Tuesday, March 30, 2010
7 Steps to a Harmonious Life
"Sanskrit text
It is your breathing that gives birth to your thoughts. The breath, without which you cannot even exist, is necessary to transform an idea into a living reality. Deep breathing indicates healthy lungs, which in turn manufacture prana, the subtle form of breath or life force, responsible for giving you strength and energy.
Deep, balanced breathing "in which the cycle of inhalation and exhalation is effortless "creates a state of inner calm in which clear, objective thinking can occur. You can become more focused on the immediate issue without losing sight of the greater context.
Once you are able to think clearly about a situation or a problem, you will know how to act. You will be able to discriminate between what you want and what you need, between attraction and love, and between what is really good for you and what is not.
Repeated appropriate actions create a positive habit. While these actions may require conscious effort at first, over time they become second nature.
Habits provide the foundation of your character. Once a series of repeated actions becomes unconscious habit, you realize that you have begun to change your past tendencies.
Your behavior reflects the changes in your character. Others will perceive you as wiser and more loving.
With a more positive attitude and behavior, the circumstances of your life will improve. You will find greater harmony in your work, in your personal relationships, and in your spiritual life.
--
Haider Ajaz
Is Masturbation allowed in Islam?
S.Shafi Husain.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
History of Constitutional Development
- End of Dual govt.
- Governor of Bengal to be the Governor – General of British territories of India.
- Establishment of Supreme Court in Calcutta.
Pitts Act of 1784:
This Act gave the British Government a measure of control over the company's affairs. In fact, the company became a subordinate department of the State.
Act of 1786:
- Governor General given the power to over-ride the Council and was made the Commander-in-chief also.
Charter Act of 1793:
- Company given monopoly of trade for 20 more years.
- It laid the foundation of govt. by written laws, interpreted by courts.
Charter Act of 1813:
- Company deprived of its trade monopoly in India except in tea and trade with China.
- End of Company's monopoly even in tea and trade with China. Company was asked to close its business at the earliest.
- Governor General of Bengal to be Governor General of India (1st Governor General of India was Lord William Bentinck).
- The Act renewed the powers of the Company and allowed it to retain the possession of Indian territories in trust of the British crown.
- Recruitment to Civil Services was based on open annual competition examination (excluding Indians).
Government of India Act, 1858:
- Rule of Company in India ended and that of the Crown began.
- A post of Secretary of State (a member of the British cabinet) for India created. He was to exercise the powers of the Crown.
- Secretary of State governed India through the Governor General.
- Governor General received the title of Viceroy. He represented Secretary of State and was assisted by an Executive Council, which consisted of high officials of the Govt.
Indian Council Act, 1861:
- The Executive Council was now to be called Central Legislative Council.
Indian Council Act, 1892:
- Indians found their way in the Provincial Legislative Councils.
Indian Council Act, 1909 or Morley-Minto Act: It envisaged a separate electorate for Muslims.
Government of India Act, 1919 Or Montague-Chelmsford Reforms:
- Dyarchy system introduced in the provinces. The Provincial subjects of administration were to be divided into 2 categories: Transferred and Reserved. The Transferred subjects were to be administrated by the Governor with the aid of ministers responsible to the Legislative Council. The Governor and the Executive Council were to administer the reserved subjects without any responsibility to the legislature.
- Indian legislature became bicameral for the first time, it actually happened after 1935 Act.
- Provided for the establishment of All-India Federation consisting of the British Provinces and the Princely States. The joining of Princely States was voluntary and as a result the federation did not come into existence.
- Dyarchy was introduced at the Centre (Eg, Department of Foreign Affairs and Defence were reserved for the Governor General). Provincial autonomy replaced Dyarchy in provinces. They were granted separate legal identify.
- Burma (now Myanmar) separated from India.
--
Haider Ajaz
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Ghadeer-- Book by Anita Rai.
The story of Ali is the story of human rights.
- Anita Rai
www.anitarai.com
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Eleventh Imam Hasan ibn Ali (al-Askari) (AS)
Samarra (Surre Mun Ra’) was a garrison town about 60 miles north of Baghdad. River Euphrates flows in the middle of the town, and because of the surrounding hills a cool breeze keeps the area cooler in comparison to Baghdad. The word ‘Asker’ in arabic is used for army. Our 11th Imam’s title became known as Askari, the one who lived all his life in a garrison town.
There is another story related with this name by many historians. Once the Caliph called him in his palace and ordered his army to march past before him. The Caliph wanted to boast or to impress the Imam of his power or to dissuade the Imam from any thoughts of revolution against the Abbasid Caliphate. When the march past was over, Imam asked the Caliph to gaze between two of his fingers. What the Caliph saw was a huge army of lancers and swords men marching past, a much bigger crowd than the Caliphs army. He was astonished at this miracle and named him Askari, i.e. the man with a big army.
Imam Hasan al Askari’s (AS) life from childhood to adulthood was spent in this house where his father Imam Ali Naqi (AS) was to remain under house arrest. But despite this close guard on the Imam, he conducted his duties as Imam from inside the house. He taught people Qur’an and instructed his followers the true teachings of Islam as taught by the Prophet of Islam and his Ahlulbayt. In fact Imam Hasan al-Askari wrote a complete Tafseer of the Qur’an which was mentioned by many scholars, historians and exegetes, including Kulaini and Saduq.
Imam’s life in Samarrah was not in peace even under house arrest. From time to time he was taken to Baghdad, questioned and put in prison there. On one such occasion, the Imam was taken by the Turkish guards to Baghdad where he was kept in prison during the short reign of the Caliph al-Muktadi and al-Mu’tamid afterwards.
While he was a prisoner in Baghdad there was a severe draught. Rain had not fallen for some time and crops were drying up. People were facing a famine. They did not know what to do. A Christian priest came to the rescue. He lifted his hands in prayer and rain fell. The Caliph became concerned lest for this reason people would forsake Islam and become Christians. When the Imam was consulted, he said that when people assembled to see the so called miracle performed by the Christian priest, he would remove their doubts. The Imam was allowed to leave the prison to go where the crowd assembled to see the miracle performed by the priest. Imam stood there with the crowd and when the priest raised his hands for prayand rain began to fall, Imam told one of his companions to seize the hands of the priest and bring the piece of bone hidden in his hands. When this bone was brought before the Imam, he said that it was the bone of a Prophet of God. It was the effect of this holy bone when lifted in prayers to God that brought God's mercy and brought rain to the land. This way the Imam lifted the doubts from the minds of the people. After this the Imam himself spread his prayer mat and performed two Rak’ats of prayers then lifted his bare hands to God for rain to come to the land and wipe out the draught. The Imam’s prayers were heard by the Almighty and rain fell so much that the land became fertile again and crops began to grow. (Kulaini, Akhbarus Alam)In recognition of this service the Imam was allowed to leave the prison in Baghdad and live in his house in Samarrah, still under house arrest. He was still not allowed to go to Madina.
A detailed account of the marriage of Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) was told by Majlisi in Biharul Anwar. His father Imam Ali Naqi (AS) entrusted this important matter to his friend Bashir ibn Sulaiman.First the Imam wrote a letter in the script of ‘Rum’ and sealed it with his own noble seal. He placed the letter in a red purse, with 220 Dinars and then said to his friend, “Take this letter and go to Baghdad. Go to the ferry at the River Tigris when the boats from Syria are being unloaded. Look out for the ship owner whose name is Amr. Observe when he exhibits a slave girl who would be wtwo silk garments and a veil to protect her from being seen or handled by the buyers. You will hear her call out in the language of ‘Rum’, ‘even if you have the wealth and glory of Solomon the son of David, I can never have affection for you, so take care lest you waste your money in purchasing me.’ And if a buyer approaches her, she will say, ‘ Cursed be the man who unveils my eyebrow’ Her owner will then protest, ‘But what recourse have I, I am compelled to sell you? You will then hear the slave answer, ‘ Why this haste, let me choose my purchaser, that my heart may accept him in confidence and gratitude.’
“ You are to go then O Bashir, and tell the trader Amr that you have a letter written in the script of Rum by a certain nobleman, and that this letter shows his kindness, appreciation and liberality. You must give this letter to the slave girl to read, that she may agree to be bought by the man who has passed this letter to you.
Bashir reported later, “ When I carried out these instructions and the girl received the letter, she began to cry as she read the letter. Then she said to Amr, “ Sell me to the writer of this letter, for if you refuse I would surely be very unhappy and you will never be able to sell me to anyone else.” I therefore talked over the price with Amr, until we agreed on the 220 Dinars my master had given me. When I paid the money, and received the girl. She came with me without protest. In fact she was smiling and looking very pleased. In her excitement she took the letter from the Imam Ali Naqi (AS) from her pocket and kissed it, put it on her eyes and then put it back into her pocket. I told her I was amazed that she should act this way when as yet she did not know the writer. She answered, “May the descendant of the Prophet dispel your doubts.” Afterwards she gave me the following account of herself.
“ I am a princess, the granddaughter of the Emperor of Rum. My mother was a descendant of the disciple Simon, the vicegerent of Jesus. My grandfather the Emperor was anxious to marry me to his nephew. I was 15 years old. At his castle he gathered a great assembly, including 300 monks and hermits, 700 of the nobility and 4000 of the officials of the army. I had a special throne made for me where I sat with the man I was about to wed. Christian priests were ready to pay us honour. They opened the Injil (Bible), and immediately all the images around us fell to the ground and broke. My cousin also fell down on the ground and fainted. All the great officials were overcome with fear and said,” O’ king, preserve us from witnessing this ill-fated day, for this sort of thing is a proof of the decline and disappearance of the Christian religion as we know it.” At this my grandfather was very angry and he ordered that all images should be brought back and put in their places. Once again they all fell down and a great storm blew the lights all around. At this second occurrence people were frightened and left the assembly hall. My grandfather fell himself and the whole occasion was cancelled for some other day.
One night after this I saw a dream, in which Jesus appeared with his disciples at the palace where the throne was erected. Their they built a pulpit of light, and behold, Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his wasi Ali(AS) and all his exalted descendants came into the palace. Jesus went forward to embrace Muhammad,(SA) who said, O’Spirit of God, I have come to seek the daughter of your Wasi Simon for my son Hasan al-Askari.” Jesus(AS) looked to Simon who was with him and said, “ Nobility and glory has come to you in this chance to unite mercy with that of the family of Muhammad(SA).” To this Simon assented and all of them assented to the pulpit of Light while Muhammad(SA) conducted the wedding service. After the dream, when I wokeup I was afraid and dared not repeat the story to my father or my brothers for fear that they would kill me. While I kept the secret, love of Hasan al-Askari found its place in my heart and constrained me to give up drinking wine and I did not want to eat. As a result of not eating I grew thin and became ill. All possible treatment was available for me but without success. In the end my father told me, “ O’you who have seen a light, tell me what is wrong with me. The doors of pleasure are closed for me. A voice replied, " if you set some of your prisoners free, it is possible that Jesus and his mother may help you.” I told my father of this dream and requested that some of the prisoners should be set free. My father granted my request, and after that I took food and felt better. A few days passed and I had another vision, when Fatima the daughter of the Prophet and Mariam, the mother of Jesus came to me and explained that Hasan al-Askari could not come to me unless I should become a muslim and declare, that there no God but One God and Muhammad is the last apostle of God. This I accepted and after that I saw Hasan al-Askari in my vision.”
But how did you come to fall among the prisoners? asked Bashir. She replied, “ Hasan al-Askari told me that my father was planning to send an army against the muslims and that I should disguise myself and some of my women servants and arrange to go along with the army. I did this and before long some of the muslim army guards captured us, and now you see how it all turned out.”
Bashir related that when they reached Samarrah he went to the Imam Ali Naqi (AS) who received the party gladly. The Imam asked the girl if he should give her Ten Thousand Dinars or a bit of good news. When she chose the latter, he informed her that she was to be given to his son Hasan al-Askari as she has seen in her dreams and that she was to be the mother of the one who was to cause justice to reign upon the earth. She was then committed to Ali Naqi’s sister Hakima who was to look after her.
Such is the account of the wedding of Hasan al-Askari to Nargis Khatoon as Majlisi recorded it in such detail in Bihar-al-Anwar.(The same account was found in Shaikh Tusi’s book ) A few days later the wedding took place between Imam Hasan al-Askari and Nargis Khatoon, the grand daughter of the Emperor of Rum.
Imam Hasan al-Askari(AS) lived a short life, only Twenty Eight years and in this short life he had to endure great sufferings by the hands of the Abbasid caliphs. But in spite of all that suffering and confinement under house arrest in Samarrah, many students of Islam benefited from his God gifted knowledge and later became scholars in their fields. He discussed with agnostics of that age many times about the existence of God and the reasons for the necessity of the Prophets and Imams and many atheists changed their minds and converted to Islam. One of those was Ishaq al-kindi who was writing a book about contradictions in Qur’an. Imam invited some of his students and taught them lessons from the Qur’an. These students of Al-kindi confronted their teacher and rejected his arguments about the contradictions in the Holy Book. Al-Kindi realised that these arguments could not have come from the brains of these young students. He asked them about the secret of their extensive knowledge of the Qur’an. In the end they confessed that Imam Hasan al-Askari taught them. Kindi himself became the disciple of our Imam, burnt his own writings on atheism and later wrote many treatises on Islam.
Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) also dictated many Traditions of the Holy Prophet and recorded many explanations of the verses of the Holy Qur’an.
One of the famous traditions people learnt from Imam Hasan al-Askari was, “ The wine drinker is like an idolater.” Ibn al Jawzi in his book “Tehrim al Khamr” mentioned this tradition from the Imam from the most reliable narrators of Hadith.
Historians have noted many names of the Imam’s students who became scholars of their time
One of the famous students of the Imam was Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn Khalid who prepared a commentary of the Holy Qora’an which should be considered the work of the Imam himself. The Imam used to dictate its contents to Abu Ali who went on writing the commentary. Scholars indicated that the book consisted of 1920 pages.
In spite of the fact that the Imahad never given any cause for concern to the Caliphs of his time, their guilt in this matter was so great that they did not leave these pious personalities in peace. If they had no fear of their throne they were afraid of the excellence and knowledge of the Imams. In the case of Imam Hasan al-Askari, the same type of jealousy led to the poisoning of the Imam to end this life of a saint whose only activity was to teach Qora’an as the Prophet and his Ahlulbayt taught before him. During the rule of Al-Mu’tamid poison was given to the Imam mixed in some fruit and he died on 8th Rabi-al-Awwal 260 Hijri. He left only one son, whose name was Muhammad who was only five years old when his father died.
The Caliph Al- Mu’tamid himself attended the funeral prayer. When they all lined up and were ready to commence the prayers, Imam Hasan al-Askari’s brother Jaafar stood in front of the people to lead the prayer. Before he could commence the prayer, a five year old boy came out of the house, went near his uncle. Shook his mantle and told him, “set aside uncle, only an Imam can lead the funeral prayer of an Imam”. His uncle Jaafar stepped aside and this five year old boy lead the prayers. Immediately after the end of the prayer he went inside his house and was not seen by his pursuers, lead by the caliph Mu’tamid himself.
Our Eleventh Imam was buried in the same house where he had died, by the side of his father Imam Ali Naqi (AS). By the passage of time, the place was transformed into a great mausoleum and pilgrims from all over the Islamic lands came to pay their homage to the two Imams of Ahlulbayt who were buried there.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Wooden Bowl
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and a four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass often milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about grandfather," said the son. I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. Sometimes when the family glanced in grandfather's direction, he had a tear in his eye as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.
For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day that building blocks are being laid for the child's future.
Let us all be wise builders and role models. Take care of yourself and those you love today, and everyday!
--
S. Shafi Husain.
Haider Ajaz.
What is NowRoz ??? Please Read this...
This is the day when ALLAH(SWT) took promise from the souls of the men that they will consider him "wahdahu La Shareek" and will not make anyone his partner in worship.
This is the day when the first ray of sun reached the earth.
This is the day when Hazrat Noah (as) 's ark had a stop on Mount Judi.
On this day GOD granted life to those few thousand men who ran away because of the fear of black death (bubonic plague), and then granted death to all of them. After a long time when only their bones were left one prophet went through that place, he asked GOD to show how He make the old bones alive. A revelation was revealed from GOD to sprinkle water on those old bones, so that prophet sprinkled water over those bones, and they became alive. This is the reason that it is the sunnah that momineens should sprinkle water over each other or to pour water over themselves and to do ghusl. The people who got alive were 30,000 and the prophet was Hazrat Khirqeel.
This is the day when Amir-ul-Momineen(AS) stepped on the shoulders of Rasoolillah(SAW) and broke the idols inside the Holy Kaba' .
This was the day of Eid-e-Ghadeer.
This was the day when after the murder of Uthman Amir-ul-Momineen(AS) got the visible Caliphate.
This is the day when Amir-ul-Momineen(AS) won the war of Neharwa'n against the khariji'ites.
This is the day when Hazrat Sahib-ul-Asr(AS) will re-appear... INSHA-ALLAH !!!
And on this day all other Imam (as) will also make Rija' towards this earth.
Then Hazrat Imam Sadiq (as) said to Muala (rehmatullah aleh) that this day is ours and of our shias. Do ghusl this day, fast, wear clean/pure dresses, perfume yourselves, And after offering dhur, Asr and nafil prayers pray 4 rakats ......[the way how to say that namaz]
.¤.¸.¤°´¯`´¯`°¤.¸ EID - E - NAWROZ MUBAARAK ¸.¤.¸.¤°´¯`´¯`°¤.¸
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Celebrating Nowrooz and Aamal for That
What do our scholars say about this day and its importance? Ayatullah al-Uzma Makarim Shirazi, in his recent publication, Mafaatih al-Naveen (an updated version of Mafaatih al-Jinaan of Shaykh Abbas Qummi), writes: “In regards to what Islam has to say about Eid-e-Nowrooz, we must state that amongst the scholars, this Eid is debated. Some of the traditions point to the importance of this day as one in which many nations were saved (from perils).”
He goes on to state that, “The Late Allamah Majlisi writes in Zad al-Ma‘aad that, “From a reliable chain of narrators from Mu‘alla ibne Janis it has been narrated that on the day of Nowrooz, he was blessed to be in the presence of Imam as-Sadiq (AS). The Imam asked, “Do you know the status of this day?” Mu‘alla replied, “May I be sacrificed for your sake! This is the day which the Iranians took as a great day. On this day, they send gifts to one another.” The Imam replied, “The act of holding this day in esteem and greatness is due to certain historical events which took place which I will now explain to you.” The Imam then mentioned the following events: Nowrooz is the day when Allah, the High, took the promise from the souls of all human beings (before their creation) to His oneness, that they would not associate partners with Him and that they would accept and believe in His Prophets and Imams; this is also the day when the flood during the time of Prophet Nuh (AS) subsided and the ark rested on the mountain of Joodi; Nowrooz is also the day when the Messenger of Allah destroyed the idols of the polytheists of the Quraish in the city of Makkah. This was also the day that Prophet Ibrahim destroyed the idols; also the day when the Messenger of Allah ordered his companions to pledge allegiance to Ali as the Commander of the Faithful (this is in reference to the Day of Ghadeer which took place on the Eid-e-Nowrooz); it is also the day when the Qa’im from Aale Muhammad (the 12th Imam) will make his advent…”
However, Ayatullah Makarim Shirazi cautions that, “Since Mu‘alla ibne Janis is an individual whom the scholars question (and thus this tradition as well falls under question), for this reason, it is not possible to rely on this tradition.” None the less, he states that this day has Islamic significance, which we need to ensure is marked in an Islamic fashion. He concludes by stating that the Eid-e-Nowrooz is an Eid of nature in the world of creation; it is the day when winter ends and spring blossoms with its natural life by the command of Allah. It is the time when the leaves of the trees begin to sprout their buds and the flowers begin to bring forth their bulbs in preparation of their blooming; it is a time when a movement towards life takes hold of all of creation and thus we, the believers, should be in harmony with this event of the creation as this is equivalent to being in sync with the tradition (Sunnat) of Allah.
The believers need to ensure that they remove all actions which are ‘cultural’ or ‘traditional’ – even if practiced by Muslims, and to follow the dictates of the Prophet and the Imams. Thus, some of the recommend actions which we should perform on this day include: a ghusl for Eid; wearing clean clothes; applying perfume; fasting, praying the recommended Salat after Salaatul Asr and the various supplications which should be read on this day, some of which are found in Mafaatih al-Jinaan [The Prayer’s Almanac in English by PET] and Mafaatih al-Naveen.
Amaal of Nawruz
(according to Mafatihul Naween of Ayatullah Nasir Makarim Shirazi)
1 - Perform Ghusl. 2 - Put on new or clean clothes and apply perfume. 3 - Keep fast.
4 - After the Dhuhr and Asr Salaat, recite four rakaats in units of two
rakaats each in the following manner:
a) In the first Rakat after al Fatiha recite Surah al Qadr 10 times.
b) In the second Rakat after al Fatiha recite Surah al Kafirun 10 times.
c) In the third Rakat after al-Fatiha recite Surah al Ikhlaas 10 times.
d) In the fourth Rakat after al-Fatiha recite Surahs al-Falq and an-Nas 10
times
5) After the Salaat, go into Sajdha of Shukr and recite the following:
اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ الاَوْصِيَآءِ الْمَرْضِيِّيْنَ وَ عَلى جَمِيْعِ اَنْبِيَآئِكَ وَ رُسُلِكَ بَاَفْضَلِ صَلَوَاتِكَ وَ بَارِكْ عَلَيْهِمْ بِاَفْضَلِ بَرَكَاتِكَ وَ صَلِّ عَلى اَرْوَاحِهِمْ وَ اَجْسَادِهِمْ اَللّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي يَوْمِنَا هَذَا الَّذِي فَضَّلْتَهُ وَ كَرَّمْتَهُ وَ شَرَّفْتَهُ وَ عَظَّمْتَ خَطَرَهُ اَللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيْمَا اَنْعَمْتَ بِهِ عَلَيَّ حَتَّى لاَ اَشْكُرَ اَحَدًا غَيْرَكَ وَ وَسِّعْ عَلَيَّ فِي رِزْقِي يَا ذَاالْجَلاَلِ وَ الاِكْرَامِ اَللَّهُمَّ مَا غَابَ عَنِّي فَلاَ يَغِيْبَنَّ عَنِّي عَوْنُكَ وَ حِفْظُكَ وَ مَا فَقَدْتُ مِنْ شَيْئٍ فَلاَ تُفْقِدْنِي عَوْنَكَ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى لاَ اَتَكَلَّفَ مَا لاَ اَحْتَاجُ اِلَيْهِ يَا ذَاالْجَلاَلِ وَ الاِكْرَامِ
O Allah bless Muhammad and his family, the chosen successors with whom You are pleased. And [bless] all Your Prophets and Messengers with the best of Your blessings, and favor them with the best of Your favors and bless their souls and their bodies. O Allah send favors on Muhammad and his family, and favor us on this day of ours which You have given preference, have made noble, honored, and have exalted its significance. O Allah, favor me in what You have bestowed on me in it, until I do not thank anyone other than You. Increase for me in my provision, O Possessor of Majesty and Nobility. O Allah, whatever is hidden from me, let not Your help and protection be hidden from me and whatever I lose, let me not lose Your help with it so that I may not burden myself with that which I do not need, O Possessor of Majesty and Nobility.
6) It has been narrated that at the time of Tahweel, recite the following dua
يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوْبِ وَ الاَبْصَارِ يَا مُدَبِّرَ الَّيْلِ وَ النَّهَارِ يَا مُحَوِّلَ الْحَوْلِ وَ الاَحْوَالِ حَوِّلْ حَالَنَا اِلى اَحْسَنِ الْحَالِ
O One who changes the hearts and visions, O One who directs the night and the day, O One who changes situation and circumstances, change our circumstance to the best of circumstances.
7) Allamah Majlisi narrates also that the following dua should be recited as many times as the number of days in a year. If that is not possible then recite it as many times as possible with the intention of seeking nearness.
اَللَّهُمَّ هَذِهِ سَنَةٌ جَدِيْدَةٌ وَ اَنْتَ مَلِكٌ قَدِيْمٍ اَسْئَلُكَ خَيْرَهَا وَ خَيْرَ مَا فِيْهَا وَ اَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّهَا وَ شَرِّ مَا فِيْهَا وَ اسْتَكْفِيْكَ مَؤُنَتَهَا وَ شُغْلَهَا يَا ذَاالْجَلاَلِ وَ الاِكْرَامِ
O Allah, this is a new year and You are the eternal Master. I beseech You for its good and for the good that is in it. I seek refuge with You from its evil and the evil that is in it. I rely on You for its provision and its activities, O Possessor of Majesty and Nobility.
Friday, March 19, 2010
An old proverb says, "He that cannot ask cannot live". If you want answers you have to ask questions. These are 75 questions you should ask yourself and try to answer. You can ask yourself these questions right now and over the course of your life.
1. Why not me?
2. Am I nice?
3. Am I doing what I really want to do?
4. What am I grateful for?
5. What's missing in my life?
6. Am I honest?
7. Do I listen to others?
8. Do I work hard?
9. Do I help others?
10. What do I need to change about myself?
11. Have I hurt others?
12. Do I complain?
13. What's next for me?
14. Do I have fun?
15. Have I seized opportunities?
16. Do I care about others?
17. Do I spend enough time with my family?
18. Am I open-minded?
19. Have I seen enough of the world?
20. Do I judge others?
21. Do I take risks?
22. What is my purpose?
23. What is my biggest fear?
24. How can I conquer that fear?
25. Do I thank people enough?
26. Am I successful?
27. What am I ashamed of?
28. Do I annoy others?
29. What are my dreams?
30. Am I positive?
31. Am I negative?
32. Is there an afterlife?
33. Does everything happen for a reason?
34. What can I do to change the world?
35. What is the most foolish thing I've ever done?
36. Am I cheap?
37. Am I greedy?
38. Who do I love?
39. Who do I want to meet?
40. Where do I want to go?
41. What am I most proud of?
42. Do I care what others think about me?
43. What are my talents?
44. Do I utilize those talents?
45. What makes me happy?
46. What makes me sad?
47. What makes me angry?
48. Am I satisfied with my appearance?
49. Am I healthy?
50. What was the toughest time in my life?
51. What was the easiest time in my life?
52. Am I selfish?
53. What was the craziest thing I did?
54. What is the craziest thing I want to do?
55. Do I procrastinate?
56. What is my greatest regret?
57. What has had the greatest impact on my life?
58. Who has had the greatest impact on my life?
59. Do I stand up for myself?
60. Have I settled for mediocrity?
61. Do I hold grudges?
62. Do I read enough?
63. Do I listen to my heart?
64. Do I donate enough to the less fortunate?
65. Do I pray only when I want something?
66. Do I constantly dwell on the past?
67. Do I let other people's negativity affect me?
68. Do I forgive myself?
69. When I help someone do I think "What's in it for me"?
70. Am I aware that someone always has it worse than me?
71. Do I smile more than I frown?
72. Do I surround myself with good people?
73. Do I take time out for myself?
74. Do I ask enough questions?
75. What other questions do I have?
Haider Ajaz
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Frogs
A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.
This story teaches two lessons:
1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.
2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them.
Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words... it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.
Thank you,
S.Shafi Husain.
______________________________________________________________________
Why are we Proud to be Indians????
Here's Why:
1. 58% of the Doctors in The United States are Indians.
2. 22% of the Scientists in The United States are Indians.
3. 46% of NASA employees are Indians.
4. 34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
5. 29% of IBM employees are Indians.
6. 38% of Intel employees are Indians.
7. 33% of Xerox employees are Indians.
8. The Co-Inventor of USB is an Indian.
7. Zero was invented by an Indian.
8. When the
Thank you,
S.Shafi Husain.
_______________________________________________________________
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Uncanny Facts
If people run into a sign near a park bench saying that the paint is wet, everyone will touch it to check. If this is so, why don't these same folk verify the star count of around four billion stars so stated according to various scientists?
Why does a bank take interest on money when your account is overdrawn? From where do they think you are going to pay them? If you had the cash you would have used it, wouldn't you?
How do bugs get into the enclosed and sometimes shut-tight light bulbs?
Why can't we ever manage to open a plastic bag on the first attempt?
Why do they use sterilized needles when injecting a convict on death role?
If you have either a television or a Video Receiver or a DVD or anything that needs a remote controller, this odd behavior is familiar. Have you noticed that whenever the batteries begin to get dull, we press down harder? Are we expecting to squeeze more out of them?
Sanity statistics has proven that one out of four people are insane or suffer from some form of mental disease. Think of three of your best friends. If they are fine, then you must be the fourth one.
If the human race evolved from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?
If you are sitting by a table and something is accidentally falling off, don't try and prevent its fall.
Why? Every time you try, you will accidentally hit and break something else.
Why did the Japanese pilots who were planning to crash into American ships wear helmets?
Why do people move a vacuum cleaner over a small piece of thread again and again? Why do we pick it up, examine it and then place it back down and move the vacuum cleaner over it to give it a second chance?
A visit to one of the many soap shops that have sprung up all over and you'll find that soaps come in all kinds of colors. But then, why does the bubble always turn out white
Thank you,
S.Shafi Husain.
Haider Ajaz.
Interesting Facts - Nature
- A notch in a tree will remain the same distance from the ground as the tree grows.
- Banana oil is made from petroleum.
- 84% of a raw apple and 96% of a raw cucumber is water.
- The largest single flower is the Rafflesia or "corpse flower". They are generally 3 feet in diameter with the record being 42 inches.
- Onions contain a mild antibiotic that fights infections, soothes burns, tames bee stings and relieves the itch of athlete's foot.
- Quinine, one of the most important drugs known to man, is obtained from the dried bark of an evergreen tree native to South America.
- The rose family of plants, in addition to flowers, gives us apples, pears, plums, cherries, almonds, peaches and apricots.
- No species of wild plant produces a flower or blossom that is absolutely black, and so far, none has been developed artificially.
- Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
- The bright orange colors of carrots tell you they are an excellent source of Vitamin A which is important for good eyesight, especially at night. Vitamin A helps your body fight infection, and keeps your skin and hair healthy.
- A plant's stem appears and grows upward shortly after the primary root appears. It continues to grow above ground level.
- Water and minerals flow upward through the roots into the stem of the plant and then into the leaves of the plant.
- Pistils have three parts – the stigma, the style, and the ovary.
- Petals are usually colorful, and they attract insects and birds that help with pollination.
- Fruit is really the part of a flower in which seeds grow. Cherries, apples, and even milkweed pods are fruit.
- Buds are small swellings on a plant from which a shoot, leaf, or flower usually develops.
- The primary root is the first thing to sprout from a seed, and it grows downward.
- A seed contains its own food supply, which helps the sprouting plant as it begins its new life.
- Roots are covered with root hair that absorb water and minerals.
- Grapes and clematis have stems that climb with tendrils, which hold onto a surface, as the stems get longer.
Thank you,
S.Shafi Husain.
Haider Ajaz.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Reservation--History of it.
First of all let us know when reservation was started? I will give the brief history of it, so that you just get an idea. Reservation was first introduced in the year 1921, by madras presidency.
Madras Presidency, also known as Madras Province and known officially as Presidency of Fort St. George, was a province of British India. At its greatest extent, Madras Presidency included much of southern India, including the present-day Indian State of Tamilnadu, the Malabar region of North Kerala, Lakshadweep Islands, the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh, and the Bellary, Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi districts of Karnataka. The capital was at Madras, now known as Chennai. It introduced reservation of 44% for non-Brahmins, 16% for Brahmins, 16% for Muslims, 16% for Anglo Indians/Christians and 8% for schedule caste.
In 1935-Indian national congress passes resolution called Poona Pact to allocate separate electoral constituencies for depressed classes and.
In 1942-B.R.Ambedkar established the All India Depressed Classes federation to support the advancement of the scheduled castes. He also demanded reservations for the Scheduled castes in government services and education. like this it came into existence and now in full flow. So, this is the background of reservation.
The purpose of reservation was to bring the backward class forward and this policy was to be followed till the year where all backward classes become equal to other class. But this purpose has never been achieved. Politicians are using reservation as a tool to be in power and some community of people is encouraging...
Friday, March 12, 2010
Award News current affairs
» N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of the Hindu newspaper, has received the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Journalist Award, 2010, which is conferred for excellence in journalism on a personality making important contribution to the field of journalism at national level. Vir Sanghvi of Hindustan Times was the recipient of the Tilak Award in 2009.
» Mridula Koshy's If It is Sweet, a collection of short stories, has bagged the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize, 2009 award. The New Delhi-based author will get Rs 1 lakh and a citation.
In 2008, Pakistani author Mohammed Hanif's A Case of Exploding Mangoes had won the award.
The Shakti Bhatt Foundation is a non-profit trust set up by the late writer/editor's family to keep her memory alive.
» Ten young scientists have won this year's NASI Scopus Awards instituted by the National Academy of Sciences, India, and Elsevier, a leading research publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services.
The winners include Kaviyarani R. Prasad, Siddhartha Gadgil and Vijay B. Shenoy of the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science; Tanmay Basak of IIT-Madras, and Suresh Babu of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. The other winners are Vinay Nandicoori of the National Institute of Immunology, Ellora Sen of the National Brain Research Centre, Siddharth Pandey of IIT-Delhi, S.N.Tripathi of IIT-Kanpur, and Pratap Ray Chaudhuri of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.
Science and Technology Minister Prithiviraj Chavan presented the awards here on Friday. Each award carries a plaque, a citation and Rs.50,000 in cash.
Kok Keng Lim, managing director, Elsevier (Science and Technology), Asia Pacific (Academic and Government), and A. Surolia, vice-president, NASI Council, appreciated the efforts of the award winners to take science to newer heights.
» Renowned Hindi poet Kailash Vajpeyi has been honoured with the Sahitya Akademi award , 2009 for his work, Hawa mein hastakshar (Signature in the wind).
The other poets honoured with Sahitya Akademi award are: Praduman Singh Jindrahia (Dogri), Jess Fernandes (Konkani), Raghu Leishangthem (Manipuri), Vasant Abaji Dahake (Marathi), Phani Mohanty (Oriuya), Damayanti Beshra (Santhali) and Puviarasu (Tamil).
Those who won awards for collections of short stories include Vaidehi (Kannada), late Manmohan Jha (Maithili), Samiran Chhetri 'Priyadarshi' (Nepali), Major Ratan Jangid (Rajasthani), Prashasya Mitra Shastri (Sanskrit) and Anand Khemani (Sindhi).
Well-known novelists Dhrubajyoti Bora (Assamese), late Manoranjan Lahary (Bodo), U.A. Khadar (Malayalam) and Yarlagadda Laxmi Prasad (Telugu) were also honoured with the 2009 awards.
India's 56th National Film Awards 2010
- Best Actor Award went to: Upendra Limaye for his role in Jogva a Marathi film
- Best Actress Award was given: to Priyanka Chopra for Fashion.
- Best Supporting Actor was awarded to: Arjun Rampal for his role in 'Rock On'
- Best Supporting Actress was awarded to: Kangna Ranaut for Fashion
- Best Feature Film was awarded to: Antaheen (Bengali)
- Best Male Playback Singer went to: Hariharan for his song Jeev Dangla Gungla Rangla from the movie Jogva
- Best Female Playback Singer went to: Shreya Ghoshal for Phenrari Mon and Jeev DanglaGungla Rangla.
- Best Cinematography was awarded to: Avik Mukhopadhyay for his work in Antaheen.
- Best Screenplay was won by: Sachin Kundalkar for Ganha a Marathi film.
- Best Choreography went to: Chinni Prakash and Rekash for Jodha Akbar's song 'Azeem-o-Shaan Shahesha'
People Choice Awards 2010
Winner of Favorite Female Artist is: Taylor Swift. Taylor has been a favorite in awards in 2009 and it seems she is still on top in 2010.
Winner of Favorite Pop Artist is: Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga also won the Favorite Breakout Music Artist. Eminem/Keith Urban received the award for Favorite Male Artist. Favorite Rock Band was awarded to Paramore.
Carrie Underwood won the Favorite Country Artist award. For Favorite Music Collaboration was to awarded Run This Town.
Mariah Carey received the Favorite R&B Artist where she gave her memorable tipsy speech.
In the Movie section for the night Sandra Bullock received the Favorite Movie Actress and the The Proposal won the Favorite Comedy Movie, which Sandra played the lead.
Taylor Lautner won Favorite Breakout Movie Actor for his role in Twilight, The Twilight Saga, which also won the Favorite Movie award plus the Favorite Franchise award. The Twilight Saga also received the award for the Favorite On Screen Team making them the biggest winners of the night.
No Surprise in Favorite Movie Actor award goes to Johnny Depp with Hugh Jackman receiving the Favorite Action Star award.
Jim Carrey won the Favorite Comedic Star award.
Miley Cyrus received the award for Favorite Breakout Movie Actress.
The Favorite Family Movie award went to Pixars animated movie "UP". While Inglorious Basterds received the award for Favorite Independent Movie.
Ashton Kutcher had a whole section all to himself as the Favorite Web Celeb.
For the Small Screen there where plenty of awards and winners.
Favorite Talk Show was awarded to The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The Big Bang Theory won the Favorite TV comedy award. American Idol was given the Favorite TV Competition show and True Blood won the Favorite TV Obsession. Favorite TV Drama winner was House and the Favorite Animal Show went to Dog Whisperer, Favorite Sci-Fi Fantasy Show went to Supernatural.
The two Newcomer Awards was The Vampire Diaries as Favorite New TV Drama and Favorite New TV Comedy was Glee.
TV actors deserve the same respect as movie stars seeing as they work continually. Here are the favorites on the small screen.
Katherine Heigl was awarded the Favorite TV Drama Actress Award and Hugh Laurie won the Favorite TV Drama Actor award.
Steve Carrell was chosen as the Favorite TV Comedy Actor and Alyson Hannigan is the Favorite TV Comedy Actress.
Haider Ajaz
United Nations Report on Toxic Electronic Waste
According to a United Nations report released recently Developing countries face increasing environmental and health hazards from electronic waste unless toxic materials are collected and recycled properly.
The report highlights the problem of recycling and salvaging procedures in poorer countries, often in unsafe conditions by unregulated operators. Sales of electronic devices are set to rise sharply in the next 10 years, particularly in emerging economies such as China and India, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said.
According to report, titled Recycling - from E-Waste to Resources, the world produces about 40 million tons of waste from electronic devices, known as e-waste, every year.
Main Feature
Experts said exposure to toxic chemicals from e-waste - including lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium and polybrominated biphenyls - can damage the brain and nervous system, affect the kidneys and liver, and cause birth defects.
The report was launched in Indonesia's resort island of Bali. It used data from 11 developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation from discarded computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, cameras, music players, refrigerators, toys, televisions and other items.
China produces an estimated 2.3 million tons of e-waste annually, and though the country has banned e-waste imports, it remains a major dumping ground for waste from developed countries, the report said.
The UN research predicts that in South Africa and China, e-waste from old computers may jump by 200 to 400 per cent from 2007 levels and by 500 per cent in India.
E-waste from mobile phones in the same period is forecast to rise seven times in China, and 18 times in India.
According to the report, over 1 billion mobile phones were sold in 2007 worldwide, up from 896 million in 2006.
The report said most e-waste in China was improperly handled, with much of it incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold.
Jim Pucket of the Basel Action Network, a non-governmental organization fighting the international trade in toxic wastes, said massive amounts of discarded devices had been exported to China for years.
But China is not alone in facing the serious e-waste problem. India, Brazil, Mexico and others may also face rising environmental damage and health problems if e-waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector.
Report urged governments to establish e-waste management centres, building on existing organizations working in the area of recycling and waste management.
What is Electronic Waste
Electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) describes loosely discarded, surplus, obsolete, broken, electrical or electronic devices. The processing of electronic waste in developing countries causes serious health and pollution problems because electronic equipment contains some very serious contaminants such as lead, cadmium, beryllium and brominated flame retardants. Even in developed countries recycling and disposal of e-waste involves significant risk to workers and communities and great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling operations and leaching of material such as heavy metals from landfills and incinerator ashes.
Problems
Rapid technology change, low initial cost, and planned obsolescence have resulted in a fast-growing surplus of electronic waste around the globe. Dave Kruch, CEO of Cash For Laptops, regards electronic waste as a "rapidly expanding" issue. Technical solutions are available, but in most cases a legal framework, a collection system, logistics, and other services need to be implemented before a technical solution can be applied. An estimated 50 million tonnes of E-waste is produced each year. The USA discards 30 million computers each year and 100 million phones are disposed of in Europe each year.
In the United States, an estimated 70% of heavy metals in landfills comes from discarded electronics, while electronic waste represents only 2% of America's trash in landfills. The EPA states that unwanted electronics totaled 2 million tons in 2005. Discarded electronics represented 5 to 6 times as much weight as recycled electronics.
The Consumer Electronics Association says that U.S. households spend an average of $1,400 annually on an average of 24 electronic items, leading to speculations of millions of tons of valuable metals sitting in desk drawers. The U.S. National Safety Council estimates that 75% of all personal computers ever sold are now gathering dust as surplus electronics. While some recycle, 7% of cellphone owners still throw away their old cellphones.
Surplus electronics have extremely high cost differentials. A single repairable laptop can be worth hundreds of dollars, while an imploded cathode ray tube (CRT) is extremely difficult and expensive to recycle. This has created a difficult free-market economy. Large quantities of used electronics are typically sold to countries with very high repair capability and high raw material demand, which can result in high accumulations of residue in poor areas without strong environmental laws.
Trade in electronic waste is controlled by the Basel Convention. The Basel Convention Parties have considered the question of whether exports of hazardous used electronic equipment for repair or refurbishment are considered as Basel Convention hazardous wastes, subject to import and export controls under that Convention. In the Guidance document produced on that subject, that question was left up to the Parties, however in the working group all of the Parties present believed that when material is untested, or contains hazardous parts that would need to be replaced as part of the repair process, then the Convention did apply.
Like virgin material mining and extraction, recycling of materials from electronic scrap has raised concerns over toxicity and carcinogenicity of some of its substances and processes. Toxic substances in electronic waste may include lead, mercury, and cadmium. Carcinogenic substances in electronic waste may include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Capacitors, transformers, and wires insulated with or components coated with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), manufactured before 1977, often contain dangerous amounts of PCBs.
Up to 38 separate chemical elements are incorporated into electronic waste items. Many of the plastics used in electronic equipment contain flame retardants. These are generally halogens added to the plastic resin, making the plastics difficult to recycle. Due to the flame retardants being additives, they easily leach off the material in hot weather, which is a problem because when disposed of, electronic waste is generally left outside. The flame retardants leach into the soil and recorded levels were 93 times higher than soil with no contact with electronic waste.[12] The unsustainability of discarding electronics and computer technology is another reason commending the need to recycle or to reuse electronic waste.
When materials cannot or will not be reused, conventional recycling or disposal via landfill often follow. Standards for both approaches vary widely by jurisdiction, whether in developed or developing countries. The complexity of the various items to be disposed of, the cost of environmentally approved recycling systems, and the need for concerned and concerted action to collect and systematically process equipment are challenges. One study indicates that two thirds of executives are unaware of fines related to environmental regulations.
Increased regulation of electronic waste and concern over the environmental harm, which can result from toxic electronic waste, has raised disposal costs. The regulation creates an economic disincentive to remove residues prior to export. In extreme cases, brokers and others calling themselves recyclers export unscreened electronic waste to developing countries, avoiding the expense of removing items like bad cathode ray tubes, the processing of which is expensive and difficult.
Defenders of the trade in used electronics say that extraction of metals from virgin mining has also been shifted to developing countries. Hard-rock mining of copper, silver, gold and other materials extracted from electronics is considered far more environmentally damaging than the recycling of those materials. They also state that repair and reuse of computers and televisions has become a "lost art" in wealthier nations, and that refurbishing has traditionally been a path to development. South Korea, Taiwan, and southern China all excelled in finding "retained value" in used goods, and in some cases have set up billion-dollar industries in refurbishing used ink cartridges, single-use cameras, and working CRTs. Refurbishing has traditionally been a threat to established manufacturing, and simple protectionism explains some criticism of the trade. Works like "The Waste Makers" by Vance Packard explain some of the criticism of exports of working product, for example the ban on import of tested working Pentium 4 laptops to China, or the bans on export of used surplus working electronics by Japan.
Opponents of surplus electronics exports argue that lower environmental and labor standards, cheap labor, and the relatively high value of recovered raw materials leads to a transfer of pollution-generating activities, such as burning of copper wire. In China, Malaysia, India, Kenya, and various African countries, electronic waste is being sent to these countries for processing, sometimes illegally. Many surplus laptops are routed to developing nations as dumping grounds for e-waste.
Because the United States has not ratified the Basel Convention or its Ban Amendment, and has no domestic laws forbidding the export of toxic waste, the Basel Action Network estimates that about 80% of the electronic waste directed to recycling in the U.S. does not get recycled there at all, but is put on container ships and sent to countries such as China. This figure is disputed as an exaggeration by the EPA, the Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries, and the World Reuse, Repair and Recycling Association.
Guiyu in the Shantou region of China, Delhi and Bangalore in India as well as the Agbogbloshie site near Accra, Ghana have electronic waste processing areas. Uncontrolled burning, disassembly, and disposal can cause a variety of environmental problems such as groundwater contamination, atmospheric pollution, or even water pollution either by immediate discharge or due to surface runoff (especially near coastal areas), as well as health problems including occupational safety and health effects among those directly involved, due to the methods of processing the waste. Thousands of men, women, and children are employed in highly polluting, primitive recycling technologies, extracting the metals, toners, and plastics from computers and other electronic waste.
Proponents of the trade say growth of internet access is a stronger correlation to trade than poverty. Haiti is poor and closer to the port of New York than southeast Asia, but far more electronic waste is exported from New York to Asia than to Haiti. Thousands of men, women, and children are employed in reuse, refurbishing, repair, and remanufacturing, sustainable industries in decline in developed countries. It is held that denying developing nations access to used electronics denies them affordable products and internet access.
Opponents of the trade argue that developing countries utilize methods that are more harmful and more wasteful. An expedient and prevalent method is simply to toss equipment onto an open fire, in order to melt plastics and to burn away unvaluable metals. This releases carcinogens and neurotoxins into the air, contributing to an acrid, lingering smog. These noxious fumes include dioxins and furans. Bonfire refuse can be disposed of quickly into drainage ditches or waterways feeding the ocean or local water supplies.
In June 2008, a container of electronic waste, destined from the Port of Oakland in the U.S. to Sanshui District in mainland China, was intercepted in Hong Kong by Greenpeace. Concern over exports of electronic waste were raised in press reports in India, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria.
Recycling
Today the electronic waste recycling business is in all areas of the developed world a large and rapidly consolidating business. Electronic waste processing systems have matured in recent years, following increased regulatory, public, and commercial scrutiny, and a commensurate increase in entrepreneurial interest. Part of this evolution has involved greater diversion of electronic waste from energy-intensive down cycling processes (e.g., conventional recycling), where equipment is reverted to a raw material form.
This diversion is achieved through reuse and refurbishing. The environmental and social benefits of reuse include diminished demand for new products and virgin raw materials (with their own environmental issues); larger quantities of pure water and electricity for associated manufacturing; less packaging per unit; availability of technology to wider swaths of society due to greater affordability of products; and diminished use of landfills.
Audiovisual components, televisions, VCRs, stereo equipment, mobile phones, other handheld devices, and computer components contain valuable elements and substances suitable for reclamation, including lead, copper, and gold.
Electronic Waste Substances
Some computer components can be reused in assembling new computer products, while others are reduced to metals that can be reused in applications as varied as construction, flatware, and jewelry.
Substances found in large quantities include epoxy resins, fiberglass, PCBs, PVC, thermosetting plastics, lead, tin, copper, silicon, beryllium, carbon, iron and aluminium.
Elements found in small amounts include cadmium, mercury, and thallium.
Elements found in trace amounts include americium, antimony, arsenic, barium, bismuth, boron, cobalt, europium, gallium, germanium, gold, indium, lithium, manganese, nickel, niobium, palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, selenium, silver, tantalum, terbium, thorium, titanium, vanadium, and yttrium.
Almost all electronics contain lead and tin (as solder) and copper (as wire and printed circuit board tracks), though the use of lead-free solder is now spreading rapidly.
--
Haider Ajaz
OSCAR awards winning movies 2010
The OSCAR awards for 2010 were announced on March 07, 2010 in a ceremony held at Kodak Theatre, Hollywood. Officially the awards should be called the 82nd Academy Awards.
There was a tough competition between "Avtar" and "The Hurt Locker". Avtar failed to win the maximum awards and could only manage three against six of The Hurt Locker. This reminded me of Slumdog Millionaire that won 8 awards in OSCAR Awards 2009.
Best Picture
The Hurt Locker
Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow (for The Hurt Locker)
Best Actor
Jeff Bridges (for Crazy Heart, as Otis "Bad" Blake)
Best Actress
Sandra Bullock (for The Blind Side, as Leigh Anne Tuohy)
Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz (for Inglourious Basterds, as Col. Hans Landa)
Best Supporting Actress
Mo'Nique ( for Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire, as Mary Lee Johnston)
Best Original Screenplay
The Hurt Locker – Mark Boal
Best Adapted Screenplay
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire – Geoffrey Fletcher from Push by Sapphire
Best Animated Feature
Up – Pete Docter
Best Foreign Language Film
El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina) in Spanish – Juan José Campanella
Best Original Score
Up – Michael Giacchino
Best Original Song
"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from Crazy Heart – Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett
Some Fact about Oscars 2010:
1. The Hurt Locker was the most successful film winning 6 OSCAR awards. It was followed by Avatar with 3 awards.
2. Avatar and The Hurt Locker received maximum number of nominations (9 each)
3. Inglourious Basterds was the second most nominated film (8 nominations)
4. Avatar was director James Cameron's first feature film since Titanic in 1997 which won a record-tying 11 Oscars.
5. The Hurt Locker's Director Kathryn Bigelow is the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Picture and Academy Award for Best Director. She is the second American woman to be nominated for the second award, the other being Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation in 2003.
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Haider Ajaz
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Current GK- --Winter Olympic 2010: Vancouver, Canada
The Winter Olympic Games, like Summer Olympics, are held every four years. The only difference being that they feature winter sports held on snow or ice.
The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France in 1924. Winter Olympics are not as popular as Summer Olympics as lesser number of countries participate in them. The 2010 Winter Olympics are officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics. They were held on February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the resort town of Whistler, Richmond, West Vancouver and the University Endowment Lands.
Games in Winter Olympics:
Alpine skiing, Biathlon, Bobsled, Cross-country skiing, Curling, Figure skating, Freestyle skiing, Ice hockey, Luge, Nordic combined, Short track speed skating, Skeleton, Ski jumping, Snowboarding, Speed skating.
Participation in 2010:
Athletes: Approx 2600
Countries: 82
Events: 86
Games: 56 disciplines
Medal Tally for Winter Olympics 2010:
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Canada (CAN) | 14 | 7 | 5 | 26 |
| 2 | Germany (GER) | 10 | 13 | 7 | 30 |
| 3 | United States (USA) | 9 | 15 | 13 | 37 |
| 4 | Norway (NOR) | 9 | 8 | 6 | 23 |
| 5 | South Korea (KOR) | 6 | 6 | 2 | 14 |
| 6 | Switzerland (SUI) | 6 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| 7 | China (CHN) | 5 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| 7 | Sweden (SWE) | 5 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| 9 | Austria (AUT) | 4 | 6 | 6 | 16 |
| 10 | Netherlands (NED) | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
Winter Olympic Games' Venues:
| Games | Year | Host |
| I | 1924 | France Chamonix, France |
| II | 1928 | Switzerland St. Moritz, Switzerland |
| III | 1932 | United States Lake Placid, United States |
| IV | 1936 | Nazi Germany Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany |
| -- | 1940 | Sapporo, Japan (Cancelled due to World War II) |
| -- | 1944 | Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy (Cancelled due to World War II) |
| V | 1948 | Switzerland St. Moritz, Switzerland |
| VI | 1952 | Norway Oslo, Norway |
| VII | 1956 | Italy Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy |
| VIII | 1960 | United States Squaw Valley, United States |
| IX | 1964 | Austria Innsbruck, Austria |
| X | 1968 | France Grenoble, France |
| XI | 1972 | Japan Sapporo, Japan |
| XII | 1976 | Austria Innsbruck, Austria |
| XIII | 1980 | United States Lake Placid, United States |
| XIV | 1984 | Yugoslavia Sarajevo, Yugoslavia |
| XV | 1988 | Canada Calgary, Canada |
| XVI | 1992 | France Albertville, France |
| XVII | 1994 | Norway Lillehammer, Norway |
| XVIII | 1998 | Japan Nagano, Japan |
| XIX | 2002 | United States Salt Lake City, United States |
| XX | 2006 | Italy Turin, Italy |
| XXI | 2010 | Canada Vancouver, Canada, |
| XXII | 2014 | Russia Sochi, Russia (Scheduled) |
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Haider Ajaz
