Holiday Highlights

Assalaamu'alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakatuhu

Rasha: our holidays are coming to an end and so we won't be able to post too much on the blog here...maybe on weekends or other holidays inshaAllaah. [? have to ask Umma]

Rida: I know the holidays went so quickly and we didn't even do half the things we were making plans about!

Rasha: okay, but we did a lot of things: went for a trip to Makkah and Madinah

Rida: went to the fair! and went out almost everyday when Nanu was here ...

Rasha: visited so mannnnny people...and soooo many people visited us

Rida: went for an open air barbecue in a beautiful beautiful place where there are dark clouds on the roads and hills around us and babboons come up to watch people eating!!
that was exciting!!

Rasha: U think that was exciting?? I was so scared that they would come and grab our food.

Rida: and all the books that Nanu brought...Famous Five and Secret Seven

Rasha: and the walkmans!!...plus all the new things we bought for school

Rasha: alhamdulillaah doesnt look like we had a bad hols.

Ma'asalaamah i_l_a_l l_i_q_a_a_a

A Curry Kid's Recipe for Success

MY SON"S A CURRY KID
Aug 26 2004
Mum reveals training secret of Olympic boxing's boy wonder
By Jan Disley And Phil Cardy

AMIR Khan's mum Falak told yesterday of how her son is boxing for Olympic glory fuelled by curries, kebabs and burgers.
The 17-year-old Lancashire lad, who dreams of emulating his hero Muhammad Ali by winning a gold medal, has an unusual way of keeping fighting fit.

Falak said Amir's lunch is often a choice between fish and chips, a doner kebab with chilli sauce or a cheeseburger - washed down with a can of coke. And the lightweight star, who hasn't got an ounce of fat on his 5ft 9ins frame, snacks on Mars bars.
For dinner, he sits down with his family for a curry prepared by his mum. She said: "Amir's favourite is chicken vindaloo with basmati rice.
"We put in sweet potatoes, aubergines, cauliflower, runner beans and spinach. It more than makes up for his lack of fruit and veg during the day."

And as the mother-of-five pointed out, it certainly doesn't seem to be doing her son any harm.
Speaking just before flying to Athens to watch his crunch semi-final tomorrow, she said: "If it keeps my Amir happy then all the better. He works very hard for his boxing and deserves a culinary treat or two." She also revealed that Amir doesn't have time for other vices, such as girlfriends and cars.
...if he does take gold, he will be a year younger than Ali, who was 18 when he won. He is already boxing's youngest medal winner after assuring himself of a bronze on Tuesday.
Falak, 39, said: "I am so proud of my son. He is a very determined young man and I am certain he will bring a gold medal back to Bolton."

She said her husband Shajaad arranged boxing lessons for Amir when he was little after he started hitting children. "He was hyperactive. His father took him to Bolton Lads boxing club and the change was astounding. He fought hard in the ring but outside he was a gentleman."
The family home is a strict Muslim household and Amir attended mosque daily with his sisters Tabinda, 18, and Maryah, 7, and his brothers Tabina, 18, and Haroon, 13.

He also gained nine GCSE's at school but left to concentrate on his first love - boxing. And the family's Victorian four-bedroom house is now filled with his trophies as a result.
But his Olympic ambition was almost thwarted by British officials. Last year they thought he was too young to fight in senior tournaments. He considered fighting for Pakistan, where his family originated from, but thankfully boxing's hierarchy had a change of heart.
His mum said: "We are very proud of his achievements and glad he is representing Great Britain, the country he was born and bred in."
And dad Shajaad, 43, added: "Even though we are Asian, we consider ourselves British. Amir is fighting for Britain, that is all that matters."

Shajaad, Amir's biggest fan, flew to Athens before the rest of the family.
He said: "It has still not sunk in properly. The first fight was okay, in the second he looked really good and on Tuesday night... wow."
He is now being joined by his wife and his children as Amir prepares to fight Serik Yeleuov of Kazakhstan for a place in the final.
Shajaad said: "It is terribly tense watching him at ringside. Sweat was pouring off me, so you can imagine what it was like for my wife watching him at home on TV. She has hardly slept."
And Falak's arrival will give Amir extra motivation. She said: "I can't wait to cook the biggest, hottest curry ever for him to celebrate."
www.mirror.co.uk

All the things Fathers do...

go to work because they have to earn money to take care of you...even if they're sick or sleepy;)
drive you to school/a friend's place even if they're getting late for work...

help you revise Qur'aan lessons...

buy you things you want but don't need...

get you a surprise when you didn't expect it

make you a glass of milk even if you've just had one because... you should have lots of milk

say you look nice when you wear new clothes...

give you a bear hug and a kiss on the forehead on Eid...

pick you off the ground to see how big you're getting to be......

scold you when you waste time or don't do your work

carry you in their arms if you fall asleep in the car....

tell you the meanings of words you don't know...teach you to look in the dictionary so you don't have to ask...

fix a night bulb in your favourite colour in your room so you don't have to sleep in the dark

wake you up for fajr...and stop you from going to sleep after salaah

take you for a walk after dinner...

think of all the things your father does for you to understand what Kifa and other kids like her have lost, when the father that Allaah had given them was taken away.

When they stole my father...

"when the occupation stole my father

they stole my toy

my laughter

my happiness

my hopes and dreams

the warmth of life around me

they stole the word ‘father’ and held it captive behind the bars"

--Kifa Wishah to Kofi Annan

[Kifa is a Palestinian child whose father has been in illegal detention since she was 2]

"Shay, run home!!"

Ed: I got this in my mail this morning. I'm including it with a portion of the accompanying mail...may Allaah reward the sister who sent us this reminder...

Don't look for a punch line; there isn't one. Read it anyway.
My question to all of you is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech thatwould never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered aquestion:"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe, that when a child like Shay comes into the world, anopportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and itcomes, in the way other people treat that child."

Then he told the following story:Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball.
Shay asked: "Do you think they'll let me play?"
Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed toplay, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and, getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win thegame?Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.
Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and turned and threw the ball on a high arc to right field, far beyond the reach of the first baseman.
Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered downthe baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "Run tosecond, run to second!" By the time Shay rounded first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and intentionally threw the ball high and far over thethird-baseman's head.
Shay ran toward second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases toward home. Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him inthe direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third!"

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay, run home!"
Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the"grand slam" and won the game for his team."
"That day," said the father softly, with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world."

AND, NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY:
We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people think twice about sharing. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are thatyou're probably sorting out the people on your address list that aren't the "appropriate" ones to receive this type of message.
Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single dayto help realize the "natural order of things." So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up that opportunity, and leave the world a little bit colder in theprocess?

Why we need a Big Toe

Inside the human body
By SINEAD O'NEILL

WE all have parts of our bodies we like or dislike but how much do you really know about your own skin? Did you know for example that the average sneeze travels at 100mph and that every tongue, just like a finger, has its own unique print? Or that our bodies contain enough water to fill a ten-gallon tank, enough carbon to manufacture 900 pencils and so much fat, the average person could make seven bars of soap.

If not, then new book ADAM'S NAVEL could change the way you think.
The guide, which is out from Penguin Books on September 2, is packed full of fascinating facts about the human form, including why men have nipples and why we need a big toe.
Here's just a few of the book's fun facts...

FINGERNAILS are among the human body's strongest components. They contain keratin - also found in rhino horns - which refuses to erode after death.

CONTRARY to popular belief, babies are NOT fully naked in the womb. In fact, their entire bodies are usually covered in a thin layer of dark hair by the end of the fifth month of pregnancy. Fortunately, the hair all but disappears by the time the baby is born.

A TYPICAL person blinks, on average, once every four seconds. That's because the eyelashes act as windscreen wipers, keeping dust and grime from getting into the eye itself.

THERE are two different types of earwax which congregate in the inner ear. One is sticky, brown and wet and found mainly among Europeans and Africans while the other, which is brittle and grey, is usually found in Asia.

HUMANS are one of the only mammals who are unable to 'turn' their ears in order to hear approaching predators.

SCIENTISTS have established five different types of nose.
Roman shapes which are sharp and arched - are said to symbolise decisiveness and energy in men but represent masculinity in women while Greek noses - which are straight and smooth - dictate an artistic streak in both sexes. A cogitative feature - which has flared nostrils - meanwhile is said to signify an overly emotional person while those with snub or button noses are generally seen as 'weak in character'. Celestial shapes - which 'turn up' slightly at the tip - are rumoured to indicate cunning.

He or she ... embryo is genderless for the first 6-8 weeks of pregnancyTHE human embryo is not assigned a gender until six or eight weeks into pregnancy. Instead, it possesses underdeveloped prototypes of both the male and female reproductive systems as well as primative versions of what will later become nipples.Once the body has decided whether the baby will be a boy or girl, dominant hormones emerge.However, the remnants of the other sex remain... hence the presence of male nipples.

ALTHOUGH left-handedness is now accepted without question, being left-handed was regarded as a symbol of evil for many years. In fact, many words used to describe anything 'strange' - such as sinister or awkward - stem from the latin word sinistral, which means left-handed.

EVERY tongue has its own individual print which is unique to each person.They also contain thousands of tiny taste buds designed to differentiate between food groups. Those near the tip recognise sweet foods while buds at the back deal with bitter tastes.

THE big toe might not appear to serve a particular purpose but it is actually one of the most important elements within the body. Its job is to balance the skeleton and enable the owner to move forward when walking - without it, we would simply fall over!

SubhaanAllaah!

If Rajab is here, can Ramadan be far behind?

The Islamic calendar is a purely lunar calendar of 12 months and a lunar year of usually 354 days. Each month can be either 29 or 30 days long. Because the lunar year is shorter than the solar year, Muslim holy days cycle backwards in relation to the purely solar Western calendar. .

The number of days in each month is not set. Rather, each month begins at sunset on the day of the first sighting of the lunar crescent following a new moon. Traditionally, this requires a sighting by a human observer, which was a motivation for the Islamic interest in astronomy that put Islam in the forefront of that science for many centuries.

In 638 CE (AH 17), the second Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (592-644 CE) began numbering the years of the Islamic calendar. He assigned its first year (AH 1) to the year during which the Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu alayhi wassallam emigrated to the city of Medina.
Thus the calendar is also called the Hijra calendar after this migration. Dates in this calendar are usually abbreviated using AH from the Latin phrase Anno Hegirae, "in the year of the Hijra". Years before the Hijra are denoted BH. As in the common calendar, there is no year zero.

In the 9th year after the Hijra or migration to Medina, the Prophet sall Allaahu alayhi wassallam forbade the insertion of the additional months.

Verily the transposing (of a prohibited month) is an addition to Unbelief: The Unbelievers are led to wrong thereby: for they make it lawful one year, and forbidden another year, of months forbidden by Allah and make such forbidden ones lawful. The evil of their course seems pleasing to them. But Allah guideth not those who reject Faith.
This prohibition was repeated during his last sermon on Mount Arafat during his farewell pilgrimage to Mecca on 9 Dhu al-Hijja AH 10
O People, the unbelievers indulge in tampering with the calendar in order to make permissible that which Allah forbade, and to forbid that which Allah has made permissible. With Allah the months are twelve in number. Four of them are holy, three of these are successive and one occurs singly between the months of Jumada and Shaban.

The three successive holy months are Dhu al-Qada, Dhu al-Hijja, and Muharram, thus preventing an intercalary month from being placed before Muharram. The other is Rajab.
This means that the Islamic calendar is always shorter than the Gregorian year by about 11 days, and the days of the calendar are not tied to a specific season of the year. It takes 33.6 Islamic years until a complete traversal of the seasons occurs so that a month will fall again during the same season.

Of all the months in the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is the most sacred, and all Muslims are required to fast during the daytime.
The Islamic months are named as follows:
Muharram ul Haram (or shortened to Muharram) محرّم
Safar صفر
Rabi`-ul-Awwal (Rabi' I) ربيع الأول
Rabi`-ul-Akhir (or Rabi` al-THaany) (Rabi' II) ربيع الآخر أو ربيع الثاني
Jumaada-ul-Awwal (Jumaada I) جمادى الأول
Jumaada-ul-Akhir (or Jumaada al-THaany) (Jumaada II) جمادى الآخر أو جمادى الثاني
Rajab رجب
Sha'aban شعبان
Ramadhan رمضان
Shawwal شوّال
Dhul Qadah ذو القعدة (or Thw al-Qi`dah)
Dhul Hijja ذو الحجة (or Thw al-Hijjah)

"The number of months with Allah has been twelve months by Allah's ordinance since the day He created the heavens and the earth. Of these four are known as sacred; That is the straight usage, so do not wrong yourselves therein.
These four sacred months are: Muharram, Rajab, Dhul Qadah and Dhul Hijja. It is from this verse that it is commonly believed that fighting during sacred months is a sin.

Read all about the month of Rajab: http://www.alminbar.com/khutbaheng/9013.htm

Killer Cookouts

Israel Goes for Aroma Offensive
Hisham Abu Taha

GAZA CITY, 17 August 2004 — Israel yesterday announced plans to use the aromas of barbecues and fresh bread to break a day-old hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners. The 1,700 inmates, seen by Palestinians as symbols of resistance to Israeli occupation, want wardens to stop strip searches, allow more frequent family visits, improve sanitary conditions and install public telephones, supporters said.
Israeli officials call the protest launched Sunday a ploy by the prisoners to secure easier communication with groups waging an almost four-year-old uprising, and have vowed to fight their liquids-only fast.

The Prisons Service said it would draw on tactics used in hunger strikes by jailed Northern Irish militants in the 1970s and 1980s, such as withholding basic amenities. “Among the variousmethods we plan to employ is holding barbecues outside the walls of the affected prisons,” a Prisons Service spokesman said.
“We look at psychological means to deal with problems like this,” Prisons Service spokesman Ofer Lefler said. “Our interest is to return prisoners to eating as soon as possible.” He said no decision had been made on when to begin the threatened cookouts.

Israeli human rights group B’Tselem says about 7,000 Palestinians, excluding common criminals, are being held in Israeli civilian prisons or military jails. About half are either being detained without charge or until the end of criminal proceedings against them. The other half have been convicted of security-related offenses.
“We declare, in the name of God, our national decision to launch an open-ended hunger strike,” the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a statement. It accused Israel of “robbing us of all our rights, treading on our dignity and treating us like animals”.

copyright Arab News

Child Clusters

Ed: More proof that war is bad news for everyone...

A MUST-SEE photo essay http://www.life.com/Life/essay/gulfwar/gulf01.html
When soldiers risked their lives in the Gulf, they never imagined that their children might suffer the consequences--or that their country would turn its back on them.

Clustering is the term epidemiologists use when an ailment strikes one group of people more than others--and the phenomenon can be a key indicator that something more than chance is causing birth defects.
The Association of Birth Defect Children [ABDC] says it has found the first cluster of defects in the offspring of U.S. Gulf veterans... Significantly, not one of the parents in the ABDC survey has a family history of these types of birth defects.

Sunnah and Sports

‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him and his father, narrated that: "The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam raced from Al-Hayfaa’ to Thaniyyat Al-Wadaa’ and from Thaniyyat Al-Wadaa’ to the mosque of the tribe of Zurayq’ (Bukhaari & Muslim). ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him and his father, was among those who would race.
===================================================
Anas Ibn Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him said: "The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam had a she camel named Al-‘Adhbaa’ which nobody could beat in a race, until one day a Bedouin came and raced against it and won, so the companions of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam felt uneasy. Thereupon, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “It is incumbent upon Allaah that everything which reaches a high rank in this life must come back down again.” (Bukhaari). Imaam Ibn Hajar, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: "It is evident from this Hadeeth that it is permissible to use camels for riding as well as for racing."
=======================================

‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, said: "Once I was with the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam on a trip, and we had a race, which I won. After a few years, when I became heavier, we went on another trip and raced again, but this time the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam won, and thereupon he said: “This one for that one” (Ahmad, Abu Daawood and others).
===============================================
Excerpt from a khutbah on sports: http://www.alminbar.com/khutbaheng/scwcrec.htm

===============================================
And as for his (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) wrestling, in the Sunan of Aboo Daawood, upon the authority of Muhammad Ibn ’Alee Ibn Rukaanah, who said, “Verily Rukaanah wrestled the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam), and the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) took him down.”
And this hadeeth has a story surrounding ‘‘Rukaanah Ibn ’Abd-Yazeed al-Qurayshee was from those who accepted Islaam upon the conquering of Makkah. And he was the one who wrestled the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam), and the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) took him down twice or three times. That was before he accepted Islaam. It is said that this was without a doubt the reason he accepted Islaam.
This hadeeth is the most firmly established report of the Prophet’s (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) wrestling, however, as for what has been mentioned about the Prophet(sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) wrestling Aboo Jahl, that is baseless.’’
==============================================
Az-Zubayr Ibn Bukkaar said in his book an-Nasab, ‘‘Rukaanah Ibn ’Abd-Yazeed was the one who wrestled the Prophet(sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) in Makkah before he embraced Islaam. He was from the strongest and harshest of the people. He said, “If you can take me down, I will believe in you.” So the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) wrestled him and took him down. He then proclaimed, “I testify that you are a magician!” Later he accepted Islaam

[ Wrestling is From the Sunnah By Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah]
==============================================

Olympics: The Truth is Out

Ed: It's considered de rigeuer for kids and adults alike to know all about the Olympics...but I find it more than a little strange that the world is trying to impose an ancient pagan ritual and market it as popular, modern culture.

The Olympics of Ancient Greece
Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C., the contests in Homer's Iliad indicate a much earlier competitive tradition. The ancient Greek games were held, every fourth summer, at Olympia, in honor of Zeus. They reached their height in the 5th–4th cent. B.C.; thereafter they became more and more professionalized until, in the Roman period, they provoked much censure. They were eventually discontinued by Emperor Theodosius I of Rome at the end of the 4th cent. A.D.
Among the Greeks, the games were nationalistic in spirit; states were said to have been prouder of Olympic victories than of battles won. Women, foreigners, slaves, and dishonored persons were forbidden to compete. Contestants were required to train faithfully for 10 months before the games, had to remain 30 days under the eyes of officials in Elis, who had charge of the games, and had to take an oath that they had fulfilled the training requirements before participating.
At first, the Olympic games were confined to running, but over time new events were added: the long run (720 B.C.), when the loincloth was abandoned and athletes began competing naked; the pentathlon (708 B.C.); boxing (688 B.C.); chariot racing (680 B.C.); the pankration (648 B.C.), involving boxing and wrestling contests for boys (632 B.C.); and the foot race with armor (580 B.C.).
Greek women, forbidden not only to participate in but also to watch the Olympic games, held games of their own, called the Heraea. Those were also held every four years but had fewer events than the Olympics. Known to have been conducted as early as the 6th cent. B.C., the Heraea games were discontinued about the time the Romans conquered Greece. The winners of the Olympics (and of the Heraea) were crowned with chaplets of wild olive, and in their home city-states male champions were also awarded valuable gifts and privileges.

What do "modern" Olympic symbols mean: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/olympicsceremonies.html

Ancient Olympic traditions:http://www.infoplease.com/spot/ol-history.html

memorable moments, timeline, quizzes:
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/04olympics.html

Eatable Idioms

apple of one`s eye- someone or something that one likes a lot
The little girl is the apple of her grandfather`s eye.

back to the salt mines-- back to work, humorous expression to express going back to unpleasant work
"Well, lunch is over so let`s go back to the salt mines for the afternoon."

bad egg- a bad person
That man is a bad egg so you should try and avoid him if you can.

big cheese- an important person, a leader
He is a big cheese in his company so you should be very nice to him.

bread and butter- basic needs of life (food,shelter,clothing)
The voters are worried about bread and butter issues like jobs and taxes.

butter up- flatter someone, to try to get their favor or friendship
He spends most of his free time trying to butter up his boss so that he won`t have to work so hard.

carrot and stick- promising to reward and punish someone at the same time
The government took a carrot and stick approach to the people who were illegally protesting against the construction of the dam.

chew the fat- chat
We stayed up very late last night chewing the fat about our university days.

coffee break- a break from work to rest and drink coffee
We usually take a 15-minute coffee break every morning about 10 o`clock.

cool as a cucumber-- calm, not nervous or anxious
He is always as cool as a cucumber and never worries about anything.

cream of the crop- best of a group, the top choice
The company is well-known as a good place to work and is always able to hire the cream of the crop of university graduates.

cry over spilt milk- cry or complain about something that has already happened
You shouldn't cry over spilt milk. The past is past and you can`t do anything to change it.

cup of tea-- something one enjoys or does well (usually used in the negative)
Going to art galleries is not my cup of tea so I think that I will stay home this evening and not go with you.

cut the mustard- succeed, do adequately what needs to be done
He wasn`t able to cut the mustard so he had to leave the army after only one year.

duck soup- a task that doesn`t require much effort
It was duck soup. I was able to finish everything early last night.

eat crow-- admit one is mistaken or defeated, take back a mistaken statement
I was forced to eat crow and had to apologize for the mistake that I made about the restructuring of our company.

eat dirt-- act humble, accept another`s insult or bad treatment
We made him eat dirt after he accused us of lying about the salary cut.

eat humble pie-- be humbled, admit one`s error and apologize
Our boss was forced to eat humble pie after everyone realized that he had made the wrong budget estimate for next year.

eat one`s cake and have it too-- use or spend something and still keep it
He refuses to give up anything and always wants to eat his cake and have it too.

eat one`s words- take back something one has said, admit something is not true
I told my boss that I would be quitting but later I had to eat my words and tell him that I wanted to stay.

egg on-- urge someone on
Many people at the football game were egged on by the drunken fans.

finger in the pie- participate in something that is happening
He always tries to keep his finger in the pie so that he can control everything.

full of beans- feel energetic, in high spirits
She is full of beans tonight and doesn`t want to stop talking.

gravy train- a job or work that pays more than it is worth
For many years his job was a real gravy train but now the company has become very strict and will not pay overtime.

half-baked- not thought out or studied carefully
He has a half-baked idea about starting a new business but most of us think that it will fail.

hand to someone on a silver platter- give a person something that has not been earned
His education was handed to him on a silver platter and now he is very spoiled and selfish.

hard nut to crack- something or someone difficult to understand or do
He is a very serious person and is a very hard nut to crack.

(get or) have egg on one`s face - be embarassed
He has egg on his face because everyone knows that he was sick at the party.

hit the sauce- drink alcohol (usually regularly)
I think that she has begun to hit the sauce since her husband lost his job.

hot potato- a question or argument that is controversial and difficult to settle
The issue of building the nuclear power plant is a real hot potato for the local town council.

in a nutshell- briefly, in a few words
We went to the meeting and they told us in a nutshell what would be happening to everyone next year.

in the soup- in serious trouble, in disorder
She is really in the soup now. She told her boss that she was sick but he saw her downtown shopping.

make one`s mouth water- look or smell very good, want to eat or drink very much
The restaurant is supposed to be wonderful and every time that I see the menu it makes my mouth water.

nutty as a fruitcake- crazy
He is a very nice man but he acts strange sometimes and I often think that he is as nutty as a fruitcake.

out of the frying pan and into the fire- go from something bad to something worse
She quit the job because of some small problems but she has jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire because now her problems are much worse.

out to lunch - crazy, mad
She is totally out to lunch and you should never believe what she tells you.

piece of cake- a task that is easily accomplished
It was a piece of cake. I had everything done before lunch this morning.

polish the apple- flatter someone
Nobody likes her because she is always trying to polish the apple with her teacher.

souped up- change something to make it faster or more powerful by changing or adding something
The new car that his neighbor bought is a souped up model of the one that he had last year.

salt away - save money
He has been working there for seven years and has been able to salt away quite a lot of money.

sell like hotcakes- sell quickly or rapidly
The new CD has only been released for about a week but already it is selling like hotcakes.

spill the beans- tell a secret to someone who is not supposed to know about it
Please don`t spill the beans about my plans to quit working and go back to school next year.

stew in one`s own juice- suffer from something that one has caused to happen
He is the one who caused the problem for himself and he is now being forced to stew in his own juice.

take with a grain of salt- accept or believe only part of something
You should take everything that he says with a grain of salt as everyone knows that he likes to exaggerate things when he is speaking.

upset the applecart- ruin a plan or event by surprise or accident
Everything was going well at the company gathering until he came along and upset the apple cart.

worth one`s salt
- being a good worker, worth what one is paid
He has only been working here for a month but over and over he has proved that he is worth his salt.

Answer a quiz on food idioms:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/6720/Food.html

All about idioms: www.idiomsite.com

The Pi Sisters

Nobody seemed to like two girls called Doris and Fanny. ..

"They're frightfully pi", said Alicia.
"What do you mean pi?",said Gwendoline, who had apparently never heard the word before.
"Golly -- what an ignoramus you are!" said Alicia." Pi means pious. Religious in the wrong way. Thinking they're wonderful and no one else is. Trying to stop people's pleasure. They're a sickening pair!."

"Once I slipped across the Court in the middle of the night to join Betty Hill in West Tower for a midnight feast, Doris saw me out of the window and lay in wait for me to come back. Beast.

"Did she catch you?", asked Mary Lou, her eyes wide with alarm.

"'Course she didn't! You don't think I'd let myself be caught by one of the Pi Sisters,do you?", said Alicia scornfully.

First Term at Malory Towers, Enid Blyton.

Penny for baby's thoughts

Babies May Think Deep Thoughts

Baby may not be saying much at five months but she could be thinking deep thoughts.

Researchers have found that five-month-old babies can comprehend concepts for which they have not yet learned words, thus answering the age-old question: Which comes first, an idea or the language to express it?

"How do we think about the world before we are corrupted by culture and the world?" asks Yale University psychologist Paul Bloom. "One way to learn is to look at babies."

Researchers at Vanderbilt University and Harvard University found that 5-month-old babies being reared in English-speaking homes were able to grasp the difference between a loose fit and a tight fit - putting a pencil into a plastic cup, for instance, versus stacking a second cup inside the first.

That distinction is important in the Korean language but absent from English. By showing that babies growing up in English-speaking homes are sensitive to the distinction, the researchers demonstrated that some forms of thinking do precede language.

Moreover, infants seem to share fundamental ideas about the world around them that languages later alter.

Babies can learn any language but eventually lose the ability to detect foreign sounds - this is partly why it is difficult to learn a second language at an older age. The same idea may apply to concepts, notes Bloom in an editorial published with the new research in the journal Nature - babies in different cultures acquire meaning that is of most relevance to their contexts.

However, humans don't lose the ability to learn distinctions in meaning: Adult English speakers can tell the difference between a loose fit and a tight fit.

Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved

What children really want...

Child's play for adults
Not all fun and games ... children want their parents to spend more time with them

By SINEAD O'NEILL
LESS work and more play.
That's the verdict from British kids when it comes to spending time with their parents.
A new survey from The Children's Society and The Children's Play Council has found that most UK youngsters only play with their mum or dad once a week or less.
More than 1,000 children aged 7-12 took part in the Playday study, with most claiming that longer working hours meant their parents were often too tired to spend time with them.
Tim Linehan, The Children’s Society’s assistant director for campaigns, says: “Parents need the chance to work less and play more. No one ever grows old regretting the time they spent playing with their children.
"Mums and dads need to remember what it was like to be a child and become more playful by giving their kids time on their terms."

And to help you spend some quality time with your little monsters this summer, we've put together this guide to holiday activities, while on the right, we look at the Council's top tips for playful parenting.

Swinging good time ... parks are great for a day out
PARKS: IF you haven't got the cash to splash on your family this summer, don't worry - there are plenty of free attractions to keep you amused. Why not have a picnic in your local park or treat your kids to a trip to the playground?
Children love running about so grab a bat and ball and enjoy a game of rounders when the sun is shining. Even if the weather takes a turn for the worse, you can still enjoy a trek in the great outdoors - simply grab your wellies and take a stroll in the rain!

THEME PARKS: PERFECT if you've got plenty of time - and patience - to spare, theme parks make an ideal family outing. While they can be expensive, especially if you're strapped for cash, many attractions offer group discounts or special two-for-one offers. Alton Towers for example has a family ticket for two adults and two children for £68 off-peak while under-fours get in free at Thorpe Park. You can save even more cash by bringing your own food and drink and avoid queuing by steering clear of peak hours and weekends.

ZOOS: KIDS of all ages will enjoy spotting their favourite animals with a fun-filled trip to the zoo. Prepare them for the day ahead by spending time chatting about what they want to see and encourage youngsters to learn about different species before you visit. If a zoo seems too advanced, try a farm or even a local wildlife park - such as Howlets Wild Animal Park in Kent - for a day out with a difference.

Fun ... there are loads of activities to do during the summer

MUSEUMS: THEY may sound boring but museums can be a real treasure trove of excitement for kids during the long summer months.Most collections provide special activities while smaller museums often hold one-off shows for younger visitors based on a variety of topics. Eureka!, which is based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, is the first hands-on museum for children in the UK and contains hundreds of exhibits designed to keep your tykes amused. Entry is £5.95 for both adults and children while a saver ticket, which admits five people, costs just £27.50.

INDOORS: SPENDING the day inside doesn't have to mean watching hours of TV - there are plenty of other things to do as well. Kids love fun activities like cooking and baking so invest in a childrens' cookbook and let them have a go at playing Jamie Oliver.If you aren't keen on clearing up lots of mess, encourage your little ones to try arts and crafts instead. Painting, modelling and drawing are great for keeping kiddies quiet so let their imaginations run riot!

Top tips for great playtime
Parents ... the way you play is important

IF your work prevents you from being at home with the kids this summer, don't worry - you can still join in with their fun. According to The Children's Play Council, it's not what you do or how much time you spend with your children, but rather the way you play with them that counts. So rather than cramming loads of activities into your daily routine, the Council suggests adopting these techniques instead.

Don't be a 'competitive' parent. It's natural to want to win but learning to lose graciously is important as well. Try to keep games light-hearted and enjoyable and remember to let children win sometimes!

Allow kids to try physical challenges such as climbing trees and rolling down hills. Lumps and bumps are all part of growing up so don't be too overprotective.

Tell your children about games you played when you were younger. Activities like hopscotch and skipping may seem old-fashioned to you but they will provide new games for kids to learn.

Let youngsters choose what they want to do. Forcing them to try something they don't enjoy is pointless and will only result in both of you feeling miserable.
If your child enjoys playing with computers more than 'traditional' toys, indulge them. Let them explain how it works and they'll appreciate you for taking an interest.

From Him we come and to Him is the return

12-year-old shot in the head
05/08/2004 12:12 - (SA)
Gaza City - A 12-year-old Palestinian girl died of her injuries on Thursday after being shot by Israeli soldiers during an operation in the troubled southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, medical sources said.
Iman Barhum had been shot in the head on Tuesday by Israeli soldiers during the operation, which was designed to find tunnels used to smuggle weapons into Gaza beneath the border with neighbouring Egypt.
Israeli forces have been mounting regular incursions into Rafah over the past few months but residents said the latest operation appeared to be over after tanks were seen leaving the town.


Children killed by Israeli fire
From correspondents in Gaza City
05aug04

THREE Palestinians, including two children, were shot dead and nearly 20 wounded early today as Israel stepped up a deadly campaign to end militant rocket attacks launched from the northern Gaza Strip.
As Israel bolstered its forces in the northern town of Jabaliya, nine-year-old Mohammed Hisham Salem died after being hit by a bullet in the chest, Palestinian medical sources said. Family members identified him as a son of a senior member of the radical Islamic Jihad movement and said he was from Beit Lahiya, just north of Jabaliya.

Minutes earlier, 17-year-old Wael Abul Jedyan also died after being hit in the chest by an Israeli bullet when soldiers opened fire from a tank. Earlier in the day, Kassem al-Mutawaq, 18, was also shot dead by soldiers manning tanks inside the centre of Jabaliya, witnesses said.

Hospital sources said a total of 25 Palestinians had been wounded during the Jabaliya raid. Twenty were suffering from gunshot wounds, seven of whom were said to be in serious condition. Five more were wounded when Israeli helicopter gunships launched two separate air raids in and around the small town.

Prayer at the Fair

At the time for salaah, the adhaan, the call for prayer rang out.
The rollercoaster shuddered to a halt, the ponies, horses and camels stopped to rest.
The chefs at the food stalls stopped cooking and their customers got up, shaking the crumbs off their clothes.
The shops dimmed their lights.

There was a musalla, a proper praying place in the fair but it was already full of people. Close to the musalla there was a clearing made of gravel and pebbles. A lot of people gathered there to pray and formed rows. A man in a black robe stood in front to lead them in prayer and another man in the first row said the
إقامة الصلاة [Iqamaat As-salaah]

ألله أكبر الله أكبر أشهدانلا إله إلا الله أشهد أن محمد الرسول حي على الصلاة حي على الفلاح قد قامت الصلاة قد قامت الصلاة الله أكبر الله أكبر لا إله الله
[Allaahu Akbar Allaahu Akbar/Ash-had an laa ilaaha illa Allaah/Ash-had an Muhammad arRasoolAllaah/Hayya alas salaah/Hayya alal falaah/Qad qaamaat as salaah/ Allaahu Akbar/Laa ilaaha illaa Allaah]

The men stood and bowed and stood again and prostrated on the gravelly earth. After that group had finished their prayer another group gathered and formed rows behind another imaam.

We stood there watching them and remembered two hadeeth.

Once when RasoolAllaah sall Allaahu alayhi wassallam was asked about the best deed he replied:
الصلاة على وقتها
[As-Salaah 'ala waqtehaa] [The prayer at its proper time]


And when he [sall Allaahu alayhi wassallam] said:

ِجعلت لي الأرض مسجدًا و طهورًا
[ju'ilat li al ard masjidan wa tahooran] [the earth has been made for me a masjid ( place for prostration) and taahir (clean)

At the fair, we saw a correct response to the call for prayer... Sometimes we learn important things in strange places!

Flights of Fancy

The History of Hot Air Ballooning

The First Ascensions
Why flight?
Since the beginning of time, man has wanted to float through the sky like a bird. From fashioning huge feathered wings to creating complex machines, many people have tried to take to the skies unsuccessfully throughout history. However, it was the Montgolfier brothers of France that discovered the secret.

What was the secret?
The Montgolfier brothers were paper makers in France in the 1700's. It is said that one of the brothers got the idea for creating a balloon after watching an article of clothing being lifted into the air from the smoke of a nearby fireplace. Their balloon project was begun.
How did it work?The brothers, using paper and linen, constructed their balloon. On June 5th of 1783, a crowd gathered to watch as they positioned it over an open straw fire, hoping the balloon would fill with hot smoke and float away, proving their theory. To everyone's amazement, it worked! What many spectators didn't know was that it wasn't the smoke that was making the balloon soar.

What causes balloons to fly?
In reality, it was the heat generated by the fire that caused their little balloon to fly over the countryside of France. When the air inside of a balloon is heated more than the air outside the balloon, it is less dense, and therefore rises. That explains the name "lighter than air flight" - the air inside the balloon is lighter than the rest!

Who were the first balloon passengers?
After several more test flights, the Montgolfier Brothers decided it was time to send some passengers aloft. The first balloon passengers were not people - but a duck, a chicken, and a sheep! Then, on November 21st, 1783, a physicist named Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and an army major named the Marquis Francois d'Arlandes took flight in a Montgolfier balloon. The flight was watched by nearly all of Paris, including King Louis XVI, and Marie Antoinette! After 25 magical minutes of flight, they landed safely outside Paris, and with much celebration.

New experiments in flight

Birth of the Gas Balloon
It was a short time later, in December of 1783, that another adventurous man, Jacques Alexandre Charles, made an ascension in a different type of balloon - the gas balloon. Charles' balloon was similar in shape, but instead of being filled with hot air from a fire, it was filled with lighter than air hydrogen gas. This style of balloon is referred to as a "Charliere" balloon, named for Charles. After one of the Montgolfier brothers sent up a small test balloon, Charles ascended safely from the Tuileries Gardens with one passenger, the Duke of Chartres. After a successful two hour journey, Charles dropped his passenger off and ascended to a height of some 9,000 feet! His success left many scientific minds to wonder which aeronaut's methods were the most favorable - the Montgolfier's or Charles'?

The first "ride balloon"
There was a great deal of interest and experimentation going on in France at this time. Everyone wnated to master this mysterious and magical art of flying. In 1784, Joseph Montgolfier launched a new, giant balloon called "La Flesselles" from Lyons. Its 22 foot wide wicker basket carried 7 passengers aloft to a height of over 3,000 feet. It is said that though the flight was a bit rough at times, all passengers were thrilled with the voyage.
Ballooning spreads across the globeExperimental flights were now being conducted in nearly all of Europe. Both men and women adventurers built balloons to take them to the skies. Balloon mania even reached the United States, and in June of 1784, the first aerial voyage was made in the States from Baltimore. The passenger was a 13 year old boy.

After a successful free flight in England was made by Vincent Lunardi in September of 1784, a new goal was set by a pair of intrepid aeronauts - Jean-Pierre Blanchard and his companion, Dr. Jeffries. On January 7th, 1785, they completed an aerial crossing of the English Channel. The team traveled from Dover to Calais in a Charliere Balloon.

The Rozier Disaster
Another style of balloon was created, not a Montgolfier, with it's open flame, or a Charliere with it's bag of hydrogen, but a combination of the two - a Roziere Balloon. Pilatre de Rozier, following in the footsteps of Blanchard and Jeffries, hoped to cross the English Channel from the opposite direction. Shortly after his June 15th , 1785 ascension, the deadly combination of hydrogen and fire exploded, killing both de Rozier and his passenger. This was to be the first balloon related death. Much debate surrounded his death about the safety of a Roziere Balloon. Interestingly enough, over 200 years later, it would be a Roziere Balloon that would carry aeronauts Bertrand Piccard and Brian JOnes safely and successfully around the world! But we are getting ahead of our story...

Ballooning Popularity "Soars"
By the late 1700's balloon ascensions were taking place all over. Balloons were used for battle reconnaisance, a school of Aeronautics was formed in France, and balloons were called on to celebrate the coronation and the marriage of the Emporer Napolean. In 1793, Blanchard made a flight before George Washington, in Philadelphia. In 1836, a distance record of some 373 miles was set in a balloon piloted by Charles Green. He travelled from London to Holland aboard his balloon "The Royal Vauxhall".
With all the excitement ballooning spurred, would-be aeronauts began to think of greater acheivements. In July of 1859, the American pilot John Wise made a voyage from St. Louis to New York state, covering a distance of 803 miles in 20 hours. It was his dream to take his balloon "The Atlantic" across the Atlantic Ocean!

http://www.intheair-online.com/history.html

The Run-Away Balloon

A story by Rasha, Rida and R

A few days back we went to a fair. There were a lot of things over there -- rides, rollercoasters, ponies, horses and camels, shops for selling clothes and toys and shops that sold all kinds of things to eat. But the best thing over there were the balloons.
Big, beautiful, metal-coloured balloons that floated above everyone and everything. They were shaped like cartoon charachters and animals and looked real. They looked lovely, almost like they were a part of another world and were looking at us from far.

Obviously, we wanted them.

"On our way back inshaAllaah,"Umma promised.

So we waited patiently, going through all the stalls with our minds on the balloons we would choose. It was a big fair so it took us a long time to see everything that was over there, but at last it was time to go home.

"Do you want something to eat?"
"No!" "Yes!"
We decided to take some yummy chocolate pastries. The man with the balloon was standing right next to the pastry cafe.

"How much?" we asked
"10 each"
We stared at each other. That was expensive!Would we buy them still?

Yes, we would. Umma had said yes and our brother was already holding out his hand for the string, pointing to the pink and silver dolfin.
"I want that whale", he said.
"That's not a whale, that's a dolphin" we tell him. Ever since he saw FRee Willy he thinks about whales all the time.
"A dolphin is a kind of whale too, did you know?" Umma told us.

Then it was our turn to choose. Rida chose a silver Bugs Bunny and Rasha chose a pretty Minnie MOuse. "Be careful! Hold the string tight. This balloon is full of a gas and it will rise too high to reach if you let go."
"Come here,I'll tie it to your wrist." Umma said
She tied it to Rasha's wrist but Rida held on to hers.
Suddenly, the string came loose and the balloon started rising.
"Umma it's going!!"yelled Rasha.
But by the time Umma turned it was already too high to reach.

We saw the balloon shining high in the dark sky, nearer than the stars but farther than the lights. It floated above our heads for a while and then it drifted with the wind.
We followed it with our eyes.
Even when we took a ride on the pony and the horse carriage, we kept looking for it . We saw it near a tree top, then we saw it float with a baby cloud. By the time we sat in the car, we couldn't see it anymore.

Where did it go?

Rasha: It went...floating up to a treetop and got caught[this is my imagination] in a nest...there was a mother bird who had fed her young and was patting them to sleep. At first she was astonished to see a mouse smiling at her [my minnie darling].
Then she became angry because the young chicks started getting out of their blankets to get a good view. She began to peck at it. Some of the gas came out of the poor balloon...
it drifted down...
down...
down...


then here it comes, down to the sea. It gives the sea-animals an enormouse suprise. They think it's the creature from the planet Mars! Just then the sea-crab who was the policeman on duty that night came looking brave and proud.
He came forward and picked it up with its claws. Just then a great B*A*N*G made it scuttle back to its hole. All the other sea-animals who were peeking from behind the sand and plants ran back to their hiding places.
The next morning The Sea News had an exciting story about how Policeman Crab destroyed a Martian!!

But no one knows the truth except You and Me!!


Rida: The balloon went UP until it reached the top of a very high hill where there was a little hut with a straw roof beside a blue, cool stream.

In that little hut there lived a girl who had been to the fair with her parents . She too had liked the beautiful balloons but her parents did not have any extra money with them so they could not buy the balloon.

The girl did not like to trouble her parents so she did not make a fuss and did not ask them for the balloon. Instead she asked ALLAAH (SWT) to get her a balloon.

The balloon got caught in the straw roof. In the morning when the girl got up to do wudhu she saw the beautiful balloon waving in the wind. She was sososoooooo excited. She thought it was a gift from Allaah (SWT) and she thanked Him many many times.

She worked hard in her garden that day and took the flowers from her garden to sell in the market.
That day she had such a c*h*e*e*r*f*u*l smile :) that all her flowers were sold very quickly. She brought more seeds and planted some vegetables and fruits in her garden.
In this way she worked hard and soon had a lot of money and her parents were proud of her!

R: The knot that Umma had tied to Rasha's wrist was not very tight so the balloon tugged at it and soon it was free to do as it pleased.
It did not have a Soul, but it had a little Sense from hanging around people in fairs.

It floated above Rasha and Rida's heads for a while trying to hear what they said.
Would they say إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
اللهم أخلف لي خير منه
Would they have patience at the first stroke of trouble?

The balloon saw that Rasha and Rida were sad to see it go but not so unhappy that they would cry , it was very relieved. The balloon sighed happily, but it was such a BIG Sigh...that it was quite out of breath by the time the Sigh was over and it started growing smaller.

The balloon was scared that it would get lost in the night in a strange country [it was, after all, Made in Spain] or even worse, it would be sent for recycling so it floated fast in the direction of the shop where it came from.
Quickly it lowered itself into the shop window and sighed with relief. This was the Balloon's Last Sigh. By the time it was over, the balloon was quite deflated. Someone who worked at the shop picked it up and saw it wasn't torn, so they packed it full of air and sent it to the fair again.