Soap Nuts

Soap Nuts also sometimes referred to as Washing Nuts or Ritha / Reetha /Aritha (in Hindi) or Anthwaal (Kannada), are actually the fruits of the soap nut tree and contain ‘Saponin’, which is a 100% natural alternative to chemical laundry detergent and cleansers.

When in contact with water, it creates mild suds, which is similar to soap.

Soapnuts are highly-effective and gentle at the same time. It will leave your laundry fresh and clean and compared to other detergents, its mildness will keep colours bright, maintaining fabric structure of your clothes for longer periods. It can be used on all fabrics and at all temperatures. It is a 100% substitute to normal detergents.

Soap nuts are allergy-free and hence are good for your skin especially good for babies, eczema and sensitive skin. This chemical free product is excellent for washing children’s clothing. Soapnuts are hypoallergenic. They are naturally antibacterial and antifungal and very gentle on the skin.

The chemicals in detergents are absorbed through the skin and into the blood stream. In comparison, soapnuts are a 100% natural product.

Soap nuts are both ecological and economical when compared to other forms of detergents.

Scientists claim to be a step closer to reversing the ageing process after rejuvenating worn out organs in elderly mice.

The experimental treatment developed by researchers at Harvard Medical School turned weak and feeble old mice into healthy animals by regenerating their aged bodies.

The surprise recovery of the animals has raised hopes among scientists that it may be possible to achieve a similar feat in humans — or at least to slow down the ageing process.

An anti-ageing therapy could have a dramatic impact on public health by reducing the burden of age-related health problems, such as dementia, stroke and heart disease, and prolonging the quality of life for an increasingly aged population.

“What we saw in these animals was not a slowing down or stabilization of the ageing process. We saw a dramatic reversal — and that was unexpected,” said Ronald A. DePinho, who led the study, which was published in the journal Nature.

“This could lead to strategies that enhance the regenerative potential of organs as individuals age and so increase their quality of life. Whether it serves to increase longevity is a question we are not yet in a position to answer.”

The ageing process is poorly understood, but scientists know it is caused by many factors. Highly reactive particles called free radicals are made naturally in the body and cause damage to cells, while smoking, ultraviolet light and other environmental factors contribute to ageing.

The Harvard group focused on a process called telomere shortening. Most cells in the body contain 23 pairs of chromosomes, which carry our DNA. At the ends of each chromosome is a protective cap called a telomere.

Each time a cell divides, the telomeres are snipped shorter, until eventually they stop working and the cell dies or goes into a suspended state called “senescence”. The process is behind much of the wear and tear associated with ageing.

At Harvard, they bred genetically manipulated mice that lacked an enzyme called telomerase that stops telomeres getting shorter. Without the enzyme, the mice aged prematurely and suffered ailments, including a poor sense of smell, smaller brain size, infertility and damaged intestines and spleens. But when DePinho gave the mice injections to reactivate the enzyme, it repaired the damaged tissues and reversed the signs of ageing.

“These were severely aged animals, but after a month of treatment they showed a substantial restoration, including the growth of new neurons in their brains,” said DePinho.

Repeating the trick in humans will be more difficult. Mice make telomerase throughout their lives, but the enzyme is switched off in adult humans, an evolutionary compromise that stops cells growing out of control and turning into cancer. Raising levels of telomerase in people might slow the ageing process, but it makes the risk of cancer soar.

DePinho said the treatment might be safe in humans if it were given periodically and only to younger people who do not have tiny clumps of cancer cells already living, unnoticed, in their bodies.

Professor David Kipling, who studies ageing at Cardiff University, said: “The goal for human tissue ‘rejuvenation’ would be to remove senescent cells, or else compensate for the deleterious effects they have on tissues and organs. Although this is a fascinating study, it must be remembered that mice are not little men, particularly with regard to their telomeres, and it remains unclear whether a similar telomerase reactivation in adult humans would lead to the removal of senescent cells.”

Lynne Cox, a biochemist at Oxford University, said the study was “extremely important” and “provides proof of principle that short-term treatment to restore telomerase in adults already showing age-related tissue degeneration can rejuvenate aged tissues and restore physiological function.”

DePinho said none of Harvard’s mice developed cancer after the treatment. The team is now investigating whether it extends the lifespan of mice or enables them to live healthier lives into old age.

Tom Kirkwood, director of the Institute for Ageing and Health at Newcastle University said: “The key question is what might this means for human therapies against age-related diseases? While there is some evidence that telomere erosion contributes to age-associated human pathology, it is surely not the only, or even dominant, cause, as it appears to be in mice engineered to lack telomerase. Furthermore, there is the ever-present anxiety that telomerase reactivation is a hallmark of most human cancers.”

India has made remarkable progress in combating HIV/AIDS over the last ten years by reducing the overall exposure to this killer disease by 50 per cent, says a global report issued by a U.N. agency on the epidemic.

Besides, the Indian drug companies played a vital role in supplying the first-line drugs for HIV/AIDS patients in poorest African countries at phenomenally cheap prices, the UNAIDS said in its report.

“India reduced HIV/AIDS by 50 per cent while its pharmaceutical companies played a major role in care and treatment by supplying 86 per cent of the first line drugs to the poorest countries,” said Mr Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS’ executive director.

Around 2.4 million estimated people are living with HIV last year in India as against 2.5 million in 2001.The UNAIDS’ latest report suggested that around 33.3 million people were estimated to be living with HIV.

“We are breaking the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic with bold actions and smart choices,” said Mr. Sidibe, cautioning that the disease will stage a comeback if adequate funding is not made possible by both international donors and domestic spending by the developing countries.

Over the last eight years, the rate of new HIV infections stabilised or decreased by more than 25 per cent in at least 56 countries around the world, especially in the poorest African countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region most affected by the epidemic with 69 per cent of all new HIV infections. While there have been significant improvements in treatment which increased by seven and half times over the last five years with 5.2 million people accessing live-saving drugs in 2009, around 10 million people are still with without treatment.

In India, over 600,000 HIV patients are without treatment.

He praised the Vatican for giving the green signal for the use of condoms which was treated as a religious taboo until recently. “The Pope’s latest announcement on condoms will have significant impact on HIV-prevention,” he argued.

The Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including Russia, have become the epicentres for the spread of HIV/AIDS in the recent years. In Asia, including India, the spread of HIV/AIDS is concentrated in some mega cities because of large scale migration of poor people in search of employment and their exposure to sex workers.

Besides, man-to-man sex (MSM) and increased use of syringes by drug addicts in North-East have also witnessed sharp increase over the last ten years in India.

Global funding for AIDS dipped last two years because of the economic crisis in the Western countries.Rich countries in Europe have dropped their funding for AIDS by over USD 600 million, leaving small countries to fetch funds from their domestic sources.

In India, the total expenditure for HIV/AIDS from both international and domestic is to the tune of USD 1.4 billion last year as against USD 1.5 billion in 2008. The government which relies on Global Fund and other international donors must cater more resources from its domestic budgetary sources, said the UNAIDS chief.

A chip with the size of a small grain of rice…

A chip which could go underneath the skin of a human and stay there for a lifetime…

A chip which could be your identity, which goes with you wherever you go…

A chip which created much controversy at its very inception….

Yes, we are talking about biochips and the hullabaloo it bought along with it. Considered the ‘mark of the beast‘ by many, a full-fledged project of biochip implantation is still a scientist’s dream as it lies inside the vicious circle of moral debate.

Microchip implants and mind control related to cybernetics is an area discussed way back in 1948 in a book by Norbert Weiner. From then till now, theories have been formulated and materialized into the real tangible entity of biochip.

GeneChip, one of the first commercial biochips, contained thousands of individual DNA sensors for use in sensing defects or to understand single nucleotide polymorphisms to put it technically in tumor suppressor genes and genes related to breast cancer. But tt gained wide approval as a device which can be installed inside pet animals by injecting through a small hypodermic needle and make it easy for owners to track them down.

While biochips promised immense help in the field of medical diagnosis, it was tarnished with much negative publicity as it was projected as a device which is inserted inside human to track his actions and hunt him down. Now we really don’t like being followed, do we?

EPIC’s Hoofnagle once said the technology carries the same privacy concerns as a national ID card. “Human identification systems are tools that have historically been used for social control,” he said. Hoofnagle also expressed concern that the biochips might be “spoofed,” allowing anyone to access data on the chip or monitor people without them knowing it. “It sounds like it’s an easy technology to invade,” he said. So what about bio chips is really concerning us?

When it comes to the use of biochips on humans, it works a little bit differently. The chip is implanted in a way where it is able to bind with your DNA. Many government agencies have been working with biochips which can be used for identification purposes.

When we think of this as an invasion of privacy, we should also look at the positive side of the technology. This would be a great use to find missing children, if this technology goes as far as an implant at birth, those who have been kidnapped or missing, can be easily found.

This type of implantable chip is being researched by defense departments in India and abroad in hopes to be used for soldiers, to monitor their location and relay health information if the soldier gets wounded in battle. This would be a great way to get medical data relayed of what the doctors may be dealing with before the patient ever gets to the hospital. Not only that, a biochip will make it easier to find that wounded soldier.

But there are certain areas which always lack definite explanations. You can’t value human life and you can limit his identity. It questions our morality when it comes to cloning humans and similarly we find it weird when we get ‘tagged’ by some minute chip.

Whatever lies in the future for biochips, its implantation in humans still pricks our conscience.

IT boom literally remolded the established structure of Indian society. And not to mention, the institution of family was the chief quarter which saw significant alteration with it.

With more work pressure in enterprises, looking after oneself became an impossible task, let alone looking after one’s children.

Corporate creches have been taking care of the situation with state of art day care centers which provide many value added services not existent in normal creches.

A practice originated in the MNCs based in the West and later adapted to the Indian context, these creches which are at accessible and convenient to the employees are helping to strike a healthy balance between work time and parenting.

Many companies like Wipro, TCS, Infosys, TI, HP etc run these kind of creches which ensures the safety and healthy socialization of the employees’ kid.

Bangalore, the IT hub of India, alone features many creches from the corporate giants. These creches follow strict standards and run inspection frequently at the creches hence making it stand out from day care centers elsewhere.

Instead of initiating creches, some companies affiliate themselves with established creches after making sure the facilities provided by them are perfect and to the company’s reputation.

Many other firms like ICICI Bank, where a majority of women rule the roost at senior positions, now runs a creche which charges a monthly fee to look after employees’ children. The creche has trained teachers, a library, gym, computer room and its own kitchen. These preschool daycare centers aim at catering to the needs of parents within tech parks though many of them are situated off campuses so that the corporate parents don’t get distracted about the thought of their off springs.

Some other day care centers are also following suit and has started running in places very near and convenient for employees of tech parks. They also aim to help young minds grow and learn in an amicable environment resulting in their all round development with main focus is to provide the Kids with child-friendly curriculum and a child-safe learning environment.

Many value added services help these corporate chidcare centers to clearly differentiate the contours between ordinary childcare centers. They provide pre-primary training programs and curriculum for specialized training in different segments like Play Group, Nursery, Kindergarten, Activity Center etc for children in the age groups of 1.5 to 5 years. They also have programs which will avail kids to have online real time access to parents.

Furthermore they have online cameras attached in the buildings which enable parents to check out on their kids by following particular web links and viewing the online cam feeds.

Another specialty of these creches is that the timings are very flexible. Since IT professionals have to extend their working hours unduly due to meetings or sudden projects, the creche can also extend the time of looking after the kid.

They also work on all days when the particular company works. These creches also provide various other facilities like transportation on request, summer camps and temporary day care which will provide short term services like 2 hours or so.

With child-friendly flooring and non-toxic play equipment, strict hygiene standards and regime, clean and disciplined staff, a doctor on call at all times and a variety of hobby activities to choose from, these are nice places to be in.

Charges vary from 3.5 k to 8k and many corporate parents are looking forward to it. Registration time may take time between 10-12 months to process and parents can register at the time of pregnancy itself.

With ‘corporate babysitting’ adding extra efforts to take care of the ‘corporate’ children, childcare is no more child’s play.

It is an interest that began with the pyramids and mummies of ancient Egypt. But Svante Paabo has made his name not in archaeology but by resurrecting ancient DNA.

Earlier this year, a team that he led published a draft genome of Neanderthals, our close cousins with whom we shared common ancestors within the last half-a-million years ago.

Although Neanderthals and modern humans coexisted, perhaps uneasily, for several thousand years, the former went extinct about 30,000 years back. Comparing our genome with that of the Neanderthals provides vital clues about what in the genetic make-up of modern humans is so uniquely different.

Prof. Paabo, director of the Department of Evolutionary Genetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, was in Thiruvananthapuram recently for the conference of the Human Frontier Science Programme.

“I was very interested in archaeology and my mother took me to Egypt when I was 11 or 12 or so,” he told this correspondent. “That made me totally fascinated and I wanted to become an archaeologist, excavate pyramids and find mummies.”

But I had a far too romantic an idea about Egyptology,” he recalled with a grin. To his dismay, the course at the Uppsala University in Sweden revolved around linguistics, not fieldwork. “So then I didn’t know what to do with my life.”He switched to studying medicine and then opted to do a doctorate in molecular genetics.

But he didn’t forget Egypt and its mummies. “I knew, of course, that there were hundreds and thousands of mummies from Egypt in museums. No one seemed to have tried to isolate DNA from them. So then I started doing that.”

As he was supposed to be working on immune defences against viral infections for his thesis, he wasn’t sure that his supervisor would approve of this new line of research. So the work on DNA from Egyptian mummies was carried out in secret.

He was successful and in 1985 published a single-author paper in Nature titled “Molecular cloning of Ancient Egyptian mummy DNA.”

DNA degrades rapidly to really short fragments in ancient remains, said Dr. Paabo. The piece of DNA that he had cloned was a long piece. So in hindsight, that piece was probably a contaminant that had crept in. However, a stained microscope slide showed that DNA was indeed present in the cell nuclei of the sample from a mummy.

Seeing the Nature paper, Allan Wilson at the University of California at Berkeley, who had pioneered using changes in proteins and DNA as molecular clocks to understand evolutionary processes, was so impressed that he asked if he could do sabbatical in Dr. Paabo’s laboratory! After correcting that misunderstanding, “I was in a very good position to ask if I could do a post-doctoral with him instead.”

Subsequently, returning to Europe as a full professor in Germany, Dr. Paabo began work on Neanderthals. The type specimen for Neanderthals was, after all, in Germany. But these ancient remains are very valuable. So DNA retrieval had to be first demonstrated with the remains of cave bears, which are often found in the same caves as Neanderthal bones. Only then, after much negotiation, was it possible to get Neanderthal samples in 1996.

A year later, a paper on the genome sequence of Neanderthal DNA found in its mitochondria, the tiny energy-producing machinery in cells that are passed along from mother to child, was published in the journal Cell. That showed no contribution from Neanderthals to the mitochondrial DNA of modern humans.

However, when the draft genome sequence of the Neanderthal nuclear DNA was published in the journal Science in May this year, it indicated that between one per cent and four per cent of the nuclear DNA of modern humans outside Africa came from Neanderthals.

The question of whether or not Neanderthals have contributed to the gene pool of modern humans has been a contentious issue in palaeontology.

“It is fascinating now when we get the nuclear genome to see there is a little bit of contribution,” pointed out Dr. Paabo.

Five years back, a group of scientists led by Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University came up with a way to precisely control neurons simply by shining light on them.

They did so by introducing an algal gene for a light-activated protein into the nerve cells.

Such techniques that combine optics with genetics have resulted in the fast-growing field of optogenetics, creating powerful new tools to understand how myriad nerve cells communicate with one another in the hugely complex circuitry that is the brain.

For Dr. Deisseroth, who is also a practising psychiatrist, these methods offer a window into why his patients exhibit problems with some of the brain’s most advanced functions. Moreover, discovering where and how the brain’s circuitry is malfunctioning holds the promise of more effective treatment for mental disorders.

“Despite the noble efforts of clinicians and researchers, our limited insight into the roots of psychiatric disease hinders the search for cures and contributes to the stigmatization of this enormous problem, the leading cause worldwide of years lost to death or disability,” he pointed out in an article that has just been published in Scientific American.

Dr. Deisseroth was in Thiruvananthapuram recently to receive the first Nakasone Award of the Human Frontier Science Programme, an international effort to promote novel, interdisciplinary research in the life sciences. The award was in recognition of his “pioneering work on the development and application of optogenetic techniques for the study of the relationship between neural circuits and behaviour.”

While in the city, he spoke to this correspondent at length about his work.

Certain proteins found in some algae and microbes respond to light by regulating the movement of electrically charged atoms known as ions into and out of cells. In animals, neurons that are genetically modified to produce such proteins can then be controlled with light pulses.

It turned out that these proteins respond to light rapidly. Neurons communicate by generating small signals that last one-thousandth of a second or less. The precise timing of those signals is also very important. “If you don’t operate at that level of precision, you are not speaking the language of the brain,” he said.

Such light-activated regulators of ion flow had been known for a long time. Although others had previously thought about using these proteins to control neurons, it was considered a very high-risk experiment, something that was very unlikely to work, Dr. Deisseroth remarked.

The sense of risk arose from a number of factors. For one thing it was not clear that these microbial proteins would work in animals with the precision that neurons demanded. Besides, it was assumed that these proteins needed other components to function. In that case, a complicated system might be required to get these proteins to work properly.

Finally, “it was considered reasonably likely that the whole process would be toxic.” These were, after all, proteins that sat in the membrane of cells and the membrane was a very fragile structure. If a cell produced too much of such a protein, its surface coating could break down and it would die.

But as he observed in his article in Scientific American, “Against all odds, the experiments worked shockingly well.” With pulses of light, the firing of nerve cells could be controlled with great precision.

“You don’t just put the gene in,” he said during the interview. A small bit of DNA was also attached to it that dictated which nerve cells could make the protein. There were other tricks too to select the neurons that would be controlled with light.

Dr. Deisseroth and his colleagues have used these techniques to examine dopamine neurons that could play a role in depression. These neurons, which are found deep in the mid-brain with their long branches extending to other parts of the brain, have been associated with sensations of pleasure and reward.

In depression, what used to be enjoyable is no longer so, he observed. Depressed people can’t get anything positive out of life and that contributes to worsening their depression.

Recordings of electrical activity in dopamine neurons had showed that they fire little bursts of signals when something unexpectedly good happens. But it was not known if those electrical signals produced the pleasurable feelings or had some other role.

To test that, certain dopamine neurons in mice were made sensitive to light. Pulses of light were sent down a fine optical fibre to induce electrical activity in the neurons of the freely moving mice. The animals then acted as if they had been rewarded, choosing to spend more time in places where they had received the light pulses.

Interestingly, when the light pulses were given not as a burst but in a more spread out manner, there was no effect at all.

“So we think we understand now a little bit more about patterns of activity in specific cells that at least can trigger behavioural conditioning, reinforcement and perhaps reward.”

But that was only the first step. There was much more to do in understanding that process and how it may go wrong in depression, he said.

Using rats and mice, Dr. Deisseroth’s team has employed optogenetic methods to study how electrical stimulation with electrodes implanted in the brain (known as deep brain stimulation) helps people with Parkinson’s disease.

In people afflicted with this illness, progressive loss of dopamine neurons in one region of the brain results in slowness of movement, tremors and rigidity of the limbs.

Apart from his own group, there are already hundreds of labs around the world employing these techniques. “We are working hard to make optogenetic systems easily used by others,” said Dr. Deisseroth.

“I think we will see optogenetics applied to a much broader range of questions beyond neuroscience.”At its core, it is about controlling events in defined cells within complex tissues in animals, he pointed out.

“Tai Chi Chuan, the great ultimate, strengthens the weak, raises the sick, invigorates the debilitated, and encourages the timid.” - Cheng Man Ching, Master of Five Excellences.

Literally translated, tai chi chuan means “Supreme Ultimate Fist”. This Chinese martial art is practiced not only for defence but also for health. However, a student who wishes to use this form for defence requires a lot of understanding since it is not so much using force to fight that matters as being able to estimate the opponent’s force. This requires a lot of training.

Connected to Nature: Characterised by slow dance-like movements with graceful steps and gently swinging hands, tai chi is beautiful to watch. The names of the forms are all connected to nature; so you have names like ‘wave hands like moving clouds’, ‘parting the wild horse’s mane’, ‘grasping the peacock’s tail’ and so on.

At the end of the session, the practitioner feels rejuvenated, energised and at peace with oneself. Practicing tai chi is a spiritual journey, transporting one to a different plane.

Fabien Bastin, a teacher with the Inner Way School based in Provence, France, recently demonstrated the power of this ancient art at a workshop organised by Prakriti Foundation, Chennai.

The School was founded in 1988 by Vlady Stevanovitch, a Master of Chi. In India, the centre is located in Auroville, Puducherry.

A practitioner for 23 years, Bastin says, “Tai chi is working with the chi. It is an inner way to increase the flow of chi in the body. When the chi in the body is blocked, then you begin to feel uncomfortable or even ill. By practising tai chi the chi begins to flow. Well being is one of the by products of the art.”

In tai chi, the chi or prana is the energy principle. So you will find that the movements are not forced by the muscles but activated by the chi. Thus, the chi moves through the body relaxing your muscles and joints and helping your breathing. A deep sense of peace pervades your body and mind. This is because all the vital functions are being subtly activated. It is a meditation in motion. But, though you are meditating, you are continuously aware of the present; the here and now.

Tai chi is not only about balancing the yin and the yang but also the fusion of the two. The art is said to have evolved from the many Chinese philosophical principles; Taoism and Confucianism among them. Tai chi movements or the forms can be either defence techniques or response moves.

Health benefits: Tai chi movements can also be done with weapons: sword or sabre. There are also exercises, known as ‘push hands’, where two people work together. This is to increase sensitivity and awareness among the practitioners. The more you do this, the more tuned you are with the other person’s energy and can slowly begin to anticipate their moves.

People the world over have acknowledged the health benefits offered by the regular practice of tai chi. Besides the benefits to health that it offers, tai chi is a great way to bust stress.

Since tai chi is easy to learn and practice, anyone can learn this martial art. A person who is highly stressed may find it difficult to concentrate and relax initially. But as you keep practicing, you will find your muscles beginning to relax and the level of stress decreasing.

Tai chi, though a martial art, is also a meditation. It is through the meditation that one develops calmness. Regular practice of tai chi also ensures that your posture is good at all times, your balance is better and your overall awareness of being in the present is very high.

As a form of defence it uses the opponent’s movements and centre of gravity to guide your own moves. In tai chi force is never used. It is this gentleness that helps you calm yourself.

At the Inner Way School, they have a short session of preparing oneself. Bastin says that people in most European countries have a low capacity of feeling. Despite doing tai chi for many years they still do not feel the chi. So the Inner Way School has devised a short meditation before the practise to awaken the chi.

Tai chi is a long process. It requires patience and dedication. It is an effective path to meditation and regulating the flow of chi, ultimately leading to holistic well being. The ultimate secret to reap the benefits of tai chi is to practice… practice and practice.

There are 57 million more men than women globally. While much progress has been made in ensuring the equal status of women and men in many areas, much needs to be done in closing the gender gap in areas like power and decision making positions, a UN report said.

The report, “The World’s Women 2010: Trends and Statistics”, was released by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Wednesday on the occasion of World Statistics Day. The UN General Assembly in June proclaimed Oct 20 as World Statistics Day to recognise the importance of statistics in shaping societies.

The report showed that women globally have “benefited” from the gender statistics in the last decade. It said Europe has more women than men. But in some of the most populous countries, there was a “shortage” of women. This included China, where the ratio is 108 men per 100 women.

“We know that statistics are a vital tool for economic and social planning,” Keiko Osaki-Tomita, chief of Demographic and Social Statistics Branch (DSSB) of DESA, said at a press conference.”Statistics are essential for academic research, business planning and budget allocation,” he added.

Published every five years, the statistics covered eight key areas – population and families, health, education, work, power and decision-making, violence against women, environment and poverty. Under power and decision making, the report said that Asia-Pacific trails the rest of the world in the share of women ministers with less than 10 percent of ministers in governments in the region being women .Around the world, only seven of 150 elected heads of state and only 11 of 192 heads of government were women.

The report said: “In the private sector, women are on most board of directors of large companies but their number remains low compared to men.” Furthermore, the “glass ceiling” has hindered women’s access to leadership positions in private companies.

“This is especially notable in the largest corporations which remain male-dominated. Of the 500 largest corporations in the world, only 13 have a female chief executive officer,” it added.Also, earning gaps between women and men are wider in the Asia-Pacific region compared to Latin America and developed countries — women’s average wage in the manufacturing sector being less than 70 percent than that of men’s.

However, the report said that over the years women have entered most of the male dominated fields. From a global perspective, the publication paints a mixed picture of the condition of women in Asia-Pacific.

The report was launched simultaneously in New York, Shanghai and Bangkok.

For those of us who didn’t grow up with the Internet, the technology can be exasperating.

Working on a PowerPoint is like trying to paint a masterpiece in a carnival setting where every keystroke is followed by a jack-in-the-box bursting out of its container, yelling ‘boo’ and scattering confetti everywhere — someone is pinging you, someone else is sending you his tenth email for the day (marked urgent so you can’t flag it for later) and older forms of communication (like the landline and cell phone) continue to buzz away like they always have.

And then there are those life-changing features that we love. Online radio can stream 80s pop into your workstation while you wade through to-do lists and you can group chat with your boisterous college buddies while faking interest in a conference call.

In short, it’s complicated!

Ever since the Internet invaded office spaces, baffled bosses have wondered how to respond to the effect it has on their teams. Analysts estimate that the loss of productivity resulting from Internet access runs into billions of dollars’ worth. Every modern-day manager has walked by to find their subordinates sheepishly minimising cricket score tickers or movie reviews.

What follows is usually disciplinary action. The web is treated like the kid next door who’s a distraction and a bad influence. Punishment could range from limited (and Websense-supervised) visits to a total ban.

Predictably enough, regulations are followed by rebellion. There are countless sites with titles like “How to bypass Websense” and “Ten ways to access blocked sites from work”. It becomes the forbidden fruit that is suddenly even more appealing than legitimate web access.

Also, thanks to the 24/7 culture that has developed in the workplace, it becomes harder for professionals to draw the line between work time and personal time. It’s common to find people cramming chores into their workday, like wolfing down a sandwich while shopping online for gadgets or making a net banking transaction while they wait for an email.

When a restrictive Internet usage policy is announced abruptly in a mass mailer, there’s often resentment among cubicle-dwellers who feel cut off from the outside world during those long hours spent at the office. Feeling like the lead character in “Castaway”, they often seek out secret passages to email accounts and end up compromising their own security, as well as the company’s. Passwords and other sensitive information are enteredinto proxy sites that have no connection to the blocked websites. Some take the news badly when chat is banned and try to circumvent the rule using bizarre methods like opening GoogleDocs files and modifying the text line by line to simulate the act of chatting.

In workplaces where guidelines for Internet usage are not spelt out clearly, there is scope for much speculation and worry. Employees end up agonising over whether or not their casual banter over office email is being tracked by an eagle-eyed IT department that will later hold them accountable for what was said. Some take to using homophones in the place of ‘dangerous’ words like résumé, to pre-empt a keyword search from throwing the spotlight on their conversation thread.

Sample this: “I’m thinking of taking a Man Edge Meant course and improving my prospects”. “Ditto. I’m working on my Sea We tonight so I can get out of this hole”.

Companies are obsessed with quantifying the damage done by online loitering but a related question needs to be asked — how much is the corporate world losing in terms of employee attrition, preoccupation with web usage policies and serious security risks from proxy sites? The number is in all likelihood, frighteningly large.

Also, the spirited tug-of-war between IT and employees may be redundant in the era of wi-fi and android phones, and when the difference between social and professional networking blurs or disappears altogether.

Perhaps it’s impossible to keep out the viruses, the data thieves and casual chitchat. And those who dislike the forced multitasking that the Internet entails have to find ways to adapt since there’s no keeping that grinning jack-in-the-box down.