Women have made enormous ground in recent decades into the very heart of power. A prime example is Hillary Clinton who looks a good bet for the White House in 2009. Less in the public eye has been the march of women into top jobs on Wall Street. Here are just a few :

Sallie Krawcheck, Chairman of Global Wealth Management, Citigroup

Sallie Krawcheck is one of Wall Street’s survivors. She was moved from chief financial officer to her current wealth management role earlier in the year by then chairman Charles “Chuck” Prince, when many thought she was destined for the chop. She has kept her head down throughout the sub-prime fall-out, and appears strengthened as a result.

Rosemary Berkery, Vice-Chairman and General Counsel, Merrill Lynch

Has been with Merrill Lynch since 1983. Berkery rose up through Merrill’s legal department, and is now in charge of its legal and compliance functions, as well as overseeing global research.

Amy Woods Brinkley, Global Risk Management Executive, Bank of America

Woods Brinkley, in spite of her odd title, is part of Bank of America chief Ken Lewis’s eight-strong management team, and is in charge of the risk attached to the bank’s $1.5 trillion in assets. Given the focus on risk as a result of the sub-prime fall-out, her job is more important than ever.

Esta Stecher, Executive Vice-President, Goldman Sachs

Stecher, who is also the powerful bank’s general counsel, has run Goldman’s legal department since December 2000, having run its all-important tax division for six years prior to that. A loyal lieutenant of Goldman chief Lloyd Blankfein, her position within the bank makes her one of the most powerful women on the Street.

Abby Joseph Cohen, Chief US portfolio Strategist, Goldman Sachs

Although her role does not place her within the upper echelons of the Goldman management strata, she is one of the best known female economists. Famed for predicting the bull market of the early 1990s, she then failed to predict the dotcom crash, earning the nickname “Abby Joseph Blowin” for her continuous bullish predictions.

Meredith Whitney, Financial Services Analyst, CIBC World Markets

One of the rising female stars, Whitney was the only analyst to call Citigroup’s balance sheet into question, prompting a $369bn global stock market fall-out, and the resignation of Citi chief Charles “Chuck” Prince. It cannot be long before one of the bulge bracket banks snaps her up from her current Canadian employer, in the way that Deutsche Bank did with Prudential’s outspoken banking analyst Mike Mayo earlier this year.

Linda Chatman Thomsen, Director of Enforcement, Securities and Exchange Commission

One of the most feared women in town, Thomsen is SEC chairman Chris Cox’s rottweiler. The Harvard graduate has a stellar legal pedigree. In her current job since May 2005, she will play a key role in going after firms and individuals as part of the continuing sub-prime fall-out.

Information : Daily telegraph.

According to the latest research, “experts” say that women need to be complimented five times a day.

Nine out of ten women say they love to be complimented. However, according to the research, carried out by Loire Valley White Wines, only 16 percent thought they received their five a day.

Worse, two-thirds thought they were being complimented less than they were five years ago, and believed gentle flattery was becoming a lost art.

Clearly feminism has a lot to answer for, because men now believe a compliment will cause offence. On the other side of the fence, most women are highly likely to suspect the motives of anyone offering an admiring comment.

Relationship expert Christine Webber says, “In my experience, women do care a great deal about what people think about them. A compliment massively boosts self-esteem. And while it may seem frivolous, it is in fact a vital ingredient for well-being.”

She adds that many men are terrified of an innocent remark being wrongly interpreted. “I think political correctness and fear of saying the wrong thing is the main cause of men failing to compliment women who are not their partners.”

Miss Webber should be complimented on the accuracy of her observations.

It’s a depressing fact of life that varicose veins are rarely absent from the legs of fifty-something women.

The conventional surgical treatment is even more worrying, requiring an incision into the groin, plus multiple incisions in the legs.

Now a new laser procedure means only a tiny nick in the leg is needed. EndoVenous Laser Treatment (EVLT) is carried out under local anaesthetic and takes only two hours in hospital.

A nurse who underwent the treatment, writes : “First, they measured me for the stocking they were going to put on my leg afterwards, which would minimise any bruising.

“Once in theater, another ultrasound scan was done of my leg to find the best place to enter the vein. [The surgeon] marked the point with a surgical marker pen and I was given a local anaesthetic, so I couldn’t feel anything. Then I was placed on my side. [He] made a small incision, level with my knee, and threaded a guide wire and then the laser through my vein.

“I couldn’t see what was happening as I had drapes over me. I was given a pair of goggles to protect my eyes from the laser, then the lights were switched off and the laser switched on. The procedure took just a few minutes. Then, when the vein was sealed, [the surgeon] switched the laser off. Lastly, he removed the wire containing the laser and put a sticky skin fastener over the incision.

“I then got off the operating table and walked to the recovery bay. I’d arrived at 12.30pm and was ready to leave two hours later. Initially, my leg was numb, but feeling in it returned after an hour or so.”

This procedure will make a huge difference to many women.

A leading U.S. dermatologist claims that by ditching sugar from your diet, you can look ten years younger in ten days.

And it isn’t just by losing weight but because : “In a nutshell, sugar hastens the degradation of elastin and collagen, both key skin proteins. In other words, it actively ages you,” he says.

In his new book, 10 Minutes/Ten Years: Your Definitive Guide to a Better and Youthful Appearance, Dr Fredric Brandt says he saw a remarkable change in his own skin when he dropped sugar from his diet. He lost 20lb in weight, but also saw a new glow, radiance and elasticity in his face. Within a year, his body had changed as well.

“I’m really lean and have the body of a teenager, although I’m in my 40s. … Believe me, it’s cheaper than a facelift.”

He continues, “The sugar triggers a process in the body called glycation. This is where the sugar molecules bind to your protein fibres — those wonderfully springy and resilient collagen and elastin fibres — which are the building blocks of skin.”

But it gets worse. Just by overheating starchy foods or grilling them, the sugar content mutates producing Advanced Glycation End products, AGEs, which do immense harm to the skin.

A word to the wise.