Sleep is the New Feminist Issue

Go By The Hour: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day-both on weekdays and weekends.

Make A Ritual: Come up with a daily ritual before sleep-reading a book, listening to soothing music, drinking a cup of warm milk. The body recognises sleep cues.

Dress Well: Be careful what you wear to bed. Natural fabrics, such as cotton, allows your body to breatheand sleep better.

Calm Down: No tv, no tea or coffee a few hours before sleep. Brain stimulants can keep one from sleeping. Try meditation.

Dark Matters: Make your bedroom as dark as possible. Also make sure there is no noise to distract you.

20 minutes more sleep is needed by women than men per night, say scientists

Women Need More Sleep

It seems women, in particular, can't function well if they don't sleep well. Feminists, supported by scientists, are spreading the good word. Studies indicate that women are more sleep-deprived than men, and are twice as likely to have difficulties falling or staying asleep. They need 20 minutes more sleep than men per night. New research from the UK suggests that women tend to work their brains-especially the cerebral cortex responsible for intelligence, language, memory and consciousness-harder. Simply because they multitask more. And the cerebral cortex needs deep sleep to work efficiently. So lie in, or at least, take a nap.

Sleep Makes Her Happy

Scientists from the University of Michigan, US, say sleep quality influences the ability to enjoy one's day more than household income and even marital status. They studied 900 women to measure how activities were experienced through the day. An extra hour of sleep had more impact on how women felt through the day than earning more money a year.

What's stopping women?

What's stopping women from getting enough sleep? Not just balancing home and work. It's also the new beauty premium at the 21st century workplace. Economists estimate that eye-candies typically earn more than their plain colleagues because they are seen to have more positive attributes: smarter, happier and more confident. A recent survey by global research company Synovate shows 55 per cent in India think they can get away with less work so long as they look good, 80 per cent feel immense pressure to look good, while 40 per cent want to look well-groomed all the time. The fallout? Women end up spending hours on looking good-from daily blow-drys to salon visits, at the gym or the spa-instead of catching up on sleep.

Blue Star launches new range of VRF Airconditioning Systems with Inverter technology

 Central airconditioning and commercial refrigeration major, Blue Star, has announced the launch of a new range of eco-friendly and energy efficient Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) Airconditioning Systems using the Inverter technology.

A VRF system is a sophisticated centralized airconditioning system that cools large multi-zone spaces with varying heating and cooling needs through intelligent controls. This results in tremendous power savings as the system is smart enough to know where to cool, and when. Many modern establishments having multi zones such as sophisticated offices, hotels, premium residential properties and hospitals are opting for VRF Airconditioning systems because of the flexibility of control and significantly lower electricity bills.

In VRF Airconditioning Systems, there are two popular technologies based on the compressor, namely Digital Scroll and Inverter. Blue Star has been offering VRF Airconditioning Systems with Digital Scroll technology since 2008. However, the Company realized that it is not addressing the needs of customers who prefer the Inverter technology. Considering that the VRF AC system segment is on a fast-growth path, the Company thought it prudent to launch VRF Systems with Inverter technology in addition to Digital Scrolls in order to address the entire universe of customers. Thus, with this new range of inverter-based systems, the Company will be able to offer both the technologies to its customers.

The new range of Inverter-based VRF Airconditioning Systems is being offered in partnership with Gree, China. Gree is China's leading airconditioning designer and manufacturer and has over 1000 installations of its VRF Inverter Airconditioning systems across the world. The units being offered are currently part of the latest fourth generation Inverter technology.

The new range being launched can support a wide range of 70 indoor units with up to 500 m of refrigerant piping, amongst the highest in its class. These units can operate in a wide range of 7^oC to 48^oC and offer both cooling and heating options. It boasts of intelligent microprocessor-based controllers at multi levels – an all encompassing centralized PC-controlled system for the entire installation; zone-wise control and individual unit control through the respective remotes. It incorporates the eco-friendly R410A refrigerant and offers tremendous energy savings thanks to its capacity variation in 1% steps from 10 to 100% of rating.

According to Mr B Thiagarajan, President, Airconditioning & Refrigeration Products Group, Blue Star Limited, “Blue Star is a market leader in the central airconditioning segment catering to both corporate as well as commercial requirements. With the launch of our Inverter-based VRF Airconditioning Systems, we now have the entire spectrum of VRF systems to cater to all customer demands and are in a position to further consolidate our leadership position in the central airconditioning business.”

Frankfinn Institute of Airhostess Training plans Middle-East foray

After having established itself as the world’s number one airhostess training institute, Frankfinn Institute of Airhostess Training is now eyeing overseas markets and is in the midst of freezing plans to foray into the Middle-East.

While it already has an operation in Dubai, it is now eyeing other parts of the Middle-East, where its Chairman, K S Kohli, scents an immense potential for its services. “We are the number one airhostess training institute. Now we want to expand our footprint globally,” Kohli said. With this view, it has set up Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training FZ LLC and launched its operations in Dubai. “Soon we propose to enter other Middle-East markets,” he said. Frankfinn also has a presence in Mauritius and Hong Kong. Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training is a division of Frankfinn Aviation Services. Buoyant about the future of the aviation industry as also of the hospitality and travel sectors, Kohli said that as these sectors grow exponentially in the coming years, there would be a tremendous need for trained personnel and hence the growth of his Institute and others such as his, is a given.

As the aviation sector expands, there will be new aircraft, new airports and increased number of flights. Trained manpower will be required to cater to a rapidly-growing number of customers. It is here that institutes such as Frankfinn will have to play an important role,” Kohli said. Frankfinn’s courses have a global acceptance, he said. “All courses at Frankfinn in aviation, hospitality and travel management are accredited by ICM, UK, an institute of repute that is recognized in over 130 countries worldwide.

The rapid growth of all these industries can be gauged from the fact that in the last one year over 5000 Frankfinn students have been placed with 1900 in just 100 days in the aviation, hospitality and travel industry. The top salary offered was Rs. 1.26 lacs per month. Over 700 campus/ exclusive interviews were conducted in the last one year.

Testimony to this is the fact that Frankfinn’s students have got placed not only in Indian air-carriers but also in leading international ones such as Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Oman Air and Malaysia Air.

In the hospitality sector as well, leading chains such as the Leela, Hyatt, Marriott, Taj and ITC, among others, have hired Frankfinn’s graduates, he said.An important facet of the Institute he highlighted is the fact that it has a dedicated placement assistance cell which assists students in their placement even after completion of their course.

Frankfinn also has a tie-up with Jet Airways for in-flight familiarization and after completion of the same, the students get a co-branded certificate,” he said. Frankfinn also offers soft-skills training to corporates in areas such as leadership skills, conflict management, team-building, sales skills and stress and time management, among others. It also lays emphasis on personal grooming, etiquette and mannerisms. Christened Frankfinn Corpexcel, it offers training solutions for all levels—right from the entry-level employees to the CEO.

Frankfinn also has a company—Frankfinn Management Consultants—which specializes in providing HR solutions to many airlines and hotels. This company is the recruitment partner for all positions in India for the entire Emirates Group including Emirates Airlines. In the past, it has provided recruitment consultancy to Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Air Arabia, Indigo and Air Deccan (now Kingfisher Red). The group has also ventured into the security services business with K5 Security, Kohli said.

For more information, kindly log on to www.frankfinn.com

Caffe Pascucci Launches wood–fired pizza in Bangalore

Caffe Pascucci, the internationally famous Italian coffee brand, announced the introduction of “Wood-Fired” pizza for the first time in Bangalore. This would be currently available at Caffe Pascucci outlets in Jayanagar, Malleshwaram (Mantri Square) & Indiranagar.

One seldom finds authentic Italian pizza in India. Hence Caffe Pascucci decided to launch in Bangalore the best Italian “Wood-Fired” pizza at a very reasonable price.

The ovens for “Wood-Fired” Pizzas are manually made in the traditional method and shipped from Italy, the pizzas are baked in these ovens using authentic Italian pizza cheese. All ingredients are freshly prepared. No preservatives or food additives are added to enhance the taste of the product. The baking of the pizza’s in a “Wood-Fired” oven gives it a natural smoky flavor and tastes divine when served fresh and hot.

Making of “Wood-Fired” Pizzas is really the art of blending ‘the heritage of dough making’, ‘complexity of fire management’ and ‘the craft of maintaining fresh ingredients’. This combination produces pizzas that are powerfully aromatic, rich in flavor and full of character.

The “Wood-Fired” pizzas at Caffe Pascucci are sold at unbelievably low rates ranging from Rs. 95/- to Rs.150/- for a 10 inch veg pizza (including a range of Italian vegetable toppings) and Rs. 135/- to Rs. 225/- for a 10 inch non-veg pizza (a variety of chicken and sea food topping

Caffe Pascucci announced its foray into India in 2009 with the launch of its first “CAFFE PASCUCCI SHOP” at MG Road in Bangalore, through its Master Franchisee in India, Madhura Beverages India Pvt Ltd. Madhura Beverages is part of the Madhura Group, a Rs. 300 crore diversified business group, headquartered at Bangalore.

Today Caffe Pascucci has 5 outlets in Bangalore (MG Road, Mantri Mall, Jayanagar, BTM, Indiranagar) & 1 each at Mysore & Chennai. More outlets are being planned in different parts of the country by the end of 2012.

Established more than 50 years ago in Italy, Caffe Pascucci is synonymous with excellence and guaranteed top quality Italian coffee. In year 2000, Pascucci created “CAFFE PASCUCCI SHOP”, the coffee retail outlet that has been designed by the famous Italian architect and designer Marco Lucchi to provide customers with a comfortable and relaxing ambience. Offering an insight into how the culture of coffee drinking takes place in Italy, Caffe Pascucci currently operates from around 100 outlets in over 20 countries.

Caffe Pascucci’s menu is ‘rich and endless’. One can taste the traditional plain espresso or have it with cream, mousse, coconut or chocolate, just to mention some of the extra ingredients. At Pascucci’s one can also enjoy tea, iced tea and coffee together with many other delectable coffee based recipes. The experience at Caffe Pascucci is a delight for the senses.

In addition to varieties of espresso coffee, Caffe Pascucci also offers a range of teas, pastries, cakes and Italian food. The menu has a truly Italian choice when it comes to the food, from freshly made Italian salads and sandwiches, lasagne and piadina to a wide range of home made pasta prepared onsite our well trained chefs.

Some of the key factors which differentiate a Caffe Pascucci Coffee Shop from other coffee outlets in India are – the usage of Pascucci’s exclusive blend, consisting of a range of coffee beans sourced from many countries across the globe and roasted in a unique process in Pascucci’s ultra modern roasting plant, in Montecerignone. All coffee used in the blends are selected through a rigorous process, from the plantation stage itself. The recipes are a result of continuous research by a team of dedicated coffee experts. The menu is updated on a regular basis. Pascucci’s chocolate drinks are unique in taste and consistency. All baristas are trained by the Pascucci Espresso School.