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December 3, 2009

Aliens seen - Vancouver Island


A flying object is seen on Vancouver Island, British Columbia in this October 8, 1981 photo. In May 2006, the British Ministry of Defence made public a top secret report on UFOs, concluding that three decades of sightings had failed to produce evidence of visiting extraterrestrials


An aerial view shows circles created in a grain field near the north Czech town of Liberec, 110km (70 miles) north of Prague, in this picture taken from a remote helicopter June 30, 2008. The origin of the circles remains unknown.

Original titles: Aliens are already on the earth, Bulgarian scientists claim
Photos: Xinhua/Reuters File Photo
Editor: Rob Welham
For full story & narration from xinhuanet.com

November 22, 2009

Baby urgently needs RM30,000 for heart operation


Baby urgently needs RM30,000 for heart operation


Source: http://www.nst.com.my/

November 18, 2009

Science and Faith

Once Science said to Faith:

"My eye can see all that is in this world;
The Entire world is within my net.
I am only concerned with material things,
What have I to do with spiritual matters?
I can strike a thousand melodies,
And openly proclaim all the secrets that I learn."

Faith said:

"With your magic even the waves in the sea are set ablaze,
You can pollute the atmosphere with foul, poisonous gases.
When you associated with me, you were light,
When you broke off from me, your light became fire.
You were of Divine origin,
But you have been caught in the clutches of Shaytan.
Come, make this wasteland a garden once again.
Borrow from me a little of my ecstasy,
And in the world set up a paradise.
From the day of creation we have been associates,
We are the low and high tunes of the same melody."

by Iqbal

Vitamin C - The Medical Benefits



Vitamin C is perhaps the most famous—and the most misunderstood—of all the vital nutrients. Get the facts here.
Collection of illumistream

Hyperactiver Marienkäfer



This video is so funny, enjoy it!
Collection of Slombie

November 17, 2009

Dream Fable

Dream Fable

I saw myself in a wide green garden, more beautiful than I could begin to understand. In this garden was a young girl. I said to her, "How wonderful this place is!"

"Would you like to see a place even more wonderful than this?" she asked.

"Oh yes," I answered. Then taking me by the hand, she led me on until we came to a magnificent palace, like nothing that was ever seen by human eyes. The young girl knocked on the door, and someone opened it. Immediately both of us were flooded with light.

Only Allah knows the inner meaning of the maidens we saw living there. Each one carried in her hand a serving-tray filled with light. The young girl asked the maidens where they were going, and they answered her, "We are looking for someone who was drowned in the sea, and so became a martyr. She never slept at night, not one wink! We are going to rub funeral spices on her body."

"Then rub some on my friend here," the young girl said.

"Once upon a time," said the maidens, "part of this spice and the fragrance of it clung to her body -- but then she shied away."

Quickly the young girl let go of my hand, turned, and said to me:

"Your prayers are your light;
Your devotion is your strength;
Sleep is the enemy of both.
Your life is the only opportunity that life can give you.
If you ignore it, if you waste it,
You will only turn to dust."

Then the young girl disappeared.

by Rabi'ah al Adawiyya

Source: islamicedfoundation.com

My Beloved

My Beloved

My peace, O my brothers and sisters, is my solitude,
And my Beloved is with me always,
For His love I can find no substitute,
And His love is the test for me among mortal beings,
Whenever His Beauty I may contemplate,
He is my "mihrab", towards Him is my "qiblah"
If I die of love, before completing satisfaction,
Alas, for my anxiety in the world, alas for my distress,
O Healer (of souls) the heart feeds upon its desire,
The striving after union with Thee has healed my soul,
O my Joy and my Life abidingly,
You were the source of my life and from Thee also came my ecstasy.
I have separated myself from all created beings,
My hope is for union with Thee, for that is the goal of my desire.

by Rabi'ah al Adawiyya
Source: islamicedfoundation.com

The sad saga of Helen Smith

Nov 15, 2009
WAN A. HULAIMI: Elsewhere
The sad saga of Helen Smith finally laid to rest

2009/11/15

Wan A. Hulaimi

LAST Monday, Ron Smith in a red scarf that glowed even in the soft light of fall leant on a stick and walked his slow paces, troubled and stooped by the weight of his illness and years.

He had come to bury his past, and his future too, if I may add.

I can say that I know more than a little of what was going on in his head.

I met Ron at the height of his determination, and of his family's great sadness.

His spirit was strong and his mind dark, with thoughts that no parent should be made to bear; but he was reinforced by arguments and how things just did not add up.

He had been a policeman, and there was method in his search, some say madness, but Ron pushed back the pain and tears and drove down the 190 miles from Guiseley in his native Yorkshire to London and parked his Volvo beneath the window of our flat.

You may still remember nurse Helen Smith. She was the nurse who was found dead in the street below the balcony of the flat of a British surgeon in Jeddah, the morning after an alleged drunken party.

Not far from her was another body, of Dutch tugboat captain Johannes Otten, impaled on some railing spikes.

Last Monday, Ron and his family members gathered together to say their last farewell to poor Helen, 30 years after Jeddah.

Stooped and slow now with age and a serious kidney ailment, Ron said what he had always believed: that his daughter did not fall from the balcony during a drunken embrace but was murdered, and even probably raped.

There's little chance now of his going round the world again to prove that.

As I sat him in our lounge, this bluff man with piercing eyes, he gave a long, detailed description of how Helen's injuries were inconsistent with her fall. I tried to look for pain, a hint even in his voice, of the sadness that was within.

His eyes twinkled with the light of his driven self -- he was tough, this former policeman from Guiseley, and it was this toughness that had borne this awesome weight.

He spoke sometimes with a humour that I could not fathom of how ridiculous the establishment version of the story was; in grief he had his balance yet, the man who was to keep the body of his daughter frozen for 30 years still had a sense of fun and a sense of place.

I was taken to Ron by a man who is also now sadly dead. Paul Foot was probably his generation's best, a serious and a funny man from a colourful family that had contributed a lawyer, a diplomat and a politician to Britain, all famous in their turn.


Paul was in the left of left of British politics, but he was also a founder member of the satirical magazine Private Eye, that strange mix of serious journalism and debunking fun.

When I spoke to Paul he said I must meet Ron Smith as there was a Malaysian twist in the narrative. In fact it was Paul's exposures in Private Eye that held Ron back from burying Helen.

In his book The Helen Smith Story, Paul mentioned Wan Hulaimi, "a young Malaysian journalist". (Well, I told you we are going back now more than a few weeks.) And that was the small part, a very small part that I played in the story of Helen Smith.

Ron wanted to go to Malaysia to follow the trail of Helen's death. In Jeddah she had become friendly with a Malaysian nurse and there were questions that Ron wanted to ask him that he felt could shed more light on what had happened that night in the Jeddah flat.

The story so far had all the trappings of intrigue: CIA divers and British intelligence, a prominent British surgeon and his fun-loving wife, and allegedly one or two men in flowing white robes. And now it was the turn of a Malaysian male nurse.

I managed to get Ron a return ticket to Kuala Lumpur where he stayed for over a week.

There he spoke to this newspaper as I had asked him to, and the Ron Smith story ran and ran as they say, for almost a week, the longest and most detailed story yet in any newspaper of Helen's mysterious death.

Ron was elated when he came back, more determined than ever to fight on and to keep Helen's body in cryonic storage until the day came for another post-mortem that would prove him right.

Last Wednesday, Ron and his family members met again in Yorkshire, to scatter the ashes of Helen Smith, on Ilkla Moor Bar't'at (on Ilkey Moor without a hat) as they sing in the Yorkshire dialect...

Then we shall ha' to bury thee,

Then we shall ha' to bury thee,

On Ilkla Moor bar't'at.

Wan A. Hulaimi also writes under the pen name of Awang Goneng. He can be reached at elsewhere@columnist.com

Source: nst.com.my

November 14, 2009

Poker champion - World Series


Joe Cada, left, and Darvin Moon, right, go heads up during the World Series of Poker final table with dealer Jeannette Rivera at the Rio Hotel & Casino Monday, Nov. 9, 2009 in Las Vegas.


Joe Cada, a 21-year old poker professional from Michigan, poses with bundles of cash after winning $8.5 million in prize money at the World Series of Poker tournament at the Rio hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Nevada November 9, 2009. Darvin Moon, a 45-year-old logger from Maryland, came in second place.

Editor: Fang Yang
Source: www.chinanews.com.cn/Reuters photo
My source: news.xinhuanet.com

Like to see a lot of money but halal will come first -rb



Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

November 12, 2009

Homely Beast

Original title: Beast in their own home
Submitted by pekwan on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Girls allege their father abused them sexually
Muzliza Mustafa
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 07:40:00

SHE was only nine when her father allegedly started to treat her as a sex slave to satisfy his bizarre sexual needs.

It went on for two years until the Standard Five pupil of a primary school in Setapak could not stand the pressure of keeping the secret and spilled it all to her school teacher recently.

Accompanied by her teacher and her mother, the girl — who is now 11 — went to the Wangsa Maju police station to lodge a report against her father yesterday.

The girl, the elder of two children, claimed her father had not only abused her for no apparent reason, but also
forced her to perform oral sex on him.

She claimed that the father, an ex-serviceman in his 40s, also sodomised her repeatedly since she was nine at their flat in Setapak.

The latest assault was a few months ago when the mother, a factory worker in her 30s, was at work.

The sad part was, she was not the only victim. The girl said her younger sister, now aged nine, was also used
by their father to satisfy his “bizarre” sexual needs.

All the incidents are said to have occurred at their flat in Setapak while their mother was out at work.

A police source said the father, who was discharged from duty due to disciplinary problems, had not only sexually abused his daughters but had also hit and kicked them for no apparent reason.

It is not known when the father, who currently works as a bouncer, was discharged from duty.

It is learnt that the mother knew what was happening but never brought the matter to police attention.

The source said the girls have been sent to hospital for checkup and observation after their statements were
recorded by a Kuala Lumpur police headquarters Rape, Sexual and Child Abuse Investigation Unit investigation
officer last night.

Police would be contacting Welfare Department officers for further action. Sentul police deputy chief Supt Zainuddin Ahmad, confirmed that a report had been lodged on the case but declined to give further details.

Source: mmail.com.my/

Hamster's Villa


French architect Frederic Tabary poses inside the "Hamster's Villa", imagined and conceived by Tabary together with architect Yann Falquerho, during an interview with Reuters in Nantes, western France, November 8, 2009. For 99 euros ($148) a night, guests can sleep in the 18th century caretaker's room designed to give the impression of living in a hamster's cage, complete with a 2-metre wheel to run in. Picture taken November 8, 2009.


French architect Frederic Tabary poses inside the "Hamster's Villa", imagined and conceived by Tabary together with architect Yann Falquerho, during an interview with Reuters in Nantes, western France, November 8, 2009.

Original title: Having a taste of sleeping in "Hamster's Villa"
Photos:Xinhua/Reuters
Editor: Lu Hui
Source: news.xinhuanet.com/english

November 9, 2009

Baboon baby to be bottle fed


Kira, a 5-day-old baboon, is fed by an employee of the Royev Ruchey Zoo in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk November 5, 2009. Kira's mother refused to feed her cub and now it will be bottle fed.


Kira, a 5-day-old baboon baby, is fed by an employee of the Royev Ruchey Zoo in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk November 5, 2009. Kira's mother refused to feed her cub and now it will be bottle fed.

Photos: Xinhua/Reuters Photo
Editor: Fang Yang

Source: news.xinhuanet.com/

November 4, 2009

Claude Lévi-Strauss


Claude Lévi-Strauss, the social anthropologist, who died on October 31 aged 100, was one of the dominating postwar influences in French intellectual life and the leading exponent of Structuralism in the social sciences; his work inspired a school of academic followers in the 1960s and 1970s in disciplines ranging from music to literary criticism.


His originality was to interpret myth and custom not so much as the distinct creation of a particular culture, but as different expressions of images universally innate to homo sapiens. In elucidating these common mental structures he relied less on meticulous observation in the field than upon a series of imaginative insights which were often greeted with scepticism in the pragmatic Anglo-Saxon world.

The true meaning of myth, Lévi-Strauss held, lay below the narrative surface, and was to be detected by considering the changes apparent in different versions of the same legend. In his own metaphor, he studied the relationship between various narratives rather as a musician would seek to weave together different instrumental parts to form a symphony.

Though comprehensiveness was the very essence of Lévi-Strauss’s approach, his researches were concentrated chiefly on various tribes of Amerindians. He maintained that the structure of the human mind was more easily elicited in “cold” primitive societies, where the existing way of life was not questioned, than in the “hot” societies of the developed world, where the pursuit of progress undermined stability.

Lévi-Strauss’s principal anthropological monument is Les Mythologiques, a four-volume work which demands from the reader both penetration and faith. The first volume, Le Cru et le Cuit (1964), presents the origins of cookery as a paradigm of the transition from nature to culture that runs through a legion of myths.

The second volume, Du Miel aux Cendres (1966), considers honey and tobacco as ritual embodiments of fundamental antitheses pre-existing in the brain.

The third volume, L’Origine des manières de table (1968), and the fourth, L’Homme Nu (1971), concentrate on the North American Indians. The same myths, Lévi-Strauss insisted, manifested themselves in both North and South America, but “from one region to the other an interior transformation evolved deep within them”.

Whereas for the South American Indians the advent of civilisation is symbolised by the passage from the raw to the cooked, for the North Americans it is represented by the invention of ornmanents and clothing, and eventually by the introduction of trade.

The text of Les Mythologiques was littered, though hardly illuminated, by all manner of visual aids — diagrams, arrows, charts of the night sky, fragments of algebra, and an array of small boxes shaded with hatchings and cross-hatchings.

While Lévi-Strauss’s capacity for creating complex intellectual jigsaws was never in question, it was not always obvious what relation his hypotheses bore to reality. The English anthropologist Sir Edmund Leach drew attention to the Frenchman’s propensity for discovering exactly what he was searching for.

“Any evidence, however dubious,” Leach complained, “is acceptable so long as it fits with logically calculated expectations; but wherever the data runs counter to the theory, Lévi-Strauss will either bypass the evidence or marshal the full resources of his powerful invective to have the heresy thrown out of court.”

Lévi-Strauss himself accepted the limits of his method. “The idea behind structuralism”, he explained, “is that there are things we may not know but we can learn how they are related to each other. This has been used by science since it existed and can be extended to a few other studies — linguistics and mythology — but certainly not to everything.

“The great speculative structures are made to be broken. There is not one of them that can hope to last more than a few decades, or at most a century or two.”

The son of a painter, Claude Lévi-Strauss was born in Brussels on November 28 1908. When the First World War broke out he was sent to Paris to live with his grandfather, a rabbi, in whose household he soon lost his faith. He was educated at the Lycée Janson de Sailly in Paris and at the Sorbonne, where he read Law and Philosophy. As a teenager he became interested in Freudian psychoanalysis and Marxism.

After completing his studies, Lévi-Strauss taught in secondary schools. Among his colleagues was Simone de Beauvoir, who remembered him warning his students “in a deadpan voice, and with a deadpan expression, against the folly of the passions”.

In 1934 Lévi-Strauss became Professor of Sociology at Sao Paulo University, which had recently been founded on a French initiative. During his four years with the faculty he travelled extensively in the interior of Brazil, visiting the communities of Caduveo and Bororo Indians.

In 1938 he resigned his Chair and embarked on a year-long expedition, funded by the French government, up the Rio Machado to the wilds of Matto Grosso, where he studied the Nambikwara and Kawahib tribes and encountered another, previously quite unknown to anthropology, whose members referred to themselves as Mundé.

The Second World War saw Lévi-Strauss as a French army officer, responsible for liaison with the British. After the fall of France he escaped to the United States, where he took up a visiting professorship at the New School for Social Research in New York City. In this post he was greatly influenced by Roman Jakobson, who had developed a mathematical view of language which stressed not so much the meaning of individual words as the overall configuration of the grammatical relationships between them.

Back in France after the war, Lévi-Strauss published La Vie familiale et sociale des Indiens Nambikwara (1948), and Les Structures Elémentaires de la parenté (1949). In opposition to “Functionalist” anthropologists, who argue that kinship systems are a response to differing patterns of social organisation, Lévi-Strauss contended, in the second book, that kinship systems reflected underlying principles of the human mind. A basic principle, he sought to demonstrate, was an unconscious – and therefore fundamental – aversion to incest (the incest taboo) which was interlinked with systems of exchange and gift-giving throughout the ages.

These in turn were symbolic gestures that underwrote the whole network of relationships that were the basis of human society. A work of enormous erudition if, at times, almost ludicrous complexity, it established Lévi-Strauss as one of the foremost anthropologists of his generation.

In 1950 he became director of the laboratory of Social Anthropology at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes at Paris University, and in the early 1950s did field work in East Pakistan and the South Pacific. His short study, Race et Histoire, was published by Unesco in 1952.

Then, three years later, came his masterpiece, Tristes Tropiques — translated into English by John Russell as A World on the Wane (1961).

This was an intellectual autobiography concentrated on his pre-war travels in Brazil. Lévi-Strauss described how the book sprang out of depression: “So I said, 'I had enough, I shall never come to anything, so I can write very freely about whatever passes through my head.’ I wrote without scientific scruples, without worrying whether the result was scientifically sound. The result was a sort of wild fantasy.”

In the book, Lévi-Strauss formulated his distinction between “Nature” and “Culture” based on language and man’s unique ability to see an object not merely as itself, but also as a symbol. It was in this ability to symbolise, a characteristic shared by all humans, no matter how primitive, that he sought the unconscious similarities of the human mind.

These “universal attributes” were the inspiration for Lévi-Strauss’s intellectual quest. But in detecting them, he was also accused of reductionism. Even his severest critics would not deny his importance, however, his immense influence beyond his chosen field, or the sense of intellectual excitement he was able to generate. This lay in his highly original interpretation of data, in the poetic scope of his associations and in his methodology, which was always capable of shedding new light on established facts even if his conclusions were sometimes subject to doubt.

By the time that Tristes Tropiques was published the tribes about which he wrote had largely succumbed to famine and disease, a fate which the author seemed to regard as a foreshadowing of that in store for Western culture.

“I knew that, slowly and steadily, humanity was breeding such situations as a sick body breeds pus,” he wrote. “It was as if our race was no longer able to cope with its own numbers... War and defeat had accelerated a universal process, and facilitated the establishment of an infection that would never again disappear from the face of the world.”

In 1958 Lévi-Strauss issued a collection of his essays under the title Anthropologie Structurale (1958, English translation 1964). Two years later he took over the Chair of Social Anthropology at the Collège de France; his inaugural lecture was published in Britain as The Scope of Anthropology (1967).

La Pensée Sauvage — the English translation of which, The Savage Mind, appeared in 1966 — was one of his most important books. It presented the complex totemism prevailing among Australian aborigines as the expression of the world view that orders and explains their everyday lives.

Lévi-Strauss’s later works included Anthropologie Structurale Deux (1967), La Voie des Masques (1975, English translation 1983), Le Regard Eloigné (1983), Paroles Données (1984), La Potière Jalouse (1985) and Histoire de Lynx (1991).

The sage’s views were never predictable. Asked to deliver the 1971 Unesco lecture on the causes of racism, he took the opportunity, even while condemning all forms of discrimination, to attack anti-racist propaganda for undermining “ancient individualism” and for driving humanity towards the insipid goal of a world civilisation.

He was appointed a member of the Légion d’honneur in 1964 and elected to the Academie Française in 1973, taking Henri de Montherland’s chair. In 1978 President Giscard d’Estaing solicited Lévi-Strauss’s aid to ensure that France remained “a lighthouse for the world in the evolution of ideas and societies, as it has done throughout its history”.

Lévi-Strauss did so by continuing to give lectures, write articles and indulge his love of music. His attempt to create a scientific basis for the study of culture was recognised by the Centre National de la Récherche Scientifique, which awarded him its Gold Medal, the highest French scientific distinction.

Though bound to Paris, Lévi-Strauss preferred to live in Burgundy. “I like trees, I like plants, I like animals,” he explained. “But I am not very fond of humans.”

Claude Lévi-Strauss married first, in 1932, Dina Dreyfus; secondly, in 1946, Rose Marie Ullmo — they had a son; and, thirdly, in 1954, Monique Roman, with whom he had another son.

Fully adopted from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/

October 30, 2009

Tiger Power - Kaziranga National Park





Date: 19 May, 2004... True Story behind the Kaziranga National Park - Tiger Attack - The Complete Video.

The forest department was combing the area with five elephants to locate a large female tiger which had killed two cows near their village. The team cautiously moved almost 20 feet where she was growling away. They took a shot at it with a dart gun and missed. This enraged the tiger so much that she charged and took a "flying" leap 12 feet above the ground on to the elephant's head. What's even more amazing is what happened next.



The moral from this incident, don't ever think that we are safe just because we have a big friend.

ballet - Hand in Hand ( mama Luv u )



Collection of semjase76
August 26, 2007

Performed by Ma Li (馬麗) and Zhai Xiaowei (翟孝偉). The music is composed by San Bao, his works include the music of the film - The Road Home directed by Zhang Yimou starred by Ziyi Zhang, this music i...
Performed by Ma Li (馬麗) and Zhai Xiaowei (翟孝偉).
The music is composed by San Bao, his works include the music of the film - The Road Home directed by Zhang Yimou starred by Ziyi Zhang, this music is originally from a very popular TV episodes in China, named Qian Shou (牵手 hand in hand).

Winner of Japanese talent show




Thumb up

President ordered Soldiers did




Duty of a Soldier to obey




Duty of a President to give instruction

Moral : Don't Simply give order, Every soul have it own guardian, we have to answer to Allah (God)for everything we have done on this world. Every individu must answer, must face the judgement day no matter he is muslim, christian or jews, any body.

Mr. Bean and the Invisible Drums


Mr. Bean finds a special drum set, while sweeping the floor

Channel Icon
Collection of calism23


Football - goal from 95 yards out


By Chris Chase

Southern Methodist University freshman Ryan Rosenbaum still has a lot of collegiate soccer ahead of him, but he'll be hard pressed to ever score as memorable a goal as he did Wednesday night.

Up 2-1 against No. 16 Tulsa, SMU was on its heels trying to keep the Hurricanes from setting up the equalizer in the 63rd minute of their Conference USA game. Tulsa controlled possession, but an errant pass found the freshman Rosenbaum, who attempted to clear the ball downfield. Things ended up working out slightly better than expected:





The goal, which was kicked from approximately 95 yards out, ended up being the game winner for SMU, who downed the 16th ranked Hurricanes, 3-2. Rosenbaum's kick had plenty of wind behind it (check out the American flag blowing behind the goal) and also benefited from a huge bounce that looked like it came more off concrete than grass.

It wasn't just Rosenbaum's first college goal, it was his first college shot on goal. The Tulsa game was just the fourth in which the freshman from Washington, D.C., had played. As a defender, he's not counted on for offense. Maybe he will be now.

Original title: Stunning soccer goal from 95 yards out
Source: sports.yahoo.com/.../Video-SMU-freshman-hits-95-yard-soccer-goal?

October 27, 2009

Cheer for killing innocent




A man from a country that proudly declare a democracy country cheer  for killing innocent on a what their leader said a mission to free the people.

October 24, 2009

Football - goal from 95 yards out


By Chris Chase

Southern Methodist University freshman Ryan Rosenbaum still has a lot of collegiate soccer ahead of him, but he'll be hard pressed to ever score as memorable a goal as he did Wednesday night.

Up 2-1 against No. 16 Tulsa, SMU was on its heels trying to keep the Hurricanes from setting up the equalizer in the 63rd minute of their Conference USA game. Tulsa controlled possession, but an errant pass found the freshman Rosenbaum, who attempted to clear the ball downfield. Things ended up working out slightly better than expected:





The goal, which was kicked from approximately 95 yards out, ended up being the game winner for SMU, who downed the 16th ranked Hurricanes, 3-2. Rosenbaum's kick had plenty of wind behind it (check out the American flag blowing behind the goal) and also benefited from a huge bounce that looked like it came more off concrete than grass.

It wasn't just Rosenbaum's first college goal, it was his first college shot on goal. The Tulsa game was just the fourth in which the freshman from Washington, D.C., had played. As a defender, he's not counted on for offense. Maybe he will be now.

Original title: Stunning soccer goal from 95 yards out
Source: sports.yahoo.com/.../Video-SMU-freshman-hits-95-yard-soccer-goal?

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

October 22, 2009

Heart Problem & Salt - a research result

By eNotAlone.com

The American Heart Association has announced the new statistics according to which a decrease of salt intake just by 1 gram, could lead to 250,000 fewer cases of heart problems and 200,000 fewer death cases in Americans over a decade.

A new study's led researcher, Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco, says that a very small reduction of the salt consumption, could have great benefits for health in the population. "It was a surprise to see the magnitude of the impact on the population, given the very small reductions in salt we were modeling," the scientist said.

For the investigation, a computer simulation, called the Coronary Heart Disease Policy Model, was used in order to figure out the impact of salt reduction by 0 grams to 6 grams on heart problems and deaths from heart disease. According to the model, there could be more than 800,000 "years of life saved between 2010 and 2019, for every single gram of salt taken out from meals. And if it came to six grams a day of salt removal from a diet, there would be 1.4 million fewer cases of heart disease and 1.1 million fewer lethal outcomes.

As to other numbers, it was revealed that cutting salt consumption just by 3 grams on a daily basis, would lead to six per cent fewer new cases of heart conditions, eight per cent fewer heart attacks and 3 per cent fewer mortality. These health improvements would be even more meaningful for African-American population, who are predisposed to high blood pressure and whose blood pressure is typically more sensitive to salt. In case of salt reduction, there would be a 10 per cent decrease in new cases of heart disease among African-Americans, 13 per cent fewer heart attacks and 6 per cent fewer mortality, reported the study.

Though there has been a lot of evidence that salt intake is linked to high blood pressure and heart disease, most of people still have continued to increase their use of salt during the past several decades, the researchers said. Salt consumption rates increased by 50 per cent since the 1970s. In the United States , adults consume, on an average basis, 9 to 12 grams of salt daily, which is equal to 3,600 to 4,800 milligrams of sodium intake. This amounts are far in excess than is recommended by many health organizations - 5 to 6 grams of salt a day, or 2,000 to 2,400 mg of sodium. There are 0.4 grams of sodium present in each gram of salt.

The authors strongly recommend that food industry takes important steps and considers reducing salt in processed foods. Dr. Bobbins-Domingo says that no matter how people try to cut their salt intake at home, it will be very hard to achieve a desired reduction, as most of salt they consume comes from processed foods, and not from the salt shaker. The study suggests that policy makers who regulate and control the food industry, will do a great favor to the U.S. population and contribute to their health, by decreasing even insignificant amounts of salt in their processed products.

The findings were presented this week at the American Heart Association's Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention annual conference, in Palm Harbor, Florida.

Source: http://www.enotalone.com/article/
Original title: Want To Avoid Heart Problems? Eat Less Salt

Startling starlings fly over China's Wuhan city


A flock of starlings fly in the sky above Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Oct. 16, 2009. Tens of thousands of starlings fly over Wuhan on Friday dusk. According to bird expert, the starlings fly to Wuhan from northern China and continue their journey to the south after staying in Wuhan for a while.


A flock of starlings fly in the sky above Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Oct. 16, 2009.


A flock of starlings fly in the sky above Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Oct. 16, 2009.


A flock of starlings fly in the sky above Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Oct. 16, 2009.


A flock of starlings fly in the sky above Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Oct. 16, 2009.

Photo: Xinhua/Jin Siliu
Editor: Chris
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/17

October 17, 2009

Urologist


Photo from http://science.kukuchew.com/


Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Prostate Cancer - How To Avoid - Naturally


How To Avoid Prostate Cancer - Naturally
By Wendy Owen

It’s much better to avoid any form of cancer than to try and treat it after it has appeared. Prostate cancer, however, is usually a slow growing form of cancer which responds well to treatment.

The first step in prostate cancer prevention is to improve your general health. Weight should be within the normal range for your height. If you are very overweight, see your doctor for advice and eat a healthy diet which is low in fatty or sugary foods. This combined with daily exercise such as walking and swimming should help.

Drink lots of water - water is vital for health. It prevents hunger and flushes toxins from the body. Six to eight glasses a day is ideal and tea and coffee doesn’t count towards this!

Cut down on alcohol. There’s nothing wrong with the odd drink, just don’t make it a daily habit.

Lycopene - found mainly in tomatoes is an antioxidant which has a proven beneficial effect on prostate health. Studies have shown that men who consume large doses of lycopene have a much lower incidence of prostate cancer.

Lycopene is not destroyed by cooking and is hence found in tomato sauce, tomato paste and in all your favorite Italian dishes!

Isoflavones found in soy beans and it’s products such as soy milk or tofu has a balancing effect on the body’s hormones. Isoflavones can counter excess testosterone which can lead to prostate cancer.

Beta-carotene found in carrots and other brightly coloured vegetables can stimulate T-helper cells which prevent the development of cancer.

Selenium is an extremely important micro nutrient which is only needed in tiny amounts. Selenium can be found in certain foods, but the soils in many areas in the world are deficient in this mineral and the food cannot absorb this mineral. Supplements are beneficial is this case.

And last, but not least, a person’s mental disposition can have a direct effect on the health of the body. Emotions such as anger, stress and depression can have a damaging effect on the immune system and can lead to diseases such as cancer or heart problems.

Try to let go of these damaging emotions. Practice relaxation exercises or learn Yoga or qigong. Qigong is a wonderful set of Chinese breathing exercises which can heal disease, whether physical or emotional, and allow you to experience great health.

So adopting certain changes of diet, ensuring you take supplements and keeping your emotions positive can all help in the prevention of prostate or indeed any other form of cancer.

Copyright 2006 Wendy Owen

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wendy_Owen
Original title: How To Avoid Prostate Cancer - Naturally

Prostate Cancer - Sign & Symptom



The Prostate Cancer Signs You Need To Look For

Prostate cancer signs are an indication of a serious health risk. There are many different signs of prostate cancer and some of these prostate cancer signs can seem minor and nothing to be concerned about.

But, since prostate cancer symptoms can cause so many men not to become alarmed, it makes prostate cancer very deadly, and it doesn't have to be.

Prior to looking at the various prostate cancer symptoms you need to be clear on what the prostate is and learn the basics about prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer begins after malignant cells start to form a tumor in your prostate gland. When prostate cancer is in your prostate gland it is known as localized prostate cancer.

In many cases prostate cancer signs will show up gradually over time and prostate cancer itself will develop at a slow pace. You have to keep in mind however, that once you do notice any signs of prostate cancer you see your doctor right away. Prostate cancer signs can turn into prostate cancer very quickly and spread to many other areas of your body.

Once prostate cancer has spread to other areas of your body, finding effective prostate cancer treatments becomes more difficult. That's because instead of just having to treat your prostate cancer, the cancer in the other areas now requires immediate attention as well. Early recognition of prostate cancer symptoms is therefore crucial.

Statistics on prostate cancer signs have shown that you will have approximately a 98% survival chance if the prostate cancer is indentified in its early stages. It really is critical to recognize the early signs of prostate cancer at get the treatment you need. Your survival rate goes down rapidly the longer you wait before seeking treatment.

"What Is A Prostate Gland?"

Ok, before going any further, let's answer the question many men have: What is a prostate gland?

In short, your prostate is a gland that only men have and it makes the liquid portion of your semen. Your prostate is in a location beneath your bladder and its size is comparable to that of a walnut. It goes around the tube that takes your urine from your bladder and out your urethra.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer that men suffer from and it's the outermost parts of your actual prostate that are the most likely areas to be attacked by cancer.

Prostate cancer symptoms usually won't show up in men earlier than their late fortys but there are some who are afflicted with this deadly disease at a much younger age.

The chance of you noticing prostate cancer symptoms increases as you get older and when you reach 80 years of age your chances of coming down with prostate cancer signs are around 50 percent.

It's not really known just what will cause prostate cancer but it's universally accepted that if you notice any prostate cancer symptoms at all you have a very high risk of developing prostate cancer in a short time.

Some prostate cancer experts suggest that you might be able to lessen your chances of developing any prostate cancer symptom through proper nutrition and consistent exercise. Good nutritional habits and exercise can help a great deal in making your immune system stronger and improving your over-all health.

As mentioned earlier, the signs of prostate cancer can be hard to notice and even when the signs of prostate cancer are present the majority of men do not take it seriously enough and do not seek the proper advice from their doctor. It's a fact that if you do notice any prostate cancer symptoms at all, early treatment can save your life.

"Prostate Cancer Signs To Look For"

* Urination difficulties;
* Interrupted urine flow or a weak urine stream;
* Urine dribbling before or after urinating;
* A need to urinate constantly;
* Problems in stopping your flow of urine;
* Frequent night time urination;
* An un-empty bladder;
* Bloody urine;
* Bloody semen;
* A burning sensation or any pain while you are urinating;
* Pain in the following regions of your body: pelvis, spine, hips, upper thighs, ribs, or lower back;
* Impotence or some other sexual health problem.

If you notice any of the above mentioned prostate cancer signs you really need to see your doctor as soon as possible.

After developing any prostate cancer symptom and discussing the situation with your doctor there may be many different diagnostic tests that your doctor may require you to take. These tests will help to properly diagnose your prostate cancer signs.

Gain 15 Pounds Of Lean Muscle!

Some of the tests may include:

* Basic urine tests to look for blood or infection.

* PSA blood tests. This type of test involves taking blood to test for the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). If there's a high level of PSA in your blood sample it can indicate prostate cancer.

A high PSA may also be a sign of another prostate condition known as prostatitis.

* Digital rectal exam. A urologist will inspect your prostate by putting a finger into your rectum. It may be somewhat uncomfortable but not painful. By doing this test tumours can be discovered.

The only problem that most men have with this type of a test is embarrassment. Don't be embarrassed, these professionals do this every day and it may be the test that saves your health and your life.

* Biopsy. It may be necessary for you to undergo a prostatic biopsy which involves putting an ultrasound probe in your rectum for a visible view of your prostate. The doctor can then collect a very small sample of your prostate using a needle.

This type of prostate cancer test is a little bit uncomfortable so the doctor may provide you with a mild sedative or local anaesthetic.

* Scan. To see if your prostate cancer has reached other areas of your body including your bones, your doctor may suggest a bone scan. An MRI may also be done.

The more knowledge you have about prostate cancer signs to look for and prostate cancer symptoms, the better prepared you'll be and the more treatment options you’ll have.

You have to consider many different things when it comes to prostate cancer and your health in general. But, knowledge is the best way to prevent most prostate cancer signs from advancing to a critical stage.

Prostate cancer prevention is the best thing you can do for yourself so before you notice the signs of prostate cancer take the proper steps to avoid it altogether.

Don't wait another minute. Prostate cancer signs are literally a life and death situation.

The article fully adopted from
http://www.man-health-fitness-solutions.com/prostate-cancer
Original title: Prostate Cancer Signs & Prostate Cancer Symptom Relief & Prevention Options

Friend in Islam


It is very important for every Muslim to make sure that his choice of friends and the company he keeps is correct. It has been proven through experience that habits and behaviour of friends and associates slowly manifest in an individual. Without realizing, a person begins to adopt the style and behaviour of his friends. We are all witness to this fact. Sadly, I can recall many incidents where those who were pious, religious and of good character lost all their good qualities because they kept company and associated with an inappropriate circle of friends. I have also seen others who were drowning in sin and evil, who underwent a complete revolution in their lives after adopting the company of a pious person of huge moral standards.
Rasullullah May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him has advised, “A person is on the way of his life friend. Therefore, he should think very carefully whom he is making a friend with.” (Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood)
We need friends who are sincere, genuine and true and also true in their friendship. Those who care for our well-being from every aspect are true friends. Whereas on the other hand, worldly friends are not only a waste of time, but also on the day of Qiyamah, they will be a means of destruction. The Quran says:
“All friends on the day of Qiyamah will be enemies of one another except the God fearing.” (Mutaqeen) (43:67)
Here, the Quran is not saying that friends will not help or benefit each other on that day, it is saying something much stronger, that friends who were not God-fearing will be the enemies of each other on the day of Qiyamah.
Friends in the hereafter will regret making irreligious people their friends. Allah Taa'la says in the Quran, “Ah, woe to me! Would that I had never taken so-and-so as a Khaleel (intimate friend)! He indeed let me astray from the reminder (This Quran) after it and came to me. And Shaytaan is ever a deserter to man (in the hour of need).” (25; 28-29)
This will be the cries of the people. Further, Allah says:
“Our Lord! These misled us, so give them a double torment of the fire. He will say for each one is a double torment but you know not.” (7:38)
My dear friends, today we feel proud of having an elder friend who follows the path of evil. We forget that this role model of ours who is teaching us to sell drugs, to take drugs, to bully and oppress people, disobey parents and to fall prey to evil desires, is in fact taking us to hell!
Our true and only friend should be Allah but in order to attain such high stage, one needs to make good, pious people his friends.
A great point I would like to raise is the amount we hurt the hearts of our parents? How much pain do they suffer because of us?
In this day and age, friends have become more precious and valuable than our parents. For our friends, we are ready to sacrifice everything and everybody. However, one needs only to experience a tragedy to recognize a true friend. Go and sit in prison for a while and see how many friends come and visit. It is here that one appreciates the true love of parents. After being sentenced to jail, the convict holds tight to his parents and cries, and says that now I realize you are only my true friends and you will see many changes in my life after I come out. This is said after going to jail because it is only our families that care enough to visit. If friends come, then how many times do they return? They come once, twice, at the most three times, then you then find yourself sitting in jail alone, crying and you will come to understand that none is interested in coming to see you except your parents, brothers and sisters. The poor father who you used to swear at and give abuse to. That same father who you did not even want to see or talk with, visits you every week. He takes up the cost of the lawyer, worries about the cause, and your well being. Similarly the mother suffers sleepless nights. They do everything for you despite your torturing them in the past.
My brothers, please, for Allah's sake, pay attention to these facts and realities I am trying to put forward to you. Beware! The prison sentence may be over in a few months, years, but the prison sentence of the hereafter may be eternal.
In the Quran, it states:
“That day shall man flee from his brother, from his mother and his father. And from his wife and his children. Every man that day will have enough to make him careless of others.” (80:34:37)
Please give this little advice of mine space in your heart. I am saying these words for our benefit with heartfelt concern from the depth of my heart.
May Allah save us all and give us the ability to act upon whatever we have just read.
Ameen.

Original title: Friendship! Who are your real friends?
Fully adopted from:
http://www.inter-islam.org/Lifestyle/friends



Photo from: members.ozemail.com.au/.../Education.htm

Real Friend is ...


"What is a friend? A single soul, dwelling in two bodies" - Aristotle

True friendship is perhaps the only relation that survives the trials and tribulations of time and remains unconditional. A unique blend of affection, loyalty, love, respect, trust and loads of fun is perhaps what describes the true meaning of friendship. Similar interests, mutual respect and strong attachment with each other are what friends share between each other. These are just the general traits of a friendship. To experience what is friendship, one must have true friends, who are indeed rare treasure.

Friendship is a feeling of comfort and emotional safety with a person. It is when you do not have to weigh your thoughts and measure words, before keeping it forth before your friend. It is when someone knows you better than yourself and assures to be your side in every emotional crisis. It is when you can sleep fighting and get another morning with a better understanding. Friendship is much beyond roaming together and sharing good moments, it is when someone comes to rescue you from the worst phase of life. Friendship is eternal.

Different people have different definitions of friendship. For some, it is the trust in an individual that he / she won't hurt you. For others, it is unconditional love. There are some who feel that friendship is companionship. People form definitions based on the kind of experiences they have had. This is one relation that has been nurtured since time immemorial. There are famous stories about friends in mythologies of different religions all over the world. They say a person who has found a faithful friend has found a priceless treasure.

Psychologically speaking, friendship may be defined as 'a dynamic, mutual relationship between two individuals. As children become friends, they negotiate boundaries within which both partners function'. This helps them to function like healthy individuals in life as they learn to draw a line as and when needed in a relation. This greatly helps in the emotional development of an individual. However, any relation needs constant nurturing and development from all the people that are involved in one. Friendship cannot survive if one person makes all the effort to sustain it without any mutual recognition from others.

Since friendship starts the moment a child starts socializing, the kind of friends that the child chooses should be taken care of till the time he / she learns to differentiate between right and wrong. Wrong peers or lack of socializing can lead to severe psychological traumas and disorders, finally leading to social maladjustment. The correct peer group is essential for the development of the personality of a child. Both positive and negative experiences refine the personality of the individual. Thus it is essential that you find friends who are compatible with you on an emotional and psychological basis.

Original titles: Friendship

Fully adopted from:
http://festivals.iloveindia.com/friendship-day/friendship

October 15, 2009

Addiction to Porn & Masturbation: Islamic Remedy

By Shaykh Ahmad Kutty
Senior Lecturer, The Islamic Institute of Toronto — Canada


If one has been addicted to an extremely pernicious habit that destroys your spiritual soul and thus leads to self-destruction, he must urgently summon his will power and take all the necessary steps in order to wean himself of it immediately. In order to empower one’s self to achieve this, one should seek counseling and therapy, preferably from those professionals in the field who are conscientious Muslims.

If such Muslim professionals are not available, one can choose one from those who are ethically and morally conscious. It is important for him to wean himself of these pernicious habits. The consequences of persisting in them are simply unthinkable; they would undoubtedly corrode his spiritual soul and cause his spiritual death.

Sins by their very nature are addictive, for it is in the very nature of the carnal self to seek pleasure in sins. As Al-Busiri has rightly said, “The carnal self is a like a baby; if you neglect him, he will grow up clinging on to the breast-milk forever, but if you wean him off, he will be weaned off.”

I suggest a few tips which one can use to empower himself:

1. Visualize and meditate on the ugliness of this heinous sin and conjure up images of hell fire as painted in the Qur’an and the Sunnah as many times as possible until such time that whenever you are tempted to visit such websites or read such magazines, the scenes of hell fire will be playing in your mind. Thus, even as you have associated this addiction with pleasure, you will come to associate it with pure pain and suffering.

2. Convince yourself of the urgency of removing this malignant cancer from your life by taking all measures such as listing all the negative things about such habits, and listing the verses and traditions about the gravity of sins. Remember it is far more serious than cancer attacking your body, since your soul survives you even after your physical body has disintegrated in the earth.

3. Imagine how terrible a loss you will be facing were you to die while being addicted to this most heinous sin.

4. Seek strength from Allah by crying to Him for succor. But you can never seek the help of Allah unless you seek to establish connection with Him through regular Prayers, so never be slack in your Prayers.

5. Schedule your time in such a way that you are never left with any time to think of such matters. Imam Ash-Shafi`i said, “If you don’t occupy your mind with good works, your carnal self will make you busy in bad deeds!”

6. Surround yourself with spiritual and Islamic influences and virtually immerse yourself in them.

7. Always hang around with good Muslims who are busy doing good works; join a halaqah (study circle) where spiritual training is imparted together with the study of Islam.

8. Make your mind and tongue busy with dhikr (remembrance of Allah). Say the following words and others frequently:
Subhan Allah; al-hamdu lillah; laa ilaha illa Allah; Allahu akbar; Wa laa hawla wala quwwata illa billah. Astaghfir Allaha al-azhim min kulli dhanbin wa atubu ilaihi. (Glory be to Allah; praise be to Allah; there is no god but Allah; Allah is Greatest. There is no power or strength except by the will of Allah. I ask forgiveness of Allah from all my sins and repent to Him.)

9. Once you have been weaned of these pernicious habits, you should seriously consider marriage; marriage is the protection against temptations.

I pray that the Beneficent Lord of Mercy save us all from the evil inclinations of our souls and make us hate disbelief, transgressions and sins; and may He endear to our hearts faith and good works. Amen.

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty is a Senior Lecturer and an Islamic Scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Source: http://www.islamonline.net/

Time Management - 6 Tips for Better


Original titles: 6 Tips for Better Time Management

Learn how to make time to smell the roses.
By John Casey
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD


The simple, unpleasant truth is that we are probably busier than we ever have been. Notwithstanding the fact that little science backs up this notion, the anecdotal evidence is overwhelming.

"You can see it all around us," says Jana Jasper, a New York-based productivity expert and author of Take Back Your Time. "People talk too fast. We're always in a rush. We start things and don't finish them and are constantly nagged by the idea that we've forgotten to do something, but we're not sure what it is."

That people awash in labor- and time-saving devices, from robotic vacuum cleaners to microwave ovens to computers, would feel so harried so often seems counterintuitive. But what technology gives, it also takes away.

"As we have increased the numbers of time-saving devices and products to make our lives easier we have found ways to fill the time," says Tracy Lyn Moland a time management consultant and author of Mom Management, Managing Mom Before Everybody Else. And a chronic lack of time leads to stress.

But the time-management experts we spoke to all say that it is possible to reduce stress. Think about it as adding an extra hour to your day through time-management techniques.

Something as simple as "knowing where your keys are in the morning, knowing where your kid's library book or homework is, will reduce a lot of stress," says Moland. She has a number of time management tips.

Make a Time Diary

Take a week and plot out what you do every day. Be honest. If you watch 25 hours of TV each week, write it down.

"This is a painful awakening for most people," says Jana Jasper. "You have to include everything --- gym time, eating, driving, weekly meetings, all of it. It can be upsetting to see how little unstructured time we allow ourselves. But it's difficult to make intelligent decisions about using your time more effectively if you don't know what you're doing with your time now."

Learn to Say "No"

Turn off your cell phone and beeper. When someone asks you to do something that you really don't have time to do, say so, politely, but firmly. And don't allow yourself to feel guilty.

"One reason we are feeling so busy all the time is that we are worse at setting personal boundaries around what we'll say 'no' to," says Jana Kemp, founder and president of Meeting & Management Essentials, a time-management consultancy in Boise, Idaho.

Part of declining to do things, is focusing on your goals, Kemp explains. Your time diary can help in this regard. Once you've blocked time for important, but often not scheduled activities, sign on for only those things that are important, family, friends and health. Once you know exactly what you have time to do, turning down things that don't fit into your priorities is easier.

Time-Based, To-Do List

"Create a to-do list that includes how much time you'll spend on each item on the list," says Moland. Lists are always helpful, but when you add how much time each task should take, it helps prioritize how you go about the tasks. When you prioritize tasks you naturally focus on those that you can do immediately.

Let Your Computer Help

Technology helped get you into the time bind in the first place, so use it to help get you out. Try some of the many personal scheduling software programs that allow you to keep a calendar, "to-do' lists, and phone and address books on your computer.

"It's not enough to be efficient anymore," said Jasper. "The goal here is to use the technology to get rid of all the paper in your life. I can't stress enough how important this is."

Much of organizing, these experts say, comes from streamlining your life. The more clutter you have in your life -- phone numbers on slips of paper, business cards in notebooks, a desk piled high with calendars and lists -- the more likely you are to waste time trying to stay organized and on top of things,

Multitask

Is there a more overused buzzword today? We all combine several activities into one all the time. Some multitasking is dangerous. Talk on the phone while driving and your chances of being involved in a traffic accident rise dramatically. That being said, lots of activities can be effectively and safely combined. Listen to books on tape while commuting. When you watch television, pay your bills.

"Women are better able to multitask than men," said Moland. "Even if both partners work full time, the woman usually is able to still think about the children's schedule, the home, the meals. Men are better able to focus in on one task at a time -- and women can learn from this at times."

Don't Be a Perfectionist

There's nothing wrong with being ordinary. Perfectionism, otherwise known as paying excessive attention to every detail, important or not, is a kind of procrastination.

"Set rational goals for yourself," says Jasper. "It's a fine thing to strive to be your best. It's counter productive to try to be the very best."

Setting unattainable expectations of yourself just adds stress to your life, Kemp explains.

Reward Yourself

Finally, don't let any progress, however small, go unrewarded.

"Use your time diary to make decisions about how you want to organize your time better," said Jasper. "As you make progress in prioritizing and saying 'no,' let yourself enjoy that. It doesn't have to be a big reward, maybe it can be as simple as spending some time by yourself or getting a massage. It's important to acknowledge and enjoy your success."

John Casey is a freelance lifestyle, health, and science writer in New York City.

Fully adopted from http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/features/time-management-tips

Photo from: martynemko.blogspot.com

Prescribe vs Proscribe

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

By FADZILAH AMIN

COULD you explain the difference between proscribe and prescribe and how to use both words in sentences? – Naentikaur, Seremban, Malaysia.

To prescribe is to advise or recommend someone to do something, or to impose something authoritatively.

A doctor can prescribe a certain medicine for you (recommend that you take it) by writing you a prescription for it (i.e. its name and details of how you should take it), to be given to a pharmacist.

In addition, he may prescribe (advise) that you take some exercise, e.g. a brisk walk for half an hour daily, for your general health.

When a law prescribes something, it means it imposes something authoritatively on everyone in the country. For example, in certain countries, the law prescribes that parents are responsible for the actions of their non-adult children. So if their children do something against the law, the parents are taken to court and tried.

To proscribe something, on the other hand, means to forbid something through the law of a country, or regulations of certain bodies.

For example, athletes taking part in Olympic games are proscribed from taking certain drugs to improve their performance.

As the Concise Oxford Dictionary (1995) points out, it is important to see the difference between prescribed drugs (recommended by a doctor) and proscribed drugs (banned substances).

Correct tense

Please let me know if the following sentences are correct: 1) Suddenly, they saw a blind man trying to cross the busy road OR Suddenly, they saw a blind man was trying to cross the busy road 2) Suresh and Rizal helped the blind man crossed the road OR Suresh and Rizal helped the blind man cross the road. – Rohanee

1) The correct sentence is the first sentence: “Suddenly, they saw a blind man trying to cross the busy road.”

2) The correct sentence is the second sentence: “Suresh and Rizal helped the blind man cross the road.”

The verb “helped” has already indicated the tense, and the verb after that, i.e. “cross” should be in the base form.

Youth or youths

I keep reading in your newspaper about ‘Youths”.

Surely the plural form is “youth”? – Roland K Selvanayagam

Not always. While “youth” can mean young people taken collectively, it can also mean a young person, especially a male one (Concise Oxford Dictionary, 9th ed.). In the latter sense, the plural of “youth” is “youths”, as can be seen in the following excerpts from the Internet:

French youths fired at police and burned over 300 cars last night as towns around Paris experienced their worst night of violence in a week of urban unrest.

www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/nov/03/france

A 15-year-old boy has been rushed to hospital with a stab wound in the chest after a brawl involving 200 youths in Melbourne’s west on Friday night.

http://newstheage.com.au/breaking-news-national/brawl-involving-200-erupts-in-melbourne-20090925-g69y.html

Close, closes, closed

Which of the following sentences is correct?

1. Our centre is close on Sunday.

2. Our centre is closed on Sunday.

3. Our centre closes on Sunday. – Karen

Sentence 2 is the best one. Sentence 1 is grammatically incorrect, while sentence 3 might give the impression that your centre may not open again after Sunday.

Source: thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story

Sex - Exercises to keep you fit

While it may seem hard to take out time to hit the gym for a workout session, very few people know that indulging in a sweat-inducing sex
session is equally beneficial.

It not only helps burning extra calories, but also allows couples to perform routine exercises and also enjoy sexual pleasure. What else can couples ask for!

Dr. Basheer Ahmad Roy, a Bangalore-based sex specialist states, “Almost all muscles including the legs, thighs, arms, shoulders and lower abdomen are worked upon during a sexual interaction. Anything that is done for the body should be done for at least 15 minutes and a sex session may not stretch for this long. So couples need to pay extra attention that if they wish to derive additional health benefits from sexual positions, they need to prolong sexual activity right from foreplay to the climax state.”

Apart from the fact that sex brings relief from headaches, reduces depression and tranquilises the mind, leads to glowing hair and skin etc, it’s also true that many sexual positions double up as easy workouts.

Dr. Shivi Jaggi, a Delhi-based sexologist asserts, “Sex helps burning a lot of calories. Different positions in which partners participate as per their comfort level lead to a fit body. A few complex positions that require more of physical strength and involve more work lead to weight-loss and exercising of muscles. Intensity of movements and duration of sex make a lot of difference.

Here are some lovemaking positions, which will let you stretch the most important muscle groups in your body...

Missionary position (Man on top)
In the Indian context, more than 90 per cent of couples indulge in the missionary position in bed, which seems to be quite gratifying for them. As the act involves weight balancing, it obviously has a number of physical benefits. The missionary position is all about stretching, arching and tightening. While the male partner is on top, the female laying on her back can also stretch her back, arch and tighten the abs. In addition, she can also try tightening the kegel muscles right during the act.

Dr. Jaggi elucidates, “The partner on top gets more involved in the physical activity. With a male partner on top, a lot of pressure is borne by his arms and shoulders. Besides, elbows and knees are used to the maximum while balancing in such a position; hence it stretches the muscles in both these body parts. In addition, thigh muscles are also worked upon during the missionary position, as you are almost on your knees during the act.”

Woman on top
It is said that women can orgasm quickly while on top. Yet there is an evident reluctance among Indian women to try this position in bed. But having a female partner taking the lead is a very good exercise. It allows both partners to enjoy an equal participation, where the woman uses her hands and arms to prop up and down, and the male partner is holding the woman thus balancing her body weight.

Dr. Jaggi shares, “With the woman on the top, the weight would normally be borne by the male partner. Women being the physically weaker counterpart during sex, you cannot expect them to hold on to their body mass completely. So again it’s more of exercise for the men, where they use their biceps’ muscles to hold their female partner. For a female too, just to maintain the position for a longer duration, she is stretching her biceps, triceps, forearms and chest muscles to the fullest.”

Sitting missionary (Face to face)
Yet another creative sexual position, it involves couples facing each either on a sofa, bed or the
floor. The position
also lets you flex your toes forward, which is a good way to stretch your calf muscles. Since both partners are sitting throughout the act, certain muscles, which are worked upon heavily, have to be stable and strong to ensure a gratifying act.

Dr. Pushkar Gupta, a Chandigarh-based sex therapist explains, “Sitting missionary involves more physical work as compared to the missionary position where a couple is lying down. As the position requires both partners sitting straight facing each other, with the female partner wrapping her legs around a man’s hips, her back muscles are highly involved. Also to get the right posture, you end up putting a lot of strain on your spinal muscles, thigh muscles and lower back, which in a way is a good stretching exercise. Retaining the same position and trying different moves and lifts, your lower abdomen is also worked upon. Be cautious if you have a weak back, as excessive stretching may give you cramps and hurt you.”

Against the wall
Having sex against a wall – either in the washroom or a store room can be fun at times. Not only the standing posture would bring enhanced pleasure, but it would also allow you enjoy a workout session while you indulge in a sex romp. During this position, the quads (front top leg) and lower back are exercised. Also, as the male leans slightly forward, the female can arch her back thus indulging in a perfect exercise.

Dr. Gupta asserts, “Having sex standing against a wall is usually meant for couples who are physically stable. Since you are doing the act standing throughout, it needs that physical stamina to carry on for a longer time period. Then height also plays an important role in this stance, as in accordance to that only, you will decide the angle in which you need to bend and stretch your thighs and legs. In such a sexual position, another very good exercise could be lifting your female partner and nothing can be better than enjoying the pleasure and burning some calories alongside.”

Legs on shoulders
Such an act is not only a sex position but also a great form of foreplay. As it requites the female partner to be physically charged up and creative in bed, let’s not forget how beneficial this act is for the body muscles. Having a female raising her legs to reach a man’s shoulder is a perfect way to arouse him and at the same time it allows the female to stretch her leg muscles and tone her abs in the process.

Dr. Jaggi agrees, “It’s a very wonderful aerobic exercise, especially done by females using her flexible body. Though it may look like yet another foreplay act trying to turn on your partner, but it turns out to be a great workout where you can fully stretch your leg muscles. Whatever you get out of a 30 minute long cycling session while gymming, this sex posture can bring you almost equal, if not better, results.”

Crouching and bending
Try a prolonged foreplay with acts like sitting, bending and crouching, in addition to regular sex positions. This will surely be more advantageous when it comes to a physical workout.

Dr. Gupta says, “Very common but lesser tried sex position, bending and crouching demands a lot of bends and curves, so the spinal muscles are exercised here. Also, the inner thigh muscles get a lot of exercise as you bend. While sitting or bending, you end up putting pressure on your abdominal area as well, which can help you get into shape. In case of a lower back ache, avoid this position, as it may worsen the pain further.”

monika.rawal@indiatimes.co.in

Fully adopted from (except the photo) : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Photo: roystonrobertson.blogspot.com