How to stay fit in flu season

Washington, Sept 20 (ANI): As cold and flu season approaches, giving up junk food for more healthy options would help maintain a strong immune system.

Dr Ara DerMarderosian, professor of pharmacognosy for University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and an expert in nutraceuticals and natural foods, have provided guidance to change how you eat and break habits that pack on the pounds and compromise immunity.

? Don’t play “food police”

Be conscious of what and how much you eat, but don’t overdo self-monitoring to the point that a healthy lifestyle shifts from being a choice to becoming overwhelming, pushing other activities away and interfering with relationships.

? Pay attention to true hunger

Listen to your hunger signals and refrain from eating when you’re not hungry. Eating when your body doesn’t need food can cause you to overindulge.

? Eat slowly

Eat like a gourmet – enjoy each bite to have, chewing methodically, and truly enjoy the taste of your food. Eating slowly gives your body time to break down the food, which can prevent post-meal indigestion and feeling bloated.

? Focus on eating

Do not watch television, read or work while you eat. When you’re not focused on eating, it’s unlikely you’ll notice how much is going in your mouth.

? Avoid eating when stressed

Stress is a well-known cause of overeating and digestive issues, such as heartburn. A relaxing atmosphere, enjoyable company and conversation, and not feeling rushed for time makes for a healthy meal.

? Everything in moderation

Eating food is pleasurable, so enjoy a few morsels of candy, but limit the quantity. (ANI)

Kate Winslet, Michelle Obama among People’s 2009 Best-Dressed Women

New Delhi, Sept 17 (ANI): British actress Kate Winslet has been named the best dresser on red carpet in People magazine’s 10 best-dressed women of 2009, while America’s first lady Michelle Obama has bagged the spot for “best accessible glamour.”

Winslet, 33, has been named as the woman with the finest dress on the red carpet, “with her unique brand of sexy sophistication, modern Hollywood glamour and those enviable curves,” reports China Daily.

Walk the Line star Reese Witherspoon has also made it to the list for wearing the “best short dresses,” and actress Vanessa Hudgens has been named as the “best hippie chic.”

People listed former American Idol judge Paula Abdul and actress Renee Zellweger among the fashion flops.

People’s choice of the Top 10 Best-Dressed Women of 2009 are:

Kate Winslet – Best Red Carpet

Vanessa Hudgens – Best Hippie Chic

Reese Witherspoon – Best Short Dresses

Cameron Diaz – Best Jeans

Michelle Obama – Best Accessible Glamour

Freida Pinto – Best Use of Color

Taylor Swift – Best Sparkle

Nicole Richie – Best Maternity

Beyonce – Best Street Chic

Kim Kardashian – Best Bikinis. (ANI)

Coming soon: Harry Potter theme park

London, Sep 16 (ANI): Harry Potter fans can soon experience the thrills of the adventures of the hugely popular boy wizard, for a new theme park based on the hit franchise is set to open next year.

The theme park, called ‘The Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter’, is set to open in spring 2010 at Universal Studios, the Orlando resort has announced.he park is being developed in coordination with J.K. Rowling, the author of the immensely successful books, which have been adapted into films.

Recreating the fabled Hogwarts school that Potter and his friends attend, as well as the nearby village of Hogsmeade, the theme park promises a “completely immersive environment” for visitors.

“All of the action and adventures of Harry Potter’s world will come to life here at Universal Orlando Resort,” the Telegraph quoted Tom Williams, chairman and CEO of Universal Parks and Resorts, as saying.

“The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be unlike any other experience on earth,” he added.

In fact, visitors at a replica of the Three Broomsticks, one of Hogsmeade’s popular pubs, will be treated to traditional British fare and have the chance to sip on Butterbeer – Potter’s tipple of choice.

The park will also feature theme rides, including the ‘Flight of the Hippogriff’, which will simulate a training flight on the magical, quick-to-offend creature.

Those who lobed the fast-paced wizard sport Quidditch, will also have a chance to participate in a simulated Triwizard Tournament, as well as examine Quidditch equipment and even the elusive Golden Snitch at several Hogsmeade shops.

“Harry Potter continues to spark the imaginations of fans of all ages and we really have seen the anticipation continue to build for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” said Brad Globe, president of Warner Bros. Consumer Products. (ANI)

Get used to the bench, Man U management tells Owen

London, Sep.15 (ANI): Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson has reportedly told striker Michael Owen to get used to life on the bench.

Manager Alex Ferguson insists Dimitar Berbatov is first choice in attack alongside Wayne Rooney.

He said: “Owen will play, just maybe not early in the season. We are trying to get a blend of Berbatov and Rooney – so Owen doesn’t come in to the equation. I explained to Owen why he has not been involved. The season has not really started. Because of the internationals we’re not really playing Saturday and Wednesday.”

According to The Sun, Owen is desperate to impress England boss Fabio Capello to win back his England place. But he has started just one United match since joining for free this summer. (ANI)

Popular stomach acid reducer ups patients’ risk of developing pneumonia threefold

Washington, September 15 (ANI): Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have found that a popular stomach-acid reducer, which is used to prevent stress ulcers in critically ill patients who need breathing machine support, triples the likelihood of contracting pneumonia among such patients.

Hospital-acquired pneumonia-the leading cause of infection-related deaths in critically ill patients-increases hospital stays by an average of seven to nine days, cost of care, and the risk of other complications.

“As best we can tell, patients who develop hospital-acquired pneumonia or ventilator-acquired pneumonia have about a 20 to 30 percent chance of dying from that pneumonia. It’s a significant event,” said senior study author Dr. David L. Bowton, professor and head of the Section on Critical Care in the Department of Anesthesiology.

During the study, the researchers compared treatment with two drugs that decrease stomach acid: ranitidine, marketed under the name ZantacTM, and pantoprazole, marketed under the name ProtonixTM or PrilosecTM.

Both drugs decrease stomach acid, but the newer pantoprazole is considered more powerful, and has become the drug of choice in many hospitals.

However, upon the analysis of 834 patient charts, the researchers came to the conclusion that the risk of developing pneumonia was thee times more in the hospitalised cardiothoracic surgery patients who had been treated with pantoprazole.

“We conducted this study, in part, because we thought we were seeing more pneumonias than we were used to having,” said study co-author Marc G. Reichert, pharmacy coordinator for surgery at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

The researchers say that their study suggests some other steps to keep critically ill patients from developing ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Bowton suggests that doctors consider whether an acid reducer is needed at all, and, in cases where it is needed, ranitidine is recommended because of the apparent decreased risk in developing pneumonia.

Doctors should stop using the drug as soon as the risk of bleeding passes – once the patient is off the breathing machine and eating, either on his/her own or through a feeding tube.

“Stopping the drugs earlier appears to be the best thing for patients,” Reichert said.

The study has been published in a recent issue of CHEST. (ANI)

Oz gays want marriage as personal choice

Melbourne, Sep 14 (ANI): While homosexual marriages are not legal everywhere, most of the gays in Australia prefer marriage to other form of relationships, a survey has revealed.

Researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) conducted a survey of those attracted to the same sex in Australia.

They also found that a huge majority of homosexuals felt marriage should be an option for same-sex couples in Australia.

The survey revealed that the majority (54.1 per cent) of same-sex attracted participants selected marriage as their personal choice and close to 80 per cent felt that same-sex couples in Australia should be allowed to marry if they want to.

Researcher Sharon Dane, from UQ’s School of Psychology, said marriage was still the personal choice of the majority irrespective of the current legal status of participants’ same-sex relationships.

“The findings work to dispel the myth that most same-sex people do not wish to marry or are content with de facto status,” News.com.au quoted Dane as saying.

“This majority preference for marriage may be a reflection of the fact that fewer same-sex couples feel the need to live their lives in secret.

“A generally less hostile environment means same-sex couples can live their lives more openly and honestly and in doing so wish to be treated like everyone else,” she added. (ANI)

Now, LiLo to play fashion adviser

London, Sept 10 (ANI): Lindsay Lohan has been appointed as the style consultant for French fashion house Emanuel Ungaro.

It is reported that bosses even fired the brand’s top designer, Esteban Cortazar, for opposing Lohan as the choice for the top job.

The Daily Express quoted Lohan as telling WWD.com: “To be in a position where I’m working with a fashion house in Paris sets it apart from every other celebrity brand.”

The Ungaro staff is also delighted to have the Mean Girls star with them.

CEO Mounir Moufarrige said: “Everything we’re going to get is going to be a plus. I think the noise level around Lindsay will be very, very big.”

The 23-year-old Lohan is no newcomer to fashion as she launched her leggings line 6126 in the U.S. last year. (ANI)

Long working hours make parents compromise on food choices

Washington, Sept 10 (ANI): Long work hours and irregular schedules are forcing people to compromise on food choices for themselves and their children, suggests a new study.

The research team from Cornell University measured food choice coping strategies in low- to middle-income families in five categories: (1) food prepared at/away from home; (2) missing meals; (3) individualizing meals (family eats differently, separately, or together); (4) speeding up to save time; and (5) planning.

They found that fathers who worked long hours or had nonstandard hours and schedules were more likely to use take-out meals, miss family meals, purchase prepared entrees, and eat while working.

Similarly, mothers were also likely to purchase restaurant meals or prepared entrees or missed breakfast.

About a quarter of mothers and fathers said they did not have access to healthful, reasonably priced, and/or good-tasting food at or near work.

The findings suggest that better work conditions may be associated with more positive strategies such as more home-prepared meals, eating with the family, keeping healthful food at work, and less meal skipping.

“This study examined how work conditions are related to the food choice coping strategies of low- and moderate-income parents,” said Dr Carol M. Devine, RD, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, and colleagues.

“Study findings will enhance understanding of social and temporal employment constraints on adults’ food choices and may inform workplace interventions and policies…The importance of work structure for employed parents’ food choice strategies is seen in the associations between work hours and schedule and food choice coping strategies, such as meals away from home and missed family meals.

“Long work hours and irregular schedules mean more time away from family, less time for household food work, difficulty in maintaining a regular meal pattern, and less opportunity to participate in family meals; this situation may result in feelings of time scarcity, fatigue, and strain that leave parents with less personal energy for food and meals,” the researchers added.

The study appears in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. (ANI)

Polish vodka, Cuban cigars and Uma Thurman for Warne’s 40th birthday

Melbourne, Sep 10 (ANI): Australian spin legend Shane Warne will celebrate his 40th birthday with 200 mates, a bottle of Polish vodka, a Cuban cigar – and possibly Hollywood actress Uma Thurman.

Warne turns 40 on Sunday.

Speculation mounted on Wednesday that the Hollywood superstar of Kill Bill fame will join the 200-strong invitation list including Sam Newman, Garry Lyon, Eddie McGuire, Jeff Fenech, poker ace Jo Hachem and a host of business leaders and media chiefs.

Ex-wife Simone Callahan will also be there in the latest sign their roller coaster romance is back on track.

Cricket legends Allan Border and Ian Chappell have been invited, but Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist are not on the list.

Best mate Aaron Hamill, who played for Warne’s beloved Saints, will lead the AFL contingent.

Warne has booked a ritzy Chapel St cocktail lounge for tomorrow night’s bumper bash. And the party is tipped to extend well into the early hours of Saturday morning thanks to a 7 a.m. liquor licence, the Daily Telegraph reports.

It is believed Warne’s only request to venue management was for a regular flow of his preferred drink of choice – “Belevedere vodka and Red Bull”-and somewhere to enjoy a celebratory smoke.

On offer are 1500 dollars bottles of French champagne and a range of pricey seafood and Asian dishes, but no baked beans or pizza. (ANI)

Reddy, a leader committed to ideologies of Congress: PM

New Delhi, Sep 3 (ANI) : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the departed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajsekhar Reddy as “a dynamic and tall leader of the party”.

Speaking to reporters after the Congress Committee meeting Singh said, “We express great sorrow on the untimely demise of Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy, who was a tall and dynamic leader of the Congress party. With his intense and hard efforts he made the party as a natural choice of administration in Andhra Pradesh.”

“With the profound interest in the development he made the Andhra Pradesh to emerge as a model of governance,” Singh said.

With the death of Dr.Reddy the Congress lost an outstanding leader who is committed to the ideas and ideologies of the party. At this juncture, we express our deep condolences to the family and colleagues of Dr. Reddy and also to the families of other four members who died with him,’ Singh said.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi described Rajasekhara Reddy as a hard working leader.

“The congress party is shocked over the untimely death of Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy. The party expressed its deep condolences to the party workers leaders and the colleagues of YSR. At this time we assure to Reddy’s family and also the families of all those who travelled with him and did not return that the party will stand with them to overcome the deep loss,”said Sonia Gandhi. (ANI)

Hugh Jackman tops Drinking Buddy Of Choice poll

Sydney, Sept 2 (ANI): Australian actor Hugh Jackman has topped the favourite drinking buddy of choice poll.

The poll that surveyed over 1200 people saw model Jennifer Hawkins at the second spot, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.ustralian PM Kevin Rudd bagged the third position; gaining more votes from women wine-drinkers than men.

After them were comedian Rove and actress Nicole Kidman.

“Partner” was ranked 6th, just ahead of TV veteran Bert Newton. (ANI)

Family, friends may affect breast cancer surgery decision

Washington, Sept 1 (ANI): A new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center has found that about 75 percent of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer are accompanied by a friend or family member during their first visit to a surgeon and that person plays a major role in the patient’s decision of what type of surgery to have.

In the study, the researchers looked at factors affecting a woman’s choice between a mastectomy to remove the entire breast or breast-conserving surgery, which involves removing only the tumor and is followed by radiation treatments.

They found that when the patient, rather than the doctor, drives the surgery decision, the patient is more likely to choose a mastectomy. This proved to be the case among all racial and ethnic groups.

The study also showed that women who had a friend or family member accompany them to the surgical consultation were more likely to receive a mastectomy, compared to women who attended the appointment alone.

Latinas who speak little English were most influenced by family in their decision-making: 75 percent, compared to 34 percent of white women.

“Family and friends have a potentially important role in treatment discussions. More than 70 percent of women brought someone with them to the appointment, providing a chance for surgeons to convey information to both the patient and her support person. Clearly, others help with and contribute to decision making, and may do so differently for different racial or ethnic groups,” says lead study author Sarah Hawley, Ph.D., M.P.H., research associate professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School.

Researchers analyzed survey responses from 1,651 women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in the Detroit and Los Angeles metropolitan areas.

Patients were asked about their surgical treatment decision, including how involved they were in the decision making, whether a family member or friend accompanied them to the appointment and their attitudes toward surgery. Higher numbers of African Americans and Latinas were included.

The study appears online Aug. 31 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. (ANI)

RSS to chart BJP’s final succession plan in October: Sources

New Delhi, Sep.1 (ANI): Marathon rounds of meetings between the RSS top brass with BJP leadership in New Delhi might have prepared a ground for leadership change. But real changeover in BJP is likely to take place only after RSS national executive meet in October.

According to highly placed sources ” RSS is expected to chart a final blueprint for BJP succession plan in its three day National Executive which is slated to take place in Rajgir Bihar from 9-11th October.

Although publicly RSS claims that BJP is going to decide its own future course of action as per the leadership issue is concerned and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had reportedly asked Leader of Opposition Advani to decide on his successor. But top RSS sources insist that Sangh will take final call on BJP leadership only after the October’s National Executive.

All eyes within BJP and outside will be on two key positions on which the decision is to be taken in the crucial RSS meet. BJP’s president Rajnath Singh tenure is ending in November and BJP -RSS combine has to appoint the new president. BJP has made it clear that Rajnath will not get second term as President because according to the constitution same person cannot be repeat the term as a president and party is not looking in a mood to amend the constitution.

According to sources while RSS is trying to rope in a fresh face like Bal Apte or Narendar Modi for the prestigious position, Advani camp isreportedly pitching for Arun Jaitley, Ananth kumar and Venkaiah Naidu .imilarly ambiguity continues over who will take the baton from Lal Krishan Advani as the leader of opposition. While speculations are rife that Sushma Swaraj is the first choice for the post. But Murli Manohar Joshi and Rajnath Singh who held lengthy discussions with Mohan Bhagwat are also seen as key contenders. By Naveen Kapoor(ANI)

New, improved zebrafish cloning method may further human health research

London, August 31 (ANI): In what may eventually prove very useful in human health research, scientists at Michigan State University have come up with a more efficient method to clone zebra fish.

What makes this work an important achievement is the fact that zebra fish, which have served as an excellent model for understanding normal development and birth defects for more than 20 years, are quickly becoming the animal of choice for many researchers.

“After the mouse, it is the most commonly used vertebrate in genetic studies. It is used in cancer research and cardiovascular research because they have many of the same genes we have,” Nature magazine quoted Jose Cibelli, an MSU professor of Animal Science, as saying.

While previous methods of cloning zebra fish have had very low success rates, the MSU researchers say that their novel method can increase the number of cloned fish that can be obtained from an adult fin cell or an embryonic tail clip increased by 2 percent to 13 percent, respectively.

What makes zebra fish so useful in research is their eggs are transparent and the fish’s development is easy to follow.

Improving on the techniques of zebra fish cloning also is important because currently only the mouse remains the best model for gene targeting.

“So far the mouse is the only one from which you can delete genes in a reliable fashion. What researchers do is mutate a gene, abolish its function completely, and then study the consequences,” Cibelli said.

A research article describing the novel technique has been published in the journal Nature Methods. (ANI)

2,500-pound machine strapped around Flintoof’s knee to save his cricket career

London, Aug 30 (ANI): England all rounder Andrew Flintoff is praying that the 2,500 pound machine strapped around his knee will save his cricket career.

The Lancashire all-rounder has to strap himself to the contraption for eight hours every day as he starts his gruelling rehabilitation from his latest operation.

The state-of-the-art Continuous Passive Motion equipment was prescribed by surgeon Andy Williams and is designed to bend the 31-year-old Ashes hero’s knee up to 1,500 times a day, News of the World reported.

“I had a choice of either using this machine or doing three sets of 500 knee bends a day, so I thought the machine might be the way forward. I strap my leg into it for eight hours a day. It bends my knee up and down all the time and makes sure the movement is controlled,” Flintoff revealed.

“I will have the machine on most of the time, even when I’m sleeping. The hard part is getting used to having your leg strapped into a machine for most of the day. It’s designed to help with the healing but, inevitably, my right leg is going to waste away a bit and the muscles are going to disappear. There’s not a lot I can do about it because I can’t bear any weight on my right leg for six to eight weeks.”

Flintoff underwent keyhole surgery in London on Monday night – just a day after helping England beat Australia at the Oval to regain the Ashes.

It was the second op on his troublesome knee and the ninth of his career, following four on his left ankle, two for hernias and another on his back.

Flintoff announced his retirement from Test cricket during the Ashes after admitting his 16-stone body could no longer cope with five-day cricket.

“I have set myself a target of returning for the tour to Bangladesh, which is from mid-Febuary to the middle of March, but whether that’s realistic or not, I’m not sure,” admitted Flintoff.

“There is a possibility I may not play again. It’s something I’m going to have to be prepared for in case the operation is not as successful as I hope. There will be a question mark in my mind about whether I have played my last game until I know how the operation has turned out.

“I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t crossed my mind, but the success rate for an operation like this is pretty good,” the paper quoted him, as saying. (ANI)

Bangalore artist creates paintings with charcoal and thread in minutes

Bangalore, Aug 28 (ANI): Anjula Prem Kumar of Bangalore is no ordinary artist. She creates amazing and eye-catching paintings from thread and charcoal on canvas and with her fingers on sprinkled sand, within minutes.

Give her music of her choice and a few strings of thread and charcoal, and Anjula is ready with a painting in three to four minutes.

The thread and charcoal, she says, help her speed up her work and also maintain the viewers interest especially during painting demonstrations.

“I thought when you want to finish a picture, if you prolong it for a long time people lose interest when they are seeing it. So I thought I would use thread which is still faster, that is the only reason I started with the thread, and that gives me a really good finish and I enjoy doing it with thread,” said Anjula.

Anjula never misses an opportunity to visit art exhibitions and galleries as they, she says, inspire her.

She is also adept at making drawings on sprinkled sand, and this particular art is her innovation. She says she got the idea while collecting spilled flour on her kitchen floor. This little accident in the kitchen has surely come handy for her.

Anjula has a deep interest in artwork but she never attended any art classes, she is self taught and proud to be so. She says that people’s appreciation that she has been encouraging and also a major reason for her to pursue her interest in art.

“From a small girl, I have been drawing and experimenting, when people started appreciating my art then I knew that there was art in me and everyone started encouraging that. Then I started to work more on it and my thoughts started going more on that side,” added Anjula.

Also an art teacher at a school in the city, Anjula dedicates three to four hours each day to drawing.

Felicitated and appreciated in the country and abroad, Anjula wishes to continue her experiments in art as long as she can. By Jaipal Sharma(ANI)

Burqa-clad gang running amok in Britain

London, Aug 27(ANI): A vicious burqa -clad gang has been spreading fear across England’s Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire counties netting over 300,000 pounds.

The first incident took place at a First Choice travel shop in Dunstable on July 7, where a man concealed by a burqa threatened staff with a knife to take cash before escaping through a back door.

In the second incident a burqa -clad crook had struck at a Thomson travel agency in Luton on August 16, while a third incident happened two days ago at the Michael Jones jewellery store in Banbury.

The gang of three threatened staff at the store with a silver handgun and an axe, before fleeing with valuables worth 279,000 pounds, including Rolex, Breitling and Cartier watches valued at 150,000 pounds, The Sun reports. (ANI)

Oral asthma controllers more effective than inhalers

Washington, Aug 26 (ANI): Asthmatic patients are more likely to benefit from oral controllers than inhalers, say Mayo clinic researchers.

“Clinical superiority of the inhaled products has been well documented in clinical trials and the HealthCore study confirmed this for those who take their medication properly,” said Dr. Joseph Singer, vice president of clinical affairs for HealthCore, the outcomes research subsidiary for WellPoint, Inc.

“However, we were surprised to discover that in looking at all patients in real-world settings, oral controllers appeared to be a better choice of treatment because of better compliance.

“Patients with the best outcomes were those who were compliant with inhaled corticosteroids,” he added.

During the study, researchers looked at 55, 000 patients from eight health plans who had used at least one of six types of asthma controller medications between 2003 and 2005.

Both oral and inhaled treatments offered comparable impacts on patient-reported quality of life and productivity.

Among patients taking more than one drug to control their asthma, HealthCore found that a combination of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists were the best course of treatment in terms of better clinical outcomes and better quality of life.

In the group of patients who adhered to their medication, those taking leukotriene modifiers-oral asthma controllers-were more likely to have an emergency room or inpatient physician visit, less likely to use six or more short-acting beta agonist canisters and incurred higher annual costs.

“It’s important for physicians and health plans alike to know that ‘one size fits all’ does not apply when treating asthma patients,” said Singer.

“These results speak to the power of comparative effectiveness research and its ability to give physicians the information they need to customize treatment for patients in the real world,” he added. (ANI)

Holidaying Obama sets himself grueling reading schedule of 2,300 pages

Martha’s Vineyard (Virginia, US), Aug. 26 (ANI): US President Barack Obama has kicked off his vacation by revealing that, in addition to endless games of tennis and golf, he plans to read five books or an astonishing 2,300 pages.

His summer reading list, unveiled by a White House apparently keen to emphasise Obama’s highbrow credentials, contains two heavyweight works of non-fiction and three novels, The Independent reports.

On top of the pile stacked on Barack and Michelle’s bedside table at the 28-acre estate they have rented for 35,000 dollars is “Hot, Flat and Crowded”, the climate change polemic by New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman. Subtitled “why we need a green revolution”, it makes a leftish call to arms regarding the future of the planet.

Obama’s second choice is historian David McCullough’s magisterial biography of John Adams, the often underrated second US president, who was the subject of an award-winning HBO docu-drama last year.

The novels include two crime thrillers: Richard Price’s Lush Life, and The Way Home, a novel by George Pelecanos set in Washington, DC – which, much like Obama’s best-selling autobiography, explores the relationship between a father and his son.

Completing the set is the novel Plainsong, by a little-known writer called Kent Haruf. Set in a small town on the Colorado plains, its existence on the reading list may reassure voters that their metropolitan commander-in-chief has not ignored Middle America.

The books were unveiled to reporters on Monday afternoon, at an official press briefing.

President Obama has already spent a portion of his week so far playing golf, beating Michelle at tennis, and visiting friends.

To finish all five books, he would have to manage more than 300 pages every day – quite an “ask” when a small portion of his time must also be spent running the country. (ANI)

Wenger dubs game against Celtic more ‘massive’ than fixture against Man U

London, Aug 26 (ANI):Arsene Wenger has called Arsenal’s upcoming European battle against Celtic a bigger game than the upcoming match with Manchester United.

Although, Arsenal hold a 2-0 aggregate lead in their Champions League play-off, the Frenchman has no plans to take it easy.

The Sun quoted Wenger as saying: “This game is a more important one than Saturday for the club, by far. We have to give absolutely everything be- cause tomorrow you cannot come back.

“Saturday, even if we drop points against Manchester United, we can always catch them up – you have 35 games still to go.

“If we lose the game against Celtic, we have zero. It is a massive game.”

Arsenal could bag around 25- million pounds even they only play the Champions League group stages.

But Boss said it was not just about money.

Wenger said: “It’s not the huge amount money that makes it such a huge fixture for us.

“It’s not the financial blow that matters, it’s that we want to be in the Champions League and this is a much bigger game for us than Saturday.”

After romping home in their first-leg victory in Glasgow, Arsenal are huge favourites to make it through.

However, Wenger believes there is not time to rest.

He insisted: “It is not job done, it is job to do. That is how I approach it.

“Celtic have no choice, they have to come out and have a go at us. We will be faithful to our tactical approach.” (ANI)