BBC World Challenge Winner 2009

World Challenge 09 is a global competition aimed at finding projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level. World Challenge 09 is brought to you by BBC World News and Newsweek, in association with Shell, and is about championing and rewarding projects and business which really make a difference.

Burns caused by Hand Made Unsafe Kerosene Lamps are a common poblem in parts of Sri Lanka, where 1/3 of the population has no access to Electricity.

Safe Bottle Lamp Project in Comming!

One man’s mission to stop the horrific, and totally avoidable, injuries caused by unsafe kerosene lamps in Sri Lanka.

“If I win the World Challenge I can make and distribute 40,000 of these lamps, protecting over 80,000 people from these horrific burn injuries” Dr Wijaya Godakumbura, Safe Bottle Lamp Project

Despite an electrification programme, over 6 million people in Sri Lanka, nearly one third of the population, don’t have power. Many families rely on improvised lamps made from bottles to light their homes at night, but these can often spill and cause horrific injuries – figures suggest 300,000 people around the world die from accidental kerosene burns every year. Dr Wijaya Godakumbura, a surgeon who witnessed the terrible results of these accidents has designed a safe Lamp that can't roll over and cause a fire.To date, his small foundation has handed out about 775 thousand of the safe lamps.

Copenhague 2009

The Climate change is already having dramatic consequences. The first victims are and will in future Populations already the most Vulnerable and Poorest Countries: Humanitarian Crisis, Mass, Violations of Human Rights are likely to multiply in the near Future. Therefore, a Unique Coalition of Organizations of French international solidarity, protection of the environment and human rights appeals to French President, in light of the Copenhagen Summit.
On J-1, Denmark will host the next International Summit on UN Climate. The International Community must develop a Comprehensive Agreement that will follow the Kyoto Protocol. To Participate in the Challenge, Put your E-Mail, 1 Million Signatures are Needed!

Ramadan and Weight Loss

The virtues of fasting has spiritual, physical and psychological obvious, relieved the researcher and university Zafar Nomani, in an article published Saturday 22 by The Washington Post, in its electronic edition.

"What I discovered, along with other researchers, is that fasting has obvious benefits, both in spiritual and physical, psychological and social," said Zafar Nomani, Professor Emeritus of Nutrition University of West Virginia, and winner of the "Prix Hassan II" rewards the best scientific research and medical on Ramadan.

Professor Nomani, who has received this award at the First International Congress on "Health and Ramadan", held in Casablanca in 1994, explains that fasting during Ramadan "looks like, somehow, to a permanent annual educational workshop on how to become a better citizen of the world ".

Fasting, says he acts as a regulator which reminds us of the problems of poverty, drinking water resources in the world and encourages us to avoid overconsumption and waste of food.

Because "after all, too much food ends up being thrown in the garbage bags," laments this university who has conducted research on the nutritional consequences of the behavior during the fasting period on the organization of several volunteers in the United States and Pakistan.

"No eating, drinking and undesirable behavior makes the person more morally disciplined and less prone to unhealthy behavior," says he, noting that researchers in Jordan found a significant decrease in cases of para - suicide (suicide attempt will not die) during the month of Ramadan.

In Great Britain, fasting has been used by several health centers to reduce smoking rates, especially among people of African and Asian origin. Professor Nomani said however that there are choices for which one can opt for the practice of fasting is done more safely.

Scientific studies show that there are people who eat too much during Ramadan, which is a phenomenon that contradicts the essence of this holy month, sorry there, adding that studies show that health problems can result of an on-diet or a diet unbalanced.

"The human body has regulatory mechanisms that are activated during fasting, and therefore we do not need to overeat to provide our body the nutrients it needs," he says, noting that studies Scientists have shown that our body draws on stored reserves of fat to function normally during the period of fasting.

He added that other studies have shown that the basal metabolism of the person who fasts during Ramadan decline, concluding that one can be active and healthy during this period while having a diet less rich than usual but balanced in terms of nutrients.

Good Bye Micheal

"The death of Michael Jackson was found by doctors yesterday's afternoon after its arrival at the hospital in a deep coma," writes the leading newspaper of the second city of the United States, quoting "sources in the municipality and law enforcement. "

According to TMZ.com, who had previously announced the death of Jackson without giving a source, "the king of pop" has been the victim of a heart attack shortly after 12:00 pm (19H00 GTM) and the emergency services failed to revive.

The Los Angeles Times for its part indicated that firefighters had responded to a call from the singer's home in West Los Angeles, around 12:26 (19h26 GTM). The singer stopped breathing when they arrived, said the newspaper, which said he was revived and transported to the hospital capital of Ronald Reagan UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles).

The announcement of the death has not been confirmed in the immediate source nor hospital nor its agent, E. Tohme Tohme.

Emergency access to hospital capital were blocked Thursday afternoon by the police, and some fifty journalists had come on site were kept at a distance.

The news of the death of "king of pop" comes as the singer hoped to make his comeback on stage in London this summer with a series of concerts.

After having virtually disappeared since his acquittal in 2005 in a trial where he was accused of sexually touching a young person, the singer was briefly reappeared in March to announce a fifty concerts.

During a brief and disjointed to the press and thousands of fans, Michael Jackson, arrived late for over an hour and a half on the schedule, had indicated he would be his "last performances in London ".

But in late May, organizers announced the launch of the concert series had been postponed a few days in July, ensuring however that this had "nothing to do with the health of the star.

With a voice recognizable perched above all, out of the dancer, the artist was already recognized when he was 10 years before moving gradually to the status of star level.

But since the 1980s, the enigmatic Jackson shows signs of physical and behavioral strange and beyond the musical phenomenon becomes a phenomenon at all.

In 1993, its image of gentle eccentric fly apart with the complaint of a 13-year accused him of touching. The case settled out of court against 23.3 million dollars, a sum which does little but a fortune estimated at 600 million.

Her fortune had been melted, forcing the singer in 2006 to restructure a debt sum of $ 170 million, according to the American press, giving Sony a call option on half of its prestigious music catalog.

Small victory in a sea of financial woes, he had recently obtained the cancellation of a sale of personal items that had to be organized by the house of Julien's auction in California.

Happy Eid Al Moulid From My Hearth

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On this Occasion of The Prophet Mohammed Anniversary, falls this year on Wednesday, 10March 2009, I present my best wishes for a Happy Eid Al Moulid full of Joys, Peace, Happiness and Prosperity.

Happy New Year 1430 Of Hegirea

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The first day of the Muslim new year on 1 Muharram 1430, this falls year on Monday, 29 December 2008. Although Muslims do not celebrate New Year, this day is a holiday in many Muslim countries.

It happened in 1430 after years of emigration of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in September 622 A.D, an event designated by the term Hijrah (Hegirea in English). This trip is one of the major events of Muslim history.

The first Muslims were severely persecuted and tortured to Mecca by the powerful Quraysh tribe. Muslims were little and a great many of them were slaves. Unable to pushing the hand of their persecutors, all they could do was wait until God gives them another issue.
The twelfth year of the prophetic mission, twelve men from the town of Yathrib (The old name of Medina) went to Mecca during the season pilgrimage and met Muhammad at Al-`Aqabah. Having heard his message, they embraced Islam and declared their faith at the First Oath Al-`Aqabah. The Prophet sent Mus `ab ibn` Umayr with them to Yathrib to teach them religion. Mus `ab managed to convert many people to the Islam. The following year, in June 622 A.D , sixty-three men and two women of Yathrib went to the Prophet during the pilgrimage and it lent allegiance, it was the Second Oath of Al-`Aqabah. They promised to protect and assist the Muslims in Mecca to resettle in their city.

The delegation was the core of Muslims who were subsequently the name of Ansar, literally auxiliaries or helpers, Muslims from Yathrib, a city renamed Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah - City Illuminated - or Medina. Muslims gradually left Mecca in small groups, not to attract the attention of Qurayshites. Finally, the Qurayshites realized what was happening and tried to prevent many of them to leave. The history recounts many stories About these men and women who abandoned their homes, their property and their families to be able to freely practice their religion in Medina.

It was only a few months later that God authorized the Prophet - Peace and blessings upon him - to leave Mecca. Shortly before his departure, Jibril (Angel Gabriel) told Muhammad that the Quraysh for plotting stab in his sleep. The night the murder was to take place, its cousin `Ali ibn Abi Talib was lying in the bed of the Prophet as it is refuge with his companion Abu Bakr in a cave south of the Mecca, opposite the direction of Medina. Fortunately for `Ali, the murderers discovered his face before the stabbing, then they left when they realized that their plot was foiled.

Muhammad and Abu Bakr hid in a cave for three days while Qurayshites combed near Mecca. At one point, their enemies stood a few meters from them outside the cave, but God protected by "ordinary miracles". A spider came into effect weave its web at the entrance to the cave and doves had made their nest and lay their eggs. Prosecutors have said that was no entered this cave recently and the searched does not.

The two companions continued their journey therefore, led by a guide pagan, and borrowed coastal road to distort company with their pursuers. When they finally arrived in Medina, Muhammad released the reins of his camel and left forward as it seemed to be posat it. The Prophet bought the land where his camel had stopped.

Then, until the Mosque of the Prophet and his apartments there were built, the Prophet and Abu Bakr enjoyed the hospitality of Ansar.

The Hegira finally gave the Muslims a place where they could declare their religion openly and practice in peace. This was the birth of the State Islamic. The verses of the Koran revealed to Mecca had dealt mainly the nature of God and of man's relationship with him. At the Mecca, there were few homes in which all members were Muslims. In this time, Islam seemed to focus on the individual and its future in the next Hereafter. In contrast, the verses revealed in Medina focused more on relationship with another man - the social, political and Economic Islam could not be developed before, under persecution.

The Hijra was also remarkable for brotherhood and altruism shown by the Ansar against Muhâjirûn (Emigrants from Mecca). The Ansar were not rich. Nevertheless, they welcomed the Muhâjirûn, shared their food and habitat with them, and helped to settle and find job. Moreover, the Ansar were aware that by so doing they defied the Qurayshites and all the pagan tribes of the Arabian Peninsula. Pagans launched, in fact, several military campaigns to exterminate the State Muslim emerging. But the Ansar remained faithful to the Prophet - peace and blessings upon him - did that constantly love and rent.

This was the second caliph, `Umar ibn Al-Khattab who chooses the year of Hijrah as a starting point of the Muslim calendar.

The Hegira marked the birth of Islam as a complete lifestyle all aspects of human existence.

Happy New Year 1430 of the Hegira full of joy, happiness, Peace & Prosperity.

Happy Eid Al Adha

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Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى ‘Īd ul-’Aḍḥā) or the Festival of Sacrifice is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide in commemoration of the willingness of Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) to sacrifice his first son Ismail as an act of obedience to God."And he (Ibrhaim as) said (after his rescue from the fire): “Verily, I am going to my Lord. He will guide me!” “My Lord! Grant me (offspring) from the righteous.” So We gave him the glad tidings of a forbearing boy. And, when he (his son) was old enough to walk with him, he said: “O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you (offer you in sacrifice to Allâh), so look what you think!” He said: “O my father! Do that which you are commanded, Inshâ’ Allâh (if Allâh will), you shall find me amongst the patient ones." Surat Safaat

The devil tempted Ibrahim by saying he should disobey God and spare his son. As Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son, God intervened and instead provided a Lamb as the sacrifice“O Abraham! You have fulfilled the dream” Verily! Thus do We reward the Muhsinûn (good-doers). Verily, that indeed was a manifest trial and We ransomed him with a great sacrifice and We left for him (a goodly remembrance) among generations (to come) in later times. Salâmun (peace) be upon Ibrâhim!” Surat Safaat

This is why Muslims around the world wear their Nicest Clothing and attend a Special Prayer gathering in the Morning. This is followed by a short sermon, after which everyone stands up to hug and greet one another. Next, people visit each other's homes and partake in festive meals with special dishes, beverages, and desserts.“It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allâh, but it is piety from you that reaches Him” Surat Hajj

Children receive gifts and sweets on this joyous occasion. today all over the world Muslims who can afford to do so, sacrifice saying (In the name of God, And God is the greatest, O God, indeed this is from you and for you, O God accept from me) an animal (usually a Goat or a Sheep), as a reminder of Ibrahim's obedience to God. The meat is then shared out with family, friends (Muslims or non-Muslims), as well as the poor members of the community. Eid al-Adha annually falls on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja (ذو الحجة) of the lunar Islamic calendar witch's on the 9th December in Morocco.

On this occasion of Eid Al Adha I present my best wishes for a blessed Eid full of Joys, Happiness, Peace & Prosperity.