Fight against Global Warming - Start by making small chnages , its easier than you think.
Disconnect
Let's start with a no-cost step. About 75 percent of the energy consumed by home appliances occurs while they're turned off but still plugged in. Unplug everything in your house that doesn't need to be connected full-time, or plug cords in to surge protectors, which can be flipped on as needed.
Curb Your Temper(ature)
Every degree you lower the thermostat in winter and raise it in summer can reduce your heating and cooling bills by 1 percent or more. Install an automatic, programmable thermostat that allows you to set specific temperatures for different times of day. For example, in winter you don't need it as warm when you're sleeping, and in summer you don't need to cool the house while you're at work. While on the subject of temperature, make sure your water heater is set at the mid-range of 120 degrees; anything hotter and you're wasting energy. And if your water heater is at least three years old, wrap it in an insulation blanket (newer models are better insulated), and will save enough energy to prevent the release of up to 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, as per climatecrisis.
No Pane, No Gain
Replacing single-pane windows with energy-efficient double panes can reduce your heating and cooling needs by close to one-third.
Go with the (Low) Flow
A low-flow showerhead—which uses less hot water—can reduce carbon-dioxide emissions 376 pounds and lower your utility bill annually.
Lighten Up
About a quarter of the energy needed for our homes goes toward keeping on the lights. If a household replaced one traditional lightbulb with an energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), we would save $600 million in utility bills and enough energy to light 3 million homes each year. CFLs cost more, but they use nearly 75 percent less energy and last about 10 times longer than incandescent lightbulbs.
Erase Your Footprint
If you can't afford to convert every square foot of your home into a paradigm of energy efficiency—and let's face it, very few of us can—then try the next best thing: Purchase carbon offsets. For every pound of carbon dioxide your home releases, you can fund an environment-friendly endeavor that reduces the amount of greenhouse gases released into the air.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
HAVE A BLESSED RAMAZAN.
As this great month dawns upon us, its value is more than can be told.May we find ourselves making use of it. Allah is waiting to grant us what we ask from him...May you be granted Abundant Rizq, Good Health, Surrounded by Love and Laughter,Iklaas in Imaan and Happiness beyond compare. May all that we wish of be 'Granted'... Amen.
The Month of Fasting and Purification.
The holy month of Ramadan enjoys a special importance in the Islamic calendar. As the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: "It is Allah's Own month." It is the chief of all months and the most glorious one. As we already know, 'Fasting' is one of the important pillars of Islam and it is the very month of Ramadan during which fasting has been made obligatory for all adults and sane Muslims. By fasting during Ramadan, a Muslim besides discharging an obligation imposed upon him by Allah, becomes entitled to great reward in the Hereafter. On the other hand, any lapse in the matter amounts to a great sin. Fasting is an article of worship, the knowledge about the performance or otherwise whereof rests only with Allah and the person concerned. Hence, it is Allah alone who will reward that person for it, on the Day of Judgment.
The blessings of Ramadan are not limited to fasting alone, because the performance of all sorts of worship and good deeds during this month is also a source of great Divine favor. The revelation of the Holy Qur'an commenced during this very month and it is therefore the duty of every Muslim to read and try to understand the meaning of the Holy Qur'an and thereby gain an insight into the Divine secrets enshrined therein. It brings peace and illumination to the mind and imparts purity to the soul.
Ramadan is the month of fasting, intensive prayer, sacrifice and Divine worship. Throughout this month a devout Muslim fasts during the day in the true sense of the word, that is, he had merely denies himself food and water, but as explained by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.), exercises strict control over his tongue, eyes, ears, thoughts and deeds and does everything possible to seek the pleasure of Allah.
Devout supplications to Allah and repentance of one's sins during Ramadan are the sources of Divine blessings and mercy. Some nights, among the last ten nights of Ramadan, are called the 'Nights of Glory' (Laylatul Qadr). Muslims keep awake during these nights and offer special prayers. Even among these nights, the 23rd and 27th enjoys excellence over all the others. It is accompanied by great blessings, and he usually grants the supplications made to Allah during this night.
The holy month of Ramadan, besides being the month of worship and Divine blessings, carries a historical importance as well. As already mentioned above, the revelations of the Holy Qur'an commenced in this month. The epoch-making 'Battle of Badr' and the 'Conquest of Mecca' also took place during the holy month of Ramadan.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS.
a) One is happy as a result of one's own efforts, once one knows the necessary ingredients of happiness. Happiness is no vague dream, of that now I feel certain.(George Sand)
b) No trumpets sound when the important decision of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently. (Agnes de Mille)
c) Dreams are pathways to Self-discovery. Self-discovery is a pathway to fulfillment.
d) Dreams color your soul with rainbows of hope.
e) Let your dreams be your inspiration.
f) No one can limit your dreams, so dont be afraid to dream large.
g) Dreams are the true interpreters of our inclinations; but there is art required to sort and understand them.(Michel de Montaigne).
h) Wishes and dreams reflect our innermost selves and allow us to be who we really are.
i) It is sometimes wiser to follow the dreams of your heart than the logic of your mind.
j) Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams.(Alfred-Lord Tennyson)
b) No trumpets sound when the important decision of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently. (Agnes de Mille)
c) Dreams are pathways to Self-discovery. Self-discovery is a pathway to fulfillment.
d) Dreams color your soul with rainbows of hope.
e) Let your dreams be your inspiration.
f) No one can limit your dreams, so dont be afraid to dream large.
g) Dreams are the true interpreters of our inclinations; but there is art required to sort and understand them.(Michel de Montaigne).
h) Wishes and dreams reflect our innermost selves and allow us to be who we really are.
i) It is sometimes wiser to follow the dreams of your heart than the logic of your mind.
j) Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams.(Alfred-Lord Tennyson)
REACH FOR YOUR DREAMS AND THEY WILL REACH YOU.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
UNICEF - India.
UNICEF has been working in India since 1949. The largest UN organisation in the country, it is currently implementing a $400 million programme from 2003 to 2007.
UNICEF is fully committed to working with the Government of India to ensure that each child born in this vast and complex country gets the best start in life, thrives and develops to his or her full potential.
The challenge is enormous but UNICEF is well placed to meet it. The organisation uses quality research and data to understand issues, implements new and innovative interventions that address the situation of children, and works with partners to bring those innovations to fruitition.
UNICEF uses its community-level knowledge to develop innovative interventions to ensure that women and children are able to access basic services such as clean water, health visitors and educational facilities, and that these services are of high quality. At the same time, UNICEF reaches out directly to families to help them to understand what they must do to ensure their children thrive.
UNICEF also wants them to feel a sense of ownership of these services. That same knowledge and interface with communities enables the organisation to tackle issues that would otherwise be difficult to address: the complex factors that result in children working, or the growing threat that HIV/AIDS poses to children.
UNICEF knows that key to addressing these challenges are its partnerships with sister UN agencies, voluntary organisations active at the community level, women’s groups and donors.
The organisation also works with an array of celebrities, including members of the Indian cricket team and leading actors from the Indian film industry, as well as hundreds of thousands of unnamed volunteers who tirelessly give their time and influence to ensure that, together, they are able to help every child realise his or her full potential.
UNICEF is fully committed to working with the Government of India to ensure that each child born in this vast and complex country gets the best start in life, thrives and develops to his or her full potential.
The challenge is enormous but UNICEF is well placed to meet it. The organisation uses quality research and data to understand issues, implements new and innovative interventions that address the situation of children, and works with partners to bring those innovations to fruitition.
UNICEF uses its community-level knowledge to develop innovative interventions to ensure that women and children are able to access basic services such as clean water, health visitors and educational facilities, and that these services are of high quality. At the same time, UNICEF reaches out directly to families to help them to understand what they must do to ensure their children thrive.
UNICEF also wants them to feel a sense of ownership of these services. That same knowledge and interface with communities enables the organisation to tackle issues that would otherwise be difficult to address: the complex factors that result in children working, or the growing threat that HIV/AIDS poses to children.
UNICEF knows that key to addressing these challenges are its partnerships with sister UN agencies, voluntary organisations active at the community level, women’s groups and donors.
The organisation also works with an array of celebrities, including members of the Indian cricket team and leading actors from the Indian film industry, as well as hundreds of thousands of unnamed volunteers who tirelessly give their time and influence to ensure that, together, they are able to help every child realise his or her full potential.
Guardians of Hope - Support Unicef.
Saves 120 children below 5 years of age from life threatening malnutrition by
donating Rs 500 per month.
Provides 6 children with a table, school bag, uniform, water bottle, atlas, dictionary and stationery by donating Rs 1000 per month.
Helps 3 very sick new born children survive by contributing to the costs of a very sick new born care unit by donating Rs 1500 per month.
Saves 15,000 children from blindness by sponsoring their Vitamin A dosage by donating Rs 2500 per month.
When you become a Guardian of Hope, your monthly giving helps UNICEF take your donations further, allowing them to plan ahead and help children on a continuing basis.
JOIN THE CAMPAIGN - Unite Against AIDS.
Join the Campaign Today! Please join the hundreds and thousands of caring people who choose to UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS. Together, we can make a real difference!By becoming a monthly donor to this five -year Campaign, or by making a financial contribution whenever you are able, you will help UNICEF to help the millions of children who are missing their childhoods because of HIV/AIDS.
Every Minute of every day ,AIDS costs the world another child's life.
Its time for all of us to unite for children againt AIDS .
Donate Now. Log on to :http://www.supportunicef.org
Afrah’s story: Recovering a childhood lost on the streets of Baghdad.
A growing number of Iraqi children are being driven onto the streets by poverty. – Afrah and her brother Bilal were barely teenagers when they were left to fend for themselves on the streets of Baghdad. Shy and awkward, the young brother and sister still carry the scars of their frightening separation from their family.
“My father lost his job and my mother could not care for us,’ said Afrah, 13. “We were too poor to eat or stay in school, so we had to leave home, and this is how we ended up in the institution.”
Afrah’s story is all too familiar in Baghdad’s urban slums, ravaged for so long by conflict and economic hardship. Poverty is a persistent enemy of Iraq’s working classes, a force almost as destructive as violence.
By 2003, at least 15 per cent of Iraqi children under the age of 14 were working to support their families in some way. Today, the figure is likely to be far higher. Tens of thousands of family wage-earners have been killed in sectarian violence. Many more are fleeing to new areas in search of safety and jobs, disrupting family life and eating up household savings.
As violence in Iraq continues to fracture communities and families, children are increasingly being asked to take on adult burdens. For the poorest children, this usually means begging on the streets, or trying to scrape a few dinars by dodging traffic in an effort to persuade motorists to buy sticks of gum, sweets and cigarettes.
Many street children end up trapped in even more desperate situations, drawn into drugs, prostitution and violence. The more fortunate ones find a refuge in government institutions. The unlucky ones end up in trouble with the police or permanently damaged by the worst forms of economic and sexual exploitation, their childhoods lost.
“We are seeing more and more street children in Iraq’s cities, a tragic side-effect of conflict and poverty,” said the Chief of Child Protection Officer for UNICEF Iraq, Patrizia di Giovanni. “They are the forgotten vulnerable of Iraq’s society – less likely than any Iraqi children to go to school, receive emotional support, benefit from health care and stay safe.”
Most of the children working Iraq’s streets are not orphans, Ms. di Giovanni said. Afrah’s case – in which her family could not afford to keep her – is typical of an Iraqi street child.
Other street children are runaways, unable to cope with the stress and domestic violence that infects so many Iraqi families in the heart of the conflict zones. Displacement increases the risk that children will become separated from their parents in transit, or be pushed into work if the hoped-for family income fails to materialize in their new location.
“There was a time when extended families, or even community leaders, would have taken in children in need of help,” Ms. di Giovanni said. “But with pressure growing on all Iraqis, fewer are able to care for children beyond their immediate family. And so a frightening number of children are being left out in the cold.”
Afrah was one of the lucky ones. She found her way into the UNICEF-supported Child Re-integration Project. This initiative aims to bring children living without their parents back into a family environment, with the assistance of an NGO partner working in Baghdad. Children have the chance to stay in one of six ‘transitional’ centres throughout the city, where they receive counselling, psychosocial support and the chance to share experiences with their peers.
Eventually, with the aid of social workers, these children are offered the opportunity to return to a family home.
The Child Re-integration Project is a step-by-step process for children. Where they are orphans, the project finds relatives or members from their former community to foster them. In Afrah’s case, the project was able to trace her family and bring her back to them.
“I asked girls at the centre what going home was like,” said Afrah. “They said that in their own homes they can wake up and sleep freely and they are relaxed. I said to myself, why don’t I go to my family so that I can be free and calm like them?”
Going home can be hard after a long separation, but Afrah and her family had help. The Child Re-integration Project provides children and families with counselling and financial support for several months after a child returns home, to help the family adapt and make sure the child can go back to school.
“We are thankful for the rations provided by the social worker because we are very poor even now,” said Afrah’s mother. “If it were not for this I could not have had my children home, despite my love for them.”
So far, 150 children like Afrah have been re-united with a family by the Child Re-integration Project. Within the next few months it will roll out across Iraq to give other displaced and lost children the chance to change their lives for the better.
“When I was without my family I missed them. I could not imagine living a moment more without them,” said Afrah. “I hope that this project can bring other children back home and help their families.”
“All Iraqi children deserve the care of a family home,” Ms. di Giovanni said. “A family is the best chance they have to grow into confident, educated adults – and to contribute to the nation-building that Iraq needs.”
For today, Afrah is safe and dreaming of becoming an engineer.
“I will build my family a home first, before I work on any other building,” she says, as her mother and brothers sit beside her.
“My father lost his job and my mother could not care for us,’ said Afrah, 13. “We were too poor to eat or stay in school, so we had to leave home, and this is how we ended up in the institution.”
Afrah’s story is all too familiar in Baghdad’s urban slums, ravaged for so long by conflict and economic hardship. Poverty is a persistent enemy of Iraq’s working classes, a force almost as destructive as violence.
By 2003, at least 15 per cent of Iraqi children under the age of 14 were working to support their families in some way. Today, the figure is likely to be far higher. Tens of thousands of family wage-earners have been killed in sectarian violence. Many more are fleeing to new areas in search of safety and jobs, disrupting family life and eating up household savings.
As violence in Iraq continues to fracture communities and families, children are increasingly being asked to take on adult burdens. For the poorest children, this usually means begging on the streets, or trying to scrape a few dinars by dodging traffic in an effort to persuade motorists to buy sticks of gum, sweets and cigarettes.
Many street children end up trapped in even more desperate situations, drawn into drugs, prostitution and violence. The more fortunate ones find a refuge in government institutions. The unlucky ones end up in trouble with the police or permanently damaged by the worst forms of economic and sexual exploitation, their childhoods lost.
“We are seeing more and more street children in Iraq’s cities, a tragic side-effect of conflict and poverty,” said the Chief of Child Protection Officer for UNICEF Iraq, Patrizia di Giovanni. “They are the forgotten vulnerable of Iraq’s society – less likely than any Iraqi children to go to school, receive emotional support, benefit from health care and stay safe.”
Most of the children working Iraq’s streets are not orphans, Ms. di Giovanni said. Afrah’s case – in which her family could not afford to keep her – is typical of an Iraqi street child.
Other street children are runaways, unable to cope with the stress and domestic violence that infects so many Iraqi families in the heart of the conflict zones. Displacement increases the risk that children will become separated from their parents in transit, or be pushed into work if the hoped-for family income fails to materialize in their new location.
“There was a time when extended families, or even community leaders, would have taken in children in need of help,” Ms. di Giovanni said. “But with pressure growing on all Iraqis, fewer are able to care for children beyond their immediate family. And so a frightening number of children are being left out in the cold.”
Afrah was one of the lucky ones. She found her way into the UNICEF-supported Child Re-integration Project. This initiative aims to bring children living without their parents back into a family environment, with the assistance of an NGO partner working in Baghdad. Children have the chance to stay in one of six ‘transitional’ centres throughout the city, where they receive counselling, psychosocial support and the chance to share experiences with their peers.
Eventually, with the aid of social workers, these children are offered the opportunity to return to a family home.
The Child Re-integration Project is a step-by-step process for children. Where they are orphans, the project finds relatives or members from their former community to foster them. In Afrah’s case, the project was able to trace her family and bring her back to them.
“I asked girls at the centre what going home was like,” said Afrah. “They said that in their own homes they can wake up and sleep freely and they are relaxed. I said to myself, why don’t I go to my family so that I can be free and calm like them?”
Going home can be hard after a long separation, but Afrah and her family had help. The Child Re-integration Project provides children and families with counselling and financial support for several months after a child returns home, to help the family adapt and make sure the child can go back to school.
“We are thankful for the rations provided by the social worker because we are very poor even now,” said Afrah’s mother. “If it were not for this I could not have had my children home, despite my love for them.”
So far, 150 children like Afrah have been re-united with a family by the Child Re-integration Project. Within the next few months it will roll out across Iraq to give other displaced and lost children the chance to change their lives for the better.
“When I was without my family I missed them. I could not imagine living a moment more without them,” said Afrah. “I hope that this project can bring other children back home and help their families.”
“All Iraqi children deserve the care of a family home,” Ms. di Giovanni said. “A family is the best chance they have to grow into confident, educated adults – and to contribute to the nation-building that Iraq needs.”
For today, Afrah is safe and dreaming of becoming an engineer.
“I will build my family a home first, before I work on any other building,” she says, as her mother and brothers sit beside her.
Monday, September 3, 2007
My Rainbow.
I have a rainbow in my heart - A rainbow I have found,
That outshines all the dark, grey skies,
And stormy clouds around.
Its there when I feel happy,
And its there , when I feel blue,
Because its made of all the dreams, I'd like to have come true,
Along with joy and courage,
Lasting hope and others' love,
And the promise that before long -
There'll be blue skies up above.
Around The Bend !
Sometimes we walk along a path, beneath a cloudy sky,
There's nothing to the right or left,to lift our spirits high,
Then , at last, we turn a corner, and there bursts into our view -
A scene of light and beauty , and the world seems fresh and new.
So always hold this little thought, that cares are bound to end,
And there's a brighter day ahead - just waiting round the bend.
There's nothing to the right or left,to lift our spirits high,
Then , at last, we turn a corner, and there bursts into our view -
A scene of light and beauty , and the world seems fresh and new.
So always hold this little thought, that cares are bound to end,
And there's a brighter day ahead - just waiting round the bend.
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