Self Improvement Plan

The simple logic of this self improvement plan helps to clear your mind quickly, when something bothers you. It has helped settle my mind, letting me sleep soundly. It can help you too, particularly, when you are upset.

Aroused emotions trigger restlessness, excitation, and agitation. Becoming conscious of such arousal is important. It is the key to productive self awareness. Nagging worries about your career, family or health suddenly become more intense. Become aware of your restlessness and spend a little time in evaluation.

You may need to make hard choices between career and family, or work and relaxation. If you choose to move to a new city, you could well lose a valued relationship. Life often offers you troubling options. There may be no quick answers. At the same time, not being able to make up your mind may leave you in turmoil. You could burn with resentment, or be filled with dread. This self improvement plan can resolve conflicts, which could have enveloped you in turmoil for months. That may sound a difficult promise! But it can be done - in just an hour or so of quiet evaluation. Freed from such internal conflicts, you will enjoy more restful nights.
Competing Plans For Survival Work In Your Subconscious
Your mind is a powerful problem solving machine,which works overtime creating competing strategies for coping with your life. Specific organs in your brain trigger competing emotions, each offering a distinct evolutionary approach to solving problems.

These intelligences sense patterns and respond based on millions of years of evolutionary experiences. They also remember your successes and failures over a lifetime.

The emotions of anger, fear, or dread propose competing plans. Anger seeks to destroy obstructions. Fear seeks to escape. Dread freezes you into inactivity. Each emotion operates in a narrow compartment within your mind.

A Self Improvement Plan - Emotions Trigger Creative Searches For Solutions
Within milliseconds of seeing danger, even the most primitive of animals will search a complex environment for a place of safety and swiftly retreat to its security - say, under a rock. The primitive brains of those animals have subconscious search drives, which can locate solutions to survival problems from mountains of data within the blink of an eye. Your mind is a highly advanced version of the same amazing machine. It can also find solutions within milliseconds. So, if you feel troubled, it is because your mind cannot find workable solutions to your current predicament.

A Self Improvement Plan - A Lack Of Answers Triggers More Anxiety
You will not have been troubled, if your mind could solve the problem. You will have acted already. But, in today's complex world, you cannot run away and hide. Your job may be under threat. You would need the income. Rents and bills need to be met. Subconsciously, your mind searches for solutions.

While you drive to work, meet clients, or have lunch, subconscious drives keep battering at the cage of limitations set around your life. Each possible solution faces an unpleasant obstruction. They trigger fear, or anger signals, within your nervous system. Those emotions set off visceral responses. In your subconscious, these systems cycle through your problems over and over, affecting your health and wellbeing.

A Self Improvement Plan - Conflicting Strategies Confuse Your Goals
You are also troubled by shifting perspectives. At times, your career appears attractive. At other times, a hopeless trap. You do not wish to forgo the benefits of your job. Yet, it is not satisfying. And, there are no alternatives in sight. Different levels of your consciousness envelop you within changing worlds of euphoria, dissatisfaction, or dread.

When an emotion occupies you in its level of consciousness, you are blinkered by its narrow vision. The real problem behind your turmoil is that your negative emotions are generated by your lower animal levels. Those levels lack a global view. This problem solving technique creatively reconciles your subconscious conflicts, into a wise world view.

A Self Improvement Plan - A List Draws Out Anxieties From Your Mind
Your mind has a phenomenal capacity to go in and search all its nooks and corners to deliver the outlines of your thoughts on any subject. That ordinarily happens, when you sit down to write a shopping list. Your mind delivers a reasonable list of the essentials. Similarly, list your thoughts into the cells of a spreadsheet. Within a short span time, you can assemble all your views of your problem in one place. Enter each aspect of your problem as it comes into your consciousness, into a cell in a few words.

(It is necessary for you to write down the heading of your exercise to focus your mind.) Enter your vague fears. Even crazy ideas, which cross your mind. What are your objectives? What are the things you can do? What are the threats? What are the favorable points? Invariably the good thoughts come after you have entered the bad ones. Usually, these outlines will fill about 60 cells in your spreadsheet. You may not wish to reveal some of these thoughts even to your best friend. But, a spreadsheet is impersonal. It does not pity, gloat, or gossip.

A Self Improvement Plan - Listen To Background Ideas
You can have an exhaustive list only if you note each thought down. A few words to describe a project limitation, an area of opportunity, the views of a friend, or even a hunch. When you expect them, different viewpoints will drift in, in conspicuous sequence. In your daily life, usually the most unpleasant thoughts will keep repeating in your mind.

But, when you note them down, such thoughts will not recirculate again! After all, you do not write the same item in your shopping list a second time. Writing them down will also elicit your muffled, but crucial insights. By the time your list is over, every level of your consciousness will have expressed its competing view. That process itself has a calming effect.

A Self Improvement Plan - Bring Out The The Intolerable Thoughts
Mental turmoil originates from the thoughts, which your mind will not accept. Invariably such possibilities are so fearsome that you just don't even want to think about them. Most fear concerns the unknown. Note that unknown negative possibility. Entering it into your spreadsheet cell cannot do you any harm. You are not going to think about it, but the issue is there. In reality, just acknowledging the existence of that fear will have a calming effect. This problem solving method will have included your deepest concerns, while forming an acceptable plan for your life.

A Self Improvement Plan - Your Rational Mind Has A Calm View
Your fears and misgivings belong to the lower animal levels of your consciousness. Fortunately, evolution has created within your brain a neutral and rational intelligence. That is your "RB," your rational brain. It inhabits the prefrontal regions of your brain.

RB is the true investigative part of your brain. Growth of the prefrontal cortex led to the human race. RB is wired to gain access to all your knowledge from an unemotional viewpoint. The Buddhists report that RB sees the ups and downs of your life like “watching a bird in the sky.”

A Self Improvement Plan - Suddenly, Your Mind Will Make A Calm Assessment
RB, the true judgmental part of your brain, takes charge, in the next step in the creative problem solving routine. Simply enter a label, an assessment of each entered thought, in an adjacent cell of the spreadsheet. That label is the judgment of RB.

You will find that each label deposits a particular worry into a practical unemotional file pocket. The process shifts your views into a calmer perspective. The labels could be: Unlikely. Possible action. Accept failure. Time will offer a solution. An Opportunity. Labeling clarifies your views. That classification becomes the permanent wisdom of your mind. The labels will pin down needless fears, unlikely possibilities and the many pertinent points, which you had never evaluated.

Ordering Your Thoughts Brings You Deep Understanding
You will find that just 8 or 10 labels can actually be repeated for many of the 60 thoughts. A "sort" command of the labels column will arrange similar ideas together. Listing similarly labeled thoughts together will suddenly bring clarity to your problem. They become groups of consistent and allied thoughts. Some of your worries about your job are unlikely to happen.

When the more improbable concerns are seen together, they distill reality and purge anxieties. The less likely outcomes can also be ignored. The inevitable ones have to be accepted. You can take positive steps to solve the remaining issues. This method balances the conflicts within your mind. By foreseeing, acknowledging, acting on, or accepting major issues, you will have created a practical strategy for your life.

A Self Improvement Plan - Peace Follows Acceptance Of The Possibility Of Failure
Konrad Lorenz recorded the negative emotions of a chimpanzee in a room which contained a banana suspended from the ceiling just out of reach, and a box placed elsewhere. "The matter gave him no peace, and he returned to it again and again. Then, suddenly - and there is no other way to describe it - his previously gloomy face 'lit up'. His eyes now moved from the banana to the empty space beneath it on the ground, from this to the box, then back to the space, and from there to the banana. The next moment he gave a cry of joy, and somersaulted over to the box in sheer high spirits. Completely assured of his success, he pushed the box below the banana. No man watching him could doubt the existence of a genuine 'Aha' experience in anthropoid apes."

Before discovering the usefulness of the boxes, the chimp had no peace. But, your brain has advanced. You have an RB, which can focus on your problems, taking failure as an acceptable option. The chimp would have still have solved its problem, if it had calmly focused on the banana and the boxes. Creatively focus on your spreadsheet. Trust your powerful brain to find your solutions, without stress and anxiety.

A Self Improvement Plan - Expecting Success Opens Your Mind To It
If it is unrealistic to expect to succeed in solving this problem, this exercise will reinforce your sense of failure. Creative problem solving solves the conflicts between many issues. But, the system will always search only for practical solutions. It will not evaluate a bridge to the sun. If you lack an answer, it is not the end of the world.

Fear and despair are primitive responses, which do not solve your problems. You may even find it hard to believe that you will succeed. But, your mind can imagine situations. Imagine being successful and you will see the problem from a brand new context. You need views from many different angles. Be patient. Organizing your concerns into a self improvement plan will give you a more calm and focused outlook on life.

Be Patient. One Day, The Right Opportunity Will Come
If the answer to your problem lies within the information available to you, your mind will have discovered it. You have memory stores, with knowledge inherited across millions of years of evolution. Added to those are a lifetime of memories of many successful and failed strategies. Drives superimpose one memory on another to create new images in myriad combinations.

Even a child can imagine a chair with an attitude, or a refrigerator with a toothache. When your subconscious drives play with such an infinity of combinations, it continually recognizes successful patterns, leading to new and creative solutions. Keep adding data and new contexts to your memory stores. Subconscious search drives work ceaselessly. When you complete this self improvement plan, you will reach a more calm and creative frame of mind. The moment your mind discovers a solution, you will know. Then, the “Aha” experience is sweet.
Source:http:www.effective-mind-control.com

Welcome to the Month of Holy Ramadan

For 1.6 billion Muslim people, the holiest month of the year began this week.

The exact starting date depended on the locale, but most Muslims across the globe will be fasting, praying and abstaining from sex and smoking during daylight hours. Many call it a time of spiritual purity and rededication to Almighty Allah.

Here's everything you need to know about the observance.Ramadan is the name of the ninth month in the Hijri, or Islamic calendar. The word derives from the Arabic ramida or ar-ramad meaning a fierce, burning heat.

Ramadan is the most sacred month in the Muslim year, commemorating the revelation of the Holy Quran - the sacred religious text of Islam - by the angel Gabriel to the Prophet Mohammed, according to Islamic tradition.

The main obligation of the festival is the Sawm, or fast. Believers are expected to refrain from eating and drinking from dawn (fajr) until dusk (maghrib) for the entire month, a discipline that is thought to burn away all sins (hence the origin of the word 'ramadan'). The Sawm is considered one of the five "pillars," or foundations of Islam, the others being the Shahadah (profession of faith), Salat (praying five times daily), Zakat (charity) and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).

Ramadan begins with the sighting of the new moon. Because it is calculated according to a lunar rather than a fixed calendar, its precise dates change from year to year, and it can begin at different times in different parts of the world. According to the Islamic Society of North America, Ramadan started this year on July 9 and ends on August 8.

Ramadan officially ends on the first day of the month of Shawwal. This heralds a three-day celebration called Eid al-Fitr, or the "Festival of Breaking Fast", a joyous occasion during which believers attend mosques, give gifts, visit friends and family and decorate their homes.


Ramadan: Rules of Fasting

THINGS WHICH BREAKS FAST

1) Eating or drinking breaks the sawn.

2) Sexual intercourse even if there is no emergence of semen.

3) Smoking

4) Inhaling smoke by one's own action.  E.g. inhaling the smoke of incense, etc.

5) Application of medication into the anus.

6) Swallowing any substance or object which is not normally, consumed as food or medicine, e.g. pebbles, paper, a com, etc.

7) Pouring oil into the ear.

8)Saliva mingled with blood will break- the fast if the taste of blood is discernible when swallowing.

9) Eating deliberately after having eaten mistakenly. (Eating mistake does not break the fast).

10) Water slipping down the throat while making wudhu even if not done deliberately.

11) Deliberately inducing oneself to vomit will break- the fast if the vomit is a mouthful.  If the emergence of vomit cannot be
restrained, the vomit will be said to be a mouthful.  Vomiting less than a mouthful will not break the fast even if it is deliberately induced

12) A food particle the size of a chana (about the size of a half a pea), becoming unstuck from the teeth and slipping down the throat.

13) Applying drops of medicine into the nostrils.

14) Masturbation. In addition to it nullifying the saum.  It is an immoral and a sinful act. The perpetrator has been cursed by Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam).

15) Medical test undertaken by women in which any instrument, etc.  Is internally inserted.

16) Ejaculation as a result of caressing and fondling the wife even if there was no sexual intercourse.



THINGS WHICH DO NOT BREAK THE FAST

1) Eating, drinking or indulging in sexual relation forgetfully.  This means that at the time of committing act.  One does not remember the fast.  However, if one continues even momentarily after recalling the fast, the Saum will be nullified.

2) Applying eye drops.

3) Water entering the ear.

4) Vomiting, no matter how much.  This refers to vomiting which is not self-induced.  For the rule regarding self-induced vomiting, (see above no.  11)

5) Smoke, which is inhaled unintentionally, not by one's volition or conscious action.

6) Applying Surmah into the eye.

7) Smelling anything fragrant providing that there are no vapors.

8) A food particle less than the size of a chana becoming unstuck from the teeth.

9) Swallowing saliva and slime.

10) Injection.  The injection of medicine into the body will not break the fast providing that the medicine does not reach the brain or stomach.

11) Blood in the saliva will not break the fast if the blood is less than the saliva.  This fact will be recognized if the taste of the blood is not discerned.

12) Using a miswak to clean the teeth even if the miswak is fresh and has a taste.

13) Breast-feeding the baby.

14) If during wudhu water slips down the throat while on does not remember the saum, the fast will not break.

15) Ejaculation of semen during sleep.

16) Ejaculation caused by imagination.

17) Janabat or the state of Hadath-e-Akbar which is purified by ghusl. If one has not taken ghusl and Sahri time ends, the fast is valid.



THINGS WHICH DO NOT BREAK THE FAST, BUT WHICH ARE MAKROOH DURING SAUM

Some things, while not breaking the fast are nevertheless Makrooh to do during fasting.  Makrooh means detestable and in this context Makrooh things are sinful.  Makrooh things bring about a decrease in the committing of the Saum.  It is, therefore, essential to abstain from community Makrooh acts.  The following acts are Makrooh during fasting.

1) Tasting.  Tasting food, etc., is Makrooh if done unnecessarily.  If an ill-tempered husband shows his unjustified wrath when food has not been prepared to satisfy his taste, it will be permissible for the wife to taste the food while she is preparing it.  As long as nothing goes down her throat, her fast will be valid and her act of tasting will not be Makrooh.

2) Using powder or paste to clean the teeth.  If anything of these substances slips down the throat the saum is nullified.

3) Caressing, fondling or kissing the wife.  If ejaculation does not occurs, the saum will be valid.

4) To rinse the mouth at time other than when making wudnu.

5) To put water in the nose at time other than when making wudhu.

6) To take ghusl merely for cooling.

7) To swim.

8) To unnecessarily apply ointment to the lips.  If, however, due to pair caused by cracked lips, ointment is applied, care should be taken to prevent licking the ointment.

9) To unnecessarily chew something to soften it, for example.

10) To eat when in doubt as regards the existence of Sahri time.  If later it transpires that Shari time had in fact expires, qadha will be obligatory.

11) To make Iftar (I.e. to break the fast) when in doubt as to the time of sunset.  If it transpires that the time when iftar was made the sun had not yet set.  Quadha will be obligatory.

12) Participating in un-Islamic activities such as watching television and playing games such as chess, draughts, monopoly, etc., The thawa of the Saum is destroyed by indulgence in such unlawful activities.

13) Gheebat or back-biting.

14) To gargle the mouth when making wudhu.

From On Desk

How to Attract the Girl you adore.

Plenty of guys in the world today are still afraid to chase a girl whom they like. This is not because they are unimpressive in the eyes of women. Guys are usually afraid of pursuing a girl because they are not aware about effective strategies of attracting a girl.  At the outset, one has to know how to attract a girl in the first place. If she gets inclined to you, half of the job will be done.

If you really want to impress a girl, you need to focus on every minute detail of your life.  You have to take care of your physical appearance if you wish to know how to get a girl to like you. Every woman analyzes the qualities of a man from his actions and rate him accordingly. No woman will like a sloppy and untidy individual even if is very rich. Women usually look for men with a high self belief and confidence as they feel that such men can only fulfill all their needs in the long run.

Women usually are fond of men who are usually polite. So, opening a door for a woman or helping a woman to get on the bus can be very effective ways of impressing a girl. Women usually like guys who give them a comfortable feeling. A woman is usually attracted to a guy if she feels that the guy is concerned for her well being.

In order to draw a girl closer a guy should always look to flirt with her casually. Teasing the girl occasionally and making fun of her can boost up your self confidence to proceed. A guy should always try to exhibit his sense of humor within the conversations in order to get the girls attention. Girls are usually fond of guys who have an adorable sense of humor. Making a girl laugh can be quite effective in bringing her closer.

Ads by Google

Women usually notice every minute detail very carefully. So, they have a natural liking for guys who can identify each and every single change. Try to identify the changes and try to appraise them. If a girl wears an attractive outfit it cannot be a coincidence. Always remember that this has been done purposefully to get your attention. So, if you notice the outfit, try to compliment her for the nice outfit. It will certainly get her to like you within a short period of time. Try to appear that you are not interested in a girl. Women usually prefer to get attention and so in such cases they will come hunting for you. Ignoring a woman can be a very effective way of alluring a woman. In such cases women feel very pulsating and tend to chase the guy instead.

By now, you might have understood that attracting a woman is not an inherent talent. It is a skill that can only be mastered with practice. Follow these tips if you want to have the winning ways of attracting a woman easily!

How To say "I Love You"

Although many people use this powerful phrase loosely, there are times when you want to say "I love you" in a meaningful way and not sound awkward or mawkish. Whether you're professing your love to a romantic partner or expressing it to a relative or friend, here are some tips to help you.

Method One: Romantic Love
    1
Define love. The sincerity of the phrase is strengthened by knowing what love is, and what loving someone means to you. Determine the difference between love, infatuation and lust, and make sure it's genuine love that you feel for this person.

    2
Feel it. There will come a point when you know what you feel for your boyfriend or girlfriend had moved from friendship, to like, through infatuation, and into romantic love. When you're sure you've crossed that threshold, that's the time to express your feelings. If you say it because you think you should, or because it's expected—and you're not there yet—it will come across as insincere.

    3
Make eye contact. Making eye contact not only shows sincerity and communicates trust, it's a delight to look into your partner's eyes when you first say "I love you." It will be a moment you will both always remember. Even though there are probably a few inches between your faces, it should feel like there is nothing between yourselves, not even air.

Holding hands as you tell them you love them can also communicate sincerity and trust.
    4
Say it at an appropriate time. Time the statement in a way that will make both you and the recipient most comfortable.

If you're in a private place and there's not much background noise, keep your volume low; don't whisper unless you bring your lips to his or her ear, which can also be a very intimate way to express your love.

If you want to tell your partner how you feel when you're in a public place, it's up to you whether you want to pull the person aside, or say it in front of friends or even strangers. It depends on your loved one's personality, and your own personality. Some will find it terribly romantic to be told they're loved across a room full of people; others may find it mortifying.
  
 5
Say it without expecting anything in return. It is nerve-wracking to tell someone that you love them if you're going to wait anxiously for their response. If you truly feel it, then say it with no expectations of a response. Your intention can be to tell the person how you feel, with the hope of making them happy and showing them that they are valued. So say what you feel, and if they love you, too, they'll let you know in their own way and in their own time.

    6
Be creative. Say "I love you" in another language. Write it into a poem or even a haiku. If you want to be romantic, spell it out with rose petals on the bedroom floor. Write it in code, like a Vigènere cipher. Say it in little ways, like post-it notes in unexpected places, and express it in every way you can.

    7
Back up your words. Don't just say it, show them that you really do love them. Saying "I love you" without showing it is, in a way, a lie. Express your love in action as well as in words.

Method Two: Familial Love

    1
Tell your family. Sometimes, it gets taken for granted that we love our parents, or our siblings, and though they're really important to us, we simply don't use "those words" in normal conversation. If that's how you were raised, get over it! Whether or not your family is comfortable expressing their love for each other, be the ice breaker and tell them.

You can tell them during an event—a wedding dinner, Thanksgiving, or just a family dinner. Raise a glass and say something like "You're my family, and I love you all."
You can tell them in private, in an unguarded moment. For example, surfing the web for the latest Lolcats hilarity, give your Dad a hug and tell him you love him. It doesn't have to be all gooey and sentimental—just a statement of fact.

    2
Say "I love you, man." Sure, it's a goofy beer commercial tagline, but the idea is right. For some, saying this is a cultural taboo that is hard to overcome—especially for guys. But the fact is, good friends are like the family we choose, and every now and then, it's a good thing to tell the people that matter to you that you love them. This is true whether they're the same sex or not. Just keep in mind that this is not about romance and sex, this is about friendship.

For example, he's been your best friend since high school. He was there when that boy broke your heart, you were there for him when she went off to college in another country and ended the relationship. You've talked about going beyond friendship, but decided that's not how you felt about each other. You've celebrated milestones together, and even though you live in separate states, you keep in touch regularly. Next time you see him, if you haven't already, say something like "Danny, you're such a great friend. I totally love you!" Chances are, Danny feels the same way.

Another example is "the buds." Both of you guys were on the team together, and have always had a friendly rivalry. You've been there for each other through thick and thin. He's your best bud, and you love him like a brother. After celebrating an event, or when thanking him for something he's done, just say it casually: "I love you, bro." Then punch him in the arm if you feel too awkward!

Your BFF is another person to tell. You two have shared secrets, shared crushes, go to parties together, and cry on each other's shoulders. Even when you lived in different countries, you Skype at least once a week, and you'd be lost without her. Just say "I love you sooooooo much, Buttercup," or whatever you like to call each other. She'll say it right back.

Method Three: Unconditional Love

    1
There are no rules. Unconditional love is best exemplified by what we usually feel for our children. There is, perhaps, nothing more wonderful than the love we have for them, especially when they are babies. We expect nothing in return, and delight in just seeing them smile. As they grow, they'll challenge us, make us proud, disappoint us, grow, and make mistakes, but we love them regardless.

Another example of unconditional love is how your dog loves you, engendering the statement, "I strive to be the person my dog thinks I am."

The words "I love you" can lose their meaning in a relationship if not paired with action.

Saying "I love you" in the heat of passion for the first time might not be a good idea, as the person may question the sincerity of your pledge. Follow them up with actions of kindness.

If your interest is not in the other person, but rather in how that person can enhance your experience of life, then it is not love. If you have no intention of improving that person’s life, or allowing that person to be themselves and accepting them as they are, rather than not who you want them to be, then you are not striving to love them.

Love is expressed differently by everyone. Be understanding and look for your partner's ways of expressing it to you; they may not be the same as what you do or what you want him or her to do, but in turn you may not be doing the things he or she wants.

If you already said "I love you" and didn't mean it, and now you think the time is right, say it in a very unforgettable way. They will notice the difference from the first time to the second time.

If love is unrequited, you need to be understanding and be caring towards the feelings of the object of your desire. At least they now know how you feel.

Do not use the words "I love you" to cover up something you did wrong, or to resolve a conflict. Learn to apologize.

Don't overdo it, your loved one can get bored or feel as if it means nothing to you. Say it to your loved one when the time is right.

Make it special. For many people, dropping the "L-word" allows the sentiment to be expressed casually, such as before separating (e.g. "Time to go. Bye! Love you!"). Using the full phrase, however, can be reserved for more intimate moments, especially during a special event, such as when a child is just born, to reassure someone when bad news has been received, or during moments of cherished intimacy, like after a kiss.

When you say I love you for the first time don't say it over text or the phone. It's less personal and meaningful. In addition don't ask "do you love me?".

from desk

Top 10 Tips to Refresh Yourself

Time out is essential, not only for peace and quiet, but to get things done for your life. If you try to wait for all of your chores and responsibilities to your loved one to be finished, you may be waiting a long time. Get started now on finding time to refresh yourself.

Here's a list of the top 10 things you need to do regularly.

    1. Get regular physical activity. Regular, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is a good energizer that reduces stress, helps keep blood pressure and cholesterol at heart-healthy levels and helps maintain a healthy weight. Aim for 30 minutes a day on most, if not all, days. You can break it down to 10- or 15-minute sessions. Walking is a great way to get started, even if you only walk around the yard.
    2. Eat heart-healthy foods. They give you more energy, keep your brain fed (which helps combat depression) and help prevent other health problems. If you've got to “eat on the run,” choose nutritious snacks.
    3. Take time every day for an activity that you enjoy such as reading, listening to music, crafts, cooking — whatever makes you happy and relaxes you.
    4. Keep humor in your life. Laughter IS good medicine. Find the humor in your situation when possible, watch a silly TV program or pop in a comedy movie. Find things to laugh about with your loved one. They need joy too! Laughing quickens the pulse rate, stimulates the blood circulation, activates muscles, increases oxygen intake and helps you relax. If you've forgotten how to laugh, try to be around people who still know how. Laughter's contagious!
    5. Get out once a week and go somewhere enjoyable. Visit the local coffee shop, attend church events, take a class, visit a friend or just wander around the mall or a park. If your loved one needs constant attention, ask for help. You can find someone to give an hour a week to let you get out.
    6. Treat depression and stress. Recognize signs and symptoms and do something about it as soon as it starts. If you think you may be depressed, get professional help. Talk it out. Admit your feelings.
    7. Take care of your business. Keep your checkbook balanced, work when you need to, spend time with friends and family and don't stop planning for the future. It's out there waiting for you. If you live totally “in the moment” of your caregiver responsibilities, you'll find it more difficult to re-integrate into life later on. Keep living.
    8. Keep all your medical and dental appointments. Do all you can to keep from getting sick. If you're sick, you won't be able to do what your loved one needs. Ask for help when you need it to get away and take care of your health.
    9. Think positive. Take time every day to refresh your mind. Admit your limitations. Let go of guilt. Admit that you're angry. Pat yourself on the back for the job you're doing. If you're feeling guilty or angry, take a break.
    10. Stay connected with the outside world, even if it's just by phone or online. Don't isolate yourself. Talk to friends about something other than your situation. Stay interested in what would be going on in your life if you weren't caregiving. It's still there and you're still a part of it.

Did you know? Medical studies show that laughter boosts levels of endorphins, the body's "feel-good" hormones. Laughter may even boost the immune system. A good attitude and exercising your sense of humor may reduce stress, lower depression and help your body and mind to heal. As Groucho Marx said, "A clown is like an aspirin, only he works twice as fast."

Source: American Heart Association

Serena Notches 600th Career Win

Serena Williams proved yet again on Saturday why she is the No. 1 seed at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships.

The most dominant women's tennis player on the planet easily defeated Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-2, 6-0 to advance to the fourth round at the All England Club.

Wimbledon's official Twitter noted how both players were chasing milestones in career victories, but it was Williams who emerged with her 600th—201 more than that of her opponent:

It was remarkable that Date-Krumm could hold the same court as Williams; the Japan native showed she could still be a factor at a Grand Slam even at the age of 42. Date-Krumm was the oldest woman to ever compete in Wimbledon's third round.

However, the outcome was never in any doubt—and Williams certainly wasn't short on confidence prior to the match:

Even when Date-Krumm broke Williams at 5-1 in the first set, there was little suspense to be had. After all, once the defending champion Williams takes the opening set, opponents might as well lay down, as ESPN Tennis points out:

Date-Krumm was no match for the pummeling prowess of Williams. A telling statistic was the average speed of each woman's first serve. While Date-Krumm hovered at 88 miles per hour, Williams was at 103, with a best of 116.

Williams' masterful final set featured just two total points lost in her service games, while Date-Krumm managed to win only four of 15 games in which her first serve was in play. At some point, it just has to be frustrating playing against such a force like Williams, and that was visibly on display during one of the changeovers:

Breaking Williams' serve was an achievement in and of itself for Date-Krumm. Yet despite relatively aggressive tactics and frequent charges to the net, Williams' superiority was insurmountable. When she failed to capitalize on her first match point up 40-30 on Date-Krumm's serve, Williams let out a yell when her forehand sailed wide of the baseline.
 
Will Sabine Lisicki win a set off of Serena Williams in the Round of 16?
Yes No Submit Vote vote to see results

It showcased her characteristic razor-sharp focus, and she closed things out with a beautiful backhand over a net-seeking Date-Krumm with the advantage in the deuce game. ESPN's telecast noted this was Williams' 34th consecutive win.

No. 23 seed Sabine Lisicki awaits Williams in the fourth round, courtesy of her victory over the 14th-seeded Samantha Stosur.

Lisicki bounced back after dropping the opening set to Stosur. Williams, meanwhile, has not even been in any remote danger of losing a set. Very few—if any—obstacles are likely to stand in the way of Serena Williams and a sixth Wimbledon singles title.

Heart risk warning over painkiller diclofenac

People with heart problems have been advised to stop using one of the most commonly prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs in the UK.

The medicines regulator said painkiller diclofenac could significantly increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke for some patients.

The advice has been updated after a European review of the risks.

Millions of people take diclofenac for a range of conditions including headaches, back pain and arthritis.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the drug should not be used by people with serious underlying heart conditions.

People who have suffered heart failure, heart disease or a stroke should stop using it completely.

Smokers and people with high blood pressure, raised cholesterol and diabetes have been advised to use the drug only after consulting their GP or pharmacist.

The MHRA said diclofenac would continue to provide safe and effective pain relief, apart from patients in certain "at risk" groups.

Dr Sarah Branch, deputy director of the MHRA's vigilance and risk management of medicines division, said: "Whilst this is a known risk and warnings have been included in patient and healthcare information for some time, this advice is now being updated."

Six million prescriptions were written for diclofenac last year and the drug is also available over the counter.

Source: BBC

How to Buy a Gift for Someone Who Has Everything.

Don't know what to get a gift for your father? Purchasing a gift for him could be a challenge. He may already have everything he needs or he might be the kind of man who won't request something if he needs it. Maybe you have some ideas, but you aren't sure what make of drill to buy or how big shirt your dad wears. Below are great tips that might help your quest to find the right gift.

Step one

Give your dad a gift card or gift cards. Does he have a favorite sports or home supply store? Remember his favorite restaurant or electronics or office supply store. Consider what dad likes to do in the spare time. Does he go to the gym? Spend time on the golf course? Prefer to work in the yard? Consider using a gift certificate for his favorite workout spot, the course or driving range, or nursery. Consider his interests and employ your imagination. Gift cards or certificates allow any dad to select what he wants. This way, you don't end up returning something which doesn't fit or the wrong type of tool allow your father to consider his time and choose what he wants.

Step two
Choose a gift of entertainment. What exactly are dad's favorite movies? Does he like action, western, or comedy? Choose several DVDs among his favorites so he is able to watch them anytime. Give a box of microwave popcorn making a batch of his favorite cookies to increase the package for a complete movie night gift. Or, treat your dad to some night at the movies. In case your budget allows, treat him to dinner after or before, too.

Step Three
Give your father the present of time. Are there projects throughout the house that he has been too busy to get at? Make up your own gift certificate that's good for a fix-up project, cleansing the car, or some yard work. Dad will appreciate one less thing on his to-do list.

Step four
Buy your dad tickets to some sporting event. What's his favorite sport? When the major league team tickets are out of your reach, check out the minor league or local college teams. Or, purchase tickets to have an upcoming event that he want to attend, like a concert, trade event, or themed expo. Make a day's it and tag together with him, then treat him to lunch, too.

Step five
Choose a personalized like a coffee mug, T-shirt, pen or mug. Dad might even appreciate a customized mouse pad with a cute picture from the grand kids. Photo processing centers have numerous custom gift options; many local an internet-based stores offer different options too.

Step six
Take your father on an outing he'll enjoy for example fishing, hunting, surfing, a warm air balloon ride or sightseeing. The options are endless; check with the neighborhood chamber of commerce, hunting or fishing associations, clubs, tourism bureaus and much more for ideas.

By Hasan Imti.

Meditation Can be the key to Success.

There is a famous saying that goes like, “To understand the immeasurable, the mind must be extraordinarily still”. No doubt, meditation is one of the most powerful forces. There are a lot of records that depict how inner peace of mind can help you conquer the greatest heights. If you are looking to enjoy the true fruits of success, you have to delve deep into your inner conscience and meditation can help you achieve the zenith of excellence. 

The first step to success is having the belief that you can do it. The belief that nothing is impossible stems from inner conscience. The mind games are the toughest to crack and when you spend an hour or two on meditation, you can unlock raw strength from your heart. We have immense potential inside us, however, the plight and agony remains that most of us are blind to our own inner strength.
Meditation is one of those sciences which help you in looking in your own soul and discovering the mountain of strength that is latent. When you opt for meditation exercises, you will be able to develop your confidence and self belief. Both these attributes can play a crucial role in achieving success.
Meditation And Human Mind
Meditation affects human body in a lot of different ways. There are various different methods and you should choose the ones that can truly help you. The main aim of meditation exercises is to increase the power of concentration. It is believed that the mind is the most powerful aspect of your body. If you can instill the belief that you are going to succeed, you would break all the shackles and achieve that which is your destiny.
When you are indulging in meditation, you need to concentrate hard and block all other thoughts.
The Play Of Energy Meditation creates the right energy flow. There is both positive as well as negative energy that surround us. The key to success is to eliminate all negative thoughts from your mind and body. The meditation ways would basically teach you how to explore the depth of your inner conscience and to stay away from the negative thoughts that can weaken your resolve and will power.
We will elaborate the key components of success and they are as follows.

 • Iron will: you need to have the will to succeed. • Determination: you must be determined to achieve your destiny. • Effort: if you do not put in the right effort, it is not going to take you anywhere. • Self belief: you should have the belief that you can succeed in the task that you are undertaking.
When you indulge in meditation methods, it would have a direct effect on the iron will, the self belief and your confidence. The amount of effort that you put is up to you; however, once you strive to succeed, the effort should come naturally to you.
Half of the battle of victory is all about will. The moment your mind calls it quits, the game is already lost. Meditation will improve your attention span, your focus and your confidence. If you allow yourself to be influenced with negative energy, it will kill your belief and confidence and subconsciously you will quit before even putting an effort. Meditation aims at driving away such false thoughts and improves your resolve to win and succeed.
So, you should not avoid the meditation benefits. You do not need to meditate all round the day. Devote an hour early in the morning and make sure to do it with full dedication. It shall set the tone for the rest of your day.

 There are a lot of different meditation classes that are held. If you are looking to find about the main ways in which you can benefit from meditation, feel free to explore the internet. For some basic tips on how to begin your meditation session at your own home, use the following:
• Sit alone: when you are opting for meditation, you have to choose a room that is devoid of noise and interference. You should sit alone in the room with eyes closed. 

• Contemplate: when you are meditating, you need to contemplate and introspect. Do not think about the negative thoughts. Start your day with thoughts of love and happiness. It will channel positive energy in and around you. 

• Concentrate: make sure to close your eyes and try to concentrate on a single spot or a single image that you can form with closed eyes. If you see a black spot, keep fixing your attention on it till it slowly turns into bright light.

 • Mute other thoughts: once you have started excelling in these basic ideals, you can move to advanced meditation methods. These involve sitting in a crowded place and managing to block all other sound, energy and interferences. It requires immense skill but once you master this art, you will be close to clinching success.

By Hasan Imti.

End Your Day With A Smile.

One of the best things you could ever come across in life is when people greet you without knowing who you are. There will be a different taste to that friendship that you hardly know anything about. It's a relationship that you and only you accomplish, not with people that you know, but with an entire society. Sometimes it comes with fame and at others times fame will have nothing to do with it. There is a sweet taste in knowing that you are loved by people who do not know you. It could be the highlight of your day someday.

When you see the people around your house walking around and waving to you with a smile on their faces, or saying nice things to you when they pass by, you will feel great. You will feel as if you have accomplished something even if you are poor.

It comes when you do the little good things you do. When you help an old lady cross the street, you gain a lot of respect. Whether someone sees you or not, you do it for good. It comes to you when you help a little kid or just pat his head.

It's all about how you present yourself to be. If you are look scary, it doesn't really matter. Looking scary can be something good especially if you are a nice person. When people fear you, it's something different. Fear comes from within, but the way you present yourself to be is the way you are. If you help people out then people will help you out when you need help. If you are rude to people then people will be rude to you. Your attitude is one of the major aspects of your personality and the way you are treated.

Many people complain about how others don't seem to like them, but when it comes to whether they like people or not, it becomes completely insignificant to them. One who treats others the way they would like to be treated usually get the good treatment back and ones who do horrible things often end up the way they were treating others. You could have a scar across your face that makes people flee away from you and yet you find them treating you with a smile because most of people believe that appearances are not necessary unless it comes to a romantic side of their life.

If you want to end up having good things in life, if you want to end up with a smile on your face by the end of each day then you should fix the bad things you do. Apologizing is a huge deal when it comes to pride, but at the end, a great satisfaction comes when you know that no one is upset with you. It's honorable when you admit your mistakes and it's even more honorable when you help someone who needs your help. It all starts with how you act.

By Hasan Imti

Become the Landlord of Your Beliefs.

Beliefs are an interesting thing. They aren't there from the day you are born. They are gradually passed on to you by your parents based on their lives and experiences. These beliefs are for them a way of thinking - a way of life. They take them for granted as fact for your safety.


Without knowing any different, we take on and follow these beliefs. After all, our surroundings and environment are supporting these beliefs so there's every reason to begin to support them ourselves.
As you grow older and begin to socialise, you are potentially exposed to a wider range of beliefs. Some of these new beliefs may be in conflict or difference to what you have taken on as your own, and some may also be the same or similar to what you have come to believe and accept as true.
So, what is a belief? If you were to break it right down, a belief as a convenient assumption that something is true or false. Quite often people mix up beliefs as facts.
This can be simply illustrated by a familiar scenario.
Let's say there are 2 cars that smash on a suburban street, one is a red car and one is a blue car. These are the facts – irrefutable and undeniable. Let's say there are a couple of witnesses including the driver of each car. One person says that the driver of the red car is at fault, another says the blue car did the wrong thing. The driver of the red car complains that the blue car didn't give way for a sufficient amount of time which caused the accident. The driver of the blue car says that the red car was going too fast, which caused the accident. The differences in these stories all come back to beliefs. Believing what is seen from the angle that we see it.
Beliefs are a powerful thing, but more importantly and maybe difficult for some to swallow – beliefs are not real. Beliefs are completely made up. Remember, a belief as a convenient assumption that something is true or false. And we have a belief for everything – and I mean EVERYTHING!
We are very quickly able to assess any situation that we meet by running it through our ‘belief filter'. In milliseconds, we can choose whether something fits within our belief system or not. Even if it's something completely foreign to us, we are able to make an almost immediate assessment and create a belief around it. We instantly call upon reference points from our surroundings, our past, and our peers – anything, so we can create a belief that makes sense to us and is congruent to our other beliefs.
When you were younger, there was very little to question in regards to our beliefs. They were generally there to keep us safe or to help us grow. But some beliefs have an expiry date and are no longer valid or useful.
I'm presuming that those that are reading this are adults and therefore I can safely talk about the belief in Santa Claus (fingers crossed…). This is a belief that a lot of people are familiar with, and has been used by many families for generations. Some will defend it and some will tell you that it's lying to children. Those conversations are all based on beliefs! But the point I wanted to make by bringing it up here, is that there is a point that parents generally reach where they feel that this belief has reached its expiration date – that the child is ‘old enough to know the truth'.
I'm not going to enter the conversation as to whether I think it is helpful or not to indulge in this belief – that's for you to decide. But it's a perfect example of assessing and deciding whether a belief serves or hinders.
There are beliefs that served us at one particular point in our lives that we have carried around far longer than we have needed to. There are also beliefs that we have created that have never actually been a healthy choice but were made to get through a specific time because we thought it would help.

Are the beliefs that you hold on to and live by helping you today?

By Hasan Imti 

Basic Health Habits for long and healthy life.

The followings are 10 basic Health Habit for long and healthy life.

1. Three Balanced Diet a day at regular times and only one or two small non-sugary snacks.

2. Eat Breakfast everyday.

3. Get enough sleep (about 7 hours a night for a person over 18 years).

4. Never smoke and if you do try to stop.

5. Use alcohol only in moderation or for Medicine purpose, if at all. (There are better ways to reduce disease risk)

6. Maintain a reasonable & healthy body weight. Measured by BMI.(Body Mask Index)

7. Exercise regularly, at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days bu free hand exercise and Yoga.

8. Use a daily multi-vitamin especially from Natural resources among with your diet.

9. Build your spirituality. (I.e. pray & meditate each day.)

10. Maintain healthy relationships & social involvements.


by Hasan Imti

How to Make Friend & Influence People.

The core principles of win Friends and Influence People are categorized below in a short chronological way,

Three Fundamental Techniques in Handling People.

i) Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.

ii) Give honest and sincere appreciation.

iii) Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Six Ways to Make People like You

i) Become genuinely interested in other people.

ii) Smile.

iii) Remember that a person's name is, to him or her, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

iv) Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about them.

v) Talk in the terms of the other person's interest.

vi) Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking.

i) Avoid arguments.
 
ii) Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never tell someone that he or she is wrong.
 
iii) If you're wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
 
iv) Begin in a friendly way.
 
v) Start with questions to which the other person will answer yes.
 
vi) Let the other person do the talking.
 
vii) Let the other person feel the idea is his/hers.
 
viii) Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
 
ix) Sympathize with the other person.
 
x) Appeal to noble motives.
 
xi) Dramatize your ideas.
 
xii) Throw down a challenge; don't talk negatively when a person is absent; talk only about the positive.

Be a Leader: How to Change People without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

 
i) Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
 
ii) Call attention to other people's mistakes indirectly.
 
iii) Talk about your own mistakes first.
 
iv) Ask questions instead of directly giving orders.
 
v) Let the other person save face.
 
vi) Praise every improvement.
 
vii) Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
 
viii) Encourage them by making their faults seem easy to correct.
 
ix) Make the other person happy about doing what you suggest.

x) Letters That Produced Miraculous Results

Seven Rules for Making Your Home Life Happier.

i) Don't nag.

ii) Don't try to make your partner over.
 
iii) Don't criticize.
 
iv) Give honest appreciation.
 
v) Pay Cordial attentions.
 
vi) Be courteous.
 
vii) Read a good book on the sexual side of marriage.


By Hasan Imti

Paradise is under the feet of Mother

In several verses of the Quran, God makes clear that duty, kindness and gratitude towards parents is an essential part of Islam.  However, women in Islam, particularly mothers, have been singled out for the upmost respect and devotion. God Himself tells of the hardships involved in motherhood.

“And we have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents.  His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship...” ( Holy Quran 31:14)

In the time of Prophet Muhammad, a man asked permission to go on a military expedition.  The Prophet asked the man if he had a mother, when he replied yes, Prophet Muhammad said, “Stay with her because Paradise lies beneath her feet”.  (Ahmad, Al-Nasai)  What wonderful imagery these words invoke:  Mothers and children gazing at each other with love and gratitude.  Tiny hands closed within larger hands.  A touch to the face in times of stress and illness, or the warmth of a loving mother’s voice.  Images of mothers nurturing and caring for their children, in health or sickness, in good times, or trying times.  Paradise lies at the feet of mothers; but what exactly do these words mean?  Simply, the gates of Paradise are open for those who cherish and respect their mothers.

The role of the mother in the Islamic family is as equally important if not more as the role of the father, who is the provider and protector of his family.  Not only does she go through both the joys and difficulties of pregnancy and giving birth, she dedicates the whole of her life to nurturing and caring for her children.  It is her responsibility to raise and to educate them to be righteous and pious human beings.  She cooks, cleans, nurtures and educates, she is also responsible for their spiritual, emotional and physical health and well-being.  In return, children owe their mothers care, love, affection, respect and dutifulness.  The task God assigned to mothers is large and sometimes overwhelming.  Accordingly, the reward for a righteous mother is nothing less than Paradise and in this life, she is esteemed and honoured.
Who is Most Worthy of Good Companionship?

In a hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad, a man came to the Prophet asking, ‘Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship?  The Prophet said, your mother.  The man said, ‘Then who?’  The Prophet said, then your mother.  The man further asked, ‘Then who?’  The Prophet said, then your mother.  The man asked again, ‘Then who?’  The Prophet replied, then your father. (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)

From only these two sayings of Prophet Muhammad, we are able to understand the importance of mothers in Islam.  However, in these days of materialism it is easy to forget that God obligated us to honour our parents, especially our mothers.  Sometimes we find ourselves uttering words of contempt or complaining about our parents.  This sort of behaviour is not from Islam.

God reminds us that Prophet John (known as the Baptist) was dutiful towards his parents both loving them and obeying them(Saheeh Al-Bukhari).He said:

“O John!  Hold fast the Scripture.  And We gave him wisdom while yet a child.  And (made him) sympathetic to men as a mercy (or a grant) from Us, and pure from sins and he was righteous.  And dutiful towards his parents, and he was neither an arrogant nor disobedient (to God or to his parents).” (Holy Quran 19:12-14)

 Additionally, in the Quran, we are able to hear the words of Jesus; he describes himself by coupling  his obedience to God with his duties towards his mother Mary.

“Verily!  I am a slave of God.  He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet; and He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined  on me prayer, and alms, as long as I live, and dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant, unblest.” (Holy Quran 19:30-32)

As busy as our lives may be it is of great benefit to look back at the lives of the Prophets, and our righteous predecessors, to see how they treated their parents, particularly their mothers.
The Companions’ Behaviour

Abdullah ibn Omar, a leading scholar from among Prophet Muhammad’s companions once saw a man carrying his mother on his back and going around the Holy House in Mecca (Tirmidhi).  He did not complain or show any signs of annoyance; rather he kept repeating a line of poetry comparing himself to a camel.  He looked at Abdullah ibn Omar and asked him whether by so doing he discharged his debt to his mother.  Ibn Omar said, “No.  You have not even paid back one twinge of the pain she felt when giving birth to you”.

Another companion from the early days of Islam, Dhibyan ibn Ali ath-Thowree also used to travel with his mother to Mecca.  The journey was long and very hot; on the side of the road during their travels, he would dig a little pool and fill it with cool water.  He would then turn to his mother and say, “Mother, sit in this water to cool yourself.”

Muslims who are obedient to God can never be unmindful or unkind to their parents.  Great reward is offered to those who treat their parents, especially their mothers, with affection and gentleness, but a stern warning is also given.  The danger of disrespect is illustrated in the following saying of Prophet Muhammad.

A man came to Prophet Muhammad and said, “A young man is dying and people are asking him to say there is no god but God, but he is unable to do so.  “The Prophet then asked, "Did this man offer prayers?”  The answer was yes.  The Prophet then went to see the man and tried to encourage him to say there is no god but God.  Still he was unable to pronounce the words.  Prophet Muhammad then called for the dying man’s mother.  The mother he had persistently disobeyed.

When she appeared, the Prophet asked, 'Respected lady, is he your son?”  She replied yes.  He then asked, “O respected lady, if we threaten to throw your son into a raging fire, would you recommend him to be forgiven?”  The lady replied that she would definitely ask him to be forgiven.  The Prophet then said to her, “Then declare, making God and me your witnesses, that you are now pleased with him.”  The old woman readily declared, "O God, you and your Prophet are my witnesses that I am pleased with this beloved son of mine.”  Then Prophet then turned to the dying man and asked him to recite, "There is no god but God, He is the One and has no partners and I witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.”  (At Tabarani, Ahmad)

Because of his mother’s forgiveness, the dying man was able to recite the words that, by the Grace and Mercy of God, may have allowed him to enter Paradise.  The good treatment of parents can be the key to Paradise, on the other hand, bad behaviour towards them may result in a punishment in hellfire.

May Allah  bless us all and always. Ameen

Al-Mushahid

“Every citizen has the right to have a say”.

The message from the new generation of young people in the Middle East and North Africa is clear: they want a “relationship between the State and its people which is built on the rule of law and respect for human rights”.

Addressing a consultation in Cairo on transitional justice developments in the region, senior representative from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mona Rishmawi said, “for decades, people in the region have suffered from the denial of their basic rights. They endured torture, arbitrary detention emergency rules, the denial of freedom of speech and association, the shrinking of political space and the forging of elections, when and if they took place.”
Rishmawi told the participants from Egypt,  Libya, Tunisia and Yemen, among others, that, “the wall of fear and silence has fallen and the desire and determination of people to claim their rights regardless of the personal sacrifices and pain is being proven on a daily basis.”
The movements for reform and democratic change which started in Tunisia two years ago generated uprisings across the region.
Transiting from authoritarian regimes to systems of governance based on participation, accountability and justice requires a process of transitional justice, Rishmawi said.
“Transitional justice relies on four equally important [interlinked] pillars,” she said, “prosecution, truth seeking, reparations and institutional reform.”
According to Rishmawi, “The notion [of transitional justice] also addresses the establishment of effective governance based on the democratic principles that every citizen has the right directly, or through freely chosen representatives, to have a say in the direction of his/her country.”
The UN Human Rights Office is the lead agency on transitional justice within the United Nations community and is working in collaboration with others, in more than 25 countries globally, in policy development, standard setting and training, capacity building, and coordination.
Transitional justice may include individual prosecutions, reparations, truth-seeking, institutional reform, vetting and dismissals, or a combination of those, all associated with a society’s attempts to come to terms with a legacy of large-scale past abuses, in order to ensure accountability, serve justice and achieve reconciliation.
Transitional justice processes are on-going in several countries in the Middle East North Africa region, assisting in dealing with serious past abuses including extra-judicial killings, widespread torture, enforced disappearance, and arbitrary detention.
UN Special Rapporteur Pablo de Greiff, in his address to the regional consultation stressed that, “transitional justice is not a distinct form of justice, but a strategy for achieving justice in the aftermath of massive violations.“
De Greiff took up his appointment as the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence by the Human Rights Council in March 2012.
“The four measures covered by the mandate - truth-seeking, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence – offer a way forward,“ he said, “and can assist in providing recognition to victims, fostering trust and reconciliation, and strengthening the rule of law.“
Noting that the field of transitional justice has assumed much greater significance in recent years, De Grief said that the question now is “not to ask whether to deal with the past, but rather to ask how.“
“A growing number of countries, he said, have successfully moved from periods of repression and abuse to a brighter future incorporating respect for and implementation of human rights and rule of law standards, as well as development”
Participants at the regional consultation discussed a number of issues requiring particular focus in the development of transitional justice programs: national consultation and participation through the initial planning phases and beyond: special measures to allow meaningful participation by women; and inclusion of economic, social and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights in transitional justice processes to ensure the root causes of repression are addressed.
The consultation also considered the reform of national security institutions to prevent the recurrence of violations. “There is little doubt,” Rishmawi said, “that the main structures to be reformed are the security institutions, formal and informal,… to ensure that they are properly accountable and that they do not behave as if they are above the law.”
She emphasized that a cornerstone of the UN approach to transitional justice, is the issue of amnesties: “Amnesties are unacceptable if they prevent the prosecution of individuals who are criminally responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other gross violations of human rights,” she said.
The consultation was a joint initiative of the UN Human Rights Office, the United Nations Development Programme and the UN Special Rapporteur on truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Pablo de Greiff, with the participation of UN Women.

source: UNHR

Bank holidays around the world

In traffic jams, at the beach, or still at the office - how are bank holidays marked around the world? BBC correspondents from Seoul, Los Angeles, Rome, Calcutta and Moscow provide a worldwide view.

South Korea

Working hours in South Korea are some of the longest in the world - it's not unusual for office workers to stay in the office until 9 o'clock at night - and nobody leaves before the boss. So when a bank holiday rolls around, there's a desperate bid to break for freedom. Which often means another long day spent sitting - not at a desk, but in a traffic jam. A quarter of the nation's population lives in Seoul, and on summer bank holidays, some of the jams clogging the roads out of town are spectacular enough to make the front pages of the newspapers.
South Korea is a car-producing nation - Hyundai and Kia are both Korean brands - and the country is rich enough that almost every family has at least one. Most people head to the coast or to the cool, forested mountains in the north, particularly when the bank holiday creates the chance for a long weekend. For many Koreans, this little escape is a substitute for the annual leave they don't take. The working culture here is so strong, that a day or two at a time is the most some office workers say they can afford without incurring disapproval from their senior colleagues.
It's a shame then, that up to a third of their bank holiday escape can be spent sitting in the national car park normally known as the Gyeongbu Express Motorway. Lucy Williamson

Bank holiday traffic, Korean style

United States

The average American gets less than three weeks' paid holiday a year - assuming they've got a job. So when a public holiday comes around, like Memorial Day, it is embraced with relish - relish that usually goes with along with the hot dogs, burgers and tacos at a family cookout. It's a day for getting out and doing something. And that usually means packing a lot in, seeing family and friends and making the most of the day. Here in California it can be an excursion to the beach or a trip to the mountains to catch the dying days of the winter skiing season. The BBQ spots in city parks fill up quickly.

California holidays: Let's go surfing now

For most Americans, the major bank holidays signpost the year (not that they're known as "bank" holidays here). The final Monday of May marks the official start of summer, carefree days, hot weather, pool parties and summer movies. But Memorial Day, lest we forget, is an occasion, fundamentally, to remember the men and women who died while serving in the US armed forces. Families visit graves and there are ceremonies at the cemeteries. In this hugely patriotic nation, people do not forget. Peter Bowes
Italy
A day off work in Italy. What could be better. The possibilities are endless - there's the food and the wine, and the countryside, and in this long, thin nation many people live close to the beach. And the great thing about Italian bank holidays is that they aren't tied to Mondays. They float around in the week. So if there's one on a Thursday, you might get the Friday off too, and then disappear for a very long weekend.

Roman holiday: It doesn't just rain in the UK

Of course not everyone can afford to take advantage of this. And many weary workers just choose to slump at home with the family on a holiday. But here in Rome - during the holidays in spring - there is a strong tradition of getting out beyond the city's ancient walls. It's a time for picnicking in the cool of the hills. Up in the woods the smell of barbeques can hang thick in the air, and artichokes are sometimes roasted in the embers. But there's a very different mood on a holiday in November. This is when Italians choose to remember the dead. Families visit the graves of relatives. Prayers are said, and chrysanthemum flowers - always associated here with death and mourning - are left behind. Alan Johnston

India

As India's economy continues to grow, lots of the youngsters around in the IT sector are working long hours, six days a week. They love bank holidays. As a friend of mine who runs a software business tells me, "In the days before a holiday, my staff seem to spend all their time trying to book train tickets for day trips, or have mysterious illnesses the day before." It is a great day for the shops - India's new malls are packed, and restaurants and cinemas are full of families spending their hard-earned money. Even the temples are busier here as people have time to go and visit their favourite gods.

Saree shopping at a mall in Hyderabad

But not everyone is happy. My cousin runs a PR company. Ask him about bank holidays and he just scowls - it's madness, he says. There's republic day, independence day, Gandhi's birthday, and then all the religious holidays - what's the point of trying to work here? But for hundreds of millions of Indians, a bank holiday is just another day, because they cannot afford to stop working if they want to survive. Here in the world's largest democracy, bank holidays are for the rich. For the poor they are just another day. Rahul Tandon

Russia

I really feel for the residents of Oimyakon, a little village in eastern Siberia. A couple of years back on Russia's February bank holiday, temperatures there plummeted to -56C. Now, you're not exactly going to pop off to the seaside and enjoy an ice cream in cold like that, are you?

In the Russian summer, it's warm enough to take your shirt off

Oimyakon is an extreme case, but there many places in Russia where winter digs her heels in, determined to stick around as long as possible. Which means that if you're not careful, chilling out here on a bank holiday can leave you with a nasty case of frostbite - if you don't wrap up warm. By May, though, it's a very different story.
Source : BBC

Cyclone advisory released

As cyclone Mahasen is heading towards Bangladesh, the government on Wednesday circulated a list of dos and don’ts for the people.

The Meteorological Department has asked Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar ports to hoist danger signal no 7 as the cyclone is hovering 700 kilometres off the coast.

Mahasen’ has shifted slightly towards the north-north east according to a special forecast. The cyclone may sweep over Khepupara-Teknaf Coast near Chittagong at dawn on Thursday.

The elderly, handicapped, children and pregnant women will have to be moved to shelters within moments of receiving a cautionary signal. Alternative routes towards the shelter should also be cleared beforehand, according to a circular released on Wednesday.

The circular advised people to gather torchlight, matchboxes, candles, dry food and drinking water before getting to the shelter. A primary medical kit should also be prepared, if possible.

Authorities have strictly instructed the people to not leave the shelter until the cyclone passes completely.

It also asked people to remain updated on the news of the approaching disaster through television, radio or any other medium.

Waters from ponds and rivers can be used for drinking if there is a shortage of drinking water after the possible disaster. Rainwater can also be collected in large containers for drinking.

It is also useful to learn how to purify water and food items during times of scarcity, said the circular.

All necessary items like rice, pulses, matchboxes, dry wood, bars of alum (hydrated potassium aluminum sulphate), sugar, medicine, gauze, cotton, oral saline should be tightly packed inside a water-proof bag and buried under ground.

Important documents and money, coins should also be wrapped in plastic and buried underground.

Different kinds of grain seeds can also be preserved.

People have been advised to tie several bundles of rope with a strong tree trunk. One can tie themselves with this rope or hold on to them during cyclone surge.

Cyclone hits Bangladesh

Cyclone bears down on Bay of Bengal

Thousands have moved to shelters in Bangladesh but in Burma, authorities have encountered a deep reluctance to move among Rohingya refugees

Cyclone Mahasen has begun crossing Bangladesh's southern coast, as people packed into evacuation shelters.

The storm hit Patuakhali district on Thursday with winds of up to 100km/h (60mph), and was heading for the ports of Chittagong and Cox's Bazar.

One person has been reported dead, Bangladeshi officials say.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate low-lying areas in Bangladesh and Burma, and take shelter in cyclone centres.

However, some displaced people in Burma have resisted calls for them to evacuate camps in Rakhine state.

BBC Weather update on Mahasen

The United Nations has warned that 8.2m people could be at risk from Mahasen in Bangladesh, Burma and north-east India.

Centres crowded

The Bangladeshi authorities have raised the danger level to seven out of 10 for low-lying areas around Chittagong and Cox's Bazar.

However, Shamsuddun Ahmed, deputy director of Bangladesh's Meteorological Department, told AFP news agency the cyclone was not expected to cause serious damage as it was "not severe".

The cyclone "did not gain strength in the last part of its journey as it hit the coast", he said

Analysis

Jonathan Head BBC South East Asia correspondent

Thousands of Rohingyas living in camps close to the coast have refused the government's efforts to evacuate them in army trucks. They fear where they will be taken and what will happen afterwards.

Rohingyas are not recognised as Burmese citizens, and most lack any documentation.

Recently government officials have been going around the camps to document the displaced population, but have insisted they define themselves as Bengalis - in other words, illegal immigrants.

Information about the threat posed by the cyclone has been patchy at best. The government admits there are no cyclone shelters in Rakhine state, and moving Rohingyas into solid buildings risks provoking the anger of the Buddhist population.

One volunteer told me they had managed to hire six non-military trucks to try to persuade the IDPs to leave. But even if they agree, far more trucks are needed.

IDPs at the Nget Chaung camp in Pauktaw, which is very exposed to the storm, decided to organise their own evacuation. This led to the accident on Monday night in which more than 50 IDPs drowned when their boat capsized.

Most of the nearly 8,000 inhabitants of Nget Chaung have now moved themselves to another, smaller camp, but there is not enough shelter. The remaining 1,000 IDPs are seeking refuge in a mosque, though that is probably too small for them.

In Bangladesh, there have been reports of waist-deep water submerging low-lying areas and houses being damaged. There are also fears of a storm surge.

All schools, colleges and some hotels have been declared cyclone shelters, the BBC's Mir Sabbir reports from Dhaka. These centres are crowded and people are still rushing in, our correspondent adds.

Airports in Cox's Bazar and Chittagong have been shut until the danger subsides.

In Burma, meanwhile, tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims living in camps in low-lying areas of Rakhine state are feared to be at risk.

They were displaced by ethnic violence last year and many are reluctant to move from the camps.

Hla Maung said he lost his mother and two young daughters during the clashes between Muslims and Buddhists.

"I lost everything. I don't want to go anywhere. I'll stay here. If I die, I want to die here," he said.

Rakhine state said it had moved some 36,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) from camps, Kirsten Mildren, from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), told the BBC.

But she said the evacuation was "not moving as fast as we'd like - it's certainly a race against time. We're finding it very difficult to convince [people] to move to higher ground or safer buildings."

Burmese planning minister Tin Naing Thein claimed that in all more than 166,000 people had been relocated, but there was little evidence of a mass evacuation in reports from the affected area.

Correspondents say the Burmese evacuations are seen as a test of the government's resolve to assist the Rohingya, amid allegations that state forces stood by or even participated in last year's anti-Muslim violence.

On Tuesday, President Thein Sein was quoted as urging officials to "carry out relief work on humanitarian grounds for all, regardless of race and religion", at a meeting to co-ordinate relief efforts for Cyclone Mahasen.

Cyclone Mahasen has already taken a toll. Though the storm did not make landfall in Sri Lanka, the associated heavy rain caused floods and mudslides which killed at least seven people, according to the country's Disaster Management Centre.

At least 50 Rohingya Muslims drowned on Tuesday when boats evacuating them from the path of the cyclone capsized off western Burma.

Source: BBC