GEOGLOBE
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Bali : The Dilemma of a PARADISE
It began early in the morning. Saner, a small village near beach black volcanic sand, was quiet. A cock was crowing. Nyepi, The Balinese New Year by Saka Calendar, was beginning.
Bali, a small spot on the map of Indonesia, is a green and fertile tropical island with plenty of natural beauty ready to be used for the tourist business.
The Island has experienced a series of invasions. In 1500 B.c. people from South India arrived and brought with them. An efficient agricultural system and a way of organizing villages. More than 2530 years later, around 1020 A.D. The eastern Javanese began to influence the Balinese and among other things they introduced the mixture of Hinduism and animism which can still be felt in modern Bali.
The Dutch arrived in 1597 and were at first friendly with Balinese, but this friendship became war which lasted until 1949, when the island became part of independent Indonesia.
The influence from these different cultures was changed by the Balinese to suit their way of live. In 1971 the Indonesian Government expressed the intention of not letting development for tourist spoil the natural beauty of Bali, with so many foreign tourists arriving in Bali; will it be possible for the island to stay the same?
The cock was still crowing, in the distance the sound of a drum and gong could be heard, now two white prayer flags, six meters long could be seen.
The music stopped. There was the sound of singing and that hundreds of bare feet moving along the road. Small boys, in bright white shirts and purple and gold headbands, were leading the procession. Behind them were girls with serious faces carrying of ferings. Then came the adults, including many toothless old women, with hollow check and wrinkled skin. The musicians played again and the procession moved more quickly towards the beach.
There was a shrine made of bamboo poles on the beach. It had been built the night before. The offering of fruit and flowers and white rice were placed on a platform. Beside the platform were the prayer flags.
An old woman approached the shrine slowly, and placed small vases of burning jossticks among the offerings then she moved backwards and, like most other attendants, sat cross-legged on the sand.
Now the pedanda (high priest) began to chant prayers every now and the ringing a small hand bell. He sprinkled holy water over the offerings and when he had finished. People began to stand up and undress, and then walk into the sea. The morning of New Year’s Eve in Bali is the time for ritual washing and purification of the body and soul in the sea.
Small groups of people began drying and dressing themselves. The musicians started playing again and the procession returned through the village. Nearby was the tall Bali Beach Hotel. Most of the Hotel’s guests were still sleeping. However, there was still plenty of opportunity to use a camera. Procession kept on arriving during the day. People from the procession were willing to be photographed by the tourist.
Tourist can also attend temple ceremonies. The biggest temple in Bali is Puri Besakih. Mother Temple of Bali. In Fact, most of Bali is Hindu, but the biggest temple is Buddhist. Religion in this island is rather different from “orthodox” Hinduism or Buddhism. To enter the temple the tourist has to wear a sash and pay a small amount of money to borrow it.
A bare –footed middle–aged woman brought offerings into the temple. She placed the offerings of roasted duck and rice cakes near five small shrines, then when the pedanda came and chanted prayers and sprinkled holy water over the woman’s offering. He went around the shrines. After that the music was heard for a short time, the woman brought the offerings because her husband was very sick and she wanted him to get well.
A guide explained to the tourist that the temple stood at the foot of the Gunung Agung Volcano. Although it is a Buddhist temple, many of the shrines and figures in it are Hindu.
As well as attending temple ceremonies, tourists can also watch cock-flights. Formerly a cock-fight used to have a religious meaning. It was usually held before a religious festival. The blood that spilled during the fight was supposed to be an offering to evil spirits so that they wouldn’t harm people and the festival would be successful. Nowadays cock-fighting does have this religious meaning any more but is merely a sport and there is usually a lot of betting.
On the morning of New Year’s Eve men in the villages could be seen carrying fighting cock in baskets. At the place of the fight, the cocks were turned to look at each other while still being held by their owners. If the cocks seemed angry enough, then the owners would agree to a fight.
One pair of owner was ready, so steel blades were tied to the cock’s spurs. Bets were made while the judges made sure that knives had been properly attached. The men making bets were busiest when the cocks were placed looking at each other, still held by their masters.
The noise stopped for a moment when the cocks began to fight. They collided half a meter above the ground. The noise of their flapping wings could be heard. The crowd shouted as the two birds struggled. The coloured cock was cut on the thigh, and blood flowed from the wound. Then the white cock attacked again. Its blade cut into the neck and throat of the coloured opponent. The loser lay on the ground in pain. The judges instructed the owners to put their birds into their baskets. If the defeated cock was severely wounded and dying, the owner would kill it instantly.
Some tourists asked a guide about the cock-fight. He said that the flights were just for the enjoyment of the owners and tourists, but they did not have any special meaning nowadays.
There are still a lot of ceremonies in Bali, but in his opinion a lot of people in Bali who take ceremonies don’t really understand the religious meaning of them.
The guide said that once wood-carvings and paintings were made for temples and public buildings. The artists did it because they were clever at it and regarded it as a religious, sacred duty. They were never paid, however, in 1930 the first foreign tourists came to the island and everything changed.
The guide added that formerly dancing was full religious meaning, but nowadays it is mostly for the tourist business. In olden days Balinese dancing was part of religious ritual and the dancers were never paid because it was not a profession but merely a religious, ceremonial duty.
Well, what about the future of that “Paradise Island”? Should Bali be kept unchanged like a big museum or an “ethnological reserve” so that a few rich tourists can come and look at it? In this modern day time is changing rapidly and no region in Indonesia can be altogether isolated from the current of world development. It is what is called” The Dilemma of Bali”.
One foreigner had this opinion: Nowadays there are in Bali television and newspapers which include news from the developed world. There are modern hotels and many other things that are usually found in Western homes. The people of Bali want many of these things --- they want a better standard of living. Should the people be given what they want? Even though it will change Bali?
The foreigner thought that the Balinese should be given better education, better heath, more food, cars and anything else they want. The money gained from the tourists who come to Bali should be used for the benefit of the people.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Childhood of SHAKESPEARE
For Many Centuries there had been people with the name Shakespeare in Warwickshire. England. Some Villages contained several families of that name, so nobody thought it an important event when John Shakespeare from a village near Stratford married Mary Arden, a girl from Wilmcote.
No one is certain where the marriage took place because the register in which John and Mary signed their names has been lost. This couple had four daughters and three sons. Only the eldest boy, William, is remembered.
John Shakespeare preferred town life to that of the country. He took his bride to a house he already owned in Stratford-on –Avon) Stratford on the Avon River). He worked as a glove maker but he also sold raw hides, leather, wool and wheat. He even worked as a butcher and some say that hi son William was able to help him.
As his business developed. Jhon Shakespeare was given important position on the town council. His first position was as the official ale tester in 1556. Ten year later he achieved the top position of deputy sheriff.
When William was growing up, his father was an important citizen in a busy market town. Of Course William was proud of his father, who was comparatively wealthy and well known in Stratford-on-Avon. No doubt he enjoyed meeting all sorts of people at his fin house near the town centre.
Because his father was a member of the town council William was able to study at Stratford Grammar School. A very special Scholl that taught Latin and Greek and was attended only by the children of prominent people. His father did not have to pay for his education. This school was one of the best at that time.
Lesson began at six a.m. in summer and at seven in winter, and did not finish until late in the afternoon. Discipline was strict and the teacher didn’t hesitate to use the cane to punish his pupils. There were not many books so the pupils had to memorize a lot. Years later William wrote about a schoolboy walking very slowly because he did not want to go to school.
William’s knowledge of Latin, which he learned at school, was very useful when he wrote his plays. He probably went to church which his father every week because of the Bible and the prayer book. He had a good memory for the sermons given by the priest, but often he could not hear the priest well in winter as he frequently ha a bad cold.
Apart from church and Scholl. The people and the scene of the lovely Strafford countryside were also an important influence in Williams’s life. He learned to fish in the Avon River. Practiced archery, walked through the rich farm land, was interested I hunting and wandered among the tall trees of the forest Arden. All these things, as well as different types of flowers and the customs of the country people in his plays.
We don’t know anything about his friends when he was young, but he made some enemies among the adults in the Stratford. There are stories about what William did when he went poaching and there is evidence that he was caught when he was stealing a deer from a certain land owner. As punishment, William was whipped and locked up. William had his revenge when he described one of the strange characters in his play. “Henry IV” as the same as his enemy the land ford.
When William was bout thirteen, his father’s business was no longer successful. His father had many debts and had to give up his position on town council.
William must have worried about what kind of work he could do.
In fact, two of the Queen’s best friends lived at the castles of Warwick and Kenilworth.
The road from London to these castles went through Stratford. Often the queen stayed at Warwick and Kenilworth. Messengers, knights and court actors travelledthrough his town. Certainly, William must have seen the Queen travel through Stratford during his schooldays there.
Sometimes local towns-people and villagers were allowed into a castle to watch the entertainment held for the Queen. Perhaps William went with his father and saw his first play at Kenilworth castle. Best of All, he would have seen and met the actors themselves.
In those days actors had to obtain a license from an important person before they could perform in public. These players came to Stratford and performed the latest plays from London; Young boys always took the women’s parts in these plays.
When did William decide to become a play writer?
Such a questions cannot be answered. Some say that he was as assistant to a school-master for a few years, some believe that he became a soldier and fought in the wars in Holland. Other says that he traveled perhaps as far as Venice in Italy. In one of the ships that used to sail up the Avon River to Stratford. We know that when he was seventeen years of age he was in Stratford and married a lady seven years older than himself. The marriage was quickly arranged and people say that William did not really want to marry at that time. His wife was Anne Hath away and from this marriage they had several children. In the later were more important to him than his wife.
We know that by the time William was twenty, he was in London, playing small parts in plays. Rewriting old play and learning the skill that he needed as an actor of his life he spent in the world of the theater. However, he never forgot Stratford. When he retired as an actor, he returned to this town and spent his last days there.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
DREAMS : WHAT DO THEY MEAN?
DREAMS are like magical shows that are for you alone to see. Sometimes your dreams are fearful.: perhaps you are flying in the air like a bird, and you feel wonderful. No matter if the dream is terrible or beautiful, it is almost always fantastic. Things happen that could never happen in your real life.
People have always wondered about dreams. Where do they come from? What do they mean? In ancient times, people believed that dreams came from the gods. People thought that Gods sent them dreams in order to tell them what they should do, or should not do.
Over that year, scientist and doctors have studied dreams, and they can tell us that dreams do not come from supernatural powers at all. Each of us creates his own dreams.
When you fall asleep. The part of your mind that works during the day (Which is called the conscious mind) gets a rest. At certain times during your sleep, another part of your mind – your subconscious mind – becomes active. It starts to create moving pictures that you “see” as you sleep. Moving pictures called dreams.
Sometimes the dream-picture is brought about by something that is happening to your body as you sleep. Suppose your leg slips out from under the blanket on a cold night, this might start you dreaming a “Cold” dream. Possibly you would dream that you are dipping your leg in cold water.
Scientist also say that most of our dream-pictures are brought about by things we have seen or done during the day. The mysterious thing is that often the dream-picture is not exactly the same as the experience that brought it about. Suppose you went swimming in a pool one day. That night, you might dream that you are at the pool again. Or the dream might change the poll into a river or a bathtub.
Many times the dream changes and disguises things so much that we do not realize it has any connection with real people or experience. But all our dreams do have something to do with our real life.
Why do we dream? Every one dream ; babies, children and adult of all ages. Because everyone dreams, there must be a good reason for it, just as there is a reason why we eat, sleep or breathe. It was easy to find the reason for eating. Sleeping and breathing, but it has not been easy to find the reason for dreaming. People have been looking for an answer for hundred of years. Even today no one is completely sure, but we have some good ideas.
One of the first good ideas came from psychologist who lived in Austria more than seventy years ago. Dr Sigmund Freud. Psychologist is interested in what makes people act the way they do. Often they help people who are very worried that they cannot live normal, happy lives. Dr. Freud felt that dreams might tell a lot about a person and that he could help his patients get better if he knew and could understand their dreams.
Freud thought all dreams were caused by wishes. As one simple example, he told of how on one occasion his little daughter was sick and was not allowed to have anything to eat all day. That night, someone heard the girl talking in her sleep, mentioning some of her favorite foods, and what would a hungry child wish for more?
As they grow up, most people try to hide some of their wishes, Dr. Freud said. That is because they are ashamed of the wishes, or even afraid of them, even though there is sometimes nothing to be ashamed or afraid of. But the person cannot forget these hidden wishes so they come out at night when he is sleeping. In the form of silly dreams.
Most psychologuists do not think that all dream are caused by secret, hidden wishes.
Some dreams, they say, may be caused by problem or worries that we do not want to think about. When we fall asleep, our subconscious mind tries to help us solve the problem in a dream. Scientist have discovered that if a person is kept from dreaming for several nights in a row. He will become very nervous, and may get upset very easily. They think that are worrying him.
In the last few years, dream experts have made discoveries that lead them to think that dreaming may also allow up to clear useless pieces of information out of our minds. We need to do thos, the scientist say so that can we can make room in our minds for new information and for new sensations we are receiving every day.
This new idea would explain why we often dream about things that happened long ago, Many adults can tell you that they have had dreams about people and places they knew when they were children. These memories were stored up in their subconscious minds for many years, and the dream brought them out of storage, perhaps to make room for newer memories.
Do you dream in colour? Everybody who sees colour, dreams in colour. But it usually does not seem significant enough for you to speak about it. You might speak of a colour when you dream of certain object: you are wearing a red dress, for instance, or you dream you are seeing your sister in her white nad blue school uniform and so on.
Do Blind people dream ? People who are blind from birth do not have dream-pictures as sighted people have. But They do dream. Their dreams are made up of sound, touch, smell and taste sensations they know in their waking life. Blind people who at some time been able to see will sometimes “see” images in their dreams.
Do Animals dream? It looks as if they do. Of course , no one has been able to find out exactly what they are dreaming about. But scientific test have given convincing indications that they probably dream too,
Monday, February 23, 2009
A TRUE LIFE STORY: I HAVE TO STAY ALIVE
ON 23th December, 1971 a seventeen year-old girl named Juliane Koepcke and her mother were passenger in a Lockheed Electra aero plane, which was making the flight between Lima (the capital of Peru) and the small town to Pucallpa. They were on the way to join her father. Professor Koepcke, who was head of the zoological department at Lima University. He was carrying out research work in the jungle.
Juliane has spent a good deal of time in the jungle.. Her father had taught her about the dangers of this unfriendly world, and the things one must do to stay alive in it.
The flight should have taken an hour. But, after they had been in the air for thirty minutes, the aero plane ran into trouble. This was accompanied by heavy rain and flashes of lightning’s last memory was of the wing catching fire. After that, she became unconscious and never felt the crash.
When she became conscious again, she felt that she was lying under a seat, out in the open air. She had bruises on her head. A broken bone in her neck and a bad cut on of her feet. Of her mother, the other ninety passengers and the plane’s crew, there was no sign.
She felt too weak to get to her feet, and soon she went to sleep again.
When she woke up in the morning, she realized that her mother had probably been killed. As she wrote afterwards in her diary: “Now my father has probably lost his wife, but he must no lose to stay alive.”
She was somewhere in the jungle, but she had no idea where, all that she could do was to obey the oldest law in such a situation: find a river and follow it.
In this region, there are streams which flow into rivers, rivers which join up with bigger rivers: everything, at last, ends up in the Amazon.
Her only clothing was the mini-dress which she had worn on the aero plane. For food, she had some cake and a bag of sweets. But, on closer inspection, the cake turned out to be inedible.
For ten days she walked. She had found a stream and this led her to a river. Sometimes she traveled along the bank. The only signs of the life she could see were the vultures. Which were feeding off the bodies of her fellow passengers?
The jungle is a giant drum of poison in which everything seems to be a murder a weapon.
There is the sun, which burns your skin, fruit and berries. Which look delicious? But can make you ill or even kill you when you eat them, poisonous snakes, mosquitoes, giant green flies which ran frighten you away, alligators, piranha fish. Which have sharp teeth and will eat a man alive, deadly giant spiders which suck human blood, and other, equally deadly, insect.
Luckily, Juliane never felt hungry, and she was able to make the sweets last for along time. When she felt thirsty. There was the river, though swimming in it meant throwing herself into disaster, The open wound in her foot was an invitation to piranhas.
In pain, never seeming to reach the greater world where people lived. Juliane walked on slowly and heavily. She lost all awareness of the passage of hours and days. At night she slept fearfully in the open, conscious all the while of strange sounds of a jungle which never sleeps.
After ten days she was in a state very close to despair. She was just about to lie down for the night when she saw a wooden but, nearby there was a boat. But there were no people.
She spent the night in the hut and, after she had rested , she wondered what to do next, Would anyone ever come there again? Should she wait, or should she try to struggle on?
Later than day. Three young men arrived. They were jungle people who used to travel from one place to another, making their living by cutting down trees, and floating them down the river to Pucallpa.
At first, they couldn't’t believe her story. It was impossible They said. Nobody could have suffered so much, and still be alive. But they were kind. They washed her cuts and injuries gave her a meal, and at last took her down the river in their boat to a village. From there, alight aircraft flown by a woman pilot named Jerry Cobb took her to hospital at Pucallpa.
Even If you ignore the dangers of the jungle and the amazing strength of spirit which made the girl determined to move on, and her ability to walk through very dense jungle with only a bag of sweets to eat --- even if one ignores all these things, the chances of survival for juliane were still very small.
For example, she could never have reached the village without assistance. She had to depend on those three young men. But, if she had not decided to stop at the particular place on the river bank, she would almost certainly have passed their hut without seeing it. Furthermore, the young men only came there about once every three weeks, if she had arrived one day later, for instance, she would have missed them.
Juliane koepcke had to live for her father’s sake. Determination such as this only occurs once or twice in any generation…..
Sunday, February 22, 2009
To Like and to be liked
EVERYONE Wants to be liked. To be liked and appreciated is one of the normal human desires. That’s why toothpaste, perfumery, makeup and the like, are produced and sold by the millions through advertisements which promise popularity. The problem of getting along with others is no simple matter: it is an important skill which must be mastered if we are to be happy with life and with people. But how is it done ?
When interviewed by a pressman about the basic requirement of being requirement of being a successful salesman, Mr. C. Wood bridge, Director of a big American corporation, stated, “ It’s to like people. Of course he must know the product of his company. He must be hard worker. He must be dynamic, But first of all he must like people.
When a person genuinely likes other people, he himself is certain to be liked in return. So, a primary step in trying to be well liked is simply to like other people and like them sincerely, not just for a certain purpose.
Of Course, this is not always easy. Some people are more difficult to like then others. But the more you practice liking people, the easier it becomes. This cannot be done merely by saying, “ I am now going to like everybody.” Liking other people is the result of a way of thinking, that is, a positive way of thinking.
You should avoid having any negative thinking toward other people, such as pride, prejudice, jealously, unreasonable suspicion, and so on. If you can develop a positive mental attitude, the world will seem so different and wonderful that you tend to love everybody and everything.
Behaviour often speaks as clearly as words, sometimes even more clearly. Most of us tend to talk too much when people come to us with a problem, not realizing that on certain occasions silence is better than speech. Many of us do not realize that the art of good communication includes not only the skill of listening attentively and understandingly, or , in other words, listening positively.
To Listen positively is to listen with patience, symphaty and with love. Sometimes a person visits a friend to ask for advice to help solve a problem, whereas what he needs is a companion to whom he can pour out all his worries. He tells his friend all his problem. What the friend does in only listen and listen; listening attentively and sympathetically. In the end the visitor finds his own solution, thanks his friends and praises him as being very understanding, and leaves happily.
What the wise friend did? He seemed to do nothing, but actually he did something creative. He Has no negative feeling toward his visitors; he loves his guests, he loves everybody who comes to him for help, and in return, the guest loves his as well……………………….
Thursday, February 19, 2009
THE Art of Being a Parent
Pregnancy and birth are truly marvelous things. Human being will probably just what takes place during the nine months in mother’s womb. Think of it ! At the very beginning this creature that will influence your life is so small that it is smaller than the dot on this letter “i” . Three weeks later it has grown to about the size of the letter “t”.
At five months the unborn baby may stretch, head to foot. Another four months. And all three to five kilogrammes of him will let out a cry that will surprise you. As he seems to say ; “Here I am. Are you ready for me?”
Actually, these nine months have provided just enough time for the preparation of your mind, emotions and body for the welcoming of your new friend.
Remember, mother, what is taking place within you is a very marvelous yet natural process. Do not feel too strange about the changes in your body. But it will be worthwhile learning something about the marvelous development from an ovum to the delivery of the newborn baby.
A Visit to a library or a delivery consultation bureau will help you to find information about this process. It will give you proper insight and understanding, and enable you to get ready for the newcomer.
What name will you choose? Your child will be known by it for a very long time, so the choice of name should be given serious thought. Some parents choose name that have religious backgrounds, such as those taken from Holly Qoran or the Bible. Others select a name that has more of family connection. You may think of a name that has some personal meaning to yourselves. Some parents have even made up a very original name.
But do not give your child a name that will result in awkwardness or embarrassment as he grows older. The name RajasanagaraTuggadewa may have been all right for an aristocrat in the period of the ancient Javanese kingdom of Singhasari, but it would make a person a laughing-stock these days.
Then there is the matter of clothes and napkins or diapers. Of which you will need a lot. Also, will you have the baby delivered at home, in a hospital or in a maternity clinic? These are just a few of the many things you will have to ask yourselves and think over during these nine months. But there are other decision to be made, too.
One early decision is whether the baby will be breast-or bottle fed. It is true that bottle feeding is less bothersome. But even though cow’s milk may be adapted to meet the physical needs of the young one. There is a very important psychological need that a mother fulfills when she feeds her baby from the breast.
Also, no substitute can match perfectly the nourishment and protection that mother’s milk is naturally designed to give a baby. Breast milk has a constant temperature: it is germ-free: it is easily digested: it contains all vitamins, and, what is more important It contains certain substances that are very very necessary for the protection of the baby from infections.
Do got be surprised if you find that your life is not your own when the newcomer first arrives at home. Due to his special needs, you may find that your life is governed to a large extent by the desires and needs of the baby. However, gradually the little once kindness to realize that he has become a member of a household that does not belong only to himself.
Right from the start.help your child to understand the need to obey. Obedience can be a real protection from all sorts of dangers.
There is also much training to be done in the home. Teaching a child to put away his toys, to put his dirty clothes in the right place and to dress and undress himself Can all be done before the child is three. It may take longer to train him to do these himself. But the time you spend teaching him will not be in vain :.you will realize the benefit later.
It never too early in life to begin building in his mind and hearth belief in God. How happy you will be that he is learning to copy your example as he whispers” in The name of God Almighty, The Most benevolent…….” Before a meal and in thanks after it.
The first cry of the newcomer will bring you, it’s mother, proud joy. The baby’s first smile, Lifting its head to see what is going on, its funny, meaningless noises, trying to chew its own feet and following head movements are all occasions that will find that not a day goes by without some surprise at the little one’s development .One day you , its father, will peep into its little crib and get a bright smile, and you may feel sure that is a smile of recognition.
It brings great satisfaction to parents to see their child developing mentally and physically. One day you may notice him pretending to do what you are doing. You will often see your self in him. He will do lots of things that make you just want to kiss and hug him.
Yes, you will have a lot of joy and happiness in being a parent to a little newcomer…………..
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
THE LANGUAGES OF THE WORD
How Much mankind is divided by the use of different tongues! About 3,000 spoken Languages have been counted by experts.If all the dialects (local forms of a language) were added to the above figure, it would probably be much higher. But then even experts disagree in some cases about what is simply a dialect. Why? Because, even when people speak dialects of the same language, they may be unable to understand one another.
Most languages can be grouped together into about ten Language families (here, again, different numbers). All the languages in the same family are branches of one ancient parent language, and, in many cases, the patent language has died out.
Many persons know that French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and several other languages are all modern varieties of latin. Not so many are aware that even Latin is classified as being only a member of a languages of Europe and India. It is said to have developed from a lost ancestor called Indo-European.
Besides these, there are some tongues, like Japanese, that cannot be classified into any known family, and many other languages that have disappeared.
About half the world’s population speak a language classified as belonging to the Indo European Family. It is no accident that the world for “three”, for example, is similar in Russian (tri), German (drei), French (trios), Danish (tre), Dutch (drie), Irish (tri), Albanian (tre), and so on. All these languages are said to originate from the lost Indo-European language.
Only recently, since about the end of the eighteenth century, have linguists begun to analyze the history and relationship of living languages. Before that, They tended to compare merely the written form of words in different languages. But there is much more to the family relationship than that. Even When two languages have very few similar words. They may put sentences together in a way that shows a relationship between the two.
Take the example of Lao (the languages of Laotians, who are the people Laos) and Chinese. It would be difficult to find many words similar in these two languages, yet they have three other important features in common.
First, one word in both languages may have several different meanings according to the tone of voice used when saying it. For Example, the Lao saying it. For Example The Lao word “mu”, spoken with a low tone of voice,means “friend”. While with a rising tone it mean”pig”.
Second most words have only one syllable or are made up of several one –syllable words linked together.
Third, when speaking of a number of object one must use a word called a “Classifier” every time to denote the class of object to which they belong. Thus a Laotian cannot just say “three girls” but must say. “ Girl three persons ( of people).” Showing that girls belong to the class of “people”. These three features suggest that Chinese and Lao are relatives within the same language family.
On The other hand, we can not classify different languages by the characters in which the languages are written. English and Vietnamese both use the Roman alpabhet, which the Vianamese formally adopted in the seventeenth century, but the languages are very different Japanese and Chinese use similar writing. Which causes some person to associate them together. Yet each of them comes from a different languages family. English and Russian, however, which are regarded as distant relatives within the same family use different alpabhet
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Amazing Inventions of LEONARDO DA VINCI
The Amazing Inventions of LEONARDO DA VINCI
Perhaps no one history achieved so much in so many different fields as did Leonardo da Vinci. He was an architect, astronomer, geologist and biologist, and also a musician and sculptor as well as painter. His Monalisa is one of the most famous painting in the world. There seems to be no field in which he was not a master.
Like Roger Bacon, he foresaw many of discoveries and inventions that would be made in centuries to come, but unlike Bacon who only dreamed about them, Leoanardo sat down and worked out the plans and designs.
From his notebooks we can tell that Leonardo approached science and art with the same method. After studying a problem, he made many sketches to help him find a solution. He saw no difference between planning a machine and a painting.
He had a keen interest in how things worked. In his notebooks there are working drawings of rockets, machine guns, parachutesand flying machines. There are also designs for measuring the force of the wind. The moisture in the air, and the speed of travel.
How Could horses run so swiftly? He compared the feet of horses and men, carefully examining the bones and muscles.
Why were birds able to fly ?Leonardo bought all the birds in the market. He let them out oh their cages and watched the movement of their wings and bodies. He Carefully studied the contruction of the feathers, the tail and the bones.
Then the thought came o him : “Why should not man be able to fly?” His study of bird structure and flight helped him design the first helicopter.
Leonardo has a mysterious power for guessing at discoveries that were going to be made in the future. He guessed that the blood circulates through the human body. He guessed that failing things increase their speed as they fall. He guessed that the earth is one of the sun.
One of his most remarkable guesses solved the mystery of the regular changing of the shape of the moon.
“ There can be only one answer”, said Leonardo. “ The earth reflects light just as the moon does. Some of the light from the sun that reaches us here on earth bounces of all to the moon. This reflected light allows us to see. The earth acts like a giant mirror and so we can see the shining part of the old moon by earthshine.
Another famous discovery of leoanrdo’s solved a very old puzzle : How does it happen that the patterns of fish and oysters are to be found in the rocks on top of mountains?”
Leonardo carefully exaimined the patterns. These prints were the fossils or remains of sea animals that had lived on our planet thousands of years ago!
But how did they get from the bottom of the sea to the tiop of the highest mountain?
Said Leaonardo, “ What is now a mountain top was once under the surface of the sea.”
Leornardo was right again. In acient times extradinary changes took place on the surface of the earth. In some places great continesnts disappeared forever beneath the waves. And In other places mountains raised their heads high above the water, carrying with them the remains of sea plants and animals.
Leonardo da Vinci was born in the town of Vinci, Italy. In 1452. His father was a successful government official, and his mother was a peasant girl. Leoanardo spent his early years on his family’s farm. Free to explore in the fields and streams, he grew to love the outdoors.
In 1469 Leonardo moved with his father to Florence where the young man learned painting from Andrea del Verrocchio. A few years later he painted scuh a beautifull angel that Verrochio. His matter, gave up painting altogether forever.
One of leonardo’s weaknesses as a human being was that he frequently left a painting he was drawing unfinished, regardless of its state of completion. He did so especially if there was another project that interested him.
Another of leonardo’s interest was the study of human body. At first, like other artists of the 15th century, he studied the outside appearance of the body. Then he became interested in its inner structure and later he even dissected several corpes to find out how the body was put together.
Leonardo looked at plants as closely as he looked at men and animal, and he made many dicoveries about plant growth.
Soon after he arrived in Milan in 1482, he began to write down things that interested him. His notebooks show the great variety and originality of his scientific observations. He Ilustrated his theories with very beautiful and exact drawings. By studying his drawings of machines. 20th century engineers. With modern materials, have been able to build models that work perfectly. The notebooks are hard to read because Leonardo used mirror writing. He did not want his ideas to be stolen.
In. 1516 Leonardo left italy to become chief painter and engineer to King of France. The King gave him freedom to carry on his experiments.
While in France, Leonardo became paralyzed. He had to stop painting, but his mind remainded active. During his last years he received lots of visitors, who listened with great respect to the masters’s brilliant ideas about art and science. He died in this country on May 2, 1519.
Source : Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
Various Sources
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
PUBLIC SPEAKING
NEEDS STUDY AND PRACTISE
The term’ Public speaking” explains itself. It is the act of making a speech in public. The purpose of good public speaking is to add to the information ang knowledge of the listeners or do as the speaker advises. Speech making is very important for the work of such people as clergymen, lawyers, teachers and politicians. Public speaking, however, has importance for many others. Businessmen, labourers, and university students – these are but a few of those who use public speaking more and more each year.
Public speaking used to be called oratory. Oratory, which dates back to ancient Greece and Rome, is one of The oldest regular studies in Western civilization. Since those early
Times almost every generation of civilized men has spent much time in the study of the principles, rules, methods and practice of public speaking. For many centuries in Europe, shoolboys learned to make speeches in Latin. It was thought that if they could make good speeches in Latin. It was thought that if they could make good speeches in Latin, they certainly could do so in their native language.
Through the ages teachers and writers of books about public speaking have agreed that to be a good speaker a person does not only need natural ability or talent but study and practice as well. Some people area naturally better speakers than others. Nevertheles, through the study and practice of good speech-making the example of good speakers, most people can become fairly good speakers.
A person who make a public speech believes that lie has a message. He has something worth saying, and there is a group of people who ought to hear his message and take his advice. This means that a public speaker must know three basic things.
(1) He must know better than most people do the subject on which he will speak.
(2) He must Know, as nearly as possible, his audience’s needs, habits, wishes, and ways of thinking.
(3) He must know how to build his speeches so that they have the maximum effect upon the audience
In building his speech good speaker three very important matters in mind. First, he makes his ideas as easy as possible for his audience to understand. Second, he makes himself seem like a person whose advice on be trusted. Third. He makes his listeners want to understand, believe or do what he proposes.
If the idea are to be clear and understandable to listeners, the speech must be planned. To achieve this, a speaker usually makes sure that it has a real beginning, middle and end. More formally, a good speech has to have three parts, which are, an introduction, body and conclusion.
A lively, friendly introduction gets the attention and interest of listeners and lead s to the main idea. The body of a speech states the main idea. The body of a speech states the main ideas in good clear sentences. Each ideas should be filled with the various kinds of explanatory and supporting material.
The most useful kinds of material with which to explain or support ideas are (1) facts and information (2) examples or comparisons, and (3) opinions of influential persons. In The conclusion the speaker repeatrs the main ideas and persuades his listeners to follow a certain line of action or thought.
If the speech is to be clear. It must not only be well planned. In addition, the ideas should be expressed in language that is familiar to the listeners anf full meaning for them. The speaker should choose definite words instead of vague ones. Lively words instead of weak ones. He makes his sentences simple and straightforward. Not imaginary or doubtful. He should pay attention to his listeners needs. Not to his own performance.
The giving of a speech aloud before an audience is called the delivery. Agood speaker is easy to hear. His proununciation is sharp and correct. His voice is pleasant and lively.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Qoni and the Jewels
Qonita was seventeen years old. She was very beautiful, and many men wanted to marry her . But Qoni was a foolish girl. She did not want to marry the men in her village. They were very good young men, But qoni said, “I am very beautiful. Why should I marry a villager ? I Also have many jewels. I shall marry a rich man from a town. I Want to Live in a large house and I don’t want to do any work in the house.
Qoni’s father was angry.”You are a foolish girl” He said. “ We don’t kno’w any rich people . You wouldn’t like living in a town. You will be happier in the village. Why don’t you marry Rama ? I Want you to marry him. He is a good, hard working boy “
But qoni said. : I shall marry a rich man.”
One day a man came to the village. He painted pictures. He saw Qoni. And he went to her father and said, “ Your daughter is very beatifull, I wan to paint her picture.”
Qoni’s father said. “ Yes it will be nice to have picture of Qoni.
The man came to the house every day and painted Qoni’s picture. One day he said to her, “ Your eyes are very beautiful. They are beautiful as jewels. Will you give me two jewels to put in the picture for your eyes?”
Qoni said “Yes” and gave him two black jewels for the eys.
The next day the man said, Your lips are also very beatifull. Will you give me two jewels to put in the picture for your lips?”
So Qoni gave him two red two red jewels for the lips.
The next day the painter said, “you have beautiful jewels in your ears an on your fingers. I cannot paint them.Will you give me your jewels for the picture? Then it will be the most beautiful picture in the world.”
Qoni took the jewels out of herears and off her fingers, and gave them to him. The man said. “I”ll take these these home with me. I can’t put them into the picture here. I’ll do it at home. Tomorrow I’ll bring the picture and you will see that it is the most beatifull picture in the worl” and he went away.
The evening Qoni’s father said to her. Qoni Where are your jewels?”
Qoni told him. “ I gave them to the man to put in my picture.”She said.” He wanted to make it as beautiful as I am.”
“your foolish girl” her father said.”We don’t know where the man lives/ Why did you listen to him?”
“ He’ll bring the picture tomorrow.” Qoni said. “it will be the most beautiful picture in the world.”
But the man didn’t came comeback. He went away from the village and took that all qoni’s jewels with him.
Qoni wa sad. She knew she had been very foolish to listen to the many’s talk. He didn’t think that she was the most beautiful girl in the world. He wanted her jewels, that was all.
Qoni is married now, She married Yusup. They live in the village and Qoni is very happy. One day Yusup tooke her to a town. But she didn’t like it.
“It’s nicer I the village, “ she said.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Self Organization
HAVE YOU ever had the feeling of knowing that tomorrow you have an exam and have only one night to study what should have taken three months?
Or, have you ever arrived at work or at school and tried to get to your place without the boss or teacher noticing that you are late ?
With a little bit of self organization, last minute studying can be avoided and arriving on time can become a habit.
For self organization you need time to plan what you are going to do every day, even if it is only for a few minutes, Some people find that the best time for making preparations it is at night-time before going to go sleep. You must consider what you time you need to go to sleep so you can get up in plenty of time to get to school or to work. It is important to have your clothes, books and other equipmenty for the next day.
One reason why students are late for school is that they stay up to watch late programmes on televisions. When they wake up in the morning. They have to find their clothes. Perhaps they forgot to tell their other the night before thay they need their sports clothes, so they have to wait while those clothes are ironed.
When they are ready to go to school case they have forgoten to put the book in their school case they have to spend five minutes searching for it. By the time they arrive at a school they are late.
Self organization is easy when it becomes a habit, and one habit that is necessary for self-organization is tidiness. A wise saying is “ A Place for everything in its place”. It is a lot easier to be organized if your clothes, books and other equipment have a special place so you always know exactly where everything is. This means that you need it.
If you use public transport you need to allow plenty of time. Sometimes your transports will travel slowly. After you have been traveling from home to your school or office for a few weeks, you will know how long it takes. Then you will be able to organize yourself so you are not late.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Monalisa
The model of painting was monalisa, and the potrait itself was painted by Leonardo da Vinci probably in 1504 or 1505. The masterpiece now belongs lovre in the Paris, the Largest museum in the world, and one of the oldest.
Monalisa was a florentine lady and the wife of one leonardo’s friends with whom the artist got acquainted when he lived in the florence.
It said that leonardo secretely loved his model and adored her beauty.
Perhaps no one in history has achieved so much in many different as did Leonardo da Vinci.
He has often been called the world’s Supreme genius and certainly he possesed a great numbers of different talents
Thursday, January 1, 2009
LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF.
We are here presenting a set of questions concerning some situations that you may often face in your everyday life. For all questions we offer you the answers, but we don’t claim that the answers are absolutely right. The object is for each of you to learn about yourself, your attitudes and your motives.
Questions :
1. If you’re being introduced to somebody and you don’t catch the name clearly, should you ask for the name to be repeated?
2. When you meet strangers, should you try to look as charming and nice as possible?
3. When somebody expresses an opinions which is contrary to your basic principles, should you always defend them?
4. When you hear mistakes of fact in the casual conversations of you companion, should you try to correct them?
5. Should you help your friends because there may be a time when you need help from them?
6. Should you feel free to talk to your companions about your own interest or hobbies, even though they are not a bit interested in them?
7. To get along, even with strangers, do you need a collection of funny anecdotes to amuse them?
8. Should yo do whatever your friends ask for you, just to show them that you are a good friends of theirs?
Answers.:
1. Yes, this shows an interest in the persons, and it makes him feel important if you pay serious attention to his name.
2. No, the best policy is to be yourself, and not to pretend to be what you’re not.
3. Yes, Some people may disagree with this, but surendering to other people’s opinions on basic principles will not win your respect. As long as the defence is made in a reasonable and friendly way, no reasonable and friendly way, no reasonable person would think badly to you.
4. No, A man who is constanly pointing out other people’s mistakes is not an interesting person to have a talk with.
5. No, Everybody should certainly help his friends, but help should be given sincerely without any hidden purpose and not because a person may one day need help in return.
6. No. A little talk about them is fair enough, but you should not insist that other people take a great interest in what doest not interest them
7. Not necesssarily, A few stories may help, but if you repeat the same stories to someone who may have heard them before, your anecdotes will not be funny any more and you may even be regardes as abad joker who bores his listeners.
8. No. A real friend is laways willing to express his own views sincerely to his companion and to reject his demands when it is necessary for his own good. A difference in opinion often even enriches a genuine friendship.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
What is Curiosity ?
CURIOSITY CAN be defined as “ an eager desire to know”. Or as “ the desire to see or learn something that is new or unknown:.Curiosity is one of the most useful qualities that man has and it has proved to be great help to mankind. Mothers know well this quality. For they often hear curious questions from their children, such as, “Where di I come from?”””why is the sky blue?” “ How can God see me if I’m hiding ?”” and the like.
Curiosity is an intellectual element that distinguishes man from animal. Monkeys limit their travel to a hundred square kilometers at the most, while man has explored the four corners of the earth. He even wants to know what life is like on other planets, a question that has been causing him to explore space.
It was curiosity that ied Isaac Newton to discover the law of gravity, and it was this quality also that stimulated Jules Verne to create his famous novels of science-fiction. You can think of many examples of his kind.
But you have to remember that what we he mentioned is curiosity in the best sense of the term. Like all other instincts and qualities. Its use can he wise or foolish or even harmfull. There are different kinds of curiosity, bad as well as good. That is why it has also been defined in a bad sense as “inquisitiveness” in a ba sense “inquisitive” means “ too eager to know about other people’s affairs that are not your own business:. It is because 0f his kind of curiosity that you often hear someone say: “ Mind your own business.”.
There is yet another kind of curiosity that needs to be guarded against, because if not properly controlled, it might become a weakness rather than anadvantage.
You had better not be curious about things that can do you harm. For instance, many youths have become alcoholic addicts simply because of curiosity about what it is like to be drunk. If drinking becomes a habit or an addiction, it is very difficult for you to get rid of it.
Truly, curiosity is one of the greatest gifts with which God has equipped our minds. But it has to be wisely controlled. You have to realize what kind of curiosity you have in mind. Is it a curiosity that leads you an understanding of certain knowledge that will be useful to you or for the benefit of mankind? Is it a curiosity dircted towards religious questions that will lead you to a realization of the greatness of God?
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
SMOKING
Some people wrongly think that there are two kinds of tobacco, refined and non-refined, and that smoke of tobacco is refined by means of special filters, which is completely wrong. The clear scientific fact is that the filter prevents tar only to enter the lungs, while all other kinds of poisonous substances go through the filter into the lungs.
The dangerous thing about smoking is that its detrimental effects are innumerable, not only on the smoker himself but also on those around him: his wife, children, work-colleagues…etc. In other words, if one stays for four hours in a room where someone is smoking, it is as though one has smoked ten cigarettes. Such people are called “passive smokers” and are badly effected by tobacco smoke even if they do not smoke. Those who smoke and enjoy smoking cause harm to others unintentionally.
Some people might say that there are certain cases, rare as they are, in which one smokes but is not injured. But the answer to such claims: Are you sure that this very rare case apply to you?!
A very brilliant doctor, whose father was addicted to smoking but, nevertheless, lived for more than eighty years, wrongly thought that smoking is not detrimental at all. Therefore, he went on smoking excessively until, when he was fifty-two, he had a serious heart-disease. When he returned from America, after having had vein transplantation, he was asked: “How come that you smoke while you are a brilliant doctor?!” He replied regretfully, “I fancied through my father’s case that smoking is not detrimental!”
Can any of us ever be sure that he\she will be one of such rare cases in which a smoker is not badly affected by smoking?!
The indisputable fact is that neither the smoker himself nor his physician can ever be able to predict that he will be safe from the deadly dangers of smoking; and such rare cases as above-mentioned have very complicated explanations.
* * *
Let us now try to study the detrimental effects of smoking on the different parts of the human body:
The Respiratory System:
What is the relationship between smoking and the respiratory system? Scientists hold that the worst smoking-effected parts of the human body is the respiratory system, because it is like a bunch of grapes, each grape is like a pulmonary vesicle in which the exchange between CO2 and O2, which is indispensable for human life, takes place. But what does smoking do to such pulmonary vesicles?
Smoking destroys tissues of pulmonary alveolus which are vesicles.
Inside the human windpipe there are cilia that are planted on the walls thereof. These cilia are always moving up in order to drive away any alien body that exists in the lungs and windpipe. But nicotine paralyzes these cilia, and therefore, these infections and remnants accumulate in the windpipe, because the mechanism of cilia, which should drive them away, is rendered inoperative by nicotine.
A smoker is more vulnerable to be infected with windpipe and lung diseases as well as emphysema. Moreover, there is an obvious positive relation between smoking and lung-cancer.
Calculations show that out of one thousand smokers, there are sixty who are infected with lung-cancer, whereas out of one thousand non-smokers, there are only two persons who are infected with such horrible disease.
Some scientists hold that poisons of tobacco cause mutations in the cell which are caused by scratches, and which, in turn, cause cancer of tissues.
The heart and blood vessels:
Most of the deadly cardiac and vascular diseases are attributed to smoking.
Physicians of heart surgery state that most of the surgical operations they carry out on the heart are necessitated by smoking-related diseases.
A man with throat cancer once came to an otolaryngologist, who suddenly put his hand over the man’s chest to find a packet of cigarettes. He exclaimed: “Cancer comes from this packet.”
The first reason for these fatal diseases is that the poison of nicotine combines with hemoglobin and thus terminates one of the most important biological operations, which is exchange between O2 and CO2.
I would like to draw your attention to a very important fact, namely that Allah, the Almighty, has honored man by providing him with very complicated apparatuses and mechanisms in order to protect him from the different dangers around him. Hence, if one of us sees a frightening thing, like a snake for example, what happens to him? The picture of this snake is imprinted on his retina, which transmits the picture to the brain through the optical nerves. The brain recognizes this picture according to the previously acquired conceptions. The brain, which is the king of the nervous system, orders the pituitary gland, which is the queen of the hormone system, to deal with this situation. This queen, i.e. the pituitary gland, has effective hormone elements. It sends an order to the adrenal gland in order to excrete five hormones: the first one accelerates the heart-beating; the second increases the work of lungs; the third narrows surrounding blood vessels in order that blood goes to the muscles and not to the skin; the fourth increases sugar in the blood; and the fifth increases the hormone of thrombosis. All of this happens thanks to the hormone of adrenaline excreted by the adrenal gland.
Therefore, when man is afraid of something, his heart-beat and his lung-palpitation increase, his vessels’ orifices narrow and, therefore, he becomes pale. The rate of sugar in the blood and that of the hormone of thrombosis both increase. The poison of nicotine performs the same function as that of the adrenaline. Hence, the heart-beat of a smoker, and his lung-palpitation increase, his vessels’ orifices narrow, and the rate of sugar in his blood and the hormone of adrenaline both increase. Therefore, he is eight times more vulnerable to be infected with thrombus than others.
One of the reasons for chronic diseases is smoking, since smoking increases the rate of viscidity in blood, which makes it difficult for the blood to pass through narrow vessels. Thus, one’s lower limbs begin to die out.
Smoking causes a rare disease which is called “inflammation of embolism”, for when vessels become inflamed, their apertures are closed due to lack of blood in the limbs’ vessels; and, hence, the limbs begin to die out.
There is another disease which affects smokers, some of whose symptoms are cyanosis and erythrism.
The brain and nerves:
The human brain is the noblest part of man. It includes one hundred and forty milliard supporting cells whose function is not known yet. It also includes fourteen milliard cortical cells, which are the domain of man’s intellectual activities. It is the most complicated apparatus in man, and man is, in turn, the most complicated machine in the universe.
But what does smoking do to the human brain?
If poisons of smoking reach the brain, it receives them easily and voraciously; and therefore, man soon feels a little narcotized. Nicotine, which is dissolved in the blood, and which reaches the brain, makes man feel sometimes narcotized and sometimes active. This is because tobacco smoke is both assuasive and activating at the same time; and this is the secret behind addiction.
This poison, which gets into the brain, weakens the brain-nerves and causes nerve-inflammation. One of the great many bad effects of this poison on the nerves is constant trembling of limbs. A smoker’s hands and legs are constantly trembling because of the brain-nerve inflammation resulting from lack of blood supply to the brain.
The sense of taste of smokers weakens; and they also suffer headaches, pain in the limbs, weakness of memory and forgetfulness. Another nerve-related symptom of smoking is weakness of intellectual activity; therefore, a non-smoker is usually cleverer and faster in responding to stimuli than a smoker.
Scientific research, which included 6800 cases, showed clearly the existence of a negative relationship between smoking and intelligence.
The eye:
It has been found out that smoking causes conjunctivitis, dryness of eye-lids, and inflammation of optic nerves. It also causes lack of vitamin (B12).
The digestive system:
90 % of lip-cancer cases are found among smokers, who are also exposed greatly to tongue-cancer, esophagus, gum and tongue ulceration, inflammation and hypertrophy of salivary glands, and sometimes difficulty in swallowing. Moreover, smoking causes poisoning of liver-cells, cirrhosis, and liver-cancer.
The genital system:
Smoking is one of the main reasons for sexual impotence. It causes deformity of sperms, sterility of both men and women, and it spoils the relationship between spouses. Most of the cases of abortion, premature and dead-born babies, under-weight, high rate of birth-deaths, deformation, infant death, infant asthma, and deaf-born babies are caused by mother-smoking.
The incredible thing about smoking is that the new-born baby receives its poisonous effects directly from the milk of a smoker-mother. Therefore, continual vomiting, spasm, and increase of hear-beat of new-born babies are all caused by mother-smoking.
Intensity of smoke poisons in the breast of a smoker-woman results in breast-cancer.
* * *
Due to lack of information about the dangers of smoking, Muslim scholars previously differed as regards prohibition of smoking. In his book “Al-Hashiah”, which is considered as one of the largest encyclopedias of the Hanifite school of Islamic jurisprudence, Ibn Aabdeen says, “Some scholars said that it is prohibited, others said it is reprehensible, and others said it is permissible. That was because its dangers on the human body were not known to them, and in Islam all things are initially lawful. Therefore, when some scholars previously made smoking lawful, this was because of their lack of knowledge about its harms. Had they known its harms, they would have prohibited it more than we do.”
There is a basic rule in Islam, namely that all things are initially lawful unless there is textual evidence of prohibition. However, this does not apply to kinds of worships and devotional services, which are strictly revelation-specific.
Having displayed such clear definitive facts about the dangers of smoking, it goes without saying that it is strongly prohibited. This is because Allah, the Almighty, sent His Messenger, Muhammad, (PBUH), as a mercy for all mankind, and in order to make lawful for them what is good, and prohibit what is evil or detrimental.
Is there a single sane person who takes out a cigarette and says before smoking: “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”; and when he finishes, he says: “Praise be to Allah. O Allah! Increase these Favors upon us.”?!! This is impossible. Hence, this is a natural evidence that smoking is unlawful.
Allah, the Almighty, says: “Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures) – in the Torah and the Gospel – for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the Light which is sent down with him – it is they who will prosper.” [VII ; 157]
There is another serious fact, namely that out of one hundred persons who drink wine, fifteen become addicted thereto; whereas, out of one hundred smokers, there are eighty five ones who become addicted to smoking. Hence, the percentage of addiction to smoking is much higher than that of addiction to wine.
Statistical data in America shows that victims of smoking in the USA, alone, are 350,000 persons a year. This means that every day, one thousand smokers die because of smoking. Also, 50,000 negative smokers, who do not smoke, but their parents, relatives, or friends do, die every year.
The number of those who die because of smoking in one of the western countries is 400,000 ones, i.e. more than 1,000 people every day.
Tobacco that is imported, or smuggled, from the USA is both very bad and harmful, because the rate of its poisons is ten times more than those of any other kind of tobacco. In other words, the packet, trademark, and price are the same, but tobacco that the USA exports to the countries of the Middle East is of the worst quality.
An Egyptian scientist heard that leaves of tobacco are soaked in wine. So he went to America in order to see that with his own eyes before he writes about it. He saw, with his own eyes, that leaves of tobacco there are soaked in wine before they are made into cigarettes; so he wrote a book about that. Hence, when one hears any of such American brands being advertised: “Come to where the flavor is!”, it is actually the flavor of wine in which it has been soaked!
A research that has been recently made in England on eighty three smokers shows that out of ten smokers three will certainly die because of diseases caused by smoking and the others will inevitably suffer from smoking-related chronic diseases.
Concerning losses incurred by fires caused by cigarette-ends, they are far more than all of the profits of all tobacco companies or the taxes received from this industry.
In one of the most beautiful forests of our country an ignorant picnicker once threw a cigarette-end and caused two hundred and fifty hectares of green woods to burn. All such enormous loss was due to one single cigarette-end.
Some smokers may wrongly think: “Well, we do not suffer from any thing, we can walk and run; and we have good health although we are smokers.” Actually, such people are ignorant of a serious fact, namely that harms of smoking accumulate in the human body until it is time to show out when its physical defense mechanism finally collapses, just as happens when one puts on a pan of a balance five kilograms and then starts putting on the second pan one, two, three, four kilograms and the first scale is still inclined; but as soon as one adds five kilograms and a few more grams, the second pan begins to move down. What makes this pan move down? Is it the last few grams?!! No…What makes it move down is the previous accumulations of all the weights. It is just like the straw that is said to have broken the back of the camel!
One of the western scientists says: “Companies of tobacco are companies of murder, or companies which trade in death.”
A handsome man, whom companies of tobacco used to employ for advertising their products, used to appear in cowboy clothes and a nice hat on his head inviting people to smoke the brand he was made to advertise, died at a very young age because of smoking. When he was on the death-bed, he said most regretfully, “I was lying to you; smoking has killed me. Never be victims of evil cheating! Do not be easy prey to dishonest advertisements of dishonest companies that seek only financial profit even at the expense of the health of other fellow humans!” In this context, Allah, the Almighty, says: “And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loves those who do good.” [II ; 195]
Those who smoke actually contribute to their own destruction. Allah, Most Gracious, says: “O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities; but let there be amongst you trade by mutual good will; nor kill (or destroy) yourselves, for verily Allah has been to you Most Merciful” [IV ; 29]
Islam strongly prohibits committing suicide; and smoking has been described by scientists as a slow suicide. In fact, there are two kinds of suicide: a fast one, as when one stabs oneself with a knife in a deadly place of his body, and a slow one, namely “smoking”. Allah, All-Mighty, strongly bids mankind: “Do not kill yourselves!”
Abu Houraira (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Whosoever throws himself from a mountain and, thus, kills himself, he will be thrown in Hell-Fire forever and ever. Whosoever drinks a poison and, thus, kills himself, his poison will be in his hand, and he will drink thereof in Hell-Fire forever and ever. Whosoever kills himself by a piece of iron, his piece of iron will be in his hand, and he will stab his abdomen therewith in Hell-fire forever and ever.”
Moreover, the Prophet (PBUH) prohibited all kinds of intoxicants or anesthetics. Umm Salama said: “The Prophet (PBUH) prohibited all kinds of intoxicants or anesthetics.”
A poor smoker is best called “a Fool”, and a rich one is best called “a Spendthrift”. And Allah, All-Wise, says: “Verily spendthrifts are brothers of Shayateen (devils); and the Shaytan (Devil-Satan) is ever ungrateful to his Lord.” [XVII ; 27]
If the vast Tobacco-fields were planted with vegetables and fruits, instead of tobacco, things would be much better, income would increase, people would be healthier, and all mankind would be far more prosperous and happy.
Smoking has been declared unlawful by a great many Muslim religious scholars, most prominent of whom are: the greatest scholar of the Ottoman State, Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Laqqani, Sheikh Salem As-Sunbouri, the Mufti of K.S.A., Sheikh Badr Ad-Deen Al-Hasani, Sheikh Ali Ad-Daqr, and Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hamid.
The head of Al-Azhar scolars, Jad Al-Haq, may Allah have mercy on him, delivered the following religious judgment about smoking: “It has become very clear that smoking, with all of its different brands and methods of use, causes a great harm to man, sooner or later, in both his soul and money. It inflects him with various and numerous kinds of diseases. Therefore, it is strongly prohibited and considered as unlawful by virtue of the textual evidences which have been mentioned previously. Hence, in view of preserving people’s souls and money and avoiding its detrimental effects, it is considered unlawful for a Muslim to use it (tobacco) under all circumstances.”
All of the above-mentioned facts have been taken from international health organizations, high standard universities, or advanced research centers.
A committee of prominent medical scientists presented a 387-page report, entitled “Smoking and Health”, confirming deadly dangers of smoking.
A prominent Swiss magazine issued the following report supported with adequate statistical data: Tobacco companies in the world produce two cigarettes a day for every man on earth. In other words, they produce 10,000,000,000 cigarettes a day. The amount of poisonous substances included in that amazingly great number of cigarettes produced everyday would cause immediate death to all mankind if they were injected into their blood, which is far greater and more serious than that of the biggest atomic bomb.
In 1975, The International Health Organization published a detailed account, in which it states: The number of those who die or lead a miserable life because of smoking are more than the total number of those who die of such fatal diseases and epidemics as pestilence, cholera, variola, tuberculosis, leprosy, typhoid, and typhus. The number of smoking-caused cases of death greatly out-number those caused by all other cases of death.
The total amount of taxes imposed by the developed countries on tobacco companies is far lesser than that spent on the treatment of smoking-related diseases.
Furthermore, a new phenomenon has come into existence, namely that diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and blood-diseases, which do not usually show before the age of sixty, are now showing up much earlier due to smoking. There are now a great many cases of heart-attacks and sudden death at the age of thirty, twenty-five, or even twenty-two, all because of smoking.
Priorities of human life are three things, the most important of which is “right guidance”, the second is “good health”, and the third is “self-sufficiency”. In other words, self-sufficiency is meaningless without good health; and good health is meaningless without right guidance. Physical health is a basic pillar of a believer’s life, as it enables him to accomplish his being Allah’s Viceroy on earth, to fulfill the mission for which he has been created, and to enjoy His Lord’s Guidance and Provision. Hence, when he gets to know that smoking destroys his health, it will be completely unreasonable and unwise that he should smoke even one single cigarette.
Allah says: “Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures) – in the Torah and the Gospel – for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the Light which is sent down with him – it is they who will prosper.” [VII ; 157]
SOURCE : NABULSI
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