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AISHWARYA RAI BACHAN DEEPIKA PADUKONE

Mercedes-Benz Canada embraceslife-saving QR code technologylaunched globally by Daimler

SONAKSHI SINHA

KALKI KOECHLINSUSHMITA SENACTRESS SHILPA SHUKLA CHITRANGADA SINGH ESHA GUPTA

PICS: PTI

BY AMAR CHANDEL

Breathing is the most essential and frequent activity that we engagein from bir th till death. Yet it is one of the most neglected aspects ofour existence because we erroneously presume that it is entirely aninvoluntary function. The end result is that this giver of life has beenignored, leading to numerous unwanted consequences.Our lungs have the capacity to take in about fourlitres of air in each breath. In olden times, we usedto take this full quota when we were active throughoutthe day, first as hunter-gath- erers and then ascrop growers. The modern lifestyle hasturned us into veritable couch pota-toes that barely take half a litre of airper breath. That is only one-eighth of therequirement. Our diaphragm barelymoves if we are sedentary, with the resultthat the lower par t of our lungs hardly getsany oxygen.The shocking shor tfall not only causes numerousaches and pains and diseases but also leads to negative

emotions like anger, anxiety and stress. Air is available free of cost,but we have to make a deliberate effor t to ensure that we take in ourfull quota. The most impor tant item on the to-do list is to set aside atleast one hour every day for exercises which make us moderatelybreathless. Regular brisk walking is an ideal star ting point. In theprocess we will be taking a lot of air willy-nilly.You can also train yourself to take in more oxygen even when at rest.The technique is called yogic or diaphragmatic breathing.Lie down or sit comfor tably. When you star t inhaling, fill your bellyfrom the lowest par t up so that by the time you have taken the full

breath, your tummy is protruding as well as the chest. Holdfor a few seconds and then star t exhaling while at the

same time contracting your belly.This should be done preferably on anempty stomach. So reserve five min-

utes for this practice before breakfast,lunch and dinner every day. After you have

practised for some weeks, star t spending allyour spare time in mindful breathing.

PROPER BREATHING IS KEY TOBODY, MIND CONTROL

I CONTD. ON PAGE 30

Toronto - When an accident occurs and the vehicle is seriously dam-aged, the priority for the rescue services is to free the occupants. Thiscan be extremely dangerous for both occupants and first responderssince the vehicle is equipped with many potentially hazardous com-ponents such as high voltage wiring, fuel lines as well as airbags andSRS pyrotechnics, all of which can be compromised depending onthe severity of the impact.While Mercedes-Benz information has been available to rescue teamsfor decades, it was traditionally provided in a printed format ordownloadable as a pdf document. Today, it can be accessed by scan-ning a QR code with a smar tphone, providing immediate access to adetailed rescue card which contains all of the structural details specific toa vehicle model, such as the location of airbags, battery, high strength steel(HSLA) and fuel tank, to name a few, so that rescue equipment can be usedas safely and as effectively as possible to save lives.Last year, Daimler announced that it would offer direct access to vehicle-specific rescue cards by means of a QR code - a world first. The QR code hasbeen fitted as standard equipment in all new Mercedes-Benz cars since theend of 2013, Mercedes-Benz vans since August 2014 and smart vehiclessince January 2014. This benefit is not only limited to the owners of newvehicles. The QR code stickers can be installed free of charge, by an autho-rized Mercedes-Benz dealership, in all Mercedes-Benz and smart pre-ownedvehicles manufactured from 1990 onwards (1996 in the case of Mercedes-Benz vans)."As part of our unwavering commitment to safety, we have embarked on acountry-wide campaign to encourage owners to take advantage of this po-tentially life-saving technology, which helps eliminate any guesswork in theevent of an accident," said Roland Martin, Vice President, Service and Parts."In addition, we are actively reaching out to first responders to generateawareness for this tool that was developed with them in mind, by makingMercedes-Benz vehicles' structural information immediately acces-sible when every minute counts."

I CONTD. ON PAGE 27

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CONDOMINIUM APARTMENTSALES INCREASED BY 12.9PER CENT YEAR-OVER-YEARTORONTO - Toronto Real Estate BoardPresident Paul Etherington announced a12.9 per cent year-over-year increase incondominium apar tment sales throughthe TorontoMLS system in the thirdquar ter of 2014. Sales amounted to5,954. New listings of condominiumapar tments on TorontoMLS were alsoup compared to the same period lastyear, by 4.5 per cent."Condominium apar tments represent anaffordable home ownership option forfirst-time buyers. New condominiumapar tment completions have been atrecord levels over the past two years.However, even though many of thesenewly completed units have been listedon TorontoMLS, we have not experienceda glut in inventory. There have beenenough buyers to keep market conditionsbalanced, with the average selling priceincreasing at an above-inflation pace,"said Mr. Etherington.The average selling price for Q3 condo-minium apar tment sales was $359,352 -up by 5.7 per cent compared to the aver-age of $339,878 in Q3 2013. The aver-age selling price was highest in the Cityof Toronto, at $382,210, representing ayear-over-year increase of 6.1 per cent."Growth in condominium apar tment list-ings will likely continue over the nextyear, reflecting the continuation of strongcondominium apar tment completions.However, the fact that we are seeinggrowth in condo sales outstrip growth inlistings suggests that market conditionswill remain tight enough to prompt con-tinued price growth," said Jason Mercer,TREB's Director of Market Analysis

CONDOMINIUM APARTMENT MARKET SUMMARYTHIRD QUARTER 2014

Mercedes-Benz Canada embraceslife-saving QR code technologylaunched globally by Daimler

CONTD. FROM PAGE 25As par t of its awareness campaign, Mercedes-Benz Canada has cap-tured Kelowna's Fire Hall No. 1 firefighters' thoughts on Rescue As-sist. The black-and-white scannable symbol is widely used in adver-tising, on packaging and even on business cards. It is comprised of astring of characters that enables a quick response (hence QR) andredirects the user to a predetermined web address.When the code is scanned with a smartphone or tablet, with an exist-ing internet connection, the rescue card can be quickly accessed toprovide safety-relevant vehicle information. The rescue card is cur-rently available in 23 languages and will display in the default lan-guage of the end user's mobile device. In addition, an App that doesnot require an Internet connection is now available to emergencyservices. Mercedes-Benz has waived its patent rights to ensure thatthis technology is readily available to everyone.

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BLENDERS FASHION SHOW IN MUMBAI. BLENDERS FASHION SHOW IN MUMBAI. BLENDERS FASHION SHOW IN MUMBAI.

PICS: IANS

PICS: IANS

KANISHK MEHTA CREATION (IANS)ACTOR BRUNA ABDULLAH AND FASHION DESIGNER VIKRAM PHADNIS DURING THE ANNOUNCE OF MADAME STYLE WEEK IN MUMBAI

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CONTD. FROM PAGE 25Suppose you are having to wait at traffic lights. Instead of ruing thedelay, utilise the time for diaphragmatic breathing. As your practiceincreases, you will notice that you have star ted pumping your bellywithout even noticing.Interestingly, many of those who lead a sedentary life tend to doexactly the opposite. They contract the belly when they breathe in andexpand it when they breathe out. If you too are making that mistake,make a persistent effor t to correct it because this kind of breathing isworse than not moving the belly at all.Please note that you are not pumping air into the belly. It is going intothe lungs only. It's just that when you expand the belly, the diaphragmis forced to move down and the lungs can take in more air.

PROPER BREATHING IS KEYTO BODY, MIND CONTROL

You will soon find that your stress level has star ted going down. Theair that you breathe, besides nourishing your body, has a vital forcecalled 'Prana'. The more air you pump in, the more vitality you have.There is an additional advantage. This pumping action strengthensyour abdominal muscles and helps in reducing the waist size.The yogic way of breathing which involves 'Kumbhaka' (making a bigbelly after a deep inhalation and holding the breath for a few seconds)and 'Rechaka' (expelling all air and holding for a few seconds whilethe belly has been pulled in) helps one increase the lung capacity toas much as six litres.(Amar Chandel, the author of two self-help books, including "PerfectHealth in Twenty Weeks". The views expressed are personal. He canbe reached at asknature@gmail.com.

Oddball Indian wedding rituals

If you thought wedding ceremonies can't get more bizarre than thegroom breaking a wine glass by stepping on it at a Jewish wedding,or the Finnish bride going from door to door with a pillowcase tocollect her wedding gifts accompanied by an old man with an um-brella, think again. Not only are Baltic or Greek wedding traditionspeculiar, some of our very own rituals surrounding the wedding canbe as off-the-wall. True, a wedding brings happy tidings to the family,but it is after all the eclectic rituals associated with it that make forreal memories. The most common perception of a Hindu wedding isthe lighting up of the Vedic fire around which the bride and groomwalk seven times while the priest chants mantras. Assumingly forthe sake of brevity, almost all television series or cinema dealingwith a Hindu wedding conjures up an image similar to this. Then whatabout the many awkward and flamboyant rituals that precede or suc-ceed it, rituals that are unique to every culture, rituals that are per-haps relevant no more but lovingly adhered to.With the wedding season upon us, let's vet some truly obscure Indianwedding traditions that evoke emotions ranging from laughter, gri-mace, scorn, tears, to sheer amusement.Bengali weddings: That the mother of the bride is not supposed to seethe wedding is common knowledge. But did you know that on the dayof the wedding, married women from the bride's family rise at thebreak of dawn and arrange a plate of aar ti complete with sweets,twigs and incense, and go over to invite the Ganges to the wedding oftheir daughter. The holy river is believed to bless the girl in her futurelife. Bihari weddings: This could be a rather curious post-weddingritual per formed by any groom's-side-of-the-family on bringing thebride home. Here an eager, expectant bride suddenly finds herselfgrappling with a huge earthen pot set on her head by her mother-in-law. Without losing time, few more pots are added to the pile whileshe is expected to bow down and touch the elders' feet. As the dra-matic scene is played out, all and sundry gather to see how manypots the new bride actually balances, which is ostensibly an indicatorof her skills at striking a balance in the family.

Tribal wedding in UP: Sarsaul, a small town in Kanpur district hasgiven a new dimension to wedding hospitality. In keeping with thetradition, the baaratis here are not greeted with flowers and rosewater spray, instead tomatoes and potatoes are hurled at them fol-lowed by a round of choicest abuses. Your sides might hurt imagingsuch a welcome, but the tradition takes root in the belief that a rela-tionship that doesn't begin on a not-so-happy note always culminatesin love. Rabha weddings in Assam: The weddings of the Rabha tribesof Assam is an aesthetic affair. Performed as per Gandharva mar-riage tradition, the ceremony involves a simple exchange of gar-lands - no pheras around the fire, and a lavish feast to round it upwith. An extremely patriarchal ritual, the newly wed on their firstday together at the boy's family home is expected to give a handin cooking the afternoon meal and serve only to the male, elderlymembers of the family. For the rest, food is served in subsequentbatches by the helpers. Malayalee weddings: How much the restof the world frets about keeping the auspicious time for the wed-ding, tell this to the Nairs of Kerala and you'll manage a wry smileout of them. For them, the auspicious time is when they set outfrom their homes to marry in a temple or the ancestral home ofthe gir l , and not the actual muhurat of the wedding. Like al lMalayalee weddings, this too happens at daytime. A serene whitewedding with a generous flash of gold jewellery, the bride andgroom walk around the mandapam thrice - not seven t imes.Kumaoni weddings: The use of flags in the marriage ceremonysets Himachali weddings apar t. Traditionally, a white flag called'Nishan' leads the marriage procession representing the bride-groom, followed by drummers, pipers and a white palanquin car-rying the groom. The last man of the procession carries anotherflag, of red colour, representing the bride. When the marriage par tyreturns from the girl's home after completing all ceremonies, thered flag takes the lead followed by a red palanquin of the bride,succeeded by the white palanquin of the groom, and the white flagat the tail end of the procession.

10 ways to dealwith knee pain

Knees are the most commonly injured joints in the body and the pain isamong the most excruciating ones. They are throbbing inflammationsand cause stiffness of the joints. "Severe knee pain will never go away100%. But you can make it negligible by taking few precautionary mea-sures," says Chaitanya Shah, mobility consultant and Founder, Orthofit.Read on to know what you can do to deal with knee pain so that theproblem becomes bearable.For most forms of knee pain, applying ice is the first step to recovery. Icealso acts as an anesthetic to soothe the ache. Use an ice pack or icecubes inside a plastic bag. Just make sure the ice pack is wrapped in atowel, so it does not come in direct contact with your skin. Avoid theknee bashers. Some activities, such as running and hiking over hillyterrain put a greater demand on the kneecap than others. Examine yourshoes, no heels, no awkward bumps and no hard materials. If there'sany difference in the lengths of both your legs, ensure you get insoles soyour body posture is balanced.Muscle up your leg muscles. To strengthen the quadriceps, the thighmuscles that hold your knees in place, start with straight leg raises.Consult a physiotherapist for more exercises.Work your hamstrings. To rehabilitate an injured knee, it is essential tobuild up strength in the hamstring muscles on the back of the thigh.These six foods are excellent support for your knees; berries, ginger,avocado, flaxseeds, omega-3-rich fish, and soy.Posture and you To get the most from your knees keep a good postureespecially while at work. Attention is to be paid to the chair you aresitting on. If the chair is too low the knees are in flexion constantly, notgood. If the chair is too high you are struggling for foot support. "Get achair ideal for your height where your knees are bent at a comfortableangle, allowing you to sit down and get up easily. Sitting cross-leggedand using low furniture can usher in knee problems over the years",points Dr Dilip Nadkarni, Orthopedic surgeon specialized in Arthroscopicor Key-hole surgery for the Knee Joint. Excessive sodium to be avoidedas it contributes to water retention and swelling, which puts pressure onyour knees and causes pain.The nightshade family of vegetables should be had in moderation; par-ticularly if your knee pain is caused by arthritis. Nightshade vegetablesinclude green peppers, cayenne, eggplant, paprika, tomatoes, and pota-toes, all of which contain sotanine, a toxin to which arthritis sufferersmay have a particular sensitivity.

BEST HABITS FOR HEALTHY SKINWinter, summer or rain, not to forget pollution can hamper, dryyour skin and damage it. But the story continues, you can changethe course of the condition of your skin by following certain hab-its for healthy skin. We collate the best healthy skin care tips thathave been shared by our experts. Have healthy skin throughoutthe year, and you don't even have to spend millions on spa treat-ments and beauty products. Let's find out the 20 best habits forhealthy skin that suits your budget.Habits for Healthy Skin: Skin care for office goersWith air conditioning the temperature of surrounding is reduced to21 to 26 degree Celsius. This disturbs body temperature mecha-nism and reduces the production of sweat at all areas except atunderarms, palms and soles. Also it reduces the oiliness of skinleading to dry and dehydrated skin.Air conditioning leads to premature wrinkling, excessive drynessof skin, chapped lips, eczema's, itching with infection over it. It isobserved multiple air borne contact dermatitis(eczema's) spreadbecause of unclean filters.Habits for Healthy Skin: Skin care for office goersPreventive measures:If possible centralized air conditioning units should not be in-stalled in offices. Filters of AC units should be cleaned at regularintervals to prevent spread of air borne diseases.Regular use of moisturisers on damp skin sur face of exposedareas, lip balms should be used.

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6 BEST FRUITS FOR YOUR HEALTHYou can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat fruits anddrink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised whenyour friends tell you how radiant you look!KIWI: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium,vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.APPLE: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an applehas a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoid whichenhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks ofcolon cancer, heart attack & stroke.STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest totalantioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.ORANGE: Sweetest medicine, eating 2 to 4 oranges a day may helpkeep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stonesas well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, itis also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost ourimmune system. They are also a key source of lycopene - the cancerfighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C &Potassium.GUAVA & PAPAYA:Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their highvitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps preventconstipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.

‘ IN YOUR 40S AND MISS ON THAT CRUCIAL SLEEP EITHERBECAUSE OF ERRATIC LIFESTYLE OR ODD WORKINGHOURS? GET YOUR SLEEP HABITS BACK IN SHAPE ASEXTREME CHANGES IN SLEEP DURATION FROM MIDDLEAGE TO OLDER AGE MAY WORSEN MEMORY FUNCTION.

In a study on 15,263 women par ticipants, researchers found thatwomen who slept five or fewer hours either in midlife or later life hadworse memory than those sleeping seven hours per day."Women whose sleep duration changed by greater than two hours perday over time had worse memory than women with no change insleep duration," said Elizabeth Devore, an instructor in medicine atBrigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) in the US.

Erratic sleep mayaffect memory later

Decorating your kid's room can be fun and exciting. You cantotally indulge your inner child with the colours and printsyou get to play around with. However, it's impor tant to

remember that the occupant is going to be a kid. As interior de-signer Renu Chainani says, "It can also be a very challengingtask. Since kids are in their growing years, they need all thespace in the world to run, jump and play without hur ting them-selves."While you focus on making the room look all cute and beautiful,you also need to pay absolute attention to safety. Actor SudhanshuPandey — father of two young and boisterous sons — Nirvaanand Vivaan says, "Kids will be kids. No matter how much you tryto protect them, they will run, jump, fall and hur t themselves. Asparents it is our responsibility to ensure that there is nothing inthe room that can cause them bodily harm."So what are the most impor tant factors that you need to heedwhile planning out your kids room? "Safety, space and storage,"says Renu adding, "There's just no excuse where safety is con-cerned. No sharp corners and edges." That was preciselywhat TV actress Gouri Tonnk did in her daughter Pari's room."She's a growing girl and would of ten have her friends over.Hence, we decided to give her a dedicated room. Safety wasour first concern.

DECORATING A ROOM

FOR YOUR CHILD

l i festyle

EATING FISH THERIGHT WAY

Los Angeles (IANS): Eating fish has been associated with lowerrates of hear t disease, stroke, depression and Alzheimer'sdisease. But how you eat it may be the real key to reapingits benefits, reveals a research.From adding herbs and spices to layering it up are some ofthe ways to make your fish eating session a healthy affair.A research by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medi-cine completed a study on volunteers who regularly ate fishand it was concluded that they had larger brain volumes inregions associated with memory and cognition, but only ifthe fish was baked or broiled, not fried.Baking and broiling are also better for your waistline. Forexample, a dozen fried shrimp can pack 280 calories, ver-sus a mere 85 calor ies for 12 shr imps that have beensteamed or broiled, repor ts huffingtonpost.com.Here are five tips for making baked and broiled seafoodtaste fantastic.* Use good fat: Before cooking, brush fish filets with extravirgin olive or coconut oil, or slather with a jarred sauce,such as sundried tomato, roasted red pepper or basil pesto.Or after cooking, top with sliced or chopped avocado, finelychopped nuts, or a dollop of olive tapenade or drizzle oftahini.* Add herbs and spices: There are numerous ways to sea-son seafood, from a simple combo of garlic and Italian herbsto a fiery layer of blackened seasonings.Some favourite combinations include -- fresh squeezed limejuice, lime zest, cilantro and black pepper; minced garlic,fresh grated ginger, ground turmeric and crushed red pep-per; fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon peel, minced garlic,parsley and black pepper; fresh dill, minced garlic, blackpepper and cayenne pepper.* Layer it: After baking or broiling, stack fish with layers ofother delicious healthy foods, such as hummus, sautéedspinach, roasted tomatoes, seasoned lentils, sautéed mush-rooms, wild rice, mashed sweet potato, spaghetti squash,mango salsa or slaw.Chill it: In addition to chilled shrimp cocktail, nearly any fishcan be served cold af ter it's cooked. Top an entrée saladwith chilled fish; add it to a cold salad made with veggiesand either wholegrain pasta, wild rice or quinoa; add it to aclassic chilled veggie dish like a marinated cucumber salad;or spoon it into lettuce boats made from outer romaine leaves.* Add it to other dishes: After simply baking or boiling, addseafood to another flavour ful dish, such as a soup, stew, stirfry or veggie "pasta" dish. Or spoon it into corn tor tillas andtop with pico de gallo and guacamole for a healthy versionof healthy fish tacos.

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How to make sure yourhouse is germ freeYour house can be a breeding area for germs if you don't take enoughcare. Star t by ensuring that you don't keep dir ty clothes lying aroundfor long. Make surethey're washed everydayor at least once in twodays. And make it a habitto clean your washingmachine as well. An ef-fective way to do this isto add a fistful of bleachin it and let it run for a fewminutes. This will kill allthe accumulated virusesand bacteria in the machine. Another problem areas can be dirty towels— change them every few days and wash them in warm water withdisinfectant to remove germs. Keep different towels for each member ofthe family. Change the linen on your bed every weekend. And don't allowfood on the bed. It will only attract ants and mold. Use a sanitiser to cleanglass and plastic surfaces and don't forget to clean cupboard and doorknobs and handles. Use a mini vacuum cleaner to clean your computerkeyboard. You'll be amazed at the number of germs it can collect. Your kitchen sinkcan also be a breeding ground for germs so ensure that it is clean. The samegoes for your kitchen platform.

Guide to weekend house cleaningFor those who stay all by themselves, it ispractically difficult to clean your house on theweekdays. But, if you have the weekend toyourself, make use of this time to ensure that yourhouse is absolutely clean for the week ahead.Make a list of things that you need to buy: Youcannot go out for grocery shopping on a daily basison the weekdays, thus make a list of things thatyou need to buy from your local supermarket andhead out on Saturday to buy those. This way youwill get the entire Sunday to yourself to focus oncleaning the house.Star t with changing bedcovers and linens: Whenyou wake up, the first thing in the morning, makesure to change all linens in your house. Take outthe fresh ones and put the old ones in the washingmachine.Dusting is necessary: Many of you might not beable to do this on the weekdays, thus after you'vechanged the covers, star t by dusting. Make surethat all the table tops, cupboards are clean.Clean your kitchen as well: Make sure that yourkitchen is absolutely clean so that you don't havecockroaches and spiders hovering over those foodshelves.

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