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With not much space outside for kids to play, the kids should not limit their physical activity. With such a wide range of products available today you can design a perfect getaway for your kids in a separate room.

There are online stores which offer game tables which you can keep in your game rooms, these also supply home fitness equipment. Your kid’s room can have game tables for air hockey, pool, shuffle board, table tennis. There are 3 in 1, 4 in 1, 9 in 1 and also 14 in1 multi game tables also. These game tables have pool, table tennis, push hockey, football, bowling, chess, backgammon, shuffle board, and draughts with all the accessories included.

While buying, care should be taken to ensure that these are of good height and ergonomically designed otherwise these are bad for kids posture when he will be spending much time on playing games. Stores selling home fitness equipment also keep these game tables. These game tables will liven up your game room and kids will be happy spending hours inside the room. The game room can have kid games like board games, strategy games, and RC toys, classic games like monopoly, scrabble, and trivial pursuit. Even adults can play these games with kids which teach them very important lessons of life.

I seem to be getting so many invitations at the moment. I love going out to places but sometimes wonder how, in this time of economic crisis, how people can afford to have parties and celebrations. I am not begrudging them, I mean it is nice to have something else to think about rather than the state of the world economy and one`s own bank balance but by throwing a party you are likely to be worrying about it even more in the future. I have received two party invitations just this week and I am worrying about the expense of buying a present and a new outfit – goodness know how the people throwing the party will afford everything that they will need.

I guess I should just decide to enjoy it and not worry about that sort of thing for them. I am hoping that I can get a new outfit that will suit both of these parties. I have also received a graduation invitation and if I decide to go, I am hoping that it will be suitable for that as well. Goodness there is so much going on lately and so much socialising to do, it should be great fun!

I am looking for a DVD player to buy for my husband for his birthday. Ours has been ruined by the children stuffing all sorts of things in to t and it makes a nasty noise when it plays DVD’s which is not good. I figured that rather than tell him that the children have broken it, I will buy him a Taiyo Yuden DVD which is one that he has wanted for ages and pretend that it was a special treat to replace the cheap one that we bought before because we were skint.

Hopefully he will not see through my plan and will be so overawed by the DVD Yuden that he will not even bother about chucking the old one away. I will have to make sure that the children look after the new one or perhaps that they are not allowed to touch it at all. Although I can be a bit heavy handed with things myself – maybe I should keep the old one for me and the boys and let my husband be the only one allowed to touch the new one!

You can pick up after your pooch and make sure he plays nice, but it’s your dog’s breed that truly speaks volumes about what kind of owner you are.

Got a Beagle? You are inquisitive and willing to learn new things. The Beagle is constantly questioning. If you own one of these dogs, chances are you are a curious, willful person who is loyal to friends, tough on enemies and pretty stubborn.

In Pictures: What Your Dog Says About You

In Pictures: America’s Most Popular Pups

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In Pictures: What Your Car Says About You

Those with Cocker Spaniels are family oriented and nurturing. Gentle, playful and sweet in demeanor, this breed is the perfect size for smaller children. Owners of these dogs display the same affectionate qualities as their pups.

In Pictures: What Your Dog Says About You

In Pictures: America’s Most Popular Pups

It appears affection–and an affinity for a pet–go a long way when times are tough.

“Pets have become more like family than an animal left in the dog house in the backyard,” says Daisy Okas, assistant vice president of communications at the American Kennel Club (AKC). “Just as people are not going to skimp on their children, they are not going to cut back on their dog.”

Humans are so devoted to their canine counterparts that despite the economic downturn, it seems pet owners aren’t willing to cut back on canine-related expenditures.

In fact, spending on pet supplies and over-the-counter medicines is expected to reach $10.5 billion by the end of this year, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers’ Association. In 2007, spending reached about $9.9 billion.

What does this say about us?

“Animals provide a consistency to the ups and downs of our life, whether that’s the downturn in the economy or job stress,” says Shari Curran, director of Therapet Foundation, a Whitehouse, Texas-based not-for-profit that provides animal-assisted therapy. “They don’t care whether you won or lost a bunch of money in the stock market; they provide unconditional love and react the same way every time you come home.”

Dogs are such an important part of many families that even President-elect Obama felt his daughters would need a furry friend when they move into the White House. They are likely to choose a hypo-allergenic breed like a poodle or miniature schnauzer, given his daughter Malia’s allergies.

But the breed the Obamas choose will also affect how they are perceived by the country. That’s because owners typically identify with animals who have similar personality traits, quirks and physical activity levels, Okas says. To identify which breeds bestow which qualities, we asked the AKC and ASPCA for insight. Their answers are based on scientific studies of breed behavior and the buying habits of pet owners.

Canine Characteristics Owners of Golden Retrievers, for instance, tend to be social butterflies who prefer to be in group settings, while Chihuahua owners are often mischief-makers, taking after their high-energy canine.

“All toy breeds were bred to be companions,” says Okas. “So Chihuahuas, along with Pomeranians and Maltese, may have a hard time being home alone all day.”

Poodles, America’s choice for the next presidential dog according to a survey conducted in August of more than 42,000 Americans by the AKC, tend to have owners who are detail-oriented and appreciate art and culture.

But the type of breed does not always tell the whole story.

Dr. Emily Weiss, Ph.D, certified applied animal behaviorist and senior director of shelter research and development at the ASPCA, advises those seeking a new member of the family “look at the individual dog and their personality and characteristics, not just the generalizations of the breed.”

Since each individual dog has its own unique personality, regardless of its breed, it’s essential you spend time with the pup in order to evaluate if its energy level, amount of training and disposition are a good fit.

In Pictures: What Your Dog Says About You

In Pictures: America’s Most Popular Pups

Bengali filmmaker Sudipto Chattopadhyay shot a scene at an actual Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata to bring a sense of authenticity to his forthcoming film ‘Sonagachi’, which revolves around the lives of prostitutes working in the maze of back alleys scattered around the city’s red light district.

‘After shooting at the actual location, the scene looks so natural. The crowd and the puja have added authenticity to the film,’ said Chattopadhyay, who has also made the yet-to be-released ‘Pankh’.

A source close to the film added: ‘Durga puja is an important part of the film. Sudipto thought that rather than hiring junior artistes and creating an artificial set that would cost the company a lot of money, why not shoot at the actual location in Kolkata, which will be live and real.’

‘Sonagachi’, produced by Sanjay Gupta’s White Feather Films, stars actresses like Indrani Haldar and Rupa Ganguly.

MTV Networks announced on Thursday a deal to use songs by 60s group The Beatles in a custom video game similar to its popular “Rock Band” video, marking the band’s first key plunge into digital music.

There is no set release date or sale price for the game, but it is due to be ready for a worldwide release in about a year, said MTV Networks and The Beatles’ Apple, which handles the affairs of the group that broke up in 1970.

The companies released few details about the game — which will be a custom video and not a “Rock Band” brand game — saying it is still in development. They would only say that it will be an “interactive music making game.”

“Rock Band” — which is developed by MTV’s Harmonix and published by Electronic Arts Inc and competes against Activision Blizzard Inc’s rival “Guitar Hero” video — lets fans play plastic guitars along with music on TV screens.

Jeff Jones, chief executive of Apple Corps Ltd, said while he could not say how many songs would be used in the custom game, it would use music from throughout The Beatles’ career.

“This game will take you on a journey from The Beatles first album ‘Please, Please Me’ all the way through the last album ‘Abbey Road.’ It will span samples of the whole catalog all the way through,” Jones said.

MTV Networks, owned by Viacom Inc’s, said the game was creatively conceived by former Beatles Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr and the wives of late Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison.

“The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out,” McCartney said in a statement.

Starr said it was wonderful that The Beatles’ legacy “will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerized world we live in. Let the games commence.”

While The Beatles’ video will be a custom game, other bands including classic rock veterans Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC and others have licensed their music to “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band.”

Pop music fans consider The Beatles one of the greatest rock bands ever. Surviving members of the group as well as its representatives have jealously guarded the distribution of their music online.

For example, Beatles songs are unavailable on Apple Inc’s iTunes over concerns by the band members and others close to them that the songs could be easily pirated.

When asked about plans for the digital distribution of The Beatles catalog, Jones said “We’re still working out the details, we have no announcement to make, we have not date or any information, we’re still working on the details.”

Scottish fabric maker Holland & Sherry, which has ventured into the Indian high-end male apparel segment with suit lengths costing a whopping Rs.3 million ($61,662), hopes to record sales of $3 million within two years.

‘We are currently in the introductory phase of entering the Indian market. We are looking forward to partner with high-end retailers and tailors in India and once the network is well established we expect to reach a figure of $3 million (in sales) in two years.’ Holland & Sherry marketing director Malcolm Campbell told IANS in an e-mail interview.

“The annual turnover of Holland & Sherry is $72 million and is set to grow to $108 million over the next three years, with the new Indian market playing a leading role in its astonishing growth,” he added.

The Holland & Sherry collection will be retailed in India by leading textile company Digjam Ltd.

However, venturing into the Indian market was not an easy task for the brand as a lot of research went behind in studying the different cloth markets across the world.

“We had been on the lookout for business partnerships across the globe and after an in-depth study of markets in South Asia, Russia and the Middle East. It was unanimously decided that India would be best suited, given its growing economy, increasing purchasing power and its sophistication,’ Campbell maintained.

The brand has also worked out its strategy to make a major impact in the Indian market with its collection.

“Having launched our products in Delhi, we will very soon announce the launch of the Holland & Sherry brand in other metros like Mumbai and Kolkata. Our goal is to be present in every regional market in India in a time frame of three years, which would include cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Ahmedabad among others,” Campbell said.

Considering the celebrity brand endorsements in the clothing segment across the world, Holland & Sherry does not have a known face as its representative.

“We believe that Holland & Sherry does not need a brand ambassador as it enjoys a niche and loyal clientele that swear by its high-quality and exquisite range of products.

“It has, over the years, supplied some of the finest clothes to stars of the stage, television and the silver screen like Sean Connery, Johnny Depp, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson,” Campbell said.

Sharing the mantra for the garment’s success over a manufacturing and distribution period spanning over 170 years, Campbell said: “The quality of our products and our customised approach has given us the reputation of becoming the ‘custom textile designers of the merchant business and this helps us expand our loyal customer base multifold.”

Online gamblers are at an increased risk of getting addicted to the game than their casino going counterparts, shows a new study.

The study found that online gamblers (pajama gamblers) who play the game from the comfort of their home think that they’re more in control of their gambling, thereby seeking the anonymity home computers provide.

The study has been published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Authors June Cotte (University of Western Ontario) and Kathryn A. Latour (University of Nevada-Las Vegas) found surprisingly little previous research on their subject: the habits and motivations of online gamblers.

Their study found that, unlike casino gamblers, who seek thrills and social experiences, online gamblers seek the anonymity their home computers provide.

“For casino gamblers, gambling provides a perceived social connection with unknown others in a sense of shared fates and temporary community. Online gamblers, on the contrary, perceive a lack of social connections in the online realm,” the researchers said.

The researchers conducted a study of 30 Las Vegas gamblers. Ten were online gamblers and 20 were casino gamblers, and all considered themselves to be regular gamblers. The study involved in-depth interviews using visual images and collages created by the participants.

In the course of the study, the authors found significant differences in perceptions and attitudes between people who gamble in casinos and people who gamble on their home computers.

Because sensations are not as intense in online gambling, online gamblers tend to play for longer amounts of time, and they think they’re more in control of their gambling, the authors found.

The authors believe that regulating online gambling may remove the excitement of doing something illicit.

“When gambling consumption moves into the home, gambling behavior becomes a part of everyday living. When not seen as reserved solely as behavior for an outing, gambling is more likely to become an insidiously integrated component of a consumer’s life,” the authors conclude.

The study has been published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Friends and colleagues of Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan have wished him speedy recovery as he was admitted to a Mumbai hospital Saturday with severe abdominal pain.

Amitabh was celebrating his 66th birthday with his family at his Prateeksha residence when he complained of severe pain. Though the reason for the stomach pain is still unclear, most colleagues feel it could be due to overwork.

Music director-singer Shekhar Ravijani of Vishal-Shekhar duo, who had recently accompanied the actor on their worldwide Unforgettable concert tour, told IANS that he had called the family to check up on Amitabh’s health and there was nothing to worry about.

“We have called up and checked. Everything is fine. Otherwise we would have been with him. He has just gone to the hospital for a routine check up. Nothing serious,” said Shekhar.

“It’s his birthday today. It’s so sad that he has to be in hospital! My brave soldier, excellent co-star should get well very soon. Maybe it has happened due to the workload, but you can’t stop him from working hard because it is in his nature,” actress Nafisa Ali, who has played Amitabh’s wife in “Major Saab”, said.

Punjabi pop singer Daler Mehndi, who shared screen space with the actor in a song “Masti bhari raat hai” in “Mrityudaata” in 1997, feels the same.

He said: “It might be due to exertion. With the kind of profession we are in, it requires loads of travelling, assignments, shoots and erratic food timings that do take a toll on a person’s body.

“Amitabh-ji is a very energetic person but maybe because of stress and workload, he has fallen ill. My good wishes are with him.”

Aman Verma, who essayed the role of his son in two films - “Baghban” and “Baabul”, feels the veteran’s illness is due to his “stressful life”.

“Why are you all hyping it up? Let’s all be positive about the issue. He is a man above 65 years of age and it could just be a mild case of food poisoning.

“He works a lot. Maybe this illness is a combination of fatigue and stress or maybe he ate something that did not suit his body. I hope he gets well soon as we all need him around,” Aman said.

“Amitabh is a fighter,” says filmmaker Ravi Chopra, who has directed the actor in most of his films including “Baghban”, “Baabul” and “Bhoothnath” among the recent ones.

“I am very sure that he will be okay. You cannot say that stress and workload is responsible for this because work is something that keeps him healthy,” he said.

Actress Shefali Shah, who played his wife in “Waqt: The Race Against Time” and was also in his most recent release “The Last Lear”, was unaware of the actor’s illness when IANS contacted her.

“I am not aware of his illness but I hope he gets well soon. I am no one to comment on it. The doctors should tell what has happened. All I can wish is a speedy recovery for him. We all know that he is an incredible person and has very high energy levels,” she said.

Visit a ‘Stan. Sail somewhere. Journey through the Basque country or the Bay of Fires in Tasmania. Eschew the art museums for temporary exhibits.

The travel gurus at Lonely Planet have come up with what they say is the definitive list of what to do and where to go in 2009, and in a condensed format for today’s time-strapped travellers.

The “Best in Travel 2009″, published this month, is a compilation of lists of 850 destinations, journeys and experiences recommended by the guide book publishers. And the longest entry is two pages long.

“We want people to open the book, point their finger and come up with something different every time,” Ben Handicott, Lonely Planet associate publisher, told Reuters by telephone.

“We want people to be able to dip in and out of content, to basically be able to get some ideas and plan their trip on the plane. I guess it’s the effect of the Internet.”

As well as lists such as “Most Spine-Tingling Commutes” and “Best Places for Deadly Sins”, the guide book includes the top 10 countries, and top 10 regions, travellers must visit next year. There is also a month-by-month trip planner, as well as country profiles and statistics.

Unlike more in-depth guides, there are no restaurant or hotel recommendations.

One of the highlights of the book is a section dedicated to water, aimed at today’s more environmentally conscious travellers, Handicott said.

“Climate change is an issue affecting all of us and water is such a major issue everywhere these days,” he said. “Water is also just a great traveller. Some of the first significant travel of humanity took place over water.”

Tony Wheeler, Lonely Planet’s co-founder, introduces the book with his own list, which includes visiting a country whose name ends in “-stan” such as Afghanistan or Kyrgyzstan, finding a trip that involves sailing, such as a trans-Atlantic cruise, staying for a long time in one place to soak up the atmosphere or going on a long trip, such as a trek across the Sahara or a Cairo-to-Capetown bicycle ride.

Here are Lonely Planet’s list of top 10 countries to visit:

1. Algeria

2. Bangladesh

3. Canada

4. Georgia

5. Greenland

6. Kyrgyzstan

7. Oman

8. Peru

9. Rwanda

10. Sierra Leone