Book Review: I Shall Not Hate

I just finished an amazing book " I Shall Not Hate" by Dr. Izzeldin Abulaish who lost close family members (including three daughters) during the Gaza War early last year. He talks about why he did not go towards the path of hate and decided to make a difference in other ways after the death of his daughters.

The book also gives details about life in Gaza and how it was tough growing up in a refugee camp. Further he mentions the difficulties faced in crossing over to Israel for many Gazans who need to get there for medical and employment reasons. The strength of the book amongst manyother things is Dr. Abulaish's unique ability to look at the issue as a "people issue"and not merely a political issue. He is in a unique position as he has observed life on both sides of the wall in Gaza/Israel and has friends on both sides.

He has started an organization called Daughters for Life for promoting education health access for girls and women in Gaza and the middle east. Its a must read book for sure as it gives unique perspectives on what is happening on the ground beyond the cameras and the focus of the media.

Oyee Motay...Obesity

Wow....Hai Allah!

"For the first time in human history, the number of overweight people rivals the number of underweight people.… While the world's underfed population has declined slightly since 1980 to 1.1 billion, the number of overweight people has surged to 1.1 billion...."

Read on: Anup Shah, Obesity, GlobalIssues.org

Salikah: The Hikma of Hakim Archuletta

A good summary of Hakim Archuletta's talks last weekend posted by Salikah Bajee. Alhamdaulillah it was the first time I saw Sidi Hakim and it was definately worth listening to his words and also to reflect on them. May Allah give us tawfiq to act on his words.

Read details of the Sidi Hakim's wisdom filled words on Salikah bajee's blog:

Sidi Hakim began by saying "Alhamdulillah, Shukrulillah" -- and he said it with his entire being and mentioned that we cannot begin, but with those words of gratitude to the One without whose permission we could not have gathered together. READ ON

Benefits of a emotionally stable Begum

A guy at my masjid usually tells me "No wife, no life".I guess it is sort of scientifically proven now!

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Whether a man is recovering from cancer or helping his spouse to deal with cancer, how his wife is coping emotionally will play a key role in his physical health, a new American Cancer Society (ACS)-funded study shows.

"Regardless of your status as a caregiver or a cancer patient, gender matters," the study's first author, Dr. Youngmee Kim of the ACS's Behavioral Research Center in Atlanta, told Reuters Health.......................

.............................................Women tend to have friends beyond their husband, whom they can rely on for emotional help, but a man's spouse may be his sole emotional resource. "If their wives are psychologically distressed, that means their wives are not emotionally available," she added.

READ ALL

Web MD: Fasting May Cut Heart Risks

Fasting May Cut Heart Risks- Fasting on a regular basis may protect against heart disease, researchers report. In a study of more than 4,500 men and women, people who fasted were 39% less likely to be diagnosed with coronary artery disease than those who didn't fast. Coronary artery disease was defined as having at least 70% narrowing or blockage in at least one coronary artery.

Web MD: Get married-Gain weight

Web MD says get married and you will gain weight. I guess that explains the uncles who have a big tummy. Maybe I should look for Wife who doesnt cook well so I dont get fat?

After marriage, weight gain becomes more likely and exercise takes a nose dive, a new study shows......

Reuters: Sleepy? Cut out late-night Internet and TV

Reuters Health Information (2007-08-23): Sleepy? Cut out late-night Internet and TV

NEW YORK (Reuters
Health) - People who spend more pre-bedtime hours using the Internet or watching television are more likely to report that they don't get enough sleep, even though they sleep almost as long as people who spend fewer pre-bedtime hours in front of a computer or television screen,survey findings show.
"While many people use electronic media, such as the Internet, it should be noted that the longer media use before sleep can trigger (self-perceived) insufficient sleep," lead
researcher Dr. Nakamori Suganuma, of Osaka University, Japan, told Reuters Health.
He and colleagues obtained data on self-perceived sleep problems and the use of electronic media prior to bedtime from a total of 5,875 Japanese respondents to two separate Internet-based surveys. Their findings are published in the journal Sleep and Biological Rhythms. Nearly half of the respondents associated their lack of sleep with electronic media use beforebedtime. Those reporting longer electronic media use were also more likely to report insufficient sleep. Overall, 29 percent of light users
(less than 1.5 hours) listed electronic media use as a possible cause of their insufficient sleep. By comparison, 40 percent of medium users (1.5 to 3 hours) and 54 percent of heavy users (more than 3 hours) said the same. READ ON