High Cholesterol: Stocking a Heart

 

High Cholesterol: Stocking a Heart-Healthy Kitchen

Heart-healthy foods are essential to a heart-healthy diet. If you want to eat a heart-healthy diet but are not sure what foods you should buy, check out this heart-healthy kitchen essentials guide. From fruits and vegetables to whole grain goodness, learn what foods to keep on hand.

Fresh Fruits & Vegetables

Fill your fridge with seasonal fruits such as berries, oranges, apples, pears, and grapes, and vegetables such as bell peppers, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, tomatoes, dark leafy greens, celery, eggplant, zucchini, and squash.

Dairy and Dairy Alternatives

• Skim or 1% milk
• Soymilk (plain, unsweetened, vanilla, or chocolate)
• Low - or nonfat buttermilk
• Nonfat half-and-half or nonfat creamers
• Nonfat or reduced-fat cheese (bricks, slices, or shredded)
• Soy-based cheeses (bricks, slices, or shredded)
• Nonfat or light cream cheese
• Nonfat or 1% fat cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
• Nonfat or 1% fat yogurt (includes fruited, vanilla, or plain)
• Soy-based yogurts
• Nonfat sour cream
• Egg substitutes, egg whites

Meat, Poultry, Fish & Meat Substitutes

• Skinless, boneless chicken or turkey breasts and tenders
• Skinless, white breast meat ground chicken or turkey
• Pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat
• Lean ground beef such as ground round or ground sirloin (Note: When buying beef, look for words like "round" or "loin" and choose lean cuts -- the less marbling, the lower the fat content.)
• Assorted fish: salmon, mackerel, tilapia, trout, herring, tuna
• Tofu silken, soft, firm, or extra firm
• Tempeh
• Seitan

Frozen Foods

• Frozen vegetables and vegetable blends without added sauces, gravies, and added sodium
• Frozen fruits without added sugar (for example, frozen blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries)
• Frozen soybeans (edamame)
• Frozen vegetarian burgers, sausage patties, or links (For example, Boca Burgers, Yves, Morningstar Farms or Gardenburger)
• Reduced-fat and sodium vegetarian chili, burritos, and entrees like Amy's Organic and Health Valley.

Fats, Cooking Oils

• Assorted cooking oils (olive, canola, walnut, grapeseed, peanut, and sesame)
• Non-fat cooking sprays (for example, Spectrum Naturals, Pam)
• Baking fat replacements (for example, pureed prunes, applesauce, or Smucker's Baking Healthy)
• Non-hydrogenated shortening (for example, Spectrum Naturals)
• Trans-free liquid or tub margarine (for example, Promise Activ, Benecol, Fleischmann's Light, Smart Balance)
• Reduced-fat or nonfat salad dressings

Herbs, Seasonings & Spices

Here are some delicious seasonings to take the place of salt.

Allspice	Basil	Bay Leaves	Black pepper
Caraway seeds	Cayenne	Chili powder	Chinese five-spice
Cinnamon	Cloves	Coriander	Cumin
Curry powder	Dill	Garlic powder	Ginger, ground
Italian seasoning	Marjoram	Mint	Nutmeg
Onion powder	Oregano	Paprika	Parsley
Red pepper flakes	Rosemary
Assorted sodium-free Mrs. Dash seasonings

Sweeteners

• Splenda, Equal, Nutra Sweet, Sugar Twin, and Brown Sugar Twin (sugar substitutes)
• Sugar free or "light" maple syrups
• Honey
• Brown rice syrup for a sweetening alternative to use when baking

Pantry Essentials

Snacks

• Assorted raw nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds)
• Dried fruits
• Whole-grain breads, tortillas, pitas
• Whole-grain, trans-fat free crackers (such as Health Valley whole wheat crackers, Kashi TLC crackers, Reduced Fat Triscuits, Fat Free Rye Crisp, Wasa)
• Baked, trans-fat-free tortilla chips
• Brown rice cakes, popcorn cakes
• Whole-grain pretzels (such as Snyder's oat bran or honey wheat)
• Plain popcorn or light microwave popcorn

Pantry Essentials continued...

Condiments

• Assorted vinegars: rice, red wine, balsamic, apple cider, raspberry. These make delicious salad dressings.
• Reduced-sodium ketchup
• Assorted mustards: whole grain, honey, Dijon, yellow
• Reduced-sodium soy sauce
• Reduced-fat or nonfat mayonnaise
• Barbecue sauce

Beans, Grains, Sauces

• Assorted canned beans such as lentils, kidney, garbanzo, pinto, and black beans (Note: Choose low or reduced sodium if you have high blood pressure.)
• Dried beans (lentils, split peas, garbanzo beans, black beans)
• Reduced-sodium soups with beans (for example, Health Valley)
• Vegetarian chili beans (for example, Westbrae Naturals or Health Valley)
• Vegetarian or nonfat refried beans
• Rolled, steel cut, or Irish oats
• Oat bran
• Whole or ground flaxseeds
• Whole-grain cold cereals (Note: Choose cereals that contain 5 or more grams of dietary fiber and fewer than 8 grams of sugar per serving.)
• Barley
• Brown rice, wild rice, and brown basmati rice
• Grains such as wheat berries, couscous, polenta, millet, bulgur or quinoa (pronounced keen-wa)
• Whole-wheat, spelt, or kamut pastas (Note: These whole-grain pastas come in bowtie, fettuccini, lasagna, spaghetti, fusili, spiral, elbow macaroni, and ravioli varieties.)
• Wheat germ
• Whole-wheat flour and whole-wheat pastry flour
• Soy flour
• Cornmeal
• Reduced-sodium canned diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, and tomato sauce
• Tomato paste
• Low-fat or fat-free pasta sauce
• Reduced-sodium chicken, beef, and vegetable broths
• 98% fat-free cream of mushroom or chicken soups (for example, Campbell's Healthy Request)

Earth 4 Energy

I know this varies from person to person, because everyone uses a different amount of fuel for their home. But it is certain you will gain back your investment for this guide and the devices within a few days. Energy prices will keep going up and fueling your own home can give you much security for the future.

 

Many politicians and scientists are seeking alternative fuels to reduce greenhouse gases. Now is your chance to do your part in helping our environment. Even if cleaning the environment isn’t your objective, you can still save massive amounts of energy.

 

Quickly, let’s observe the ROI for the product Earth4Energy.

 

This windmill will cost you about $100, which is really nothing when compared to the average energy bill. This windmill will be generating you electricity for at least the next 3 - 5 years, possibly saving you thousands of dollars in your energy bill. Also, the solar panel can be constructed with around $150, which is very cheap compared to professional installs.

 

If you have a professionally installed device, you would have to wait years before you make back the money.

 

It is easy enough that I can construct it, and I rarely touch tools.

We all know it’s a pain to try and follow instructions that just don’t work.

 

However, Earth4Energy is different in that thousands of people have already attempted and succeeded in making these energy generating devices. These people are all ordinary people with little to no experience in construction. You can be assured you will know how to build this device.

#3: Earth4Energy is Very Professional

 

What good is a device if it breaks within the next few weeks?

 

Thankfully, Earth4Energy is NOT something that will break quickly. The Earth4Energy device teaches you how to construct a windmill and solar panel that will last for years. Other guides we’ve found teach you to create a piece of junk that hardly generates power at all. By following the instructions in Earth4Energy exactly, you are guaranteed to create an extraordinary device.

 

 

New York is worst city to build wealth

If you'd like to build a nest egg with your paycheck, it may be time to give up New York and head for Plano, Texas.

A survey by pay experts at Salary.com evaluated 69 cities with more than 250,000 people and ranked the Big Apple last. Plano came in first among American cities in which to build personal wealth.

The survey, based on census data and Salary.com analysis, focused on local salaries, the cost of living and unemployment. Secondary factors, such as diversity of the local economy, residents' education, percentage of population below poverty level and commute time were also measured.

According to the survey, the top five cities are home to some of the nation's largest companies and have recorded strong periods of growth. Following first-place Plano came Aurora, Colo., Omaha, Neb., Minneapolis and Albuquerque N.M.

New York's diverse economy and highly-educated residents couldn't save it from sinking to the bottom due to its high cost of living and paychecks that just aren't "inflated" enough to make up the difference, the report stated.

Following last-ranked New York were Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Honolulu and San Francisco. 

ASP.NET Barcode Web Server Control 9.08 (Windows)

The ASP .NET Barcode Web Server Control is a new drag-and-drop component that easily adds dynamic barcoding capability to Microsoft .NET Web Applications. It is a server-side component that creates JPEG images, therefore all processing takes place on the server and it is compatible with all web browsers. On-line barcodes may be easily included in .NET Web Applications by dragging the control on a form in the same way a text box control is used. Several barcode types are supported in a single control including Code 3 of 9, Code 128, UCC/EAN-128, GS1-128, Interleaved 2 of 5, UPC, EAN, Codabar, USPS Intelligent Mail, Planet, Postnet PDF417, Aztec, Data Matrix, QR Code and MaxiCode.


To know details about this product visit: http://downloads. zdnet.com/ abstract. aspx?docid= 1119931

Get younger withTechnical knowledge, Internet, Extranet, Websurfing, Push Technology, ASP, PDA, Internet Telephony, Weblog, Thin Client, Rboc, LDC, WWW

We've put together a list of outdated tech terms, phrases that you shouldn't be using at work anymore because they will make you seem old. This is especially true if you're looking for a new job. For example, on an interview, you should be talking about "cloud computing," not "ASPs" even though they are basically the same thing.

This list is useful for 20-somethings, too. Now when the senior person in the office uses one of these terms, you'll know what he's talking about.

 

1. Intranet

Popular in the mid-90s, the term "intranet" referred to a private network running the Internet Protocol and other Internet standards such as the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It was also used to describe an internal Web site that was hosted behind a firewall and was accessible only to employees. Today, every private network runs IP. So you can just use the term virtual private network or VPN to describe a private IP-based network.

 

2. Extranet

An "extranet" referred to private network connections based on Internet standards such as IP and HTTP that extended outside an organization, such as between business partners. Extranets often replaced point-to-point electronic data interchange (EDI) connections that used standards such as X12. Today, companies provide suppliers, resellers and other members of their supply chain with access to their VPNs.

 

3. Web Surfing

When is the last time you heard someone talk about surfing the Web? You know the term is out of date when your kids don't know what it means. To teens and tweens, the Internet and the World Wide Web are one and the same thing. So it's better to use the term "browsing" the Web if you want to be understood.

 

4. Push Technology

The debate over the merits of "push" versus "pull" technology came to a head in 1996 with the release of the PointCast Network, a Web service that sent a steady stream of news to subscribers. However, PointCast and other push technology services required too much network bandwidth. Eventually, push technology evolved into RSS feeds, which remain the preferred method for publishing information to subscribers of the Internet. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.

 

5. Application Service Provider (ASP)

During this decade, the term "Application Service Provider" evolved into "Software-as- a-Service." Both terms refer to a vendor hosting a software application and providing access to it over the Web. Customers buy the software on a subscription basis, rather than having to own and operate it themselves. ASP was a hot term prior to the dot-com bust. Then it was replaced by "SaaS." Now it's cool to talk about "cloud computing."

 

6. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

Coined by former Apple CEO John Sculley back in 1992 when he unveiled the Apple Newton, the term "personal digital assistant" referred to a handheld computer. PDA was still in use in 1996, when the Palm Pilot was the hottest handheld in corporate America. Today, the preferred generic term for a handheld like a Blackberry or an iPhone is a "smartphone".

 

7. Internet Telephony

You need to purge the term "Internet telephony" from your vocabulary and switch to VoIP, for Voice over IP. Even the term VoIP is getting old-fashioned because pretty soon all telephone calls will be routed over the Internet rather than the Public Switched Telephone Network. It's probably time to stop referring to the PSTN, too, because it is headed for the history books as all voice, data and video traffic is carried on the Internet.

 

8. Weblog

A blog is a shortened version of "Weblog," a term that emerged in the late 1990s to describe commentary that an individual publishes online. It spawned many words still in use such as "blogger" and "blogosphere." Nowadays, few people have time to blog so they are "microblogging," which is another word that's heading out the door as people turn Twitter into a generic term for blasting out 140-character observations or opinions.

 

9. Thin Client

You have to give Larry Ellison credit for seeing many of the flaws in the client/server computing architecture and for popularizing the term "thin client" to refer to Oracle's alternative terminal-like approach. In 1993, Ellison was touting thin clients as a way for large organizations to improve network security and manageability. Although thin clients never replaced PCs, the concept is similar to "virtual desktops" that are gaining popularity today as a way of supporting mobile workers.

 

10. Rboc

In 1984, the U.S. government forced AT&T to split up into seven Regional Bell Operating Companies [RBOCs] also known as Baby Bells. Customers bought local service from RBOCs and long-distance service from carriers such as AT&T. Telecom industry mergers over the last 15 years have formed integrated local- and long-distance carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and Qwest. This makes not only the term RBOC obsolete, but also the terms ILEC for Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier [i.e., GTE] and CLEC for Competitive Local Exchange Carrier [i.e., MFS].

 

11. Long-Distance Call

Thanks to flat-rate calling plans available from carriers for at least five years, nobody needs to distinguish between local and long-distance calls anymore. Similarly, you don't need to distinguish between terrestrial and wireless calls because so many people use only wireless services. Like pay phones, long-distance calls -- and their premium prices -- are relics of a past without national and unlimited calling plans.

 

12. World Wide Web

Nobody talks about the "World Wide Web" anymore, or the "Information Superhighway," for that matter. It's just the Internet. It's a distinction that Steve Czaban, the popular Fox Sports Radio talk show host, likes to mock when he refers to the "Worldwide Interweb." Nothing dates you more than pulling out one of those old-fashioned ways of referring to the Internet such as "infobahn" or "electronic highway."

FW: 140080] STC Wireless Router Vase from STC

 

STC Wireless Router Vase from STC

The new wireless internet router designed by Saudi Arabia based telecom company STC is a device that can be said to follow the latest ground rule for all conceptual designs – multi tasking. The router apart from being used for its normal purpose can also be used as a flower vase to adorn your table! This can be a perfect product that can reduce the gap of lifestyle and technology. On the back of the vase, are the slots wherein requisite connections like LAN, phone etc can be plugged into. Additionally, its connectivity via VOIP and landline telephony is awesome. It surely is a value for money product!

GPS introduces GPS 2G device

You can never be too careful these days, considering just how our world has degenerated in a rather alarming manner with all sorts of crimes and evil deeds being reported on the news round the clock. Gone are the days of innocence, where one can sleep in peace without locking the front door of the house. Not to mention the criminal atrocities associated with children by devilish adults, making parenting a more stressful job than it already is. Amber Alert aims to alleviate some of the parents' fears by introducing their Amber Alert GPS 2G child tracking device which is capable of keeping tabs on the little ones all the time, giving their parents a sense of control and much needed peace of mind.

The Amber Alert GPS 2G allows parents to limit their children's boundaries by coming up with a pre-designated safe zone regardless of where they are. In addition, the device will help create a "bread crumbing" trail of the children's route using a series of alerts. Not only that, it goes the extra mile by alerting the parent that the child has reached their designation safe and sound, while voice monitoring and the ability to monitor the vehicle's speed surely go a long way in making this a "must buy" device for new parents who are anxious to keep tabs all the time and do not want to let one moment of carelessness result in a disaster. As for the kids themselves, they can also access an emergency button to alert the parent whenever they are in need of help.

The Amber Alert GPS 2G will retail for $379.99 a pop, but you do have to fork out an additional $9.99 monthly for the basic subscription. Depending on other plans, you will have to pay even more per month which could put a damper on your monthly budget considering the current tough economic weather, but there isn't really too high a price to pay for safety, is there? Eternal vigilance is the phrase I'm looking at here…

Round GPS Device

 

 

 

If you aren't familiar with Russian Designer Art Lebedev, then perhaps you have heard of the Optimus Maximus, the keyboard with a screen for every key.

It would appear that the innovative designer is working on another device that has become common: the GPS device. His "Navigarius" uses a round display as opposed to the traditional square models. It also includes touchscreen controls, USB connectivity, a microSD reader, as well as a cigarette lighter adapter.

I can think of other features that my source does not list off. For example, voice recognition. However, that's starting to become a standard on many GPS devices these days, especially with those cars with it built-in.

At the risk of gadget-gushing, I will have to say that I love it. Personally, I think this design will probably be picked up, and quite soon. In fact, I think that its design is so revolutionary, that I could easily see it on every dashboard in the future.

So are we looking at an age where we see a GPS device with a rectangular screen and say: "oh, that is so quaint". Do you remember just ten years ago, when all of our computer displays were huge and square. Flatscreens changed all that, and I see the same potential for the Navigarius.

Multipot hides and charges your gadgets

Hi Virk,
Your friend, Virk, has recommended the article 'Multipot hides and charges your gadgets' to you.
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Multipot hides and charges your gadgets
Posted By Ally On August 26, 2009 (2:57 pm) In Electronic Gadgets, Home Gadgets

Now this is one way to charge all of your smaller gadgets without having them cluttering up an area.  Instead it charges them all and hides them away so that they don’t have to be seen at all times.  Of course if you’re the type that would forget their phone unless it was within plain sight, this might be a bad idea.  However, for those that aren’t so forgetful this would be a great multi-gadget to have lying around.
This Multipot looks like just a random light you might have out to create a subtle ambient glow.  It does this with an LED light.  All the while underneath the lid is a spot to not only charge your gadgets, but to store small items as well.  Things that you might need to grab on your way out the door like your car keys.  Storing your car keys in with your gadgets might be one way to make sure that you don’t accidentally leave you cellphone.  In the charging section you can charge a total of five gadgets.  Upon purchasing you can choose between white, black or chrome and it’ll cost you about $325.
Source: CraziestGadgets
...
Article taken from Coolest Gadgets - http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/
URL to article: http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20090826/multipot-hides-charges-gadgets/

Two Choices - Quite Technical

What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.. After extolling the school and itsdedicated staff, he offered a question:

'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.

Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.

Where is the natural order of things in my son?'

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a fatherI also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the

plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.

Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first!

Run to first!'

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.

He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.

B y the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman' s head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!

Shay, run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:

We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.

The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.

If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference.

We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things..'

So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:

Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.

You now have two choices:

1. Delete

2. Forward

Exercise Pill Could Help Athletes, Replace Use Of Steroids

Washington (dbTechno) - Scientists are getting closer and closer to developing a new exercise pill. The idea behind the pill is to give your body the benefits of exercise, without actually having to work out as hard. It is currently being touted to help people with weight loss, but could also be used by athletes, as a substitute to steroids.

The new study on these two new pills has been published in the journal Cell, and was carried out by U.S. researchers.

There are two possible pills, both with the ability to help build muscle, increase stamina, and help with weight loss.

The two drugs, AICAR and GW1516 were tested on young adult mice. Half of the mice exercised while taking the drug, while the other half did just exercise.

What they found was that the young adult mice who took the drug were able to run farther and faster than those who did not.

The mice were able to run 77% longer, and 44% farther after just four weeks on the drug compared to the other mice.

The drugs work by having an impact on the gene which actually helps build muscle in the body.

Lead researcher Professor Ronald Evans from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Salk Institute in California, has already forseen possible misuse by athletes.

Because of this, a test has already been developed to allow the drug to be detected in urine and blood samples.

Supernatural Power

There was this case in this hospital's Intensive Care ward where patients always died in the same bed on Friday mornings around 9am regardless of their age, gender, medical history or medical condition.

This puzzled the doctors and some even thought that it had to do with the supernatural: Why did death occur at that same bed around the same time every Friday?

So the doctors decided to go down to that particular ward to investigate the cause of the deaths. 

Come Friday morning, everyone at the hospital ward nervously waited for the terrible phenomenon to occur again. The new (unknowing) patient laid there.

Some doctors held wooden crosses, prayer books and other holy objects to ward off evil...and they waited.

8am, the patient was still alive...

8.30am...still breathing...

Just before the 'cursed' time, the door to the ward swung open...

Then Ah Soh, the part-time Friday cleaner, comes in and unplugs the life support system so that she can use the vacuum cleaner!

A Great Love - Fitness Workout

What does it mean to practice love-fitness?

We recently joined a gym to stay more fit physically.

We don't actually work up much of a sweat, but we spend 30-45 minutes there several times per week.

It feels good.

We start on the treadmill for about 15 minutes and then do what they call the "circuit" – a series of about 10 machines.

Each machine exercises a different portion of the body.

It only takes about 10 minutes to complete the circuit one time and we often repeat it.

During the "circuit" this week, we thought, "Um, we're investing a good 45 minutes several times a week to our physical heath – like millions of other people. What would be the equivalent of the "circuit" for a great love-fitness workout?"

So we came up with our own "love-fit circuit" of five workout stations, each requiring just about one little minute.

So let's get love-fit.

Here's your love-fitness workout:

Love-fit Station #1: Anger/Irritation Relief.

Do you have any anger or irritation challenging your heart right now?

Time to visit the "Anger/Irritation Relief" love fitness station.

Begin by recognizing your anger and loving yourself for addressing it.

It's part of healing to feel your feelings.

As you take moments to think through your irritation or anger, you realize how damaging and immensely wasteful negative energy is in your own life – not to mention those who experience your negative energy, even if you don't say anything.

As you stay in this #1 love-fitness station, Love moves your heart towards forgiveness – especially towards yourself.

Just residing in this heart space of love strengthens your well being.

Anger and irritation are not part of the real you – your highest selfhood.

As you remember this, peace begins to descend into your heart.

But love wants even more healing.

It's time to move to another love fitness station.

Love-fit Station #2: Doubt Relief.

Who doesn't have thoughts of doubt!

At the "Doubt Relief" love fitness station, your heart opens and surrenders to love.

As ego begins to fade, you remember your essence.

You are a valuable, magnificent treasure in the universe.

This is love's message to you and it is a message of truth.

Let love's admiration of you penetrate your doubt.

Let love circulate in your heart.

Just reside in love loving you as marvelous and important and needed.

We all need waves of assurance that life will turn out well.

At this love fitness station, love reminds you that the more you are tuned into love itself, the more easily good answers appear in your life.

You soak this in as love gently moves you to the next love fitness station.

Love-fit Station #3: Anxiety/Fear Relief.

There's so much to worry about.

What should I do?

Where will be money come from?

Will I succeed?

Will this relationship work?

At the love fitness "Anxiety/Fear Relief" station, waves of assurance start immediately pouring in to your heart.

Yes, love has a plan for your life and it's a good one.

You can relax in this very moment and feel peace.

That is the potential in every moment for the rest of your life.

As you remember this, calmness begins to spread through your mind and heart.

There's even more love and healing waiting for you though.

It's time to move on.

Love-fit Station #4: Guilt Relief.

This huge love fitness station is waiting for you with open arms.

Guilt ravages our inner peace.

You deserve to feel freedom and innocence.

This is the nature of love.

We all make mistakes.

Forgiveness of ourselves is a giant part of learning to love ourselves despite mistakes.

As you stop to experience this "Guilt Relief" station, love speaks the words of innocence, acceptance, and freedom to your soul.

This is how love intends you to feel inside.

Your heart opens to this freedom and beings to relax in innocence.

You feel the deep currents of healing energy from all the love fitness stations you have visited, even briefly.

And there's still another love fitness station.

Love wants you completely fit.

Love-fit Station #5: Hurt Relief.

It's hard to move through even a week of life without feeling hurt by someone or something.

What do we do?

We visit love's "Hurt Relief" fitness station of course!

Here we are invited to express our hurt and acknowledge our feelings.

It is never fair to be treated unkindly by another, even yourself.

Misunderstandings often lead to hurt.

Sometimes it is even intentional.

Hurt lingers and festers in our hearts.

But not here at the "Hurt Relief" station.

Here, love gently guides us.

We discover a kind way to express our hurt without causing anger or more hurt.

We remember that our hurt is robbing us of love's joy, so natural to our well being.

We move towards forgiveness, understanding, acceptance.

We feel love opening new paths.

This entire "Love workout" can be finished in less than 10 minutes.

Imagine living in a state of love fitness where you are experiencing waves of relief and happiness because your challenges and negative emotions are being resolved.

That's the power of staying love fit.

Repetition, more than time, builds strength.

Keep flowing through the love workout fitness stations so you can keep things cleared in your life and not get snagged.

Welcome to love fitness and the heart of love.

Ladies vs the real women

Ladies - If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's stillcooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt foran instant"fix-me-up."

Real Woman - If you over-salt a dish while you are cooking,that's too damn bad. Please recite with me, The Real Women's motto: "Imade it and you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes."


Ladies - Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

Real Woman - Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink.. You might still have the headache, but who cares?


Ladies - Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

Real Woman - Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone,for Pete's sake. You are probably lying on the couch, with your feetup, eating it anyway.


Ladies - To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

Real Woman - Buy boxed mashed potato mix and keep it in the pantry for up to a year.


Ladies - When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, usea bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

Real Woman - Go to the bakery - they'll even decorate it for you.


Ladies - Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

Real Woman - Swanson frozen pie directions do not include brushing egg whites over the crust, so I just don't do it.


Ladies - If you have a problem opening jars, try using latexdishwashing gloves. They give a non slip grip that makes opening jarseasy.

Real Woman - Go ask the very cute neighbour to do it.


And finally the most important tip....


Ladies - Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

Real Woman - LEFTOVER WINE ?????

 

Pepsi and Coca Cola Contains PORK (PIG) extracts - PROVEN!!

Pepsi and Coca Cola contains extract from Pork (Pig)
Most of the people avoid Pepsi and Coca-Cola for various reasons:-
because of harmful chemical contents such as excessive carbonates, etc.

Now there is yet another reason which is more dangerous. The scientific and medical research says that drinking Pepsi & Cola leads to cancer because the key element is taken from Pigs sausage.
The pig is the only animal that eats dirt, dung and urine, which makes lethal and deadly fabric polluted germs and microbes.

According to a report published in Jordanian magazine, the Head of Delhi University Science and Technology , Dr. Mangoshada scientifically proved that the key element in Pepsi and Cola contains extract from the intestines of Pig which causes cancer and other deadly diseases.

The Indian university conducted tests on the impact of drinking Pepsi and Coca Cola which proved that drinking them lead to more rapid heart rate and low pressure.
Also drinking 6 bottles of Pepsi or Cola at a time causes instant death. It also contains chemicals such as carbonic and phosphoric acids, citric acid which harms teeth and causes bone fragility. Bones kept in the Cup of Pepsi melts during the week knowing that the bones of the dead remain in the grave for thirty years.
Research itself confirmed that the calcium dissolved in Pepsi and it weakens the bladder, kidneys, kills the pancreatic, leads to diabetes and infectious diseases.

Pepsi or Coca-Cola lovers, you have nothing to worry as it is not the only drinks available on this earth, as we have other healthy alternatives such as natural fruit juices, canned coconut water, flavored milks, buttermilk etc., all of them are conveniently available even in the small stores.

Galileo's telescope reaches 400th anniversary

Galileo's telescope reaches 400th anniversary

It is 400 years since Galileo Galilei demonstrated his telescope, which would lead him to make new astronomical observations

Galileo's telescope helped the astronomer to learn more about our solar system. This is a reconstruction of the telescope. Photograph: Jim Sugar/Corbis

While many people have been loudly celebrating this year's double commemoration of 200 years since Charles Darwin's birth and 150 years since the publication of On the Origin of Species, another scientific anniversary has crept up relatively quietly, marking an event which arguably changed human thought and the way we see ourselves even more irrevocably.

Exactly 400 years ago today, on 25 August 1609, the Italian astronomer and philosopher Galilei Galileo showed Venetian merchants his new creation, a telescope – the instrument that was to bring him both scientific immortality and, more immediately, a whole lot of trouble.

A refinement of models first devised in the Netherlands, Galileo's slim, brown stick was puny even by the standards of something one might buy in hobby shop today. But his eight-powered telescope, and the more powerful models he soon produced, when pointed skywards led Galileo to a series of groundbreaking conclusions.

The moon was not, as long believed, completely smooth. Another planet, Jupiter, also had moons. Meanwhile Venus showed a range of moon-like phases, something which could not happen if both it and the sun orbited the earth.

This latter phenomenon had been predicted by Nicolaus Copernicus when, nearly a century before, he had proposed the notion of a planetary system with the sun at the centre, not the earth.

Galileo's discoveries were, perhaps predictably, not best welcomed by the Catholic church, and he spent the final decade of his life under house arrest.

It was certainly a revelation which upset the orthodoxies – and the churches – at least as much as Darwin's, and perhaps merits a bit more of fuss, although museum-goers in Philadelphia and Stockholm can view one of Galileo's very early telescopes, on loan this year from Florence. A good deal more people are likely to be alerted thanks to Google's day-long adaptation of their main page logo to a Google Doodle in honour of the event.

 

The Telescope

The diagram of the optical principles of the telescope from Sidereus Nuncius.

Image by kind permission of the Master and Fellows of Trinity College Cambridge.

The story of Galileo's telescope is well known, as he recounted it himself in the Starry Messenger. In July 1609, Galileo was in Venice, when he heard of an invention that allowed distant objects to be seen as distinctly as if they were nearby. In October 1608, a Flemish spectacle-maker by the name of Hans Lipperhey had already applied for a patent (which was refused), and news of the gadget was widespread in Europe by the time Galileo had heard of it. Around the same time, a foreigner turned up in Padua with the instrument; Galileo rushed back to Padua, only to learn that the foreigner had gone to Venice to sell his instrument. Galileo's friend, Paolo Sarpi, had advised the Venetian government against purchasing the instrument from the foreigner, since Galileo could at least match such an invention. By then, Galileo had worked out the principle of the telescope and returned to Venice himself with an eight-power telescope. The Venetian government doubled his salary, though Galileo felt that the original conditions were not honoured.

Galileo gradually improved the power of his telescope, grinding lenses himself, and began observing the heavens. In the first two months of 1610, he was writing The Starry Messenger, and by 12 March, the book was already printed at Venice, dedicated to Cosimo de' Medici. Galileo continued his observations with his telescope, some of which he conveyed in ciphers to Johannes Kepler, who had already responded enthusiastically with the Conversation with Galileo's Sidereal Messenger. Galileo's discovery of the 'handles' of Saturn was encoded in 'Smaismrmilmepoetale umibunenugttavir as', which could be unscrambled as 'Altissimum planetam tergeminum observavi': I have observed the highest of the planets three-formed. Kepler deciphered this within one letter as 'Salve umbistineum geminatum Martia proles': 'Be greeted, double knob, children of Mars.' For the discovery of the phases of Venus, the code 'Haec immatura a me jam frustra leguntur oy' (this was already tried by me in vain too early) hid the message, 'Cynthiae figurae aemulatur mater amorum' (The mother of lovers [Venus] imitates the shapes of Cynthia [the moon]). Despite this exchange, Galileo never accepted Kepler's elliptical orbits.

From 1616, Galileo tried to apply his knowledge of the satellites of Jupiter to the determination of longitude at sea. In order to ensure observation at sea, the Tuscan arsenal made for Galileo a headgear which had a telescope attached. Around this time, he also designed a brass 'Jovilabe', a computing device for prediction positions of the satellites. He hoped to gain support from the Spanish crown for this project, but failed.

Make Ramdan a Starting Point of Your Life

The month of Ramadan is a gift from our Lord. Its days are the sweetest of days and its nights are the most rewarding. Allah gives us this gift so we may purify ourselves, fortify our character, and aspire to greater spiritual heights, thereby attaining eternal bliss. It is a time for us to clean our slates and be forgiven our sins. It is a real opportunity for us to renew our commitment to our faith, perfect our moral character, and earn Allah's pleasure.

This is why Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would give glad tidings to his Companions on the arrival of Ramadan:

The month of Ramadan has come to you, a blessed month, wherein Allah has enjoined fasting. It is a time when the gates of Paradise are opened, those of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained. In it is a night greater than a thousand months. Whoever is denied its goodness is truly bereft. [Musnad Ahmad and Sunan al-Nasâ'î]

Ibn Rajab says:

How can there be anything but glad tidings for the believer to hear that the gates of Paradise are open? How can there be anything but glad tidings for the sinner to hear that the gates of Hell are closed? How can any sane person not embrace the glad tidings that the devils are chained? How can this time of year even be compared to any other time?

Three Simple Steps

There are three simple steps we should take if we wish to make Ramadan a starting point to bettering our lives.

1. First, start out by feeling more responsible about how you behave in Ramadan.

In light of the great opportunities that Ramadan presents us with, we should feel an acute sense of responsibility about everything we say and do in Ramadan. This is the first critical step. We are all bound by the deeds that we do, and we will be held accountable by Allah to fulfill our duties and shun sinful deeds.

2. Work to infuse yourself with the spirit of this special month.

Ramadan has its own incomparable atmosphere. No other time of year is quite like it. Allah has singled out Ramadan for many blessings. He has given the month a number of distinctions. The most emphatic of these is when the Prophet declared that: "Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith, seeking Allah's reward, will be forgiven all previous sins." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]

This is an immense opportunity to renew our faith. The chance to put our accumulated sins behind us really should inspire us and invigorate us.

The special atmosphere of Ramadan helps us to put our faith into practice, ad it is through practice that we truly reform our inner selves. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Knowledge comes by way of learning, a patient character comes by practicing patience, striving for good brings good, and shunning evil protects one from evil."

3. Set for yourself practical and attainable Ramadan resolutions.

We should consider what we wish to accomplish in the blessed days and nights of Ramadan. We should be confident about ourselves and desire to do as much as we can, but at the same time be realistic about our time and our capabilities. We should set for ourselves genuinely reachable goals.

Pick up a pen and paper and write down what you want to accomplish this Ramadan. Plan out your Ramadan schedule so to your goals and aims will be perfectly clear to you and as well as how you are going to fit those goals into your already busy schedule. It is important to plan well, since as the old saying goes: "Whoever plans poorly, plans for failure."

Be honest with yourself. Write down what you wish to achieve in all aspects of your life: in your faith, character, interpersonal dealings, cultural development, et cetera. Avoid negative statements. Be positive in your choice of words, like: "I want to do so and so." "I want to achieve such and such."

After Ramadan

Ramadan is a month wherein it is easy to perform good deeds. We observe the fast on a daily basis for the sake of our Lord. It is a time when worship and the remembrance of Allah become a believer's habit. The fast schedules our daily activities. We start our day with our pre-dawn meal and end it by breaking our fasts. We balance out our bodily nourishment with our spiritual enrichment.

Ramadan is a practical course for us in moral development, charity, and good conduct. We are reminded to help the less fortunate and to strive against our selfish tendencies. We must make sure to make use of what we learn in this course after the course comes to an end.

Ibn Rajab identifies two kinds of resolve: The first is the resolve we have to undertake a course of action. This is the resolve that gets things going. The second kind of resolve is the resolve to persevere. This is the resolve that gets us to our goals.

The devils are chained for a whole month. In this time, we can accustom ourselves to improving our religious observance and our character. We should keep in mind that our Lord is our Lord in Ramadan and throughout the year. What we achieve in Ramadan is a real achievement when it becomes part and parcel of our lives.

 

The Purpose of Fasting

Firstly: we must note that one of the names of Allah is al-Hakim (the Most Wise). The word Hakim is derived from the same root as hukm (ruling) and hikmah (wisdom). Allah alone is the One Who issues rulings, and His rulings are the most wise and perfect.

Secondly: Allah does not prescribe any ruling but there is great wisdom behind it, which we may understand, or our minds may not be guided to understand it. We may know some of it but a great deal is hidden from us.

Thirdly: Allah has mentioned the reason and wisdom behind His enjoining of fasting upon us, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious) [Noble Quran 2:183]

Fasting is a means of attaining taqwa (piety, being conscious of Allah), and taqwa means doing that which Allah has enjoined and avoiding that which He has forbidden.

Fasting is one of the greatest means of helping a person to fulfill the commands of Islam.

The scholars have mentioned some of the reasons why fasting is prescribed, all of which are characteristics of taqwa, but there is nothing wrong with quoting them here, to draw the attention of fasting people to them and make them keen to attain them.

Among the reasons behind fasting are:

1. Fasting is a means that makes us appreciate and give thanks for pleasures. For fasting means giving up eating, drinking and intercourse, which are among the greatest pleasures. By giving them up for a short time, we begin to appreciate their value. Because the blessings of Allah are not recognized, but when you abstain from them, you begin to recognize them, so this motivates you to be grateful for them.
2. Fasting is a means of giving up haram things, because if a person can give up halal things in order to please Allah and for fear of His painful torment, then he will be more likely to refrain from haram things. So fasting is a means of avoiding the things that Allah has forbidden.
3. Fasting enables us to control our desires, because when a person is full his desires grow, but if he is hungry then his desire becomes weak. Hence the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: O young men! Whoever among you can afford to get married, let him do so, for it is more effective in lowering the gaze and protecting one's chastity. Whoever cannot do that, let him fast, for it will be a shield for him.
4. Fasting makes us feel compassion and empathy towards the poor, because when the fasting person tastes the pain of hunger for a while, he remembers those who are in this situation all the time, so he will hasten to do acts of kindness to them and show compassion towards them. So fasting is a means of feeling empathy with the poor.
5. Fasting humiliates and weakens the Shaytan; it weakens the effects of his whispers (waswaas) on a person and reduces his sins. That is because the Shaytan "flows through the son of Adam like blood as the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, but fasting narrows the passages through which the Shaytan flows, so his influence grows less. [Shaykh al-Islam said in Majmu' al-Fatawa, 25/246]
   Undoubtedly blood is created from food and drink, so when a person eats and drinks, the passages through which the devils flow – which is the blood – become wide. But if a person
   fasts, the passages through which the devils flow become narrow, so hearts are motivated to do good deeds, and to give up evil deeds. 
6. The fasting person is training himself to remember that Allah is always watching, so he gives up the things that he desires even though he is able to take them, because he knows that Allah can see him.
7. Fasting means developing an attitude of asceticism towards this world and its desires, and seeking that which is with Allah.
8. It makes the Muslim get used to doing a great deal of acts of worship, because the fasting person usually does more acts of worship and gets used to that.

These are some of the reasons why fasting is enjoined. We ask Allah to help us to achieve them and to worship Him properly.

And Allah knows best.

[See Tafsir al-Sa'di, p. 116; Ibn al-Qayyim's footnotes on al-Rawd al-Murabba', 3/344; al-Mawsu'ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 28/9]

10 Principles for Peace of Mind

1. Do Not Interfere In Others' Business Unless Asked.

Most of us create our own problems by interfering too often in others' affairs. We do so because somehow we have convinced ourselves that our way is the best way, our logic is the perfect logic and those who do not conform to our thinking must be criticized and steered to the right  direction, our direction. This thinking denies the existence of individuality and consequently the existence of God.. God has created each one of us in a unique way. No two human beings can think or act in exactly the same way. All men or women act the way they do because God within them prompts them that way. Mind your own business and you will keep your peace.


2. Forgive And Forget:

This is the most powerful aid to peace of mind. We often develop ill feelings inside our heart for the person who insults us or harms us. We nurture grievances. This in turn results in loss of sleep, development of stomach ulcers, and high blood pressure. This insult or injury was done once, but nourishing of grievance goes on forever by constantly remembering it. Get over this bad habit. Life is too short to waste in such trifles. Forgive,20Forget, and march on. Love flourishes in giving and forgiving.

3. Do Not Crave For Recognition:

This world is full of selfish people. They seldom praise anybody without selfish motives. They may praise you today because you are in power, but no sooner than you are powerless, they will forget your achievement and will start finding faults in you. Why do you wish to kill yours lf in striving for their recognition? Their recognition is not worth the aggravation. Do your duties ethically and sincerely.

4. Do Not Be Jealous:

We all have experienced how jealousy can disturb our peace of mind. You know that you work harder than your colleagues in the office, but sometimes they get promotions; you do not. You started a business several years ago, but you are not as successful as your neighbor whose business is only one year old. There are several examples like these in everyday life. Should you be jealous? No. Remember everybody's life is shaped by his/her destiny, which has now become his/her reality. If you are destined to be rich, nothing in the world can stop you. If you are not so destined, no one can help you either. Nothing will be gained by blaming others for your misfortune. Jealousy will not get you anywhere; it will only take away your peace of mind.

5. Change Yourself According To The Environment:

If you try to change the environment single-handedly, the chances are you will fail. Instead, change yourself to suit your environment. As you do this, even the environment, which has been unfriendly to you, will mysteriously change and seem congenial and harmonious.

6. Endure What Cannot Be Cured:

This is the best way to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Every day we face numerous inconveniences, ailments, irritations, and accidents that are beyond our control... If we cannot control them or change them, we must learn to put up with these things. We must learn to endure them cheerfully. Believe in yourself and you will gain in terms of patience, inner strength and will power.

7. Do Not Bite Off More Than You Can Chew:

This maxim needs to be remembered constantly. We often tend to take more responsibilities than we are capable of carrying out. This is done to satisfy our ego. Know your limitations. . Why take on additional loads that may create more worries? You cannot gain peace of mind by expanding your external activities. Reduce your material engagements and spend time in prayer, introspection and meditation. This will reduce those thoughts in your mind that make you restless. Uncluttered mind will produce greater peace of mind.

8. Meditate Regularly:

Meditation calms the mind and gets rid of disturbing thoughts. This is the highest state of peace of mind. Try and experience it yourself. If you meditate earnestly for half an hour everyday, your mind will tend to become peaceful during the remaining twenty-three and half-hours. Your mind will not be easily disturbed as it was before. You would benefit by gradually increasing the period of daily meditation. You may think that this will interfere with your daily work. On the contrary, this will increase your efficiency and you will be able to produce better results in less time.


9. Never Leave The Mind Vacant:

An empty mind is the devil's workshop. All evil actions start in the vacant mind. Keep your mind occupied in something positive, something worthwhile . Actively follow a hobby. Do something that holds your interest. You must decide what you value more: money or peace of mind. Your hobby, like social work or religious work, may not always earn you more money, but you will have a sense of fulfillment and achievement. Even when you are resting physically, occupy yourself in healthy reading or mental chanting of God's name.

10. Do Not Procrastinate And Never Regret:

Do not waste time in protracted wondering " Should I or shouldn't I?" Days, weeks, months, and years may be wasted in that futile mental debating. You can never plan enough because you can never anticipate all future happenings. Value your time and do the things that need to be done. It does not matter if you fail the first time. You can learn from your mistakes and succeed the next time. Sitting back and worrying will lead to nothing. Learn from your mistakes, but do not brood over the past. DO NOT REGRET. Whatever happened was destined to happen only that way. Why cry over spilt milk?