Tuesday, April 27, 2010

9 Top Cancer-Fighting Foods By Sylvia Booth Hubbard

"Let your food be your medicine," said Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine (460-377 B.C.). His wise words are as true today as they were more than 2,400 years ago. Hippocrates knew that nutrition played a major role in good health, and modern science has found that specific foods can help fight one of modern man's most feared diseases — cancer.
Add these foods to your cancer-fighting arsenal:
Grapes.
Grapes contain several powerful nutrients that keep cancer at bay. Bioflavanoids, resveratrol, and ellagic acid block enzymes that are essential for cancers to thrive. The bioflavanoid quercetin works with vitamin C (also found in grapes) to fight cancer, including cancers of the breast and colon.
Tea.
A soothing cup of tea offers powerful cancer protection. "A wealth of scientific research shows that drinking tea regularly, especially green and white tea, helps thwart cancer," says Dr. Russell Blaylock, author of The Blaylock Wellness Report. "Types of cancer inhibited by tea include colon, breast, prostate, lung, melanoma, ovarian, and bladder."
Garlic.
Garlic contains allium compounds, which keep carcinogens from entering cells. According to studies, garlic — as well as onions, leeks, and chives — lowers the risk of stomach and colon cancer. A study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that people who regularly eat garlic have half the risk of stomach cancer and two-thirds the risk of colorectal cancer when compared to people who shunned garlic.
Raspberries.
Raspberries contain many nutrients, such as anthocyanins, that protect against cancer. A study found that rats fed a diet of 5 to 10 percent black raspberries reduced the number of esophageal tumors by 43 to 62 percent, and another study found a reduction in colon cancer. Many berries, including strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries contain ellagic acid which slows tumor growth. Two specific polyphenols, anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins, encourage cell death.
Mushrooms.
Powerful compounds in mushrooms, especially a protein called lectin, attack cancerous cells and prevent them from growing and multiplying. Researchers at New York Medical Center combined maitake mushrooms with interferons — anti-cancer proteins used to boost the immune system — to make a potent cancer-killing cocktail that shrank cancerous tumors up to 75 percent. They believe the combination works by switching on an enzyme that controls the growth of cancer and stops the disease from spreading. In Japan, mushroom extracts have been used in conjunction with chemotherapy for years.
Tomatoes.
Tomatoes are chock-full of lycopene, an antioxidant that mops up free radicals that are suspected of triggering cancer. Cooking concentrates the nutrient, and, according to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, men who ate 10 servings of tomato-based foods weekly slashed their risk of prostate cancer by 45 percent. Lycopene has been found to reduce the risk of developing cancer of the lung, colon, breast, cervix, and mouth.
Broccoli.
All cruciferous vegetables, which include broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower, contain a chemical called indole-3 carbinol that lowers the odds of developing breast cancer by converting estrogen, which promotes cancer, into a version that's more protective. Broccoli also contains a phytochemical called sulforaphane, which studies have indicated prevents colon cancer.
Fish.
A Harvard study found that men who ate fish more than three times a week cut their chances of developing advanced prostate cancer by 40 percent. The main cancer-fighter is probably omega-3 oils, but generous amounts of vitamins A and D may also help. Dr. Michael F. Leitzmann, a coauthor of the study, suggests spacing fish consumption throughout the week.
Cranberries.
Don't relegate cranberries to Thanksgiving. University of California researchers found that cranberries contain the phytochemicals phenolic acids, glycosides, and anthocyanins, that block cancerous tumors both high and low — in the head and neck as well as in the colon and prostate. The phytochemicals force cancer cells to commit apoptosis — in short, to kill themselves. Drink a small glass of juice (contains at least 27 percent cranberry juice) daily and snack on dried cranberries

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Green Tea’s 10 Healthy Benefits

Now there’s a scientific rationale for reading tea leaves: If they’re at the bottom of a cup of green tea, your future may hold better health.
Green tea, which undergoes less fermentation than other varieties, is a rich source of immune-boosting polyphenols. Like other plant antioxidants, polyphenols help neutralize free radicals, harmful particles that can damage cells and DNA, cause inflammation, and lead to a host of illnesses.
How much green tea do you need to reap the antioxidant rewards? In some cases, it could be as little as one cup a day. Here are 10 ways green tea is brewing health benefits:
Cancer:
The risk of lung cancer appears to be five times lower for those who drink just one cup of green tea a day, according to a Taiwanese study. “The antioxidants may inhibit tumor growth,” I-Hsin Lin, of Taiwan’s Chung Shan Medical University, tells WebMD. Other studies link higher consumption of green tea with lower risk of numerous other cancers, including breast, stomach, skin, oral, esophageal, prostate, uterine, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer.
Heart disease:
Those who drink green tea are significantly less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. One study estimates that three cups of tea per day lowers the risk of heart attack by 11 percent.
Cholesterol:
Green tea lowers total cholesterol and LDL (aka “bad”) cholesterol while boosting levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Depression:
A little more green may lighten the blues. A study of elderly Japanese individuals notes that those who drink more green tea experience fewer symptoms of depression.
Brain power:
Japanese researchers also find that those aged 70 and up who drink at least two cups of green tea daily score better on tests of mental function including memory, attention, and ability to follow instructions.
Weight control:
Green tea contains caffeine, a hammer in the dieting toolbox, but according to a Swiss study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, green tea boosts metabolism and fat-burning to a degree “beyond that explained by its caffeine content.”
Diabetes:
Green tea aids in regulating blood sugar, the function impaired by diabetes. “Tea may be a simple, inexpensive means of preventing or retarding human diabetes,” write the authors of an animal study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Kidney stones:
Green tea can affect the formation of calcium oxalate crystals — the most common component in kidney stones – making them less likely to grow to problematic size before being eliminated from the body.
Vision:
The tissues in the eye have been shown to absorb the antioxidants in green tea, indicating that “green tea consumption could benefit the eye against oxidative stress,” concludes a report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Oxidative stress is linked to cataracts and glaucoma.
Colds:
In laboratory conditions, the polyphenols in green tea can both kill influenza viruses or prevent them from infecting other cells.
To get the best out of your brewing, use green tea within six months of purchase. Steep it in water that’s slightly under the boiling point for about one minute (more or less according to taste) and garnish or sweeten as desired. But don’t add milk — the proteins will lessen the effectiveness of the tea’s polyphenols.

Monday, April 12, 2010

JOKES

MULLA NASRUDDIN

One afternoon Mulla Nasruddin's wife heard a loud thud on the staircase.
"What was that?" she asked.
"Oh, the dress fell down", said Mulla casually.
"How did it make such a noise?" asked the wife.
"Because I was in it' replied Mulla.

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REAL PROBLEM

After the funeral of the richest man in the village, the priest walked over to a youngman looking sad and asked,
"Are you related to the dead man?"
"No, sir,that is the problem."

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A DOCTOR'S ADVICE
A doctor diagnosed a patient's rundown condition as too much worry over money matters.
"Relax', he ordered, "just two weeks ago, I had another man here in a state of fear and anxiety because he was unable to pay his tailor's bills.
I told him to forget about them and now he feels great."
"I know", said the patient looking dejected, "I am his tailor."

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SECRETARY'S SALARY
Boss to new Secretary: "Your salary is confidential. You should not discuss it with any of your colleagues."
'Oh!I won't mention it to anyone", she said,
"I am as ashamed of it as you are."

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DON'T YOU KNOW WHEN TO STOP?
Crossing the street one morning, a man was nearly run down by a car driven by a woman and literally overflowing with about a dozen children. Since the red light had been against the woman driver,
the man shouted "Lady, don't you know when to stop?"
Glancing back at the children, she answered icily.
- "Theyaren't all mine."

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AN INSURANCE AGENT
An insurance agent was boasting to a client:
"Our firm is one of the fastest payers in the world. we're on the twelfth storey.
Last week, a window cleaner, who was insured by us, fell from the twenty-fifth floor.
As he passed our window, we handed him his cheque!

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A FOOL CAN ASK MORE QUESTIONS...
Professor: " A fool can ask more questions than what a wiseman can answer."
Student: "No wonder, somany of us flunk in our exams."

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POOR OR RICH
"When I look at this congregation", the minister told the audience,
I ask myself , "Where are the poor?"
But, then, when I look at the collection plate,
I say to myself, "Where are the rich?"

BREATHE YOUR WAY TO GOOD HEALTH

Controlled breathing can be practiced to attain not just better physical health but also a peaceful mind
Do you experience body pains in the neck, shoulders or back? Do you suffer from headaches, stomach pains, digestive or sleep disorders, experience tightness around the chest and palpitations, difficulty in breathing? Do you feel lethargic, irritable and lack enthusiasm for doing anything? If your response to these questions is positive, then you are probably suffering from stress.
The heartening fact is conscious breathing or Breath Therapy, can help you eliminate stress, says Hilary Adele, Breath and Yoga Therapist.

We are all breathing; why then a Breath therapy or conscious breathing?

True, we are all breathing. But are we breathing in a healthy way? There are certain breathing indicators:
Do you breathe from chest or from your abdomen? Do you breathe out? Do you breathe fast? Does your breathing feel shallow and heavy? Do you get breathless easily when you talk or walk? Your body needs the right amount of oxygen to keep cells alive and healthy. Eighty percent of toxins in your body comes out through your breath. Your mind and emotions are connected to the way you breathe.

What is the scope of Breath Therapy or conscious breathing?

The natural way of breathing is from the abdomen, not from the chest as most of us do. By subconsciously changing your breathing pattern, you stop the body from being in an oxygen starvation mode. Your heart beats according to the oxygen consumption of your body. Deep breathing slows down your heart rate, regulates your blood pressure, relaxes tense muscles, improves digestion, increases blood circulation, improves sleep/energy cycles and balances your mind and emotions. Above all, conscious breathing strengthens your immune system.

How exactly does it boost the immune system?

A normal person breathes in and out at the rate of 16 – 18 respirations per minute. A sick person breathes faster, shallower and harder. When we are doing the breathing technique, it means we are breathing consciously in a specific way from the body. In doing so, we throw out more toxins and take in more oxygen. However, the natural retention of oxygen in our body is very little. But when we breathe consciously, from the abdomen rather than from the chest, the higher oxygen content that we take in, rejuvenates the cells of the body and helps the metabolic process in the body to convert food to energy and break up fat within the body.

Can people of any age practice Breath Therapy?

There is no age bar to practice this therapy.

Does the therapy have any physical manifestation?

The first effects that most people will observe is a sense of calmness, of being energized and feeling related and this includes a state of deep sleep in many individuals. Talking of the long term effects, start noticing changes in skin and eyes will become brighter.

How long should a single practice session of Breath Therapy last?

In the beginning, you take about 10 to 15 minutes, with breathing and relaxation, alternating the two. You are breathing in different ways within the body, using different techniques for a certain length of time, followed by relaxation time. On an average, fifteen minutes of therapy in a day, should be fine.

Is there a particular time of the day when it should be done?

If someone is having problems with sleep, it is not advisable to practice Breath Therapy in the evening.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

JOKES

CHEQUE.
In the class the teacher wrote on the blackboard: "Write down a sentence using the word 'Cheque' in it"
One of the students wrote: "My uncle gave me a very sweet Cheque yesterday"
Seeing bthe sentence quite senseless and funny,the teacher asked the student to read aloud the sentence and the student promptly read:
"My uncle gave me a very sweet Chiku yesterday."
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DAILY BREAD.
Teacher: In our daily prayer, why do we say,"Lord, give us this day our daily bread? Why don't we pray, for bread for a week atleast so that we need not have to pray for bread everyday?"
Johnny: We pray for daily bread in order to get it fresh!
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LAST SCENE
Director: In the last scene of this film,you have to jump from the 13th floor.
Actor: But in case I die?
Director: It doesn't matter, it's the last scene in the film!
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WATCH.
James: Does your watch tell the correct time?
John: No, I have to look at it!
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FIRST THING TO DO.
Teacher: What is the first thing a king or queen, who comes to the throne should do?
Ramu: I suppose he or she should sit on it!
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NUTS
Boy-friend:I have brought you some sweets because you are sweetest thing in this world.
Girl-friend: Thanks, I have brought you some thing too, Nuts!
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BAD IN GRAMMER
Prabha: "The accuracy of a computer is beyond our imagination"
Radha: "Yes mom! But computers are very bad in grammer"
Prabha: "Why?"
Radha: "Because every time I shut it down, my computer gives the message: Windows 'IS' shutting down!"
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SENTENCED TO DEATH.
King: You are sentenced to death. But I allow you to choose the kind of death you prefer.
Prisoner: I choose to die of old age!
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LETTER WRITING.
Rekha:"Madam, didn't you ask me to write a letter to my friend in the English Exams Paper?"
Teacher: "Yes, what is the problem?"
Rekha: "It has been a month, but my friend has still not received the letter!"
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JUDGE & THE THIEF.
Judge: "Don't you feel ashamed that you come here again and again?"
Thief: "Then you are the one who should be more ashamed."
Judge: "How so?"
Thiesf: "Your honour, I come here twice a month, but you come here every day!"
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GO TO HELL
The deceased grocery man knocked at the gates of hell and asked entrance.
"Why do you come here?" demanded Satan.
"I want to collect some old accounts from a couple of my former customers who died before me."
"How do you know they are here?"
"Well, every time I tried to collect, this is the place they recommended me to."

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LOSS OF MEMORY
"I saw the doctor today about my loss of memory."
"What did he do?"
"Made me pay him in advance."

The Virus

Two men were diagnosed with a deadly virus. They were told that
the cure would change their life forever. Their families might
disown them, and friends could turn their backs on them.

One man decided to decline the offer; he didn't want to be left
out of anything. At first everything seemed ok. He drank with
his friends and family and ignored what the doctors said.

Time went past and life took a turn for the worst. The virus
began to consume his life. He had to quit his job and lost his
source of income. The people he called friends didn't help,
they told him it was his problem not theirs. Everyday was a
struggle for life. His days were long and painful. On his
deathbed his last words were, I should've taken the cure.

The other man decided to take the cure.

From then on his life changed. His family betrayed him, and
said it was a waste of money. They didn't talk to him anymore
because they didn't believe in what he was doing. His friends
left because he couldn't do all the stuff he used to do. At
first he cursed the doctors for the way people were treating
him.

After time he began to get better. He was getting promoted
because he was able to focus on his job. His family apologized
for the way they treated him. He got new friends that helped
him daily. Life to him was a gift. He thanked God daily that
he decided to take that cure.

That virus is like our problems.

If we hold on to them and ignore them they will begin to consume
us. They will take over our life and no matter what we do, we
won't be able to get rid of them.

If we give our problems to God he can heal us.
He is the cure for any problem we might have.
Yes we might be treated differently, but in the end we can say
thank you God.

9 Reasons to Stop Drinking Soda Now

We're addicted to soft drinks. According to the National Soft Drink Association, Americans drink more than 600 servings (12 ounces each) every year, and consumption is approaching a quart each day for every man, woman, and child. Males between the ages of 12 and 29 guzzle one-half gallon of "liquid candy" every day. Supersizing a soft drink to 32 ounces is a quarter of the recommended total daily calories for the average woman.
All of that soda is taking a great toll on our health. Obesity is the most obvious effect. During the past 30 years, as our consumption of soft drinks has increased, the rate of obesity has soared.
In fact, Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard endocrinologist, said that sweetened drinks are the only specific food that clinical research has directly linked to weight gain.
"Highly concentrated starches and sugars promote overeating, and the granddaddy of them all is sugar-sweetened beverages," Ludwig told CNN.
The sugar provides huge amounts of calories, but also creates a vicious cycle. "It's rapidly absorbed, which raises blood sugar and in effect causes the body to panic," Ludwig said. When the body releases insulin to metabolize the sugar, blood sugar drops. The body responds by releasing a hormone called ghrelin, which causes hunger and provokes us to eat even more.
Sodas can cause other health problems including:
• Diabetes. Not only does being overweight increase the odds of developing Type 2 diabetes, some researchers at Rutgers believe that high-fructose corn syrup, an ingredient in most sugar-sweetened sodas, may start a series of events in the body that leads to diabetes.
• Osteoporosis. Phosphoric acid, which give drinks their "bite," leaches calcium from the bones.
• GI problems."Sodas contain an array of chemical acids as additives, such as acetic, fumaric, gluconic, and phosphoric acids, all of them synthetically produced," Dr. Judith Valentine told the Global Healing Center. "Drinking sodas, especially on an empty stomach, can upset the fragile acid-alkaline balance of the stomach and other gastric linings, creating a continuous acid environment. This prolonged acid environment can lead to inflammation of the stomach and duodenal lining which becomes quite painful. Over the long term, it can lead to gastric lining erosion."
• Dental problems. Phosphoric acid, which causes bone loss, also causes tooth enamel to erode."Dentists are reporting complete loss of the enamel on the front teeth in teenage boys and girls who habitually drink sodas," said Valentine.
• Brain disorders. More than 92 side effects are associated with aspartame, a sugar substitute used in diet sodas. They include brain tumors, emotional disorders, and epileptic seizures.
• Pancreatic cancer. Drinking two or more soft drinks a week increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by two-fold compared to people who do not drink soft drinks, says a recent report in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. “The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth,” said Mark Pereira, Ph.D., and senior author of the study.
• Reproductive health. Additives in soft drinks can interfere with the body's delicate hormone balance. And a recent Danish study found that men who drank a quart or more of cola daily had sperm counts 30 percent lower than in those men who didn't drink soft drinks.
• High blood pressure. A study found fructose — a form of sugar found in soft drinks and junk food — raises blood pressure.
• Kidney stones. The same phosphate that rots teeth and leaches calcium from the body has been proposed as a contributing factor in the formation of kidney stones. And a study published in the journal Epidemiology found that drinking two or more colas daily — regular or artificially sweetened — doubled the risk of chronic kidney disease.

JUST GET GOING, DON'T ASK WHY

A man was sleeping in his cabin when suddenly his vroom filled with light and the Saviour appeared. The Lord showed the man a large rock in front of his cabin and asked him to push against it with all his might. This the man did, day after day.

For many years he toiled from msun up to sun down, his shoulders set sqarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's mind; "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it." Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure.

These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough." And that he planned to do, until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord", he said, " I have laboured long and hard in Your service, putting all my strength to do that which You have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimetre. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"

The Lord responed compassionately, "My son, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewed and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Though opposition you have grown much. Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done."

" I, my son , will now move the rock," said the Lord.

At times when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him.

A HAPPY CAT

There is a story told about a cat, which discovered that happiness was in his tail. He kept trying over and over to get it, but all he could do was run around in circles.

Exhausted and frustrated, with this endless pursuit, he eventually stopped. And then, he discovered that if he'd just go on about his life then it woukld follow him wherever he went.

THE LONELY EMBER

A member of a certain church who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. after a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.

Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited.

The pastor made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burnimng logs.

After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination.

As the one lone ember's flame diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and 'dead as a doornail.'

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.

Just before the pastor was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

STORY WITH A MORAL

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops, a few people got on, a few people got off, and things went generally well.
At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, “Big John doesn’t pay!” and sat down at the back. The driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek… Naturally, he didn’t argue with Big John, but he wasn’t happy about it.
The next day the same thing happened. Big John got on again, and said, “ Big John doesn’t pay!” and sat down. And so it happened on the next day, and the one after that, and so forth. This irritated the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of his size.
Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for a body building program, karate, judo and all that good stuff. By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong. So on the next Monday, when Big John got on the bus and said, “Big John doesn’t pay!” the driver stood up, glared back and screamed, “And why not?”
With a surprise look on his face, Big John replied, “Big John has a bus pass.”

MORAL: First be sure if there is a problem before working hard to solve one.

BIG HANDS !!!

Once, a little boy went to a shop with his mother. The shopkeeper looked at the small cute child and showed him a bottle of candies and said, ”Dear child, you can take the candies.” But the child didn’t take. The shop keeper was surprised why such a small child was not taking the candies from the bottle. So, he said again, “Take candies”……Now mother also heard that and said “Son, take the candies.” Yet he didn’t take. The shopkeeper, seeing the child not taking the candies, himself took the candies and gave them to the child. The child was happy to get two hands full of candies. When they returned home, the mother asked the child, “Why didn’t you take the candies when the shopkeeper told you to take …?”
Can you guess the response?
The child replied, “Mom! My hands are very small and if I take the candies, I can only take few. But now you see when uncle gave them with his big hands….. how many more candies I got !”
When we take, we may get little but when GOD gives, HE gives us way beyond our expectations – more than what we can hold. We should always seek to ask to GOD, rather than individuals as HE is the ONE who gives to everyone with HIS power.

THE TAILOR’S NEEDLE

A tailor was at work. He took a piece of cloth and with a pair of shining, costly, scissors he cut the cloth into various bits. Then he put the pairs of scissors at his feet. Then he took a small needle and thread and started to sew the bits of cloth, into a fine shirt. When the spell of sewing was over, he stuck the needle on to his turban.
The tailor’s son who was watching it asked him: “Father, the scissors are costly and look so beautiful. But you throw them down at your feet. This needle is worth almost nothing; you can get a dozen for an anna. Yet, you place it carefully on your head itself. Is there any reason for this illogical behavior?”
“Yes. My son. The scissors have their function, no doubt; but they only cut the cloth into bits. The needle, on the contrary, unites the bits and enhances the value of the cloth. Therefore, the needle to me is more precious and valuable.
The value of a thing depends on its utility, son, not on its cost price or appearance.”

We are so blessed

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive the week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pains of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people around the world.
If you can express your beliefs without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed that almost three billion people in the world.
If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.
If your parents are still married and alive, you are very, very rare.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God's healing touch.
If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read anything at all.

CONSULTANT

Once upon a time there was a shepherd looking after his sheep on the side of a deserted road. Suddenly a brand new Porsche screeches to a halt. The driver, a man dressed in an Armani suit, Cerutti shoes, Ray-Ban sunglasses, TAG-Heuer wrist-watch,
and a Pierre Cardin tie, gets out and asks the shepherd: "If I can tell you how many sheep you have, will you give me one of them?"

The shepherd looks at the young man, and then looks at the large flock of grazing sheep and replies: "Okay."

The young man parks the car, connects his laptop to the mobile-fax, enters a NASA weather satellite, uploads the exact location data using his GPS, opens a database and 60 Excel tables filled with logarithms and pivot tables, then prints out
a 150-page report on his high-tech mini-printer. He turns to the shepherd and says, "You have exactly 1,586 sheep here."

The shepherd cheers, "That's correct, you can have your sheep."
The young man makes his pick and puts it in the back of his Porsche.

The shepherd looks at him and asks: "If I guess your profession, will you return my animal to me?"

The young man answers, "Yes, why not?"

The shepherd says, "You are a consultant."

"How did you know?" asks the young man.

"Very simple," answers the shepherd. "First, you came here without being called. Second, you charged me a fee to tell me something I already knew, and third, you don't understand anything about my business... Now can I have my dog back?"