STRADA PLACIDO

Questions we dont want Answered

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:59:15 GMT

Salaamaleykum,

    Many months ago, when my cousin told me his family was moving out from the neighbourhood, I quickly changed the topic and avoided talking... or even hint about it.
    I was in denial. Of course, how long can you deny something that is bound to happen. It wasn't until just a few days ago, when my auntie told me with her own mouth that they are moving, I accepted the fact.
    All the while, between my innitial denial and my acceptance, i was just a step away from finding out the truth (I set my mind to assume that my cousin was just kidding with me). I could have simply ask my auntie or uncle, and know the truth.
    Sometimes...we're just a question away from the answer that haunts our mind, but we rather not know the answer...coz, we rather leave the question unanswered, and assume the answer is what what we hope it is. Sometimes, thanks to this, we're left with hope that keeps our heart beating everyday. However, sometimes...the questions dont remain unanswered for long.

    I remember a movie...'Cinema Paradiso'...its an italian love movie that won the best foreign film award in 1989 Oscar awards (if i'm not mistaken).
    In the movie, the mentor of the hero relates a story...

    "...There was once, a palace guard, who fell in love with the princess.He knows he's out of league for her, but still, he gathered his courage and declare his love for her. The princess, amused with the guard's courage, gave him a challenge. The guard was to stand under her window every day and night for a hundred days and he will know if she has accepted him, when she opens her window. So, the delighted guard started the challange. Day and night, hot or cold, rain or sun, the guard stood loyally under the window, hoping for the window to open. On the night of the 99th day however, the guard abruptedly left his position and went home..."

    WHY??? Why after 99 days of hardship, the guard just gave up and left...with just 1 day left remaining? Why?

    Answer, if you've been in this situation, is very clear. The guard was wise in doing so. Having waited patiently under the window for 99 days, he knew he tried his best to fulfill his love. But on the 100th day, the princess was about to give her answer. Had she opened the window, and accepted him, it would have been great. BUT!!...had she forgot, or said no...it would have broke the guard's heart so badly...it could kill him.
    The guard, having tried his best, walked away, not having his question answered...believing, he was accepted by the princess, but it was he who walked away from her.

Ya Allah Madad!

Random Jokes

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:42:00 GMT

BOY: Can I hold your hand?
GIRL : No thanks, it isn't heavy.

GIRL : Say you love me! Say you love me!
BOY : You love me...

GIRL : If we become engaged will you give me a ring??
BOY : Sure, what's your phone number??

MAN : You remind me of the sea.
WOMAN : Because I'm wild, romantic and exciting?
MAN : NO, because you make me sick.

WIFE : You tell a man something, it goes in! one ear and comes out of the other.
HUSBAND : You tell a woman something: It goes in both ears and comes out of the mouth.

MARY : John says I'm pretty. Andy says I'm ugly.What do u think, Peter?
PETER : A bit of both. I think you're pretty ugly.

Teacher : "Which is more important to us, the sun or the moon?"
Pupil : "The moon".
Teacher : "Why?"
Pupil : "The moon gives us light at night when we need it but the sun gives us light only in the
day time when we don't need it".

Teacher : "What do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?"
Pupil : "A teacher".

Waiter : "Would you like your coffee black?"
Customer : "What other colors do you have?"

My father is so old that when he was in school, history was called current affairs.

Teacher : "Sam, you talk a lot !"
Sam : "It's a family tradition".
Teacher : "What do you mean?"
Sam : "Sir, my grandpa was a street hawker, my father is a teacher".
Teacher : "What about your mother?"
Sam : "She's a woman".

Teacher : "Now, children, if I saw a man beating a donkey and stopped him, what virtue would I
be showing?"
Student : "Brotherly love".

Teacher : "Now, Sam, tell me frankly do you say prayers before eating?"
Sam : "No sir, I don't have to, my mom is a good cook".

Patient : "What are the chances of my recovering doctor?"
Doctor : "One hundred percent. Medical records show that nine out of ten people die of the disease you have. Yours is the tenth case I've treated. The others all died".

Teacher : " Can anybody give an example of COINCIDENCE?"
Student : "Sir, my Mother and Father got married on the same day and at the same time."

Teacher : " George Washington not only chopped down his father's Cherry tree, but also admitted doing it. Now do you know why his father didn't punish him ?"
Student: " Because George still had the axe in is hand."

The Mathematician Ali (as)

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:40:00 GMT

Salaamaleykum

Here are some Mathematical problems that Hazrat Ali (R.A) solved while he was Khalifa. He was known for his mathematical genius.

Enjoy reading them:

One Day a person came to Ali (RATA), thinking that since Ali thinks he is too smart, I'll ask him such a tough question that he won't be able to answer it and I'll have the chance to embarrass him in front
of all the Arabs.

He asked "Ali, tell me a number, that if we divide it by any number from 1-10 the answer will always come in the form of a whole number and not as a fraction." Ali Looked back at him and said, "Take the number of days in a year and multiply it with the number of days in a week and you will have your answer."

The person got astonished but as he was a Mushrik he still didn't believe Ali (RATA). He calculated the answer Ali (AS) gave him. To his amazement he came across the following results:

The number of Days in a Year = 360 (in Arabic Calendar)
The Number of Days in a Week = 7
The product of the two numbers = 2520
Now ...
2520 / 1 = 2520
2520 / 2 = 1260
2520 / 3 = 840
2520 / 4 = 630
2520 / 5 = 504
2520 / 6 = 420
2520 / 7 = 360
2520 / 8 = 315
2520 / 9 = 280
2520 / 10= 252

A person was about to die, and before dying he wrote his Will which went as follows ...

"I have 17 Camels, and I have three sons. Divide my Camels in such a way, that My eldest son gets half of them, the second one gets 1/3rd of the total and my youngest son gets 1/9th of the total number of Camels"
After his death when the relatives read his will they got extremely perplexed and said to each other that how can we divide 17 camels like this.

So after a long hard thought they decided that there was only one man in Arabia who could help them: "Ali Ibne Abi Taalib."

So they all came to the door of Ali (RATA) and put forward their problem.
Ali (RATA) said, "Ok. I will divide the camels as per the man's will."
Ali (RATA) said, "I will lend one of my camels to the total which makes it 18 (17+1=18), now lets divide as per his will"

The Eldest gets 1/2 of 18 = 9
The second one gets 1/3 of 18 = 6
and The Youngest gets 1/9 of 18 = 2
Now the total number of camels = 17

Then Ali (RATA) said, "Now I will take my Camel back"

Doctors suicde

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:26:03 GMT

CHICAGO -- There's a grim, rarely talked-about twist to all that medical know-how doctors learn to save lives: It makes them especially good at ending their own. An estimated 300 to 400 US doctors kill themselves each year -- a suicide rate thought to be higher than in the general population, although exact figures are hard to come by.

Some doctors believe the stigma of mental illness is magnified in a profession that prides itself on stoicism and bravado. Many fear admitting psychiatric problems could be fatal to their careers, so they suffer in silence.

And when the pain is too much, doctors have easy access to prescription drugs and a precise knowledge of both how the body works and the amount of a drug needed for an overdose to stop breathing and halt the heart.

"All physicians have access to neat, clean ways to commit suicide," said Dr. Robert Lehmberg, a Little Rock, Ark., surgeon who has battled depression and long considered suicide "an exit strategy if absolutely necessary."

[IMG]http://www.atlantaillustrated.com/blogs/blog02/uploaded_images/dr_nick_riviera-734744.jpg[/IMG]

The American Medical Association has called physician suicide "an endemic catastrophe," and pledged two years ago to work to prevent the problem.

But the suicides have persisted. So the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has launched an educational campaign in hopes of making troubled doctors more willing to seek help.

The foundation, the American College of Psychiatrists and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a maker of antidepressant pills, paid for the program. It includes a documentary titled "Struggling in Silence" that begins airing on public television stations this week.

"It really has been swept under the carpet," said Dr. Paula Clayton, the suicide foundation's medical director.

The foundation says 300 to 400 doctors commit suicide each year, based on estimates from research, but that more studies are needed to get a more precise count.

Another estimate of 250 yearly comes from an online article by Dr. Louise Andrew and in American Medical News, an AMA publication. But a spokesman said the AMA doesn't track doctor suicides because accurate numbers aren't available.

Suicide figures in broader society are not completely reliable because suicide is often not given as the cause of death.

The overall US suicide rate among men is four times higher than in women — about 23 per 100,000 versus about 6 per 100,000 in women, according to the most recent government data.

But among doctors, suicide rates are about equal for men and women.

A 28-state study from 1984-95 found women doctors were more than twice as likely as women in the general population to kill themselves. Men were more than 70 percent more likely inside the medical profession than overall to commit suicide.

One explanation is that most suicide attempts in the broader population are unsuccessful, while doctors know how to successfully commit suicide, said Dr. Erika Frank, who specializes in research on physician health.

Depression is often the problem.

Depressed doctors frequently decide to self-medicate but don't seek psychotherapy that could help them deal with underlying issues, said Dr. Glenn Siegel, who runs a suburban Chicago program that treats doctors with drug abuse, depression and other psychiatric problems.

"It's not a safe topic to be as open about in that profession because you're responsible for the well-being of others," Siegel said. "If you're admitting something like that, you're saying maybe you're not fit to do your job."

Adds Lehmberg, the Arkansas surgeon, who is featured in the documentary: "You just would rather take a risk with your health than your career. It's not like you get a second chance with it."

A psychiatrist in the New York area who asked to remain unidentified said he had suicidal thoughts every day for several years. But in medical school in the 1980s, he said he was so embarrassed about seeking help for depression that he went to a pay phone instead of his dorm to call a therapist.

Since then, some schools have begun teaching medical students about depression among doctors, but, he said in an interview, "so much more needs to be done."

Because the stigma persists, he said he didn't want his name used to avoid hurting his family and relationships with colleagues and patients.

Some studies have suggested depression is more common among doctors, especially women physicians, and that the high demands of a job dealing with life-and-death issues makes them prone.

But Frank questions that and said she worries that singling out physicians risks "pathologizing" a profession whose members generally "have it awfully good."

"I think the situation gets portrayed as far more grave than it really is for physicians compared to anyone else in the world," Frank said.

There could be reasons why the stigma would be worse for doctors, "but you can come up with just as many reasons why physicians would be better equipped to acknowledge" mental illness, she said.

"We've all done psychiatric training. We all know bad mental health outcomes happen to good people," she said.

A study in Denmark, published last year, found more suicides in doctors than among more than 20 other professions, including nurses, factory workers, elementary school teachers, corporate managers and architects.

But there are few comprehensive studies on suicides among US doctors.

[IMG]http://joanharvest.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/crazy_doctor.jpg[/IMG]

Some have been based on newspaper obituaries, which are "flawed at best" because suicide often isn't listed as a cause of death, said Dr. Morton Silverman, a University of Chicago suicide expert.

New Jersey physician Ron Brown suffered from depression and killed himself in 2002. His widow, Mumtaz Bari-Brown, said she believes the stigma kept her husband from getting help in time to save his life.

As a boy, Brown had been told his father died of a heart attack, not the real cause of suicide, the widow said.

"We have to stop the hiding and the ignorance and recognize it as a disease like high blood pressure or diabetes," said Bari-Brown, who also is featured in the new documentary.

Dr. G. Richard Smith, Lehmberg's doctor and director of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' psychiatric research institute, said doctors need assurance they won't risk their jobs if they seek psychiatric help.

Smith succeeded in getting changes to questions on medical license applications in Arkansas that he believes will help. The old application asked doctors if they were being treated for mental illness or ever had been. A "yes" answer required a psychiatrist's note declaring they were fit to practice medicine. Now, they need only disclose mental health treatment that was advised or required by medical authorities.

The previous form didn't keep doctors with psychiatric problems from practicing, Smith said. But it did keep "doctors who needed treatment from getting the treatment that they needed."

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Depression/wireStory?id=4814969

A mother's bill

Thu, 29 May 2008 19:11:18 GMT

Salaamaleykum,
Came across this beautiful story..

A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and he handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said:

For cutting the grass: $5.00
For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00
For going to the store for you: $.50
Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $.25
Taking out the garbage: $1.00
For getting a good report card: $5.00
For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00
Total owed: $14.75

Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote:

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me: No Charge.
For all the nights that I've sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you: No Charge.
For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years: No Charge.
For all the nights filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead: No Charge.
For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose: No Charge.
When you add it up, the cost of my love is: No Charge.

When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight up at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you."

And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "PAID IN FULL".

Don't be sad

Thu, 29 May 2008 16:43:15 GMT

Salaamaleykum,

Today, i'm gonna recommend you a book of great excellence.

Don't be sad (لا تحزن)
by
'Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni.
(read e-book)

    The book is easy to read and subjects presented are brief and concise, hence saving us from the 'I won't sleep until i finish this chapter' problems. Hundreds of topics are touched by the author to help us overcome our sadness.
    Indeed, sadness can be overcome, if we really want to overcome it.
    Here's a quote from the book.

Don't cling to other than Allah

    If Allah, the Exalted, is the One Who brings to life, causes death, and if He alone provides for all creation, why fear people or be distressed by their actions?
    I think that in our society much grief and anxiety is caused by our attachment to people- in seeking to please them, trying to gain their favour, striving to praise the important ones among them, and feeling wounded by their disparaging treatment. And all of this indicates a weakness in one's belief in Allah.
    An Arab poet said;

'Would that you wee pleased when life is bitter,
And would that you were contented when people are angry,
If your love for Allah is true, then all else is insignificant,
And all above the dirt is dirt'

The book is a great read. Well worth your time. Even if you're a gay type of person, then surely you can use it to help out your friends.

My soft cover copy's from the International Islamic Publishing House, KSA. Priced at aprox. €6/US$10.

Allah Madad!

People of God will always be happy

Wed, 28 May 2008 02:19:00 GMT

Salaamaleykum,
I came across this song, and found the lyrics quite inspirational. So, why not share?
Here's the link to the video of the song

Toota Toota Ek Parinda Aise Toota
An angel was so badly broken
Ke Phir Jud Naa Paaya
That he could not be healed

Loota Loota Kisne Usko Aise Loota
Somebody stole (the wings) from the angel
Ke Phir Ud Naa Paaya
Till he was unable to fly

(repeat)

Girta Hua Woh Asma Se
He fell from the sky
Aakar Gira Zameen Par
Onto the earth

Khwabon Mein Phir Bhi Badal Hi The
Yet in his dreams there were still only clouds
Woh Kehta Raha Magar
And he kept saying

*Ke Allah Ke Bande Hasde
That the people of Allah will always be laughing (happy)
Allah Ke Bande
People of God...
Allah Ke Bande Hasde Jo Bhi Ho Kal Phir Aayega
The people of Allah will always be laughing... whatever happens, tomorrow will still come

(repeat *)

Kho Ke Aapne Par Hi To Usne Tha Ud Naa Sikha
Only after losing his wings did he learn to fly
Kho Ke Aapne Par Hi To
Only after losing his wings...

Kho Ke Aapne Par Hi To Usne Tha Ud Naa Sikha
Only after losing his wings did he learn to fly

Gham Ko Aapne Saath Mein Lele Dard Bhi Tere Kaam Aayega
Take your sorrow with you, for the pain will be of use to you

*Ke Allah Ke Bande Hasde
That the people of Allah will always be laughing (happy)
Allah Ke Bande
People of God...
Allah Ke Bande Hasde Jo Bhi Ho Kal Phir Aayega
The people of Allah will always be laughing... whatever happens, tomorrow will still come

(repeat *)

Tukde Tuke Ho Gaya Tha Har Sapna Jab Woh Toota
He broke into pieces when every dream of his broke

Tukde Tuke Ho Gaya Tha
He broke into peices

Tukde Tuke Ho Gaya Tha Har Sapna Jab Woh Toota
He broke into pieces when every dream of his broke

Bhikre Tukdon Mein Allah Ki Marzi Ka Manzar Paayega
It is only in the scattered pieces of your dreams that you will find the meaning of Allah's Will.

*Ke Allah Ke Bande Hasde
That the people of Allah will always be laughing (happy)
Allah Ke Bande
People of God...
Allah Ke Bande Hasde Jo Bhi Ho Kal Phir Aayega
The people of Allah will always be laughing... whatever happens, tomorrow will still come

(repeat *)
(repeat *)
(repeat *)

Yaumul Nakba (Day of Catastrophe)

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:39:06 GMT

Salaamaleykum.

    Today, 15th May 2008, marks the 60th year since the Catastrophe tragedy occured upon the Palestinians, or rather, Muslims in general.
    It was the day the illegal Zionist State of Israel was formed by evicting millions of locals (Palestinians) from their ancestral lands. This act, was nonetheless, a crime against humanity and contradicts International Laws.
    However, until this day, Israel has neither acknowledged nor tried to amend its abuse of basic human rights. Rather, it continues to deny the Palestinians their rights to return home.

    Strada Placido stands firm and united with the Palestinians around the world in their demand for justice- their right to return home.
    Had it been Jews who are being evicted, within days , the country in concern would have been under tremendous pressure from USA UK UN Europe and almost every single nation in the globe, with economic sanctions and military intervention threats. Instead, now with the table turned around, with Zionist Jews being the bad guy, the international community sits and condemns verbally, while conducting business and enriching the illegal state. Whereas the 'peace, freedom and human rights advocate' nation called the Zionist state a "model for democracy".
    If that is the model of democracy advocated by the US, I'ill pass.

YA ALLAH MADAD!

Pakistan Aids Burma

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:35:00 GMT

Pakistan to send two planeloads of relief to Burma

May 12, 2008 (AFP)—Pakistan decided to send two plane loads of emergency aid to Burma for survivors of last week's cyclone, the foreign office said.

The relief includes tents, mosquito nets and medicines, it said in a statement. "The aircraft are expected to leave on Sunday," the statement said, without giving further details. Burma was hit by Cyclone Nargis last Saturday, leaving 60,000 people dead or missing and as many as two million more short of food, water and supplies. The military regime has refused to allow in foreign aid experts to direct the relief effort and said that, although it will accept money and aid, it must distribute all supplies itself.

THE WORLD HAS OPENED HER HANDS FOR BURMA, NOW, IT JUST LEAVES THE GENERALS TO OPEN THEIRS.

Myanmar's military regime still refuses foreign aid workers, despite the scale of the disaster and the lack of experience of the Myanmar Army in dealing with such situation.

YA ALLAH MADAD!

Cyclone Nargis Devastates Burma

Wed, 07 May 2008 09:20:19 GMT

Salaamaleykum,

As all of you might have read, Cyclone Nargis has hit Burma last weekend and left the Delta region of the country in ruins.

22'300 plus people has been confirmed dead, and estimated 42'000 a re still missing. Hundreds of thousands are left homeless. Basically everyone in the effected regions are struggling with the insane increase of price of commodity and lack of clean water.

The mainly effected area was the rice plantation feilds, hence, the price for rice, the staple food, is expected to increase multifold. Rice depositories had been effected by the cyclone, hence further scarcity is expected.

Its also worth to mention that the areas hit by the cyclone are fishing and farming areas (except Rangoon). They are generally poor and had to struggle to make ends meet, even before the cyclone.

Therefore, I appeal to each and everyone of you to please donate as much as you can for the victims of the disaster. If you can, please donate some money...if it is inconvenient, then please, spare a moment or two of your time to pray for the victims.

To donate-

http://www.google.com/myanmarcyclone/

https://www.islamic-relief.com