Milk more filling than juice

Having a glass of skimmed milk instead of fruit juice at breakfast may help people feel more full all the way up to lunch. People often avoid dairy products when they are trying to cut calories and lose weight. Some previous studies have suggested that proteins in general are more satisfying and act as stronger appetite suppressants than carbohydrates, Health News reported. To investigate the effects of drinking skimmed milk in comparison with a fruit juice at breakfast post-meal satiety and energy intake at lunch, researchers identified 34 overweight adults (21 women and 13 men). The participants attended two sessions one week apart and at each session, they consumed toast and jam with 600 ml skimmed milk or 600 ml fruit juice as breakfast. On both days, participants were later given lunch and asked to eat until they felt comfortably full. They also rated their hunger before breakfast, at several points throughout the morning, and again after lunch. It was found that the participants tended to feel more satisfied after their milk breakfast. What's more, they ate an average of 8.5 percent fewer calories at lunch. The calories consumed at lunch were higher among the fruit juice drinkers than in the milk drinkers, and the difference was statistically significant. Though reasons for the findings are not completely clear, one possibility is that the proteins in milk are more effective in satisfying people's appetites than are the sugars in fruit juice. The above findings indicate that a low-fat dairy product like skim milk may help keep a person's appetite under better control, when used in place of a more sugary item with similar calories.

Govt. imposes complete ban on smoking in public places

he government, by withdrawing the Statutory Rules and Orders (SRO) on designated smoking areas has completely banned smoking at all public places to protect non-smokers from the hazards of passive smoking. After the withdrawal of the SRO, smokers would not be allowed to use tobacco in any form at any public or work place.Earlier, all public and private offices were allowed to designate a separate place within office premises for people to smoke, with adequate arrangements to protect non-smokers from the hazards of passive smoking. However, such authorisation was being misused, as it had become common practice for people in work places to smoke outside the designated areas, while many offices had failed to allocate designated areas for smoking altogether. Mere announcement of the ban is not enough. It actually needs a sustained concerted effort to make people aware of the danger of smoking, especially among the youngsters at the school, college and university levels for creating an environment, which would discourage/restraint new entrants to the smokers club besides making foolproof arrangements for ensuring strict adherence of the law.Shouldn’t the general public also owe a responsibility in this context for voluntarily observing the law, which is very much in their own interests as well as for the protection of non-smokers from the hazards of passive smoking?

World Heart Day special: Follow the right lifestyle

If you want to save your heart from getting damaged, better start eliminating the risk factors early. Ignoring them might convert into chronic heart disease (CHD) that may be difficult to treat in the latter part of your life. They may even paralyse your normal routine activities. This statutory warning and precautionary note has come from senior cardiologists in the region on the eve of World Heart Day (falling on Sunday) this year. While the health experts have advocated the need for better heart care starting from childhood, life style factors, including dietary habits, are emerging as serious factors affecting the functioning of the blood-pumping organ in the body. According to the world-renowned cardiologists, the dietary habits are becoming important indicator for determining the functioning of one of the most important organs in the body. Apart from genetic factors (hereditary traits), the heart diseases are fast becoming life style diseases affecting people belonging to different age groups, researchers said. The heart diseases with their manifestations are affecting people of all age groups, no matter what place they come from. It starts with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in young children and adolescents (between 5-15 years) and may take the form of CHD, hypertension and cerebrovascular stroke (heart attack) in middle-aged people. However, most of the health experts have given a strong call for change in life style and dietary habits that could minimise the risk factors to a great extent and save the heart. Regular physical activity and judicious selection of diet can bring an amazing change in the normal functioning of the heart besides oiling it to prepare for future degeneration in later part of life. Inclusion of green vegetables and fruits and fibres in the diet can decrease the risk factors. Similarly, avoiding junk food, alcohol and tobacco consumption (cigarettes) also boosts the functioning of the heart, specialists said.

Shouldn’t showbiz celebrities also pay their tax dues?

Most of our elitists and celebrities, unfortunately, consider it their birthright to enjoy, if possible exclusively, all the available resources and facilities in the country, but when it comes to paying back to the exchequer in terms taxes and levies, they scornfully shun the authorities and very often silence them by exercising their clouts in the ever strengthening VIP culture in the society, resulting in shifting the major burdens to the law abiding citizens only, while all those who could browbeat the law with their power and wealth get scot-free. This is for the first time that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has focused on potential area of showbiz industry, where film stars, drama artistes and theatre actors are earning huge profits, but paying nothing into the national exchequer. FBR has decided to approach Central Board of Film Censors, All Pakistan Association of Film-markers and television stations for bringing filmmakers, cinema owners, film stars/TV artistes and persons engaged in studio business into the income tax net. The aim of the exercise is to register all the potential persons engaged in the drama-making, studio business and theatres for filing of income tax returns and payment of due amount of taxes. This potential sector has been neglected in the past, which requires immediate attention to expand the tax-base. Priority in film industry would be given to film directors, film artistes, top models and cinema owners to bring them into the income tax net for compliance. The tax department would collect data about the drama-makers, artistes and theatres from provincial excise departments, TV stations and advertising agencies. According to the FBR plan to bring showbiz industry into the tax net, the Director Generals of Large Taxpayer Units (LTUs) and Regional Tax Offices (RTOs) would approach the Central Censor Board, provincial excise department, All Pakistan Association of Film-markers and analyse newspapers to register persons, who are associated with the film industry. The report said that the FBR would also check if the persons associated with the film and drama industry have obtained the National Tax Numbers (NTNs) and are filing income tax returns.We can only wait and see how professionally the FBR zealots conduct their new move and succeed without causing any harassment to the showbiz celebrities making them voluntarily agree to pay their due amount of taxes.

Rs2.482 trillion Federal Budget presented in NA

ISLAMABAD: Federal Budget 2009-10 envisaging a total outlay of Rs2.482 billion has been presented. State Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar presented the Federal Budget 2009-10 in which 15 percent raise has been announced in the salaries and pension of in-service and retired government employees.The target of GDP for the next fiscal year has been fixed at 3.3 percent while measures will be adopted for bringing the inflation rate below 10 percent. The State Minister said the total allocation for Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) has been made at Rs646 billion; Rs 343 billion for Defence Rs31.60 billion for education sector and; Rs6.5 billion for health.The allocation for Benazir Income Support Program has been raised to Rs70 billion which will be distributed among 5 million deserving people. Rs50 billion have been earmarked for the relief and rehabilitation of affectees of Malakand Division. In order to impart training to the youth under National Internship Program Rs3.60 billion have been allocated. Under the program 30,000 youth will be provided professional training in their respective fields. The target for tax revenue collection has been raised by 15.7 percent to 1.3775 trillion while the rest of the expenditure will be met through foreign loans and grants.Rs178 billion are expected to be received through Friends of Pakistan Consortium. The fiscal deficit is expected at 4.9 percent for the next fiscal year. Increase in the allowance has been announced for the armed forces deployed on the western front. This allowance will be equal to one month’s initial basic pay with effect from 1st July 2009, as announced by the President of Pakistan. Feel free to share your opinion with us on the State Minister’s speech on Budget 2009-10.

Pakistan’s economic woes intensify

Apart from the impacts of global economic downturn, Pakistan’s intensifying economic woes historically depict to be cyclic—taking one step forward for a while and no sooner it reaches to a breakthrough point some mishap occurs leading to political turmoil, throwing the economy back to two steps backward. But this time it seems breaking all record, as almost everybody holding some position in the society appear to be in great hurry making hay while the sun shines, least caring that it is fast pushing Pakistan financially to a stage of unsustainability. In talks with a Pakistan delegation in Washington, the IMF has approved additional financing for Pakistan, which has taken the total loan up to US $11.3 billion. The new pledges are intended to bridge any gap that may arise if funds pledged to Pakistan at a donor's conference in Tokyo in April do not come in on time. The immediate problem has thus been resolved; the longer-term crisis grows. The IMF deal of course means Pakistan's debt burden continues to mount. The same holds true in the case of loans taken from other sources. The situation is largely unsustainable. A glance at the budgetary pie shows how debt eats away at our resources. We simply cannot afford to dish out an ever-increasing slice to it year after year, decade after decade. The crisis Pakistan faces today is largely rooted in its economy. The socio-economic slide has contributed to the immense sense of grievance and acted to fuel the militant fires. The rising rate of crime, the growing sense of insecurity, the flight of capital, for which another Forex firm, Zarco, is now being investigated, and the damaging human brain drain are all tied in to this factor.To escape the debt trap, we need more resources or drastically cut our expenses instead of the current spree of drawing benefits with arrears by all those restored, hundred percent increase in salaries and perks, after retirement phenomenal increase in benefits and privileges, huge wastage due to negligence and ineptness besides the loot and plunder by all and sundry running into trillions. The issue is can our economy any longer sustain such weird attitude of persons exercising authority, especially when generating resources has it limits.The fact that agriculture has still to be taxed, that many industrialists still pay only the most nominal taxes, while the salaried class bears alone the major burden of tax deductions offers one answer. Our parliamentarians must look beyond their own interests and look at those of their country and its people. In the past, calling upon Pakistanis based abroad to send back remittances has proved the most effective means of raising finance. This can be attempted again. The vast Pakistani diaspora has time and again proved it is both extremely patriotic and generous. But it would be unrealistic to call upon it to send money home in a climate of continued political instability. The government must focus on building the confidence needed to bring in investment and halt the continued slide of the rupee against the dollar. Pakistan's potential for exports has not been realized. There should be some assessment too of why we have lost our status as a major ship-breaking centre and why other spheres in which we once competed with the world have slipped.

Sugar crisis: Confusion worse confounded

Notwithstanding, the twists and turns of the governments at Islamabad and Lahore, the suo motto hectic activities at the high courts in Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi and of late, the Supreme Court of Pakistan being seized with the situation reprimanding and rebuking the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association and the Punjab government, there seems to be no relief to the people, as the sugar crisis, which had erupted weeks ago last Ramazan, fast drifted from bad to worse, piling miseries to the people left unprotected to the profiteers and exploiters fleecing them at will.The Supreme Court of Pakistan directed the government on Friday to issue a notification setting the price of sugar at Rs40 per kilogramme across the country until the submission of a report by a proposed inquiry commission.The court also formed the commission it proposed earlier, and appointed Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) Chairman Khalid Mirza to head the body, authorising him to work out the cost of production and mill owners’ profit. Meanwhile, CCP Chairman Khalid Mirza said Friday we are in the middle of an investigation and the raids were conducted on the three sugar mills, while the preliminary investigations found out that it smacks of irregularities in the sugar price. However about the sugar price fixation, Chairman CCP said that he would only suggest the Supreme Court what should the appropriate price be, otherwise, price determination is not the job of CCP. Reacting to the apex court rebuke for filing an appeal against an LHC decision that sugar be sold at Rs40 a kilogram and stress it should have focused on ensuring this happened instead of challenging the verdict, the Punjab government has taken over sugar mills. According to a report, government officials have been deployed in the mills, while police contingents have been sent to guard the mills’ gates. Sugar Dealers Association Chairman Asghar Butt said uncertainty prevailed in the sugar market after the sugar mills failed to offer a single bag for sale. Chaudhry Abdul Waheed, a former executive committee member of the Sugar Mills Association, said they were helpless in the face of the Punjab government’s action. “We will not sell sugar at Rs40 even if the government takes away all of our stocks,” the report quoted him saying. Consumers out in the market in search of sugar complained its non-availability in the open market even at the whimsically asking price, as the stockholders and wholesalers have held back the supply altogether since the announcement of the court order, while the rising pressure and short supply at the government-run utility stores, buying two kilo sugar bag standing in the never-ending queue is a full-time job of a man with special stamina and patience.