Glory of architect, glory of painter, and sculptor, and bard,
Living forever in temple and picture and statue and song, –
Look how the world with the lights that they lit is illumined and starred,
Brief was the flame of their life, but the lamps of their art burn long!
Where is the Master of Music, and how has he vanished away?
Where is the work that he wrought with his wonderful art in the air?
Gone, — it is gone like the glow on the cloud at the close of the day!
The Master has finished his work, and the glory of music is — where?
Once, at the wave of his wand, all the billows of musical sound
Followed his will, as the sea was ruled by the prophet of old:
Now that his hand is relaxed, and his rod has dropped to the ground,
Silent and dark are the shores where the marvellous harmonies rolled!
Nay, but not silent the hearts that were filled by that life-giving sea;
Deeper and purer forever the tides of their being will roll,
Grateful and joyful, O Master, because they have listened to thee, –
The glory of music endures in the depths of the human soul.
I believe.. if you seek .. then you’d find the beauty within. It totally depends on one s’ individuality..
Some are reluctant to believe this phenomena but the conviction may sink in rather a rude manner, if you try some thing of an ill fitting dress, and wonder how well your friend could carry it on but why on earth you can’t.
The simplest explanation is … she’s not you and she can never be you – visa versa.
No matter how many shrinks you see, pills you pop and exercise regimes you follow; if you are not aware of who you are and what’s best for you; the cruel attitude you have towards you, would never stop, until it’s learnt how to become your own best critic.
But first step is first, you should be able to see things as it is. If one believes the appeal lies in this greatly thin and no flesh of a body which normally a runaway model would have; I disagree. The immaculate beauty we see in magazines and shows is not of a natural borne and that is no secret. And when it comes to “Appeal”, once in a way a few people come to know the truth of it from the very beginning. They claim the true appeal first should be of yours, it’s no use if one become a mannequin and try to appeal a hundred of others if your inner self is unsatisfied; this, I agree.
Being born as normal and a capable human is it self a blessing, so why not enhance what you have got naturally instead of trying to do a complete make over and ultimately make your self a complete fool.
Dressing Your Body Type
It’s time to embrace our bodies, curves, flaws, and all. When it comes to beauty and fashion, there is no ideal body shape. All female body types have their own unique attributes, and with style and clothing, knowing how to dress for your body type will let you have fun with your wardrobe so that you can flatter your body shape and bring out your best features.
Whether you’re looking for appropriate clothing for special occasions, workwear, or casual clothes and outdoor clothing, a wide range of women’s clothing options will allow you to find the best clothes when dressing for your body type.
Apple-Shaped
If you have a round or apple-shaped body type you will tend to have heavier breasts, narrower hips, and slimmer legs.
Do
Show off your legs! Wear an A-line skirt to add emphasis to your waistline
With tops, choose turtlenecks, boatnecks, or shirts with collars. Knits and woven stretch fabrics are best for your body type
The best jeans for your body type are ones with front and back pockets. These will help disguise a rounder middle area while defining your curves. But avoid pants with pleats, and choose a flatter front instead
Try to avoid tops with puffy sleeves, or overly baggy clothing. Slim skirts and tight clothes should also be avoided, since they will only emphasize a slimmer lower body half and create the illusion of imbalance.
The Pear Shape
Dressing pear shaped women involves balancing a slender neck, narrow shoulders, and a small bust with a shapely waist, generous hips, and full thighs. Your best assets are your waistline, delicate upper body, shoulders and arms, so try to accentuate these features when dressing for your body type.
Do
Look for strapless or sleeveless dresses to play up the arms and shoulders. Or look for empire waistlines and dresses that begin to flare at the hips
Choose flowing fabrics, especially when it comes to pants, and remember that straight skirts are ideal for your body shape
Wear semi-fitted tops with square or cowl necklines to broaden narrow shoulders
Avoid tops that are too loose or too tight and make you seem out of proportion. When looking for a blazer or jacket, make sure the bottom does not meet the widest part of your hips. Lastly, avoid straight dresses that tend to tighten at the hips; this will only accentuate them.
Banana
The straight body type features upper and lower halves that are equal in width. If you gained a few pounds, they would most likely be equally distributed throughout the body, instead of going straight to your curves.
Do
Choose tops with necklines that fall below the collarbone to elongate the upper body and neck
Look for a longer suit jacket that will help lengthen the torso
Skirts and pants with details can broaden the lower half of the body, while shirts with pockets on the bustline will emphasize the area
Try to avoid belts or pleated fabrics at the waistline. These can make the area look thick instead of narrowing the waist.
*******
Now are you interested in how to dress an hourglass shape? If so, keep reading for some fashion tips and hints on how to look your best.
What is an Hourglass Shape
Hourglass figures are round and curvy. They are considered the dream figure to have and many men actually prefer a woman with curves. An hourglass shaped woman has a well-defined waistline and fuller hips and bust. Their shoulders and hips are equal in width. Woman with hourglass shapes can look sultry and seductive or classy and elegant, depending on what they wear and by dressing in the most flattering way for their particular shape.
How to Dress an Hourglass Shape
Many women with hourglass shapes try to hide their curves and by doing so, wear clothes that do not fit them properly. Instead of choosing big, baggy clothes to hide your shape, choose clothes to enhance what you have. By knowing the best styles for your particular shape, you can dress with confidence and always look your very best.
Show off your Waist
Since hourglass shapes typically have well-defined waists, drawing attention to your waist with a belt or a top with a fitted waist will accentuate this great asset. Do not be afraid to show off a small waist! It is often most flattering to draw attention to your smallest part of your body.
Foundation First
An important item for an hourglass shape to have is a well-fitting bra. A bra is the foundation to all your clothing and if it doesn’t fit properly can make your clothes look terrible. Since most hourglass figures are well-endowed, a properly fitting bra is a must have wardrobe staple. Remember that a bra that fits will show off your bust and lay a smooth foundation for all your tops.
Tops and Pants
Another must have for hourglass shapes is a top with either a v-neck or scoop neckline. Both styles slim the neck and chest and will make you appear smaller and slimmer.
The best pant styles for an hourglass shape are:
Flat front trousers
Boot cut jeans
Pants or jeans with flared bottoms
Pants that fit properly will give you a slim look that will enhance your figure.
Skirts and Dresses
There are many styles of skirts and dresses that work perfectly for hourglass shapes. Curvier women should choose skirts that accentuate your curves and flatter your legs. Some styles to try include:
Pencil skirts
A-line cut skirts and dresses
Wrap skirts
Wrap dresses
Some other figure flattering items are belted jackets, cardigans and wrap style coats.
Style Tips
There are many tips to follow if you are an hourglass shape. Keep in mind the importance of dressing for your body type. Some things to keep in mind when choosing an outfit are:
Wear a darker bottom and lighter colored top to emphasize your waistline and to minimize your curves.
A monochromatic outfit with a slim belt will slim your figure and balance your body.
Buy clothes in the correct size. A top that is too big will only make you look bigger and sloppier and clothes that are too tight will also make you look larger.
Choose lighter weight fabrics without extra bulk to give you a lean look.
Celebrities with Hourglass Body Shapes
Some the most beautiful and admired stars in Hollywood have hourglass figures. Many embrace their curves and don’t give in to the pressures and demands of being stick-thin that many stars do. Hourglass shapes stars include:
Marilyn Monroe
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Salma Hayek
Kim Cattrell
Scarlett Johansson
Kate Winslet
Mariah Carey
General Tips
For women with lots of curves, shapely legs, and a defined waist, accentuate an hourglass figure by wearing belts or choosing tops and bottoms with defined waistlines.
Petite women should avoid a cropped pant, and choose ones with a long and straight cut that will cover shoes to lengthen the legs.
Remember that these rules are not written in stone, but can provide you with some helpful tips on how to dress different body types. The best rule to stick to is finding what flatters not only your body shape and size, but your personality too. While darker colors tend to be the most slimming, a fun accessory can add life to any outfit, regardless of your body type.
End Notes
Hourglass figures can show off their curves and camouflage their imperfections by knowing how to dress an hourglass shape and choosing the right styles for their particular body type. By wearing clothes that fit properly any woman can look stunning and feel confident. Embrace your best assets and don’t hide behind improperly fitting clothes anymore..
My life …… it sucks ……. I’m in deep sh** …… oh why did I ever born to this world? ah world ……. It sucks big time too …….. why me, my family ……. my buddies ……
Depression? is this word …… ‘Why ‘ ……….in your vocabulary often than it should be? planning to go on therapy? already on anti depression pills? Or worse ……. ? is your mind full of delusional thoughts ?
Preamble
Thus have I heard, the “Bhagyavanth” was at one time residing at the market-town called “Kammasadhamma” in the “Kuru” country. There the Bhagyavanth addressed the bhikkhus, saying, “O, Bhikkhus”, and they replied to him, “Bhadante,” Then the Bhagyavanth said:
“Bhikkhus, this is the one and the only way for the purification (of the minds) of beings, for overcoming sorrow and lamentation, for the cessation of physical and mental pain , for attainment of the noble paths and for the realization of Nibbana that (only way) is the four Satipatthanas”.
What are these four?
Here (in this teaching), bhikkhus, a bhikkhu (i.e. a disciple) dwells …… perceiving again and again the body (kaya) as just the body (not mine, not I, not self, but just a phenomenon) with diligence, clear understanding, and mindfulness, thus keeping away covetousness and mental pain in the world,
He dwells perceiving again and again feelings (vedana) as just feelings (not mine, not I, not self but just as phenomena) with diligence, clear understanding, and mindfulness, thus keeping away covetousness and mental pain in the world,
He dwells perceiving again and again the mind (citta) as just the mind (not mine, not I, not self but just a phenomenon) with diligence, clear understanding, and mindfulness, thus keeping away covetousness and mental pain in the world,
He dwells perceiving again and again dhammas as just dhammas (not mine, not I, not self but just as phenomena) with diligence, clear understanding, and mindfulness, thus keeping away covetousness and mental pain in the world.
Isn’t this a wonderful way to have a grip on one s’ self?
The usual practice of knowledge; is to learn about the out side world; what we can – see, hear, touch, feel, use, what’s -dangerous, useful, waste, invented etc etc …… but what about the knowledge on inner – me/you? How far are we aware of our selves; of what we think, how we feel what we do? Would it help to have a clear conscious as a way to straighten our selves?
One critical question ….. Who are these people called, “Me”/“You”/”We”? Am I really, who I think I am?? Is it – A mind +body? Or is it – A soul +body? Each of our definition would be different, I’m sure.
What ever or how ever way you define it, one must stop the race for a minute, because it’s important to understand the logic of it, at least once in a way one must try to get enlightened on the true position …… especially when you feel anxious, depressed and feel abandoned or let down by –him/her/them etc etc –
it will make us think …… “is it worth feeling that way” …… if we are taught that there’s no such thing called …..“Self”? Would any of these things matter?
Meditation – Contemplation on the Body (Kayanupassana)
v The section on Contemplation of Impurities (Patikulamanasika Pabba)
“And again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu examines and reflects closely upon this very body, from the soles of the feet up and from the tips of the head hair down, enclosed by the skin and full of various kinds of impurities, (thinking thus) …..
“There exists in this body: hair of the head, hair of the body, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, membranes (including the pleura, the diaphragm and other forms of membrane in the body), spleen, lungs, intestines, mysentery, gorge, faeces, brain, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, solid fat, tears, liquid fat, saliva, mucus, synovic fluid (i.e. lubricating oil of the joints) and urine.” ……
“And again, bhikkhus, if a bhikkhu should see a body, one day dead, or two days dead, or three days dead, swollen, blue and festering, discarded in the charnel ground, he then compares it to his own body thus: “Truly this body is of the same nature, it will become like that and cannot escape from it.”
v The section on Contemplation on the Mind – (Cittanupassana)
“And how, bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu dwell perceiving again and again the mind (citta) as just the mind (not mine, not I, not self but just a phenomenon)?”
“Here (in this teaching) when a mind with greed (raga)- Greed (raga) does not just mean strong passion but refers to the whole range of lust, craving, and attachment to sense pleasures from the weakest sensual desire to the strongest lust. It can produce only unwholesome actions -arises, a bhikkhu knows, “This is a mind with greed”;
“When a mind with anger (dosa) – Anger (dosa) always occurs together with mental pain (domanassa). Therefore, if mental pain is present the meditator should know that anger is also present. Aversion, ill-will, frustration, fear, and sadness are all included in this term. Anger can produce only unwholesome actions – arises, he knows, “This is a mind with anger”;
“When a mind with delusion (moha) – Delusion (moha) is the mental concomitant that clouds and blinds the mind making it unable to discern between right and wrong actions, unable to perceive the characteristics of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and soullessness, and unable to perceive the Four Noble Truths. It is common to all unwholesome types of consciousness but here it refers specifically to those types of consciousness associated with doubt, uncertainty, restlessness, distraction, and confusion- arises, he knows, “This is a mind with delusion”;
“Or when a lazy, slothful mind (samkhittacitta)- This is the shrunken mind that is lethargic, indolent, and lacks interest in anything – arises, he knows, “This is a lazy, slothful mind”;
“Or when a distracted mind (vikkhittacitta)- A diffused, restless state of mind that goes here and there is therefore not concentrated – arises, he knows, “This is a distracted mind”;
“Or when a developed mind (mahagattacitta) – When the mind free from defilements due to insight. There are ten defilements (kilesa), namely: greed, anger, delusion, conceit, wrong views, doubt, sloth, distraction, lack of moral shame, lack of moral dread (lobho, doso, moho, mano, ditthi, vicikiccha, thinam, uddhacam, ahirikam, anottapam) – arises, he knows, “This is a developed mind”;
So the teaching continues ….. This’s the true state of our so called “Self”……. So why would we ever get depressed, over some thing beyond our control, when we haven’t apprehended what we are supposed to?
Let’s forget about saying – “Me, I, My, Mine” …
it’s all nothing but an illusion……
Now we can throw out anti depression pills – and “Be mindful”.
Some things in life I must say – never would change. Reproduction is one such thing. From the perspective of science or even of religion; we believe; being born is endless. For human species to continue surviving, it is essential that mature adults who are capable of producing fertile offspring, to continue for the existence of the species, and pass on genetic information from generation to generation.
Having said that, questions remain, those logical justifications we have, on having kids, do they really reveal the truth behind our decision to have them? Why really, do we need children in our lives? Even for a moment, does the continuation of human existence or continuation of our generation cross our mind when we plan for a child?
Or – do some of us have our own pathetic, selfish reasons?
Kids – what would happen, if some one decides to have a kid, just for the sake of having a kid? Perhaps some children are being considered “an accidental thing”, yet does any one realizes what follows with such a thought? Isn’t it decisive of the future of that particular human being? Or – what will happen if some of us are just trying to follow a trend – “Oh they are having a kid, why not we too do the same”- thing? Or- is it because we need them, just so we could use them, to (re) live our selves through them? Or – should we have them because we sure might need some one around, whom we could call our own, on our dying day?
It’s not quite clear why this particular mother and father had to have their children, not just one or two kids but a several, controlled them with high and mighty fists, made them live their lives through such a folly to make their egoistical dreams come true, not willing or supporting them full fill their own unique dreams. At the end, they were really successful creating a few ominous souls, but surprisingly one of them happened to be an accomplished entertainer of all times ….. yet, couldn’t escape of being a pitiful entity. It utterly disgusts me when I think some are capable of betraying their own flesh and blood. Why not having a farm; instead of having children; raise some hens, cows and goats, so you could still sell them, don’t they too bring you dough? if not prestige? People like them should do just that. Then at least, you are not violating basic human ethics, oh god, this is definitely a weird world.
It’s some how too late, by now every one knows the story. It’s all I read about these days, one of the most tragic deaths of Showbiz and the reasons led to that untimely death. It’s not a remarkable thing to criticize a dead person on his living years, why do it now? If we must, then we should have done some constructive criticism in his living years and it could have probably bail out a few more years of his life. Momentous this is, if we could grasp a few lessons, probing a tragic life and it would serve the living ones good.
”They are lost without the only person they’d trusted”
Now once again returning to the nix, why did he ever want children of his own in his life, if he meant to fail them like this, a similarly thing, what his parents did to him long time ago? May be he never thought of bidding good bye so soon yet I have a forlorn feeling, imagining them growing up among such contempt kin.
So does that mean you fell through?… seems you never recognized the “Man in the Mirror” … you just couldn’t, hence never knew your worth.
and worse … you left them, unsafe, in a bizarre world!
Sadness … envelopes me … & here comes Death … ”The inevitable” … so I’d say R. I. P … there’s non to hurt your soul now !
All Things will Die BY Lord Alfred Tennyson
All Things will DieClearly the blue river chimes in its flowingUnder my eye;
Warmly and broadly the south winds are blowingOver the sky.
One after another the white clouds are fleeting;
Every heart this May morning in joyance is beating Full merrily;
Yet all things must die.
The stream will cease to flow;
The wind will cease to blow;
The clouds will cease to fleet;
The heart will cease to beat;For all things must die.
All things must die.
Spring will come never more.
O, vanity!
Death waits at the door.
See! our friends are all forsaking
The wine and the merrymaking.
We are called? we must go.
Laid low, very low,
In the dark we must lie.
The merry glees are still;
The voice of the bird
Shall no more be heard,
Nor the wind on the hill.
O, misery!
Hark! death is calling
While I speak to ye,
The jaw is falling,
The red cheek paling,
The strong limbs failing;
Ice with the warm blood mixing;
The eyeballs fixing.
Nine times goes the passing bell:
Ye merry souls, farewell.
The old earth
Had a birth,
As all men know,
Long ago.
And the old earth must die.
So let the warm winds range,
And the blue wave beat the shore;
For even and morn
Ye will never see
Through eternity.
All things were born.
Ye will come never more,
For all things must die
I read about the kind of stories every now and then, lately it has increased; feeling tired of this and getting mad, but at whom?…….
I say …….why? Why am I so unlucky to hear this kind of incidents? One can blame on the society and another can blame on parents; but my question is; if the adults should know better ……. and if they are aware that the world that they are living in is vicious, why don’t they take extra precautions to protect the innocent? Why a parent can’t take care of their children, like the way they were protected by their own parents?? Will we be here if they didn’t do their job well? or are we so busy and casual or do we have more prioritized things in our daily life other than the children we bring in to this world?
The worst thing of all is, when the mother or the father of the child, or the step mother or the step father, even an uncle or aunt or just a well known neighbor involves in child kidnapping, raping and murder. How would one beat that kind of a thing? Who are the real culprits? Is it the psychological issues the modern society suffering from? or is it because we are careless about our values and human lives? or should we blame on the moment they acted on impulse? Or ……. is it our fault ……. shouldn’t we think that we should have taken extra care about every thing which matters to us, including ……. kids?? Even if it’s not our child, don’t you think in a way it matters to all of us, to the society, the safety around us?aren’t humans supposed to be smart and civilized??
One day the same thing might happen to us, to our families too, we will be grief stricken for the rest of our lives, any point on pointing our finger at another person (or time – or bad karma) being blind to those four fingers pointing at us? What’s the point?
Just one line one need to keep in mind always is that ……. “Safety doesn’t happen by accident”…….
Look at these innocent faces and tell me please……. Did it really have to happen to them …….. ? Isn’t it too late for most these kids? How far the materialistic things matter to us than the living things?? Compare human lives with gold or diamonds or what ever we treasure in life …….. How does it go? Can we compare? We can dig gold yet can we bring back a lost life?
Questions of mine …….. endless and will never have pleasant answers I know …… so let’s be aware ……
We have listed many tips and suggestions below. However, an expert in the field of protection told us that parents are wise to keep it simple. If an adult approaches a child for any reason outside of a regular course of events, this expert says, the child should run first and ask questions later. We support that view.
Here are other tips for you, and important lessons that you can impart when appropriate:
Teach more than once: Don’t just teach your children once. Start young, teach them again and again — and practice dangerous situations, modifying and adjusting to fit their growing understanding. Teach them how to make an emergency call from a cell phone, a regular phone and a pay phone (they don’t need change to call 911 from a payphone). Identify safe people in malls, stores and on streets. Identify safe places to go and ask for help. Rehearse what to do if they get separated from you, if the doorbell sounds or the phone rings when you aren’t there, or if they get asked for help from an adult (adults do not typically ask for help from children). Don’t hound your children with scary lessons — instead, make the lessons casual and a natural part of conversation. They’ll be much better prepared in case of the real thing. A great way to teach is to pretend that you’re younger and they must teach the rules to you. Then they have to think, and the rules become more than just words.
Teach them to trust their instincts. Reassure them again and again that they’re allowed to trust their instincts and to say “no!” to adults who don’t seem quite right (see our page called Teach, Listen, Believe, Respond for more on trusting instincts). If they feel uncomfortable or scared, they don’t have to worry about being careful or polite.
“Ratting” on friends: Be wary of teaching your child to not be a tattletale or to not “rat” on a friend. “Ratting” may be the best thing your child can do for a friend. It might also someday save your child’s life. Sometimes “friends” are actually predators. Also teach your children that when they’re weighing whether to break a friend’s confidence, good questions to ask themselves are these: Will someone be killed, physically abused, sexually abused or otherwise injured if I don’t report this information? Does keeping this secret allow someone to engage in self-destructive or illegal behavior? Am I keeping a secret about behavior that seems to me to be wrong, hurtful, unethical or dangerous? Does it haunt me to keep this secret? If I keep this secret, will I wonder later if I could have prevented a tragedy? Am I keeping a secret about behavior that’s harmful to me? Answering “yes” to any of these questions is a signal to your children that breaking the confidence probably is the right thing to do.
No” means “No”: Teach your children — from the time they’re old enough to understand language — that “no” means “no.” If they don’t want to be tickled, hugged, stroked or patted, they’re allowed to make the activity stop. All they have to do is say “no” or “stop” and the activity has to stop immediately. The rule must be reciprocal. This means that they have to stop if someone tells them to stop (or even if their pet indicates a desire for them to stop) — and so do their parents. So do siblings, extended family members, friends, teachers, and respected members of the community. Teaching your children this very simple concept from an early age — and making sure that everyone follows it without fail — helps to give them the tools they need to recognize people who don’t accept the “no” or the “stop.” For more, see the signs of dangerous people
Give them the words they need: Don’t be afraid to call body parts what they are. Make sure your child knows they’re private — and not to be touched by anyone but the child in private — but that they’re not inherently bad (see our pages on Sexuality & Kids for more). That way, they’ll not be fooled by someone who wants to “play a game” with them or manipulate them into doing something mysterious. If you’re wondering what other adults will think about your child knowing the names of private parts, explain what you’re doing so the child doesn’t get a mixed message from a startled caregiver.
Dangerous people don’t have to look bad: Make sure your children know that dangerous people often seem nice and professional looking — and they’re not always adults, nor are they always men. They could be a friend, a baby-sitter, the neighbor who lets them pet her dog, or a child who’s been enlisted to help a predator. They are expert at seeming friendly, safe, helpful, kind, loving and generous. They might ask for help or seem sad or lonely. They might wear a uniform, preach from a lectern, or teach social studies. They might just be passing through, or they might have lived next to you for years. The thing that all dangerous people have in common is a desire to do things that harm your children. The goal is not to terrify your children — in fact, they will be less terrified by knowing that there are things they can do to keep themselves safe. Those things start with becoming aware of their surroundings, learning the signs of dangerous people, learning how to trust their instincts, and learning what to do in dangerous situations. A simple rule to teach your children is that if they are approached by an adult stranger for any sort of help or information, it’s wrong and they should run and tell an adult they trust.
Carry a current photo: Always carry a current photo of your child (preferably with you in the picture) in your wallet (this is particularly helpful for fathers or male caregivers). Write down special birthmarks or identifying features.
Secure your home.
Don’t ever leave young children at home alone.
Teach older children to not open the door if you aren’t home. They should never leave home without letting you know.
If you’re out, they should answer the phone without making it obvious that adults aren’t home. If they need help, they must always have numbers to call, or they can call the local emergency number (they should know that no emergency personnel will ever mind coming to help — even if it turns out nothing was wrong).
Always ensure that outside doors, windows and screens are closed and locked before everyone retires for the evening. Consider installing an alarm system, or perhaps attaching decorative bells or wind chimes to the inside of exterior doors. Once you intend to go to sleep, make sure that all bedroom doors are open so you can hear any unusual noises.
Make sure the children’s bedrooms can’t be accessed easily from the outside, and avoid having children sleep in bedrooms that are too far removed from yours.
Always supervise small children when they’re playing outside. For older children, make sure that outside play areas are protected from the street and alley — perhaps by a tall fence with a gate that locks in some fashion (this is also a smart childproofing tactic).
Keep the home well lighted.
Pay attention to people who visit your home, and pay particular attention to how you feel about them. Don’t dismiss any uncomfortable feelings you or your children get. Don’t talk yourself out of them or tell yourself it’s just paranoia. If your children tell you they don’t like someone, listen to them. Often, children are more alert than adults to what their instincts are telling them.
Teach your children about dangerous people, and teach them how to protect themselves. Then, make sure they don’t have to.
No visible names: When out with your children, always know exactly what they’re wearing. Do not write your child’s name on the outside of their coat or shirt (this allows a stranger to use the child’s name as a way to get close). Speak to your child’s caregivers, and make sure they don’t do this on outings, either.
Don’t leave the store: Teach your child to not leave the area with anyone, even with the person chosen to help, and to never leave the store to try and find the car.
Your child should call for you, then ask for help from a woman: Teach your children to call for you first. You might be just around the corner. Teach them your full name (just calling “Mommy!” might not be helpful). If you don’t respond, they should (without leaving the immediate area) then seek help from a woman – preferably a woman shopping with a child or a female clerk.
Carry personal information: Have your older children get into the habit of carrying a card with their name, address, phone number, blood type, any allergies, your work number, and an emergency number — along with enough change for at least two phone calls. Remember: They don’t need change to call 911 from a payphone.
Don’t leave your child: Always go with your children to the restroom. Don’t wait outside the door or wander off to another area. Don’t leave your children alone at any public facility, such as toy departments, video arcades or playgrounds, as a convenient “baby-sitter” while you’re shopping — not even just to walk around the aisle. Abductors have been known to frequent these places to gain access to children, and they move very, very quickly once they have your child in their hands.
Don’t assume that teen-agers are safe. Teen-agers — girls and boys — are often targeted by sexual predators because they’re heading into puberty. Teens are sexually interesting to predators, but generally not yet strong enough to fight back.
Don’t expect your children to protect themselves: Children and teens have a notoriously short attention span. They also have an inherent trust of adults and an inherent desire to please. Just because they might appear to know the rules about leaving with strangers, you shouldn’t expect them to remember the rules, to apply them properly in slightly different scenarios — or to protect themselves if someone tries to grab them. And don’t expect young children (younger than baby-sitting age) to look out for each other. The “buddy system” can simply enable a dangerous person to grab two children instead of one. You are your child’s best protector.
Don’t delay: If you do get separated, stay calm and retrace your steps to where you were last with your child. If you don’t see the child, contact the first store person you see, and have them secure all exits. DON’T ALLOW THEM TO MAKE YOU WAIT! Abductors are very fast at getting out the door. Make sure all bathrooms get thoroughly checked – abductors sometimes head there first in order to change a child’s appearance. Have an announcement made over the public address system so that other adults are aware a child is missing. If the child isn’t found right away, call police.
Don’t give directions or help: Children should avoid people who ask them for assistance or directions (grown-ups and even older children do not typically ask young children for help).
Ask a woman: Lost children should ask for help from a woman, for several reasons. 1. The rule is easy to remember. 2. Children are better off choosing someone than having someone choose them. 3. Women are more likely to stick with children until they’re safe. 4. Women are statistically less likely to be predators. 5. Women are better choices than male security guards, who are frequently hired without proper background checks. Nevertheless, if the chosen woman makes the child feel uncomfortable, the child should have no compunction about immediately choosing someone else.
Have a code word: Have a family password or code word that must be given before older children are allowed to leave with someone. Make the password simple and easy to remember, but not something a stranger could easily guess. Abductors are shameless; they will say anything to get your child to leave with them. Make sure your child knows to never leave a store with an unknown (or just met) person unless the person knows the code word. (Dangerous people might, for example, pretend that a parent is sick and needs the child. They’ll pretend to have forgotten the password. That’s hard for children to resist — unless they’re prepared.)
It’s OK to say “No!” Children don’t have to explain it, and it’s OK to scream, fight, hit and run if they feel they’re in danger. Make sure your children know you will not be angry at them for behaving this way with any adult (even a relative!) who scares them. Teach them that their safety is your first concern — you can work out misunderstandings later.
It’s OK to yell: If a stranger starts leading a child away and tells him (or her) to be quiet, he (or she) should yell as loud as possible. Opinions differ on what to yell. We recommend this: “Help, police! He’s not my father!” (or “Help, police! She’s not my mother!”) (we believe — and an informal survey confirmed it — that these words give another stranger the needed permission to interfere).
Just so you know: We disagree with professional advice to yell “Fire” or “Fight” — because they aren’t words that would get US to respond in the desired way. We believe, and our survey confirmed it, that “Fire” might only encourage a chaotic stampede toward the exits (allowing an abductor help in escaping), and “Fight” would cause unhelpful confusion — while possibly not bringing people who would interfere. We also wonder if frightened children would remember to yell words that don’t fit the situation. Ultimately, we suggest that parents teach the phrase that would get them moving toward helping a child who was yelling it in public. For us, that phrase is “Help, police! He’s not my father!”
No gifts, no rides, no trips: Children should resist any gifts from strangers (no matter how tantalizing), never get in a vehicle with a stranger, and never go anywhere with a stranger, even for a moment. Talk to police about what your children should do if someone tries to get them into a car by threatening them with a gun, mace, or with a threat against the family. Experts say it’s better to run away from a gun (preferably turning quickly around a corner, behind a building, or into a store) than it is to get in the car. Once the child is in the car, it’s hard — if not impossible — for the child to escape.
It’s OK to tell: Children will lie through their teeth if they are convinced it will protect you. Teach your children to always tell a trusted adult (preferably you) about anything that is frightening, confusing, or uncomfortable. If something bad or uncomfortable happens, and they’re told to keep quiet about it, they MUST tell somebody. Make sure they know you will not blame them or think they’re lying or bad (no matter what’s happened). A lifetime of good communication between you and them will help a great deal with this.
It’s OK to come home: Abductors might tell children that their parents don’t want them back anymore, or that they’ve died or moved. Make sure your children are prepared for this, and that they absolutely believe that you would love them, accept them and want them back, no matter what happened to them — no matter what they were coerced or enticed into doing.
Teach them to never give up on trying to get away, and to never give up hope that you will find them. (This is one reason, by the way, why we are opposed to disciplining children by threatening to leave them behind in a store. Your children should never think for one second that you would actually give up on them or leave them behind.)
Give Your Older Child An Easy Way to Say NO — Many times, children want to say no, but don’t know how. Make a deal with your child: If your child is out with friends and is feeling pressured to do something, he can ask you if he “absolutely has to come home.” Those words will be a signal to you that he needs you to be the bad guy and demand that he comes home right now. But if he’s just having fun and wants to stay out, he can ask you if he “can stay out longer.” Those words will alert you that everything’s OK.
Our little contribution ……. goes a long way ……. please also refer:
Rafi was born the youngest of six sons of Hajji Ali Mohammad at Kotla Sultan Singh (or Kotla Sultanpur), a town near Amritsar in Punjab (British India). Rafi, whose nickname was Pheeko, started singing by imitating chants of a fakir in his village. In 1935-36, Rafi’s father shifted to Lahore, and the rest of the family followed later. Rafi’s family managed a men’s salon in Lahore’s Noor Mohalla. It was his brother-in-law Mohammed Hameed who spotted the talent in Rafi and encouraged him. Rafi learnt Hindustani classical music from maestros Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwanlal Matto and Firoze Nizami.
Rafi’s first public performance came at the age of 13, when he was allowed to sing at a concert featuring the legendary K. L. Saigal. In 1942, Rafi, under Shyam Sunder, made his debut as a playback singer in the duet “Soniye nee, Heeriye nee” with Zeenat Begum in the Punjabi film Gul Baloch (the film was released in 1944). Soon after, Rafi was invited by the Lahore radio station to sing for them.
Rafi’s association with Naushad helped the former establish himself as one of the most prominent playback singers in Bollywood. Songs from Baiju Bawra (1952) like “O duniya ke rakhwale” and “Man tarpat Hari darshan ko aaj” furthered Rafi’s credentials. Naushad, who had been using Talat Mahmood for his songs, began favoring Rafi as the male voice in almost every song composed by him. Rafi would sing a total of 149 songs (81 of them solo) for Naushad.
On Thursday, July 31, 1980, Rafi died at 10:50 p.m., following a massive heart attack. His last song was “Shaam phir kyun udaas hai dost” (Aas Paas), which he had recorded with Laxmikant-Pyarelal several days before his death. He was survived by four sons (Saeed Rafi, Khalid Rafi, Hamid Rafi, Shahid Rafi), 3 daughters (Parveen, Nasreen, Yasmin) and 18 grandchildren.
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949), nicknamed “The Boss”, is an American songwriter, singer and musician. He records and tours with the E Street Band. Springsteen is widely known for his brand of heartland rock infused with pop hooks, poetic lyrics, and Americana sentiments centered on his native New Jersey.
Springsteen’s recordings have tended to alternate between commercially accessible rock albums and somber folk-oriented works. Much of his status stems from the concerts and marathon shows in which he and the E Street Band perform intense ballads, rousing anthems, and party rock and roll songs, amongst which he intersperses whimsical or deeply emotional stories.
His most famous albums, Born to Run and Born in the U.S.A., epitomize his penchant for finding grandeur in the struggles of daily life in America. He has gradually become identified with liberal politics. He is also noted for his support of various relief and rebuilding efforts in New Jersey and elsewhere, and for his response to the September 11th attacks, on which his album The Rising reflects. He has earned numerous awards for his work, including nineteen Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes and an Academy Award, and continues to have a strong global fan base. He has sold more than 65 million albums in the United States and 120 million worldwide.
Springsteen was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, and spent his childhood and high school years in Freehold Boro. He lived off South Street in Freehold Boro and attended Freehold Regional High School (today known as Freehold Borough High School). His father, Douglas Frederick Springsteen, was, amongst other vocations, a bus driver of Dutch and Irish ancestry, his (Dutch) surname means stepping stone. His mother, Adele Ann Zerilli, was a legal secretary of Italian ancestry. He has an older sister, Virginia – who took photos for the Human Touch and Lucky Town albums – and a younger sister, Pamela. Pamela Springsteen had a brief film career, but left acting to pursue still photography full time. Raised a Roman Catholic,[ Springsteen attended the St. Rose of Lima parochial school in Freehold Borough, where he was at odds with both the nuns and other students, even though much of his later music reflected a deep Catholic ethos and included many rock-influenced, traditional Irish-Catholic hymns.
In 1965, he went to the house of Tex and Marion Vinyard, who sponsored young bands in town. They helped him become lead guitarist and subsequently the lead singer of The Castiles. The Castiles recorded two original songs at a public recording studio in Brick Township, New Jersey and played a variety of venues, including in Greenwich Village. Springsteen acquired the nickname “The Boss” during this period as when he played club gigs with a band he took on the task of collecting the band’s nightly pay and distributing it amongst his bandmates. Springsteen, however, has never liked this nickname, due to his dislike of bosses. Previously he had the nickname “Doctor”. Even after Springsteen gained international acclaim, his New Jersey roots showed through in his music, and he often praised “the great state of New Jersey” in his live shows.
U2 With Boss
Mr. Mister was an Americanpop rockband of the 1980s. The band’s name came from an inside joke about a Weather Report record called Mr. Gone where they referred to each other as “Mister This” or “Mister That”, and eventually selected “Mr. Mister.” Mr. Mister may be considered as representative of the melodic sound of 1980s pop rock. The band consisted of Richard Page on vocals and bass guitar, Steve George on keyboards, Pat Mastelotto on acoustic and electronic drums and Steve Farris on guitars.
I can go on and on …… about those who have stirred my enthusiasm … I guess, I can be thankful to all of them, these legends, for inspiring me and most of all, teaching me to enjoy good music.
My mother used to tell me, if she ever wanted to calm her young baby (her eldest daughter); all she had to do was to play the radio …… The radio? ? Not lullabies?? Yep …… the radio …… She had no worries after wards she says; whether the baby s awake or not it made no difference, she could get on with her other work at hand because her baby was at peace listening to all the beautiful sounds the Radio made. So her home is always full of beautiful tunes …
The baby she was referring was me …… I still wonder if that was one reason why my life is inseparable from Music.
When I was a kid, the love I had for music, took me to a world so colorful. I yearned to learn, to learn a few notes and I did, I play a few instruments like; Drum, flute, key board and piano. I was afraid; thought I won’t grow up with a pleasant voice and there …… I learnt how to sing too.
Where did my inspiration come from? Surely it started because of the Radio and then I came across personalities the whole world loved and I learnt how dedicated they were for what they loved. I thought I should dedicate a special post …… for those conquered the world, not with weapons but with sweet melodies …… and their heart stopping voices!
She sang in over 980 Bollywood movies and has sung songs in over twenty regional Indian languages, but primarily in Hindi. Lata is the second vocalist ever to have received the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor. Mangeshkar was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records from 1974 to 1991 for having made the most recordings in the world. The claim was that she has recorded no less than 25,000 solo, duet, and chorus-backed songs in 20 Indian languages between 1948 to 1974 (30,000 songs between 1948 and 1987, according to 1987 edition). Over the years, while several sources have supported this claim, others have raised concerns over its veracity, claiming that Mangeshkar’s sister, Asha Bhosle, had more song recordings than she had.
Lata Mangeshkar was born in a Marathi speaking family in Sikh Mohalla, Indore, which then used to be in Central India Agency and is now in the State of Madhya Pradesh. Her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, was a classical singer and theater actor. Her mother Shudhhamati, who was from Thalner, was Deenanath’s second wife.
The family’s last name used to be Hardikar; Deenanath changed it to Mangeshkar in order to identify his family with his native town, Mangeshi in Goa. Lata was named “Hema” at her birth. Her parents later renamed her Lata after a female character, Latika, in one of her father’s plays, BhaawBandhan. Lata is the eldest child of her parents. Asha, Hridayanath, Usha, and Meena are her siblings in sequence.
Lata took her first music lessons from her father. At the age of five, she started to work as an actress in her father’s musical plays (sangeet naatak in Marathi). Her father’s recitals and lessons left a strong impression on her, as did the songs of K.L. Saigal, who was her favorite singer and idol. Her formal education was limited to one day in the school. On the first day in the school, she started teaching songs to other children. When the teacher stopped her, she was so angry that she stopped going to the school. Other sources cite that she left school because they would not allow her to bring Asha with her, as she would often bring her younger sister with her.
Enjoy her melodious voice:
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is an American recording artist, actress, and fashion model. A relative to several prominent soul singers, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousin Dionne Warwick, and godmother Aretha Franklin, Houston began singing at her New Jersey church as a member of a junior gospel choir at age eleven.
Her first solo performance in the church was “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”. When Houston was a teenager, her parents divorced and she continued to live with her mother. She attended a Roman Catholic single-sex high school, Mount Saint Dominic Academy, where she met her best friend Robyn Crawford, whom she describes as the “sister she never had.”
While Houston was still in school, her mother continued to teach her how to sing. In addition to her mother, Franklin, and Warwick, Houston was also exposed to the music of Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack, most of which would have an impact on her as a singer and performer.
During the 80s, MTV was just coming into its own and received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by black artists. With Michael Jackson breaking down the color barrier for black male artists, Houston did the same for black female artists. She became one of the few black female artists to receive heavy rotation on the network following the success of the “How Will I Know” video.
Following Houston’s breakthrough, other African-American female artists such as Janet Jackson and Anita Baker were able to find notable success in popular music. Baker commented that “Because of what Whitney did, there was an opening for me… For radio stations, black women singers aren’t taboo anymore”. Mary J Blige commented that after Houston invited her onstage during the highly rated Divas Live show in 1999, that it “opened doors for [her] all over the world”. Years later, Blige would have her biggest commercial success.
Enjoy her mind blowing performance:
Asha Bhosle (Marathi: आशा भोंसले) (born September 8, 1933) is an Indian singer. She is best known as a Bollywoodplayback singer, although she has a much wider repertoire. Her career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over 1100 Bollywood movies and sold many records. She is the sister of the equally accomplished Lata Mangeshkar.
Asha Bhosle’s first big success was B R Chopra’s Naya Daur (“The New Age”, 1957). Her duets with Rafi like Maang ke saath tumhara, Saathi haath badhana and Uden jab jab zulfein teri, penned by Sahir Ludhianvi and composed by O. P. Nayyar, gave her recognition. Asha and O P Nayyar had worked earlier as well. But it was the first time that she had got to sing all the songs for the lead actress. B R Chopra, the producer of Naya Daur recognized her talent and got her to sing in many of his later films including Waqt and Gumraah, Humraaz, Aadmi Aur Insaan, Dhund etc.
In 1980s and 1990s, Asha went globe-trotting, staging concerts in Canada, Dubai, UK, U.S. and many other countries. In 1989, during a world tour, she performed in 13 US cities in 20 days. Immediately after this, she had an already sold-out concert scheduled in Stockholm, Sweden.
Due to the stressful schedule, Asha suffered a massive attack of colitis, together with fever, cough and weakness. In Stockholm, a pre-concert crisis meeting was called, attended by Asha’s son (and manager) Anand and the sponsors. It was decided that the orchestra will play many instrumental tracks, the accompanying singers like Suresh Wadkar will shoulder the load, and Asha will make a small appearance. But Asha rejected all such proposals, and sang at the concert with great difficulty, in a not-so-good voice. Her first set of six Bollywood songs did not receive any response from the audience, which consisted mostly of Indian and Pakistani expats. Before the start of the second set of songs, a fan in the crowd requested her to sing a Marathi song. Asha obliged and sang Naach-naachuni ati mi damale (“I’m very tired of this endless dancing”). When the song ended, the auditorium erupted with claps and the encores started. After the concert, Asha was in bed for a month, recuperating from overexertion.
My soul, my body, my heart, my love belongs to you ~ my dear country! Brave soldiers … I salute you …
To be immortal and live long,
To die like a warrior and be strong.
To live among normal people as a strange being,
Die like everyone else and be remembered as a King!
Please rise for the National Anthem!
WAR ended … the brutal Killer is DEAD … what goes around comes around!
I hold no political views but trying to do some good for my people; all Sri Lankans. As you know there s an on going war in SL (Sri Lanka) and so much damage being done by an evil man called Prabhakaran who claims to fight for justice of his own and claims for a piece of land from this almost invisible island. He has to be stopped immediately.
Every country holds its own unique history and mine holds an extraordinary one (if you’d do some research you’d be interested by the minute to know more about our culture). This s the only place we can claim as our own, meaning, the only place a race called Sinhalese happen to live. And we happened to live sharing our country with other races without an issue for a long time as I learnt from my history. Examples are many that Sinhalese fought along with others to save this land from foreign invasion years ago. And then, some thing happened, I was too young to remember all the political gung ho but I do remember being frightened by seeing what was happening around us. No one was safe after that. Wives, mothers, grandparents, our families, they had to wait, wait with fright when their loved ones are out of the house (for either vocation or education), worried like hell for their safety and for their lives, do you know why? Suicide bombers (guess it was them who introduced human bombs) and the planted parceled bombs (by LTTE) in public transportation, such as busses and trains (public transporting systems of the commoners) were killing people almost every week. Those who lived in rural areas earning their means by farming, were brutally attacked, sliced in to pieces, by LTTE carders.
All we heard on news was “Breaking news on a bomb attack, how many died” and this was not cattle, dogs or sheep, these were humans too. People were dying for 26 years; my own people. But no one spoke. Representatives of international communities just sent messages condemning those attacks s and they were silent on the terrorists. It took several more years, it was a long wait, and then they announced them “a banned terrorists group” (yet allow their supporters to protest, collect funds around the world), you know, still, my country leaders delayed to announce the same, they didn’t do it, thought these terrorists had some morals, thought they would keep their weapons down and will come to a political solution. It was a big mistake. The best part is, every time our military held the fights, they got stronger by acquiring more weapons to kill the innocent, they deceived the country s’ rulers, showed the world our niceness as a weakness.
Funny thing is, now, those who were silent then (i.e. David Miliband/ Hillary Clinton), want our government to stop trying to catch these criminals and bring justice to who suffered. I, as citizen of SL, am deeply hurt by the double standards. Why would they offer them support, a terrorist group who are ready to kill? I may don’t understand how the international politics work and I certainly don’t have any thing against my fellow Tamils, all I know is that the international leaders should act fair. It’s not the fault of SL armed forces if the Tamil civilians die in North, the LTTE hold them as human shields. Those who ask the SL government to abide by the international war rules have conveniently forgotten that. Where were they when LTTE were massacring innocent civilians? We as a nation don’t appreciate their interference anyway.
We need support from every one around the world please, to voice our concerns too. It’s we who are suffering but this cruel group of monsters were given a huge support even by the peace loving leaders too. Would you like it, if a man one day, plot and decides to raise an army (with one group of minority citizens) to break up US/UK in to two?? I rest my case there, I’m sure you have an opinion of your own too, think fair. Let’s hope you’d support us….
A reply to the Secretary of State from USA Citizens
To: The Secretary of State, Hon. Hillary Clinton
Date: April 23, 2009
Madam Secretary, we address this response to you as registered Democratic Citizen voters of the United States and the Free World of Sri Lankan Origin. We value democracy and freedom for all people in Sri Lanka.
Your comment concerning the end of the war in Sri Lanka to quote your words, “I think that the Sri Lankan government knows that the entire world is very disappointed that in its efforts to end what it sees as 25 years of conflict, it is causing such untold suffering” is the most undemocratic statement we have ever heard from you having followed your political career with admiration. The entire nation of Sri Lanka’s peace loving democratic voters of all ethnicities has suffered through that long 25 year period. We have all lost relatives and friends and fellow citizens over 25 years. The International community didn’t come to help us and voice disappointment in the path taken by the LTTE when suicide bombers ran amok in the country and ethnically cleansed parts of it committing Genocide against Sinhalese and Muslims.
Madam Secretary, what you see now is the disruption of life in the Northern part of the country where civilians are being savedfrom the jaws of the most brutal Terrorist organization that has ever walked this earth in the history of mankind. We know that finally the people of Sri Lanka have a Government that has taken the situation in hand to end the suffering of all people. It is not a pretty picture but it is the creation of the LTTE that many fail to see. For the people of Sri Lanka the failure by successive governments that trusted the LTTE and thought they can be won over was a greater disappointment. Right now, the people of Sri Lanka are living in hope and that should not be a disappointment to anyone who is far removed from the suffering of the people there.
The civilians fleeing are being saved by the very forces referred to in the International Media as the Sinhala Buddhist Army of a Sinhala Buddhist Government. This is a misnomer. In Sri Lanka, there is far more diversity in all walks of life including the military than most countries in the world. That is how the people lived in Sri Lanka having fought for Independence from the British united as one nation of “Ceylonese” of diverse races. The Tamil leaders at that time didn’t see a need to divide and the country as they were the privileged class. The Sinhalese majority was the deprived class. The current situation that leads to the final push against the LTTE is the result of the LTTE’s drive toward hatred against all those who stood in their way. Death was inevitable to those who spoke out.
You are aware of the number of moderate Tamils murdered by the LTTE. You are also aware of the number of heads of state that were murdered by the LTTE under the orders of Prabakaran. You may not be aware that even in the evacuation there were three suicide cadres that exploded themselves and killed the fleeing civilians. The International Media fight shy to mention their atrocities within the NFZ and lay blame on the Government only for fighting back. The Special Forces took the risk of breaking the enforcement around civilians at 2 a.m. watched on camera by the entire Diplomatic Corps in the Capital Colombo. This is not something that should appear as a disappointment when for the first time video footage provided images of the fleeing civilians being received by the security forces. The footage clearly showed the LTTE cadres pointing their guns at the civilians and shooting some who tried to leave but never made it out alive. That is a great disappointment to be voiced in the International Media.
The Tamil Diaspora who financed the carnage of their own people has not come forward to launch a relief operation and assist the government to provide humanitarian aid. They provided plenty of funds to the tune of US$ 300 Million a year for the destruction of Sri Lanka. Where are they now if they are fighting a Tamil cause and worrying about the Tamil civilians? Actions speak louder than words and banners for political gain. The Tamil civilians are a mere pawn to seek a ceasefire for the escape of the Terror leader. They are poor, powerless and of low caste considered dispensable as collateral damage for saving the LTTE leader. When two of the LTTE’s high ranking officers surrender and provided hospital care, there is plenty of evidence to believe that the Government is right in their action.
The LTTE moved their heavy artillery to the NFZ during the 2 day truce for the New Year celebrated by their own Hindu people. The World cried foul when the Government didn’t bow their heads to a permanent Ceasefire. The Government knew from previous experience that it will only benefit the Terrorist Leader and the most brutal crew. They would have escaped in a shoot out when all the civilians would have been massacred by them just as they are shooting and killing the civilians trying to leave.
As the head of the Foreign Relations arm of the US, when President Obama and you are trying to mend the image of the US, Sri Lanka’s image is being measured in different terms. A Democratic Government trying to save lives about to be destroyed by the LTTE, their own people is viewed harshly while the LTTE atrocities within the NFZ are also being attributed to the forces.
None of the International Agencies have thought about going to the grass roots of the problem to interview the civilians who have sacrificed children, husbands and their freedom under the terror of the LTTE. It is their voice that must be heard to learn if this exercise of eradicating the LTTE is a disappointment or not. The Tamil civilians have the real story that must be accurately made known to the world. Instead of expressing disappointment at the Government that has done what they had to do, please take a different view.
The LTTE promised to reward the Diaspora with a bigger and grandiose separation and eventual take over of an entire nation to ethnically cleanse all non-Tamils as they did in the North and East of Sri Lanka not long ago. Consider the region,the 2 million Tamil people in Sri Lanka have support from Tamil Nadu with about 70 million people. However, Tamil is not the official language in Tamil Nadu while in Sri Lanka; Tamil
Language is the official language for business purposes for Tamil speaking people. Any Tamil Citizen can study in the Tamil language from kindergarten to university.
I am Americanized enough to quote to you a common phrase we use in America, “You got to do what you got to do” and that is exactly what Sri Lanka is doing right now. This is not a fight to discriminate against Tamils. This is a fight to free the Tamils from their own oppressor.
I wish to remind you of the countless number of suicide bombings instigated by the LTTE chief against innocent civilians in public places of worship, markets, trains, office building, buses, oil installations, airports, army headquarters, and congested streets in traffic jams the list goes on and on. Don’t the citizens of Sri Lanka have a right to live in peace? What you call a disappointment is an effort at liberating the hostages. They may be undergoing hardship but their lives were spared. Many of our kith and kin didn’t have anyone to spare them when LTTE suicide bombs killed people on the streets in peace time and in areas well outside of their claim of a homeland.
Even today, people worry about leaving home for a work day or sending children to school. Young children kiss their parents and leave homes not knowing whether they will return alive because bombs are planted in buses and trains that carry school children.
The innocent Tamils who have come out in this rescue now speak about the brainwashing they went through to be told of hatred against them. It is that same hatred that has been fed to International Media and International politicians who have been bankrolled as referred to in the recent issue of the Economist. It is a US Citizen Bruce Fein who is in the enormous pay of the LTTE that has visited all the legislators to gain support for brazen lies with donors posing as supporters when the funds came from the LTTE. Brazen lies because over 50% of the Tamil people lived freely in Sri Lanka enjoying the best of homes, cars, jobs, education and privileges in areas outside the LTTE dominated region.
The very blood, sweat and tears of the Tamil people went into the coffers of the LTTE in the form of their earnings, their children, their freedom and their lives. The Diaspora fed the coffers living in Western nations chosen for economically favorable refugee and asylum privileges. I ask how so many are spending so many days on the streets of London, Toronto, Ottawa, Washington, New York among many other cities, when those of us who work in countries like the US cannot miss a day of work without hindering the productivity of our employers.
These are now citizens of foreign countries, living out of the benefits provided to them and their productivity is expressed in time spent supporting a terror organization that has violated every human right in the book to be banned in 32 countries. While the fund raising and protests go on, they raise the violent symbols on their flag ignoring flag etiquette that must be followed in venerating national flags of nations.
The US is the leader of the world. Although terrorism from the LTTE Tigers did not come to our doorstep, do not disregard their invisible hand in the suicide bombs invented and now used against our American and NATO forces. Isn’t that enough to stir feelings among the American people? The US is democratizing countries to liberate them from tyranny. Why is there less support for the Sri Lanka Government which has preserved Democracy that the silent majority relishes when they are being liberated from the tyranny of an internationally proscribed terrorist group? Just as your support is extended to Pakistan to eradicate terrorism, Sri Lanka’s scenes of carnage look the same but are not acknowledged as terrorists causing the same damage as we see on the news media.
Madam Secretary, as a Democrat who believes that your party and President Obama care about immigrants like me, we the people who support Peace, Unity and Harmony in Sri Lanka where our families wish to co-exist with all ethnicities and religions believe the Sri Lanka Government is doing the rights thing.
It is we who are disappointed in your statement of disappointment in seeing suffering when that suffering for the people of Sri Lanka is coming to an end after nearly 30 years. More than the majority community, we are happy to see the innocent voiceless people of Tamil origin who will utter the words of Rev. Martin Luther King and tell the world that they are “Free At Last”and if there is life, we can rebuild a united nation in an era of Peace.
A United Sri Lanka is nothing new. We had it and lost it when the LTTE took some of the Tamil people on the wrong road preaching hatred and lies while a majority of them enjoyed the fruits of freedom in the south. The Diaspora who laid the foundation for their prosperity using the privileges provided by Sri Lanka denied admitting that they had equal opportunity for education and employment and used that education to go overseas and finance the use of terror against their own people. The road to violence leads to nowhere. The future of the people of Sri Lanka has to lead somewhere as a reward for their endurance and we call upon your good offices to help that island to rebuild and move on.
From: Concerned Voting Citizens of the USA and the Free World
If I’ve been fascinated by one scientific area that s forensic science.
What is it? What is forensic science all about?
“Forensic science can be simply defined as the application of science to the law. In criminal cases forensic scientists are often involved in the search for and examination of physical traces which might be useful for establishing or excluding an association between someone suspected of committing a crime and the scene of the crime or victim. Such traces commonly include blood and other body fluids, hairs, textile fibres from clothing etc, materials used in buildings such as paint and glass, footwear, tool and tyre marks, flammable substances used to start fires and so on. Sometimes the scientist will visit the scene itself to advice about likely sequence of events, any indicators as to who the perpetrator might be, and to join in the initial search for evidence. Other forensic scientists analyse suspected drugs of abuse, specimens from people thought to have taken them or to have been driving after drinking too much alcohol, or to have been poisoned. Yet others specialise in firearms, explosives, or documents whose authenticity is questioned.
In civil cases forensic scientists may become involved in some of the same sorts of examinations and analyses but directed to resolving disputes as to, for example, the cause of a fire or a road accident for which damages are being claimed.
Forensic scientists can appear for either side – prosecution or defence in criminal matters, and plaintiff or defendant in civil ones. They tend to present their findings and opinions in written form either as formal statements of evidence or reports. Sometimes they are required to attend court to give their evidence in person”.
Findings through forensic evidence…
Measuring Body Temperature
Although body temperature can vary between us as human beings, the average body temperature is around 37oC (or 98 Fahrenheit).
Measuring Temperature
Some people have varying temperatures as a result of variances in their metabolism: the higher the rate of metabolism the higher the temperature and likewise the lower the rate of metabolism the lower the body temperature.
The temperature will vary in certain areas of the human body as well. For example the temperature in the mouth will be 37oC (or 98 oC Fahrenheit) but underneath the armpit the temperature reading will be around 36.4 °C (97.6 °C Fahrenheit). Temperatures can also be taken using the tympanic method (from the ear).
By far the most accurate reading of a body temperature is the one that can be taken rectally. Although is not the most pleasant of ways in which to read someone’s temperature it is the most accurate in relation to the body’s core temperature and for this reason it is normally the most used method of determining the temperature of the decease when they are examined at the scene of a crime.
Blunt Force Trauma
Blunt force trauma is – as its name would suggest – a severe traumatic episode caused to the body or head with the sudden introduction of a blunt instrument used with great force. This can sometimes be caused by an attacker striking out at a victim with their hands, a large piece of wood, a baseball bat or other such item that would cause heavy damage to the body or skull if impacted against them quickly.
Blunt force trauma is something that is also experienced during a car accident, especially if the individuals involved are not wearing seatbelts and are catapulted forward at speed against the dashboard, steering wheel or indeed the rear of the driver and front passenger’s seats.
Blunt force trauma can also be inflicted without a great many visual indicators. A great number of individuals who die from this condition do so because of the internal injuries they have received, which may result in nothing more than some exterior bruising.
Identifying the Victim
When it comes to identifying the deceased forensic science and forensic medicine are both crucial weapons in any law enforcement agency’s armoury.
Difficulty in Identification
Identifying the victim can sometimes not be as simple as looking at their face and matching them to a description given by a worried relative or loved one. Sometimes there are extraneous forces at work, which make identifying the victim a long and laborious task.
The main reasons for difficulty in identifying the victim are:
Massive head trauma
Submergence in water for long periods of time
Decapitation
Disfigurement
All of these are of course grisly in their own right and the task of identifying a victim can be made much trickier if any of these issues arise.
Ligature Marks
Ligature marks are those marks made by an item of cord, rope, silk or some such material that has been used for the purposes of strangulation.
Ligature marks come in many different patterns and sizes and can be unique to certain fabrics and materials and this is why they are so important in criminal investigations that revolve around the strangling of a deceased individual.
Ligature Marks as Evidence
Normally strangulation is carried out by squeezing the area just about the Adam’s apple for a sustained period of time, thus crushing the windpipe and preventing the victim from being able to breathe.
Once the assailant has carried out this task it is normally only a matter of time before the victim dies if they haven’t already died during the strangulation.
Forensic scientists and Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) will normally look for these ligature marks around the neck and will photograph them at the scene of the crime before the pathologist looks at them in more depth at the autopsy stage.
These ligature marks – as we have already mentioned – are made from the material used to strangle the victim and indeed are an imprint on the skin as a result of great force and pressure applied to them.
Ligature marks are normally dark brown in colour and have a red band on either side of these horizontal marks signifying the width of the item used to carry out strangulation.
The pathologist will also check the tongue and larynx of the victim post mortem as well as this indicates strangulation if these organs of the body are enlarged.
He or she will also look for signs of the carotid arteries being obstructed as well as damage being caused to the thyroid arteries. All of these prove useful and can tell a lot about the pressure and force applied by the perpetrator whilst strangling their victim.
New Ways to Detect Lies With Forensics
One of the most challenging tasks for a forensic expert is determining if a person is telling the truth. Over the years, all sorts of testing methods have been introduced – some eventually disregarded while others have become mainstays in forensic science.
New Techniques
In the past several years, however, new techniques have been brought forth, many promising to revolutionise the way in which we determine if a person is honest or telling a lie. In fact, a recent claim is that a new test is ninety-seven percent accurate in finding out if someone is telling lies.
Does It Work?
The test has, however, been approached with much scepticism and doubt. The technique is one that monitors the brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Researchers in support of the test claim that it is the gold standard for determining if a person is lying. Those who developed the technique cite that when a person is lying, there is an increase in blood flow to the brain. In turn, oxygen levels in the brain increase.
Some of the different disciplines of forensic science have become identified primarily with law enforcement, an image that has been enhanced more recently by television series such as CSI. This is misleading because forensic scientists are involved in all aspects of criminal and civil cases as well as among others, the family courts, immigration and employment tribunals and the results of their work may serve either the prosecution, defence or either side in a hearing as well as acting more recently as a single joint expert.
Forensic science and the work of the forensic scientist does have an impact on the number of cases entering our legal system by assisting the decision makers before a case reaches the court, as the facts developed by the forensic scientist are based on scientific investigation which may convince the prosecution team that the case does not merit a trial or the defence that a guilty plea is the correct one.
The forensic science investigation at times proves the existence of a crime or makes connections to other linked crimes, and the forensic scientist provides information and expert opinion to investigators, solicitors, judges and juries which helps in determining the guilt or innocence of the accused.
Continuity of the forensic science evidence is of paramount importance and there is a necessity for accurate record keeping at every stage in order that the chain of custody of the exhibits can be shown in order that the integrity of the forensic evidence is maintained at all times. To this end the time, date and location of the receipt or subsequent movement of any forensic science exhibit must be meticulously maintained from the moment of seizure to its delivery at the laboratory and movement within, and continued up to its presentation at court if required.
The forensic scientist must make sure that the examination is complete and the tests performed have been done correctly, the interpretation of the scientific data is thorough and that the written report is correct and easily understood by the layman, and finally that the evidence given is complete, unbiased and truthful, anything less is not acceptable.
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