most of the desktop applications. Most applications are now available as hosted services. This reduces the start-up costs for businesses.

Blue Box Intranet Software UK from the UK based Blue Box Software Ltd is one such hosted service that provides features like secure file sharing , on-line project collaboration, centralised list of contacts, simple day to day management, connecting multiple office locations, remote and home access, organising information in a way that suits you, controlled user access and a reliable support and backup. The look and feel of the intranet solution can also be customised to your organisation.

You can get a five user licence for just £39 per month. If your business is financially good enough and you are willing to make the software all your's for a one time payment, you can get the intranet solution "Out of the box" for £2195. » Continue reading

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