10 best foods to reduce cholesterol

Have a salmon fish dinner. Snack on a handful of nuts. Pour a dash of olive oil in your salad.

And bite into that sinister chocolate. Now you can do all this guilt-free! All these foods help in fighting bad cholesterol. According to theAmerican Heart Association, 'You can reduce  cholesterol in your blood by eating healthy foods'. So, here we are today with our list of top 10 cholesterol fighting foods.

Oats: If you change your morning meal to oats then you can do your cholesterol level a whole lot of good. Do note that two servings of oats can lower LDL cholesterol by 5.3% in only 6 weeks. Essentially, oats contain a substance called beta-glucan which absorbs bad cholesterol.

Red Wine: Here's yet another reason to toast to your health. The red grapes used in the manufacturing of red wine have an important effect on cholesterol levels. Two glasses of red wine in a week can do you a whole lot of good.

Salmon and fatty Fish: Full of Omega-3 fatty acids, salmon is a natural health wonder, which helps in keeping heart conditions such as heart attacks, stroke and high cholesterol levels at bay. Fishes such as salmon, sardines and herring help in raising good cholesterol levels by 4%.

Nuts: Mono-unsaturated fats (found in nuts, seeds etc.) have the lowest fatty acid molecules and are the best of the three fats, namely poly-saturated fats, saturated fats and mono-unsaturated fats. Nuts are the best way to get those required healthy fats into your body without feeling guilty. Since the fats that come from nuts are natural and are not chemically processed, this makes them heart healthy, filling, and nutritious options.

Beans: Excellent for the heart, ½ a cup of beans added in our diet (in the form of any dish or soup), helps in lowering cholesterol levels by 8%. You should try black, kidney, or pinto beans; each one of them supplies about one-third of your day's fiber needs.

Tea: Tea has antioxidants and less amounts of caffeine than coffee. An eight-ounce cup of coffee contains around 135 mg caffeine; tea contains only 30 to 40 mg per cup. Tea helps in protecting your bones because of the presence of phytochemicals in them. It is also a great defense against LDL cholesterol levels.

Chocolate: Chocoholics can celebrate with a healthy dose of dark chocolate as it is full of antioxidants and cholesterol-reducing properties. According to a Spanish study published in 2010 in the "Journal of Hepatology,", "the antioxidants in dark chocolate reduce the damage that can occur to blood vessels, which can further threaten the health of people with cirrhosis. The dark chocolate can help prevent the blood vessels in the liver from rupturing". Medical experts suggest that munching on 100 grams of chocolate every day helps in reducing the occurrence of cardiovascular mishaps by 21 percent.

Spinach. Popeye the sailor was quite right when crediting his muscle power to this green leafy vegetable. It is believed that spinach contains around 13 flavonoid compounds which keep us away from cancer, heart diseases and osteoporosis. 1/2 a cup of this lutein-rich food, daily, guards us against heart attacks.

Olive oil: This oil has many health benefits. It contains mono-unsaturated fatty acids which lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides, without lowering good cholesterol levels. Different stages of pressing and processing yield different varieties of olive oil.

please smile !

My little sisters password for the Disney website :
"MickeyMinnieGoofyPluto" 
I asked her why, she said :
"They told me to use 4 characters"

Iconic Moments of 2011

On March 11, Japan was hit by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded. The magnitude-9.0 quake spawned a deadly tsunami that slammed into the small island nation, leaving a huge swath of devastation in its wake.




 

Nargis, a girl born in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, was welcomed as the world's seven billionth baby -- an honour she shares with a girl child born in the Philippines and a boy in Russia.





 

Gary Kirsten ended his term as India's coach on a high, guiding India to a historic World Cup triumph, said it was an honour to coach Team India.

Anna Hazare's crusade against corruption has grabbed headlines all over and inspired the common Indian to demand for a Jan Lokpal Bill that would hold politicians accountable for their actions.

US President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and several other government officials gathered to monitor the raid that killed the world's most wanted man, Osama bin Laden.

 Steve Jobs, the Apple founder and former CEO who invented and masterfully marketed ever-sleeker gadgets that transformed everyday technology, passed away.





 

The last convoy of US soldiers pulled out of Iraq, ending nearly nine years of war that cost almost 4,500 American and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, and left a country grappling with political uncertainty.

 Muammar Gaddafi, who ruled Libya with an iron fist for over 40 years, was killed after being on the run for two months by National Transitional Council fighters.





The success of the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit helped soothe the bitter memories of a messy and shambolic Commonwealth Games.






The 34-year-old regime of the Left front finally crumbled to a feisty Mamata Banerjee, making her the first woman chief minister of West Bengal when her party won the assembly elections this year.





Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Member of Parliament Kanimozhi, was sent to Tihar Jail in May this year for her alleged role in the 2G spectrum scam.






Tennis star Novak Djokovic, celebrated his Wimbledon victory by eating a piece of grass, said that will taste the grass every year he wins.






Dev Anand, the 'Evergreen Romantic Superstar' of Indian cinema, has passed away in London following a cardiac arrest.






During the election campaign, she foretold that the AIADMK with her allies would win over 185 seats in the Tamil Nadu assembly and how correct she was. After two consecutive defeats in the Tamil Nadu elections, Jayalalithaa made a spectacular comeback winning 199 of the state's 234 assembly seats.





"Everybody was expecting me to score a double hundred and I think I lived (up to the) expectation," a visibly tired Sehwag said at the innings break.






Over 90 patients in Kolkata's well known AMRI hospital were killed along with three staffers when a blaze started in the basement of the annexe building and toxic fumes quickly spread to the other floors, trapping hundreds of people.







The day - Wednesday - and the site - Delhi High Court - were chosen purposefully by the bombers for maximum casualties. It is the day of the week that is fixed for filing public interest litigation, and Gate No. 5 is the place where the litigants crowd to enter the court premises.







Rioting and looting spread across London as hooded youths set buildings and cars ablaze, smashed shop windows and hurled bottles and stones at police in a third night of violence in Britain's worst unrest in decades.






Serial blasts struck Mumbai, less than three years after the 26/11 terrorist attacks of 2008. The three blasts targeted Zaveri Bazaar, Opera House and the Kabutarkhana area of Dadar West, killing at least 17 people and injuring 131 others.






Shammi Kapoor, known for his flamboyant style and energetic dance moves that charmed movie-goers of all generations, passed away after a prolonged illness.






Streets around the square which hosted Egypt's historic uprising are spattered with the blood of protesters now demanding an end to the army rule that replaced Mubarak.







The entire world watched their wedding live, and then it was time for the Prince to kiss his beautiful bride. He kissed not once, but twice! This one beats even the fairy tales.







Many have been intrigued by the Occupy Wall Street movement against financial inequality that started in a New York park and expanded across America from Tampa, Florida, to Portland, Oregon, and from Los Angeles to Chicago.





The man whose Rath first drove a party with just two seats in Parliament straight onto the national stage, clearly believes the yatra is still a journey to political advantage.






"I AM DADA to the cutest baby girl," Amitabh Bachchan announced on Twitter.







Over 50,000 troops and about 500 main battle tanks like T-90s, T-72s and the indigenous Arjun, as also infantry combat vehicles, participated in the exercise codenamed 'Sudarshan Shakti', which also featured fighter jets, transport and helicopters of the Indian Air Force.







A leopard strayed into Prakash Nagar village in West Bengal and mauled several people, including three guards, before being caught by forest officials.






India's cricket legend Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who personified style on and off the cricket field, passed away after battling a lung infection for about a month.






Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling said the loss from devastating earthquake in Sikkim is estimated to be around Rs 1 lakh crore.







While Vancouver city was burning following the riots post their team Canucks' disgraceful defeat in Stanley Cup, a young couple - Scott Jones and his girlfriend Alex Thomas were snapped kissing midst the commotion.

Aakash tablet goes on sale for Rs 2500 online

DataWind, the Canadian company that is manufacturing Aakash, has started the online booking and pre booking of the much anticipated low cost Android tablet. Online booking is for students' version of the tablet and pre booking is for UbiSlate 7, the upgraded version of Aakash.

Students' version of Aakash will be available for Rs 2,500 and will be delivered in seven days. The commercial version, UbiSlate 7 is priced at Rs 2,999. The payment mode for both the tablets is cash on delivery.

The commercial version of Aakash tablet will be powered by Android 2.3 and will have a resistive touchscreen, Cortex A8-700 MHz processor and graphics accelerator HD video processor, 256 MB of RAM and 2 GB of internal memory.

Other specifications are a one standard USB port, 3.5 mm audio jack, a 7 inch display with 800 x 480 pixel resolution, resistive touchscreen, GPRS and WiFi support.

"The improved version of Aakash tablet will be available in retail outlets by January end," aspokesperson of DataWind told The Mobile Indian.

The tablet was to be made available in retail stores by the end of November. "The delay in the availability of the tablet has been due to upgradation in the tablet and some unforeseen delay in manufacturing," the spokesperson said.

To book and prebook student and commercial versions respectively of Aakash tablet, users have to visit DataWind's website and fill up the required form. In case of booking they will get a booking ID and a message which will state, "You will shortly receive an email confirmation from our support team with further details."

In case of pre booking users will get a confirmation message which will state, "The commercial version of the Akash UbiSlate 7 would be launched in early weeks of December. After the commercial launch we would get in touch with you to deliver your device as soon possible."

As a matter of fact, the confirmation message a reader will see is factually incorrect as The mobile Indian had reported earlier the Aakash tablet will be available only by January end.

Datawind has however not cleared how it is going to establish the identity of students who will book the cheapest version of Aakash tablet. When The Mobile Indian contacted spokesperson of Datwind he said, "Anyone can book the student version of Aakash tablet."


This defeats the purpose of providing students an affordable tablet as now anyone can place an order to get the tablet. Interestingly, now it has been revealed that the government has procured only 10,000 Aakash tablets for distribution in schools and colleges of the initial 1 lakh proposed.


It looks like the company was in a hurry to start the online booking process and has not done not proper homework before staring it.
The original article was posted here

Married Life in Islam

"And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your hearts. Verily in that are signs for those who reflect." (Qur'an 30:21)
In the Qur'an, the marriage relationship is described as one with "tranquility," "love" and "mercy." Elsewhere in the Qur'an, husband and wife are described as "garments" for each other (2:187). Garments offer protection, comfort, modesty, and warmth. Above all, the Qur'an describes that the best garment is the "garment of God-consciousness" (7:26).

Muslims view marriage as the foundation of society and family life. In a practical aspect, Islamic marriage is thus structured through legally-enforceable rights and duties of both parties. In an atmosphere of love and respect, these rights and duties provide a framework for the balance of family life and the fulfillment of both partners.


General Rights
To be treated with honor, kindness, and patience.
To enjoy intimate relations with each other.
To have children, by God's will.
To keep one's legal and personal identity after marriage, retaining one's own family name, inheritance rights, property, mahr, etc.

General Duties
To be faithful to the marriage bond.
To strive to be attractive to one's spouse.
To assist and support one another, and to resolve disputes amicably.
The husband has the duty to provide all physical maintenance of the family (housing, clothing, food, medical care, etc.).

Islamic Marriage

In Islam, marriage is a social and legal relationship intended to strengthen and extend family relationships. Islamic marriage begins with a search for an appropriate partner, and ends with an agreement of marriage, the contract, and the wedding party.

CourtshipWhen searching for a spouse, Muslims often involve an extended network of friends and family.



Decision-Making

Muslims take very seriously the decision of whom to marry. When it's time for a final decision, Muslims seek guidance from Allah and advice from other knowledgable people.

Marriage Contract (Nikah)

 In Islam, marriage is considered both a social agreement and a legal contract. Negotiating and signing the contract is a requirement of marriage under Islamic law, and certain conditions must be upheld in order for it to be binding and recognized.

In Islam, marriage is considered both a social agreement and a legal contract. In modern times, the marriage contract is signed in the presence of an Islamic judge, imam, or trusted community elder who is familiar with Islamic law. The process of signing the contract is usually a private affair, involving only the immediate families of the bride and groom.


Marriage Contract ConditionsNegotiating and signing the contract is a requirement of marriage under Islamic law, and certain conditions must be upheld in order for it to be binding and recognized.


Consent –

 Both the groom and the bride must consent to the marriage, verbally and in writing. This is done through a formal proposal of marriage (ijab) and acceptance of the proposal (qabul). A first-time bride is usually represented in the contract negotiations by her Wali, a male guardian who looks out for her best interests. Even so, the bride must also express her willingness to enter into marriage. Consent cannot be obtained from those who are legally unable to give it, i.e. people who are incapacitated, minor children, and those who have physical or mental impairments which limit their capacity to understand and consent to a legal contract.


Mahr – This word is often translated as “dowry” but is better expressed as “bridal gift.” The bride has a right to receive a gift from the groom which remains her own property as security in the marriage. The gift is payable directly to the bride and remains her sole property, even in case of later divorce. The mahr can be cash, jewelry, property, or any other valuable asset. Either full payment or an agreed-upon payment schedule is required at the time of contract signature. The mahr may also be deferred until termination of the marriage through death or divorce; in such an instance the unpaid mahr becomes a debt against the husband’s estate. What was your mahr?


Witnesses – Two adult witnesses are required to verify the marriage contract.


Prenuptial Contract Conditions – Either the bride or the groom may submit contract conditions which, if agreed upon, become legally-binding conditions of marriage. Often such conditions include agreements about the country of the couple’s residence, the wife’s ability to continue her education or career life, or vistation with in-laws. Any condition that is allowable in Islamic law is allowed to be entered, as long as both parties agree. What were your marriage contract conditions?
After Contract SignatureAfter the contract is signed, a couple is legally married and enjoy all the rights and responsibilities of marriage. In many cultures, however, the couple do not formally share a household until after the public wedding celebration (walimah). Depending on the culture, this celebration may be held hours, days, weeks, or even months later.

Wedding Party (Walimah)

The public celebration of a marriage usually involves a wedding party (walimah). The family of the groom is responsible for inviting the community to a celebration meal. The details of how this party is structured, and the traditions involved, vary from culture to culture.

Married Life

After all the parties are over, the new couple settles into life as husband and wife. In Islam, the marriage relationship is characterized by safety, comfort, love, and mutual rights and responsibilities.

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