through my window 

home chillies 

1 million people infected in russia

Study: AIDS Problem Growing in Russia
Wed Jan 12, 3:32 PM ET
By MARIA DANILOVA, Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW - HIV/AIDS is spreading at a devastating pace in Russia, with a new study showing an estimated 1 million people infected — three times the number officially reported — U.S. and Russian experts said Wednesday.

fishing in the trouble waters !

For Orphans, a New, Christian Home
Va.-Based Missionary Group Relocates 300 Young Tsunami Victims
By Alan CoopermanWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, January 13, 2005; Page A01

A Virginia-based missionary group said this week that it has airlifted 300 "tsunami orphans" from the Muslim province of Banda Aceh to Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, where it plans to raise them in a Christian children's home.
The missionary group, WorldHelp, is one of dozens of Christian, Muslim and Jewish charities providing humanitarian relief to victims of the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami that devastated countries around the Indian Ocean, taking more than 150,000 lives.
Most of the religious charities do not attach any conditions to their aid, and many of the larger ones -- such as WorldVision, Catholic Relief Services and Church World Service -- have policies against proselytizing. But a few of the smaller groups have been raising money among evangelical Christians by presenting the tsunami emergency effort as a rare opportunity to make converts in hard-to-reach areas.
"Normally, Banda Aceh is closed to foreigners and closed to the gospel. But, because of this catastrophe, our partners there are earning the right to be heard and providing entrance for the gospel," WorldHelp said in an appeal for funds on its Web site this week.
The appeal said WorldHelp was working with native-born Christians in Indonesia who want to "plant Christian principles as early as possible" in the 300 Muslim children, all younger than 12, who lost their parents in the tsunami.
"These children are homeless, destitute, traumatized, orphaned, with nowhere to go, nowhere to sleep and nothing to eat. If we can place them in a Christian children's home, their faith in Christ could become the foothold to reach the Aceh people," it said.
The Web site was changed, and the appeal was removed yesterday after The Washington Post called to inquire about it. The Rev. Vernon Brewer, president of WorldHelp in Forest, Va., said in a telephone interview that his organization had collected about $70,000 in donations and was seeking to raise an additional $350,000 to build the Christian orphanage.
Brewer said the Indonesian government gave permission for the orphans to be flown to Jakarta last week and was aware that they would be raised as Christians.

kids playing computer games fail in studies:

[Health India]: London, Jan 10: A new study conducted by leading scientist Professor Robert Winston suggests that children who spend hours playing computer games and watching television are failing to develop the skills to succeed at school. According to the Daily Mail, he added that youngsters are not acquiring the long-term powers of study and application they need in class. This is because the games they play and programmes they watch require only short-term bursts of concentration. The programme surveyed a group of primary school pupils and found one in five had played Grand Theft Auto - a notorious 18- certificate game where players steal cars, kill people and pick up prostitutes. "Many children who love computer games find it hard to concentrate on the sort of tasks that require slow application and are necessary for school success," he said. Winston studied the impact of computer games on children's ability to tackle various tasks. Those who spend long periods playing quick-fire, adrenaline-pumping games often lack a long- term attention span, he found. Children who have computers and TVs in their bedroom and sit in front of the screens into the early hours instead of getting enough sleep. "Children are sleeping between two and five hours less than their parents did at the same age. This affects their performance at school and their behaviour at home and some of that is down to computer games," Winston said. "Digital media may well have some dangers as well as some advantages for children. Modern children are spending three to four hours a day in front of a computer or television screen of some kind, often unsupervised," he added. (ANI)

NASA PROVES SUNRISE FROM WEST!!!

The science of astronomy states that the speed of planet Mars has been decreasing in its course toward the eastern direction in the few past weeks to the level we notice the "waver" between the east and the west..and on; Wednesday the 30th of July the planet movement stopped going toward the eastern direction..Then in the months of August and September...Mars changed its course in the opposite direction to the West- and that until the end of September..which means the sun will rise now from the west on Mars!!And this weird phenomena of the opposite movement called "Retrograde Motion" Most scientist state that all the planets will go through the same once at least and our planet Earth is one of them. Planet Earth will move in the opposite direction some day and the sun will rise from the west!!>

The rise of the sun from the west is mentioned in the hadith and this is the major sign of the day of judgment, most if not All, the minor signs have occured. Wake up.Our beloved messenger Mohamed (Peace Be Upon Him) said: "One of the signs of the hour..the sun will rise from the west, where no longer tauba (forgiveness) will be granted" !!

kids thoughts about tsunami.....

by sarah ;
Nine countries were affected from the tsunami. The countries are Indonesia, Maldives, Kenya, Seychelles, Somalia, Thailand, and Malaysia. Survivors fought for the food. There were 10,000 children who had lost their parents in the tsunami. There were no dead animals in Sri Lanka. The tsunami is caused by an earthquake which spreads the water in every direction. Then one plate of the ocean goes down and the other plate goes up. In Sri Lanka a train had got upside down. I am from Sri Lanka, Colombo. None of my relatives have died, but lots of our friend’s relatives have died. Please help them build their houses again.

by muhammedh ;
Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes in the ocean. Tsunamis are caused when one plate in the ocean goes, up and the other plate in the ocean goes down. Tsunamis have huge waves that suck things such as, houses and cars. The tsunami that hit Asia had waves high as 40 meters. In the tsunami there were about 155,000 people killed. These countries were affected Sri Lanka, India, Kenya, Seychelles, Somalia, Maldives, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. 10, 000 children became orphans. Some animals such as dogs and elephants helped people. An elephant carried dead bodies to be buried. The tsunami started in the Indian ocean and spread out. Some waves were as fast as 800 km ph. I am from Sri Lanka. My country suffered a lot. Please help the victims of these killer waves.

computer bodyguards

" I recommend computer users who connect to the Internet acquire products that provide four critical types of protection;anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware and a firewall. Anti-virus protection alone is insufficient these days, since it leaves your PC vulnerable to other threats" -Richard Morochove

how to check a used car?

Print the used car buyer's checklist;
Initially: Any "bad" records in a VIN history report?Any maintenance records, mileage proof?How many previous owners?Why do they sell a car - tired of fixing it?Any accidents, engine, transmission repair?Has the car passed last Emission Test?Start with exterior.Indications of possible problem: Are the exterior lines not straight? Ripples? Misaligned panels?Driver's door has free play in the hinges? Troubles to close?Are the gaps between panels too narrow (too wide) on one side of the car?Lots of rusty spots?Mismatched colors? Painting over spray?Any panel of the car seems to be repainted?Why? Accident? Corrosion?Trailer hinge? The car was using for towing?Indications of possible engine problem:Any oil or coolant leaks from the engine?Is the engine dirty or oily? Is the oil level low? Is the oil on the dipstick too dark?Any indication of poor quality repair work / lack of maintenance? (e.g. badly corroded battery terminals, very low oil level, etc.)Start the engine: Does it work unevenly?Any knocking, pinging, whistling?Any smoke? (slight water steam is OK)Any warning lights come on while the engine is running?"Check engine" light?Is the engine oil pressure too low at idle?Any hesitation on acceleration? Is the engine enough powerful?Does it look very dirty under the oil cap?Smell of the burnt oil under the hood?Possible automatic transmission problems: Any previous transmission repair? Was it rebuilt?Does the transmission fluid smell burnt?Is the tranny fluid on the dipstick too dark/dirty?Start the engine and try to switch from P to D and from P to R holding the brakes - Is the time between shifting and the moment the transmission kicks in too long?Any strong noises or jerks?During a test drive: Any delays or troubles shifting?Any shudder? Does the transmission slip or jerk harshly?The shifting seems to be delayed?Does the kick-down function work?

The manual transmission: Any leaks?Any noises while driving?Any troubles changing gears?Is the clutch slipping?Any trouble to shift into reverse?The suspension problems: Is any of shock absorbers leaking?Is any of the shock absorber boots broken?The steering has notable free play?Does the car bounces too much when you push one of the corners down?Tires have irregular wear? (alignment problem)Does the car sit level? During a driving test:Any knocking or creaking noises when driving over bumps?Does the car pull aside? Is the steering wheel out of center?Does the vehicle feel unstable on a freeway?Any humming or growling noise?The brakes. Possible problem: Is the brake fluid container leaky? Is the brake fluid level too low?Brake pedal goes down to the floor? Break pedal is too soft (spongy)? Too hard? Any brake fluid leaks under the car?Badly corroded brake lines? Brake rotors appear corroded? During the test drive. Any brake pedal or steering pulsation while braking?Does the vehicle pull aside while braking? Any grinding noise?Does the brake warning light or ABS light come on while driving?Tires: Any cracks, bruises? Tread appears low?Mismatched tires?Damaged rims?Vibration at high speed?Humming noise? (uneven tire wear?)The interior: Is the driver seat / steering wheel worn excessively?Dampness under the carpet or in the trunk?Does the Radio / CD / Tape work?Has the odometer any evidences of being tampered?Does the air conditioner provide really cold air?Are the power locks, windows, mirrors, sunroof, etc. working?Are the heater, rear window defogger working?Wind noise while driving?Any of warning lights come on while driving?Do you feel comfortable in driver's place?Seats, seat belts, mirrors, controls, steering, visibility?Spare tire, jack, wheel wrench?

Bosses keep sharp eye on mobile workers via GPS

By Adam Geller, Associated Press
DANBURY, Conn. — Ciro Viento commands a platoon of 110 garbage trucks, so when a caller complained after seeing one of the blue and white trash tanks speeding down Route 22, Viento didn't know which driver to blame. Until he checked his computer.
With a few taps on the keyboard, Viento zeroed in on the driver of one particular front-loader — which, the screen showed, had been on that very road at 7:22 a.m., doing 51 miles per hour in a zone restricted to 35. Gotcha.
More employers are adopting technology like the system used by Viento's company. As they do, many workers who have long enjoyed the freedom of the road are rankling over the boss' newfound power to watch their every move — via satellite.
The technology, global positioning systems, is hardly new. But using GPS to track workers and vehicles is catching on with a growing number of business and government employers, bent on improving productivity and customer service, and keeping tabs on labor costs.

Set cynicism aside

I am upset by the common refrain I am hearing from many people when I discuss donating money to relief agencies helping out with the tsunami disaster.
I have been told several times in the past few days that to donate to such a cause is throwing your money away as the funds will never get to the people who need help but rather go to line the pockets of corrupt administrators at relief organizations or crooked government officials of the countries receiving the aid.
The other excuse I have heard is that this is the government's responsibility and that is what we pay our taxes for.
This widespread cynicism is just a feeble excuse to justify selfishness. Very sad considering we are so blessed to live in such a rich lifestyle here in Canada.
Perhaps I am coming at this from a different angle. I lived through the dark, early days of the Walkerton water tragedy.
We had no drinking water to speak of for a few days until help was received from generous relief agencies, a number of Canadian corporations, and various local governments.
When I walked into the Walkerton Arena a few days after the crisis unfolded, I was astounded to see the entire hockey rink filled with skids of bottled water. To say the least, I was deeply moved.
Relief agencies and others saved our bacon not only in the early days of the crisis in May but deep into the fall until the water was restored.
I would suggest to you cynics out there who won't donate to the tsunami disaster crisis that you should rethink your position.
Life has a peculiar way of turning the tables on you. You may inadvertently find yourself a victim of some disaster and be in dire need of help.
I urge you to set your cynicism aside for a few minutes, go to the phone or online and donate what you can afford to help these unfortunate disaster victims. You'll feel much better for it.
Todd Huntley, Walkerton

WHAT IS A BLOG?

According to dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster, “blog” topped the most looked-up terms on its website in 2004. Although some have been around for a while, it was only this year (2004) that blogs attained critical mass. “blogs are now a ‘fifth estate’ that keeps watch over the mainstream media,” observe Drezner and Farrell. Blog is short for weblog, an online repository for, depending on the host’s passions and predilections, news and views about everything from pop culture to politics to pantyhose, with links to other like-minded blogs.

Antonia Zerbisias, Toronto Star.