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1

Nutrition and Food Engineering / জলপাই তেলের কয়েকটি গুনাবলীর

« on: September 23, 2013, 12:19:14 PM »

 
    চামড়া ফর্সা ও নরম ত্বরান্বিত করা :

    ১. মুখ পরিস্কার করার পর আপনারা জলপাই তেল এবং অল্প লবণ মিশিয়ে মাস্ক তৈরী করুন । তারপর তা আস্তে চেহাড়ার ওপর রেখে দিন এবং মাসাজ   করেন । কয়েক মিনিট পর গরম তোয়ালে মুখে রাখুন । তারপর পানি দিয়ে মুখ পরিস্কার করুন , আপনারা ফরসা ও নরম চেহারা দেখতে পাবেন ।

    ২. ৫০ মিলিলিটার দূধের মধ্যে কিছু জলপাই তেল এবং ময়দা রাখুন, তারপর এসব জিনিস মিশিয়ে পেস্ট করুন এবং মুখের ওপর রাখুন । ২০ মিনিট পর, পানি দিয়ে তা পরিস্কার করুন , আপনার মুখ আরো নরম হবে ।

    ৩. এক চামচ চিনি এবং কিছু জলপাই তেল মিশিয়ে মাস্ক তৈরী করুন , প্রত্যেক সপ্তাহে তিন বার তৈরী করুন । কার্যকরভাবে ত্বকের সূক্ষ্মরন্ধ্র ছোট করবে এবং চামড়া আরো ফর্সা হবে ।

    চোখের ভাঁজ প্রতিরোধ করা :

    ১.বয়স বাড়ার সঙ্গে সঙ্গে আমাদের চেহারায় নানা ধরনের ভাঁজ সৃষ্টি হবে । ঘৃতকুমারী পাতার রস অল্প জলপাই তেলের সঙ্গে মিশিয়ে চোখ বা চেহারার ভাঁজের ওপর দিন , অবিলম্বে দেখতে পাবেন এসব ভাঁজ হাল্কা হয়ে গেছে ।

    ২. একটি ডিম , অর্ধেক লেবু ,কিছু লবণ অল্প জলপাই তেলের সঙ্গে মিশিয়ে রিফরিজারেটরে রাখুন, প্রত্যেক সপ্তাহে এক বা দুই বার ব্যবহার করুন, দীর্ঘকাল ব্যবহার করলে চোখের ভাঁজ স্পষ্টভাবে কমে যাবে ।

   ৩.শীতকালে ঠোঁট সংরক্ষণ করা:

   শীতকালে ঠাণ্ডা আবহাওয়া বা শরীরের ঠাণ্ডা লাগানোর সময়ে আমাদের ঠোঁট সহজভাবে শুষ্ক হয়ে যায় । এ সময় আমরা ঠোঁটের ওপর কিছু জলপাই তেল ব্যবহার করলে, দুই বা তিন দিনের মধ্যে ঠোঁটের অবস্থা ভালো হবে । এর উপায় খুবই সহজ । শুধু রাতে ঘুমের আগে গরম তোয়ালে ঠোঁট পরিস্কার করে কিছু জলপাই তেল ঠোঁটের ওপর রেখে দিন ।

    চুল উজ্জ্বল ও মসৃন হবে :

    সবসময় চুল ধোয়ার জন্য আমাদের চুল সহজে শুষ্ক হয়ে যায় এবং পড়ে যায় । এ অবস্থা কেউ পছন্দ করে না । এ জন্য চুল ধোয়ার পর কিছু জলপাই তেল ব্যবহার করে গরম তোয়াল দিয়ে চুল বেধে রেখে এবং পানি দিয়ে ঠুয়ে ফেলুন । আপনার চুল শুকানোর পর দেখতে উজ্জ্বল হবে ।

    তা ছাড়া, হাত শুষ্ক হয়ে গেলে জলপাই তেল ক্রিমের সঙ্গে মিশিয়ে ব্যবহার করলে, হাতও নরম হবে ।

Ref: http://bengali.cri.cn/1/2007/02/14/41@43507.htm

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Nutrition and Food Engineering / ব্রণ সমস্যা

« on: July 28, 2012, 01:23:00 PM »

মানবদেহের ত্বকের গঠন বেশ বিস্ময়কর ও জটিল, যা সমস্ত শরীরকে ঢেকে রাখে। ত্বক মূলত তিনটি কাজ করে থাকে। যেমন দেহের অভ্যন্তরীণ গঠনকে রক্ষা করে। শরীরের তাপ নিয়ন্ত্রণ করে এবং কোষের অব্যবহূত জিনিস বর্জন করে। ব্রণ একটি সাধারণ অথচ দীর্ঘমেয়াদি ত্বকের সমস্যা। এটিকে যত্নের সঙ্গে সারিয়ে না তুললে শেষ পর্যন্ত যন্ত্রণাদায়ক অবস্থায় এসে দাঁড়ায়। ব্রণ দেহের চর্বিযুক্ত গ্লান্ড সেবাকাস টিস্যুতে বেশি দেখা যায়। যেমন মুখ, ঘাড়, বুক ও কাঁধে। সাধারণত ১২-১৪ বছরের ছেলেমেয়েরা এই রোগে বেশি ভোগে। তৈলাক্ত ত্বকেই ব্রণ বেশি হতে দেখা যায়। এদিকে ২০-৩০ বছরের পর এর প্রভাব কমে গিয়ে ভালো হয়ে যায়। ব্রণের ফলে মুখ ও ঘাড়ের লোমকূপ বন্ধ হয়ে যায় ও মুখে ব্ল্যাকহেড, ছোট গুটি এবং ছোট ছোট ক্ষতচিহ্ন দেখা যায়। সবচেয়ে বেশি দেখা যায় ব্ল্যাকহেড বা কালো তিল। এতে আক্রান্ত হয় কপাল, কপালের পাশে, গলা, চিবুক, বুক ও পিঠ। এই ব্ল্যাকহেডগুলো সংক্রামক এবং দ্রুত বিস্তার লাভ করে। ব্রণ বেশি দিন স্থায়ী হলে মুখে বিশ্রী দাগ দেখা যায়। ছেলেদের চেয়ে মেয়েরা এই রোগে বেশি ভোগে। এর সঠিক কারণ অবশ্য নির্ণয় করা যায়নি। তবে মেয়েদের ত্বকের নিচে চর্বির পরিমাণ বেশি এবং হরমোনের পরিবর্তনগুলোও ছেলেদের চেয়ে বেশ প্রকট হওয়ায় ব্রণ দেখা যায় বলে ধারণা করা হয়।


ভুল খাদ্যাভাস, অনিয়মিত আহার গ্রহণ, অনুপযোগী খাবার, অত্যধিক শর্করা, অত্যধিক চর্বিযুক্ত খাবার ইত্যাদির জন্য ব্রণ দেখা দিতে পারে। অস্বাস্থ্যকর জীবনযাপনও ব্রণ হওয়ার অন্যতম কারণ। অত্যধিক চা কফি অ্যালকোহল পান, তামাক সেবন ইত্যাদিও এর কারণ। আবার বয়ঃসন্ধিক্ষণে রাত জেগে পড়াশোনা ও বসে থাকার ফলে বদহজম সৃষ্টি হওয়া, সাধারণ দুর্বলতা ও দুশ্চিন্তা থেকেও ব্রণ হতে পারে।
দিনে ৮-১০ গ্লাস পর্যন্ত পানি এবং তেল-ঝাল-মসলাবিহীন খাবার খাওয়া উচিত। অত্যধিক গুরুপাক খাবার এড়িয়ে চলা ভালো। চিনি ছাড়া লেবুর পানি, তাজা ফলের রস, আপেল, নাশপাতি, আঙুর, আনারস খেতে পারলে ভালো হয়। কাঁচা সবজি অঙ্কুরিত ছোলা, ডাল, কাঁচা বাদাম, যব ও লাল চাল খুবই উত্তম। অধিক শর্করা, অধিক মিষ্টি, অধিক চর্বি সবই পরিহার করা উচিত।


কিছু কিছু খাবার ব্রণের সমস্যাকে বাড়িয়ে দেয়। যেমন—ডুবো তেলে ভাজা খাবার, কোমল পানীয়, সংরক্ষিত খাবার। কড়া চা ও কফি, গুরুপাক খাবার ইত্যাদি।
দেখা যায়, খাবারে লায়াসিন, জিঙ্ক, ভিটামিন এ, ভিটামিন ই এবং ভিটামিন বি৬ ব্যবহারে ব্রণ দূর হয়। যেকোনোভাবেই হোক কোষ্ঠকাঠিন্য দূর করা প্রয়োজন। চিকিৎসক এবং ত্বক বিশেষজ্ঞদের মতে, ব্রণ হলে ত্বকের যত্ন ও পরিষ্কার-পরিচ্ছন্নতা প্রয়োজন। মারাত্মক অবস্থায় ওষুধ সেবন করাই ভালো। মুখের ত্বকের যত্ন হলো প্রথমে হালকা গরম পানি দিয়ে মুখ ধুয়ে ফেলতে হবে। তা ছাড়া শসার রস, দুধসহ রান্না করা ওটমিল, গাজরের রস মুখে ব্যবহার করলে উপকর পাওয়া যাবে। অত্যধিক গুরুপাক খাবার না খাওয়া, অধিক রাত না জাগা, শরীরে ধুলাবালি খাম জমতে না দেওয়া, অ্যাসিডিটি হতে না দেওয়া উচিত। মাঝেমধ্যে গরম জলের ভাপ নিলে ভালো হয়।


ব্রণ সারাতে খনিজ লবণের মধ্যে জিঙ্ক, ভিটামিন ই এবং ভিটামিন বি৬ ভালো কাজ করে। এ জন্য খেতে হবে শস্যজাতীয় খাবার, মাছ, গরুর কলিজা, মসুর ডাল, বরবটি, রাজমা, পনির, গরুর দুধ, কর্নফ্লেকস, ডিম, তেল, মুলাজাতীয় সবজি, তৈলবীজ, বাদাম, সবুজ সবজি ইত্যাদি।

3

Nutrition and Food Engineering / Health Benefits of Guava

« on: July 15, 2012, 04:30:35 PM »

The health benefits of guava include treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, constipation, cough, cold, skin care, high blood pressure, weight loss, scurvy, etc.
Many of us might have tasted this mouth-watering treat, or at least have seen it or heard about it. Guava is very common in Asian countries. It is a good looking pear shaped or round shaped seasonal fruit, light green or yellow or maroon in color from outside when ripe, with white or maroon flesh and lots of small hard seeds enveloping very soft and sweet pulp. It is eaten raw (ripe or semi-ripe) or in form of jams and jellies. This attractive fruit is a real storehouse of nutrients. If it is “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” in Europe and Americas, it must be “A few guavas in the season keeps the doctor away for the whole year” in the Indian Subcontinent and places where guavas grow. Its scientific name is Psidium Guajava.
Let me share some of its brilliant health benefits with you.
Diarrhea & Dysentery: Guava is very rich in astringents (compounds those make your gums feel tighter and fresh after you chew guava leaves or eat a raw guava or use some toothpaste) which binds up loose bowels in diarrhea. These astringents are alkaline in nature and have disinfectant and anti-bacterial properties, thus help cure dysentery by inhibiting microbial growth and removing extra mucus from the intestines. Further, other nutrients in guava, such as vitamin-C, Carotenoids and potassium strengthens and tones up the digestive system and disinfect it. Guava is also beneficial in gastroenteritis due to reasons stated above.
Constipation: Guava is one of the riches sources of dietary fiber. Its seeds, if ingested whole or chewed, serve as excellent laxatives. These two properties of guava help forming bowels, retaining water and clean your intestines and excretory system thoroughly. It is said that single constipation can lead to seventy two types of ailments. It is absolutely true. Every way to your total health goes through proper digestion and more importantly, proper excretion. Guava ensures both of these.
Cough & Cold: Juice of raw and immature guavas or decoction of guava-leaves is very helpful in giving relief in cough and cold by loosening cough, reducing mucus, disinfecting the respiratory tract, throat and lungs and inhibiting microbial activity due to its astringent properties. Guava is one of richest in vitamin-C and iron which are proven to be preventive against cold and viral infections. In some areas in India, roasted ripe guava is used as a remedy against extreme cases of cough and cold and congestion.
Skin Care: Guavas can help improve your skin texture and avoid skin problems more than the best of beauty creams or skin toner gels can do. This is chiefly due to the abundance of astringents in its fruits (more in immature ones) and in leaves. You can benefit from it either by eating the fruits (this help tighten your muscles apart from your skin) or by washing your skin with the decoction of its immature fruits and leaves. It will tone up and tighten the loosened skin. In addition to the astringents, guava is very-very rich in vitamin-A, B, C and potassium which are very good anti oxidants and detoxifiers and keep your skin glowing and free from aging, wrinkles and other disorders.
High Blood Pressure: Guava helps reduce cholesterol in blood and prevents it from thickening, thereby maintaining fluidity of blood and reducing blood pressure. Studies have shown that food stuffs which lack fiber (such a refined flour) add to blood pressure, due to quick conversion to sugar. Guava, being very rich in fiber and hypoglycemic in nature, helps reduce blood pressure.
Weight Loss: Guava is very helpful for those who want to lose weight without compromising with their intake of proteins, vitamins and fiber. Guava, being very high in roughage and very rich in vitamins, proteins and minerals, but with no cholesterol and less digestible carbohydrates, is very filling and satisfies appetite very easily. Just have a medium sized guava in the lunch and you will not feel hungry till night. But ironically, it helps gaining weight in lean and thin people. This is probably due to its richness in nutrients, which keeps your metabolism right helping proper absorption of nutrients.
Scurvy: Guava can outdo many other fruits, including orange and other citrus fruits, when it comes to concentration of vitamin-C, whose deficiency causes scurvy and which is the only remedy to it. It contains five times the vitamin-C in oranges.
Other Benefits: Where to begin? Shall I start with the fact that guava helps control diabetes, protects prostrate, its Lypocene reduces the risk of cancer, the juice of the leaves cures toothache, swollen gums & oral ulcers, heals wounds when applied externally, convulsions, epilepsy, bacterial infections and so on and so forth.

4

Nutrition and Food Engineering / Health Benefits of KALE

« on: July 01, 2012, 11:44:01 AM »

Kale is being called “the new beef”, “the queen of greens” and “a nutritional powerhouse.” Here are ten great benefits of adding more kale to your diet:

1. Kale is low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat. One cup of kale has only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat. It is great for aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content. It’s also filled with so many nutrients, vitamins, folate and magnesium as well as those listed below.

2. Kale is high in iron. Per calorie, kale has more iron than beef. Iron is essential for good health, such as the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes, transporting oxygen to various parts of the body, cell growth, proper liver function and more.

3. Kale is high in Vitamin K. Eating a diet high in Vitamin K can help protect against various cancers. It is also necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions including normal bone health and the prevention of blood clotting. Also increased levels of vitamin K can help people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

4. Kale is filled with powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants, such as carotenoids and flavonoids help protect against various cancers.

5. Kale is a great anti-inflammatory food. One cup of kale is filled with 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids, which help, fight against arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.

6. Kale is great for cardiovascular support. Eating more kale can help lower cholesterol levels.

7. Kale is high in Vitamin A.Vitamin A is great for your vision, your skin as well as helping to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers.

8. Kale is high in Vitamin C. This is very helpful for your immune system, your metabolism and your hydration.

9. Kale is high in calcium. Per calorie, kale has more calcium than milk, which aids in preventing bone loss, preventing osteoporosis and maintaining a healthy metabolism. Vitamin C is also helpful to maintain cartilage and joint flexibility

10. Kale is a great detox food. Kale is filled with fiber and sulfur, both great for detoxifying your body and keeping your liver healthy.

5

Nutrition and Food Engineering / Health Benefits of Ginger

« on: June 30, 2012, 11:59:27 AM »

Ginger has been used as a natural remedy for many ailments for centuries. Now, science is catching up and researchers around the world are finding that ginger works wonders in the treatment of everything from cancer to migraines. Here are ten health benefits of this powerful herb.

Ovarian Cancer Treatment: Ginger may be powerful weapon in the treatment of ovarian cancer. A study conducted at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center found that ginger powder induces cell death in all ovarian cancer cells to which it was applied.

Colon Cancer Prevention: A study at the University of Minnesota found that ginger may slow the growth of colorectal cancer cells.

Morning Sickness: A review of several studies has concluded that ginger is just as effective as vitamin B6 in the treatment of morning sickness.

Motion Sickness Remedy: Ginger has been shown to be an effective remedy for the nausea associated with motion sickness.

Reduces Pain and Inflammation: One study showed that ginger has anti-inflammatory properties and is a powerful natural painkiller.

Heartburn Relief: Ginger has long been used as a natural heartburn remedy. It is most often taken in the form of tea for this purpose. Cold and Flu Prevention and Treatment Ginger has long been used as a natural treatment for colds and the flu. Many people also find ginger to be helpful in the case of stomach flus or food poisoning, which is not surprising given the positive effects ginger has upon the digestive tract.

Migraine Relief: Research has shown that ginger may provide migraine relief due to its ability to stop prostaglandins from causing pain and inflammation in blood vessels.

Menstrual Cramp Relief: In Chinese medicine, ginger tea with brown sugar is used in the treatment of menstrual cramps.

Prevention of Diabetic Nephropathy: A study done on diabetic rats found that those rats given ginger had a reduced incidence of diabetic nephropathy (kidney damage).

6

Pharmacy / 8 Ways to Beat the Cold and Flu

« on: December 13, 2011, 03:07:02 PM »

Strategy #1: Eat an Antiviral Breakfast: Woke up sick and tired? The right morning meal can help quash the cold virus before it quashes you. In a recent study from the Netherlands, researchers found that consuming a 1,200-calorie breakfast increased blood levels of gamma interferon, a natural antiviral agent, by 450 percent. Going hungry caused a 17 percent decrease. That doesn’t mean you should reach for the pancake syrup. Instead, hit your quota by eating a bowl of Kellogg's Raisin Bran (with 2 percent milk), a glass of orange juice, and a toasted English muffin with peanut butter and grape jelly, followed by a Stonyfield Farm smoothie
Strategy #2: Strike Back with Stress : An Ohio State University study found that exposing yourself to short-term stress—the kind you have some control over—can supercharge your immune system. "Stress response is a normal protective coping mechanism," says Jos A. Bosch, Ph.D., the study author. "The body prepares itself for potential harm and activates its immune resources." To use stress as medicine, Bosch suggests taking on a small extra project at work or helping a coworker with a task. "It shouldn't take longer than a day or half a day," he says.
Strategy #3: Brew a Cup of Cold-Virus Killer: Swap your 3 p.m. coffee for green tea. When Canadian researchers added green tea to lab samples of the adenovirus (one of the bugs responsible for colds), it stopped the virus from replicating. All the credit goes to EGCG, a chemical compound found in certain kinds of tea, but in the highest concentrations in green tea. Start pumping green tea into your bloodstream at the first sign of a cold and you should be able to stop its attack. "It's the difference between staying home for 2 or 3 days, and going to work and just sniffling a bit," says Joseph M. Weber, Ph.D., the lead study author. The best brand to brew? Tetley; it was one of the most effective in Weber's study. Note: To brew the maximum amount of EGCG, boil a mug of water in the microwave, toss in a tea bag, and let it steep for 10 minutes. Sweeten with honey.
Strategy #4: Recharge Your Immune Response: Thinking about staying up for Tosh.0? Consider this: When the amount of sleep you're logging decreases by 40 percent or more (for instance, you sleep 4 hours instead of the usual 7), the effectiveness of your immune system declines by 50 percent, says Michael Irwin, M.D., a sleep researcher at UCLA. And for the immune system to operate at full strength, you'll need to sleep a straight 8, the amount shown to produce the highest levels of "natural killer cells," which attack viruses.
Strategy #5: Play Prevention D: People with the highest vitamin D levels in their blood are the least likely to suffer respiratory infections, says a recent study of nearly 7,000 adults in the British Journal of Nutrition. Choose vitamin D3, which is more bioavailable than D2. It’s difficult to get all the vitamin D you need in the winter, since the sun isn’t strong enough to trigger D production in many northern regions. As a rule of thumb, vitamin D production happens as long as your shadow is shorter than your body during the middle of the day. And while many foods have vitamin D, it’s hard to get enough unless you eat plenty of D-rich foods like salmon every single day. If you don’t, take a supplement like GNC’s Vitamin D3.
Strategy #6: Take a Walk: Regular exercise can strengthen the body’s resistance to colds by stimulating movement of certain immune cells, says David Nieman, DHSc, a professor of health and exercise science at Appalachian State University. In research comparing sedentary adults with moderately active adults (those who took 45-minute brisk walks five days a week), Nieman found that walkers caught colds half as often as nonwalkers. Walk with friends or play a team sport for the added benefit of social interaction. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that people with diverse social networks suffer fewer colds than people who are introverted and socially isolated.
Strategy #7: Lie on Your Stomach: In a Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine study, researchers divided several dozen volunteers into two groups: one received a traditional Swedish massage and another a session of light touch (but no actual massage-therapy techniques). After each 45-minute session, blood samples were taken. The result: The Swedish massage group experienced a significant increase in their lymphocytes—white blood cells that play a large role in protecting the body against disease—and a decrease in their levels of the stress hormones. The light-touch group didn’t not. “We found that biological changes occur as a result of even a single session of massage, and that these changes may benefit even a healthy individual,” says Mark Hyman Rapaport, M.D., one of the study’s authors.
Strategy #8: Fire Up the Crock Pot: Eating bean-based chili is a delicious way to warm up after a winter walk—and it can also help prevent colds and the flu if you make it with the right ingredients. Wake Forest University nutritionists say chili contains an arsenal of immunity-boosters. All of the vegetables (including the onions and garlic) offer immune-system-strengthening phytochemicals, but the tomatoes are particularly powerful. In addition to the phytochemical lycopene, tomatoes contain potassium and vitamins A and C. The tofu and beans supply an immunity-boosting isoflavone called daidzein, and the hot sauce will open up your nasal passages to avoid congestion.

Source: http://health.yahoo.net/experts/menshealth/8-ways-beat-colds-and-flu

7

BBA Discussion Forum / Is job rotation work as triggers to motivate employees’ performance?

« on: November 27, 2011, 01:04:12 PM »

First, Burnout reduction. When employees perform the same job functions each day without variation, they are likely to experience greater feelings of fatigue, apathy, boredom, and carelessness. Burnout is detrimental to businesses because it tends to promote decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, and increased likelihood of turnover, which all lead to organizational dysfunction. However, when employees rotate across different positions regularly, they experience less boredom, greater task variety, and decreased feelings of needless repetition.

Second, Increased employee satisfaction. Business owners know that when employees are not satisfied with professional endeavors, they feel unhappy, and irritated, which are detrimental to productivity. However, by allowing employees to engage in job rotation, employees are likely to experience greater satisfaction by identifying strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, employees are able to test many positions and subsequently focus on rotating between positions that enhance performance capacity, which increases their sense of worth and importance within the company.

Third, Employee motivation. It is important for business owners to provide opportunities to increase employee motivation because greater motivation promotes higher levels of organizational commitment and desire to grow within the company. When employees are given the opportunity to rotate between different positions, they enhance and improve their skills, abilities, and competencies, which lead to better job performance and greater likelihood of promotional advancement. Furthermore, employees that are engaged with a number of different positions throughout a company experience increased appreciation for coworkers and the interrelation between positions, which decreases animosity and enhances organizational commitment.

Lastly, Twofold, and it is an indirect benefit of job rotation. Job rotation strategies reduce employee burnout, increase employee satisfaction, and increase employee motivation and organizational commitment. These three benefits cumulatively influence a business's turnover rate and workplace injuries. Turnover is greatly reduced because employees do not experience the fatigue, boredom, and dissatisfaction associated with performing the same job every day. This, in turn, greatly increases an employee's level of awareness and attention to detail, which decreases the likelihood of workplace injury or stress.

8

BBA Discussion Forum / Is it important to pay tax as individual....

« on: November 26, 2011, 10:54:20 AM »

All citizens of a country are morally and legally bound to pay their fair share of tax. The importance of paying taxes to the government and why we should not do the mistake of hiding money or avoiding taxes. A large percentage of people who pay tax think as if government is trying to steal their hard earned money .. well thats not true. Money collected from taxes help a country to become stronger and help government provide a variety of services to its citizens.

Example of some services that government provides with our tax money:

1. Infrastructure Projects: Government needs money to build roads, bridges, dams and number of other projects which are available to the society as a whole.

2. Public Security: Money collected from taxes is used to provide police and fire departments. It also helps to fund money needed to maintain defense forces (army, navy and air-force) and buy arms for them.

3. General services: Keeping roads clean, water treatment, street lights, trash removal and maintenance of public parks requires lot of money.

4. Health Services: Almost all governments provide some level of free or subsidized health services to its citizens. This may include preventive immunization shots, disaster relief and many others. All this money is funded by the tax money you and I pay.

5. The list goes on: Maintenance of historic monuments, government aid, emergency relief, conduct elections, run several government institutions like department for agriculture, commerce, energy, urban development, treasury, judiciary, department of motor vehicles etc.

Types of taxes:
Government can impose taxes in many forms, for example: Income tax, Sales tax, Excise tax, Toll Tax, Recreation tax, social security, medicare etc ..

Does everyone has to pay tax?
It depends on country to country, but in most cases people with very low income do not have to pay tax.

Does everyone pay same tax?
Usually people with higher income pay a higher percentage of tax than the people with lower income.

Why should I still have to pay tax?
Think about this, if we only paid for the services we need then there is no way we could afford it. For example if you wanted to go from City A to City B, can you afford to pay for the construction of road that connects those two cities.. NO. You open tap and clean water flows out of it, if we were to put a filtration system on our own and a pipe that connects all the way to the nearby reservoir, it will cost just too much. Therefore we pay for these services in form of tax and use them as a whole society.

The result of not paying taxes could result in penalty and prison time. So next time when the time comes to pay taxes, do not feel too bad. It is your contribution to the services you receive in return.

Source: http://www.saching.com

9

Science Discussion Forum / importance of sleep...

« on: November 23, 2011, 04:28:23 PM »

For all our sophistication and civilized way of living, we must remember that our brains and bodies are governed by biological functions and needs. Sleep plays a huge part in the way our bodies function - so big, in fact, that if we are totally deprived of sleep for an extended period of time, we will die.
There are five stages of sleep, each stage has its own properties and benefits. Together, all stages enable our bodies to regenerate and refresh themselves.
Stage 1
This is the lightest stage of sleep, the transition phase, where you feel yourself drifting off. If you were to forget about the alarm clock and allow yourself to wake up naturally, Stage 1 sleep would be the last stage before you fully wake up. You don't spend too much time in Stage 1 sleep, typically five to 10 minutes, just enough to allow your body to slow down and your muscles to relax.
Stage 2
The second stage of sleep is still considered light sleep. Your brain activity starts to slow down, as well as your heart rate and breathing. Your body temperature falls a little and you're beginning to reach a state of total relaxation in preparation for the deeper sleep to come.
Stage 3
Stage 3 sleep is the start of deep sleep, also known as slow wave sleep. During stage 3, your brain waves are slow "delta waves," although there may still be short bursts of faster of brain activity (also known as beta-waves). If you were to get awakened suddenly during this stage, you would be groggy and confused, and find it difficult to focus at first.
Stage 4
Of the five stages of sleep, this is the one when you experience your deepest sleep of the night. Your brain only shows delta-wave (slow wave) activity, and it's difficult to wake someone up when they're in Stage 4 of sleep.
It's during Stage 4 sleep that children are most likely to suffer from bedwetting or sleep terrors. Stages 3 and 4 can last anywhere from 5 - 15 minutes each, but the first deep sleep of the night is more likely to be an hour or so. This is the time when the body does most of its repair work and regeneration.
Stage 5
This is the stage of sleep when you dream. It is also referred to as "active sleep" or REM sleep, which stands for the rapid eye movements that characterize Stage 5. During REM sleep, your blood flow, breathing, and brain activity increases. An EEG would show that your brain is about as active as it is when you're awake.
Another aspect of Stage 5 sleep is that the muscles in your arms and legs will go through periods of paralysis. Scientists speculate that this may be nature's way of protecting us from acting out our dreams.
The first period of REM sleep of the night usually begins about 90 minutes after you start drifting off, and lasts for about 10 minutes. As the night passes, the periods of REM sleep become longer, with the final episode lasting an hour or so.
Babies may spend as much as half of the time they're asleep in the REM phase. For a healthy adult, Stage 5 occurs for about 20 to 25% of the time you are sleeping, and decreases with age.
Scientists and researchers are continually learning more about the mechanics and physiological effects of sleep, and what happens during the five stages of sleep.
Every part of the body is affected - the brain, nervous system, immune system, hormones, emotions, heart, lungs, and the list go on.
If we want to...
•live longer
•keep our bodies strong and healthy
•help our brain stay sharp and focused
•improve our memory
•keep our emotions positive and balanced
...then we need to recognize the importance of sleep.
Instead of seeing our need for rest as a weakness, we need to learn to welcome sleep as an ally who wants to help us enjoy life to the fullest because better sleep does lead to a better life - physically, emotionally and spiritually.

10

BBA Discussion Forum / 8 Good Reasons of Teamwork.....

« on: November 23, 2011, 02:21:33 PM »

1.Creates synergy - where the sum is greater than the parts.
2.Supports a more empowered way of working, removing constraints which may prevent someone doing their job properly.
3.Promotes flatter and leaner structures, with less hierarchy.
4.Encourages multi-disciplinary work where teams cut across organizational divides.
5.Fosters flexibility and responsiveness, especially the ability to respond to change.
6.Pleases customers who like working with good teams (sometimes the customer may be part of the team).
7.Promotes the sense of achievement, equity and camaraderie, essential for a motivated workplace.
8.When managed properly, teamwork is a better way to work.

Thanks.