Posted by Dare Ayodele on March 14, 2009 at 6:55am
If you're mad with someone and nobody's there to fix the situation... You fix it. Maybe today, that person still wants to be your friend.. And if u doesn't, tomorrow can be too late.If you're in love with somebody, but that person doesn't know... tell her/him. Maybe today, that person is also in love with you. And if you don't say it, tomorrow can be too late.If you still love a person that you think has forgotten you...tell her/him. Maybe that person has always loved you. And if you don't tell her/him today, tomorrow can be too late.If you need a hug of a friend... ask her/him for it.Maybe they need it more than you do. And if you don't ask for it today, tomorrow can be too late.If you really have friends who you appreciate... tell them. Maybe they appreciate you as well. That if you don't and they leave or go far away today, tomorrow can be too late.If you love your parents, and never had the chance to show them.... do it. Maybe you have them there to show them how you feel. That if you don't and they leave today, and then tomorrow can be too late.
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A double strike
Mar 12th 2009 | LAGOS
From The Economist print edition
Africa’s second-largest economy has home-grown problems, too
STAND on the beachfront of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, and a puzzling scene emerges from the tropical haze: a stately line of container ships, each at anchor, queuing to enter the harbour. Despite the global slump, congestion is not letting up, says the director of the company that runs the privatised port. The number of inbound containers has doubled in the past three years; so far in 2009 there has been no decline. Such is the crush in Lagos that getting cargo from ship to port to lorry still takes an average of six weeks.
Such blockages are nothing to celebrate. But they indicate how 140m-odd Nigerians, despite being battered by a sharp fall in oil revenues and by an equally painful 20% devaluation of their currency, the naira, remain hungry for imports. Retailers tell a similar story. Coca-Cola plans to serve Nigerians over 2 billion bottles of sugary drinks this year, as it did last year. Procter & Gamble, which sells nappies, washing powder and so on, reports some slackening growth but still expects the young and fast-growing population to push up consumer demand in the next few years. Mobile-phone companies, notably MTN, which dominates the local market, are even more gung-ho. They continue to brag about healthy sales of handsets and new armies of subscribers, though the rising costs of imported equipment cut into profits; Nigeria now has some 64m lines, up from a handful a decade ago.
Anecdotally, at least, businessmen’s bullishness seems so far to be borne out. Good hotels in Lagos still charge astronomical rates, building sites are crowded and vendors throng the city streets as ever; bootleg DVDs of Barack Obama’s inauguration are particularly popular.
But like many poor countries (see article), Nigeria has not escaped the global storm. It relies heavily on oil and gas exports, which provide more than 95% of all foreign-exchange earnings and most of the government’s revenue. Both have been thumped by the tumbling price of crude, now at about $40 a barrel, more than $100 less than at last year’s peak. With nothing else to export—all those containers leave empty—Nigeria is especially vulnerable to volatile oil prices.
Capital which washed merrily into the economy a year or two ago is flowing the other way. Most of it had served the hydrocarbon industry but some foreign investors, notably Americans, had started to see Nigeria as an emerging market; braver ones were tempted by its stockmarket. No longer. A property bubble has popped; the Nigerian Stock Exchange has tumbled by around 40% from its peak. Speculators and local banks are painfully out of pocket.
No wonder the federal government is starting to sound worried. On March 10th President Umaru Yar’Adua at last signed into law a much-delayed expansionary budget, with spending for 2009 at $21.2 billion, a lot more than in early drafts. The newish finance minister, Mansur Muhtar, recently admitted to a meeting of businessmen in Lagos that he saw a “very gloomy picture in the short and medium term”.
Nigeria, along with Africa as a whole, should be spared outright recession. Chukwuma Soludo, the central bank’s governor, says he still expects sub-Saharan Africa’s economies to grow by roughly 3% this year. Nigeria, he reckons, should muster more than that, though not the 6%-plus of recent years. That would barely match the rate of population growth, but if those figures are right Nigeria will be doing better than most and should avoid the acute pain of previous commodity-price busts, as in the 1980s, when the government could not pay civil servants and political instability ensued.
Nigeria is also in better shape to deal with a slowdown because of some decent macro-economic reforms. Inflation, food aside, is quite low. The government has paid off sizeable debts or been relieved of them. It also has ample foreign-exchange reserves and has ferreted away $20 billion in a fund called the Excess Crude Account, which will help cushion public finances from the downturn. On the other hand, raising cash is getting harder: Mr Muhtar has just postponed plans to sell $500m of bonds on the international market.
Trouble at home
Yet even if the global crisis has not hit Nigeria as hard as elsewhere, it is exposing some unresolved problems at home. Take the banking system, which Mr Soludo says would have collapsed months ago but for an early round of government-driven consolidation. He calls the banks “shock absorbers” for the economy. But they look increasingly wobbly. Despite claims that they are well capitalised, with generous capital ratios of 22% said to be typical, they have all but stopped lending to each other or to local firms, especially smaller ones.
Critics say the banks are frozen because many are dangerously exposed to the stockmarket slump, after rashly securing a large portion of their loans with now almost worthless equities. Without government support, some banks would almost certainly fail. None trusts the others.
Oil and gas production, the economy’s mainstay, is also in bad shape. Long Africa’s biggest producer, Nigeria last year ceded the top spot to Angola. Production is dropping, in part, because militants in and off the Niger Delta kidnap workers and scare away oil firms. A new pipeline built to export gas to Ghana, Togo and Benin should have opened in January but lies empty. Talk of spending $12 billion to build another pipeline running 4,400km north across the Sahara to send gas via Algeria to Europe sounds fanciful. A sizeable share of local gas is simply flared off at source.
Meanwhile, Nigeria still cannot keep its own lights on. Manufacturers, who account for a feeble 3-4% of GDP but at least create some jobs, grumble that they must rely entirely on costly diesel generators. Power cuts are common. It has long been obvious what should be done: existing turbines lack supplies of gas, transmission cables should be rolled out, more power stations must be built. Successive governments have let power generation dwindle, yet none has let private contractors act instead. Shortly before leaving office the previous president, Olusegun Obasanjo, passed a law ordering the privatisation of some power stations. But Mr Yar’Adua quickly reversed this, saying he was worried about corruption.
A rare bright spot is agriculture. Nigeria’s lands are fertile; water, at least in the south, is plentiful. A fertiliser plant has been privatised and is supposed to start supplying farmers. Local food and tobacco prices remain high compared with world prices, which should give farmers good incentives. One day—who knows?—goods may once again flow out of Lagos harbour as well as into it.
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Posted by Dare Ayodele on March 12, 2009 at 11:12am
Love is for giving and not for taking.The paradox is that when we give love to others unconditionally and without any expectations we get it back in plenty without even asking for it.Do not demand ownership of the identity of the other person,for each one of us likes to be a unique individual.Read more…
Posted by Dare Ayodele on March 12, 2009 at 11:05am
Love starts from our inner self. You can't really love someone else unless you really love yourself first.when we love ourselves, we have a reserve of love inside that allows us to give love to others with greater freedom.Smile and say, "I love you," whenever you see your reflection! Do it as if you are happy to see you! Every single time you see your own reflection, smile, look you in the eyes, and say, "I love you."
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VIRUS Woman: Also known as "WIFE"; when V R not expecting her, she comes, installs herself and uses all your resources.HARD-DISK Woman:She remembers everything, FOREVER.RAM Woman:She forgets about you, the moment you turn her off.WINDOWS Woman:Everyone knows that she can't do a thing right, but no one can live without her.EXCEL Woman:They say she can do a lot of things but you mostly use her for your four basic needs.SCREENSAVER Woman:She is good for nothing but at least she is fun!INTERNET Woman:Difficult to access.SERVER Woman:Always busy when you need her.MULTIMEDIA Woman:She makes horrible things look beautiful.CD-ROM Woman:She is always faster and faster.E-MAIL Woman:Every ten things she says, eight are nonsense.VIRUS Woman:Also known as "WIFE"; when we are not expecting her, she comes, installs herself and uses all our resources. If we try to uninstall her we will losesomething, if you don't try to uninstall her you will lose everything.
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Posted by OLU SHOWUNMI on March 12, 2009 at 3:12am
making luv in the clun as usher as sand it as been really appealing to me, i have always dream of it happening someday, but until it happen.................. watch out for the details in the part 2
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Jamaican Sex SandalsThis married couple was on holiday in Jamaica. They were touring around the marketplace looking at the goods and such, when they passed this small sandal shop. From inside they heard the shopkeeper with a Jamaican accent say, "You foreigners! Come in. Come into my humble shop."So the married couple walked in. The Jamaican said to them, "I have some special sandals I think you would be interested in. Dey make you wild at sex."Well, the wife was really interested in buying the sandals after what the man claimed, but her husband felt he really didn't need them, being the sex god he was. The husband asked the man, "How could sandals make you into a sex freak?"The Jamaican replied, "Just try dem on, Man." Well, the husband, after some badgering from his wife, finally gave in, and tried them on. As soon as he slipped them onto his feet, he got this wild look in his eyes, something his wife hadn't seen in many years!!In the blink of an eye, the husband grabbed the Jamaican, bent him violently over a table, yanked down his pants, ripped down his own pants, and grabbed a firm hold of the Jamaican's hips.The Jamaican then began screaming; YOU GOT DEM ON DE WRONG FEET!!!
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العنوان: Islam and Christianity -- part1التاريخ : Feb 18, 2005Form the book((Islam and Christianity /by Ulfat 'Aziz-Us-Samad –published by Al-Falah Foundationwww.falahonline.com ,ISBN:977 -5813-14-X ))It is therefore with a feeling of deep love and respect for both Jesusand Muhammad (pbut), and for the religions which they preached, that Iembark upon a comparative study of Islam and Christianity. If at timesI find myself disagreeing with the Christians, it is not over thereligion of Jesus, but over the altered shape and features that theydeveloped after his departure. In the words of Lord Headley, "Islamand Christianity, as taught by Christ himself, are sister religions,only held apart by dogmas and technicalities which might very well bedispensed with" ((Lord Headley : A Western Awakening to Islam, P.15))The Authenticity of the Qur'anOn the other hand, there is no such doubt about the Glorious Qur'an.It contains nothing but the revelations received by the ProphetMuhammad (pbuh). The revelations came to him in fragments, from timeto time. As soon as he received any, he used to communicate it to hisCompanions and ask then not only to commit it to memory, but also towrite it down. Muhammad (pbuh) used to indicate in a precise mannerthe place to which the revelation belonged. Thus the complete Qur'anwas committed to writing and also preserved in the hearts of hundredsof Muslims in the life time of the Prophet.After the demise of the Prophet, Abu Bakr, the first Caliph, chargedZaid ibn Thabit with the task of preparing an authentic copy of theentire text in the form of a book. The Companions of the Prophet wrotethe revelations that had come to the prophet on parchment or pieces ofleather. Zaid ibn Thabit collected all these and after comparing themwith what the followers of the Prophet had learnt by heart, compiled acopy, called Mushaf (bound leaves). About the genuineness orcorrectness of which there was absolutely no doubt.At the order of 'Uthman, the third Caliph, seven copies of the Mushafedition of the Glorious Qur'an, again confined by the memory of thosewho had learnt it by heart (hafiz), were prepared and sent to thedifferent centers of the vast Islamic world. One of these seven copiesis still in existence in Tashkent. The Czarist government of Russiahad published it with a facsimile reproduction; and we see that thereis a complete identity between this copy and the text otherwise in useall over the world. The same is true of the other extant MSS ofQur'an, complete or fragmentary, dating from the first century of theMuslim era.From the time of the Prophet to our own time the practice of learningthe whole of the Qur'an by heart has continued unbroken, and thenumber of huffaz can now be counted by hundreds of thousands all overthe world. The result is that no scholar, Eastern or Western, Muslimor non-Muslim, has ever cast any doubt on the purity of the text ofthe Glorious Qur'an. Even such an unfriendly critic as Sir WilliamMuri (( The life of Mohamet, Introduction, p.18)) writes about theQur'an:" There is probably in the world no other book whichhas remained twelve centuries with so pure a text"
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i am Richard oluseye writing with so much fury and rage, because the way things go on in this country Nigeria is not pleasing one bit. last week i was walking down the road of ebutte-metta along oyingbo market, the state and form i found some people looks so unpleasing at all........if you don;t mind i can share what i saw toyou but i know you would not like it one bit.Before i start talking about this distasteful thing i will like to give a brief biography about myself. i am richard oluseye like i earlier put it i was born into the family of mister and misses Richards, with brothers of two and two sisters i keep wondering how on earth we manage to keep a fussed relationship, all the same we can't compare my family to a man who as 86 wives. i come to wonder how many children is he going to have and how he tend or rather plan to take care of them. back to my brief background, i got my primary education at ago ebga Methodist primary school, i also proceeded to st. Gregory's college to obtain my senior school certificate.........i was a bit disappointed by my result which i obtained from that school(in my weac i had e8 in mathematics while i had c5 in English so i could not use the result to secure admission into the university. so i waited for my neco, it seems anonymous with my weac the only different is that i had 8credit and i had d7 in English and a credit in mathematics so i was left with no choice that to sit for another exam outside the school......so God willing i had my result through GCE but still awaiting admission due to the fact that i am sitting for the present JAMB i sat for the last one choose UNI LAG but after so many screening i was not choosing for LAW my coarse since i left Greg. Now back to my main reason of writing, the society is at menace and need to be cleared...........we are talking about re branding while our people live in great angst and yet we loot the money meant for the people welfare............ i will continue this blog another time, but better still you can visit my blog at richard4real55.blogspot.com. there you you read my blogs.
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A middle aged woman has a heart attack and is taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she has a near-death experience. During that experience she sees God and asks if this is it. God says no and explains that she has another 30-40 years to live.Upon her recovery she decides to just stay in the hospital and have a face lift, liposuction, breast augmentation, and a tummy tuck. She even has someone come in and change her hair colour. She figures that since she's got another 30 or 40 years she might as well make the most of it.She walks out the hospital after the last operation and is killed by an ambulance speeding up to the hospital.She arrives in front of God again and asks, "I thought you said I had another 30-40 years?"God replies, "Sorry, I didn't recognize you."Bless you!
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A British physicist has revealed his plan to launch a new internet search engine so powerful that one expert has suggested it "could be as important as Google".
London-born scientist Stephen Wolfram says that his company, Wolfram Research, is preparing to unveil the system in two months' time.
Known as Wolfram Alpha, the site is an attempt to address some of the deficiencies of current web search by understanding people's questions and answering them directly.
"Fifty years ago, when computers were young, people assumed that they'd quickly be able to handle all these kinds of things … and that one would be able to ask a computer any factual question and have it compute the answer," he wrote on the Wolfram Research website.
"But it didn't work out that way … I'd always thought, though, that eventually it should be possible. And a few years ago, I realised that I was finally in a position to try and do it."
According to its creator, the system understands questions that users input and then calculates the answers based on its extensive mathematical and scientific engine.
Natural language processing – the ability to determine – has long been a holy grail for computer scientists, who believe for interacting with machines in an instinctive way. And that, says Wolfram, is part of the code that Alpha has cracked.
"The way humans normally communicate is through natural language – and when one's dealing with the whole spectrum of knowledge, I think that's the only realistic option for communicating with computers too," he wrote.
"Of course, getting computers to deal with natural language has turned out to be incredibly difficult. And, for example, we're still very far away from having computers systematically understand large volumes of natural language text on the web."
Other search engines, such as Google, compare search terms against billions of documents stored on its servers, before pointing to the pages on which the correct answer is probably kept.
Although this method has proved phenomenally successful, many computer scientists have continued trying to create a system that can understand human language.
One of the most recent to claim a breakthrough was Powerset, which raised $12.5m (£8.9m) in funding and was under development for several years – but only released a limited search engine for Wikipedia before being bought by Microsoft for $100m last year.
According to Nova Spivack, the founder of another intelligent web service, Twine, Alpha is far more impressive than what has gone before.
"Wolfram Alpha is like plugging into a vast electronic brain," he wrote. "It provides extremely impressive and thorough questions asked in many different ways, and it computes answers – it doesn't merely look them up in a big database."
The plan is already gaining media attention, but the 49-year-old is used to getting noticed for his exploits. After studying at Eton and Oxford, Wolfram went on to receive his PhD in theoretical physics from the California Institute of Technology at the age of 20 .
As a result he was awarded a Macarthur genius grant in 1981, and later generated a mixture of applause and opprobrium with his famous book, A New Kind of Science. In it, he suggested that simple algorithms, rather than complex rules and structures, could be at the root of all science.
Reaction to the idea – which Wolfram said could boil down to a computer program consisting of just "three or four lines of code" – was mixed.
Some critics felt that Wolfram unfairly refused to submit his theories to peer review in the decade that he worked on the book, while others claimed he courted publicity by building up the image of a reclusive genius.
Whatever the outcome of Wolfram's audacious claims, however, his track record is strong. One of his previous creations, the computer program Mathematica, is now used by many scientists to help them with their work.
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Some days are a battle,a steep climb uphill,and you think you won't make itand never will, butdon't give up!When the money is low,and the bills are highand you hang your headand want to cry,don't give up!Things will go wrong--and they always will;but try to smile when youget the bill, anddon't give up!Life may be a palletof gray skies and bluebut only storms can bringa rainbow to you, sodon't give up!Even when your spirit's flying lowand you're floating on doubtand your whole life issuddenly turned inside out,don't give up!Let me tell youwhat success is all about,it means hanging in thereand sticking it out! Sodon't give up!When you're tiredand you can't go on,and your fuel is lowand your hope is gone,don't give up!Remember your dreamseven when they seem far,because you never knowjust how close you are, if youdon't give up!The tide will always turnwhen you're hardest hit,So give it your all,but never quit! Anddon't give up!
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Bungee jump off the Kawarau Bridge, New ZealandFlinging yourself off a ledge attached to nothing more than a springy cord may seem like madness, but kamikaze Kiwis love nothing more than a rush of adrenaline.New Zealand is the home of commercial bungee jumping, and the 43m-high Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown is the original jump spot. 1,2,3 and you’re off, forwards or backwards, with a dip in the river if you so desire.if you can’t afford to hop aboard Virgin Galactic’s space flights (a mere snip at US$200,000 a seat [£140,000]), this is the closest you can get to space travel. Board a plane at Florida's Kennedy Space Centre, try to hold on to your breakfast through a series of parabolic flight manoeuvres and then you can fly, float and flip in zero gravity to your heart’s content.Astronauts prepare for space missions in this way, and Hollywood has used these specially adapted craft for movies such as Apollo 13Witness a total eclipse, 2009 AsiaShiver in the moon's shadow and goggle at the sun's ghostly corona during a total solar eclipse and you’ll never forget the experience. Britain won’t see a total eclipse for many decades, so be prepared to pack your bags: on July 22 2009, a total eclipse will be visible along a narrow corridor from India through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China and Japan's Ryukyu IslandsFly a supersonic MiG jet, RussiaFulfil those Top Gun fantasies you’ve been harbouring since adolescence. Break the sound barrier and slice through Russian airspace in one of the country’s top-grade military jet fighters. A few select agencies now offer travellers the chance to fly the classic MiG-29 or more advanced MiG-31 from Moscow and Nizhny.Ride the world’s biggest rollercoaster, USA/JapanActually, you have a choice of two: the world’s tallest and fastest, or the world’s longest, ride. For the former you’ll need to head to Six Flags Great Adventure park in Jackson, New Jersey, and take a spin on the Kingda Ka. This metal monster reaches a speed of 206km/hr and climbs to a height of 140m.Meanwhile for the longest ride in the world, strap yourself into the Steel Dragon 2000, in Nagashima, Japan – a mere 2,479m of track along which to maintain stomach control.Spend summer solstice above the Arctic CircleNeed proof that the Earth is round? Stay awake for 24 hours of daylight, and watch the sun as it circles in the sky above the Arctic Circle during the summer solstice. Seeing the “midnight sun” is truly disorientating, and various events mark the occasion, from fun runs and cruises to all-day parties (well, they could hardly be all-night could they?). Some of the best locations include Hammerfest, Norway; Fairbanks, Alaska; and Inuvik, CanadaVisit a live volcano, Costa Rica/Hawaii/RéunionSmell the sulphur, feel the earth tremble and watch as molten lava spews from the ground. This once-in-a-lifetime experience is not for the faint of heart. But to see the Earth recreating itself right in front of you is an awe-inspiring sight, never forgotten.Popular erupting volcano hikes include Hawaii Volcanoes national park, which is safe enough to bring the family along but active enough to see molten lava flowing into the sea; a more fearsome trek through Volcán Arenal national park in Costa Rica, which contains one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is also celebrated for its hot springs; and Piton de la Fournaise Volcano on the island of Réunion, east of Madagascar, which erupts in fountains of lava with surprising regularityTravel overland, London to SydneyIf you dream of swapping Bognor for Bondi, but your eco-conscience is getting in the way, skip the plane and let the OzBus take the strain.In 13 weeks, you will drive – and occasionally float – from Britain to Australia via the classic European cities of Prague and Budapest, through Istanbul and the dazzling salt deserts of Iran to the colossal Taj Mahal, Thai islands and the mighty Australian outback. Complete the course and you’ll have “real travel” bragging rights for lifeTake the plunge skydiving, the HimalayasIf you are going to risk your life jumping out of a plane, you might as well do it somewhere truly spectacular. So how about Mount Everest? Incredible Adventures is one company that offers no-experience-required tandem jumps in front of Everest, landing on the world’s highest drop zoneDance the tango, Buenos AiresThink you can do better than the contestants on Strictly? Sultry, sensual and intense, this dance is said to have evolved in the brothels and impoverished barrios of Buenos Aires in the late 19th century.Put yourself through your paces by combining Spanish classes with tango lessons in the Argentinian capital for the complete Latin experience.La Tomatina, Buñol, SpainBetter not wear your best clothes to this party. Every August the small town of Buñol in Spanish Valencia hosts the world’s biggest, squashiest and best known food fight – La Tomatina. Tens of thousands of revellers roll around in the pulpy tomatoes for which the area is famous, propelling armfuls at anyone within range.La Tomatina started as an innocent food fight between friends in the 1940s – but it quickly spread to city officials and pedestrians, and has been celebrated annually ever sinceRide the world’s biggest waves, TahitiBeginners can sit this once-in-a-lifetime surf experience out. Favoured by the top big-wave surfers, the waves at Teahupo’o reef in Tahiti are among the world’s largest. The deadly reef below only ups the ante.In 2000, the tow-surfing daredevil Laird Hamilton mounted what is considered to be the biggest and most difficult wave ever ridden here, as documented in the film Riding Giants.Glide in a hot-air balloon, CappadociaEvery “things to do before you die” list ever compiled will include taking a hot air balloon ride. But we would take that concept further and insist that you drift over some of the world’s most extraordinary scenery. One such ballooning route is over the surreal fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, in central Turkey. These conical pumice towers mushroom out of a 1,500-square-mile volcanic plateau – and many have been hollowed out to create cave dwellings.Snorkel with orcas, NorwayBetween October and January, shoals of herring swim up Tysfjord in northern Norway, pursued by pods of orcas (killer whales). The whales round up the fish before stunning them with their tails. You can watch these awesome creatures in action from inflatable zodiac boats, then don a dry suit and snorkel to join them in their own habitat.Climb Sydney Harbour Bridge, AustraliaTop off a visit to one of the world’s most beautiful cities with a windswept shinny up unmistakeable Sydney Harbour Bridge. Clamber around the upper arch by way of narrow catwalks and ladders to enjoy 360-degree views of Sydney Harbour, the ocean and the Opera House from a height of 134m. You can even sign up for a night climb, and lap up the sight of Sydney's lights reflected in the harbour; just watch your footing.Try canopying, Costa RicaThere is no better place to live out your Tarzan fantasies than the wildlife-rich Costa Rican rainforest. The ever-more popular sport of canopying – swinging yourself from tree to tree through dense rainforest – is catching on across the American continent. It gives you an unforgettable perspective on the local wildlife: take a canopying ecotour in Rincón de la Vieja national park, for example, and you’ll swing past bemused monkeys and myriad colourful birds. Another canopying hotspot can be found in southern Chile.Stay in an ice hotel, SwedenEach winter, sculptors, artists, architects and designers create a new hotel using ice from the Torne River, 200km north of the Arctic Circle. There are many imitators these days, but this is the original frozen palace.Cosy up on reindeer skins in a fantastical art suite, where the temperature hovers at around -5°C (positively balmy compared with outdoors). And if you’re searching for a novel wedding venue, why not tie the knot in the ice church?See orang-utans in the wild, BorneoAlong the Kinabatangan river in north-eastern Borneo, you can glimpse a plethora of exotic wildlife, including black hornbill birds, troops of proboscis monkeys and, for the eagle-eyed, gangly orang-utans, whose nests sit high in the rainforest canopy. These fascinating creatures are the world’s largest tree-dwelling animals, unique among great apes for their arboreal lifestyle and found only on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.Population estimates have dropped from 27,000 to 15,000 in the past decade, so for guaranteed sightings, head to the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre, where around 60 to 80 orang-utans live in a forest reserveCycle the ‘world’s most dangerous road’, BoliviaOnly people with a good sense of balance – and head for heights – need apply for this risky but thrilling mountainside ride. It also helps if you’re untroubled by ever-present reminders of death: countless skeletal bus carcasses line the steep sides of this absurdly narrow, cliff-hugging road near La Paz in Bolivia, which has earned the title of the world’s most dangerous road.But daredevil mountain bikers with an eye for awe-inspiring views find the “Death Road” challenge hard to resist. The 60km mostly dirt road drops through the Andes from an altitude of 4,700m to 1,200m, giving way to lush cloud forest.Ride the trans-Siberian railway across AsiaBefore you leave Moscow, be sure to pack a bottle of vodka and a hefty tome, as you are about to cross the entire Asian landmass by train.You have three options to complete this once-in-a-lifetime trip: Moscow to the eastern port of Vladivostok (9,258km in seven days on the trans-Siberian line); Beijing via Manchuria (8,986km in just over six days on the trans-Manchurian line); or Beijing via the Mongolian steppe and the Gobi desert (7,621km in six days on the Trans-Mongolian line).Eat or sleep underwater, Maldives/Dubai/FijiGet a sense of what life as a goldfish must be like. Try out one of a small but growing number of underwater venues around the world, and gaze trance-like at marine life gliding by the windows.The world’s first underwater restaurant is 5m below sea level at Ithaa, the Maldives – surrounded on all sides by shoals of fish, coral, rays and shark. Small-scale underwater hotels also exist – but the real humdingers are still under construction. A subaquatic palace, Hydropolis Dubai, is meant to open in 2009 and another, Poseidon of Fiji, in 2011.Ride the Cresta Run, St Moritz, SwitzerlandFor three-quarters of a mile of heart-pounding, knee-bashing insanity, lie stomach down, head first on a toboggan and rattle round 10 corners over a 157m drop. The Brits built the first Cresta ice run in 1885, and it’s the undisputed home of head-first, millimetres-from-the-snow so-called skeleton racing. A new natural ice run is created each year.Play elephant polo, NepalA sport in which Scotland are ranked world No 1 and England are the current world champions? Clearly this isn’t football or cricket. No, these are the World Elephant Polo Championships, held each December in southern Nepal.Watch out for those sneaky elephants, though. They’ll do anything to stop their opponents, but the rules clearly state no standing on the ball and no lying in front of the goal. To join in, sign up with the World Elephant Polo Association. In pictures: shopping meccas of the world Wing-walk on a bi-plane, GloucestershireStrap yourself on to the wing of a classic bi-plane and relive the glory days of aviation, looping through the sky with nothing but goggles and leather to shield you from forces of up to 4G and 150mph wind pressure.Wing-walking was particularly popular in 1920s America, and is harder to experience these days thanks to strict regulations. But several places offer the chance to determined daredevils – including RFC Rendcomb Airfield, Gloucestershire.Glide in a hot-air balloon, CappadociaEvery “things to do before you die” list ever compiled will include taking a hot air balloon ride. But we would take that concept further and insist that you drift over some of the world’s most extraordinary scenery. One such ballooning route is over the surreal fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, in central Turkey. These conical pumice towers mushroom out of a 1,500-square-mile volcanic plateau – and many have been hollowed out to create cave dwellingsTrack gorillas in the wild, UgandaPeek through the dense foliage of the tropical cloud forest surrounding the Virunga volcanoes or the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to encounter families of mountain gorillas. These giants are endangered, with only around 700 remaining in the wild. So finding them is a particularly acute thrill.Tracking permits are limited and time spent with the gorillas is restricted to one hour, making this experience extra special. Look out for the rare set of twins in Bwindi, born in early November last year.Trek the Inca Trail, PeruFollow in the rocky footsteps of the most well-known of all ancient pre-Columbian civilisations, the Inca. This classic hike rollercoasters through the Peruvian Andes from the Sacred Valley to the mountaintop lost city of Machu Picchu, reaching breathless altitudes of 4,200m.Its 45km length is scattered with extraordinary ancient ruins; it passes through awesome mountain scenery and dips down into misty wildlife-rich cloud forest. But the highlight is undoubtedly arriving at Machu Picchu as the sun rises – the only time of day when you can have the magical site all to yourself before the tourist hordes arrive.
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Do what it takes now..today..Stop waiting.....Until your car or home is paid offUntil you get a new car or homeUntil your kids leave the houseUntil you go back to schoolUntil you finish schoolUntil you clean the houseUntil you organize the garageUntil you clean off your deskUntil you lose 10 lbs.Until you gain 10 lbs.Until you get marriedUntil you get a divorceUntil you have kidsUntil the kids go to schoolUntil you retireUntil summerUntil springUntil winterUntil fallUntil you die...There is no better time than right now to be happy.Happiness is a journey, not a destination.So work like you don't need money.Love like you've never been hurt,and, Dance like no one's watching.
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1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.3. Sleep for 7 hours.4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.5. Play more games.6. Read more books than you did the previous year.7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.9. Dream more while you are awake.10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.11. Drink plenty of water.12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.13. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.14. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.15. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.16. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.17. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.18. Smile and laugh more.19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don't compare your partner with others.24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.25. Forgive everyone for everything.26. What other people think of you is none of your business.27. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.28. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.29. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.30. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.31. The best is yet to come.32. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.33. Do the right thing!34. Call your family often.35. Your inner most is always happy. So be happy.36. Each day give something good to others.37. Don't over do. Keep your limits.38. Share this with someone you care about
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I pulled out of my driveway heading for my mom's and noticed a katydid on my windshield.
This is rare for the area I live in since it is more city than farm or wooded area. For those of you who do not know what a katydid is, it is similar to a grasshopper. It is green but has a flat body whereas the grasshopper has a round body and is more brown colored.
As I accelerated, I noticed the wind was making his body flutter, but the legs were securely attached to the windshield. I was sure he would lose his battle to the wind, but he kept hanging on, body fluttering in the wind. He did this for a couple of miles.
As I slowed down one time, he tried to re-adjust his footing. He released his grip on the windshield with just one leg and it was all over; he was gone.
The wind is our trials.
The windshield is like the word of God.
When we hold on to our "windshield" securely, we are secure.
When things start to settle down, we often loosen our grip on God's word. We start to rely on our strength and understanding rather than staying in God's word. That's when the trials come back and catch us unprepared and the trials drag us away.
There will definitely be winds, which are targeted at different areas of life, spiritual, marital, in fact all areas of life but the constant faith and trust in the master of the oceans, storms of life and winds will lead you through and place you above all troubles.
If we hold firm to God's word, we will be ready for the trials as they come.
So wipe away your tears, He knows your name; your every moment and He will hear you, just call unto Him. Looking unto Jesus Christ, the author and the finisher of your faith.
You can be a part of evangelism by forwarding this message to others in your address.....God bless you as you do.
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If the good things in life by a person are sought,He’ll discover someday that they cannot be bought.It is in the Lord that these good things are found,For all gifts good and perfect in Him abound.There are millions who hunger for milk and bread,But more by far long to be spiritually fed.Have you tasted the food that no money can buy?Have you drunk from the well that will never run dry?If you truly are seeking a thing more fulfilling,You should turn to the One who to save you is willing.And like the woman at the well you will findThe strength and will to leave your old life behind.For through the lessons that Jesus taught her,She found the True Bread, and the Living Water.So if everything on this earth you have triedAnd by none of these thing have been satisfied,You can taste and see that the Lord is good,and by Him you’ll be fed a more wonderful food.The best things that life has to offer are free,So come to the Fountain — taste, and see.
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How often we must bear the challenges of life;The endless roller coaster between happiness and sorrow;The constant ups and downs of daily strife.And always the question remains .... why?Life is not an easy road for most;It twists and turns with many forks in the road,Although always, and inevitably, we are given a choice ...Do we turn to the right ... or the left?Do we take the high road ... or the low road?Do we take the easy path ... or the difficult one?Decisions are not easy for those struggling for direction ...And sometimes the many choices and signs become overwhelming.While standing at a crossroads in life,The urge is to take the most comfortable path;The road with least resistance ...The shortest or most traveled route.And yet, if we've been down that comfortable road before;Have gleaned its lessons in life, and learned from our experiences;Do we yet again follow the known?Or does our destiny lie in another direction?The fear of the road less traveled is tangible and all too real;It manifests itself in many ways,And tends to cloud the issues that might otherwise be clear.It is in these times of confusion,That we must seek peace and solitude;Time to contemplate on our life,Our experiences and our choices past;Time to look back, and reflect on what we have learnedWithout fear or confusion.For only each of us knows our own personal thoughts;Our unique past and personal history;The experiences that brought us to the crossroads we now face.We can always learn a small degree from others experiences,And yet ... no one person can walk in our shoes,Others know not, the trials and tribulations faced in private ...For each is individual ... unique ... and personal.And that is why ... while standing at a crossroads,Only "we" can formulate the decision for ourselves;The true direction that lies within;The choices we must deliberate on with clarity and wisdom.For it is only through personal reflection,That we can now choose our destiny;... Our next adventure;... And the future we will embrace.
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