9 Tips for Overcoming Jet Lag

Jet lag is inevitable when you are traveling long distances by plane, and it can leave you feeling completely wrecked for several days to a week after you arrive at your destination. For people who simply cannot afford the few days to completely recover from the physical and mental exhaustion of jet lag, there are a number of simple preparatory steps you can do before, during and after your long flight to minimize your jet lag fatigue. 

Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started with Photographing Couples

In the previous articles in this posing guide series we looked individually at posing female subjects, posing male subjects and posing children. In those individual person portraits the main subject was a single person and her or his personality. In comparison, couple photography is more about connection, interaction and above all – feelings between two people. And most probably those are very deep and passionate feelings, which makes couple photography so delightful and positive.

Generally a couple should be easy to engage in a photo shoot. If they are initially a bit shy or feeling uncomfortable, just ask them to show you how they felt and looked when they met for the first time. You will invoke them on an emotional level, providing you with natural and loving expressions in their portraits

1. Easy starting pose standing face to face (but looking to the camera) and her holding an arm on his chest. Take both close-up as well as vertical shots.

2. Ask the couple to stand very close to each other to catch intimate close-up portraits. Don’t be afraid to zoom in and crop real tight!

3. Very easy and cordial pose with him holding her from behind. The couple may look straight into the camera or at each other. They might even kiss for a more emotive shot.

4. Fun and loving pose with her holding onto his back and shoulders. Pay attention to hand positioning: It should be simple and natural.

5. Just a variant with her holding him from behind. Remember that the couple doesn’t necessarily have to look in the camera. For better results, make them interact with each other by talking, flirtatious looks, laughing etc.

6. Creates a very romantic mood. Works best outdoors with some open space in the background. Shoot only slightly from a back. Remember that you have to be far enough to the couples side to be able to capture each person’s closest eye, otherwise you will create an impersonal, “empty” shot.

7. Find some elevation and shoot your subjects from above. A common pose shot from an unusual angle is always creative and will often reward you with surprisingly good results.

8. Another romantic pose. Works best outdoors with some open space in the background. Works also very well as a silhouette against a bright background, in front of a sunset, for example.

9. Easy to realize pose for a full height shot. Creates a calm and affectionate mood.

10. A fun pose. Don’t presume this to be appropriate only with younger people. If an older couple feels fine with it, this pose will work absolutely superb with them as well. Try different framings, take full height shots, half height ones and close-ups.

11. Very nice way to show the affection when meeting each other. Works very well in crowded places, such as a famous meeting point in a city, trains or metro stations etc.

12. A pose with a little bit of fun. The crucial part is her leg positioning, each leg should be bent in different angles. While he is still lifting her, take a close-up portrait shot as well.

13. Take shots of the couple walking hand in hand approaching from a distance. Shoot in burst mode only! However, the majority of your shots will look awkward because of the leg movement. Therefore, the second part of your job is to select the photos with the best leg movement and positioning afterwards.

14. Another variant with a walking couple. This time couple walks close together and holds onto each other. Again, take several shots and choose those with the most elegant leg positioning.

15. Never forget that there often are good opportunities simply shooting from the back.

16. A couple lying close together on the ground. Make them lift their upper bodies a bit by using their arms as supports. He might embrace her gently. Shoot from a very low angle.

17. Another variant with a couple lying on the ground. This time with a little interspace.

18. A good example to show that two persons can very well be positioned asymmetrically.

19. Informal and fun way to pose for a couple lying on their backs.

20. A cordial pose, ask the couple to sit comfortably on their favorite sofa.

21. Sometimes shooting a couple may mean maternity photography. Some poses from this couples series work also pretty well for such an occasion. Simply adjust a posing accordingly to show the couple’s feelings about and interactions with the unborn new life.

Look at these sample poses as a starting point only. That’s the reason why they are rough sketches instead of real photos. You can’t and should not repeat the pose exactly, instead adjust the pose creatively according to your shooting environment and scenario.

Abducted boy released after ransom paid

Kuala Lumpur: The parents of a 12-year-old Dutch boy who was kidnapped a week ago in Malaysia said their son had been safely returned to the family, Thursday, with police revealing a ransom had been paid.

Nayati Moodliar was walking to the Mont Kiara International School located in an upmarket suburb near the capital Kuala Lumpur last Friday when he was kidnapped by two men who bundled him into a car.

The "traumatised" boy was found early Thursday by his family on the edge of a highway north of the capital after he telephoned them using a mobile phone left behind by the kidnappers, police said.

"We have got Nayati back. He is back (in) our arms again.

Thank you all for your support! - Moodliar Family," the parents said in a post on Facebook, which along with Twitter they had used to appeal for their son's release.

The family made no comment on a ransom but Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Datuk Mohmad Salleh said one was paid Wednesday to free the boy, who has dual Dutch and South African nationality.

However, he did not say who paid the ransom or how much it was.

"We are glad he is free. Investigations are continuing to identify the kidnappers," he told a media conference.

Mohmad said the boy was safe and did not suffer any injuries but was in a traumatised state.

"The boy has been traumatised by the incident. We will allow him to rest for a day or two and then will seek information regarding the event," he said.

Mohmad said kidnapping was a serious offence in Malaysia and the perpetrators could face death by hanging.

The kidnapping had even drawn the attention of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who used Twitter to urge his release: "I appeal as a father for Nayati not to be harmed in any way."-AFP

7 Foods That Help You Lose Weight

Don't get sucked into the idea that food is your enemy when you're trying to lose weight. In fact, it's just the opposite: Befriend the right foods, and the pounds are much more likely to peel off than if you just try to cut calories across the board. Here, seven foods known to nutritionists to boost your body's fat-burning potential.

1. Oats

Wait a minute -- aren't oats a carb? Yes and no. Oats are a whole grain, and they're high on what nutritionists call the "satiety index," meaning oats have tremendous power to make you feel full. Not only that, they're also high in soluble fiber, so they cut cholesterol and blood fat. Oats digest slowly, so they don't raise your blood sugar, and they keep you feeling filled up well into the late morning. Old-fashioned steel-cut and rolled oats, with up to 5 grams of fiber per serving, are best, but even instant oatmeal has 3 to 4 grams of fiber per serving.

2. Eggs

Nutritionists have been trying for some years to restore the reputation of the lowly egg. No longer thought to be a cholesterol-booster (eggs contain a different type of cholesterol than that in humans), eggs are a concentrated form of animal protein without the added fat that comes with meat. Dietary studies have repeatedly found that when people eat an egg every morning in addition to (or instead of) toast or cereal, they lose twice as much weight as those who eat a breakfast that's dominated by carbs.

3. Skim milk

Studies in reputable publications such as the Journal of Obesity (in addition to the controversial ones funded by the National Dairy Council) show that the combination of calcium, vitamin D, and low-fat protein in skim milk and nonfat yogurt trigger weight loss and help build and maintain lean muscle.

4. Apples

To keep the pounds at bay, eat an apple -- or two -- a day. Numerous studies have found that eating an apple a half hour to an hour before a meal has the result of cutting the calories of the meal. Why? The fiber in the apple makes you feel full, so you eat less. Recent research suggests eating apples has other benefits, too; the antioxidants in apples appear to prevent metabolic syndrome, the combination of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and prediabetes that tends to accompany thickening around the waist. Also, apples are high in pectin, which binds with water and limits the amount of fat your cells can absorb.

5. Red meat

Not exactly what you think of as a diet food, right? But research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared diet results for women who ate red meat and those who didn't, and the meat-eaters lost more weight. Experts think the dense protein in lean red meat helps you maintain muscle mass -- but of course this assumes you're exercising to build that muscle.

6. Cinnamon

This simple spice appears to have the power to help your body metabolize sugar, according to surprising data that came out of a USDA study involving diabetics. Eating as little as 1/4 to 2 teaspoons of cinnamon a day was found to reduce blood sugar levels and cut cholesterol from 10 to 25 percent. So add cinnamon to smoothies, sprinkle it on your cereal, or flavor your coffee with it -- particularly if you take your coffee with cream and sugar. The cinnamon will boost the health benefits of the coffee while helping your body rid itself of the added sugars.

7. Almonds and almond butter

Another counterintuitive choice; aren't nuts and nut butters supposed to be incredibly fattening? Well, almonds are calorie-dense, but they also pack a huge nutritional punch -- and they're particularly effective in counteracting cholesterol and triglycerides. One study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating almonds was as effective as taking a statin. Spreading almond butter on your morning toast gives you a nice protein boost while preventing the carbs in the toast from spiking your blood sugar.

'Super moon' May Outshine Meteor Shower This Weekend

The biggest full moon of the year, a so-called "supermoon," will take center stage when it rises this weekend, and may interfere with the peak of an annual meteor shower created by the leftovers from Halley's comet.

The supermoon of 2012 is the biggest full moon of the yearand will occur on Saturday (May 5) at 11:35 p.m. EDT (0335 May 6), though the moon may still appear full to skywatchers on the day before and after the actual event. At the same time, the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower will be hitting its peak, NASA scientists say.

"Its light will wash out the fainter Eta Aquarid meteors," NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke of the Marshall Space Flight Center told SPACE.com in an email. Still, Cooke said there's a chance that the brightest fireballs from the meteor display may still be visible.

A supermoon occurs when the moon hits its full phase at the same time it makes closest approach to Earth for the month, a lunar milestone known as perigee. Scientists also refer to the event as a "perigee moon," according to a NASA video on the 2012 supermoon.

That's exactly what will happen on Saturday, when the moon will swing within 221,802 miles (356,955 kilometers) of Earth — its closest approach of the entire year. Because the moon's orbit is not exactly circular, there is a 3-percent variation in its closest approaches to Earth each month. The average Earth-moon distance is about 230,000 miles (384,400 km).

With May's full moon timed with the moon's perigee, it could appear 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than other full moons of 2012, astronomer Tony Phillips explained in a NASA video. There is absolutely no chance the supermoon will threaten Earth.

The last supermoon was in March 2011. At the time, it was the biggest and brightest full moon in 18 years.

While the moon's extra brightness during the supermoon may wash out some of the fainter Eta Aquarid meteors, all is not lost, Cooke said.

"Our fireball cameras have already detected four bright ones. So I would say that the odds are pretty good that folks can see a bit of Halley's Comet over the next few days, if they care to take the time to look," Cooke explained. "They will be the big and bright ones, fewer in number with a rate of just a few per hour, but they will be there."

Cooke anticipates that the 2012 Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak at up to 60 meteors per hour on May 5.

The eta Aquarid display is one of two meteor showers created by dust from Halley's comet (the Orionid shower in October is the other). It occurs every April and May when the Earth passes through a stream of debris cast off by comet Halley during its 76-year trip around the sun.

The eta Aquarid meteor shower of 2012 actually began on April 19 and ends on May 28, but its peak is in the overnight period between Saturday and Sunday (May 5 and 6).

"Meteor watchers in the Southern Hemisphere stand the best chance of seeing any meteors," a NASA advisory from the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory explained.

World's Top 10 Important Cities for the Super Rich

Recently a study showed that with the major shifts taking place in economies, power structures and societies around the world, global cities like London and New York are still considered most important by the super wealthy lot. The Wealth Report 2012, by Knight Frank and Citi Private Bank, assesses the importance of key cities to HNIs, based on everything from investment potential and economic openness to their appeal as somewhere to live or visit. Find out which other cities made it to the top 10 list.

#1 London: The British capital took first place in almost every category. Survey respondents from all regions bar one, voted it the city that matters most to their clients now. Even respondents in Asia Pacific put London and New York ahead of Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and Beijing.

#2 New York: The Big Apple remains in second place in their league of the leading cities and will still remain in that spot in 10 years' time, suggesting it will be some time yet before its influence fades. The top-scoring indicators were personal safety and security, economic openness and social stability, which is perhaps unsurprising given recent geopolitical turmoil around the globe.

#3 Hong Kong: Taking into account the availability of luxury housing and educational opportunities, as well as the presence of other HNIs, Hong Kong landed in third spot. It jumped up three spots this year.

#4 Paris: There's more to Paris than just its fashion, landing it in fourth place.

#5 Singapore: This island city isn't just an important city currently, but also made it to 'The Leading Global Cities In 10 Years Time' list too.

#6 Miami: Only respondents in Latin America put Miami ahead of London.

#7 Geneva: The Swiss city landed seventh on global list of top 10 important cities for the super rich.

#8 Shanghai: Although eighth here, Shanghai was placed second, only after Beijing, on 'The Cities That Are Growing In Importance To HNIs The Fastest' list.

#9 Beijing: Taking ninth place here, Beijing took the pole position on 'The Cities That Are Growing In Importance To HNWIs The Fastest' list.

10 Berlin: Germany's capital, Berlin just slipped in to the Top 10.