World Best of the things

Seriously haunted cemeteries....

2010-12-23T00:13:00.000+01:00

One such case was a man named Malcolm that we encountered in a New York Cemetery. He had been a groundskeeper there in life, for many years, and he held that job as very important. He was convinced that even in death his services were still needed. The final resting place of those that he cared for over the years had gone to ruin, it is now in what is considered and obviously apparent in the worse part of town. The cemetery is overrun with weeds, tombstones barely visible any longer for debris. It is full of trash, people throwing the nearby fast-food bags over the fence and beer and soda cans strewn on the ground. We saw....
More Details..,

Soon 39-day trips to Mars ..

2010-12-22T00:07:00.000+01:00

There's a growing chorus of calls to send astronauts to Mars rather than the moon, but critics point out that such trips would be long and gruelling, taking about six months to reach the Red Planet. But now, researchers are testing a powerful new ion engine that could one day shorten the journey to just 39 days.

Traditional rockets burn chemical fuel to produce thrust. Most of that fuel is used up in the initial push off the Earth's surface, so the rockets tend to coast most of the time they're in space.
More Details

Obama and 2012..???

2010-12-22T00:01:00.000+01:00

Nostradamus strikes again. Google “Obama”, “Antichrist”, 2012… and I predict you will get a massive number of hits. There are circulating on the worldwide web some really idiotic but also possibly dangerous rumours, featuring Nostradamus, Barack Obama, Antichrist III and the End of the World (2012). The theories are extremely silly, undoubtedly. But they get quite dangerous too when you think of the idiots who might be taking some action, just because of that sort of rumours. They created already an “Osama Obama Shotgun Pool” in Maine, because they just KNOW Obama is the AntiChrist (his name rhymes with Osama....,
More Details...

hoaxes of the 20th Century.

2010-12-21T00:24:00.001+01:00

This program first aired in 1998/1999. It shows some of the best and worst hoaxes of the 20th Century.

Ghost Captured by Street Camera....

2010-12-20T18:17:00.000+01:00

This is real Video Clip...

Cooler Than Ever....

2010-12-19T06:37:00.000+01:00

The cavernous lobby of New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art is jammed with people, but it is impossible to miss Alex Katz. The artist famous for his bright figurative paintings is standing by the information desk wearing a parka so blindingly orange it looks radioactive. Orange is one of Katz's favorite colors, and the jacket, adorned with reflective silver strips, is the kind that a guy on a road crew might wear to direct traffic in a rainstorm. But this French-made parka is downright chic, rather like its owner, who looks at least a decade younger than his 82 years, with a smooth head (he shaves it daily) and features as sharp as those of the suave figures who populate his paintings...,
More details..

Fiber...

2010-12-18T00:06:00.000+01:00

Essential to Everyone
Everyone benefits from eating more fiber - not just the person with diabetes. Experts agree that fiber has many health benefits, from improving digestion, to protecting against colon cancer, and now some experts believe that it prevents you from absorbing some of the fat that you've consumed. Sadly, most of us find it hard to consume the recommended amount of fiber (25 to 30 grams) in our daily diet.
Here's some ways to increase the fiber in your diet:

More details....

Back pain

2010-12-17T05:57:00.000+01:00

Back pain and exercise
It's the rare adult who has not had low back pain at sometime during his/her life. Fortunately, most episodes of low back pain will heal with time. Approximately 50% of patients will feel relief within two weeks and 90% within three months, regardless of the treatment. The majority of low back pains are due to muscular strain which will resolve with time because muscles have a good blood supply to bring necessary nutriments and proteins for healing to take place.

For persons with low back pain that lasts more than two or three months, or with predominantly leg pain, a specific and definite problem is often the source of the pain. In younger adults (20-60 year olds)............More Details...

Cut the Fat....

2009-07-27T05:04:00.001+02:00

About reducing fat in your holiday cooking, not only to save considerable calories, but lots of fat grams (especially saturated fat grams) and milligrams of cholesterol. The days of eating unlimited fat in the form of fudge, butter cookies, fruit cake, and others foods loaded with butter are past, but that doesn't mean that you're left with nothing but dull, flavorless food. You just have to know some basic tricks to reduce fat here and there to end up with some really tasty (and healthy) holiday food...
More details....

Ants navigation

2009-07-26T15:21:00.008+02:00

Next time you find yourself lost despite having a map and satellite navigation, spare a thought for the unfortunate ant that must take regular trips home to avoid losing its way. Dr Markus Knaden, from the University of Zurich, will report that a visit back to the nest is , for ants to reset their navigation equipment and avoid getting lost on foraging trips. "Knowledge about path integration and landmark learning gained from our experiments with ants has already been incorporated in autonomous robots. Including a 'reset' of the path integrator at a significant position could make the orientation of the robot even more reliable",
Ants that return from foraging journeys can use landmarks to find their way home, but in addition they have an internal backup system that allows them to create straight shortcuts back to the nest even when the outbound part of the forage run was very winding. This backup system is called the 'path integrator' and constantly reassesses the ant's position using an internal compass and measure of distance travelled....
More Details...

India's First Nuclear Sub Undergoes Sea Trials today

2009-07-26T14:50:00.005+02:00

India's First Nuclear Sub Undergoes Sea Trials
NEW DELHI, July 26 -- India on Sunday launched its first indigenously built nuclear-powered submarine for sea trials, making it the sixth nation in the world to possess such sea attack capabilities.

The dream of over a quarter of a century will be fulfilled today when Ms Gursharan Kaur, wife of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, breaks the coconut on the hull of India’s first indigenously constructed nuclear- propelled ballistic missile submarine — called a boomer in popular parlance — at a super- secret Naval base in Visakhapatnam.

More details...

salt-sodium chloride....

2009-07-26T03:00:00.001+02:00

As diabetics, it's important that we lower our salt-sodium chloride-intake, as all too often diabetes is complicated by high blood pressure, a major cause of both heart disease and stroke. We're fortunate that many food manufacturers are recognizing the public's growing concern about salt and have begun to offer "reduced salt" or "no salt" alternatives. Restaurant owners are also more willing to prepare food with less salt-especially when asked to do so.
More Details...

Galileo's telescope, 1610......

2009-07-26T02:31:00.003+02:00

Using the telescope, Galileo was able to view unseen parts of the universe.He studied the moon, discovered the four major satellites of Jupiter, observed a supernova, verified the phases of Venus, and discovered sunspots.
He also helped prove the Copernican system, which states that the Earth and other planets revolve around the sun Before Copernicus' and Galileo's work, it was held that the sun revolved around the Earth.

More details....

Herbs for Cooking...

2009-07-26T00:00:00.003+02:00

Whether you plant your herbs in the ground or in pots, they are amazingly simple to grow. With just a little bit of attention, you'll have plenty of herbs until well after the first frost next fall. Look at the list below so you'll know what to plant: Make sure to have plenty for what you make most.
More details....

mystery of the biblical figure’s ...

2009-07-25T07:01:00.005+02:00

Finding King Herod's Tomb
After a 35-year search, an Israeli archaeologist is certain he has solved the mystery of the biblical figure’s final resting place....Shielding my eyes from the glare of the morning sun, I look toward the horizon and the small mountain that is my destination: Herodium, site of the fortified palace of King Herod the Great. I'm about seven miles south of Jerusalem, not far from the birthplace of the biblical prophet Amos, who declared: "Let justice stream forth like water." Herod's reign over Judea from 37 to 4 B.C. is not remembered for justice but for its indiscriminate cruelty....
More details..

Buzz Aldrin was the lunar module pilot...

2009-07-25T05:14:00.004+02:00

Only a dozen men have walked the airless, forbidding surface of our Moon. One day, others will too - but until then, only those 12 can ever know what it is like … and Buzz Aldrin was the lunar module pilot on the very first mission.
Nothing prepared me for the starkness of the terrain. It was barren and rolling, and the horizon was much closer than I was used to. Earth's diameter is such that its inhabitants have no personal awareness of the curvature; it's easy to understand why, for centuries, it was believed to be flat … but on the smaller Moon, my impression was that we were on a ball; or on the knoll of a hill that extended more than 2 km, and was neatly rounded off. I even felt a bit disoriented because of the nearness of the horizon.
More details....

Our car is powered by the sun...

2009-07-25T05:07:00.004+02:00

Our car is powered by the sun.It costs less than half as much to operate as some of the most
efficient gasoline- or diesel-fueled cars, and produces zero tailpipe emissions. Our family had been living a simple rural and remote life using very little energy—except for the vehicle we used to transport us to town, work, and school on a daily basis. Three years ago, we made a commitment to fulfill the long soughtafter dream of environmentally friendlier transportation, following a move closer to town. We came to a point where being energy conscious in our home, but driving—and burning fossil fuels—seemed completely out of balance.
More details....

Giant 'soap bubble' found floating in space....

2009-07-25T05:00:00.004+02:00

IT LOOKS like a soap bubble or perhaps even a camera fault, but the image at right is a newly discovered planetary nebula.

Planetary nebulae, which got their name after being misidentified by early astronomers, are formed when an ageing star weighing up to eight times the mass of the sun ejects its outer layers as clouds of luminous gas (see Why stars go out in a blaze of glory). Most are elliptical, double-lobed or cigar-shaped, evolving after stars eject gas from each pole.
More details....

new scanning technique...

2009-07-25T04:54:00.003+02:00

A new scanning technique allows expectant mothers to hold a life-size model of their unborn, developing child.

Data from ultrasound, CT and MRI scans are converted into 3D models, which can then be 'printed' as a plastic representation of the developing baby.
More details....

bring new-generation

2009-07-25T00:00:00.004+02:00

Mitsubishi Motors
to bring new-generation EV i-MiEV to market....
i-MiEV , new-generation electric vehicle

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, on World Environment Day, unveiled the production version of the i-MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) new-generation electric vehicle (EV), describing it as "the pioneer that will open the door to the next 100 years of our automobile society." The i-MiEV will

go on sale on the Japanese market in late July of this year.

The i-MiEV represents the crystallization of some 40 years of electric vehicle development at Mitsubishi Motors. The company is presenting the production i-MiEV as the ultimate eco-car, a solution to the various challenges the automobile faces today including environmental pollution, global warming and the depletion of petroleum-based energy supplies.

The company will continue its extensive collaboration with both private and public sectors in Japan and overseas in developing infrastructure to promote ownership of EVs.

Mitsubishi Motors expects to distribute, on a maintenance lease basis, some 1,400 i-MiEV models in fiscal 2009 principally to corporations and to local authorities. The company plans to start sales of i-MiEV to individuals in April 2010 and will start taking orders in late July of this year.

Oh My God....???

2009-07-24T17:13:00.002+02:00

It ' s just a CHAIR...!!!

Art School

2009-07-24T15:38:00.004+02:00

Life drawing and figure drawing are other terms used to describe the study of people and how to draw them. The act of observing people around you and transcribing their figure and emotions to the page can be truly intriguing and insightful.

However, in order to learn how to draw people, there are many drawing subjects one must first comprehend well; how to draw three dimensional shapes, drawing in proportion, perspective drawing and how to shade effectively, to name a few.

If you are looking for a comprehensive guide to drawing and want to learn how to draw people, our introductory drawing course is the answer. It is inexpensive and packed full with learning materials that will teach you the fundamentals of drawing as well as more advanced subjects such as how to draw people, portraits and fashion.

Learning how to draw people should not feel like an anatomy class. At Drawing Professor, you will learn how to draw what you see and feel. Learning how to draw people is challenging and there is a lot involved so proper instruction is essential.

Nice TV ad

2009-07-23T21:38:00.000+02:00

Advertising is always a part of a business’ Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service. “While now central to the contemporary global economy and the reproduction of global production networks, it is only quite recently that advertising has been more than a marginal influence on patterns of sales and production.Hi everyone, we back with another article! After sitting and watching every advert ever broadcasted, so we have picked out some really great ones just for you! These are ads that make a smile, laugh or say “Wha…!?” and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
This ad is Evian Water

STROKE ...it may save someone's life

2009-07-19T07:51:00.000+02:00

please read this as it may save someone's life.
INFORMATION EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW.........................
B lood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue
STROKE: Remember the 1st Three Letters.... S.T.R.
If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks.
Seriously..
It only takes a minute to read this...

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally . He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(I.e. It is sunny out today.)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.

Attention Please....

2009-07-18T19:23:00.004+02:00

Use of PC at a Public Place
Attention Please......
PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHENEVER YOU'RE USING A PC AT A PUBLIC PLACE (Like INTERNET CAFES..ETC).

CHECK THE BACK OF THE PC AND SEE IF THE BLACK DEVICE IS THERE AS ATTACHED..
IF SO..DO NOT USE THE PC & INFORM THE POLICE OFFICIALS ASAP !!!!
New storing device fits at the end of the keyboard cable connecting to the PC specialized to save all typed keys in it...
Mostly could be used in net cafes, exhibitions, hotels and airports therefore be careful especially the people who use the internet in these places to enter their bank accounts online or any other important sites.

After you enter the bank account and leave the PC it will be easy to open your account again as all what you have typed has been saved in the Black device.

Therefore, you should check the PC for any suspicious piece behind it before using the net in public places for important sites.

Please send it to all who you know to educate them against this fraud.

Doggy Style...

2009-07-18T13:29:00.003+02:00

Funny Clip..

See This nice Ad s

2009-07-18T11:30:00.022+02:00

We investigates the successful popular TV ads and funny TV commercials that attract our attention.you might be should you either recognize or identify with some of these nostalgic TV spots from back in the day.
You Know...????
In America ....
Through June 27, $31 million has been spent for roughly 47,000 TV ads on health care this year, says Evan Tracey, president of the Campaign Media Analysis Group, a firm that tracks issue advertising. That's double the roughly $14 million the insurance industry spent in 1993 and 1994 for the famous "Harry and Louise" ads credited with helping kill President Bill Clinton's health care drive, but a fraction of the $250 million Tracey guesses will ultimately be spent this year.

World AIDS day

2009-07-18T03:15:00.003+02:00

World AIDS day

Please stop Talking too much bitch...

2009-07-17T14:26:00.002+02:00

Balance Wife....???

2009-07-17T14:21:00.004+02:00

Wiscome

2009-07-17T07:03:00.000+02:00

Trust worthy freeware selections...

http://wiscome.blogspot.com

categories of quality software fully reviewed and rated,also every of hints and information about related of them.This is free service of all of you.expecting to your coments.
Digital Camera Tools,# Adware & Spyware Removal,# Personal Firewalls,Internet Radio & TV,# Image Editors
# Image Effects and Filters
# Image Processing
# Image Resizing
# Image Viewers
Many More and Daily Updated....visit

http://wiscome.blogspot.com

wiscome works to internet....

History of the Sound very rare..

2009-07-17T01:00:00.002+02:00

Good Chance to Listen to the History...
History of the Sound very rare sounds collection…The History of the Edison Cylinder Phonograph…The phonograph was developed as a result of Thomas Edison’s work on two other inventions, the telegraph and the telephone. In 1877, Edison was working on a machine that would transcribe telegraphic messages through indentations on paper tape, which could later be sent over the telegraph repeatedly. This development led Edison to speculate that a telephone message could also be recorded in a similar fashion. He experimented with a diaphragm which had an embossing point and was held against rapidly-moving paraffin paper. The speaking vibrations made indentations in the paper. Edison later changed the paper to a metal cylinder with tin foil wrapped around it. The machine had two diaphragm-and-needle units, one for recording, and one for playback. When one would speak into a mouthpiece, the sound vibrations would be indented onto the cylinder by the recording needle in a vertical (or hill and dale) groove pattern. Edison gave a sketch of the machine to his mechanic, John Kruesi, to build, which Kruesi supposedly did within 30 hours. Edison immediately tested the machine by speaking the nursery rhyme into the mouthpiece, “Mary had a little lamb.” To his amazement, the machine played his words back to him.

Although it was later stated that the date for this event was on August 12, 1877, some historians believe that it probably happened several months later, since Edison did not file for a patent until December 24, 1877. Also, the diary of one of Edison’s aides, Charles Batchelor, seems to confirm that the phonograph was not constructed until December 4, and finished two days later. The patent on the phonograph was issued on February 19, 1878. The invention was highly original. The only other recorded evidence of such an invention was in a paper by French scientist Charles Cros, written on April 18, 1877. There were some differences, however, between the two men’s ideas, and Cros’s work remained only a theory, since he did not produce a working model of it.
Original Edison Tin Foil Phonograph. Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Edison National Historic Site.
See Caption Below

Edison took his new invention to the offices of Scientific American in New York City and showed it to staff there. As the December 22, 1877, issue reported, “Mr. Thomas A. Edison recently came into this office, placed a little machine on our desk, turned a crank, and the machine inquired as to our health, asked how we liked the phonograph, informed us that it was very well, and bid us a cordial good night.” Interest was great, and the invention was reported in several New York newspapers, and later in other American newspapers and magazines.

The Edison Speaking Phonograph Company was established on January 24, 1878, to exploit the new machine by exhibiting it. Edison received $10,000 for the manufacturing and sales rights and 20% of the profits. As a novelty, the machine was an instant success, but was difficult to operate except by experts, and the tin foil would last for only a few playings.

Ever practical and visionary, Edison offered the following possible future uses for the phonograph in North American Review in June 1878:

1. Letter writing and all kinds of dictation without the aid of a stenographer.
2. Phonographic books, which will speak to blind people without effort on their part.
3. The teaching of elocution.
4. Reproduction of music.
5. The “Family Record”–a registry of sayings, reminiscences, etc., by members of a family in their own voices, and of the last words of dying persons.
6. Music-boxes and toys.
7. Clocks that should announce in articulate speech the time for going home, going to meals, etc.
8. The preservation of languages by exact reproduction of the manner of pronouncing.
9. Educational purposes; such as preserving the explanantions made by a teacher, so that the pupil can refer to them at any moment, and spelling or other lessons placed upon the phonograph for convenience in committing to memory.
10. Connection with the telephone, so as to make that instrument an auxiliary in the transmission of permanent and invaluable records, instead of being the recipient of momentary and fleeting communication.

Eventually, the novelty of the invention wore off for the public, and Edison did no further work on the phonograph for a while, concentrating instead on inventing the incadescent light bulb.

In the void left by Edison, others moved forward to improve the phonograph. In 1880, Alexander Graham Bell won the Volta Prize of $10,000 from the French government for his invention of the telephone. Bell used his winnings to set up a laboratory to further electrical and acoustical research, working with his cousin Chichester A. Bell, a chemical engineer, and Charles Sumner Tainter, a scientist and instrument maker. They made some improvements on Edison’s invention, chiefly by using wax in the place of tin foil and a floating stylus instead of a rigid needle which would incise, rather than indent, the cylinder. A patent was awarded to C. Bell and Tainter on May 4, 1886. The machine was exhibited to the public as the graphophone. Bell and Tainter had representatives approach Edison to discuss a possible collaboration on the machine, but Edison refused and determined to improve the phonograph himself. At this point, he had succeeded in making the incandescent lamp and could now resume his work on the phonograph. His initial work, though, closely followed the improvements made by Bell and Tainter, especially in its use of wax cylinders, and was called the New Phonograph.

The Edison Phonograph Company was formed on October 8, 1887, to market Edison’s machine. He introduced the Improved Phonograph by May of 1888, shortly followed by the Perfected Phonograph. The first wax cylinders Edison used were white and made of ceresin, beeswax, and stearic wax.

Indian TV soap-addicted

2009-07-17T00:06:00.001+02:00

Indian TV soap-addicted women have high incidence of psychological problems..also see .reality

Thanks to our Readers.........!

2009-07-14T21:41:00.005+02:00

Bloggers depend on loyal readers but rarely thank them. Blog Reader Appreciation Day gives bloggers a chance to pour on the love..

We’d also like to take this opportunity to announce, that along with our new website design, effective immediately we will be totally transparent about all our website traffic statistics.

This means that, at any time, you can click on one of at least threeGoogle links in theTop of the website (at theTop of any page), and see what kind of traffic we’re getting.And this all are our income collect to World Peace Project Foundation...Thanks

Thanks to you......

Air Kandahar

2009-07-14T12:34:00.007+02:00

Air Kandahar . / By Graeme Wood
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD -- The man in the photo below spent nearly three decades in the Canadian military, and then, working for the private military company Skylink, three years as de facto commander of the African Union's air force. When I met him at dawn in Kandahar, his current place of business, he had already nearly finished sending his fleet of helicopters out on their daily appointed rounds. He had also already lit up his first Cohiba of the day, and smoked it nearly down to the butt.

Bob Waring runs Kandahar's branch of Skylink, which carries military cargo all over southern Afghanistan. His business responds directly, and with remarkable efficiency, to the central logistical challenge of the war: the roadside bomb. Convoys keep getting attacked and blown up, and even when they spot an IED and have time to handle it, they can be delayed for many hours at a time. Skylink faces no such problems. Each morning a gaggle of white helicopters, all ex-Soviet models with Eastern-bloc crews hardened by years flying in the worst conditions on earth, take off and ferry equipment to bases in the region. They fly tactically, and they know what it's like to get shot at, because some of the pilots remember the terrain from a certain grittier war that lasted from 1979 to 1989.

By now everyone is familiar -- not to say comfortable -- with the pseudo-mercenary outfits like Blackwater and Triple Canopy, which replicate the functions of the military, but as private entities. Many even accept that these companies often do good and laudable work more efficiently than any government. What is less well understood is how fully private companies have proliferated to fill military functions other than those of ground-based shooters and personal security details. As ground movements have become messier and more dangerous, emphasis has shifted to air power, both among militaries and the companies that support them.

Airborne military contracting is not new. In Iraq, a publicity-shy company called AirScan used to fly modified single-engine planes out of Kirkuk, watching for activity on the sensitive oil pipeline in northern Iraq. Its personnel draw from Air Force Special Operations veterans. Waring's company performs an logistical role, and one that is more vital to the smooth function of ISAF. During the cool morning hours, before the heat of the day cooks their equipment and increases the risk of a malfunction, the crews scramble to take on payloads, and the roughly two dozen helicopters depart in the space of about an hour. Here's a video of a few of them taking off:

Ex-Soviet aircraft have long suffered mockery for their rickety construction, chewing-gum repair jobs, and bibulous crews. In Iraq a few years ago, I frequently saw Antonovs and Ilyushins whose dings had been hammered out with sledgehammers, and whose pilots were semi-nude Moldovans (to beat the heat, they stripped to their briefs, anointing their seats with the sweat off their pale, hairy backs).

Waring declined to make his crews accessible for interviews, but he insisted that the old image of drunk Slavs flying into Pamiri mountainsides had become unfair. Indeed, the crews I saw on a visit at short notice seemed professional and at the very least concerned enough with their own survival to make sure their equipment worked perfectly. They wore crisp uniforms and were going through a visible checklist routine. Waring said that the generation trained during the Soviet era is starting to age out of their useful years, and are being replaced with a younger generation of Eastern European aviators with more sophisticated aeronautical education. As for the equipment, it remains pared to its essentials, and therefore simpler to maintain and fix in an environment whose heat and dust ravages complex machinery.

Estimating the Number of Potential Organ Donors...

2009-07-14T12:20:00.005+02:00

Ellen Sheehy, M.P.P.M., M.A.R., Suzanne L. Conrad, M.S., Lori E. Brigham, M.B.A., Richard Luskin, M.P.A., Phyllis Weber, R.N., Mark Eakin, Ph.D., Lawrence Schkade, Ph.D., and Lawrence Hunsicker, M.D.
Background As the need for transplantable organs increases, waiting lists of patients become longer. We studied the size and composition of the national pool of brain-dead organ donors during a three-year period and, on the basis of these data, considered ways to increase the rate of donation.
Methods We reviewed hospital medical records of deaths occurring in the intensive care unit from 1997 through 1999 in the service areas of 36 organ-procurement organizations to identify brain-dead potential organ donors. We examined data on characteristics of the potential donors, the processes of referral to organ-procurement organizations and of requesting donations, and the hospitals.
Results We identified a total of 18,524 brain-dead potential organ donors during the study period. The predicted annual number of brain-dead potential organ donors is between 10,500 and 13,800. The overall consent rate (the number of families agreeing to donate divided by the number of families asked to donate) for 1997 through 1999 was 54 percent, and the overall conversion rate (the number of actual donors divided by the number of potential donors) was 42 percent. Hospitals with 150 or more beds were more likely than smaller hospitals to have potential donors and actual donors ,

Conclusions Lack of consent to a request for donation was the primary cause of the gap between the number of potential donors and the number of actual donors. Since potential and actual donors are highly concentrated in larger hospitals, resources invested to improve the process of obtaining consent in larger hospitals should maximize the rate of organ recovery. The performance of organ-procurement organizations can be assessed objectively through the comparison of the number of actual donors with the number of potential donors in the given service area.

Source Information

From the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, McLean, Va. (E.S.); the Iowa Donor Network (S.L.C.) and the University of Iowa (L.H.), Iowa City; the Washington Regional Transplant Consortium, Falls Church, Va. (L.E.B.); the New England Organ Bank, Newton, Mass. (R.L.); the California Transplant Donor Network, Oakland (P.W.); and the Information Systems Department (M.E.) and the College of Business (L.S.), University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington.

Address reprint requests to Ms. Sheehy at the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, 1364 Beverly Rd., Suite 100, McLean, VA 22101, or at organdonation@aopo.org.

Indian Restaurant Name ...?

2009-07-14T12:06:00.004+02:00

The Women Contest,..? ,Who Is The Best Driver....

2009-07-13T00:50:00.001+02:00

Boney M Full Songs Collection..Audio

2009-07-12T14:46:00.003+02:00

Frank Farian (Franz Reuther), German schlager singer, wasn’t happy with the choice of material his record company wanted him to sing. He went into the studio in December 1974 and recorded the song single “Baby Do You Wanna Bump?”, a monotonous dance track, singing the repeated “Do you do you wanna bump?” in a deep voice (entirely studio created) as well as performing the high female chorus vocals in his falsetto voice. The record came out,
2bonym3
credited to “Boney M.” Frank Farian had been watching an Australian detective show, where the lead character was called Boney, and Farian decided that this would make a good name for a group, and added the M. After a slow start it became a hit in the Netherlands and Belgium.

It was then that Farian decided to hire a team to ‘front’ the group for TV performances. A booking agency (Katja Wolfe) found model-turned-singer Maizie Williams (originally from
Montserrat) and her Jamaican friend and singer Sheyla Bonnick for him, and a dancer called Mike for the first gigs. Also during 1975, a girl named Nathalie joined but was soon replaced by Claudja Barry. Then Bonnick and Mike left, and Maizie Williams brought in an exotic dancer from Aruba,Bobby Farrell. Singer Marcia Barrett (Jamaica) reluctantly joined the group, which went through another change in line-up when Claudja Barry – tired of merely lip-synching – left in February 1976 to pursue a solo career as a disco singer. Finally Liz Mitchell, an unemployed singer and former member of the Les Humphries Singers, stepped in – and the final line-up was found at last with Maizie Williams, Marcia Barrett, Liz Mitchell and Bobby Farrell.Farian began recording Boney M.’s first LP, Take the Heat Off Me, for which Marcia Barrett had already recorded some songs with Farian: these were the title track and “Lovin’ or Leavin’”, both previously recorded in German by another Farian act, Gilla. While Maizie Williams’ voice wasn’t considered good enough for recording purposes by Farian, and a try-out with Bobby Farrell doing “No Woman No Cry” didn’t work, Farian decided to use only Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett along with his own studio created deep male voice and high
falsetto voice to create the Boney M. sound.

The commercial response to the album was initially lukewarm. However, the group rigorously toured discos, clubs and even country fairs, to earn a reputation for themselves. The group’s big break came when, at the end of that summer, music-TV-producer Michael ‘Mike’ Leckebusch of Radio Bremen, requested the group for his show Musikladen. Boney M. appeared on the live music show on September 18, 1976, after 10 pm, in their now trademark daring costumes; by the end of the following week, “Daddy Cool” became Germany’s #1 single in the charts. The album was to follow the success of the single.In 1977, Boney M. released their second album Love for Sale, and this contained further hits “Ma Baker” and “Belfast”. The group also embarked on their first major concert tours with a live band of musicians called ‘The Black Beautiful Circus’ (given their name after Maizie Williams’ first band,’Black Beautiful People’). Neither Love for Sale nor Take the Heat Off
Me did very well in the UK Albums Chart, most likely due to their rather risqué covers. In 1978, Boney M. had their biggest year: they released a new single, “Rivers of Babylon”, which became a massive-selling single all over Europe and #1 in the UK Singles Chart. It also became their most successful single in the United States of their five singles to make the Billboard
bony_m_2Hot 100. “Rivers of Babylon” peaked at number 30 on the U.S.
pop singles chart. Next came their biggest-selling album,
Nightflight to Venus, which spawned a further single “Rasputin”. Continuing with their success, they released “Mary’s Boy Child/Oh My Lord”, which was the 1978 Christmas number one single in the United Kingdom. Also during 1978, Boney M. made a much publicised promotional visit to the Soviet Union, which in the shadow of the Cold War made them one of the very few Western acts along with Elton John to do so. Although tracks like “Rasputin” were officially banned in the Soviet Union because of their lyrics, the band was still welcomed by the Soviet regime and this visit resulted in an
enormous popularity in the entire former Eastern Bloc that has lasted for more than three decades.
While it had been common knowledge all along that Bobby Farrell only mimed to Farian’s vocals, it also emerged during 1978 that Maizie Williams didn’t sing (on the studio recordings) “since her voice wasn’t suited for this kind of music”, as Farian put it in an interview with German teen magazine Bravo at the time. Since it was common practice in the disco genre of the late 70s, few people cared – unlike when Farian did the same thing with Milli Vanilli ten years later. All four members of the group, including Maizie Williams and Bobby Farrell, performed all the vocals live at Boney M. concerts The year 1979 saw Boney M. release their fourth album, Oceans of Fantasy, containing two hit singles – “El Lute”/”Gotta Go Home” and “I’m Born Again”/”Bahama Mama”. The track “No More Chain Gang”, one of a number of black freedom songs the group recorded, exemplified Boney M.’s mix of white and black music – the producer Farian is white, and the singers are black. They also released another hit single, “Hooray! Hooray! It’s A Holi-Holiday”, prior to the release of Oceans of Fantasy though this single was not included on the album. The album also included a Lead- and Backing-Vocals credit for the first time.In 1980, Boney M. released a greatest hits album, The Magic of Boney M. – 20 Golden Hits, which also contained two new songs, “My Friend Jack” and “I See a Boat on the River”. It made the 1 spot in the UK,

and was their last big UK-seller until “Boney M. Megamix” in 1992.Boney M.’s fifth album had been scheduled for release in November 1980 but the recording sessions dragged on all through 1981, and when Boonoonoonoos was finally released by the end of the year, Bobby Farrell was fired from the group due to his unreliable working discipline. While still a healthy seller on the continent, “Boonoonoonoos” failed to crack the UK Top 75 after three consecutive 1 albums, and Farrell’s departure leaving the group unable to promote it. Still, the group’s Christmas Album, issued concurrently, became a holiday favourite.Reggie Tsiboe was presented as the new male member of Boney M. in 1982 but the singles “The Carnival Is Over” and “Jambo” fared alarmingly poorly, and the group’s seventh album Ten Thousand Lightyears, issued in 1984, marked another commercial low point. The group, however, returned to the German Top 20 in the fall of 1984 with “Kalimba de Luna” and “Happy Song”, the latter seeing Bobby Farrell return to the group, both songs being carbon-copies of the original Italian hits by Tony Esposito and Baby’s Gang respectively.In 1985, Farian clearly began losing interest in the group, and their final studio album Eye Dance was widely regarded as uninspired and disappointing, with its anonymous cover. After celebrating 10 years of Boney M. in early 1986, the group officially disbanded.In late 1987, Bobby Farrell persuaded Maizie Williams and Liz Mitchell to do another tour. For reasons unknown, Marcia Barrett was not part of this. Furthermore, Bobby Farrell had set up a deal for a new Boney M. album to be recorded without Farian in Belgium – he never showed up for either recording or tour, so the album ended being released as Liz Mitchell’s first solo album No One Will Force You. Liz Mitchell and Maizie Williams completed a tour during 1987-88, adding singer Celena Duncan and dancer Curt Dee Daran as substitutes.In October 1988, Boney M. reunited for the album Greatest Hits of All Times – Remix ‘88 but tensions ran high between the members, and Liz Mitchell left in the spring of 1989 to be replaced by Madeleine Davis. While Mitchell promoted her solo album, the group recorded the single “Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker”, without Farian’s knowledge or approval. Threatened with legal action over the use of the Boney M. name, the single was subsequently withdrawn and Farian issued “Stories” with a competitive Boney M. line-up featuring Liz Mitchell, Reggie Tsiboe and two new members, Sharon Stevens and Patty Onoyewenjo, while a second remix album Greatest Hits of All Times – Remix ‘89 – Volume II passed fairly unnoticed.
1993 saw a rise in Boney M.’s popularity with the album Gold being a huge seller. While Marcia Barrett, now residing in Florida, was hit by several bouts of cancer and unable to work, Liz Mitchell toured the world with Carol Grey, Patricia Lorna Foster and Curt Dee Daran (replaced by Tony Ashcroft in 1994). Maizie Williams assembled her own Boney M. line-up with her friend and short-time Boney M. member in the early days in 1975, Sheila Bonnick, and two others, while Bobby Farrell also toured with three ever-changing ladies.
As of 2006, Liz Mitchell is currently touring the world with her line-up of Boney M., which is the only official line-up supported by Farian (the court ruling of 1990 stated that all
four members are entitled to perform their own Boney M. shows), as well as releasing solo albums. Marcia Barrett has released two solo albums, and Maizie and Bobby are touring with their own Boney M. groups. Farrell has also issued a series of albums containing re-recordings of Boney M.’s classic hits. Maizie Williams released her first solo album Christmas 2006, and released her version of “Sunny” as a single .February 2007.This single will precede a new studio album with Maizie, reportedly to contain a new recording with original Boney M. members Marcia Barrett and Bobby Farrell.
A musical based on the music of Boney M., Daddy Cool, opened in London in October 2006 to mixed reactions and slow ticket sales, causing it to close again in February 2007.In October 2006, pop singer Peter Wilson, who during the mid-90s scored a couple of Top 40 hits in his native Australia, recorded a brand new song, co-written by Frank Farian, which
is to be included on his forthcoming album, Follow Me, due for release in late 2007. The song entitled “Doin’ Fine” is described as paying tribute to the ’sound’ of Boney M. and features the famous string arrangement from their number 1 hit, “Daddy Cool”.In a sign of their continued popularity in South Asia, a concert by Boney M. (featuring Marcia Barrett) was a featured attraction at the 37th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which took place on November 23, 2006 in Panaji, the state capital of Goa, India. The group is also popular in the Vietnamese diaspora, and was recently featured in Thuy Nga music productions.In the UK, a new album of their greatest hits, entitled The Magic of Boney M. was released
via BMG on November 27, 2006. Special additions to this release were a Mousse T. remix of “Sunny” and a brand new song from 2006, featuring Liz Mitchell, entitled “A Moment Of Love”.On April 10, 2007, Boney M.’s first four albums were reissued to compact disc with bonus tracks, this time also in the United States, which meant that for the first time these were available to the U.S. music market since their original releases in the 1970s.In September 2007, Boney M.’s last four original albums, Boonoonoonoos, Ten Thousand Lightyears, Kalimba de Luna – 16 Happy Songs and Eye Dance were reissued to compact disc in Europe and the United States, all including bonus tracks. In November 2007, a new Christmas
compilation is being released as well as the DVD Fantastic Boney M. – On Stage and on the Road featuring live performances and a film from the band’s 1981 visit to Jamaica.

Bobby Farrell’s Boney M. performed a sell-out concert before large crowds at the Amphi in Ra’anana, Israel in May 2007. On June 28, 2007 Boney M. featuring Liz Mitchell performed at
the “Oktiabrsky” concert hall in St. Petersburg, Russia. In September 2007, Maizie Williams Boney M. line-up performed live at The Royal Albert Hall, UK, to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa, performing her own renditions of ‘Brown Girl In The Ring’ and ‘Hooray! Hooray! It’s A Holi-Holiday’. On October 13, 2007 Marcia Barrett’s Boney M. performed in the Georgian-controlled village of Tamarasheni, in the breakaway South Ossetia, in a concert directed at ousting the de facto President of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity. December 28,
2007, Marcia Barrett’s Boney M. gave a gala performance in Russia for Premier Putin while playing New Year’s Eve concerts in front of 16,000 people in Lithuania. On December 31,
2007, Maizie Williams performed at a live concert to capacity crowds in Krakow, Poland and On 1st December 2008 Maizie Williams and her Boney M. show flew in and gave two concerts in Sofia, Bulgaria, for Aids Awareness and World Aids Day.

The legal rights to the name “Boney M.” have been a matter of controversy, and even court cases, between the former members of the band and producer Frank Farian ever since the early 1990s. Farian, the man who in effect created the group, has continued to work with Liz Mitchell and her official line-up all through the 90s and 2000s, but in a strange twist of fate further Boney M. productions in Germany could be faced with legal proceedings. January 2007 was the date Zanillya Farrell (daughter of Bobby Farrell) and Yasmina Ayad-Saban (ex-wife of Farrell) renewed the copyright to the name Boney M. in Germany for a 10 year period. Also, an upcoming case in the High Court in Berlin, Maizie Williams vs Frank Farian and Sony/BMG.

My Life as a TV Executive...

2009-07-12T13:16:00.003+02:00

By Joel Stein
PIPE DREAMS: Stein inflicted on Trio viewers reruns of Battle of the Network Stars IX, My Mother the Car and Pink Lady and Jeff
e most Jewish kids, I dreamed of one day controlling the media. Specifically, I wanted to run a TV network. As I grew older, this became less of a possibility, partly because a big part of being a network executive seemed to involve owning a suit. But then my digital-cable box neared 200 channels, designer-outlet stores became more prevalent, and my dream moved within reach. Six months ago I called Trio, an obscure arts channel that reaches just under 20 million homes and doesn't even get a Nielsen rating, and asked if they would let me run the network for a week. I chose Trio not just because its president, Lauren Zalaznick, owed me after mistakenly cc-ing me on an e-mail she sent out when she worked at VH1 about how much my writing stinks, but also because no real TV channel would trade a week of airtime for a one-page magazine article. Trio was willing to cede complete control of the network. Even better, it would let me have the week around my birthday, July 19 to 27. For a two-page story, the job would have come with Vivendi stock options. I stuck with a page.

To be given charge of the channel, I had to win over Michael Jackson, who, Zalaznick carefully explained, was the Vivendi Universal Television Group chairman and could not get me into Neverland. I wrote Jackson an e-mail about my plans to serve as a curator who would contextualize Trio's role as a pop-culture arbiter and other phrases I remembered from the Matthew Barney exhibit. I didn't mention my real plan: to see if I could get ridiculous garbage on TV. Jackson liked the idea so much that Trio made the My Trio concept a quarterly gimmick, with Quentin Tarantino taking over in the fall. Tarantino got top billing on the press release.
My first move was to play off of Trio's Brilliant but Canceled series, where, in another desperate attempt to get press, the network aired failed series that were loved by critics. My series, Just Plain Canceled, would air really awful shows that bombed. I met with Kris Slava, vice president of acquisitions and scheduling, and gave him a list of shows I wanted to air: The Chevy Chase Show, My Mother the Car, Manimal, Pink Lady and Jeff and Mr. Smith, the 1983 NBC sitcom about an orangutan that ran a Washington think tank. Slava put a lot of work into looking into this and discovered that the freaks who owned Chevy Chase's talk show not only wanted a fortune per episode but would sell us only all 30. Finally, we decided that since we had only a few hours of prime-time programming each night to spend money on, we would buy My Mother the Car and Pink Lady and Jeff, a racially offensive variety show starring comedian Jeff Altman and a Japanese singing duo named Pink Lady. I was in L.A. when we had to close the deal, and I gave the go-ahead from my cell phone to a conference room of a dozen executives. After the call, giddy with my newfound power, I canceled my reservation at the Ivy, even though I didn't have one.
Slava also bought me Battle of the Network Stars, so I could relive the thrill I got seeing Catherine Bach in the dunk tank. He got me the MTV game show Idiot Savants, where I was the only contestant ever to yell out an incorrect answer immediately after someone else had given the same incorrect answer. And he got me the Late Night with David Letterman from my junior year of high school, where Dave read my letter on the air, which is still the highlight of my writing career. As you can probably tell from this article.

Testing how thoroughly I could ruin Trio's reputation as the smartest channel on cable, I got Andrew Cohen, vice president of Original Programming, to green-light Good Clean Porn, a series where I would show adult films without the sex scenes and introduce them, Alistair Cooke style, sitting in a leather chair and smoking a pipe.

For the week, Trio even changed its slogan from "Pop, Culture, TV" to "Joel, Stein, TV" and had me introduce each show. They also had me write and host a half-hour show of clips from my selections. It was about 12 hours into the day of shooting that it struck me that I wasn't getting paid for any of my work: not the hosting, the months of programming, the Good Clean Porn show or the My Trio idea. Trio is indeed the smartest network in the world.

Dangers of Cell Phone Radiation.....

2009-07-12T12:38:00.013+02:00

Every day, we’re swimming in a sea of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) produced by electrical appliances, power lines, wiring in buildings, and a slew of other technologies that are part of modern life. From the dishwasher and microwave oven in the kitchen and the clock radio next to your bed, to the cellular phone you hold to your ear—sometimes for hours each day—exposure to EMR is growing and becoming a serious health threat.

But there’s a huge public health crisis looming from one particular threat: EMR from cellular phones—both the radiation from the handsets and from the tower-based antennas carrying the signals—which studies have linked to development of brain tumors, genetic damage, and other exposure-related conditions.1-9 Yet the government and a well-funded cell phone industry media machine continue to mislead the unwary public about the dangers of a product used by billions of people. Most recently, a Danish epidemiological study announced to great fanfare the inaccurate conclusion that cell phone use is completely safe.
The cellular phone industry was born in the early 1980s, when communications technology that had been developed for the Department of Defense was put into commerce by companies focusing on profits. This group, with big ideas but limited resources, pressured government regulatory agencies—particularly the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—to allow cell phones to be sold without pre-market testing. The rationale, known as the “low power exclusion,” distinguished cell phones from dangerous microwave ovens based on the amount of power used to push the microwaves. At that time, the only health effect seen from microwaves involved high power strong enough to heat human tissue. The pressure worked, and cell phones were exempted from any type of regulatory oversight, an exemption that continues today. An eager public grabbed up the cell phones, but according to Dr. George Carlo, “Those phones were slowly prompting a host of health problems.”

In December, 2006, an epidemiological study on cell phone dangers published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute sent the media into a frenzy.10 Newspaper headlines blared: “Danish Study Shows Cell Phone Use is Safe,” while TV newscasters proclaimed, “Go ahead and talk all you want—it’s safe!” The news seemed to be a holiday gift for cell phone users. But unfortunately, it’s a flawed study, funded by the cell phone industry and designed to bring a positive result. The industry’s public relations machine is working in overdrive to assure that the study get top-billing in the media worldwide.
Why Cell Phones are Dangerous

A cellular phone is basically a radio that sends signals on waves to a base station. The carrier signal generates two types of radiation fields: a near-field plume and a far-field plume. Living organisms, too, generate electromagnetic fields at the cellular, tissue, organ, and organism level; this is called the biofield. Both the near-field and far-field plumes from cell phones and in the environment can wreak havoc with the human biofield, and when the biofield is compromised in any way, says Dr. Carlo, so is metabolism and physiology.

“The near field plume is the one we’re most concerned with. This plume that’s generated within five or six inches of the center of a cell phone’s antenna is determined by the amount of power necessary to carry the signal to the base station,” he explains. “The more power there is, the farther the plume radiates the dangerous information-carrying radio waves.”

A carrier wave oscillates at 1900 megahertz (MHz) in most phones, which is mostly invisible to our biological tissue and doesn’t do damage. The information-carrying secondary wave necessary to interpret voice or data is the problem, says Dr. Carlo. That wave cycles in a hertz (Hz) range familiar to the body. Your heart, for example, beats at two cycles per second, or two Hz. Our bodies recognize the information-carrying wave as an “invader,” setting in place protective biochemical reactions that alter physiology and cause biological problems that include intracellular free-radical buildup, leakage in the blood-brain barrier, genetic damage, disruption of intercellular communication, and an increase in the risk of tumors. The health dangers of recognizing the signal, therefore, aren’t from direct damage, but rather are due to the biochemical responses in the cell.

Here’s what happens:

*

Cellular energy is now used for protection rather than metabolism. Cell membranes harden, keeping nutrients out and waste products in.
*

Waste accumulating inside the cells creates a higher concentration of free radicals, leading to both disruption of DNA repair (micronuclei) and cellular dysfunction.
*

Unwanted cell death occurs, releasing the micronuclei from the disrupted DNA repair into the fluid between cells (interstitial fluid), where they are free to replicate and proliferate. This, says Dr. Carlo, is the most likely mechanism that contributes to cancer.
*

Damage occurs to proteins on the cell membrane, resulting in disruption of intercellular communication. When cells can’t communicate with each other, the result is impaired tissue, organ, and organism function. In the blood-brain barrier, for example, cells can’t keep dangerous chemicals from reaching the brain tissue, which results in damage.

With the background levels of information-carrying radio waves dramatically increasing because of the widespread use of cell phones,Wi-Fi, and other wireless communication, the effects from the near and far-fields are very similar. Overall, says Dr. Carlo, almost all of the acute and chronic symptoms seen in electrosensitive patients can be explained in some part by disrupted intercellular communication. These symptoms of electrosensitivity include inability to sleep, general malaise, and headaches. Could this explain the increase in recent years of conditions such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, and anxiety disorder?

“One thing all these conditions have in common is a disruption, to varying degrees, of intercellular communication. When we were growing up, TV antennas were on top of our houses and such waves were up in the sky. Cell phones and Wi-Fi have brought those things down to the street, integrated them into the environment, and that’s absolutely new. The recognition mechanism, where protein vibration sensors on the cell membrane pick up a signal and interpret it as an invader, only works because the body recognizes something it’s never seen before.”

As to increases in brain tumors tied to cell phone use, it’s too early to tell due to a lack of hard data, says Dr. Carlo. “We’re never going to see that in time to have it matter. Here in the US, we’re six years behind in getting the brain tumor database completed, and currently the best data are from 1999. By the time you see any data showing an increase, the ticking time bomb is set.”

Epidemic curve projections, however, indicate that in 2006, we can expect to see 40,000 to 50,000 cases of brain and eye cancer. This is based on published peer-reviewed studies that allow calculation of risk and construction of epidemic curves. By 2010, says Dr. Carlo, expect that number to be between 400,000 and 500,000 new cases worldwide.

“This means we’re on the beginning curve of an epidemic, with epidemic defined as a change in the occurrence of a disease that is so dramatic in its increase that it portends serious public health consequences,” says Dr. Carlo. “This is what’s not being told to the public. One of the things that I suggest to people who use a cell phone is to use an air tube headset. If you use a wired headset, the current moving through the wire of the headset attracts ambient informational carrying radio waves and thereby increases your exposure.”
Gauss Meters: Detecting Electromagnetic Radiation

Invisible electromagnetic radiation surrounds us each day, emanating from diverse sources such as power lines, home wiring, computers, televisions, microwave ovens, photocopy machines, and cell phones.

While undetectable to the eye, scientists have proposed that electromagnetic radiation may pose serious health effects, ranging from childhood leukemia to brain tumors.

As scientists continue to unravel the precise health dangers of electromagnetic radiation, it makes good sense to avoid these potentially dangerous frequencies as much as possible. A gauss meter is a useful tool you can use to measure electromagnetic radiation in your home and work environments.

Using the gauss meter at varied locations, you can easily detect electromagnetic radiation “hot spots” where exposure to these ominous frequencies is the greatest. Armed with this crucial information, you can then avoid these areas, re-arranging furniture or electronic devices as needed in order to avoid unnecessary exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
By Sue Kovach
LE Magazine..

This is India....

2009-07-12T12:22:00.005+02:00

Amazing Accident....

2009-07-12T00:01:00.001+02:00

How to deal with land issue in China...

2009-07-10T12:37:00.001+02:00

This news will show you 2 cases of land division
In the first case, a man was shopping. Someone bought the whole territory, but the shopkeeper refused to sell his piece of land. The second is the same, only there was a dwelling house
FURTHER RESULTS. It is to laugh, but here it seems to be not quite to the place.

Creative Artist...

2009-07-09T20:26:00.000+02:00

Shorts Not Allowed In The Hotel Lobby....

2009-07-09T17:32:00.008+02:00

Shorts Not Allowed In The Hotel Lobby...

it may one day save your life...

2009-07-09T17:06:00.026+02:00

Read your labels -- it may one day save your life.

Anybody that takes Vitamin C (and most people should) avoid the following Soft drinks Sunkist, Fanta, Diet Coke, Sprite, & Pepsi Max.

These drinks contain Sodium Benzoate 211 on the label. A chemical reaction between Vitamin C and Sodium Benzoate creates Benzine a highly Carcinogenic chemical (story by Channel 9).

Benzine has the ability to severely damage the DNA in the Mitochondria to the point that it totally inactivates it,knocks it out altogether. The Mitochondria consumes Oxygen to give you energy, and if you damage it, then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously, often fatally, a whole array of Diseases has been tied to the damage to the DNA, including Parkinson's Disease and quite a lot of Neuro-Degenerative Diseases..

This is a follow-up of all the TV station's story on Mentos and Diet Coke. Don't mix these two either, they cause a chemical reaction (explosion) in the stomach, it's not only Mentos but also any Mint products. Mint Life Savers, Tic Tac's, Cool Mint's, etc, the Mint is not the culprit here but the Aspartame in the Diet Drinks, 951 on the label, also avoid 950 Acelsultame F (same thing). Aspartame poisoning has been scientifically linked to 92 Symptoms of Disease ... Still going to drink your Diet Drinks...???

Most European countries have forbidden the Importing and use in their Country of Aspartame including all makes of Saccharin, example Equal, Nutra-Sweet, Spoonful & Diet Drinks, including 6,000 consumer Good's and Beverages, sold on the Supermarket shelves . this ban affect's all use of this product in any type o consumable infringement and will carry penalties that go from 9.000 euros to 90,000 Euros.

Mexico is also considering banning all 6,000 products of Aspartame on its Supermarket shelves. In Mexico Aspartame is known as Rumsfeld's Disease, after George Bush's mate Donald Rumsfeld. The Nutra-Sweet company and Searle are owned by Monsanto who appointed Rumsfeld as their General Manager, so they could use his clout with Parliament to get this Deadly Poison passed by the FDA and boost their sales of Aspartame.

Avoid all Toothpastes made in China , especially Colgate's they contain Ethylene Glycol.. This is an Anti-Freezing agent, Highly Toxic and even Fatal -- it destroys the Liver, Kidney, Lung, Blood Cells, Heart and the Nervous System. It is also in some Mouth Washes, Make-up, Aftershave, Baby Powder and Wipes, Shampoo, and Deodorants.

Avoid Smarties; they contain almost every Toxic artificial colour on the market. The worst are 102, 104, and the worst of all 110 Carcinogenic, 124 undesirable, 127 Carcinogenic 128 Extreme Caution, 129,131, and 133 are also carcinogenic. To top it off Smarties are not even made of Chocolate (neither are Tim Tam's). Synthetic Chocolate has non-nutritional food value whatsoever.

Read your labels -- it may one day save your life.

Expenses. ...

2009-07-09T16:50:00.003+02:00

Who is she...???

MICHANICAL ENGINEERS WEDDING RING....!!!!!!!

2009-07-09T16:48:00.003+02:00

Who's Guilty...............???

2009-07-09T16:38:00.005+02:00

Wife is dreaming in the middle of the night and suddenly shouts:

"Wake Up! Quick! My husband is back.

Man gets up, jumps out of the window, hurts himself, and then
realizes: "Damn, I am the husband!"

Who is guilty in this situation .......??????

Tea boy in Honda Japan

2009-07-09T15:09:00.001+02:00

Robot Tea boy in Honda Company Japan...
ASIMO is a humanoid robot created by Honda. Standing at 130 centimeters (4 feet 3 inches) and weighing 54 kilograms (114 pounds), the robot resembles a small astronaut wearing a backpack and can walk or run on two feet at speeds up to 6 km/h (4.3 mph), matching EMIEW. ASIMO was created at Honda's Research & Development Wako Fundamental Technical Research Center in Japan. It is the current model in a line of eleven that began in 1986 with E0.

Officially, the name is an acronym for "Advanced Step in Innovative MObility". Honda's official statements claim that the robot's name is not a reference to science fiction writer and inventor of the Three Laws of Robotics, Isaac Asimov.

As of February 2009, there are over 100 ASIMO units in existence. Each one costs just under $1 million (¥106,710,325 or €638,186 or £504,720) to manufacture, and some units are available to be hired out for $166,000 (¥17,714,316 or €105,920 or £83,789) per year.

Specifications
Original ASIMO

(2000) next-gen ASIMO
(2004) new ASIMO
(2005)
Mass 52kg ? 54 kg
Height 120 cm 130 cm
Width 45 cm 45 cm
Depth 44 cm 37 cm
Walking speed 1.6 km/hour 2.5 km/hour 2.7 km/hour
1.6 km/hour (carrying 1 kg)
Running speed - 3 km/hour 6 km/hour (straight)
5 km/hour (circling)
Airborne time - 0.05 seconds 0.08 seconds
Battery Nickel metal hydride
38.4 V / 10 Ah / 7.7 kg
4 hours to fully charge Lithium ion
51.8 V / 6 kg
3 hours to fully charge
Continuous operating time 30 minutes 40 mins to 1 hour (walking)
Degrees of Freedom 26 (two in the head, five in each arm, six in each leg, one per hand) 34 (three in the head, seven in each arm, two in each hand, one in the torso, six in each

Toilet Signs Around the World....

2009-07-09T14:58:00.020+02:00

Toilet Signs Around the World...

Toilet Signs Around the World...

2009-07-09T00:31:00.001+02:00

Spice Secrets....

2009-07-08T23:27:00.005+02:00

Take 1/4 tea spoon of tumeric and 1/4 tea spoon of ginger powder add 1/2 tea spooof pure honey in cup of warm water. Drink it 2 to 3 times a week.

A real GURU.
Super Spice Secrets:
Can This Miracle Spice Stop Cancer, Alzheimer's and Arthritis?
turmeric, curcumin, india, herbs, spices, cancer, alzheimer's, arthritisBy Dr. Mercola
For more than 5,000 years, turmeric has been an important part of Eastern cultural traditions, including traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda.. Valued for its medicinal properties and warm, peppery flavor, this yellow-orange spice has more recently earned a name for itself in Western medicine as well.
Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant, which is native to Indonesia and southern India, and is widely used as an ingredient in curry dishes and yellow mustard. As research into this powerful spice has increased, it has emerged as one of nature’s most powerful potential healers.
Said Dr. David Frawely, founder and director of the American Institute for Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico:
“If I had only one single herb to depend upon for all possible health and dietary needs,I would without much hesitation choose the Indian spice Turmeric.
There is little it cannot do in the realm of healing and much that no other herb is able to accomplish.
Turmeric has a broad spectrum of actions, mild but certain effects,and is beneficial for long term and daily usage.
Though it is a common spice, few people, including herbalists know of its great value and are using it to the extent possible. It is an herb that one should get to know and live with.”
Turmeric’s Beneficial Effects in a Nutshell Strengthens and improves digestion

* Reduces gas and bloating
* Assists in the digestion of protein and with rice and bean dishes
* Improves your body's ability to digest fats
* Promotes proper metabolism, correcting both excesses and deficiencies
* Maintains and improves intestinal flora
* Improves elimination of wastes and toxins

Supports healthy liver function and detox

* Turmeric helps increase bile flow making it a liver cleanser that
* can rejuvenate your liver cells and recharge their capability to break down toxins
* Helps to prevent alcohol and other toxins from being converted into compounds that may be harmful to your liver
* Supports formation of healthy tissue Purifies your blood
* Stimulates formation of new blood tissue
* Anti-inflammatory: Helps to reduce irritation to tissues characterized by pain, redness, swelling and heat Contains curcuminoids that fight cancer, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s
* Curcuminoids are potent phytonutrients (plant-based nutrients) that contain powerful antioxidant properties
* Counteract the damaging effects of free radicals in your body
* Relieve arthritis pain and stiffness, anti-inflammatory agent
* Anti-carcinogenic: “Curcumin has been shown to prevent a
* large of number of cancers in animal studies.
* Laboratory data indicate that curcumin can inhibit tumor initiation, promotion, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis.”[1]
* Supports treatment of Alzheimer’s disease:
* “Because Alzheimer's disease is caused in part by amyloid-induced inflammation,
* curcumin has been shown to be effective against Alzheimer's.
* Clinical trials are in progress at UCLA with curcumin for Alzheimer's.”
Curcumin: Turmeric’s Active Anti-Inflammatory “Ingredient”
Most notably turmeric is known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties,

which come from curcumin -- the pigment that gives turmeric its yellow-orange color,

and which is thought to be responsible for many of its medicinal effects.

There are an estimated three to five grams of curcumin in 100 grams of turmeric.

Curcumin has been shown to influence more than 700 genes, and it can inhibit both the activity and the synthesis of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) and 5-lipooxygenase (5-LOX), as well as other enzymes that have been implicated in inflammation.[3]
Turmeric’s Cancer-Fighting Properties ,In India where turmeric is widely used, the prevalence of four common U..S. cancer- colon, breast, prostate and lung -- is 10 times lower. In fact, prostate cancer, which is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in U.S. men, is rare in India and this is attributed, in part, to turmeric.Numerous studies have looked into this potential cancer-fighting link, with promising results.
For instance, curcumin has been found to:
* Inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells
* Inhibit the transformation of cells from normal to tumor
* Help your body destroy mutated cancer cells so they cannot spread throughout your body
* Decrease inflammation
* Enhance liver function
* Inhibit the synthesis of a protein thought to be instrumental in tumor formation
* Prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth As for the results of research studies, a study in Biochemical Pharmacology

found that curcumin can slow the spread of breast cancer cells to the lungs in mice.
"Curcumin acts against transcription factors, which are like a master switch,"
said lead researcher, Bharat Aggarwal. "Transcription factors regulate all the genes needed for tumors to form. When we turn them off, we shut down some genes that are involved in the growth and invasion of cancer cells."
A second study in Biochemical Pharmacology also found that curcumin inhibits the activation of NF-kappaB, a regulatory molecule that signals genes to produce
a slew of inflammatory molecules (including TNF, COX-2 and IL-6) that promote cancer cell growth.Turmeric’s Essential Role for Your Liver Your liver’s primary role is to process and remove toxins carried in your bloodstream.
When functioning at its peak, it can filter up to two liters of blood per minute
and easily break apart toxic molecules to reduce their toxicity.
Your liver is also a crucial part of vitamin, mineral, protein, fat, carbohydrate and hormonal metabolism.However, poor diet, allergens, pollution and stress can cause your liver to become sluggish, and this can impair its vital functions.
This is where turmeric can be a very useful part of your liver support system.Studies have shown that it:
* May increase important detoxification enzymes in your liver
* Induces the formation of a primary liver detoxification enzyme, glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzymes Turmeric is also a natural cholagogue, a medicinal agent that promotes the discharge of bile from your system. Increased bile flow is important to help your liver detoxify and to help your body digest fats.Turmeric for Your Heart, Brain and Overall Health
Turmeric inhibits free radical damage of fats, including cholesterol. When cholesterol is damaged in this way, or oxidized,
it can then damage your blood vessels and lead to a heart attack or stroke.Therefore, research suggests that turmeric’s ability to
prevent the oxidation of cholesterol may be beneficial for your heart.
It’s also rich in vitamin B6, high intakes of which are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.
Meanwhile, turmeric appears to be highly protective against neurodegenerative diseases.
In fact, in India levels of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s are very low,
and studies have shown that curcumin can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s in mice.
The compound has also proven capable of blocking the progression of multiple sclerosis.
Further, Professor Moolky Nagabhushan from the Loyola , Medical Center, Chicago, IL, who has been studying turmeric for the last 20 years,
believes that turmeric can protect against harmful environmental chemicals, and in so doing protect against childhood leukemia. The research showed that curcumin in turmeric can:[7]
* Inhibit the toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
* (cancer-causing chemicals in the environment)
* Inhibit radiation-induced chromosome damage
* Prevent the formation of harmful heterocyclic amines and
* nitroso compounds, which may result in the body when
* eating certain processed foods, such as processed meat products
* Irreversibly inhibit the multiplication of leukemia cells in a cell culture
Turmeric's volatile oils also have external anti-bacterial action. As such, they may help prevent bacterial wound infections and accelerate wound healing. Johnson & Johnson even sells a curcumin-containing Band-Aid in India!And SriLanka the therapeutic potential of turmeric and curcumin do not end there.. Evidence suggests the spice may also be beneficial for:
* Cystic fibrosis
* Type 2 diabetes
* Crohn’s disease
* Psoriasis
* Rheumatoid arthritis
* Cataracts
* Gallstones
* Muscle regeneration
* Inflammatory bowel disease
Which Type of Turmeric is Best?
For use in cooking, choose a pure turmeric powder, rather than a curry powder.
At least one study has found that curry powders
tend to contain very little curcumin, compared to turmeric powder.
Turmeric is also available in supplement form and for many this is a more convenient method to obtain these health benefits discussed above,
especially if they are from a high-quality organic source and if one doesn’t particularly enjoy the taste of curry.

Adi Shankaracharya 1983 Sanskrit Film

2009-07-03T20:59:00.007+02:00

This is a movie for spiritually inclined people. Others might be terribly bored with it as it all about Hinduism and one of the greatest saints of Hinduism. The movie has the credit of being the first one to be taken in sanskrit.A language that is thousands of years old, but it has taken so long to make a movie in it.

The movie is the biography of shankaracharya.Born in the state of kerala,he becomes a monk at an young age and travels north, in search of knowledge and truth.It was a time period when hindus were giving importance to rituals and forgetting the all prevailing, one god.It was also the time period when Buddhism was on the raise. shankaracharya forms a new school of thinkers preaching the adhvaitha philosophy. Through his new philosophy and teachings he changes the views of many scholars and religious people.

The movie as i said before will be boring for non-spiritual people. The most interesting thing that i found in the movie was the usage of symbols by g.v.iyer. The movie is filled with symbolism.

For example two children’s join shankara when he is young. They are named "death" and "wisdom", they are the symbolic representation of death and wisdom."Death" arrives as soon as shankaracharya's father dies and "Wisdom" arrives during his initiation into brahminhood. Through out the movie these characters come and go again and again, symbolically meaning different things depending on the context. Details in the symbolism section.

Director G.V.Iyer(Ganapathi Venkatrama Iyer) is a known philosopher. He had put in lots and lots of efforts into the movie. Apart from telling the story of a great saint without any commercial selling points in mind.He has also tried to tell his teachings in the most simplest way. He not only tells the story of the saint, he breaks up the big philosophy's and truth's told in the upanishads and vedas and has tried to give them in a way, even a lay man can understand. And off course his usage of symbolism in the movie is great.

In a scene where shankara is walking with his followers and a untouchable comes before them. All his followers ask the untouchable to move aways.He does not move. Shankara asks him to Keep off

The untouchable asks who should i keep off?
My body or my inner self(atman)?
All bodies are made of earth built alike and hence impure.
The inner self is all prevading hence immovable and inert.
Tell me who should move away?

shakara realizes his mistake and falls on his feet.

During this scene where shankara and the untouchable are on opposite sides."Wisdom" his friend movies aways from shankara and stands next to the untouchable, symbolically conveying who is wise and who is ignorant on that case.

The movie has very good subtitling. Apart from good translation, an explanation of the rituals that are being carried out and symbolic meaning of objects are also subtitled.

Music:
Music is by Dr.Balamurali krishna himself.He also sings many of the slogams in the movie.

Cast and Credits

Sarvadaman D. Banerjee .... Shankara
M.V. Narayana Rao
Manjunath Bhatt
Leela Narayana Rao
L.V. Sharada Rao
Bharat Bhushan
T.S. Nagabharana
Srinivasa Prabhu
Gopal
V.R.K. Prasad
Gopalakrishnan
Gayathri Balu
Balasubramanyam
Balu Barghava

Original Music by
Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna
B.V. Karanth

Cinematography
Madhu Ambat

Editing
V.R.K. Prasad

Art Direction
P. Krishnamurthy

Dialogue
Benanjaya Godvincharya

Screenplay
G.V. Iyer

Directed by
G.V. Iyer

Madhu ambat has done a very good job in the movie.The movie has excellent cinematography(remember this was taken in 1983).

CATCHES WWII GHOST

2009-06-28T19:20:00.003+02:00

CATCHES WWII GHOST...

I love this story. I have a great uncle MIA since 12/22/43; who was a pilot in WWII. So this story really intrigues me:
Eagle-eyed Internet sleuths have discovered hundreds of weird aircraft on Google Maps' satellite views, from stealth bombers to bizarre globular UFOs hovering over Florida.

But a map-watcher in England may have topped them all by finding a ghost from World War II captured by satellite cameras flying over his own house.

The mystery plane is a historic and flightworthy Avro Lancaster bomber, one of only two left on Earth.

Now living at the United Kingdom's Coningsby air force base, the Lancaster is one of only two such planes still airworthy. 7,377 of the massive bombers were built for World War II.
Although this Lancaster didn't fly in combat -- the war with Japan ended before it was ready for battle -- it was one of the only Lancasters that wasn't scrapped in the post-war years.
Carefully restored and now painted to look like its famous sister plane, QR-M, this bomber now serves in the Battle of Britain memorial flights.

Known as Mickey the Moocher for its nose painting of the Disney mouse pulling a load of German-frying bombs, the QR-M was one of just 35 Lancasters to survive more than a hundred combat missions.

The Battle of Britain squadron includes 11 historic planes from the Second World War, including a variety of Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes. The beloved old planes fly for special occasions such as VE Day.

"The original purpose of the Memorial Flight was to help celebrate the Allied victory and the anniversary of the end of the Second World War," the RAF says. "It has since become a flying memorial to all members of the Royal Air Force, who lost their lives during the War. The Lancaster bomber, Dakota transport, five Spitfire fighters and two Hurricane fighters represent the types of aircraft which played such important parts in the final victory."

Rather than store the old war planes at a mothballed air base, the Royal Air Force operates a museum that flies:

"The Flight is unique as a living tribute and more evocative than any static memorial. It flies in memory of those who flew. In these days of fast jets, it is a reminder of the remarkable achievements of the men who flew and maintained these historic aircraft in the heat of the great battles of the War."

Of the more than 7,000 built, 3,932 Lancaster bombers were lost in action. In the minds of many British, the Lancaster won the war against Nazi Germany.

The other surviving flightworthy specimen is at the National Lancaster Museum in Canada.

Ghosts are everywhere....???

2009-06-28T18:59:00.002+02:00

Introduction...
Ghosts are everywhere. Every town has its buildings, houses, and cemeteries
about which locals whisper and which school children hurry past when walking
by. Ghost legends are powerful—they’re one of the few events today that still
survive mainly by oral tradition. The tales of ghost encounters get retold, and
soon certain locations get a “haunted” reputation. But those stories started somewhere.
There is basis in fact behind every legend. And in many locations, people
still experience the unexplained—they may tell one or two others about their experiences,
and soon word of those encounters spreads and adds fuel to the supernatural
fire that burns a haunted location into the collective memory of a region’s
folklore—almost as if the ghosts and spirits demand to be remembered and
acknowledged.
Many people are afraid of ghosts, but fear comes from a simple lack of understanding
something. Other people actually go looking for ghosts. These people
have many labels: ghost hunter, paranormal investigator, ghost buster, or supernatural
researcher. These are people who delve into the unexplained because
they are seeking their own answers, and they’re driven to help others who may be
trying to cope with supernatural phenomena in their own homes.
Some paranormal investigators take a very technical approach—believing that
if some form of spirit energy is manifesting itself to the point of moving a physical
object, causing a cold spot, or even materializing in some way, then equipment
should be able to measure and record the change in the environment. Digital
thermometers, electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors, video and still cameras,
and audio-recording equipment are all poised to capture a ghost in action. Other
investigators take more of an esoteric approach, preferring channeling tools such
as a talking board (better known by the brand name, Ouija board), a pendulum,
dowsing rods, or a psychic person who can act as the go-between for the spirit
world to establish contact and prove (or disprove) if a location is truly haunted.
All of these investigators, whether in an organized group or solo, are seeking
answers, and it’s a noble pursuit.
When studying the ghosts surrounding old buildings, battlefields, and other
ancient locales, we’re not only experiencing hands-on spirituality, but hands-on
history as well. Even the legends themselves have something to teach us about
our own past, and certainly about our future beyond the grave...
For people who are experiencing a haunting, it’s difficult to know where to
turn to for help. Those who are religiously affiliated may turn to their clergy who,
hopefully, will take the situation seriously and get involved. But many others may
feel embarrassed about openly discussing their unexplained phenomena for fear
that they will be ridiculed. The concern is both understandable and valid. Even
though every year millions of people have a brush with what they perceive to be
the supernatural, open discussions still aren’t happening in every office building
and coffee shop.
This is where the paranormal investigators come in. They’re ready to listen,
and, in many cases, they have heard similar stories from others. Sharing the story
itself can be part of the healing and understanding of the event. And the investigators
can quite often offer validation of what you’re experiencing.
The good news is that things are changing in our modern society. Though our
technology and understanding of the universe around us increases every day, there
is a growing trend in accepting at least the possibility of ghosts and hauntings. The
evidence is all around us. When that evidence becomes proof is up to each individual
to decide.

Michael Jackson's last moments

2009-06-26T19:39:00.005+02:00

Michael Jackson's last moments

dashed to dying Michael Jackson’s side after a panic-stricken phone call from the superstar’s Los Angeles home.

The dramatic call was made by a member of staff last night at just after 8pm UK time.

Fire Department medics responded to the alert and arrived to find the 50-year-old singer collapsed and not breathing. He had suffered a cardiac arrest."

The emergency staff rushed him to hospital in their vehicle, where a computer screen revealed chilling details of his condition.

A record of the call-out read: “50 year old male Not breathing at all.” It gave the time of the call-out as 12.21pm local time.

Medics administered heart massage and oxygen along the route. But they could not revive the star.

Jacko’s family were informed and rushed to his bedside as weeping fans began massing outside the city’s UCLA Medical Centre.

There were screams of “You’ve got to save him, you’ve got to save him” as the star was stretchered in.

Mum Katherine made it to the hospital shortly after her son, although his father Joe was in Las Vegas when told the news. Close pal Elizabeth Taylor also rushed to the hospital to say her goodbyes.

Finally a doctor appeared and told shocked relatives and aides that all efforts to restart his heart had failed and that he had died.

Sister La Toya was seen running into the hospital sobbing after her brother was pronounced dead.

Los Angeles County Coroner Fred Corell last night confirmed that Jackson had died of heart failure at 2.26pm local time.

Last night it was suspected his collapse could have been caused by an overdose of painkillers.

An Emergency Room source at UCLA hospital said Jackson aides told medics he had collapsed after an injection of potent Demerol — similar to morphine.

A Jacko source said: “Shortly after taking the Demerol he started to experience slow shallow breathing.

“His breathing gradually got slower and slower until it stopped.

“His staff started mouth-to-mouth and an ambulance was called which got there in eight minutes “But found he was in full respiratory arrest, no breathing and no pulse. They started full CPR and rushed him to hospital.

“When he arrived they started resuscitation, giving him heart shocks and inserted a breathing tube and other supportive measures to try and save his life.

“He never regained consciousness.The family was told that he had passed.”

As news spread of Jackson’s death, thousands of fans gathered outside the hospital.

Michael Jackson....Last moment..

2009-06-26T14:24:00.010+02:00

KING OF POP You will never ever be forgotten...

The addiction to pills that took over his life... and which finally destroyed him...

They claim his long-term addiction to painkillers is the obvious underlying health issue which – combined with the considerable pressure of attempting a showbusiness comeback - may just have claimed his life.

PARAMEDICS dashed to dying Michael Jackson’s side after a panic-stricken phone call from the superstar’s Los Angeles home.

The dramatic call was made by a member of staff last night at just after 8pm UK time.

Fire Department medics responded to the alert and arrived to find the 50-year-old singer collapsed and not breathing. He had suffered a cardiac arrest.

The emergency staff rushed him to hospital in their vehicle, where a computer screen revealed chilling details of his condition.

A record of the call-out read: “50 year old male Not breathing at all.” It gave the time of the call-out as 12.21pm local time.

Medics administered heart massage and oxygen along the route. But they could not revive the star.

Jacko’s family were informed and rushed to his bedside as weeping fans began massing outside the city’s UCLA Medical Centre.

There were screams of “You’ve got to save him, you’ve got to save him” as the star was stretchered in.

Mum Katherine made it to the hospital shortly after her son, although his father Joe was in Las Vegas when told the news. Close pal Elizabeth Taylor also rushed to the hospital to say her goodbyes.

Finally a doctor appeared and told shocked relatives and aides that all efforts to restart his heart had failed and that he had died.

Sister La Toya was seen running into the hospital sobbing after her brother was pronounced dead.

Los Angeles County Coroner Fred Corell last night confirmed that Jackson had died of heart failure at 2.26pm local time.

Battle to save Jacko ... paramedics wheel stricken superstar into hospital on stretcher last night

X17online.com

Last night it was suspected his collapse could have been caused by an overdose of painkillers.

An Emergency Room source at UCLA hospital said Jackson aides told medics he had collapsed after an injection of potent Demerol — similar to morphine.

A Jacko source said: “Shortly after taking the Demerol he started to experience slow shallow breathing.

“His breathing gradually got slower and slower until it stopped.

“His staff started mouth-to-mouth and an ambulance was called which got there in eight minutes “But found he was in full respiratory arrest, no breathing and no pulse. They started full CPR and rushed him to hospital.

“When he arrived they started resuscitation, giving him heart shocks and inserted a breathing tube and other supportive measures to try and save his life.

“He never regained consciousness.The family was told that he had passed.”

As news spread of Jackson’s death, thousands of fans gathered outside the hospital.

Many were dressed in the eccentric singer’s trademark costumes and others blasted out his smash-hit tunes.

Family lawyer Brian Oxman said the star collapsed at his rented home in LA’s Holmby Hills area while brother Randy was present.

Los Angeles City Fire Department confirmed the emergency call was made from Jackson’s home.

“The call came in because a person was not breathing,” said a spokesman.

Distraught ... sobbing La Toya arrives too late

XPOSUREPHOTOS

“When the team arrived, they saw that CPR was already in progress by someone at the home.

“The person not breathing was transported to UCLA Medical Centre.”

Other stunned family members said that Jackson, who was due to begin a series of comeback concerts at London’s O2 arena next month, “was in really bad shape”.

The singer had been staying at the LA house while he rehearsed for his comeback tour.

More than 750,000 tickets had been sold for the former King of Pop’s “This is It” concerts.

The opening dates were postponed last month after concert promoters AIG said Jackson needed more time to rehearse the complex dance routines.

But after The Sun revealed that he was suffering from skin cancer there were fears that he was not fit enough to complete the tour.

Experts found spots of skin cancer on his upper body and pre-cancerous cells on his face.

Jacko’s close pal Uri Geller was “too upset for words” last night.

He said: “The whole world is absolutely devastated and I am lost for words because everyone expected him to come to England to do his concerts.

“He was in good health. He was rehearsing, dancing, practising for the shows in England and I am shocked, that is all I can say.”

Jacko had been blighted by a string of past health problems — including rumoured heart trouble.

But he had vowed to perform his £150million comeback gigs.

He is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II.

p.samson@the-sun.co.uk

Michael Joseph Jackson began when he was born on the 29th of August 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the 7th of nine children. (brothers: Sigmund "Jackie", Toriano "Tito", Jermaine, Marlon, Steven "Randy", and sisters Rebbie, Janet and La-Toya Jackson

Michael began his musical career at the age of 5 as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 who formed in 1964. In these early years the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine,Tito,Marlon and lead singer Michael played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana and moving further afield as there talents grew and they could compete in bigger competitions. From these early days Michael would be at the same clubs as big talented stars of there days, such as Jackie Wilson and would be learning from them even back then. In 1968 the Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers discovered the Jackson five and from there they got an audition for Berry Gordy of Motown Records. The Jackson 5 signed for Motown and moved to California. Their first 4 singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all made US No1 hits. The Jackson 5 recorded 14 albums and Michael recorded 4 solo albums with Motown.

The Jackson 5 stayed with Motown until 1976, wanting more artistic freedom they felt they had to move on and signed up with Epic. The group name Jackson 5 had to be changed as it was owned by Motown, so they reverted to The Jacksons as they had be known in the early days. Brother Jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter and stayed with Motown. Youngest brother Randy joined in his place. The Jacksons had a number of hit recordsand in total made 6 albums between the years of 1976 and 1984.

In 1977 Michael made his first film debut when he starred in the musical 'The Wiz' playing Scarecrow with Diana Ross in the lead role of Dorothy. It was at this time Michael met Quincy Jones who was doing the score for the film.

Michael teamed up with Quincey Jones as his producer for his first solo album with Epic Records. The album titled "Off The Wall" was a big success around the world and the first ever album to release a record breaking 4 No1 singles in the US.

In 1982 Michael Jackson released the world's largest selling album of all time, 'Thriller'. This album produced 7 hit singles, breaking yet again more records, and went on to sell over 50 million copies worldwide. Michael was keen to use music video or short films as he called them to promote his singles from the album. He worked with the best directors and producers, using the latest technology and special effects.for the hit song 'Billie Jean' The short film 'Thriller' used the latest make-up artists technolgy combined with fantastic dancing and cherography, to produce a 14 minute video, with a start, a middle and an ending. So successful was this video that 'The Making Of Michael Jackson's Thriller' became the world's largest selling home video combined with soaring album sales. In 1983 Michael performed the now legendary moonwalk for the first time on the 'Motown 25 years' anniversary show. This performance alone set Michael undoubtable into the realm of a superstar.

In 1984 Michael won a record breaking 8 Grammy awards in one night. The awards were for his work on the 'Thriller' album and his work on the narrative for the 'ET Storybook'.

On December 9th 1984 at the last concert of the Jackson's Victory Tour, Michael announced he was splitting from the group and going solo.

In 1987 Michael released his much awaited third solo album, titled 'Bad', and lauched his record breaking first solo world tour. 1988, Michael wrote his first autobiography talking for the first time on his childhood and his career. At the end of the 1980s Michael was named 'Artist Of The Decade' for his success off of his 'Thriller' and 'Bad' albums.

In 1991 Michael signed with Sony Music the largest ever recording contract and released his fourth solo album, 'Dangerous'. He toured world again in 1992, taking his concerts to countries that had never before been visited by a pop/rock artist. Also Michael founded the 'Heal the World Foundation' to help improve the lives of children across the world.

In 1994 Michael married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley. The marriage only lasted for 19 months, as they divorced in 1996.

1995 saw Michael release a fifth solo album, 'HIStory', which was a double album, first half new material and second half half greatest hits. Michael toured again over a legs covering a 2 year period. In between legs of the tour on November 14th 1996, Michael married for his second time to Debbie Rowe who was a nurse that Michael had met in the treatment of his skin pigment disorder. Together they had their first child Prince Michael Joseph Jackson jr born on February 13 1997 and a daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson born on April 3rd 1998. In 1997 Michael released the remix album 'Blood On The Dance Floor' which also contained 5 new song linked with a 38min film "Ghosts". This film Michael played 5 roles using the latest special effects and make-up artistry, combined with his dance and music.

This is a Chinese Feng Shui horoscope....

2009-06-26T00:14:00.006+02:00

This is a Chinese Feng Shui horoscope. Take a moment to take this test!

If you are honest this tells the truth, it's pretty accurate. Write your

answers on paper. Find out your horoscope at the bottom.

1. Which is your favorite color: Red, Black, Blue, Green or Yellow?

2. Your first initial?

3. Your month of birth?

4. Which color do you like more, Black or White?

5. The name of a person that is the same sex as you?

6. Your favorite number?

7. Do you like California or Florida more?

8. Do you like a lake or the ocean more?

9. Write down a wish (a realistic one)

When you are done, scroll down. Don't cheat...!

Answers:

1. If you choose:

Red- You are alert and your life is full of love.

Black- You are conservative and aggressive.

Green- Your soul is relaxed and you are laid back.

Blue- You are spontaneous and love affection.

Yellow- You are a very happy person and give good advice to those who are down.

2. If your initials are:

A-K You have a lot of love and friendships in your life.

L-R You try to live your life to the max and your love life is soon to bloom.

S-Z You like to help others and your future looks very bright.

3. If you were born in:

Jan-Mar: The year will go very well for you and you will discover that you fall in love with someone totally unexpected.

Apr-Jun: You will have a strong love relationship that will last forever.

Jul-Sep: You will have a great year and will experience a majorlife-changing experience for the good.

Oct-Dec: Your life will be great; you will find your soul mate.

4. If you choose:

Black: Your life is about to get better. You are more than ready for the change.

White: You have a friend who completely confides in you and would do anything for you, but you may not realize it.

5. This person should be your best friend.

6. This is how many close friends you will have in your life time.

7. If you choose:

California : You like adventure.

Florida : You are a laid back person.

8. If you choose:

Lake : You are loyal to your friends and your lover. You are very reserved.

Ocean: You are spontaneous and like to please people.

9. This wish will come true if you send this to 1 person in one hour. Send it to ten people and it will come true before your next birthday...

WHEN YOU GO FASTER THAN CARS...???

2009-06-25T12:28:00.012+02:00

We've all seen bicyclists who wander from left side to right, who go from the sidewalk to the street an dwho weave in and out between parked carsd. From moment to moment, nobody can tell what these bicyclists are about to do. Pedestrians jump back, and car brakes squeal as such bicyclists approach.

On the other hand, we've seen bicyclists who seem to blend into the traffic flow smoothly and effortlessly. You always know where they are headed and what to do around them, whether you're on a bicycle, in a car or on foot. They make bicycling look easy -- but aren't they takin a risk? Isn't it safer to avoid the traffic as much as possible...?

WHEN YOU GO FASTER THAN CARS

Usually, cars travel faster than bicycles. But not always. A row of cars may have slowed in a traffic jam. Or you may be riding down a hill where you can keep up with the cars.

If you're going as fast as the cars, pull into line with them. When riding down a hill at high speed, you need more room to steer and brake. Besides, it's dangerous to ride along next to the right side of a car. The driver could turn right or edge closer to the curb without ever seeing you.

As long as you keep up with the car in front of you, stay in line with it. If you begin to fall behind, pull to the right. But if you're catching up with the car, pass on the left, just as if you were driving a car yourself.
Your correct position on the road follows a sensible set of rules, the same as for a car driver: Keep to the right if you're going slowly, but pull to the left to pass. The way you carry out these rules is just a little different -- as explained here -- since your bicycle is narrow and usually slow. An understanding of road positioning makes the difference between the rider who weaves and wanders and the one who blends smoothly and safely into the traffic flow.

2009-06-25T01:24:00.001+02:00

2009-06-25T00:08:00.002+02:00

2009-06-24T23:40:00.010+02:00

Koreans and Dog Meat

2009-06-24T20:26:00.003+02:00

By Professor Yong-Geun Ann, Ph.D.
Chungcheong College

I wrote this book for two reasons. One is to make known worldwide the history and tradition in which Koreans have eaten dog meat, the various recipes and the traditional concept of dogs and the other is to eliminate the controversy surrounding the edibility of dog meat.
All humans try to improve the environment in which they are placed and enhance the quality of their living, which is the essence of culture. A group or society forms a relatively unique culture thereby outlining its distinctness. But western culture has a strong tendency to dislike the foods of other cultures. It is this prejudice which puts the 'foreign' culture's food in the wrong.
Eating dog meat is Korea's own inherent food culture, which has a long history. Nevertheless, some extremist animal protection groups chastise consumers, threatening them with a campaign to boycott Korean products, even promoting the nonparticipation in the 2002 World Cup. Pros or cons arguments over the edibility of dog meat are rising again since some Koreans who do not like dog meat are voicing their opinions.
The debate over the edibility of dog meat is not worthy of a second thought. The history that Koreans used dog meat as food was originated from such a long time ago long that it cannot be dated back. Koreans have eaten dog meat more than any other. As certain dogs in Korea are raised for domestic consumption, Koreans should not be ashamed due to the misguided views of others.
Giving in to pressure from mostly foreign dissenters, Korea has banned the use of dog meat. In doing so, this has reduced the sovereignty of Korea and what it stands for. That is the revelation of submissive idea under the influence of foreign country to lower ourselves down, having a negative view on dog meat.
The resumption of the controversy over the edibility of dog meat is due to the federal government's tepid attitude. The federal government should allow nationals to slaughter dog and eat it by law, regulating the whole process ranging from breeding to slaughtering, processing, and distribution, and let Koreans eat dog meat without trepidation. Regrettably, the federal government hasn't made any decision on it up to now. It is due to the fact that the government is being pulled in opposing directions with the animal rights activists on one side and the dog meat consumers on the other.
Another important reason is from the fact that country that exports beef to Korea is eager to block the legality of dog meat according to the newly-revised international trade order following the Uruguay Round. The reason is by banning the consumption of dog meat, Korea's importation of foreign beef with increase by the same amount
Basic problem over the edibility issue is left up to Koreans alone. Though government authorities drive dog meat restaurants into the 'underground', many Koreans still enjoy dog meat. Will it be possible for Koreans not to eat dog meat, and will the criticism and attacks cease if government should take measures to ban dog meat? The attitude of feeling shame by eating dog meat, of humbly lowering ourselves, shifts the cause of the problem and only hinders the solution, spoiling our pride.
The only way of solving the problem is to recognize dog meat as a traditional food and develop it further. In many ways, Korea is historically and culturally among the top in the world, but it lacks not only in a firm pride and belief in a traditional culture, but also in a strong will to make it known worldwide. Now, people around the world show a great enthusiasm to the export of their culture. We should be proud and have a belief of what we have. It is required to make various food using dog meat and gourmets should come to Korea to enjoy dog meat. For this, Korea needs to set up a research institute, invest in research, and also breeders of dogs and dog meat restaurant owners should form an association, insisting on their own claims, with the expansion of their interests. By doing so, we should make known worldwide our unique culinary culture of dog meat.

China dog butchers.....

2009-06-24T19:49:00.014+02:00

Xichang, known as China's "space city" and capital city of the Liangshan Yi Nationality Autonomous Prefecture in southwestern Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China.

These are pictures of a market area on an embankment above the river in the old part of town. At the front there are puppies and kittens for sale as pets and further back are about 100 dogs waiting to be selected by customers. When selected the vendor puts the dog in a sack and weighs it. After a price is agreed the purchaser kills his dog and butchers it (sometimes in that order, more often in the reverse order). Business was brisk with a dog being killed about ever 5 minutes. There seemed to be two techniques. The one man technique was to hit the dog twice on the head with a wooden plank which dazed it sufficiently to make it safe for him to plunge his knife into its jugular without getting bitten. He then held the dog up by the tail until it bled into unconsciousness - he would then proceed to butcher it with the dog coming in and out of consciousness. With the two man technique, one man held the dog up by her tail while the other pulled the neck back with a wire round the dog's neck. The first man was then able to reach down, again without fear of being bitten, to sever the jugular vein. Since the dog was in no way stunned, she struggled and howled and urinated until passing out. The watching dogs were also shaking and howling. The dog was flung onto her back and the butchering began - consciousness returned on lying flat but she was too weak then to struggle much. One of the men laid down his knife and put his mouth to the inside of the dog's hind leg...

This dog butcher gestures to stop photographing his operation at the Moran

Another polar bear...

2009-06-24T19:25:00.003+02:00

Computer Training in Africa...

2009-06-24T19:21:00.003+02:00

Birth day cake

2009-06-24T19:09:00.010+02:00

Polar Bear: friendship...

2009-06-24T18:47:00.012+02:00

I come in peace....Unbelievable bit of photojournalism. Real life events.
..
Norbert Rosing ' s striking images of a wild polar bear coming upon
tethered sled dogs in the wilds of Canada ' s Hudson Bay.

The photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his dogs when the
polar bear wandered in. It ' s hard to believe that this polar bear only needed to hug someone...!

The Polar Bear
returned every night that week to play with the dogs.

****************

This is absolutely fantastic...

2009-06-21T00:59:00.000+02:00

This is absolutely fantastic....so amazing to watch.

When Highlanders get bored with their sheep! No this is not dirty ……your kids, wife, girlfriend, grandmother, grandfather, or whatever can view this, even shepherds.

p.s. These guys are not retired electricians either!

MUST SEE THIS.....

2009-06-20T01:59:00.004+02:00

Abraham Lincoln ...

2009-06-19T23:34:00.001+02:00

Brief vignettes about Lincoln's early life include his birth, early jobs, (unsubstantiated) affair with Ann Rutledge, courtship of Mary Todd, and the Lincoln-Douglas debates; his presidency and the Civil War are followed in somewhat more detail, though without actual battle scenes; film concludes with the assassination... (from IMDb)

Director: D.W. Griffith
Producer: D.W. Griffith
Production Company: Feature Productions
Audio/Visual: sound, b&w
Date Release: 1930
Cast: Walter Huston/Abraham Lincoln - Una Merkel/Ann Rutledge - William L. Thorne/Tom Lincoln

The World's First Flying Hotel

2009-06-15T01:05:00.007+02:00

"The Hotelicopter features 18 luxuriously-appointed rooms for adrenaline junkies seeking a truly unique and memorable travel experience.
Each soundproofed room is equipped with a queen-sized bed, fine linens, a mini-bar, coffee machine, wireless internet access, and all the luxurious appointments you'd expect from a flying five star hotel. Room service is available one hour after liftoff and prior to landing." The Hotelicopter is due to fly maiden journey this summer(June 26th) with an undisclosed price...
If you have interesting? There is three fly tour.

Inaugural Summer Tour - 14 days (Friday, June 26th, 2009 - Friday, July 10th, 2009)

California Tour - 14 days (Friday, July 17th, 2009 to Friday, July 24rd, 2009)
Bay/Jamaica, European Tour - 16 days (Friday, July 31st, 2009 to Sunday, August 16th, 2009)

Dimensions Length: 42 m (137 ft)
Height: 28m (91 ft)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 105850 kg (232,870 lb)
Maximum speed: 255 km/h (137 kt) (158 miles/h)
Cruising speed: 237 km/h (127 kt) (147 miles/h)
Original Mi Range: 515 km (320 mi)
Our augmented Mi Range - 1,296 km (700 mi)

PLEASE INVITE TO READ THIS ALL WHOM YOU CARE.....

2009-06-14T23:37:00.002+02:00

1)Mobile

Don't put your mobile closer to your ears until the
recipient answers, Because directly after dialing, the mobile phone would use it's maximum signaling power,
which is: 2watts = 33dbi. Please Be Careful. Please use left ear while using cell (mobile), because if you use the right one it may affect brain directly. This is a true fact from Apollo medical team.

2) APPY FIZZ

Do not drink APPY FIZZ . It contains cancer causing
agent.

3) Mentos

Don't eat Mentos before or after drinking Coke or
Pepsi coz the person will die immediately as the mixture
becomes cyanide. Please fwd to whom u care ...

4) Kurkure

Don't eat kurkure because it contains high amount of
plastic if U don't Believe burn kurkure n u can see
plastic melting. Please forward to all!!!!!!!!! !! News
report from Times of India

5) Avoid these tablets as they are very dangerous

* D cold
* Vicks action- 500
* Actified
* Coldarin
* Co some
* Nice
* Nimulid
* Cetrizet-D
They contain Phenyl- Propanol -Amide PPA.Which Causes strokes, and these tablets are banned in U.S.

6) Cotton Ear Buds

Cotton Ear Buds... (Must read it) Please do not show sympathy to people selling buds on roadside or at Signals..... Just wanted to warn you people not to buy those packs of ear buds you get at the roadside. It's made from cotton that has already been used in hospitals. They take all the dirty, blood and pus filled cotton, wash it, bleach it and use it to make ear buds. So, unless you want
to become the first person in the world to get Herpes Zoster Oticus (a viral infection of the inner, middle, and external ear) of the ear and that too from a cotton bud, DON'T BUY THEM! Please forward to all this may be helpful for someone..... ....... Please forward to all your near and dear
ones....!

BARCODES....???

2009-06-13T11:36:00.001+02:00

Please share this info with your friends and family..... they may also find this useful.

This may be useful to know when grocery shopping, if it's a concern to you.

The whole world is afraid of China-made "black hearted goods".

Can you differentiate which one is made in Taiwan or China ?

If the first 3 digits of the barcode are 690, 691 or 692, the product is MADE IN CHINA.

471 is Made in Taiwan .

This is our right to know, but the government and related departments never educate the public, therefore we have to RESCUE ourselves.

Nowadays, Chinese businessmen know that consumers do not prefer products "MADE IN CHINA ", so they don't show from which country it is made.

However, you may now refer to the barcode, remember if the first 3 digits are:

690-692 … then it is MADE IN CHINA .
00 - 09 … USA & CANADA
30 - 37 … FRANCE
40 - 44 … GERMANY
47 ... Taiwan
49 … JAPAN
50 … UK

BUY USA by watching for "0" at the beginning of the number. We need every boost we can get!

why not care of your childrens.....

2009-06-12T10:09:00.000+02:00

PROMOTE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR

Both parents and caregivers who use positive reinforcement find it a "self-fulfilling prophecy." Children become what we expect of them. Be very specific about the compliments and praise you give. This lets the child know exactly what behavior, actions, and words you liked. For example, "I really like the cooperation I saw between June, Steve, and Siron in cleaning up the dress-ups." Or, "I really appreciate how well you listened to the directions for this activity. It helped things to run smoothly." Or, "I noticed how helpful you were to Terrence today outdoors. I know he appreciates that, and I do too." The child is then more likely to repeat the positive behavior.

Caregivers can build a child's self-esteem in many other small ways. Share hugs, smiles, and kisses. Tell a child s/he is important to you. Praise a child within the earshot of others. Give a child your undivided attention. For those children who seem to get your attention for their misbehavior only, try shifting the focus of your attention. Try writing down a list of the things you like or appreciate about that child. Give that child at least as much attention for his or her positive behavior as for misbehavior.

EXPECT CHILDREN TO OBEY

Be very clear about rules and expectations. Give children an option unless there is a question of personal safety or health, when there is destruction or aggression involved, or when, you as the adult, decide the situation calls for prompt action. Demonstrate your confidence by using short, clear, positive statements. Use a tone that says you expect compliance.

MAINTAIN FAIRNESS AND CONSISTENCY

Deal with challenges in a matter-of-fact, calm manner. Consider the child's age and "normal" behavior for this age range. Learn about developmental stages of children and their accompanying physical, social, emotional, and intellectual needs. For example, it is unrealistic to expect a child who is 18-months-old to do much sharing, since toddlers, by their nature, are very self-centered.

Communicate rules and their consequences in words that children understand. When a child breaks a rule, follow through with a fair, appropriate, and meaningful consequence right away. When you are fair and consistent in your response to misbehavior, the child's sense of security and knowledge of right from wrong will be reinforced.

ALLOW THE EXPRESSION OF FEELINGS

Allowing a child to express his or her feelings does not mean allowing such inappropriate expressions as hitting or hurting others. Sometimes, providing quiet time along with a favorite toy or blanket will help a child to relax and calm down. Some children express anger, resentment, and frustration by pounding with a hammer on a pegboard, punching an old pillow, kicking a soccer ball in the backyard, creating a picture, or using self-talk with their stuffed animals. Offer to take a walk with the child or to read a story together. These activities may help diffuse strong feelings of anger or frustration. It is important to provide a range of acceptable avenues for children to release these very strong, yet natural emotions.

THINK AND PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

Look past today's difficult moments. Remember that your goal is for the child to achieve self-discipline. When problems do arise, step back from the scene if you can. Count to ten, or do whatever helps you maintain your composure and your perspective. Keep in mind the example you set through your own behavior. The way in which adults treat children and each other in your program serves as a model for children. For example, the use of phrases like, "Thank you," "Please," or "Can I help you?" should be a part of everyone's routine behavior.

Guiding children's behavior is a major commitment from caregivers. Progress may seem slow at times. Regression and setbacks are likely to occur. Through it all, keep your sense of humor, and remind yourself of your successes and of the important role you play in caring for children.

extract article of http://www.nncc.org

photos from Kapila Nissanka./ italy

Thanks

What is DNA ......,

2009-06-10T23:51:00.000+02:00

Advancing Criminal Justice Through DNA Technology

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the fundamental building block for an individual's entire genetic makeup. It is a component of virtually every cell in the human body. Further, a person's DNA is the same in every cell. For example, the DNA in a man's blood is the same as the DNA in his skin cells, semen, and saliva.

DNA is a powerful tool because each person's DNA is different from every other individual's, except for identical twins. Because of that difference, DNA collected from a crime scene can either link a suspect to the evidence or eliminate a suspect, similar to the use of fingerprints. It also can identify a victim through DNA from relatives, even when no body can be found. And when evidence from one crime scene is compared with evidence from another, those crime scenes can be linked to the same perpetrator locally, statewide, and across the Nation.world,

Forensically valuable DNA can be found on evidence that is decades old. However, several factors can affect the DNA left at a crime scene, including environmental factors (e.g., heat, sunlight, moisture, bacteria, and mold). Therefore, not all DNA evidence will result in a usable DNA profile. Further, just like fingerprints, DNA testing cannot tell officers when the suspect was at the crime scene or for how long.

Where Is DNA Contained in the Human Body?
DNA is contained in blood, semen, skin cells, tissue, organs, muscle, brain cells, bone, teeth, hair, saliva, mucus, perspiration, fingernails, urine, feces, etc.
Where can DNA evidence be found at a crime scene?
https://www.alertpay.com/?%2bNKD9jOaysk1cnzrOMdvSw%3d%3d
DNA evidence can be collected from virtually anywhere. DNA has helped solve many cases when imaginative investigators collected evidence from nontraditional sources (see "Identifying DNA Evidence"). One murder was solved when the suspect's DNA, taken from saliva in a dental impression mold, matched the DNA swabbed from a bite mark on the victim. A masked rapist was convicted of forced oral copulation when his victim's DNA matched DNA swabbed from the suspect's penis 6 hours after the offense. Numerous cases have been solved by DNA analysis of saliva on cigarette butts, postage stamps, and the area around the mouth opening on ski masks. DNA analysis of a single hair (without the root) found deep in the victim's throat provided a critical piece of evidence used in a capital murder conviction.

Hot Hell News ....

2009-06-09T22:38:00.000+02:00

BREAKING NEWS!! Suicide bomb attack in hell..........!
Subject: BREAKING NEWS!
Suicide bomb attack in hell!

There has been a suicide bomb blast in hell! The target was the leadership of the hell (the devil and his deputies). One V.Prbhakaran and members of his orgnisation, LTTE, all new arrivals in hell, are demanding a separate state for the tamils in hell. The new tamil only state in hell is to be called Eelam! It is believed that many suicide bombers are around. War has broken out in hell, while Prabhakaran is hidden in a bunker in hell! Please await further details.

bridge is between Sweden and Denmark...

2009-06-09T10:09:00.000+02:00

Under Water Bridge between Sweden and Denmark....
This bridge is half under the water, for ships to pass and then again,
it comes out on the other side.Truly a marvelous piece of engineering!This bridge is between Sweden and Denmark...

A big decision.....

2009-06-08T20:46:00.000+02:00

Choosing a tattoo can be stressful because it's so long-term a tattoo is so permanent. Making the wrong decision can be painful, costly and inconvenient.

There are so many factors to consider before making the final decision, including size, color, meaning, style and placement of the design as well as the artist you choose to help you get the tattoo you want.

The bottom line, however, is to take your time and get plenty of information about tattoos and the designs you might get before choosing.

This hub offers a few steps I've compiled for choosing your tattoo design and tips before making your decision. There are also links for more information and video and images to supplement your ideas. The information in this hub is presented based on what I consider most helpful after my own tattoo-choosing experience not too long ago, and on what I've heard from other people as well.

I love my tattoo and I hope you end up loving yours too! Please take the time to learn about tattoos before you end up with something forever.
Start deciding!

Pay heed to these steps before making your final decision:

1. Ask yourself why you even want a tattoo in the first place. Do you want to have something you love ingrained in your skin forever? Are you doing it for someone else? Are you happy you're old enough to get a tattoo without parent permission? Are you getting a discount? Think about each reason why and why not.

2. Ask if a tattoo will affect you in the workplace and other scenarios. It's most likely not worth losing a job over. Also see if there are rules against tattoos in other organizations your participate in, such as sports or volunteering.

3. Choosing a design:

* Make sure the design has meaning to you and that it is inevitably a reflection of the self. Thus, the design should represent something that you love, enjoy or are attached to. It may be in honor of another. Why are these things meaningful to you?
* Consider tattoos with writing even more. Make sure you know and understand the meanings of words, their origins, etc. If you're choosing a quote, make sure it represents you completely. Don't forget to pick the perfect font (or make your own)... typefaces create moods and feelings.

* Look at other tattoos and designs that exist already, though don't restrict yourself to what's already out there. Check books, posters, stationary, stickers and anything else out there, not just the designs on the tattoo parlor walls.

4. Choosing where you want it:

* The placement of your tattoo on your body is very important. Do you want it to show up every day or do you want it covered up most of the time for whatever reason, whether for work or recreation? Think about the clothes you wear, how your hair is worn and the activities you participate in and how they will affect how often your tattoo shows.

* You can try getting a printout of the design you are considering for your tattoo artist to recreate on your skin temporarily.
* Try getting a henna tattoo of the design you're thinking of before you get the real thing; henna is more temporary (lasting at least a week and up to a month) and, though you won't be able to get the colors and exact detail of what you want, you can get an idea of how it feels in a certain place at a certain size.

5. Choosing color: Do you want your tattoo in black or gray? Do you want a full-color tattoo? White? Will the color fade faster in certain places on your body? Consider the pigment of your skin and how well the color goes with it.

6. Creating the design:

* Be creative. Sometimes it just takes a little practice to draw your own design.

* You don't have to create the design yourself; you can ask a tattoo artist to do it. Many are conventional artists that can at least copy a picture you find that you might want to base your design on. They can also reproduce it onto your skin temporarily as well as redesign a drawing you do.
* How big do you want this tattoo to be? Think about where it's going and if you want it to show at all. How expensive will it be? Sleeves can cost up to $300!

7. Choosing an artist:

* Consider what style of tattoo you like best, then find a tattoo artist that specializes in that style; even though many can achieve a wide range of looks, they usually have specialties. There are natural, Asian, black and white, comical and other types of looks to consider.
* The recommendations of others really help! Make sure that the artist you go to gets good props from former and/or current customers; don't just go to the nearest parlor. Look at tattoos people got from the place you're thinking about going to and see if they have the kind of look you're going for.
* Also consider prices. Try to get a quote before you get it because you don't want to be disappointed or angry once the tattoo is done.
* You may want to consider the experience the artist has. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Finally, don't be afraid to take your time in choosing. The most important thing is that you yourself are happy with the finished product. Take as much time as possible! This is something I stress.

I have wanted a tattoo since I was 10, but I knew I had to wait before I made my decision. I always thought I wanted a tattoo of my name in Korean characters and then settled on where I thought I wanted it. However, as the time approached for me to go and get my tattoo, I started to change my mind. I talked to others and looked at a lot of other tattoos before I found a design to base my tattoo on. By the time I was 19 and in the parlor I had completely changed my mind as to what I wanted (though I still wanted only a black and white tattoo). It had taken me more than eight years to make up my mind, but I'm glad I took my time.
Tips
Get your FREE account with AlertPay
Remember:

1. You can change or alter any design you find to base your tattoo on. You might only want a piece of a picture or you might want to change the colors.

2. Tattoo artists are there to draw for you if you want... don't be afraid to ask for help on creating a design.

3.Your imagination is the limit!

4. Consider how your tattoo would be perceived across cultures. Will it offend anyone? Does your tattoo symbol mean something bad to others?

5. Of course, choose Asian characters wisely. Not only might your idea of what a character might mean be completely wrong, there might also be a double meaning or some other aspect to it. Don't trust the interpretations on the parlor walls.

6. Think about the kind of tattoo or design you would have gotten 10 years ago and ask yourself if you'd like that now. If not, then maybe you shouldn't get a tattoo. Perhaps you're too finicky to choose a design you'll like in 10 more years.

7. The No. 1 tattoo type that people want removed or covered up (besides homemade tattoos) are names! Unless the name is of someone dead or your child, then they're too testy to deal with!

8. You might want to get a tattoo with another family member (friends might be too temporary to chance it) that matches or go together. You might also want a tattoo of a family symbol, such as a crest or last name.

9. Your tattoo doesn't have to have a deep meaning. Don't be afraid to get a cartoon character if you really love it!

10. It costs more to get foot, hand and face tattoos because they need more touch-ups and require more time and attention to heal. Some artists may also refuse to do these types of tattoos if the person doesn't already have tattoos in more visible areas.

· If you feel hesitant at all for whatever reason, don't go through with it!
General tattoo risks

* Of course you should choose a design you like so you don't have to resort to removing your tattoo. Laser tattoo removal is very expensive, painful and time- consuming... it might not even work completely. If you want a tattoo cover-up, it's cheaper, but make sure you find an artist who specializes in it. Remember: don't be afraid to take your time in choosing a tattoo design so you won't regret it later!

* As tattoos can become infected, make sure that you take special care and listen to what the tattoo artist says. Oftentimes they may offer a page of instructions for your reference.

* As you grow older, tattoos may lose color or quality and may require touch-ups, often after 10-30 years. Using sunscreen or skin moisturizers can help retain the look of your tattoo.

Sinhala New Year celebrations ....In SriLanka

2009-06-08T20:07:00.000+02:00

with new hopes for a wonderful year filled with happiness and prosperity. New year celebrations are mostly connected with farming, because in the past, that was the main source of income in the country. This season is a festival season for all the people, including the Christians, because one of their most significant religious events, Easter, also falls in the month of April. Did you know that New Year is celebrated in this month, also in India, Iran, Myanmar, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan and China...?

Preparations for the New Year in April start as early as January. People go shopping for new clothes, house appliances and ingredients for the various traditional sweets that they will be preparing for the festival.

They whitewash or colour-wash their houses to give them a new look during this time. In ancient times, as people lived mostly in wattle and daub houses, they applied cowdung on the floor and clay on the walls to give a brighter look to the house. Even today, those who live in such houses follow these practices. They also thatch new roofs for their houses using coconut leaves. Those living in modern houses clean them up and do the necessary repairs.

In the villages, all the people get together and help each other to repair their houses, and make sweets. The bottom line of all this is, that for the New Year, nothing should be kept unclean and unsightly. It is a cue for the people also to start their lives afresh, with new thoughts and ways.

Before making the sweetmeats, our villagers used to make the coconut oil they would need to prepare sweetmeats, from their own produce. For this purpose too, the immediate neighbours gathered together and scraped the coconuts. The kids who have loads of fun and frolic during this time drink the coconut water until their bellies get bloated out like balloons! Then they jump up and down, and listen to the water gurgling in their tummies.

The day that the house is cleaned and washed is also a great day of fun for the children. Villagers don't clean their floors with wet cloths or mops, like we do nowadays. Instead, whole buckets of water are splashed on the entire floor. And children just love to have a go at it, splashing themselves with water. Well, who doesn't enjoy frolicking in water?

Before the New Year dawns, the hearth too is cleaned and the ash is removed, because, we are not supposed to light the hearth during the nonagathaya period. It will be lit again only in the New Year, at the auspicious time. These are just a few of the preparations we do for the New Year.

- Janani Amarasekera

Everything is done at an auspicious time

The whole country transforms itself into a grand festival during the Sinhala and Hindu New Year period. In both the young and the old, a spirit of enthusiasm is awakened, creating an enjoyable and happy atmosphere.

This is one of the most important festivals among the Sinhala people, and is observed with age-old customs. The New Year begins when the sun enters the sign of Aries from the sign of Pisces in April, around the 13th or 14th, depending upon astrological calculations.

Every household gets ready, preparing sweetmeats or rasa kevili for the occasion. They include kavum, kokis, athi rasa, aasmi, kalu dodol, aluwa, munguli and weli-talapa. Ripe plantains along with the various sweets adorn the tables in all Sinhalese houses.

Every visitor to a house on New Year day is treated lavishly with sweets and tea. On their departure, every individual, young or old, is given a gift of coins wrapped in betel leaf.

All activities during avurudu are conducted according to auspicious times. Astrologers prescribe a time to stop work for the old year, on New Year's eve. Before this time, the last meal should be taken, and all pots and pans have to be washed. The hearth too has to be cleaned and the floors washed. Even the last bath has to be taken before the passing of the old year.

The time from the moment that all work is ceased until the dawn of the New Year, is called the Nonagathaya. It is the time to devote in religious activities. During the nonagathe, no work is done, and even the hearth is not lit. Lighting the hearth for the New Year is done at an auspicious time. Dressed in white, and carrying flowers, everyone goes to the temple during the nonagathaya time.

The next big event takes place in the kitchen with everything ready for the making of kiribath. Housewives wait for the auspicious time to light the hearth.

Usually, the housewives are dressed in new clothes (in the auspicious colour prescribed) and the hearth is lit facing a specified direction at the precise time indicated by astrologers.

When the temple bells start to peal and the burst of fire crackers fill the air, everyone knows that the auspicious time has dawned. This is the first fire which is lit after the nonagathaya. A pot of milk is boiled in a new clay pot and allowed to spill over (kiri uthurawanawa). The milk rice for the meal is then cooked using the same milk.

In some parts of the country, such as in Kandy, another meal is cooked along with the kiribath, this is a curry called the Hath Maluwa that has seven different flavours. This is considered as a delicacy prepared during New Year time. Other sweetmeats especially prepared for the festive season are made in advance to serve the visitors who drop in.

A pure white cloth is laid on the table and a lamp will be lit at the auspicious time, before partaking the first meal in the New Year. The first meal also has to be taken, facing a certain direction prescribed by astrologers each year.

After the New Year meal, all the young members of the family worship the elders, offering a sheaf of betel leaves. The elders give some money to the youngsters, blessing them with good health, happiness and prosperity.

The first bath for the New Year also has to be taken at an auspicious time, usually two days after the dawn of the New Year. For this, a special herbal oil is brought from the temple. The head priest of the temple or an elderly person anoints this oil on the heads of others with blessings for long life. It is known as Hisa Thel Gema. Then they take the first bath.

Work is undertaken at an auspicious time (wada allanawa). A tree with milk sap is symbolically cut. There is a saying that the job got done like having stuck a milk sap tree. The act is to bring good luck in all the endeavours one is engaged in, during the New Year. Other work such as planting, reading and a basic money transaction (ganu-denu) are also done for good luck.

- Chamitha Kuruppu

Auspicious times for Avurudu

Sighting of the New Moon

The auspicious time to see the New Moon for the coming lunar year fell on Friday, March 31; for the solar year, this will be on Sunday, April 30.

Bathing for the Old Year

This should be done on Thursday, April 13, after the application of the juice of bo leaves on one's head.

Dawn of the New Year

The New Year dawns at 6.49 a.m. on Friday, April 14.

Punya Kalaya (time for religious activities)

The period between 12.25 a.m. on Thursday, April 13 and 1.13 p.m. on Friday, April 14 is deemed to be the Punya Kalaya or Nonagathaya. It is advised to give up all work before 12.25 a.m. on the 13th and engage in religious activities such as visiting the temple.

Lighting the hearth and cooking the first meal

The custom of lighting the hearth falls at the auspicious time of 7.14 a.m. on Friday, April 14. Lighting the hearth should be done wearing colourful clothes and facing the South. It is customary to prepare milk rice using sesame and other traditional accompaniments.

Commencement of work, first transaction and consumption of the first meal

The first meal should be consumed at 8.24 a.m. on Friday, April 14, wearing colourful clothes and facing the South after commencing work and other transactions.

Anointing oil

It is advisable to anoint the juice of nuga leaves on the head at 7.39 a.m. on Saturday, April 15 while standing on karanda leaves, with nuga leaves hanging over one's head. The person being annointed with oil should be facing the South, while the recommended colour of dress is blue.

Leaving home for work

The auspicious time to leave home for work falls at 6.35 a.m. on Thursday, April 20. People should wear gold-coloured clothing and set off facing the North, after consuming a meal of moru and milk rice.

Courtesy Subasetha

Hindu New Year rituals

Just like the Sinhalese, the Hindus in Sri Lanka will also celebrate the New Year on a grand scale. According to the Wakkiya Panjangam (almanac) the name of this New Year is Viya. The Hindu New Year will dawn on April 14 at 5.01 a.m.

During Vishu Punya Kalaya, before the dawn of the New Year, all Hindus will clean themselves by bathing and applying Maruthu Neer, a herbal paste made in the kovil. Vishu Punya Kalaya will be between 1.01 a.m. on April 13 and 9.01 a.m. on April 14. Worshipping and offering poojas take place once the cleansing is done.

Hindus also wear new clothes. Just like the other rituals, the colour of the clothing is recommended in the almanac. This year the colour will be white. Any white clothing with a touch of yellow is permitted. Recommended jewellery for this year is gold jewellery with pushparaga stones.

Everyone at home will eat sweet rice called Sakkara Pongal during the auspicious time. Later, the exchange of sweet meats and visiting relatives will take place.

Kai Vishesham is exchanging money within the family members. The head of the family will start this custom by exchanging money and blessing them with good luck. The auspicious day for Kai Vishesham is April 14 and the auspicious times are 8.31 am to 10.22 am and between 5.57 pm and 8.43 pm.

A visit to the kovil is a must, once the New Year dawns. It is said that Hindus always begin by worshipping and offering poojas to Lord Vinayaga to have his blessings in the coming year, for prosperity.

It is also customary to perform another ritual Er Mangalam, the ploughing ceremony. However, today, people observe this according to their occupations, the trader starting a new account or a businessman starting a new business or transaction.

- C.K

Rare avurudu rituals

We all know that there are many customs and rituals associated with the Sinhala and Hindu New Year. But did you know that some of these rituals are rare and inherent to certain areas in the country?

We all know that on New Year's eve, every house is cleaned and the ash removed from the hearth. A rare custom practised in several villages in the North Western Province is that once the cleaning is done, the ash from the hearth is placed in a winnowing fan (kulla) and kept outside the house until the dawn of the New Year.

These villagers believe in a mythical character called alu bokka who is 'supposed to' take all the bad and evil spirits away from the household, before the New Year dawns.

In some parts of the country, another rare, but interesting ritual takes place.

Once the New Year has dawned, and before the family begins to partake of the meal, each family member picks out a bit of every item of food on his/her plate and gathers them in a piece of banana leaf. This will be taken outside the house and placed on a high elevation, away from cats and dogs. Here again, the village folk believe that unseen ones, the spirits of the dead, enjoy the food.

Another custom, observed especially in the southern part of Sri Lanka, is conducting ganu-denu with the well.

Water and therefore, the well, is considered as sacred by the village folk, so they conduct the first ganu-denu for the year with the well. They wrap a few coins, a bit of milk rice and some flowers in a piece of clean cloth and put this into the well. Thereafter they would draw the first bucket of water.

- C.K

Traditional sweetmeats, your favourites...

'Aluth Avuruddha' is around the corner and the mouth-watering aroma of the various traditional sweetmeats which are being prepared mingles in the air. One wonders if the belief our ancestors had that a Prince of Peace called Indradeva descends upon the Earth to ensure peace and happiness during this time, has any connections with the significant place kiribath has during the season, or any other auspicious event, for that matter.

It is said that he comes in a white carriage wearing a white floral crown, seven cubits high. He first plunges, like a returning space capsule does, when breaking through Earth's gravity, into a sea of milk or kiri. Could he be the one who brings sweets for you too?

That first meal prepared for the New Year is kiribath which could be eaten with either red chili sambol, that we know as katta sambol or with jaggery. It can also be eaten with the curry called the hath maluwa that has seven different flavours as it's made with seven types of vegetables. It is considered a delicacy which is prepared during the New Year.

We know that kavum and kokis are just two of the popular traditional sweets made for the New Year. Let's check out the other sweetmeats people make for the New Year.

Normally, the Aluth Avurudu Mesaya (New Year table) is laid with kiribath, kavum, kokis, athiraha, aasmee, aluwa, mun aluwa and various other traditional sweets. Something that's never forgotten is the ripe plantains.

Our ancestors believed that kavum should be prepared by the housewife; and not bought from outside, the way it is done today by most people, due to convenience. During the King's era, all the higher officers had to bring gifts for the New Year. Among those gift items kavum, was a must. Maybe, the King might have been really fond of kavum and made it a rule, so that he could eat kavum to his heart's content during this time.

Since oilcakes or kavum is one of the major traditional sweetmeats we make during the New Year, we'll try to give you some interesting information about oilcakes, such as the different varieties, how they are prepared, and beliefs connected to oilcakes.

Oilcakes are generally prepared using rice flour, mixed with treacle and fried in coconut oil. After pouring the batter for an oilcake into a piping-hot pan of oil, the shape of the konde (a women's knotted hair) is taken using a thick spike or an ekel. Oilcakes are taken out from the pan when it becomes golden colour. This needs much skill. Sometimes the kavum, your grandmother makes might be nicer and tastier than the kavum that your mother makes.

There was a belief in the past that if we eat hot kavum just out from the pan, the evil spirits will come to our soul, and also that if we keep a pot of water by the side of the pan with boiling oil, less oil will be burnt.

Believe it or not, 18 kinds of kavum were made in the past!

Some of them are sedhi kavum (kavum made using the spoon), mun loalu (kavum made with green gram flour), ulundu kavum (kavum made with ulundu flour), utupu (kavum made with a coconut shell), and the most popular variety we have even today, konda kavum, the upper part of which resembles the knot of hair, naran kavum (which take the size and shape of a mandarine), undu kavum and diya kavum (liquid food made for people who cannot digest solids).

Garuppu Kavum is a variety that came after the arrival of the Europeans. As the name implies, this is made using a fork. The rarest variety in the modern world, is pana kavum. This is made of scum (floating matter on liquid or waste part of anything). It took the shape of a comb.

However, oilcakes or kavum isn't the only sweetmeat we make for the New Year.These are all Sinhala sweets we featured up to now. Now we'll see what our Hindu friends prepare for the festival.

They make a special dish called Maanga Pachadi. This dish is made of raw mangoes, jaggery and neem flowers. It has a sweet, sour and also a bitter flavour. This signifies the different aspects of life. Another meal they make is Pongal. They make it as a thanksgiving to the Sun god.

This is a sweet rice made, with new red rice, jaggery, cashew nuts, ghee and plums.

Isn't it mouthwatering? Young or old, most people really love eating these sweetmeats, because they are not only delicious, but also nutritious, as they are blended with indigenous food.

- J.A.

Games people play...

The sweet melody of the koha, the avurudhu bird, which echoes throughout the land continuously reminds us of the dawn of the best time of the year; New Year, a time for rejoicing, visiting loved ones and for reconciliation of old grievances, is close at hand.

It is the time to say goodbye to the same old cricket, netball, football and basketball games that most of you may have been playing all this time. Now is the time to focus on the many national games that are played especially during the New Year season.

Among the national sports activities organised during the festive season are Onchili pedima, kalagedi sellama, olinda keliya, porapol gehima, mallawa pora, ali pora, gon pora, lanupora addima, rilapeti pedima, dadu gasima and many other games of interest, to make the festival a fun-filled event. They are games of both individual and team skills, at the end of which, the winners celebrate their collective prowess in a victory parade across the village.

It is believed that otte iratee, a popular children's game played during the festive season is one of the oldest games of the human race. It is said that this game was played even in the Palaeolithic Age by ancient Greeks and Romans.

Games such as kawadi are played for stakes by both males and females. The scoring by means of runners was done on a drawn up on a chart plank or on cardboard.

Playing cards and draughts is also a pastime exclusively of the menfolk. They choose to play these games either in the open air or seated on mats inside the house. Women play olinda, a common indoor game on a special olinda board.

Pancha is another popular indoor game played during the new year season. Pancha is played with five small sea shells, a coconut shell and a chart. Players are divided into two groups.

The New Year is a time for rejoicing and enjoyment. In villages a Bak Maha Ulela or festival is organised where everyone gathers for sport and celebration. Traditional games such as climbing the greased pole, pillow fights (kotta pora), raban (tambourine) contests, gudu and elle (similar to baseball) are played competitively.

Pora-pol gaheema is a contest between two teams, each taking it in turns to throw a coconut until all the nuts on one side are broken. The winning nut will be kept in the temple.

Ankeliya is another common game preferred by teenagers. It is a more elaborate exercise than pora-pol gaheema and is essentially a community game where udupila and yatipila divisions are manifest. Each contestant has a forked sambour horn which are interlocked and attached to a strong tree called the angaha (Horn tree). A rope is attached to the interlocked horns and both teams tug vigorously at the rope. The tugging continues till one of the horns would get damaged.

A game played by smaller children is gudu keliya. The equipment for the games are a propelling stick about two and a half feet long and a smaller one about six inches in length called kuttiya. A small hole about three inches is dug on the ground, across which the kuttiya is placed.

The player then inserts the longer stick beneath the kuttiya and propels it as far as he or she can. The rival players are spread out in the field in order to catch the kuttiya while it is still in the air. If any of them succeed, the striker is scored out.

The side scoring the most stick lengths wins and is entitled to penalise the losers. The losers have to run to the kuttiya when the winning team throws it in the air. The losers have to run back to the propelling hole repeating the word gudu gudu without inhaling.

The elders prepare swings on the branches of overhanging trees for the enjoyment of both young and old. They sing swing songs, which is known as onchili waran, while the swings sway to and fro reaching great heights. Just like onchili waram, lee keli and kalagedi natuma are some of the exclusive pastimes which are sadly not practised anymore.

Compiled by Chamitha

The all important betel leaf

At no other time of the year is there such a demand for betel as at the Sinhala and Hindu New Year time. Betel is a must at New Year, for it is an essential item in the observance of an important custom.

At New Year, when families get together at the parental home, children pay their respects to parents, grandparents and any other elders staying with them, by offering a sheaf of betel. Nephews and nieces on their New Year visits, will bring along sheaves of betel to greet and pay their respects to uncles and aunts.

Employees will visit their employers and offer them the bulath atha - the sheaf of betel. Forty leaves make up a bulath atha but this number is rarely adhered to today. It doesn't really matter if the sheaf has only 20 leaves or even less.

What is important is the act of offering the betel, and it should be given with both hands, with the stems towards the receiver. The giver then falls at the feet of the receiver or bends his/her knees and pays his/her obeisance.

The receiver - parent, grandparent or master - will give a gift in cash wrapped in a betel leaf. Little children look forward to receiving a shining new coin wrapped in a betel leaf.

The offering of betel is also a symbolic gesture, of saying sorry and asking to be forgiven for any wrongs committed during the past year. When there is some displeasure between two persons or families, the younger person will visit the older one, and greet him/her with a sheaf of betel. The elder accepts it and it is a sign that all ill-feelings have been erased and past wrongs forgiven and will be forgotten.

It is not only at New Year that we offer betel to elders as a mark of respect. When schools re-open after the April (New Year) holidays, children in rural schools and some urban schools too take a sheaf of betel to give their teachers.

Some offer betel to the principal and class-teacher at the beginning of the school-year. But this happens in almost every school on Teachers' Day - October 5. Buddhist, Catholic or Protestant, they all offer the betel.

Offering a sheaf of betel is also a form of greeting. Special guests at prize-givings, ceremonial openings of buildings, and inaugurations of new projects are greeted with a sheaf of betel.

In days gone by, it was a patient's custom to offer the physician - the Veda Mahattaya - a sheaf of betel, before consulting him. This was a way of respectfully asking him for medical help. In the traditional society, physicians did not accept money. Healing the sick was a social service expected of the physician. But gradually, as society changed and money was needed for day-to-day living, patients began to offer cash - the maximum being five rupees in those early days - placed in the sheaf of betel.

The amount increased as the years went by. I asked an Ayurveda physician in Colombo, whether the custom of offering betel still prevails. "No, no," he said, "not in the last 20 years or so." "Why?" I asked. "For two reasons," he said, "hardly anyone chews betel today, and betel is very expensive. Even a quid of betel - bulath vita - is Rs. 10."

Offering betel was also an invitation. A householder will offer a sheaf of betel to the Head Bhikkhu - Viharadhipathi - to invite him to a bana or pirith ceremony.

Again it is customary to offer a bulath wattiya - a wicker tray - of betel to the monks thus assembled, requesting them to begin the chanting. We do the same to the monk who has come to deliver a bana sermon.

A kinsman is invited to a family wedding by offering a tray of betel. The kinsman by taking a leaf, accepts the invitation.

No leaf has so important a place among our customs and traditions as this humble leaf.

The betel leaf is used to decorate the pirith mandapa. The bride and bridegroom offer betel - as a mark of respect - to parents, aunts, uncles and other elders. It is an important part of the poruwa ceremony."

Betel-growing is confined to home gardens and small farms and certain districts.Gampaha and Wariyapola in the Kurunegala district are betel-producing areas. Today, it is a very profitable cultivation as there is a good demand for our betel in Pakistan.

- Sumana Saparamadu.

Wedding Ring....

2009-06-08T13:48:00.000+02:00

Why should
the wedding ring
be worn on
the fourth finger.....?
There is a beautiful and convincing explanation given by the Chinese Legend.....

* Thumb represents your Parents
* Second (Index) finger represents your Siblings
* Middle finger represents your-Self
* Fourth (Ring) finger represents your Life Partner
* & the Last (Little) finger represents your children

* Firstly, open your palms (face to face), bend the middle fingers and hold them together - back to back

Secondly, open and hold the remaining three fingers and the thumb - tip to tip

* Now, try to separate your thumbs (representing the parents)..., they will open, because your parents are not destined to live with you lifelong, and have to leave you sooner or later.
* Please join your thumbs as before and separate your Index fingers (representing siblings)...., they will also open, because your brothers and sisters will have
* their own families and will have to lead their own separate lives.

* Now join the Index fingers and separate your Little fingers ( representing your children )...., they will open too, because the children also will get married and settle down on their own some day.

* Finally, join your Little fingers, and try to separate your Ring fingers (representing your spouse).
* You will be surprised to see that you just CANNOT.....,
*

* because Husband & Wife have to remain together all their lives - through thick and thin!!

Please try this out.............

ISN'T THIS A LOVELY THEORY....?