Researchers at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, said that the results of their findings show that women rate a man significantly higher if he is sitting behind the wheels of a flashy car, rather than in some old banger. As to men, for them it did not matter what was a woman’s choice of the car, they reported that their opinion was formed purely on looks.

The experiment involved a total of 120 people, with the ages between 21 and 40. All the participants were asked to examine two photographs which showed the same model sitting in either the silver Bentley Continental, or in the battered red Ford Fiesta. As a result, the majority of women found the same man more attractive when he was sitting in the prestige Bentley. However, when men were tested in the same way, the scientists discovered that the car did not have any influence on their impression of a woman, as they judged her just by the face and figure, no matter which vehicle she was sitting in.

Dr. Michael Dunn of the University of Wales Institute, whose study appears in the latest issue of the British Journal of Psychology, said that he himself was very much interested in evolutionary psychology, along with the increasing number of women purchasing so-called “high end” motors. The scientist said that the results of his study confirmed exactly what he has been expecting – that women are more interested in a man’s status and financial well-being, whereas for men it is much more important the way a woman looks.

“The evidence is not just anecdotal,” explained the psychologist, and added that there is a lot of evidence from many different sources according to which female have always been more influenced by wealth and status. “It is not a recent phenomenon. It is very ingrained,” ha said. Women concentrate more on factors such as wealth and status because, in their opinion, if the man is very well-to-do, he consequently would be in a better condition to rear a healthy and viable offspring.

Another possible explanation of the phenomenon is that in the past, the majority of women were very restricted economically and had been tied to men for financial security, but nowadays, with the increase of female emancipation, the women are becoming independently rich themselves with access to their own financial security. However, Dr. Dunn believes, that despite of all this, the preference for wealthy guys is not going to change in the future, which is more like evolutionary preference, rather than a social factor.

Meanwhile, university psychologists plan to continue the research on this matter and examine in the further studies, whether possessing high-status items such as luxury and expensive cars, for example, can help make up for lack of attractiveness that happens with aging. This, in turn, could provide further good news for male individuals who consider themselves as victims of a mid-life crisis. Also, in the other study, the researchers plan to examine whether men’s perception of a woman’s attractiveness is effected by specific clothing that are designed to enhance a woman’s waist-to-hip ratio.

But for now, referring to the results of the present study, Dr. Dunn has to admit that it could be interpreted as evidence that women are more materialistic and mercantile, compared to men.

Masturbating can help us to learn about our bodies and we can teach ourselves how to respond sexually. We can love ourselves alone or masturbate mutually with a lover. It is very erotic to watch your love become sexually aroused and vice versa. Self-stimulation helps to relieve sexual tension and therefore helps you fall asleep easier. Repressing your sexuality is unhealthy so masturbating gives us a way to feel pleasure that is self-sufficient and under our control. It provides an outlet for people who are without a lover and is excellent training for learning how to achieve an orgasm. It can enable a partner to have an orgasm when the stimulation through intercourse is insufficient. Masturbation can even help to relieve menstrual cramps.

Loving yourself involves the physical, mental and emotional aspects of an individual. Reprogram your subconscious to view the act as a gesture of self- love and empowerment. Make a date with yourself and take the time to do the special little things that usually get overlooked or put on the back burner because of family, career and other responsibilities.

Find a quiet, warm place where you can be alone without interruption. Remember to turn on the answering machine! Take a hot bath, relax, and take some time to think about the things you like about yourself. Let the day’s stress and worries fade away.

Aromatic bath salts and oils can be added to your bath to induce further relaxation and help to heighten the intimacy you are creating. Rub yourself down with lotion or oil and take some time to caress and explore your body. Light a candle and put on your favorite sexy music. This is your time! Now that your relaxed, move to your bed, couch or wherever you are most comfortable.Positive creative fantasy can play a key role in building desire while you love yourself. Visualize your lover or create an imaginary lover with attributes you admire and that turn you on.

One way to enhance your ability to fantasize is to review your favorite personal erotic memories in detail. Tenderly stroke your breasts, thighs and buttocks. Imagine it is a lover touching you. It is arousing to imagine that your dream lover is the one doing the caressing.

There are many different ways to masturbate. We can moisten our fingertips with our own saliva or vaginal fluids, or use a purchased product such as K-Y Jelly or pure coconut oil from the health food store. Gently rub the clitoris with one hand while tweaking your nipple with the other. Rhythmically rub in a circular or an up and down motion. Experiment and explore what feels good to you. Use different levels of pressure and timing. Some women masturbate by crossing their legs while exerting steady rhythmic pressure to the entire genital area. Some women use a small pillow between their legs to rub against and achieve one orgasm after another. Try using a vibrator or dildo to stimulate and mimic the presence of the male member. Practice using muscle tension as a way to heighten or to bring on climax. I know of many women that stimulate themselves to orgasm with the stream from the shower.Let yourself go, don’t try too hard, as you become sexually aroused you will feel the blood rush to your pelvis, clitoris and vulva, making you feel full and hot. Your senses become vivified as you let your life energy rocket into beautiful waves of ecstasy. This energy is just waiting for you to set it free and is there for you to explore and use at your will. Don’t stifle your life energies. They are there for you to enjoy, so let the damn break and let the river flow. Enjoy your beautiful body/mind/soul and celebrate that individual beauty that makes you so unique.

At the beginning of the study, subjects have no evidence of heart disease. The subjects are put through a series of tests every two years. Over time, medical records are analyzed to determine risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Much of the information published about risk factors for heart disease and stroke comes from this study.

The American Academy of Neurology presented evidence in 2007 from Wellesley College, Massachusetts. Carol Ann Paul M.S. and her associates reported that even moderate amounts of alcohol are associated with brain atrophy and possibly an increased risk of dementia or stroke.

Researchers performed MRI scans on 1,839 people aged 34 to 88 to compare the volume of brain tissue to their cranial size. Subjects were classified as non-drinkers, former drinkers, low drinkers (1 to 7 drinks per week), moderate drinkers (8 to 14 drinks per week), or high drinkers (more than 14 drinks per week). Brain shrinkage numbers increased by .25 percent as amount and frequency of drinking increased. People who consumed more than 14 drinks per week had brains which averaged 1.6 percent smaller than those who did not drink alcohol. For women, especially those in their 70′s, the change was more dramatic than for men. Researchers speculated that the differences may be associated with the smaller body mass of women. In addition, those who had a longer history of heavy alcohol consumption also had more brain atrophy. The team noted that men were more likely to become heavy drinkers than women.

The same group reported again in 2008 in the Journal of the American Medical Association: “The public health effect of this study gives a clear message about the possible dangers of drinking alcohol,” the authors write. “… This study suggests that, unlike the associations with cardiovascular disease, alcohol consumption does not have any protective effect on brain volume.” They suggest further, longer term studies to determine the full impact of these findings.

In general, brain volume decreases with age at an estimated rate of 1.9 percent every ten years. At the same time white matter lesions replace grey matter. Lower brain mass and white lesions are associated with problems in movement, thinking, learning, and memory.

A 2006 study from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam observed that people who developed dementia decreased in brain volume between 5 and 17 percent during the eight year study. Those who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s had a decrease up to 40 percent. People with atrophy in parts of the brain known as the amygdala and hippocampus had the highest risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

The accelerated loss of grey matter under the influence of alcohol is worth considering before you down that second (or third) serving of spirits.

Resources

Ronaldo showed a burst of his old pace to score the second goal for Corinthians in a 2-0 win over Sao Paulo on Sunday.

The former AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Real Madrid striker outpaced his marker over 30 metres as he chased Cristian’s through ball before clipping his shot past Sao Paulo Bosco in the 58th minute.

It was the sixth goal of the 32-year-old’s comeback following last year’s knee injury, the previous ones all having been scored from inside the penalty area.

Douglas had opened the scoring three minutes before Ronaldo’s goal.

Corinthians completed a 4-1 aggregate win in their Paulista championship semi-final to earn a place against Santos in the two-leg final.

Santos beat Vanderlei Luxemburgo’s Palmeiras 2-1 on Saturday, winning 4-2 on aggregate, in a match marred by an ugly brawl near the end.

The Paulista is the largest of the regional championships which kick off the marathon Brazilian season.

The tournaments, one for each of Brazil’s 27 states, each have their own formats and are completely detached from the Brazilian championship which starts in May.

Former world club champions Internacional scored seven times in the first half on the way to beating Caxias 8-1 to clinch the Rio Grande do Sul championship, another of the bigger tournaments.

Magrao and Nilmar scored twice each while Taison, Alvaro and Argentine pair Pablo Guinazu and Andres D’Alessandro shared the others.

Cristian Borja scored Caxias’s consolation.

Internacional won the second stage of the tournament and also clinched the title as they won the first stage played earlier in the year.

Flamengo beat Botafogo 1-0 in Rio de Janeiro’s Carioca championship thanks to a bizarre own goal by Emerson who missed his kick completely as he attempted to clear and saw the ball bounce into the net of his other leg.

Under the complex rules of the tournament, the win gave Flamengo the right to play the same opponents twice more to decide the title.

Sunday’s win meant that Flamengo won the second stage. Botafogo won the first stage earlier in the year.

The Intelligence Community (IC) must improve its KM with a proactive and efficiently reactive human resources program that provides a personnel knowledge database and a responsive personnel assignment policy. An intelligence knowledge database, similar to a digital yellow pages or My Space database, would introduce intelligence analysts to a more expansive network of tacit and anecdotal knowledge that expands data mining beyond raw facts and into the realm of contacting experts. This article first defines the facets and purpose of KM as well as the consequences of current IC knowledge collection and personnel management system. It concludes with a more in-depth explanation of the creation and efficiency of an IC knowledge database.

Defining the Issues

The leading and most influential writer on this subject, Karl Wiig, defined the different forms of knowledge as factual (that found in books and data), conceptual (found in perspectives and concepts), expectational (knowledge to make judgments and hypothesis), and methodological (knowledge from reasoning and strategies). (3) This article covers the conceptual and expectational knowledge. Inside these forms of knowledge lay what Wiig classifies as the several manifestations of knowledge-most describing procedures, lessons learned, and facts that are related to or captured in manuals and databases. Two other manifestations prove more difficult to capture for future use. The first, tacit knowledge, manifests itself through skills, habits or learning by doing-experience or organizational intelligence. The second, anecdotal knowledge, is a memory of a particular case or event that may not surface without context. (4) Another researcher defined knowledge as:

Information possessed in the mind of an individual: it is personalized or subjective information related to facts, procedures, concepts, interpretations, ideas, observations and judgments (which may or may not be unique, useful, accurate, or structurable). (5)

It is exactly the word structurable that makes capturing anecdotal and tacit knowledge so difficult and traps current KM in a data gathering role.