Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Quotes that make you act

Here is a bunch of quotes that I have collected during the past few years that make me think about my life and motivate me to take action!

Hopefully they have the same effect on you.

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
Winston Churchill

“It isn’t what the book costs. It’s what it will cost you if you don’t read it.”
Jim Rohn

“Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.”
Norman Vincent Peale

“Formal education will make you a living. Self education will make you a fortune.”
Jim Rohn

“History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.”
Winston Churchill

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
Albert Einstein

“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
Henry David Thoreau

“When you help someone up a steep hill, you get nearer the top yourself.”
Anonymous

“Do, or do not. There is no ‘Try’”
Yoda

“The goal is not to be better than the other man, but to be better than your previous self.”
Hindu proverb

“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.’ ”
Lao Tzu

“A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.”
Napoleon Hill

“Whether You Think You Can or Can’t - You’re Right”
Henry Ford

“Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm”
Winston Churchill

“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.”
Anonymous

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover”
Mark Twain

“Genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration.”
Thomas Edison

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
Chinese Proverb

“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
Abraham Lincoln

“Be like a postage stamp. Stick to it until you get there.”
Harvey Mackay

“Success is not hitting the top - success is how you bounce when you hit the bottom.”
George Patton

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.”
Michael Jordan

“The shortest answer is doing.”
Lord Herbert

“He who has a why can deal with any what or how.”
Stephen Covey

“You are never given a wish without being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.”
Richard Bach

“It’s only called work, when you’d rather be doing something else.”
Anonymous

“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”
Bruce Lee

“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.”
Rosalynn Carter

“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”
Ayn Rand

“Wealth is the product of man’s capacity to think.”
Ayn Rand

“Pain is temporary, glory is forever.”
Anonymous

“No matter what techniques and what disciplines you go through, I think there is one factor more intangible and that is the motivation to pick yourself off the ground when you’ve been totally bloodied and smashed and say, ‘Let’s fight some more.’”
Jerome Hines

“Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.”
Ray Kroc

“What would you do, if you knew for sure, that it is impossible to fail?”
Anonymous

“Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.”
Ambrose Bierce

“Always listen to the experts. They’ll tell you what can’t be done and why. Then do it.”
Robert Heinlein

“Nothing interferes with my concentration. You could put an orgy in my office and I wouldn’t look up. Well, maybe once.”
Isaac Asimov

“Yesterday is the past and tomorrow is the future. Today is a gift - that’s why they call it the present.”
Bill Keane

“It takes years to become an overnight success.”
Anonymous

“If you want someone to listen more closely, whisper.”
Anonymous

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
Michael Althsuler

„What you do is create a vision of who you want to be, and then live into that picture as if it were already true.“
Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Thomas Edison

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
Vidal Sassoon

“If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.”
Zig Ziglar

“Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.”
Zig Ziglar

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”
Henry Ford

“One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it.”
Sidney Howard

“Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”
Arnold H. Glasow

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
Carl Bard

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
H. Jackson Brown

“The best angle from which to approach any problem is the try-angle.”
Anonymous

“You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures.”
Charles C. Noble

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. ”
Confucius
http://www.facebook.com/ayurvedastreet

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

India ranks third in rape cases

India stands third, leaving behind countries like Sri Lanka, Jordan and Argentina, when it comes to rape cases, latest data of the home ministry suggests.

Ahead of India are only the United States and South Africa.

According to the data, 18,359 rape cases were registered in India in the first three quarters of this year while in the US, 93,934 and in South Africa 54,926 rape cases were registered respectively.

The lowest number of rape cases were registered in Jordan (78), Latvia (260), Bulgaria (403) and Finland (596).

Some of the other countries where a large number of rape cases were reported include Germany (8,133), Thailand (5,060), Sweden (3,787) and Argentian (3,447).

Altogether 44,159 cases of different sex offences were registered across India in the said period. In such cases too, India stands third after England and Germany where 62,100 and 47,070 cases were registered respectively.

Four other countries where the numbers of sex offences were high include Canada (26,044), Australia (17,516), Sweden (7,924) and Argentina (3,473).

According to the data, the incidence of various crime per one lakh population in India are -- murder (3), sex offences (4), rape (1.7), serious assault (24.6) robbery and violent theft (2.1), breaking and entering (8.2) and theft of motor cars (7.8).

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/India_ranks_third_in_rape_cases/articleshow/3813759.cms

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

14 people commit suicide every hour in India

Fourteen people commit suicide every hour in India due to various reasons, ranging from failure in relationships, bankruptcy, illness and social disrepute.
One among every three suicide victims is a youth and one among five is a house wife.

These are some of the the findings of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) which came out with the latest figures on accidents and suicides in the country.

According to the 'Accidental Deaths and Suicide in India -- 2007' report, the country witnessed an increase of 3.8% in the incidents of suicide with 1,22,637 people ending their lives last year. The number of women was 43,342.

Maharashtra has reported the highest number of suicides with 15,184 cases accounting for 12.4 per cent of such incidents followed by Andhra Pradesh with 14,882 (12.1 per cent).

The report said 264 deaths came under common pact of mass or family suicides consisting 118 men and 146 women.

The highest number of such cases were reported from Kerala (39), followed by Andhra Pradesh (34) and Madhya Pradesh (12).

Family problems and illness were another causes for suicide, accounting for 23.8 per cent and 22.3 per cent respectively. Failure in relationships (2.8%), bankruptcy (2.7) and dowry dispute (2.6) were other major factors.

Ending life due to ideological affiliations and hero worship, a disturbing trend witnessed in the late 1970s and early '80s, claimed 261 lives.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/14_people_end_lives_every_hour_in_India/articleshow/3787363.cms

How to Get Kissable Lips

The most kissable lips are smooth and sweet, not dry, chapped and tense. These guidelines will help both men and women make their lips look more attractive and inviting.

Steps

1. Exfoliate with sugar. This will not only soften your lips, but it'll also clean them and leave a lingering sweetness behind.

- Put a pinch of sugar in the palm of your hand.

- Soak the fingertips of the opposite hand with water.

- Mix a few droplets of water with the sugar until it is pasty.

- Apply in a circular motion to lips to exfoliate. Use your index finger and move in gentle small circles, then all the way around the lips.

2. Polish your lips. Apply a lip balm or petroleum jelly immediately after exfoliating, at bedtime and throughout the day to keep your lips hydrated. If you don't follow up the exfoliating treatment with lip balm, your lips will get dry and look worse than ever.

- Lip balm with a sheen can make it look like you just licked your lips, which is something people often do before and during kissing (and which you should try not to do outside of those circumstances, because saliva dries out your lips).

- Try to use a lip treatment with an SPF to avoid sun damage. Frequent exposure to sunlight can increase the likelihood of lip cancer, especially when combined with alcohol or tobacco use.[1][2] If you have a lip sore or lump that won't go away, get it checked out.

3. Relax your lip muscles. You might have some tension in your lips that is making them look clenched or tight, and this makes your lips look less kiss-worthy.[3] One way to make sure your lips are relaxed is to open them slightly, so that there's a tiny sliver between your lips through which air can flow; not only will this relax your lips, but it'll also make them look bigger because they're subtly parted. If you look at pictures of models, you'll notice that many of them have their lips at least slightly parted.
4. Frame the shape of your lips. What matters more than the fullness of your lips is symmetry, which is the universal beacon of attractiveness.

For feminine lips: Smooth out any imperfections with lip liner, then fill in with a tinted lip gloss. Wax any hair around your lips (especially if you have dark hair and light skin) so that the contrast between your skin and lips is increased, making your lips "pop".
*
For masculine lips, facial hair can hide imperfections. Stubble seems to strike a good balance because it signals masculinity (the ability to grow facial hair) while still maintaining a youthful appearance.[5]
* If you smoke, you'll eventually get "smoker's lines", which are fine lines and wrinkles above your top lip. These will make your lips look less attractive; they can only be prevented by not smoking, and they can only be hidden by makeup or facial hair.
5.
Smile seductively. A big, genuine smile is attractive, but you don't smile like that all the time. When you make eye contact, whether it's in a conversation or from across the room, curling the corners of your lips upwards can capture the essence of a smile while still showing off your kissable lips.


Tips

* If you don't have sugar, use a soft toothbrush or baby tooth brush to exfoliate your lips gently.
* Avoid lipsticks that are longwearing as they are often very drying. Some lipsticks and glosses have fragrances but can also dry your lips over time. Try mixing your favorite color with a hearty lip treatment. Reuse the tubes and carry them with you. You'll need to apply more often than usual.
* If you have ignored your lips for a long time it may take a few weeks to start noticing changes.
* Lip plumping and lip treatments containing silicone may make your lips look fuller, but they are temporary, more expensive solutions.
* Play a brass instrument (e.g., the trumpet). The constant vibration required to produce sound causes your lips to swell slightly, naturally making them fuller.


Warnings

* Avoid scrubbing (tearing or small cuts could occur).
* Serious lip conditions may require a visit to a dermatologist or physician.
* Try new products on a small area to test for sensitivity. Don't apply to your entire lip area until you are sure it is safe for your skin. Irritated lips can be caused by many ingredients found in lip treatments, lip sticks, fragrances, etc. Try something hypoallergenic if you have problems with your lips becoming inflamed or irritated. Many SPFs can cause irritation. If you are allergic to a specific ingredient and it bothers your eyes or another part of your face, it may also irritate your lips.

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Kissable-Lips

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

10 Facts Every Westerner Should Know About the Middle East

10 Facts Every Westerner Should Know About the Middle East
middle_east

Most Westerners know very little about the Middle East and the people that live there. This lack of knowledge hurts our ability to understand, and engage in intelligent discussion about, current events.

For example, frighteningly few know the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and most think the words “Arab” and “Muslim” are pretty much interchangeable. They aren’t. So here’s a very brief primer aimed at raising the level of knowledge about the region to an absolute minimum.
Basics

1.

Arabs are part of an ethnic group, not a religion. Arabs were around long before Islam, and there have been (and still are) Arab Christians and Arab Jews. In general, you’re an Arab if you 1) are of Arab descent (blood), or 2) speak the main Arab language (Arabic).
2.

Not all Arabs are Muslim. There are significant populations of Arab Christians throughout the world, including in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Northern Africa and Palestine/Israel.
3.

Islam is a religion. A Muslim (roughly pronounced MOOSE-lihm) is someone who follows the religion. So you wouldn’t say someone follows Muslim or is an Islam, just as you wouldn’t say someone follows Christian or is a Christianity.
4.

Shia Muslims are similar to Roman Catholics in Christianity. They have a strong clerical presence via Imams and promote the idea of going through them to practice the religion correctly. Sunni Muslims are more like Protestant Christians. They don’t really focus on Imams and believe in maintaining a more direct line to God than the Shia.
5.

People from Iran are also known as Persians, and they are not Arabs.
6.

Arabs are Semites. We’ve all heard the term anti-Semitism being used — often to describe Arabs. While antisemitism does specifically indicate hatred for Jews, the word “Semite” comes from the Bible and referred originally to anyone who spoke one of the Semitic Languages.
7.

According to the Bible, Jews and Arabs are related [Genesis 25]. Jews descended from Abraham’s son Isaac, and Arabs descended from Abraham’s son Ishmael. So not only are both groups Semitic, but they’re also family.
8.

Sunni Muslims make up most of the Muslim world (roughly 90%). 1
9.

The country with the world’s largest Muslim population is Indonesia. 2
10.

The rift between the Shia and Sunni started right after Muhammad’s death and originally reduced to a power struggle regarding who was going to become the authoritative group for continuing the faith.

The Shia believed Muhammad’s second cousin Ali should have taken over (the family/cleric model). The Sunni believed that the best person for the job should be chosen by the followers (the merit model) and that’s how the first Caliph, Abu Bakr, was appointed.

Although the conflict began as a political struggle it now mostly considered a religious and class conflict, with political conflict emanating from those rifts.

Sunni vs. Shia | Arab vs. Non-Arab

Here’s how the various Middle Eastern countries break down in terms of Sunni vs. Shia and whether or not they are predominantly Arab. Keep in mind that these are generalizations; significant diversity exists in many of the countries listed.

*

Iraq Mostly Shia (roughly 60%), but under Saddam the Shia were oppressed and the Sunni were in power despite being only 20% of the population. Arab.
*

Iran Shia. NOT Arab.
*

Palestine Sunni. Arab.
*

Egypt Sunni. Arab.
*

Saudi Arabia Sunni. Arab.
*

Syria Sunni. Arab.
*

Jordan Sunni. Arab.
*

Gulf States Sunni. Arab.

Conclusion

What’s depressing is the fact that this only took me 30 minutes to write, and you 2 minutes to read. Yet most people in the West (and especially in the United States) lack even this cursory level of knowledge about the region.:
References

1The CIA World Fact Book | Field Listing - Religions

2The CIA World Fact Book | Field Listing - Indonesia

Wikipedia | Sunni Muslims

Wikipedia | Shia Muslims

Wikipedia | Arabs