A STORY OF A FATHER AND SON - IT WILL MAKE YOU CRY

This is a true story about a man named Rashed. He tells his story as follows…I was not more than 30 years old when my wife gave birth to our first child. I still remember that night, I stayed out all night long with my friends, as was my habit. It ...

A Story of a Father and Son - It will Make You Cry

Protecting Children over the Internet

The Internet is like a vast city-full of virtual shops, museums, theaters and recreational activities. But like real cities, there are certain places online that children shouldn't visit alone.

A recent study by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children revealed several startling facts about Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17:

• One in five children is inappropriately or sexually solicited on the Internet;

• One in 33 children receives an aggressive sexual solicitation-someone who asks to meet them in real life, calls them on the telephone or sends them mail, money or gifts;

• One in four children has unwanted exposure to pictures of naked people or people having sex;

• One in 17 children is threatened or harassed online; and

• Less than 10 percent of sexual solicitations and only 3 percent of unwanted exposure episodes are reported to authorities.

A similar study done by the Crimes Against Children Research Center indicates that young girls are more likely than boys to have close online relationships with cyber pals, which puts them at an increased risk of being contacted and romanced by sexual predators in Internet chat rooms and similar Web communities.

Modern parents often feel overwhelmed by these complicated high-tech issues and need someone to help make sense of it all and show them how to keep up with their cyber-savvy children. Pooling the knowledge of its national network of certified technicians, Geeks On Call has developed a special program known as "Kids Club" that offers educational materials to parents and schools to help promote Internet safety for children.

At the core of the Kids Club program is a free publication titled A "Parents' Guide to Internet Safety," which is designed to provide parents with simple, practical advice about ways to protect their children and how to be actively involved in their kids' digital lives. The guide divides the subject of Internet safety into two categories: personal safety for children and technological safety for computers.

Other aspects of the Kids Club program include interactive workshops for students and Internet-safety seminars for parents and teachers.

Below are few tips to protect your kids from 

• Protecting children on the Internet isn’t just about installing a content filter and calling it a day. It takes a proactive plan that encompasses all devices that can access the Internet. Take an inventory of all such devices in your home. That includes computers, PDAs, cell phones and game units. You can’t develop an effective plan to mitigate risks if you don’t know all the access paths.

•   Search all the internet capable devices for traces of inappropriate content. Simple text phrase searches across all drives are easy to do. Consult your operating system for help. As well, search for photo files (*.jpg, *.jpeg, etc.) and review these files by thumbnail. Questionable content may indicate an Internet safety issue and risk.
• Take control of all computer administrative passwords. Without them, you’ll never keep ahead of the approaches kids use today to deceive their parents and cover their online tracks.

•   Lock down kids’ PCs by revoking administrative privileges for their accounts as stated above, and limit or remove their ability to install new software. Young people are notorious for downloading software containing spyware and malware.

•  Use filtering software to block inappropriate content (such as hate speech, racism, adult content and inappropriate games) by age category. Keep in mind, content-filtering software alone won’t protect your children online, but it does reduce the risk. If your operating system is Windows Vista, parental control is built in as a function of the system. If you are using Windows XP or earlier, a review of a free, highly recommended filtering product can be found elsewhere on this Blog. If you find this free application satisfactory for your purposes, you can download it from the review page.
•  Don’t allow children in elementary school to have e-mail accounts. These are best left for middle-school children and older.
•   Use safe e-mail programs for children in middle school. These programs have functions that allow parents to restrict whom their children can contact. Effective e-mail programs for children also reduce spam, or unwanted e-mail, some of which can be harmful to children. Zoobuh is one such recommended product. Visit their site at Zoobuh

•   Block social networking sites from children in elementary and middle school via a content-filtering program. Online predators love this access route, and much of the content on these sites is too mature for young children.
•   Block popular search engines from children in elementary and middle school with a content-filtering program.

•  If your older teenagers use social networking sites, review what they’ve posted (both personal and public pages), and monitor all usage via stealth software. If necessary, trap their online passwords and log in as them to see their personal profiles, which are usually exposed to a subset of online friends. A free stealth application is reviewed elsewhere on this Blog; you may download the program from that page. Click Here:
  
•  Block all IM tools that allow children to make phone calls over the Internet. These tools are preferred by today’s predators since parents often don’t see any of the call logs and may not know that their children are even using the Internet to talk to strangers. Consult “How to Protect Children on the Internet” for a list of the products to block.

•   Avoid video cameras on PCs and disable built-in devices on laptops (consult your computer’s manual). Predators can use them to cultivate people as online sex slaves once they’ve been blackmailed, or have exposed a weakness. There really isn’t a good reason to let children use these devices.
•   Don’t underestimate the creativity of today’s sexual predators. They’re not all men looking for girls. For a shocking look at female predators, view “When Girls Do It: The Story of Female Sexual Predators."

•   Be proactive and report any online crimes you become aware of to the appropriate authorities.
•   Use stealth monitoring software, as noted above, on the computers of children in middle school and high school. It will expose everything they do.
•  If possible, avoid laptops with wireless cards. Mobile devices such as laptops are more costly than desktop PCs and introduce more risks. If you purchase one for your teenager, equip it with stealth software and review the logs weekly.

•   Test the effectiveness of the Internet filters used in your children’s schools. Report any issues to the principal, and demand action where appropriate.
•   It is critical that you talk to your children about the risks inherent in Internet usage. Use real-world examples of tragedies—there are several listed in my book. Today’s teens feel like they’re invincible. Tell your children never to post personal information online and never to meet anyone in person that they’ve met online.
•   Trust no one online. You never know who is on the other end.

• Read my book. “How to Protect Your Children on the Internet” contains a complete road map designed to give parents and educators back the control they need to keep kids safe in today’s technologically sophisticated world. All recommendations are outlined by technology topic and by age category for ease of reference and use.

Dakuwaqa's Garden - Underwater footage from Fiji & Tonga

The Secret - Planet Earth HD

Eid Mubarak

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims observe a strict fast and participate in pious activities such as charitable giving and peace-making. It is a time of intense spiritual renewal for those who observe it. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world observe a joyous three-day celebration called Eid al-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking). It is a time to give in charity to those in need, and celebrate with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy.

Typically, Muslims wake up early in the morning—always before sunrise— offer Salatul Fajr (the pre-sunrise prayer). Muslims recite the following incantation in a low voice while going to the Eid prayer: Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar. Lā ilāha illà l-Lāh wal-Lāhu akbar, Allahu akbar walil-Lāhi l-ḥamd. Recitation ceases once the Imam commences activities.

On the day of Eid, Muslims gather early in the morning in outdoor locations or mosques to perform the Eid prayer. This consists of a sermon followed by a short congregational prayer. Eid al-Fitr has a particular salat (Islamic prayer) consisting of two raka'ah (units) and generally offered in an open field or large hall. It may only be performed in congregation. Muslims are recommended to use separate routes to and from the prayer grounds.

 

After the Eid prayer, Muslims usually scatter to visit various family and friends, give gifts (especially to children). These activities traditionally continue for three days. In most Muslim countries, the entire 3-day period is an official government/school holiday. 

It is forbidden to fast on the Day of Eid^. It is customary to acknowledge this with a small sweet breakfast, preferably of the date fruit, before attending a special Eid prayer.

Although the date of Eid ul-Fitr is always the same in the Islamic calendar, the date in the Gregorian calendar falls approximately 11 days earlier each successive year, since the Islamic calendar is lunar and the Gregorian calendar is solar.

Special arrangements are done on this occasion, particularly girls get very excited for their Eid arrangements, especially for henna.They are fond of henna even their Eid is considered incomplete without henna. Henna has existed from centuries and was usually drawn on the palms and feet.Before the modern era henna was prepared at home by grinding henna leaves in a paste with water and oil. There was no consideration of design like today; they just used to apple henna paste on their hand. Another popular design was, a circular pattern is drawn and filled in the center of the palm. Finger tips are also covered with henna. This design is still very popular today. Toothpick was also used to make designs in the early days before henna cones were made available.

 

Recipes of The Famous Eid Deserts:

 

 

 

Recipe for some of the famous Eid Deserts is given below:

Seviyan 
Ingredients

2 Cups of milk
2 tbsp. Of Rice
3 tbsp. Of Sugar
1/4th Cup of blanched almonds (sliced) <
1 tsp. Of Green cardamom (crushed)
1/2 tsp of Kewra essence
Silver or gold foil paper (varak)


How To Cook:
Soak rice in water for few hours, after removing water, grind rice into a smooth paste. In a non-stick saucepan bring milk. Over a moderate low heat add rice, sugar and cardamom and stir constantly till milk turns thick. Now add almonds and put in serving bowl and chill. Garnish with silver or gold foil paper (varak) and serve.


 
Sheer Korma:

Ingredients:

1 pack ate Vermicelli
1-gallon fresh whole milk
1-cup sugar
20 cloves whole cardamom pods
1/2-teaspoon cardamom powder
1 cup slivered almond, cashews and pistachios
1/2-cup fresh cream
1/2 teaspoon saffron strands
3 tablespoons charoli nuts
1/2-cup light brown raisins
1/2-teaspoon rose water
1-tablespoon butter


How To Cook: Fry the vermicelli in the butter until well browned but not burnt.
Fry on low heat until all the butter is dried.
Add in 1/4-cup sugar and fry again.
Add in the whole milk cup by cup, stirring constantly, and bring to boil.
Add in the raisins, whole cardamom, and 1/2 cup slivered almonds, cashews and pistachios, and the remaining sugar.
Reduce the heat and thicken the sheer korma to three-strand consistency, letting the milk boil until it is halved.
The vermicelli must be very soft by now.
Quickly add in the rose water, charoli and fresh cream and let simmer covered for 10 minutes.
Garnish with the saffron strands and powdered cardamom, and serve immediately.


Badam Kheer - Almond Kheer

 

 Ingredients : 

Almonds – 1 cup

Milk – 6 cups

Sugar – 1 cu

Saffron Powder – a pinch

Saffron – ½  tsp

Soak almonds in a cup of hot water for about an hour. 

Method : 

Soak the saffron in cold milk and keep aside.

Peel off the skin of almonds and make fine paste. Use milk for making pasting instead of using water.

Measure the quantity of almond paste. Take same amount of sugar.

Cook the almond paste for about 5 to 10 minutes stirring it continuously.

Add the remaining sugar and keep stirring the mixture.

Pour the remaining milk and boil it for about 15 minutes.

Add the soaked saffron.

Badam Kheer is ready to serve.

Wish you all a very very HAPPY EID - UL - FITR.

START SAVING NOW: HERE’S HOW!

You might wonder how to begin saving if your income is already over-committed. Efficiency and discipline are the answers.

• You need to first find out where your income is going. Maintain a diary for the month, noting down everything you spend on, to the last paisa. You will be surprised at the amount of random purchases you make – from coffee breaks to grocery bills. These are the best places to start trimming.

• Then, make a budget. This isn’t as difficult as you think. All a budget does is create a plan for spending, by stating expenses and goals. Make sure to cover fixed and regular expenses such as mortgage or rent, utility payments, and car or loan/credit card payments. Then set limits on necessities like groceries and clothing, as well as nice-to-haves like entertainment and travel. It’s also important at this stage to factor in a savings amount.
• 

• Now, your first priority is an emergency fund, if you don’t already have one in place. And the easiest way to do this is to have the amount deducted from your salary every month and put into a Fixed or Recurring Deposit. Give yourself a pat on the back if you find yourself adding that little extra to your fund because you managed to save a little more this month. You might find it easier to stay within budget if you use cash or debit cards for the necessities and frills.

• As your emergency fund accumulates, your next task is to find more money for savings and even investment. Begin by paying off your credit cards. If you spend a little time examining your monthly statements, you will be amazed to see how much money you’re losing just by way of interest!

SAVING Vs. INVESTING

At this point, we need to address the differences between saving and investing.

Savings provide for emergencies and fund specific purchases in the near future (within two years). The primary goal is to store funds and keep them safe. However, you invest to increase net worth and work toward long-term goals. Also realise that investing involves risk, where you could lose some of your original investment. Only consider an investment plan when you have in place an emergency fund, insurance, control over credit use, and a retirement plan.

IN THE LONG RUN

Now, consider making a long-range savings and investment plan. When beginning to plan for investments, consider your goals, the amount of time you will be able to spend on nurturing these investments, how much you know about the funds, how much money you have to invest, whether you can tolerate risk, and handle loss. Remember that your ultimate goal is a financially secure future for you and your family.

If you look back over all that we’ve discussed so far, you will realize that we’ve told you how to begin saving money, in small, manageable chunks. The final objective might be to set aside enough for you to retire so that you don’t have to work another day, but your immediate goal is to start the process and become habituated, so that saving becomes a way of life, and a chance to improve how you live.

By reading this on paper it seems easy to start it but the fact is it's not easy. But friends its not impossible....also it is necessary in this world of today where difficulties (specially financial) are on the every next step.So start saving for your great future.....

Happy Savings!!!!

Secret - Important to discuss with kids...

As parents we have so much to worry about in regards to our children. We want to protect them from all of lifes dangers, yet we want to accomplish this without putting unnecessary fear into their lives.

When my children were small, we began talking about secrets. What is a good secret and what is a bad secret? This seemed to be a concept my children could understand, while accomplishing my goal of not scaring them.

Good secrets are things that you get to tell mommy or daddy. Such as we bought daddy a birthday gift. Today it's a secret but tomorrow we get to tell daddy. Another good secret is when the principal at school tells you there will be a party for your teacher but today it's a secret. Tomorrow however we get to tell the teacher. 





As your children get a bit older, a good secret might even be your friend telling you she likes a boy. While your child may be asked not to tell the boy, your child could certainly tell you this secret.

So what is a bad secret? A bad secret is a secret that your child is asked to NEVER tell. A bad secret might be another child admitting they did something wrong and asking your child not to tell. It might also be an adult acting inappropriately with your child and telling the child to keep this a secret and not tell mommy.

 
 

My kids asked of course, "who will tell us bad secrets?". I began to tell them that bad people tell bad secrets, and quickly realized this is not true at all. Instead I chose to tell them that a bad secret can come from both a child and an adult who is doing something wrong. To this day I still believe that only someone doing something wrong will ask a child to keep a secret from mommy or daddy.




My kids and I spent many hours talking about secrets and that mommy and/or daddy must always be told secrets. I also assured them that they would NEVER get in trouble for telling mommy or daddy a secret. I can remember a few times, my kids slipping and telling a good secret when they weren't supposed to, but I kept my word and they never got in trouble. You see, I have often heard that someone acting inappropriately will say "if you tell your mommy, you will get in trouble". I never wanted my child to have a visual image of getting in trouble for telling mommy a secret.

Level of Protein needed.

Don't sacrifice your carbohydrates for a high protein diet, and think twice before "bulking up" those biceps with protein to look better at the gym. Your daily diet shouldn't contain more than 30% protein ideally, because an excess of it will do you more harm than good. So says Gail Butterfield, Ph.D., director of Nutrition Studies at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Medical Center.

Protein riched food....

What is protein?

We know that we need protein but what is it? What are the best sources and how much do you need? Our bodies are made up of 75% protein so it is necessary to eat adequate amounts and especially important if you are building muscle.
Protein is made up of amino acids which are known as the building blocks of protein. There are about 20 different amino acids but there are 8 essential amino acids.

What is protein for and what does it do?

Simply put, protein aids the recovery and growth of the muscles after a workout at the gym.
Protein helps repair the "ripped" or "damaged" muscles allowing them to grow bigger and stronger in an attempt to cope with the next gym work out - once you increase the intensity or weight used in your workout you will be able to "rip" or "damage" your muscles again so the cycle restarts..but that's a whole new article!

 

Why does our body need protein?

Apart from athletes and body builders who need more protein for performance, we all need protein as it is in every part of our bodies, organs, cells, eyes, muscle hair, skin, nails, blood and tissue, and we need to replace it on a regular basis.

Dr. Butterfield says that excess protein in your diet may have harmful effects. If you increase protein without adding more calories and exercise to your daily life, instead of building muscle mass you will put your other body systems under undue stress. And eating more protein while increasing calorie intake -- but keeping at the same exercise levels -- builds an equal amount of additional fat and muscle. Meanwhile, a diet where protein is more than 30% of your calorie intake causes a buildup of toxic ketones. A "ketogenic" diet, or one high in ketones, pushes your kidneys to excessively flush themselves free of toxins. This can cause you to lose a significant amount of water, which puts you at serious risk of dehydration, especially if you exercise heavily during your workouts.

Highest Protein foods...

Such water loss will make it appear you're losing weight, when in actuality you're not. Plus you will be losing, not gaining, muscle mass and bone calcium from this ketogenic diet, while the stress of dehydration can also badly affect your heart. Dehydration from a ketogenic diet can make you dizzy and weak, give you bad breath, and lead to other health-related problems. This can be the result of a high-protein, low-carb "fad" diet – one that emphasizes proteins excessively.

Actual protein deficiency is a very rare condition and is confined usually to elderly women or persons with eating disorders. Protein deficiency is defined as eating 50-75% of the recommended daily amount of protein. You should consume 0.36 grams of protein for every pound of your normal body weight, according to the US recommended daily allowance -- or RDA -- guides. And protein should make up about 15% of your daily caloric intake, not go well over 30% of it.

Protein is absolutely required for your body's normal functioning, as it helps synthesize your enzymes and hormones. It maintains your fluid balance and the building of antibodies against infections. It also is the basic building block for your muscles, bones, cartilage, skin, hair and blood, and is essential for the formation of all of the cells in your body You should eat protein-rich foods such as meat, cheese, milk, fish and eggs to get enough protein in your daily diet. You can also find protein in soy products, as well as in combinations of food such as rice or corn with beans, when it comes to vegetable proteins that you may consume.

You should eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish and complex carbohydrates, not one heavy in protein alone. But protein is optimal for immune functioning, and you may need heavier amounts of it when injured or otherwise undergoing any serious healing processes

Proteins are made up of several different amino acids, some of which your body can make on its own. But some of them have to be ingested. These are called the "essential" amino acids. You must eat a variety of foods to make sure you're getting all of your essential amino acids. Lack of these can cause growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immune system functioning, weakening of the circulatory and respiratory systems – and even death.

The most common source of protein in the American diet is meat, but milk and other dairy products are rich in it. To avoid too much fat with your protein, eat leaner cuts of meat, and cook without adding fat by baking, broiling, barbecuing or boiling your meat. By eating beans and lentils as well as a variety of vegetables and grains, you can add terrific sources of vegetable protein to your diet. Nuts and seeds are also great sources of non-animal protein.

The average adult American needs eight grams of protein each day per twenty pounds of normal body weight. Yet we generally eat twice that much protein daily. If you balance your carbohydrates with your proteins, and eat a variety of foods to make sure you get all of the amino acids you need, you will be eating a healthy diet. You should also make sure you keep your diet low in fats, oils and refined sugars. Those substances have no proteins, and hardly any other nutrients, with one gram containing nine calories of energy. You do need some saturated and unsaturated fats in your food, every day. Unfortunately, "junk food" laden American eating habits tend to provide far too much of these fats.

Your daily diet should contain no more than 30% total calories from fats, hopefully far less than that. The upper limit on the amount of fat in your diet will depend on how many calories you need to maintain your weight, and cutting back on fat can help you consume fewer calories. But some dietary fat is needed for good health. It supplies energy and the essential fatty acids, which like the essential amino acids can only be gleaned from your consumption of certain foods. Fats also promote absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

High levels of saturated fat and cholesterol are linked to increased blood cholesterol and put you at risk for heart disease. Fat is also associated with protein-rich food such as meat and dairy products. So you should lower the daily amount of protein and fat that you consume to an acceptable level, while raising the amount of complex carbohydrates you consume to at least 50% of your daily calorie intake. This will ensure that you are eating a proper and not a "fad" -- or risky to your health – diet every day. Eating meals and snacks rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, as well as some high protein and certain "fatty" foods, will help you to obtain your desired weight and to keep fit -- not fat.

 A list of high protein rich foods and their nutritional content.

Food (Per 100g)	Protein	Carbs	Fat	Calories
Almond Nuts	21.1g	6.9g	55.8g	2541kJ (614kcal)
Anchovies	14.5g	0.1g	2.8g	355kJ (85kcal)
Asparagus	2.9g	2.0g	0.6g	106kJ (25kcal)
Avocado	1.9g	1.9g	19.5g	790kJ (195kcal)
Bacon	15.9g		19.8g	1005kJ (245kcal)
Baked Beans	9.5g	22.1g	0.4g	130kcal
Bananas	1.2g	23.2g	0.3g	426kJ (100kcal)
Beef Fillet Steak	20.9g	0g	7.9g	648kJ (155kcal)
Bread (wholemeal)	11.0g	39.1g	2.2g	935kJ (220kcal)
Broccoli	4.2g	3.2g	0.2g	133kJ (31kcal)
Carrots	0.6g	7.9g	0.3g	156kJ (37kcal)
Cheese	30.9g	0.1g	15.0g	1085kJ (260kcal)
Chicken Breast (Skinless)	23.5g	0g	1.7g	462kJ (109kcal)
Coconut	3.33g	15.23g	33.49g	354
Cod fish	17.9g	0g	0.9g	340kJ (80kcal)
Cottage Cheese	12.2g	4.5g	1.5g	340kJ (80kcal)
Couscous	15.1g	73.1g	1.1g	1545kJ (365kcal)
Crab meat	18.1g	trace	0.5g	330kJ (80kcal)
eggs	12.5g	Trace	3.2g	627kJ (151kcal)
Goji Berries	12.3g	57.7g	0.3g	1205kJ (285kcal)
Haddock Fish	16.4g	0g	1.2g	325kJ (80kcal)
Hummus	7.4g	9.8g	26.8g	1285kJ (310kcal)
Lamb (Steak)	19.9g	0.8g	3.2g	475kJ (115kcal)
Lobster	26.41	3.12	1.94	143
Milk (Semi Skimmed)	3.6g	4.8g	1.8g	209kJ (50kcal)
Milk (Whole)	3.3g	4.7g	3.6g	268kJ (64kcal)
Monkfish	24g		1.7g
Orange	1.1g	8.5g	0.1g	167kJ (39kcal)
Orange Roughy Fish	22.64g	0g	0.034g	105
Pasta	12.5g	73.0g	1.4g	1505kJ (355kcal)
Peanut Butter (Crunchy)	24.9g	10.1g	50.2g	2452kJ
Peas	5.9g	9.0g	0.9g	290kJ (70kcal)
Pizza (Pepperoni)	11.4g	28.0g	11.1g	1085kJ (260kcal)
Pork Chops	19.3g		20.3g	1080kJ (260kcal)
Porridge oats	11.0g	60g	8.0g	1500 kJ/ (356 kcal)
Potatoes	2.1g	17.2g	0.2g	335kJ (80kcal)
Prawns	17.0g	0.3g	0.9g	330kJ (80kcal)
Pumpkin Seeds	28.8g	15.2g	45.6g	2435kJ/586kcal
Rice (brown)	6.9g	74.0g	2.8g	1480kJ (350kcal)
Salmon Fish Fillets (Boneless)	21.6g	0g	14.0g	885kJ (215kcal)
Sardines (Fish)	21.5g	trace	9.6g	721kJ (172kcal)
Sausages (pork)	13.9g	11.9g	17.0g	1069kJ
soya beans	35.9g	14.8g	18.6g	1555kJ (375kcal)
Spaghetti	5.1g	33.0g	1.3g	700kJ (165kcal)
Spinach	2.8g	1.5g	0.8g	103kJ (24kcal)
Sunflower Seeds	23.4g	18.6g	47.5g	2475kJ (600kcal)
Sushi
Tilapia Fish	24g	0	4g	105
Tofu	12.1g	0.6g	6.0g	438/105
Tuna Fish (Steak)	25.6g	0g	0.5g	455kJ (110kcal)
Tuna Fish (Tinned)	26.3g	0.0g	10.7g	843kJ / 202kcal
Turkey Breast (Skinless)	22.3g	0g	1.2g	425kJ (100kcal)
Venison (Deer meat)	30.21		3.19	158
Yogurt	4.5g	6.6g	11.0g	600kJ (145kcal)

Have a Healthy Life!!!