I am a sexless person, says Kangana Ranaut

Just 18 when she entered the glitzy world of Bollywood with her debut flick ‘Gangster’; Kangana Ranaut has many accomplishments to her name with some of the most astounding performances in her kitty.

However even though the stunner has many power packed acts to boast of, she somehow manages to hit headlines for all the wrong reasons. Speaking to Swati Charurvedi of Spicezee.com on ‘Kahiye Janaab’ the young lass slammed many baseless speculations making her fame infamous.

Swati:How has been your journey from Manali to Mumbai? You have done some extreme roles. How do you manage them?

Kangana: I think the onus of my success directly goes to my directors and the roles that I have done. I haven’t worked with many directors, there are only a select few. I have done three films with Anurag, two with Mohit Suri and one with Madhur Bhandarkar. And Madhur has told me that he wants to do another flick with me. So I guess, I have become very comfortable with them. And this comfort shows in my performances. It’s their faith in me that has helped me reach where I am today.

Swati: You play so many serious roles. How do you return to normalcy after giving such intense performances?

Kangana See, when I play a role I give it my 100 percent. I start to live the life of that character. It’s very difficult to return to my usual self because I am completely into the character. And when you are so involved in the character it’s bound to leave an impression on you. But I don’t let it affect me very much. I do a lot of meditation.

Swati: You have broken a lot of stereotypes. Has it been intentional?

Kangana: Right from the time I entered the industry, I knew I was different. In fact, I was different in a lot of ways. I was very tomboyish. Like if I would wore shorts for a scene, then I didn’t bother to take a robe.

Swati: You have often faced the flak for wearing minimal clothes. How do you react to it?

Kangana: Even though I have worn fewer clothes, I don’t think I look vulgar. I am a very sexless person. I have never tried to create a sexy image of myself. From the very first day, I have been clear about my objectives. I am an actress and I am here to do my job.

Swati:For your wardrobe malfunction scene in ‘Fashion’, Madhur stated that no one could have done a better job. But audiences haven’t reacted that well.

Kangana: As I said, I live the character. It feels very sad when an artist forgoes everything to play a part and is not appreciated. I think we should be respected for getting into the skin of the character than be criticised.

Swati:Most recently a news magazine featured one of your calendar pictures stating that you have crossed all limits. What do you say to that?

Kangana: Well, everyone has a different opinion towards these things. It’s an individual’s point of view. But I personally feel that it’s a classic picture. It has been beautifully shot. There are a lot of girls in the same calendar, who have worn much lesser clothes than me. Why hasn’t anything been written about them? In fact there is one girl who is just wearing g-strings and holding a pillow to her bust. I personally feel that my picture got rave reviews.

Swati: How do you react when you read about your boyfriend Adhyayan’s father Shekhar Suman disapproving you?

Kangana: There are so many tabloids and newspapers these days. Some journalists tell me ‘please give us some news’. If you ask me, most of it is a lie. The sad part about this entire episode about Shekhar Suman and me is that the argument took place between Shekhar and Mohit. But knowing media, I knew that my name would be dragged in it to make the news spicier and make it a lead story.

Swati:So you are saying that there is absolutely nothing wrong between you and Suman?

Kangana: There is absolutely nothing wrong between us. Shekhar Suman is shouting from the rooftop that there is nothing wrong, and he has even stated the same in an interview. He has already told me that he said no such thing.

Swati:How do your parents react to all the rumours written about you?

Kangana:By now even they realise that these are not true. So many things are written everyday. They have made their peace with such rumours. They don’t react to them. They don’t take such speculations seriously.

Swati:Priyanka recently won an award for her act in ‘Fashion’. You too gave a commendable performance, didn’t you feel that even you deserved one?

Kangana: Of course, I felt like I deserve one. But I do respect the jury’s decision. It’s up to them to decide whether I deserve an award or not. I respect their judgement and that’s the sole reason that I attend these award nights. Now if you don’t have to respect them, then you can sit at home like Aamir Khan and just shun these awards.

Swati: But you must have felt bad?

Kangana: No, not at all. It’s not like I missed an Oscar. There are around 6 award events these days. I am sure I’ll win one.

Swati: Are you looking at doing any conventional roles?

Kangana: I don’t want to do conventional flop films. I want to be part of only hit flicks. All my films have done well so far. I read a script and I make up my mind whether it’ll be hit or not.

Swati: Which actor would you like to work with?

Kangana:I would love to work with Aamir Khan. He is my inspiration and I wish I get an opportunity to work with him.

Swati Since Valentine’s day is just round the corner, tell us what is the most romantic thing Adhyayan has done for you?

KanganaAdhyayan is an extremely romantic person. We just went for a vacation and there on a beach he wrote ‘I Love You Kangana’. That has been the sweetest thing so far.

Adapted by: Tanu Talwar

Cheap plums as good as blueberries

  Blueberries are facing stiff competition from plums, which are emerging as super fruits because of the newly discovered high-levels of healthy nutrients in them, say scientists at Texas AgriLife Research.

After analysing 100 varieties of plums, peaches and nectarines, scientists have found them to match or exceed the much-touted blueberries in antioxidants and phytonutrients associated with disease prevention.

Plainly, "blueberries have some stiff competition. Stone fruits are super fruits with plums as emerging stars," said Dr. Luis Cisneros, AgriLife Research food scientist.

Cisneros, along with Dr. David Byrne, AgriLife Research plant breeder, acknowledged that while blueberries remain a good nutritional choice, a single inexpensive plum contains about the same amount of antioxidants as a handful of more expensive blueberries.

"People tend to eat just a few blueberries at a time - a few on the cereal or as an ingredient mixed with lots of sugar. But people will eat a whole plum at once and get the full benefit," said Cisneros.

Scientists discovered the plum''s benefits, along with that of fellow stone fruits, the peach and the nectarine, after measuring at least five brands of blueberries on the market.

Against those numbers, the team measured the content of more than 100 different types of plums, nectarines and peaches.

Firstly, they compared antioxidants, molecules that sweep through a body looking for free radicals to knock out. Free radicals are atoms or molecules that lurk where diseases like cancer and heart disease are found.

"Knowing that we had all these varieties with high levels of antioxidants, then the possibility of preventing these diseases would also be high with their consumption, so we went to the next step - how these compounds could actually inhibit chronic diseases," said Cisneros.

The team examined the full content of plums and peaches, and then tested the effect of the compounds they found on breast cancer cells and cholesterol in the lab.

"We screened the varieties again with the biological assays. And that had never been done before, because it is expensive and a lot of work. But that investment is small in terms of the information we got, and how it can be used now for breeding efforts to produce even better fruit," said Cisneros.

Byrne pointed out that one benefit was that the phytonutrients in plums inhibited in vitro breast cancer growth without adversely affecting normal cell growth.

"Future work with stone fruits will focus on cardiovascular and cancer using animal models and identification of specific compounds that exert the properties," added Cisneros.

"We suggest that consumers take seriously the recommendation to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables - or even more - every day and to make sure that plums are part of that," said Byrne.

Recipe : Chana Pakora

Want to make some innovative evening snack? Try out this lip smacking pakora recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups gram soaked overnight
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp green chilly paste Oil for deep frying
Procedure:

Grind the gram coarsely. Add all other above mentioned ingredients. Keep aside for two hours. Now make round balls, slightly flatten them and deep fry. Serve hot with green chutney.

Brainwave: You can mix some gram flour with the chana mixture to prevent it from crumbling in oil.

Anil Ambani group bags third ultra mega power project

New Delhi, Jan 29 The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group was Wednesday awarded its third ultra mega power project, set to come up at Tilaiya in Jharkhand with an investment of over Rs.12,000 crore (Rs.120 billion/$2.4 billion).

‘We have been awarded the Tilaiya project. We bid the lowest per unit cost of Rs.1.77. We will generate 4,000 MW,’ a senior official of Reliance Power told IANS after a high-powered committee named his company the winner.

Besides Reliance, four other companies had bid for the project. These included the state-run utility NTPC, Jindal Power, Lanco Infratech and Sterlite Energy. They were among the 11 that had met the pre-bid criteria, officials said.

The government had previously awarded three ultra mega power projects - two to Reliance Power at Sasan in Madhya Pradesh and Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and one to Tata Power at Mundra in Gujarat.
With the Tilaiya project also under its kitty, Reliance Power has a portfolio to generate over 30,000 MW of power in the country. The group is now developing as many as 14 medium and large-sized power projects, company officials said.

Of these, projects in western India will account for 12,220 MW, north for 9,080 MW, east for 4,000 MW, northeast for 2,900 MW and in the south for 4,000 MW.

The group’s 7,480-MW project to be located at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, not far from the national capital, is expected to be the world’s largest gas-fired power project at a single location, officials said.

World Chefs: Manila's Gene Gonzalez cooks up recipe for success

By Karen Lema
MANILA (Reuters Life!) - The Philippines may not have much of a reputation as a culinary destination but it has produced a number of top-notch chefs who've made a mark in global kitchens, often thanks to Eugenio "Gene" Gonzalez.
Chef, restaurateur, best-selling author and teacher rolled into one, Gonzalez was a former bond market dealer who set up his first restaurant, Cafe Ysabel, at the age of 23, and it's still going strong 27 years later.
The 50-year-old self-confessed chocoholic, who studied behavioural science, hosted gourmet cooking shows on Philippine television in the 1980s and he has written several recipe books that have made it to Manila's best-seller lists.
In 2000, he set up "The Center for Asian Culinary Studies" from which about 500 chefs have graduated so far.
Gonzalez spoke to Reuters recently about his first love and why he thinks passion is not enough to make a great chef:
Q: How and when did your love for cooking begin?
A: "I started cooking when I could stand on a stool. I grew up in a kitchen. We came from a very special town that is well known for entertaining and for food. My family entertained the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, then Prince Norodom (Sihanouk), who later became king of Cambodia, and Arthur MacArthur (a former Philippine governor-general), they were so many."
Q: What inspired you to go into the restaurant business?
A: "Our family has a food company. We have a bakery that sells and distributes to supermarkets, and we have the oldest taco and tortilla company. My siblings continued the business, although I am pretty much on my own with the restaurant.
I opened Cafe Ysabel, which later became a chain of 9 restaurants. But, somewhere along the way, I felt we could not rely on one line of business, so we delved into food consultancy.
We have helped set up 65 restaurants and 10 major food systems. We have a very good batting average. Of the 65 restaurants, 60 are still operating."
Q: How did you come up with name of Cafe Ysabel?
A: "I named the restaurant after my aunt. I found it very sexy because her name was spelled with a Y."
Q: Has Cafe Ysabel undergone many changes since it was established 27 years ago?
A: "Not really. Cafe Ysabel stood the test of time. Thirty-three percent of the menu has stayed, and these are the things that you will never be able to take out because they are such classics, like the Pasta Ysabel, Steak ala Pobre, Ceasar Salad, spaghetti with "angry" sauce, and Cafe's Puttanesa."
Q: What sets it apart from other restaurants in Manila?
A: "It is very casual. It is not pretentious. You can come in shorts. But, what make us different is that, we are not scared to try a lot of new things. We have been a haven of gastronomy.
We have been known for "custom made" menus. We have done a lot of very wild dinners. During the era of cigars, we did cigar dinners. During the 90s, I did chocolate dinners. I am a chocoholic and I am a certified Belgian chocolate instructor.
You go to my office, you go to my room, within arms reach, there is chocolate everywhere."
Q: What made you decide to put up a culinary school?
A: "I was taking more apprentices and we were doing a lot of research work anyway, plus we needed a food styling department.
We do a lot of commercials, advertisements and pictorials. We needed a research arm, and an educational institution is a perfect research arm. We graduate 180 students a year, although we have more students who enroll for the short courses. The full course, which takes a year, costs 325,000 pesos ($6,800), and about 65,000 pesos for the short courses.
A: What makes a great chef?
Q: "Everybody talks about passion, but, you also need to be creative and you need to have administrative skills as well.
But, there is one aspect that chefs tend to overlook -- the importance of being fit. You need stamina. If you are not fit, you will not be able to endure the rigors of standing up for long periods of time.
Q: What is in store for the school in 2009?
A: "We are coming out with more innovative courses. We are coming out with longer pastry program. We are coming out with a longer wine studies program. The Asian program, which will be the most comprehensive Asian program in the country, is coming out soon. Once you have completed the course, you can work in any Asian kitchen in the world.
Q: Has the business been affected by the economic crisis?
A: "We have yet to see, because everytime there is a crisis that is the time we expand.
Q: Where do you see yourself a few years from now?
A: "I don't know, probably still working. I don't think I will be quitting or retiring, that is not my nature."

Alcohol gives men's sexual performance a boost

Australian scientists have given men the perfect reason to drink: alcohol improves performance in the bedroom.

According to News.com.au, the boffins believe that the latest finding will reassure blokes who worry about the affects of drinking on their sex lives.

Until now, it has been widely believed that boozing could cause erectile dysfunction, commonly called “brewer s droop.

However, the latest study of 1580 Australian men has shown the reverse may be true since drinkers reporting as many as 30 per cent fewer problems than teetotalers.
Infact, binge drinkers had lower rates of erectile dysfunction than those who never drank, although this type of drinking can cause other health problems.

According to lead researcher Dr Kew-Kim Chew, of Western Australia’s Keogh Institute for Medical Research, who told The Sunday Telegraph, men who drank within safe guidelines appeared to have the best erectile function.

“We found that, compared to those who have never touched alcohol, many people do benefit from some alcohol, including some people who drink outside the guidelines,” Dr Chew said.

Why women love make-up

London: Ever wondered why women love make-up? Well, the answer lies in their brain, say Japanese scientists, who found that women anticipate a rush of anticipation and optimism as they prepare to apply make-up.

The findings are based on two years of research by cosmetics giant Kanebo.

The company's 'Cosmetics, Beauty and Brain Science' project determined that there are distinct cognitive activities involved in a woman's perception of her face with and without make-up.

The researchers used a brain scanner and monitored activity in the caudate nucleus of the brain and found that when a woman sees her own face without make-up, she anticipates how she will eventually appear to others and a 'reward system' is activated, releasing dopamine to give sensations of pleasure.

"We know from previous research that when this area of the brain is activated we can derive pleasure from certain activities," the Telegraph quoted Keishi Saruwatari, of Kanebo's laboratories, as saying.

"We interpret that as meaning that when a woman looks at her face she is imagining how she will look when she has applied her make-up.

"There is a mixture of expectation, encouragement and ambition," he said. "Make-up contributes to building relationships with others and feelings of pleasure in women," Saruwatari added.

Vegging Out: Easy Meat Substitutes for Optimal Health

Written by Jessica Mordo


Chicago’s health commissioner recently urged Windy City denizens to give up meat for the entire month of January, in a bid to improve locals’ health. Getting residents of Chicago—a city famed for its sausages—to go vegetarian for a month, or even a week, may seem like a tall order. Heck, I’m a vegetarian-leaning omnivore and it seems a bit challenging even for me!

However, the guy’s got a point.


Reducing the meat content of one’s diet saves money, the planet, and oneself, as less meat intake can help lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, not to mention one’s waist size. So maybe you won’t ban meat for a whole month, a whole week, or even a whole day, but I suggest experimenting with at least one meat-free meal per day. I’ve been eating this way for a while now, and I hardly miss the extra portion of animal protein in my daily diet.

Here are some healthy, protein-rich vegetarian dishes from my personal repertoire that even my ultra-carnivorous family members adore:

Three-Bean Salad With Avocado
Pick your favorite beans—I like garbanzos, black beans, and kidney beans, but any will do—and toss with chunks of avocado, tomato, and finely chopped red onion. Dress with a light vinaigrette made of red wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Optional: serve on a bed of fresh lettuce.

Easy Asian-Style Baked Tofu
Marinate cubes of firm tofu in a sauce of minced garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, a tiny bit of sugar, and sesame seeds (this can be done for up to two hours). Bake at 400 for about 30-40 minutes, until edges of tofu cubes start to crisp up. Much healthier than stir-fried tofu, this baked version makes a delicious addition to a salad or a veggie and rice bowl. (Note that several pre-cooked versions of this dish can be purchased at most supermarkets, but they are more costly than going home-made and may contain a few more ingredients than necessary).

Egyptian Fava Bean or Edamame Stew
I suggest buying pre-cooked fava beans, as cooking the fresh version is an extremely labor-intensive process. You may opt for edamame instead, depending on your taste. The recipe is tailored to using about eight to ten ounces of beans. You’ll need them shelled and cooked prior to starting the rest of the recipe that follows.
Chop a medium yellow onion and sauté in olive oil until onion is soft and translucent. Stir in several cloves of minced garlic, one teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of coriander, and a pinch of cayenne, until fragrant. Then stir in a 14-ounce can of chopped tomatoes, including the liquid. Simmer until liquid mostly cooks down, and then add beans and some fresh chopped cilantro or parsley. Stir and simmer for a few minutes, then serve fresh over your grain of choice.