There are several researches and studies all over the world that highlight the health benefits of laughter ranging from strengthening the immune system to reducing food cravings to increasing one's threshold for pain. There is even an emerging therapeutic field known as humor therapy which was supposed to help people heal more quickly, among other things.

Laughter is also considered as one of the all-time favorite stress management strategies of many people mainly because it is free, convenient, and beneficial in so many ways. Modern medicine is backing this up with research that has shown that smiling and laughing cause physiological changes in the body. There is a reduction in cortisol, a chemical that indicates stress in the body, and an increase in mood elevating endorphins. Laughter is also thought to improve circulation, stimulate the nervous system, heighten the immune system, and make the heart stronger.

Research also observed that laughing releases the tension of pent-up feelings and can help us keep things in perspective. Laughter is one of the body's safety valves, a counter balance to tension. When a person release that tension, the elevated levels of the body's stress hormones drop back to normal, which inn turn allow the immune systems to work more effectively.

Using laughter-provoking Movies is a cheaper way to effect positive emotions on cardiovascular health. While wasting time watching something marginally funny may actually frustrate some, watching truly hilarious movies and shows is an easy way to get laughter into one's life whenever it is needed.

Going to a movie or comedy club with friends is also great way to get more laughter. Why, because of contagious nature of laughter could make one laugh more than they otherwise would have watching the show alone, plus friends can give jokes to reference at later times. Having friends over for a party or game night is really a great setup for laughter and other good feelings.

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The online gambling industry is considered by most experts as the most profitable industry in the internet. Millions of people around the world are either wagering on sports online, playing online poker, bingo or even the lottery online at about any given time. Even people who have never visited a land-based casino or a local bookie are finding themselves getting hooked to Online Casino and poker rooms on a regular basis.

Why is it so appealing? Understandably, it allows players to play any game of their choice without having to leave their favorite chair, but they will not be served free drinks; they will not be able to watch the game they have wagered on from big TV screens; they can neither see the facial expressions of their poker opponents nor hear the sounds of the coins fall from the slot machine when they hit the big jackpot. Despite all these, many are attracted to the game.

Different expert has a different set of explanation for the growth of this industry, but the most common seems to be the convenience it offers to customers, the generous bonuses it gives out and its adoption of user-friendly system. Some also attributed to the sound safety features employed by these online casinos as one of the reasons for its growing popularity.

However, at Online Casino Spotlight the players are taken to another level of comfort while maintaining all the benefits they usually receive from a regular online game. Online Casino Spotlight offers a huge variety of game rules, tools, strategies and advice on how to play online casino games optimally and where to find the best places to play, helping casino enthusiasts the opportunity to maximize the return on their investments.

A detailed review section on top casino picks and personal opinions on well over a hundred online casinos can help distinguish the few bad apple from those that offer a fair game. With several online security concerns being reported each day, any information that Online Casino Spotlight can provide really helps.

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A few days ago, Seek No More achieved a series milestone in its more than two years of existence in blogosphere. The first was being recognized by its Entrecard friends as one of the most reliable sites to advertise when it made it the most expensive blog for a week.

At 32,768 ECs on 28 March 2010 until 2 April 2010, an Entrecard member who wants to advertise on Seek No More for 24 hours using a 125x 125 ad has to drop a maximum of 300 cards for 109 days.

Most probably triggered by this jaw-dropping price, Seek No More later became the most popular blog in Entrecard. Although it lasted for only a few days, it was a great honor for this site to gain such recognition from fellow bloggers and Entrecard members.

Aside from that, Seek No More received its 1000th member in mybloglog.com community. Mybloglog is a tool that helps bloggers interact and manage their own community and help them stay in touch with friends.

To help commemorate these modest achievements of Seek No More, a small number of Limited Edition Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak cards with holographic designs will be given away in a contest to be announced soon. Courtesy of EvanCarmichael.com, the trading cards are just two among the 30 Famous Entrepreneur Heroes trading cards that were released last 1 April 2010 in order to help raise money for Kiva (http://www.kiva.org).

These Entrepreneur Heroes trading cards are instant collectibles because only 1,000 pieces of each card were produced by EvanCarmichael.com. They ask the top 33 business bloggers to pick who their favorite famous entrepreneurs and to give the reasons for their choice. A trading card was then created for each entrepreneur chosen and includes an artistic picture on the front, an inspirational quote on the back, a true story / fun fact about the entrepreneur and other personal information. They are also encased in glass to protect the cars from wear and tear.

Since we are in the spirit of giving away precious prizes, drawn winners, including the first ten (10) contestants, will also receive thousands of Entrecard credits. This contest is open to everyone, anywhere in the world.

It will be a mad dash for those who are interested in these prizes so try to keep updated by visiting this site because the mechanics will be posted in a couple of days!

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According to Forbes.com, Tokyo has more Michelin-starred restaurants than Paris. Kyoto has more Michelin stars per resident than the rest of the world. Bangkok's Mezzaluna sold a 10-course meal for over US$ 30,000 in 2007. This means expensive restaurants in Asia are really thriving.

"The Asian food and beverage industry continues to go from strength to strength," says Grant Thatcher, publishing editor of the LUXE city guides. "As chairman of the Hong Kong voting panel for the World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards, I'm gladdened by the marked surge of interest we've seen from around the world in the last couple of years."

London-based food critic Andy Hayler, author of the London Transport Restaurant Guide, says, "I have been traveling to Asia regularly for over two decades, and it has been striking to observe the rise of luxury restaurants--Japan clearly has the highest number."

Aragawa, in Tokyo, is perhaps the most famous--both for its rare Kobe beef and high prices. The beef comes from the black Tajima-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle. Many countries have tried to imitate the "Kobe style" by crossing Wagyu cows with Angus cattle, but Kobe beef remains a unique delicacy--its tenderness is attributed in part to the daily massage each cow receives. The meat sells for nearly $800 a pound.

"In Japan, there are several restaurants that require an introduction to even garner a reservation," says Aun Koh, co-founder of The Miele Guide and director of Ate Media. Mibu, in the Giza district on Tokyo, which is featured in the current edition of The Miele Guide, is an example, as is Kitcho, which has branches in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo and has outlets that are only open to members and their friends. "These places are super-exclusive as well as very expensive," says Koh.

Other standout restaurants in Asia include the Krug Room at Hong Kong's Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Mezzaluna in Thailand. Mezzaluna served one of the most expensive meals ever in any restaurant, costing over $30,000 per person during the Epicurean Masters Of The World II Gala Dinner in 2007. Six three-star Michelin chefs were brought together in this charity culinary extravaganza. It also has one of the most expensive dessert menus in the world. A dessert selection consisting of Louis Roderer Cristal Brut 2000 champagne sherbet and "Madagascar" chocolate cake with Mo�t tr�s fine Champagne No. 7 is $625.

Dinner at the Krug Room, in Hong Kong's Mandarin Oriental costs $256 per person. "The Krug Room really is unique in Hong Kong" says Katherine Anthony, spokeswoman for the Mandarin Oriental. "There really isn't anywhere else like it."

The Krug Room seats 12 and is located in the heart of the restaurant's kitchens. Guests are guided through the back door of another restaurant to get in. Head chef Uwe Opocensky is renowned for his "progressive gastronomy." Opocensky has worked at El Bulli under the direction of its famous head chef Ferran Adria. El Bulli has topped Restaurant Magazine's S. Pellegrino World's Best Restaurants list a record five times.

There is no set menu at the Krug Room--diners are at the whim of the chef and can be served anything between a 10- and 15-course meal. A regular item served in late 2009 was his "Forgotten Beef"--a dish designed to look like it had been severely overcooked.

"The dish was triggered by childhood memories of a dinner that was accidentally left in the oven," Anthony says. Miyazaki beef "beautifully cooked to perfection was then covered with a 'burnt' layer of powdered smoked eggplant skin and served with edible charcoal," she says.

Restaurants in Asia are certainly beginning to compete with their European and American counterparts in terms of price. However, before you rush out to burn a hole in your wallet, Luxe's Thatcher offers a word of caution about all luxury restaurants: "I think it very important to remember that expensive and exclusive don't necessarily mean great," he says.

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British bank HSBC just released a report that says information on 15,000 customers with accounts in Switzerland has been stolen.

HSBC says a former employee stole the information in late 2006 and early 2007. The accounts were all opened before October 2006.

The bank says it has contacted the affected customers and apologized for the breach of their privacy.

On 11 March 2010, HSBC said that the stolen information only affects accounts in Switzerland with the exception of its former subsidiary HSBC Guyerzeller Bank.

Several banks in Liechtenstein and Switzerland have become victims of data theft in recent years.

The information has in some cases been offered to foreign governments seeking to track down nationals who have avoided paying their taxes by hiding money in Swiss accounts.

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Here's one good advice to exporters: Try to consider alternative materials, product simplification and production volume discounts as ways to make prices competitive in the international market.

This advice was given by Delfin Bibat, former Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines (FOBAP) director and country manager of Southgate Ltd. (The Connor Group), in a seminar for exporters of gifts, toys, travel goods, furnishings and furniture.

"If you participate in a gift show, the targets might be there but you don't really know the buyers there. So vendors have to be ready with alternative pricing, we have to because we are usually higher price than the other Asian markets," he said.

Bibat said sellers have to consider alternative materials when they undertake product development which is also crucial in lowering prices.

He said product simplification, on the other hand, may require some industrial engineering.

"This is one of the weaknesses that we have as a country and as an industry - we don't make an active stance in simplifying a product. Simplification is a major trend so we must do it. Usually, the simpler it is, the cheaper it is," he advised.

Bibat said pooling or clustering is an option in order to meet big volume orders of the buyers.

"In China, if the order is too big for them, companies still accept this because they can subcontract some jobs to their competitors. It is not that in the Philippines that is why, we are at a disadvantage. It is very rare that people are willing to share production," he noted.

Bibat's recommendations could help address concerns particularly of foreign buyers of handicraft products.

Salvio Valenzuela Jr., executive director of the Philippine Chamber of Handicraft Industries Inc. (PCHI), bared that major buyers in the recent Ambiente fair in Germany were concerned about higher costs of local products.

"One hundred percent of them were saying that price is really the problem of the Philippines. Our prices are 20 to 30 percent higher than competitors not just China but also Thailand, Vietnam and India," he said.

"The price is high enough for them not to source in the Philippines," he added, quoting a buyer who decided to source its products from India as saying.

To address this, Valenzuela cited the need for the country to address its supply chain management from raw materials to inputs like electricity cost, labor and logistics.

He attributed the high cost of shipping raw materials from regions to the National Capital Region, the major producer of exports-based companies, to lack of proper infrastructure facilities.

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Most parents are aware that a child's environment plays a crucial role in his or her growth. Kids' rapid physical and mental growth makes them vulnerable to the physical and natural factors of their surroundings. Thus, it is important for parents to make sure that their homes are healthy and kid-friendly.

In order to meet the requirements of a kid-friendly surrounding and give parents a sense of peace of mind, here are some tips to ensure that kids grow up in a healthy environment:

Keep things organized. Aside from the fact that it’s harder to clean a cluttered room, too much clutter can gather more dust particles.

Keep your feet clean. Wipe your feet or remove shoes before entering the home. Up to 85 percent of dirt and dust at home comes from the bottom of shoes.

Wash your hands. It is important that you always keep your hands thoroughly clean using soap or alcohol-based sanitizers. Moreover, it doesn't matter much if you use antibacterial soap or regular soap. Just make sure that you rub your hands vigorously for at least 15 to 20 seconds so your hands are guaranteed germ-free.

Disinfect. Disinfect things and surfaces (i.e. cutting boards, utensils and counters) that have come into contact with raw meat, fish or eggs to prevent salmonella.

Take care of your pets. If you have pets, make sure to vaccinate and deworm them. Moreover, treat them with non-toxic flea and tick protection. Keep yourself aware of any pet droppings. Dispose of them properly.

Take care of yourself. Always remember that healthy parents make great parents. Make sure that you are always free of ailments and diseases that can directly or indirectly affect your kids.

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In the usual corporate world, it's unusual for a Harvard Senior Fellow to teach global corporations how to spend their money to benefit society. Mark R. Kramer, who is also the Founder and Managing Director of FSB Social Impact Advisers, has become the authority when it comes to helping companies integrate their philanthropic efforts with their overall business
strategy.

Kramer is the author of an award-winning study titled 'Strategy and Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility' (published in the Harvard Business Review, December 2006) with co-author and fellow Harvard Professor Michael E. Porter; the study calls for a more effective way of creating mutual benefits for business and society—a model that, according to its authors, builds on the successes of the traditional model for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

According to Kramer, the traditional CSR model is used by many companies for several reasons: a) from a sense of moral obligation to give back to society; b) out of 'enlightened self-interest' as a way of facilitating business operations; c) as a way to pacify critics and eliminate obstacles to doing business; or d) to protect the reputation of a company or brand in the long-run.

The ideas set forth by Kramer and Porter in the study became the basis for Creating Shared Value (CSV), a new model for doing business in a way that benefits society as well. Essentially, CSV takes the strengths of traditional CSR to a whole new level.

This happens because of the core idea behind CSV, which is 'symbiosis'. Symbiosis is a term originally used in the biological sciences to refer to a mutually beneficial relationship between two living organisms. The relationship exists to ensure the survival and growth of both organisms.

For Kramer, a business must see itself as integral or part of society as a whole. This symbiotic perspective calls for corporations to stop confronting society and its various sectors as obstacles to doing business—and to see them as essential to the growth and survival of the business itself.

With this perspective, Kramer says businesses can begin to create programs that benefit society while also creating a competitive edge.

Both Kramer and Porter gave the example of how global food company Nestlé works with local farmers for production of its food products. They point out that Nestlé benefits as a company by taking care of the welfare of the small farmers.

In the Philippines, Nestlé uses this same approach in working with small coffee farmers in the production of its coffee products.

Kramer's expertise in the field of philanthropy and CSR includes strategy, evaluation, leadership, social entrepreneurship, community foundations, venture philanthropy, cross-sector collaboration, and social investments. Aside from being a top consultant to major corporations in such matters, he is also the author/co-author of several studies published in the Harvard Business Review—influential studies that changed the way businesses undertake their CSR.

Kramer is currently a senior fellow in the CSR Initiative of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business in Government at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

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