Meditation.

The word meditation comes from the Latin meditatio, which originally indicated every type of physical or intellectual exercise, then later evolved into the more specific meaning "contemplation." The use of the word meditation in the western Christian tradition has referred generally to a more active practice of reflection on some particular theme such as "meditation on the sufferings of Christ". Similarly in Western philosophy, one finds, for example, Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, a set of six mental exercises which systematically analyze the nature of reality.

"Meditation" in its modern sense refers to Yogic meditation that originated in India. In the late nineteenth century, Theosophists adopted the word "meditation" to refer to various spiritual practices drawn from Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Eastern religions. Thus the English word "meditation" does not exclusively translate any single term or concept, and can be used to translate words such as the Sanskrit dhyana, samadhi and bhavana.

Meditation is usually defined as one or more of the following:

1. a state of relaxed concentration on the reality of the present moment

2. a state that is experienced when the mind dissolves and is free of all thoughts

3. "concentration in which the attention has been liberated from restlessness and is focused on

God.

4. focusing the mind on a single object (such as a religious statue, or one's breath, or a mantra)

5. a mental "opening up" to the divine, invoking the guidance of a higher power

reasoned analysis of religious teachings (such as impermanence, for Buddhists).

From the point of view of psychology, meditation can induce an altered state of consciousness. The goals of meditation are varied, and range from spiritual enlightenment, to the transformation of attitudes, to better cardiovascular health.

The Kite Runner By Khaled Hossein.

The Kite Runner is an outstanding novel, written by an afghan physician settled in California. The Charecters have life and complexity.It gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence -- forces that continue to threaten them even today.

Happiness .

Happiness isn't something you remember; its something you experience.
(Oscar Levant -1906 -1972).

Happiness is a state of consiousness which proceeds from the achievement of one's values.
(Ayn Rand - 1905 - 1982).

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
(Mahathma Gandhi - 1869 - 1948).

Cherish all your happy moments, they make fine cushions for old age.
(Christpher Morley - 1890-1957).

Happiness depends upon ourselves.
(Aristotle - 384 BC - 322 BC).

A Library bigger than a building .

An ambitious project to create an online catalogue of every book in every language ever published is under way. Public goodwill is not in doubt, but some libraries remain to be convinced.

A few years ago, the idea of getting random people around the world to write their own encyclopaedia would have been madness - but that didn't stop the founders of Wikipedia doing just that, and it has turned out to be one of the most successful web projects of recent years.
With that in mind, does it sound mad to want to try and build an online catalogue of every book ever published, anywhere in the world?

The Open Library, newly launched in the USA but global in scope, is designed to make that happen.

In the words of its creators, the idea is to build a virtual library that stores details of not just "every book on sale, or every important book, or even every book in English; but simply every book."

Which would include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, The Koran , the full text of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and of course Harry Potter .

But what's the Open Library really for? Aaron Swartz, leader of the technical team working on Open Library, suggests that every book ever published needs a single authoritative page on the internet, a bit like a personal homepage.
It's kind of a bad idea for one commercial site to be the definitive source for book information on the internet .

"Right now, if you want to link to a book on the web, the main place people go is Amazon. It's kind of a bad idea for one commercial site to be the definitive source for book information on the internet, so we want to have a site that brings together information from commercial publishers, reviewers, users, libraries, everywhere.

"This site will become the place where you can find interesting books and information about them, whether they're in print, out of print, out of copyright or whatever."

Such a library has to be virtual. No building would ever be large enough to house all books; no single group or government could afford to build it, or employ the necessary staff. If the Open Library is to succeed, it has to be a virtual space, and open to everyone, Wikipedia-style.

"There are tons of books out there and tons of information about those books. There's no way even a large group of librarians is going to be able to collect it all. We think of it as an analogue to Wikipedia. There are some great encyclopaedias written by small groups of experts, but to get something as wide-ranging and varied as Wikipedia, you need to let everyone in."

To start things off, the Open Library is calling on other libraries to donate their catalogues. This alone presents huge technical challenges, since the data sets come in different formats and different languages, and each set comes with its own quirks, repetitions and errors.
What's important is keeping the data in a structured form, so that the database working behind the scenes knows the difference between an author, a title and a publisher.

"We had to build this new type of wiki software which was an exciting challenge, because you had to set it up so that instead of just having one kind of page people can edit, we have lots of different kinds.

"People can edit authors, they can edit books, they can edit text pages, and so on. So there's a lot of new stuff we had to build. And that's just the infrastructure - there were also lots of things to import, and book data to merge and make searchable."

Quotes by Richard Bach !!!!

A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit.

Allow the world to live as it chooses, and allow yourself to live as you choose.

An idea is never given to you without you being given the power to make it reality. You must, nevertheless, suffer for it.

Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they're yours.

Ask yourself the secret of YOUR success. Listen to your answer, and practice it.

Avoid problems, and you'll never be the one who overcame them.

Bad things are not the worst things that can happen to us. Nothing is the worst thing that can happen to us!

Can miles truly separate you from friends... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?

Civilization... wrecks the planet from seafloor to stratosphere.

Don't be dismayed by good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.

Don't believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you'll see the way to fly.

Don't turn away from possible futures before you're certain you don't have anything to learn from them.

Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness.

Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you.

Every problem has a gift for you in its hands.

Evolution made civilization steward of this planet. A hundred thousand years later, the steward stood before evolution not helper but destroyer, not healer but parasite. So evolution withdrew its gift, passed civilization by, rescued the planet from intelligence and handed it to love.

Get this in mind early: We never grow up.

Happiness is the reward we get for living to the highest right we know.

Here is a test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't.

Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't.

I don't want to do business with those who don't make a profit, because they can't give the best service.

I gave my life to become the person I am right now. Was it worth it?

I want to be very close to someone I respect and admire and have somebody who feels the same way about me.

If it's never our fault, we can't take responsibility for it. If we can't take responsibility for it, we'll always be its victim.

If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were.

If you will practice being fictional for a while, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats.

If your happiness depends on what somebody else does, I guess you do have a problem.

In order to live free and happily you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice.

In order to win, you must expect to win.

In the United States Christmas has become the rape of an idea.

It is by not always thinking of yourself, if you can manage it, that you might somehow be happy.

Until you make room in your life for someone as important to you as yourself, you will always be searching and lost.

Jonathan is that brilliant little fire that burns within us all, that lives only for those moments when we reach perfection.

Learning is finding out what you already know.

Listen to what you know instead of what you fear.

Live never to be ashamed if anything you say or do is published around the world, even if what is said is not true.

Not being known doesn't stop the truth from being true.

Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.

Rarely do members of the same family grow up under the same roof.

Some choices we live not only once but a thousand times over, remembering them for the rest of our lives.

Strong beliefs win strong men, and then make them stronger.

The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life.

The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly.

The meaning I picked, the one that changed my life: Overcome fear, behold wonder.

The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.

The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in a while and watch your answers change.

The simplest things are often the truest.

There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go.

To bring anything into your life, imagine that it's already there.

To fly as fast as thought, you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived.

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls a butterfly.

You are always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past.

You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.

You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true. You may have to work for it, however.

You don't want a million answers as much as you want a few forever questions. The questions are diamonds you hold in the light. Study a lifetime and you see different colors from the same jewel.

You teach best what you most need to learn.

Your conscience is the measure of the honesty of your selfishness. Listen to it carefully.

Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years.

Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself.

Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a fake messiah.

Friends.

Friends
A friend is someone we turn to when our spirits need a lift.
A friend is someone we treasure for our friendship is a gift.
A friend is someone who fills our lives with beauty, joy, and grace.
And makes the whole world we live in a better and happier place.
By- Jean Kyler McManus –

Friends will come and friends will go,
The seasons change and it will show,
I will age and so will you,But our friendship stays, strong and true.
- Author Unknown –

There's nothing as nice as someone who shares,your laughter,
your secrets, your wishes and cares,
someone who's there through your good times and tears,
who stays by your side as your friend through the years.
- Autymn Skillings -

World of Difference.

The Paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers,wider freeways but narrow view points. All of us have learnt how to make a living but not life. We have added years to life but not life to years.

We have been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We have more university degrees but less sense, more knowledge but less judgement,more experts yet more problems, more medicines but less wellness.

We spend more but have less, we buy more but enjoy less. We have bigger houses but smaller families, more conveniences but less time. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little,drive too fast, get too angry,stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch too much T.V. and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values, we talk too much, love too seldom and hate too often, We conquer outer space but not inner space. We have done larger things but not better things.

We have cleaned up the air but polluted the soul, we have conquered the atom but not our prejudice. We write more but learn less. We plan more but accomplish less.

We have learnt to rush but not to wait. We built more computers to hold, more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small charecter,steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two income but more divorce, fancier houses but broken homes,these are the days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, over weight bodies and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill. It is time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this middle to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just ignore.

Remember, spend sometime with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever, remember to say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person will grow up and leave your side, remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you , because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesnt cost a rupee.

Remember to say'I LOVE YOU' to your partner and your loved ones but most of all mean it. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak, give time to the precious thoughts in your mind.

Always remember - Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away.

Joining hands to save the tiger .

Heads of 16 villages bordering a tiger reserve in Arunachal Pradesh have joined hands to form a committee to protect the reserve where hunting of wild animals illegally has been a common practice.

The 16-member committee in conjunction with the forest department is to work for protection of the Pakke Tiger Reserve, about 250 km from the Chinese border.

The committee, locally called as "Ghora Aabhe", recently passed a resolution listing penalties for wildlife violations of 17 different wild species ranging from Rs.200 to Rs.30,000.

"Following this initiative, about 32 illegal locally made guns were seized from poachers. Many of the poachers have now promised to work for protection of the reserve," said Tana Tapi, divisional forest officer, who helped the villagers to form the committee.

A conservation organisation, the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), which is supporting the "Gaon Burahs" - village heads - with honorariums to carry out conservation actions, said villagers have been keeping a strict vigil in the reserve, which has led to the recovery of arms.

The 862-sq km Pakke Reserve in East Kameng district is home to many rare and endangered wildlife species, such as tiger, leopard, wild dog, Himalayan black bear and elephant.

Although wildlife trade is not prevalent here as in other parts of the country, hunting for food has been a major threat to wildlife.

"The reduction in hunting, particularly of prey species of the tiger, will help tiger conservation in the long run," said P.C. Bhattacharjee, professor at Gauhati University.

The committee would work to strengthen intelligence networks, enforcement activities and create awareness for conservation among the people. Repeated seizures would also act as a deterrent for likely offenders, Tapi said.

"The Gaon Burah's role is crucial since they can persuade people for sustainable use of natural resources," said Bhattacharjee.

"This initiative can be a role model elsewhere in the country where problems of hunting for food and trade are widespread. Fringe villages adjoining huge unmanned wildlife sanctuaries can play a stellar role in conservation," said Rahul Kaul, director conservation of WTI, who is supervising the project in Pakke.

"The Pakke Reserve, which is contiguous with the Nameri Tiger Reserve of Assam, is an important habitat for the big cats. This move by the villagers is an important step forward particularly in the light of the present tiger crisis in the country," he said.

Ice Bergs are 'Ecological Hotspot'.

Drifting icebergs are "ecological hotspots" that enable the surrounding waters to absorb an increased volume of carbon dioxide, a study suggests.

US scientists found that minerals released from the melting ice triggered blooms of CO2-absorbing phytoplankton.

These microscopic plants were then eaten by krill (shrimp-like organisms), whose waste material containing the carbon sank to the ocean floor.

The findings are published in the online journal Science Express.

The study, carried out in the Southern Ocean's Weddell Sea in December 2005, has helped researchers understand the impact of free-floating icebergs on the marine environment.

"We had almost 1,000 icebergs."

"We are going to go back and look at smaller icebergs to see how important they are "

Dr. Ken Smith- Oceanographer.

The team focused its attention on two icebergs, one measuring 2km by 0.5km (1.2 miles by 0.3 miles) and another 21km in length and 5km wide (13 miles by 3 miles).

Using instruments that included a trawl net and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) with a video camera, the researchers sampled waters from the ice blocks up to 9km away (5.5 miles).

They found a "substantial enrichment" of minerals, phytoplankton, krill and seabirds in the surrounding water up to 3.7km away (2.3 miles) compared with areas with no icebergs.

"These results suggest that free-drifting icebergs can substantially impact the (open sea) ecosystem of the Southern Ocean and can serve as areas of enhanced production and sequestration of organic carbon to the deep sea," the scientists wrote.

Dr Smith said these findings would be followed up next year by a much more intensive examination.

"We are going to go back and look at smaller icebergs to see how important they are, and to see if they also have an associated enrichment of the surrounding water."

I Want to Say How Proud I Am of You .

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY.

To My Dad on His Day

To my dad on his day,

Of whom I am a living will:

May your happiness fulfill

Your goodness, as is just and right.

Deeds are seeds upon the night

As wind and wonder have their way,

Delivering the destined light.

________________________________

I Do Not See You Often

I do not see you often,

butI see you every day.

I've taken you along with me

As I have grown away.

We talk about the things that fill

A life with love and pain,

But our timeless golden time,

Unspoken, still remains.

You will always be my dad,

And I, your darling daughter.

The days may turn like waterwheels,

But that will never change.

The thought of you will make me glad

No matter where I wander.

You are the place that cannot feel

Uncanny, dark, or strange.

Eye flickers key for fine detail .

Tiny, involuntary movements made by our eyes when we focus on something could be more useful than we might think, scientists have found. We may not be aware that our eyes are making these movements, but without them our vision fades. And scientists have now found that they could also be important in helping us to see very fine details. The research, carried out by scientists at Boston University, was published in the journal Nature.

Our eyes are never in a position of absolute rest - they are always moving slightly, much as we find it difficult to hold our hands completely steady. These tiny flickers made as we focus on something are known as fixational eye movements. They keep the image on the retina of our eyes moving, and scientists have known for about 50 years that removing this motion for a long time, by stabilising the image on the retina, causes vision to fade. This observation gave rise to the idea that the movements are necessary to refresh the responses of neurons in the visual system to prevent images we are focused on from fading.

New technique

But there has been debate over whether the movements have any other functions. Professor Michele Rucci and colleagues used a new technique for counteracting the visual effects of the eye movements to test their effects on vision. They were able to stop the effects of the movements for short periods of time, so that vision did not start to fade. They found that, without the motion, people in the study were less able to perceive fine details in images. Participants looked at a grating and had to say whether it was being oriented to the right or to the left. When the grates were very close together, people were less successful in the task if their retinas were stabilised to remove the effects of the eye movements - they got it wrong 16% more of the time.

However, when the grates were further apart there was no effect when the retinal image was stabilised. Professor Rucci said it seems that when we fixate on something we get more small eye movements which could help us focus on these details.

'Useful'

He said such a mechanism could be crucial to help us focus in on fine details when we need to.

And he said the findings could have clinical implications for people with conditions that result in abnormal fixational eye movements.

He said: "By showing that fixational eye movements participate in the perception of fine detail, our results may help explain the reasons behind part of these visual deficits and may contribute to the development of treatments."

Tim Hunter, a councillor for the College of Optometrists, said the research was interesting and seemed to give a "sound result" but that he would like to see the effects duplicated in other studies to confirm the finding.

He added that understanding more about how the eye works and can go wrong could give us opportunities to correct problems and improve vision in the future.

Space Shuttle - Atlantis.

After weeks of delay, space shuttle Atlantis was finally launched for its mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The orbiter will deliver new equipment to the space station.

The mission was due to take place in March but repairs had to be made to the shuttle's external tank, which was damaged by a hailstorm in February.

Golf-ball sized hail stones hit the launcher vehicle system, causing hundreds of dents and minor surface damage to the tank's foam coveriSince the destruction of Atlantis's sister shuttle Columbia and the death of its crew in 2003, shuttle damage has been a major cause of concern for Nasa. ng and to heat shields on the orbiter itself. Columbia's heat shield was damaged during its launch and the ship was destroyed as it returned through the atmosphere 16 days later.

Atlantis has a crew of seven: Rick Sturckow will command the mission and Lee Archambault will serve as Atlantis' pilot. Mission specialists James Reilly, Patrick Forrester, Steven Swanson, John Olivas and Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson make up the rest of the team.

Mr Anderson will replace Sunita Williams on the ISS, who will be returning to Earth aboard Atlantis. Space shuttle Atlantis blasted off into space on Saturday to bring back Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams after her six month stay at the International Space Station , the longest for any woman.

The crew will be installing a new backbone segment and a set of solar wings on the space station, which is currently being expanded.

Nasa must fly at least 13 more missions to finish constructing the orbiting outpost before retiring its fleet of shuttles in 2010.

However, the delays to Atlantis' mission have meant that Nasa will have to reduce its 2007 programme from five to four launches.

IF TEARS COULD............

If tears could build a stairway

And memories were a lane,

I would walk right up to heaven

To bring you home again.

No farewell words were spoken.

No time to say good-bye.

You were gone before we knew it,

And only God knows why.

My heart still aches in sadness

And secret tears still flow.

What it meant to lose you,

No one will ever know.

New 7 Wonders of the World .

VOTE FOR TAJ MAHAL - YOUR VOTE MATTERS .

The voting campaign for the New 7 Wonders of the world is going on, and there are just 26 more days left for voting. There are 21 candidates for this. The New 7 wonders will be announced during the Official Declaration Ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal on 7th July'07.

Your vote counts ............ Help make history.

To vote you can log on to http://www.new7wonders.com/

The event will take place at Portugal's largest venue, the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, The Official Declaration of the New 7 Wonders of the World show will feature performances and award presentation appearances from Ben Kingsley, Jose Carreras, Chaka Khan, Alessandro Safina, Joaquín Cortés, Dulce Pontes, Neil Armstrong and Cristiano Ronaldo amongst others. The Portuguese event agency Realizar Impact Marketing, known for its innovative, international multimedia, will create and produce the event on July 7, 2007, which will be broadcast around the world.

The official Ceremony is sure to be once in a life time event.

GLOBAL WARMING.

THE PLANET IS HEATING UP AND FAST .....................

Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, cloud forests are drying, and wildlife is scrambling to keep pace. It's becoming clear that humans have caused most of the past century's warming by releasing heat-trapping gases as we power our modern lives. Called greenhouse gases, their levels are higher now than in the last 650,000 years.

We call the result global warming, but it is causing a set of changes to the Earth's climate, or long-term weather patterns, that varies from place to place. As the Earth spins each day, the new heat swirls with it, picking up moisture over the oceans, rising here, settling there. It's changing the rhythms of climate that all living things have come to rely upon.

GLOBAL WARMING CAUSES:
Scientists have spent decades figuring out what is causing global warming. They've looked at the natural cycles and events that are known to influence climate. But the amount and pattern of warming that's been measured can't be explained by these factors alone. The only way to explain the pattern is to include the effect of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted by humans.

IS GLOBAL WARMING REAL :
Has Global Warming Been Exaggerated?
The warming of Earth's surface and oceans over the past century is very well documented, and climate research shows that most of the warming in the past half century results from manmade greenhouse gases. In recent years, global warming has been the subject of a great deal of political controversy. As scientific knowledge has grown, this debate is moving away from whether humans are causing warming and toward questions of how best to respond.

EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING:
Signs are Everywhere.
The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole, and everywhere in between. Globally, the mercury is already up more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius), and even more in sensitive polar regions.

And the effects of rising temperatures aren’t waiting for some far-flung future. They’re happening right now. Signs are appearing all over, and some of them are surprising. The heat is not only melting glaciers and sea ice, it’s also shifting precipitation patterns and setting animals on the move.

Some impacts from increasing temperatures are already happening.

Ice is melting worldwide, especially at the Earth’s poles. This includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland, and Arctic sea ice.

Researcher Bill Fraser has tracked the decline of the Adélie penguins on Antarctica, where their numbers have fallen from 32,000 breeding pairs to 11,000 in 30 years.

Sea level rise became faster over the last century.

Some butterflies, foxes, and alpine plants have moved farther north or to higher, cooler areas.

Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe, on average.

Spruce bark beetles have boomed in Alaska thanks to 20 years of warm summers. The insects have chewed up 4 million acres of spruce trees.

Stroke Identification .

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Steps 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) and 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 6:00pm , 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:



*Ask the individual to SMILE.



*Ask the person to TALK, to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently: It is sunny out today.)



*Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.



{NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue... if the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke} If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call hospital / doctor immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

Ya Ali by Himesh Reshammiya.

Well., yesterday I was just watching TV and while flipping the channels , just happened to see this song, Ya Ali by Himesh Reshamiya, though it is quite a catchy number and must be in the first top 10 in the music charts, but it is quite sad that such a name , which has so much of religious significance, the name that we take with all our respects, is being used this way, with all half naked girls dancing around singing Ya Ali , Ali Ali ............

My Comments on The Last Mughal .

The Last Mughal is much more than the biography of one man. It is the story of a city-` Delhi,. a genuinely multicultural synthesis of Indian and Islamic traditions, from music to miniature painting. Above all, it is a terrific retelling of the event that ended Zafar’s reign - the Indian mutiny of 1857. The strength of this book lies in the breadth of its quotations from unpublished primary sources. Dalrymple argues convincingly for the contribution of colonialism to the rise of religious radicalism in India... An outstanding book: meticulously researched, it makes full use of an extraordinary number of previously unexplored sources in British and Indian archives. The book captures the tragedy of a mutilated Mughal capital and its butchered populace. Extremely well researched. An entire period comes alive - Mesmerising … gripping and beautifully written.

THE LAST MUGHAL by William Dalrymple

Summary of The Last Mughal:

Winner of the Duff Cooper Prize for History 2007

Bahadur Shah Zafar II, the last Mughal Emperor, was a mystic, a talented poet, and a skilled calligrapher, who, though deprived of real political power by the East India Company, succeeded in creating a court of great brilliance, and presided over one of the great cultural renaissances of Indian history. In 1857 it was Zafar’s blessing to a rebellion among the Company’s own Indian troops that transformed an army mutiny into the largest uprising the British Empire ever had to face.

The Last Mughal is a portrait of the dazzling Delhi Zafar personified, and the story of the last days of the great Mughal capital and its final destruction in the catastrophe of 1857. Shaped from groundbreaking material, William Dalrymple’s powerful retelling of this fateful course of events is an extraordinary revisionist work with clear contemporary echoes. It is the first account to present the Indian perspective on the siege, and has at its heart the stories of the forgotten individuals tragically caught up in one of the bloodiest upheavals in history.

WILLIAM DAIRYMPLE

WILLIAM DAIRYMPLE

William Dalrymple was born in Scotland and brought up on the shores of the Firth of Forth. He wrote the highly acclaimed bestseller In Xanadu when he was twenty-two. The book won the 1990 Yorkshire Post Best First Work Award and a Scottish Arts Council Spring Book Award; it was also shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize. In 1989 Dalrymple moved to Delhi where he lived for six years researching his second book, City of Djinns, which won the 1994 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year Award. From the Holy Mountain, his acclaimed study of the demise of Christianity in its Middle Eastern homeland, was awarded the Scottish Arts Council Autumn Book Award for 1997; it was also shortlisted for the 1998 Thomas Cook Award, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the Duff Cooper Prize. A collection of his writings about India, The Age of Kali, won the French Prix D'Astrolabe in 2005.

White Mughals was published in 2003, the book won the Wolfson Prize for History 2003, the Scottish Book of the Year Prize, and was shortlisted for the PEN History Award, the Kiryama Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.

William Dalrymple is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Royal Asiatic Society. In 2002 he was awarded the Mungo Park Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society for his ‘outstanding contribution to travel literature’. He wrote and presented the television series Stones of the Raj and Indian Journeys, which won the Grierson Award for Best Documentary Series at BAFTA in 2002. His Radio 4 series on the history of British spirituality and mysticism, The Long Search, won the 2002 Sandford St Martin Prize for Religious Broadcasting and was described by the judges as 'thrilling in its brilliance... near perfect radio. In December 2005 his article on the madrasas of Pakistan was awarded the prize for Best Print Article of the Year at the 2005 FPA Media Awards. June 2006 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters honoris causa from the University of St Andrews “for his services to literature and international relations, to broadcasting and understanding”. In 2007, The Last Moghal won the prestigous Duff Cooper Prize for History and Biography.

Dear Son and Daughters ...........

Dear son/daughter...

The day that you see me old, have patience and try to understand me.

If I get dirty when eating.....if I can not dress.....have patience. Remember the hours I spent teaching it to you.

If, when I speak to you, I repeat the same things a thousand and one times.....do not interrupt me.....listen to me.

When you were small, I had to read to you a thousand and one times the same story until you got to sleep......

When I do not want to have a shower, neither shame me nor scold me....Remember when I had to chase you with a thousand excuses I invented, so that you would want to bath.......

When you see my ignorance on new technologies. give me the necessary time and not look at me with your mocking smile...... I taught you how to do so many things.....to eat good, to dress well......to confront life.......

When at some moment I lose my memory or the thread of our conversation. let me have the necessary time to remember....and if I cannot do it, do not become nervous......as the most important thing is not my conversation but surely to be with you and to have you listening to me........

If ever I do not want to eat, do not force me. I know well when I need to and when not.

When my tired legs do not allow me to walk.............give me your hand.......the same way I did when you made your first steps.

And when someday I become moody, and say a few nasty things......do not get angry.......
some day you will understand.....

Try to understand that my age is not lived but survived.

Some day you will discover that, despite my mistakes, I always wanted the best thing for you and that I tried to prepare the way for you......

You must not feel sad, angry or impotent at seeing me near you. You must be next to me. Try to understand me and help me as I did with you when you started your life.

Help me to walk......help me to end my way with love and patience. I will pay you with a smile and by the immense love I have had always for you.

I love you my child......

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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Every righteous child who casts a look of mercy and affection upon his parents shall be granted, for every look of his, rewards equivalent to that of an accepted Hajj." Those around the Prophet(peace be upon him) questioned: "O Prophet of Allah! Even if he were to look at them a hundred times a day?" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) replied: "Indeed! Allah is the Greatest and Most Kind.

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And your Lord has commanded that you shall not serve (any) but Him, and goodness to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, say not to them (so much as) "Ugh" nor chide them, and speak to them a generous word. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: "My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood." (Qur'an 17:23-24)

Have You seen Day and Night at the same time ?

The photograph attached was taken by the crew on board the Columbia during its last mission, on a cloudless day. The picture is of Europe and Africa when the sun is setting. Half of the picture is in night. The bright dots you see are the cities' lights. The top part of Africa is the Sahara Desert . Note that the lights are already on in Holland , Paris , and Barcelona , and that's it's still daylight in Dublin , London , Lisbon , and Madrid . The sun is still shining on the Strait of Gibraltar . The Mediterranean Sea is already in darkness. In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean you can see the Azores Islands; below them to the right are the Madeira Islands ; a bit below are the Canary Islands; and further South, close to the farthest western point of Africa , are the Cape Verde Islands. Note that the Sahara is huge and can be seen clearly both during day time and night time. To the left, on top, is Greenland , totally frozen.

Really Artistic - Made out of pencils.

Really Artistic - Made out of pencils .

Ultimate Truths !

Whenever I find the key to success, someone changes the lock.

To Err is human, to forgive is not a COMPANY policy.

The road to success…….. is always under construction.

In order to get a Loan, you first need to prove that you don't need it.

All the desirable things in life are either illegal, expensive or fattening.

Since Light travels faster than Sound, people appear brighter before you hear them speak.

Anything dropped on the floor will roll over to the most inaccessible corner.

He who has the gold, makes the rules ---- Murphy's golden rule.

Once you have bought something, you will find the same item being sold somewhere else at a cheaper rate. If you have paper, you don't have a pen……. If you have a pen, you don't have paper…… if you have both, no one calls .

The door bell or your mobile will always ring when you are in the bathroom.

If your exam is tomorrow, there will be a power cut tonight.

Irrespective of the direction of the wind, the smoke from the cigarette will always tend to go to the non-smoker

CHAT WITH A DOCTOR .

Here was a chat, arranged by WIPRO for its employees, with Dr.Devi Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya (Heart Specialist) Bangalore. The transcript of the chat is given below. Useful for everyone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Qn: What are the five thumb rules for a layman to take care of his heart?

Ans:1. Diet - Less of carbohydrate, more of protein, less oil2. Exercise - Half an hour's walk, at least five days a week; avoid lifts and avoid sitting for a longtime 3. Quit smoking4. Control weight 5. Control blood pressure and sugar

Qn: Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart?
Ans: No

Qn: It's still a grave shock to hear that some apparently healthy person gets a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it in perspective?

Ans: This is called silent attack; that is why we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health checkups.

Qn: Are heart diseases hereditary?

Ans: Yes

Qn: What are the ways in which the heart is stressed? What practices do you suggest to de-stress?

Ans: Change your attitude towards life. Do not look for perfection in everything in life.

Qn: Is walking better than jogging or is more intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart?

Ans: Walking is better than jogging since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints .

Qn: You have done so much for the poor and needy. What has inspired you to do so?

Ans: Mother Theresa, who was my patient.

Qn: Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases?

Ans: Extremely rare

Qn: Does cholesterol accumulates right from an early age (I'm currently only 22) or do you have to worry about it only after you are above 30 years of age?

Ans: Cholesterol accumulates from childhood.

Qn: How do irregular eating habits affect the heart?

Ans: You tend to eat junk food when the habits are irregular and your body's enzyme release for digestion gets confused.

Qn: How can I control cholesterol content without using medicines?

Ans: Control diet, walk and eat walnut.

Qn: Can yoga prevent heart ailments?

Ans: Yoga helps.

Qn: Which is the best and worst food for the heart?

Ans: Best food is fruits worst are oil.

Qn: Which oil is better - gingili, groundnut, sunflower, saffola, olive?

Ans: All oils are bad; the so-called best oil company has the largest marketing budget.

Qn: What is the routine checkup one should go through? Is there any specific test?

Ans: Routine blood test to ensure sugar, cholesterol is ok. Check BP, Treadmill test after an echo.

Qn: What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack?

Ans: Help the person into a sleeping position, put an aspirin tablet under the tongue with a sorbitrate tablet if available, and rush him to a coronary care unit since the maximum casualty takes place within the first hour.

Qn: How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart attack and that caused due to gastric trouble?

Ans: Extremely difficult without ECG.

Qn: What is the main cause of a steep increase in heart problems amongst youngsters? I see people of about 30-40 yrs of age having heart attacks and serious heart problems.

Ans: Increased awareness has increased incidents. Also, edentary lifestyles, smoking,junk food, lack of exercise in a country where people are genetically three times more vulnerable for heart attacks than Europeans and Americans.

Qn: Is it possible for a person to have BP outside the normal range of 120/80 and yet be perfectly healthy?

Ans: Yes.

Qn: Marriages within close relatives can lead to heart problems for the child. Is it true?

Ans : Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormalities and you may not have a software engineer as a child

Qn: Many of us have an irregular daily routine and many a times we have to stay late nights in office. Does this affect our heart? What precautions would you recommend?

Ans : When you are young, nature protects you against all these irregularities. However, as you grow older, respect the biological clock.

Qn: Will taking anti-hypertensive drugs cause some other complications (short / long term)?

Ans : Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive drugs are extremely safe.

Qn: Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks?

Ans : No.

Qn: Are asthma patients more prone to heart disease?

Ans : No.

Qn: How would you define junk food?

Ans : Fried food like Kentucky , McDonalds, samosas, and even masala dosas.

Qn: You mentioned that Indians are three times more vulnerable. What is the reason for this, as Europeans and Americans also eat a lot of junk food?

Ans : Every race is vulnerable to some disease and unfortunately, Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease.

Qn: Does consuming bananas help reduce hypertension?

Ans : No.

Qn: Can a person help himself during a heart attack (Because we see a lot of forwarded emails on this)?

Ans : Yes. Lie down comfortably and put an aspirin tablet of any description under the tongue and ask someone to take you to the nearest coronary care unit without any delay and do not wait for the ambulance since most of the time, the ambulance does not turn up.

Qn: Do, in any way, low white blood cells and low hemoglobin count lead to heart problems?

Ans : No. But it is ideal to have normal hemoglobin level to increase your exercise capacity.

Qn: Sometimes, due to the hectic schedule we are not able to exercise. So, does walking while doing daily chores at home or climbing the stairs in the house, work as a substitute for exercise?

Ans : Certainly. Avoid sitting continuously for more than half an hour and even the act of getting out of the chair and going to another chair and sitting helps a lot.

Qn: Is there a relation between heart problems and blood sugar?

Ans: Yes. A strong relationship since diabetics are more vulnerable to heart attacks than non-diabetics.

Qn: What are the things one needs to take care of after a heart operation?

Ans : Diet, exercise, drugs on time. Control cholesterol, BP, weight.

Qn: Are people working on night shifts more vulnerable to heart disease when compared to day shift workers?

Ans : No.

Qn: What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs?

Ans : There are hundreds of drugs and your doctor will chose the right combination for your problem, but my suggestion is to avoid the drugs and go for natural ways of controlling blood pressure by walk, diet to reduce weight and changing attitudes towards lifestyles.

Qn: Does dispirin or similar headache pills increase the risk of heart attacks?

Ans : No.

Qn: Why is the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women?

Ans : Nature protects women till the age of 45.

Qn: How can one keep the heart in a good condition?

Ans : Eat a healthy diet, avoid junk food, exercise everyday, do not smoke and, go for a health checkup if you are past the age of 30 for at least once in two yrs. And work very hard and Enjoy ur Life...

We could learn a lot from crayons :

We could learn a lot from crayons,

some are sharp, some are pretty,

some are dull, some have weird names,

and all are differnt colours...............but,

they all exist very nicely in the same box.

You may be .................

YOU MAY BE ONLY ONE PERSON IN THE WORLD;

BUT YOU MAY ALSO BE THE WORLD TO ONE PERSON.

FRIENDS !!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT IS A BABY ?

WHAT IS A BABY ?

A baby is someone to hold in your arms.
and someone so cute and full of charm.
Someone to plan the future for;
it's someone to love and adore.

It's someone to call your very own,
who'll turn your house into a home.
Instead of two they'll be three--
and that makes a family!

Someone to keep you up at night,

and somone who will sometimes fight.

Someone who'll get sick and cry,

but for that someone you would die.

What is a baby?

A baby's full of wiggles and life,

but will sometime cause lots of strife.

Your life will be changed forever,

but it's by far life's greatest endeavor.

Frazzeled nerves that come undone,

it's a lot of work and not just fun.

But it's a bond that's like no other,

the strongest love between child and mother!

So as I watch you become a mother,

I may offer advice but promise not to hover.

A girl or boy it doesn't matter,

for soon little feet will "pitter patter."

What is a baby?

All of this and more.

A bundle of joy to;

love and adore!!

Written by Dianna Wilder for her daughter.

CHILDREN

CHILDREN

Little hands and tiny feet,

Shy, and cute, and so petite;

Little whimpers, little cries,

Darling, little sparkling eyes;

Outstretched fingers, wiggling toes;

God, how can you love them so!

Children chase away the gloom,

And sunshine fills most every room;

Little mannerisms dear,

Laughs of happiness and cheer;

You just can't know the joy of home,

Until you have children of your own.

You feel so humble, deep inside,

And have so much parental pride;

You can't describe the joy and pleasure,

God has given with this treasure;

A million couldn't buy the joy,

The happiness, and love, sublime;

They're bundles straight from heaven,

And, Lord, they're really mine.

This post is dedicated to " Ammi " - The Best mom in the world !!!

MOTHERS DAY

Mother's Day is celebrated to honor all mothers and express gratitude for the hardships they bear in bringing up a child. Most countries including US, Australia, Canada and India celebrate Mothers Day on the second Sunday of May. Mother Day came into being due to the efforts made by Ms Julia Ward Howe and Ms Anna Jarvis. The Resolution for having a dedicated 'Mother's Day was signed by US President Woodrow Wilson on May 8, 1914. Since then people across the world have been celebrating Mothers Day with joy and devotion.

Mothers are wise and always right. We all know this from our experiences, for we have all grown up on the advice and wisdom of our moms. Some of these advice , they remain with us forever and keep guiding us.

Mothers are everything for us, from when we are small .... our lives revolve around her. For everyhting that we need, we call our mother. To protect us, from any perceivable dangers , we want her around us. She is the focal point of our lives, the greatest human being on earth.

There is no way that we can actually thank her for all that she has done for us. She was the one who use to be awake whole night when we were sick, praying to God to make us well, she is the one who will get up early morning to make us the nicest tiffens and endure all our tantrums. Cooking for us all sorts of things , so that we will be strong and healthy. They take all the pains to complete our school projects.Mothers, infact worry more for our examinations, then we must.

POEMS ON MOTHERS :-
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A Mother :

When you're a child she walks before you,To set an example.
When you're a teenager she walks behind youTo be there should you need her.
When you're an adult she walks beside you---
So that as two friends you can enjoy life together..

I wish I could tell you mom :-

I wish I could tell you, Mom
how much you mean to me....
But there are no words to say
how much I admire you...
how much I appreciate you...
how much I thank you
for everything you've done.

Mothers Day :-

A Mother loves right from the start.
She holds her baby close to her heart.
The bond that grows will never falter.
Her love is so strong it will never alter.
A Mother gives never ending Love.
She never feels that she has given enough.
For you she will always do her best.
Constantly working, there's no time to rest.
A Mother is there when things go wrong.
A hug and a kiss to help us along.
Always there when we need her near.
Gently wipes our eyes when we shed a tear.
So on this day shower your Mother with Love.
Gifts and presents are nice but that is not enough.
Give your Mother a day to have some peace of mind.
Be gentle, be good, be helpful, be kind.
Happy Mothers Day.

QUOTES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE FOR THEIR MOTHERS :-

"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." -- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
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"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers." -- Jewish proverb
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"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother." -- Lin Yutang
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"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." -- Honore' de Balzac (1799-1850)
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"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her." -- George Washington (1732-1799)
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"By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class." -- Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1907- )
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"The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom." -- Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)
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"Youth fades; love droops, the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)
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"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." -- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

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Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

(Translated by Edward Fitzgerald)

The Rubaiyat or the Testament of the 12th Century Persian Poet , Omar Khayyam , was first translated into english and published in 1859, by Edward Fitzgerald.

1) One Moment in Annihilation's Waste,

One moment, of the Well of Life to taste--

The Stars are setting, and the Caravan

Starts for the dawn of Nothing--Oh, make haste!

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2) There was a Door to which I found no Key:

There was a Veil past which I could not see:

Some little Talk awhile of ME and THEE

There seemed--and then no more of THEE and ME.

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3) Alike for those who for TO-DAY prepare,

And those that after a TO-MORROW stare,

A Muezzin from the Tower of Darkness cries

"Fools! your Reward is neither Here nor There."

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4) The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,

Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,

Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.

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5) For "IS" and "IS-NOT" though with Rule and Line,

And, "UP-AND-DOWN" without, I could define,

I yet in all I only cared to know,

Was never deep in anything but--Wine.

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6) And this I know: whether the one True Light,

Kindle to Love, or Wrath consume me quite,

One Glimpse of It within the Tavern caught

Better than in the Temple lost outright.

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7) For in and out, above, about, below,'

Tis nothing but a Magic Shadow-show,

Play'd in a Box whose Candle is the Sun,

Round which we Phantom Figures come and go.

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8) Oh Thou, who Man of baser Earth didst make,

And who with Eden didst devise the Snake;

For all the Sin wherewith the Face of Man

Is blacken'd, Man's Forgiveness give--and take!

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9) The Worldly Hope men set their Hearts upon

Turns Ashes--or it prospers; and anon,

Like Snow upon the Desert's dusty Face,

Lighting a little hour or two--is gone.

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10) Listen again. One Evening at the Close

Of Ramazan, ere the better Moon arose,

In that old Potter's Shop I stood alone

With the clay Population round in Rows.

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Omar Khayyam

THE LIFE OF OMAR KHAYYAM

Birth:
Date: 1048 CE.
Place: Nishapur, Persia (Iran).

Name:
Abu ol-Fath ebn-Ebrahim 'Omar ol-Khayyami of Nishapur .
Khayyam means "tent maker"

Work:
Mathematician
Scientist
Astronomer
Philosopher
Poet

Death:
Date: 1123 CE
Place: Nishapur, Persia (Iran).
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BIOGRAPHY of Omar Khayyam
by Edward J. Fitzgerald.

Omar Khayyam,
The Astronomer-Poet of Persia.

Omar Khayyam was born at Naishapur in Khorassan in the latter half of our Eleventh, and died within the First Quarter of our Twelfth Century. The Slender Story of his Life is curiously twined about that of two other very considerable Figures in their Time and Country: one of whom tells the Story of all Three. This was Nizam ul Mulk, Vizier to Alp Arslan the Son, and Malik Shah the Grandson, of Toghrul Beg the Tartar, who had wrested Persia from the feeble Successor of Mahmud the Great, and founded that Seljukian Dynasty which finally roused Europe into the Crusades. This Nizam ul Mulk, in his Wasiyat--or Testament--which he wrote and left as a Memorial for future Statesmen--relates the following, as quoted in the Calcutta Review, No. 59, from Mirkhond's History of the Assassins.
"'One of the greatest of the wise men of Khorassan was the Imam Mowaffak of Naishapur, a man highly honored and reverenced,--may God rejoice his soul; his illustrious years exceeded eighty-five, and it was the universal belief that every boy who read the Koran or studied the traditions in his presence, would assuredly attain to honor and happiness. For this cause did my father send me from Tus to Naishapur with Abd-us-samad, the doctor of law, that I might employ myself in study and learning under the guidance of that illustrious teacher. Towards me he ever turned an eye of favor and kindness, and as his pupil I felt for him extreme affection and devotion, so that I passed four years in his service. When I first came there, I found two other pupils of mine own age newly arrived, Hakim Omar Khayyam, and the ill-fated Ben Sabbah. Both were endowed with sharpness of wit and the highest natural powers; and we three formed a close friendship together. When the Imam rose from his lectures, they used to join me, and we repeated to each other the lessons we had heard. Now Omar was a native of Naishapur, while Hasan Ben Sabbah's father was one Ali, a man of austere life and practise, but heretical in his creed and doctrine. One day Hasan said to me and to Khayyam, "It is a universal belief that the pupils of the Imam Mowaffak will attain to fortune. Now, even if we all do not attain thereto, without doubt one of us will; what then shall be our mutual pledge and bond?" We answered, "Be it what you please." "Well," he said, "let us make a vow, that to whomsoever this fortune falls, he shall share it equally with the rest, and reserve no pre-eminence for himself." "Be it so," we both replied, and on those terms we mutually pledged our words. Years rolled on, and I went from Khorassan to Transoxiana, and wandered to Ghazni and Cabul; and when I returned, I was invested with office, and rose to be administrator of affairs during the Sultanate of Sultan Alp Arslan.'

"He goes on to state, that years passed by, and both his old school-friends found him out, and came and claimed a share in his good fortune, according to the school-day vow. The Vizier was generous and kept his word. Hasan demanded a place in the government, which the Sultan granted at the Vizier's request; but discontented with a gradual rise, he plunged into the maze of intrigue of an oriental court, and, failing in a base attempt to supplant his benefactor, he was disgraced and fell. After many mishaps and wanderings, Hasan became the head of the Persian sect of the Ismailians, a party of fanatics who had long murmured in obscurity, but rose to an evil eminence under the guidance of his strong and evil will. In A.D. 1090, he seized the castle of Alamut, in the province of Rudbar, which lies in the mountainous tract south of the Caspian Sea; and it was from this mountain home he obtained that evil celebrity among the Crusaders as the OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAINS, and spread terror through the Mohammedan world; and it is yet disputed where the word Assassin, which they have left in the language of modern Europe as their dark memorial, is derived from the hashish, or opiate of hemp-leaves (the Indian bhang), with which they maddened themselves to the sullen pitch of oriental desperation, or from the name of the founder of the dynasty, whom we have seen in his quiet collegiate days, at Naishapur. One of the countless victims of the Assassin's dagger was Nizam ul Mulk himself, the old school-boy friend."Omar Khayyam also came to the Vizier to claim his share; but not to ask for title or office. 'The greatest boon you can confer on me,' he said, 'is to let me live in a corner under the shadow of your fortune, to spread wide the advantages of Science, and pray for your long life and prosperity.' The Vizier tells us, that when he found Omar was really sincere in his refusal, he pressed him no further, but granted him a yearly pension of 1200 mithkals of gold from the treasury of Naishapur.

"At Naishapur thus lived and died Omar Khayyam, 'busied,' adds the Vizier, 'in winning knowledge of every kind, and especially in Astronomy, wherein he attained to a very high pre-eminence. Under the Sultanate of Malik Shah, he came to Merv, and obtained great praise for his proficiency in science, and the Sultan showered favors upon him.'

"When the Malik Shah determined to reform the calendar, Omar was one of the eight learned men employed to do it; the result was the Jalali era (so called from Jalal-ud-din, one of the king's names)--'a computation of time,' says Gibbon, 'which surpasses the Julian, and approaches the accuracy of the Gregorian style.' He is also the author of some astronomical tables, entitled 'Ziji-Malikshahi,' and the French have lately republished and translated an Arabic Treatise of his on Algebra.

"His Takhallus or poetical name (Khayyam) signifies a Tent-maker, and he is said to have at one time exercised that trade, perhaps before Nizam-ul-Mulk's generosity raised him to independence. Many Persian poets similarly derive their names from their occupations; thus we have Attar, 'a druggist,' Assar, 'an oil presser,' etc. Omar himself alludes to his name in the following whimsical lines:--

"'Khayyam, who stitched the tents of science,
Has fallen in grief's furnace and been suddenly burned;
The shears of Fate have cut the tent ropes of his life,
And the broker of Hope has sold him for nothing!'

"'It is written in the chronicles of the ancients that this King of the Wise, Omar Khayyam, died at Naishapur in the year of the Hegira, 517 (A.D. 1123); in science he was unrivaled,--the very paragon of his age. Khwajah Nizami of Samarcand, who was one of his pupils, relates the following story: "I often used to hold conversations with my teacher, Omar Khayyam, in a garden; and one day he said to me, 'My tomb shall be in a spot where the north wind may scatter roses over it.' I wondered at the words he spake, but I knew that his were no idle words.Years after, when I chanced to revisit Naishapur, I went to his final resting-place, and lo! it was just outside a garden, and trees laden with fruit stretched their boughs over the garden wall, and dropped their flowers upon his tomb, so that the stone was hidden under them."

DUBAI - A perfect holiday destination.

Dubai :-
Dubai is a beautiful cosmopolitan city. A perfect place for vacation,its a perfect getaway where one can shop till you drop - hehe. Thats why i planned to go there in my kids vacation to meet my family and enjoy. There are many attractions there like the museum, creek,various beaches,gardens, mosque,the desert safari and above all the malls, which were the main attraction for me.

Its Architectural wonders:-
One more fascinating part of this desert city is the unbelievable construction boom, one main reason for it is to diversify the economy, since they only depend on oil reserves.There are many commercial and residential buildings which excel in architecture . Though i didnt see much of it, but what ever i saw i liked the Emirates Towers and many buildings on that same road the best, i didnt happen to know the names of all and also The Burj -al -Arab, the Dubai Marina project and the Jumeirah residences.

Sharjah:-
was actually where i was residing, but as compared to Dubai it is still not as , well can say exciting and interesting in every way, its like a blend of old and new.I dont think so there is much to look around besides a few malls , out of which i liked the Sahara Center and Mega Mall.

Lost in the desert:-
It just happened that when i initially went alone to a few malls in Dubai, it was easy to go, as all the cab-drivers know all the malls, but coming back was like uggghhhh., most of the cab-drivers never wanted to go back to Sharjah as it was far and mostly coz; of the traffic , its generally heavy traffic, they never wanted to ; but still one out of few use to agree,and to my bad luck, i use to reach the main land mark near our house and then i was like lost , i didnt know ,how and where to go.,and the cab-driver use to drop me there and then i had to search the house on foot, with both my kids and all the shopping bags ,so i use to keep calling our house for guidance, or just try to figure out how and where to go., that was the most ugliest moment of my trip., it use to take me 40 mins to 1 hour to reach home, when it use to be just 5 mins away if on car.And then finally i understood the house from all possible directions(hehe).

Malls in Dubai:-
I visited most of the malls there, but the ones i liked and are Burjuman, Mall of the Emirates, Lamcy,Diera City Center,Ibn-e-Batuta. Madinat-Jumeira(i hope its the right name) is good if one like the architecture typical arab types, it was good.

We had a wonderful time - me and my kids. It was a good holiday.

Islam means PEACE

Dr Javed Jamil, the author of the book, argued that Islam presented a three-dimensional system based on equal emphasis on Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Fundamental Prohibitions, and unless the world followed the trio, true peace could not be established in the world. He said that by not applying "Fundamental Prohibitions" as prescribed by the Quran, the world was losing more than 50 million lives every year. He urged all the religions to unite against the forces of Economic Fundamentalism, which has become the greatest tormentor of humanity.

ISLAM means Peace by Dr. Javed Jamil . Islam does not just promote peace; Islam is peace itself. We are denizens of a world where peace is nothing more than a pigeon trying to survive in a stormy wind. He has every reason to celebrate. Individually, there may be many God-fearing people in the world; but the collective system hardly cares for God and his plan for this world. " Islam means Peace" is aimed at reminding the world the true meaning of peace, unveiling before them the designs of the proponents of the system that rules them and making them aware of the System that must rule.It is an endeavour to turn the wind of chaos into a gentle breeze of peace pigeon loves to fly in. Peace is discussed not in piecemeal but in totality. Not only the indicators of the prevailing chaos have been explored, the agenda for a purer,healthier and more peaceful world has also been presented.The agenda for the future must be to establish Natural Word Order rather than new World Order …. New World Order is unstable by its very meaning; what is new now, will become old tomorrow. The world of New World Order is therefore rapidly developing into nothing but a Fireball of chaos. We are living in a world where, thanks to the designs of merchants, immorality reigns.. Where, piety is Ridiculed and impudence glorified. Where, prosperity is considered to be the synonym of peace, education that of knowledge and entertainment that of happiness….Where it is easier to be bad than good…. Where, those talking of Righteousness in life are condemned as "bloody moralists"… Where the biggest Virtue is to openly indulge in the biggest sin; and the biggest sin is to try to exhibit virtuousness."Islam means Peace" release speeches-1Keynote Address by Saiyid Hamid, Chancellor, Hamdard University and well-known thinker on the occasion of the release of "Islam means Peace" authored by Dr. Javed JamilDr Javed Jamil’s magnum opus, "Islam means Peace" is as well argued as it is well researched. His profuse quotations from the Quran and their perceptive interpretation reveal scholarship of a high order. One is surprised that a physician brought up in the realm of science and engrossed both in practice and theory of medicine should have found time to make a profound study of Islam.Although in all probability, the provocation for the book came from the barrage of attacks on Islam which under a global; conspiracy are becoming fiercer as time passes, the author is neither defensive nor apologetic nor diffident. He enters the arena with confidence emanating from an unshakeable faith in the suitability of Islam for guiding mankind on path to moderation, balance, harmony and peace.The author starts by defining peace in its widest and vitally comprehensive sense. He strives to replace the widely accepted but negative concept of peace as "absence of war or conflict". Peace as preached and exemplified by Islam is packed with positive connotations. It is proactive in its essence. It envelops and animates the entire human personality. From the individual it extends to the family and ultimately in a concentric way to society at large. The author has looked at how the UN documents define peace and found them radically deficient. He finds that the UN in its interpretation of peace keeps out of its purview peace at the individual and family levels. Man being a microcosm of the universe and its basic unit, any scheme of peace that side steps the balanced personality of the individual or the cohesion of the family is fraught with the certainty of violence and chaos at the collective level. If its various forces constituting individual personality pull in different directions and defy discipline peace will be in tatters at its foundation. Society is at the apex and family is somewhere in the middle. Society got split up into nations that go to war at the slightest provocation. Nations, the author maintains, are at war because man, the foundation unit, is not at peace with himself. Having diagnosed the root cause of the malaise the author proceeds top prescribe a number of remedies on which we need not pause. The book rubbishes the fundamentalism being indiscriminately levelled against Islam. He traces the origin of "fundamentalism" in Christian America in the 1920s where it referred to the group that was violently opposed to the theory of evolution. It is significant that Islam, unlike Christianity, never chose to wage a war against Darwinism. Islam despite a comprehensive outreach allowed science to flourish independently in its own domain. After discussing the religious fundamentalism as a stereotype the author proceeds to develop his thesis of economic fundamentalism. He has coined an appropriate label for a trend that has acquired global dimensions. It is as sinister and iniquitous, as it is widespread. Economic fundamentalism stems directly from unscrupulous and voracious materialism. The twentieth century has witnessed the retreat of morality before the onset of hungry consumerism, which masquerades as civilisation, and rejects ethics as outmoded. The author has taken pains to refute the specious reasoning being used by a decadent western civilisation against religion. Economic fundamentalism has manifested itself in the neo-colonialism that has the world in its cruel grip. Grim sequences of this policy are writ large on devastated Iraq and Afghanistan. It is the West’s uninhibited greed for oil that led to their destruction under the pretence of quelling "terrorism". Economic suzerainty of the West has reduced the oil rich West Asian countries to the state of vassals. The author has analysed with dexterity the motives of the West on the one hand and the essentials of Islam on the other. He has brought to bear on this analysis an attitude that is at once objective and uncompromising. He has moreover refuted convincingly the pet theories of Western imperialism about Islam being the disturber of global peace. This is a grotesque travesty of facts, which the power of the media is persistently drilling in. Dr Javed Jamil’s book is at once a courageous exposure of a widely orchestrated machination and a passionate but well-argued exposition of Islam. It nails a lie that threatens to assume global credence.