I pledge not to waste food this Ramadan. Will you join me is this pledge?
Ramadan is the period when people fast during the day. Naturally, when they break their fast at iftar and during dinner, people tend tend to hog on. First by cooking more than necessasry and then by taking onto their plates (more than what the stomach can take). This ends up as waste, which does down the sewage.
This holy month is a time to show courtesy to our brethen, wherein people donate money to those needy. By limiting our food consumotion, we are doing a greater charity.
The famine that has affected Africa, is well known. People there are starving to death. Those images on the TV are pitifully moving.
So this Ramadan, join me (by putting “I PLEDGE NOT TO WASTE FOOD” in the comments). This is the least that we can do to help those starving.
Since, charity begins from home; lets start from our house.
I PLEDGE NOT TO WASTE FOOD.
Fellow bloggers can put this link on their blog, to support this cause.
1. Two as One. Embracing each other gently, begin to sense your partner’s breathing and gradually try to synchronize your breathing with his or hers. After a few minutes, you might feel that the two of you have merged.
Inhibitions. Countless millions of relationships have probably started with a glass of wine. Inhibitions block feelings of vulnerability, so lowering inhibitions can indeed help people bond. Getting drunk, however, is blinding and debilitating. Instead of alcohol, try the Two as One exercise above.
2. Soul Gazing. Standing or sitting about two feet away from each other, look deeply into each other’s eyes, trying to look into the very core of your beings. Do this for about two minutes and then talk about what you saw.
3. Monkey Love. Standing or sitting fairly near each other, start moving your hands, arms and legs any way you like—but in a fashion that perfectly imitates your partner. This is fun but also challenging. You will both feel as if you are moving voluntarily, but your actions are also linked to those of your partner.
Similarity. Opposites sometimes attract, but research by behavioral economist Dan Ariely of Duke University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and others shows that people usually tend to pair off with those who are similar to themselves—in intelligence, background and level of attractiveness. Some research even suggests that merely imitating someone can increase closeness. See the Monkey Love exercise above.
4. Falling in Love. This is a trust exercise, one of many that increase mutual feelings of vulnerability. From a standing position, simply let yourself fall backward into the arms of your partner. Then trade places. Repeat several times and then talk about your feelings. Strangers who do this exercise sometimes feel connected to each other for years.
Arousal. Studies by researchers such as psychologist Arthur Aron of Stony Brook University show that people tend to bond emotionally when aroused, say, through exercise, adventures or exposure to dangerous situations. Roller coaster, anyone? See the Falling in Love exercise above.
5. Secret Swap. Write down a deep secret and have your partner do the same. Then trade papers and talk about what you read. You can continue this process until you have run out of secrets. Better yet, save some of your secrets for another day
Self-disclosure. Research by Aron, Sprecher and others indicates that people tend to bond when they share secrets with each other. Once again, the key here is allowing oneself to be vulnerable. See the Secret Swap exercise above.
6. Mind-Reading Game. Write down a thought that you want to convey to your partner. Then spend a few minutes wordlessly trying to broadcast that thought to him or her, as he or she tries to guess what it is. If he or she cannot guess, reveal what you were thinking. Then switch roles.
7. Let Me Inside. Stand about four feet away from each other and focus on each other. Every 10 seconds or so move a bit closer until, after several shifts, you are well inside each other’s personal space (the boundary is about 18 inches). Get as close as you can without touching. (This exercise often ends with kissing.)
Proximity and familiarity. Studies by Stanford University social psychologists Leon Festinger and Robert Zajonc and others conclude that simply being around someone tends to produce positive feelings. When two people consciously and deliberately allow each other to invade their personal space, feelings of intimacy can grow quickly. See the Let Me Inside exercise above.
8. Love Aura. Place the palm of your hand as close as possible to your partner’s palm without actually touching. Do this for several minutes, during which you will feel not only heat but also, sometimes, eerie kinds of sparks.
In collaboration with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and as a precautionary measure, McDonald’s USA today issued a voluntary product recall of the four Shrek Forever After™ promotional glassware currently being offered in U.S. restaurants.
To be clear, the glassware was evaluated by an independent third-party laboratory, accredited by the CPSC, and determined to be in compliance with all applicable federal and state requirements at the time of manufacture and distribution. However, in light of the CPSC’s evolving assessment of standards for consumer products, McDonald’s determined in an abundance of caution that a voluntary recall of the Shrek Forever After glassware is appropriate.
McDonald’s safety standards are among the highest in the industry.
Additionally, instructions to return the glassware and request a refund will be available by visiting the website again beginning Tuesday, June 8.
This is because the painted designs on the cups contained traces of toxic metal named Cadmium. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning to consumers against using the glasses immediately. Cadmium can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs, the nervous system and the brain.
Beware before you take that large gulf from that large cola glass.
And don’t you forget that calories and fat the meal adds to your body.
Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein has urged Middle Eastern governments to take more action to tackle the region’s unhealthy youth by pushing the importance of sport.
“We’ve seen throughout the region now incredible statistics that are going frighteningly on an upward curve every day of diabetes, of heart disease among our youth,” she told Dubai One TV’s ‘Dubai Tonight’ programme.
“The lifestyle that we should be promoting is now becoming as urgent as some of the things we prioritised before. Really sport is now a necessity. It’s a necessity to tackle non-communicable diseases, it’s a necessity to ensure the safety and security of our youth and their future.
“For that simple reason alone, it’s at the government level, through ministries of education, through ministries of health, that this now has to be accepted as a top of the agenda.”
Last week, her husband, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE’s Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said the spread of diabetes among children in the country’s was “unacceptable”.
During an interview given to coincide with Dubai’s hosting of the SportAccord convention, he said the important role sport played in the future health of the nation was “one way to address those problems”.
“About 40 percent of our children have diabetes. That is unacceptable. Sports is one way to address those problems,” he said.
Now compare this with the comments of the Kuwaiti parliamentarians and mess that the Kuwait Olympic Committee is in; which all goes to say how sports (and especially among women) is treated in Kuwait, given the fact that over 60% of the population is considered as “OBESE” according to world standards.
The Brazilian Health Minister, Jose Gomes Temporao, has reiterated the omni-vocal fact that regular physical exercise is the key to ward of chronic illness.
What a welcome idea is that he has stressed particularly of sexual intercourse as a primary means of getting the regular does of physical activity. Good that he clarified that sex has to be with due protection.
This is what the news item read:
“People need to be active. A weekend football game must not be the only physical activity for a Brazilian. Adults need to do exercise: walk, dance and have safe sex,” said Jose Gomes Temporao.
It was while launching a campaign to prevent high blood pressure, that the minister gave the advice, reports The Telegraph.
Temporao then defended his promotion of sexual intercourse to journalists, according to the G1 news website.
“It’s not a joke. It’s serious. Having regular physical exercises also means sex, always with protection of course,” he said.
“Dancing, having sex, keeping weight under control, changing dietary habits, doing physical exercise” all help keep blood pressure down, he said.
The eruption under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland that has thrown up a six-km (3.7-mile) high plume of ash and disrupted air traffic across northern Europe shows no signs of abating after 40 hours of activity. Located under Iceland’s fifth largest glacier, the volcano has erupted five times since the area was settled in the 9th century. Eyjafjallajokull has a 2.5 km-wide volcanic crater, covered in ice. Fissure-fed lava flows occur on its eastern and western flanks of the so-called stratovolcano, which is built up from alternating layers of ash, lava and rocks ejected by earlier eruptions. When the volcano began erupting in late March it opened a 500-m fissure producing lava fountains along the vent. The ash cloud has been formed through a process called fragmentation which occurs in several stages. First, magma travelling under pressure through underground conduits is broken up into pieces by expanding gases. As pressure decreases closer to the surface, the magma turns into fine volcanic ash which breaks into even smaller particles when it makes contact with glacial ice on the surface of the crater. The fine dust melds with steam rising from the crater to to form a dark, billowing plume. “It’s like a soda bottle when you take the top off,” said Icelandic vulcanologist Armann Hoskuldsson, describing what happens to magma as it travels to the surface.
Wedding cake is so ordinary, so if you want to cut something different at your wedding in Japan, a company in Kanagawa prefecture offers a big tuna instead. The company has offered this package for about 10 years now and in the following video one Japanese couple has purchased a 100kg BigEye tuna for their guests.
India is no doubt, an incredible destination, with lots and lots to see; from the modern cities to the rustic villages.
The latest Incredible India promotional video captures the various facets of India very nicely. A must see, for all those who haven’t been to India and also for those who have not visited the whole of India.
The 12 inch pizza pie is densely packed with an assortment of some of the world’s most expensive food ingredients, such as lobster marinated in cognac, caviar soaked in champagne, sunblush tomato sauce, Scottish smoked salmon, venison medallions, prosciutto, and vintage balsamic vinegar. In addition to all these fine ingredients, it’s topped with a significant amount of edible 24-carat gold flakes.
Today is 14 Jan, a day for many different festivals in each different region of India.
Makara Sankranti, celebrated at the beginning of Uttarayana उत्तरायण, is the only Hindu festival which is based on the celestial calendar rather than the lunar calendar. The zodiac having drifted from the solar calendar has caused the festival to now occur in mid-January (see precession of equinoxes). In Tamil Nadu it is celebrated as the festival of Pongal. The day before Pongal, the last day of the previous year, they celebrate Bhogi. In Assam it is called Magh Bihu (the First day of Magh), in Punjab Lohri and in Hindi speaking states and Maharshtra it is observed as Makar Sankranti and is celebrated by exchanging balls of sesame candy (Til Gur) and requesting each other to be as sweet as the candy balls for the next year. It is called Makara Sankrant because the sun enters the zodiacal sign of Capricorn on 14 January (Makar meaning Capricorn). It is celebrated with much pomp in Andhra Pradesh, where the festival is celebrated for three days and is more of a cultural festival than an auspicious day as in other parts of India. In some parts of India, the festival is celebrated by taking dips in the Ganga or another river and offering water to the Sun god. The dip is said to purify the self and bestow punya. In many states, mainly in Gujarat, families fly bright colorful kites from their roofs all day and into the night. It is a form of celebrating and welcoming the longer days. It is also very common to feed grass to the cows on this day. In Assam on Bihu Eve or Uruka families build house-like structures called bhelaghar and separate large bhelaghar are built by the community as a whole. Different sorts of twine are tied around fruit trees. Traditionally, fuel is stolen for the final ceremony, when all the bhelaghar are burned. Their remains are then placed at the fruit trees. Special puja is offered as a thanksgiving for good harvest. Since the festival is celebrated in midwinter, the foods prepared for this festival are such that they keep the body warm and give high energy. Laddu of til made with jaggery is specialty of the festival.
Makara Sankranti is referred to in the Surya Siddhanta. The Dharma Shastras mention Makara Sankranti. January 14 represents the climax of the Kumbh and Ardh Kumbh Mela. It is a traditional holiday/harvest in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Maharashtra, Nepal, Punjab, Rajasthan, TamilNadu,Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
Thai Pongal is a harvest festival event celebrated by Tamils across the world. Pongal coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated in various other parts of India. Pongal in Tamil means “boiling over or spill over.”
Traditionally celebrated at harvest time, it’s a celebration of the prosperity associated with the harvest by thanking the sun god, rain and the farm animals that have helped in the harvest. In villages, new clothes are worn and people owning cows find this festival more important. Pongal is celebrated by the Indian state of Tamil Nadu as well as Tamils in Sri Lanka.
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