Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to. ‘It’s the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for Christmas. She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her.’ I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all, and not to worry. But he replied to me sadly. ‘No, Santa Claus can’t bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.’ His eyes were so sad while saying this, ‘My Sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.” My heart nearly stopped.

The little boy looked up at me and said, ‘I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.’ Then he showed me a very nice photo of himself. He was laughing. He then told me ‘I want mommy to take my picture with her so she won’t forget me.’ ‘I love my mommy and I wish she didn’t have to leave me, but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.’ Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy. ‘Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll!” OK’ he said, ‘I hope I do have enough.’

I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money. The little boy said, ‘Thank you God for giving me enough money!’ Then he looked at me and added, ‘I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me!” ‘I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn’t dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose.” ‘My mommy loves white roses.’

A few minutes later, the old lady returned and I left with my basket. I finished my shopping in a totally different state of mind from when I started. I couldn’t get the little boy out of my mind. Then I remembered a local newspaper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl. The little girl died right away and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-sustaining machine because the young woman would not be able to recover from the coma.

Was this the family of the little boy? Two days after this encounter with the little boy I read in the newspaper that the young woman had passed away. I couldn’t stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young woman was for people to see and make last wishes before her burial. She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest. I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed forever. The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine, and in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken all this away from him.” Now you have 2 choices: (1) Copy & Paste this on your wall (2) Ignore it as if it never touched your heart…

Nevertheless, it may seem like the difference between is only about a few pennies, but those pennies adds up when you think about how much energy is consumed each year. For more information, visit an energy supply website to estimate the savings you’ll receive when you change your supplier. With this onset of personal choice for consumers, which is a great thing, comes a great personal responsibility, as well. Choose the fastest growing retail energy provider in the market today and make sure to communicate only with honest and helpful people who want you to switch to a cheaper brand of energy.

Sure they are. Kids these days spend all their time playing video games or texting and sexting and cyber-bullying instead of reading and going to movies. And when they do go to the movies, it’s to see the dumb action blockbusters. Instead of going steady, they “hook up.” What kind of music are they listening to? What kind of jobs are they going to be able to find? Where did we go wrong?

The difficult relations between parents and semi-independent, no-longer-cute-and-precocious offspring have caught the eye of filmmakers lately. The parents in The Kids Are All Right are Nic and Jules, a lesbian couple played by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore. With their Volvo and lovely-but-not-fancy house, Nic and Jules is a picture of middle-class contentment.

Their two kids, Joni, 18 and brother, Laser, 15, lead complicated lives. Joni, a stellar student and dutiful daughter is put off by the way her best friend, Sasha, “sexualizes everything” and is also attracted to Jai, a cute, nerdy buddy. Laser, under the sway of an obnoxious and anti-social friend named Clay, seems to be tumbling into the male identity crisis.

Her brother’s desire to know where he came from — and perhaps also to find some connection with an adult male — leads Joni to contact the anonymous sperm donor who is at least technically their father, played by Mark Ruffalo.

The Kids Are All Right is, to a large extent, about the unstable, comical and sometimes appalling parental triangle that emerges among the three adults. Teenagers who see this movie may wonder why Mom and Dad (or Dad and Dad, or Mom and Mom, or just Mom or just Dad) are crying at the end, when Joni, as we always knew she would, steps out of the nest and into her own story.

Many more children will already have asked themselves the same question about Toy Story 3 and Up. In Up, the handkerchief moment came as the long, loving marriage of Carl and Ellie Fredricksen was chronicled in a montage that located the film’s emotional heart in the boyhood. In Toy Story 3 the equivalent moment comes when Andy’s mother looks around his empty room and wonders where the time went.

The film Cyrus Draws has an oedipal triangle involving Cyrus; his single mother, Molly and her new boyfriend, John. But the resolution is sweet and affirmative: Cyrus grows up and moves on, helped by the older man.

The family has been the subject of culture-war skirmishing for a long time. There has always been lots of sex in movies and lots of traditionalism as well.

But reality finds interesting reflections on screen, where even simple stories can be full of ambiguity. Take the Twilight series. Here, Bella Swan’s parents are conventionally divorced, loving, lonely people who mostly hover around the margins of her life.

The alternative to this fractured family is not so much the vampire Edward Cullen as membership in one of two non-nuclear groups: the undead Cullen clan, and Jacob’s werewolf tribe. Both of these networks offer a way of life that seems emotionally richer — if also more dangerous — than small-town existence. Bella is different, and the great paradox of American life is that everyone else believes they are too. Their parents will not stop worrying. But there are movies that offer us a measure of comfort. Like Nic and Jules and Andy’s Cyrus’s moms, we try our best and mess things up anyway. And the kids are all right. They can’t help it. Indian Express

However, your baby is able to fully enjoy the nutritional benefits breast milk provides as his digestive system is mature enough to digest it at the time of his birth.

Gut development

When a foetus is formed in his mother’s womb, three layers of cells gradually develop to become the three main components of his body. The first layer forms the nervous system and sensory organs while the second layer forms his muscular, circulatory, and skeletal systems. The third layer of cells forms the digestive system. Your baby’s intestines start to develop as early as week five of pregnancy.

During the third month of foetal development, the foetus’ stomach cells start to secrete fluid. Waste that forms from the foetus goes through the placenta and into mother’s blood. This means that the digestive system has already started functioning even during the foetal stage.

At birth, your baby’s digestive system is still developing and maturing. At this point, he is not ready to accept other types of food except breast milk.

At about six months, your baby’s digestive system is mature enough to digest more complex and solid food substances, like starch, protein, and fat in a non-milk diet. At this stage, he’s ready to be introduced to solid foods (complementary food). It is recommended that you continue giving your child breast milk as he gradually gets used to eating solid food.

In his early childhood, your child’s digestive system continues to mature. The first two years are the most critical. The gut microflora established during this period can greatly influence your child’s long-term immunity. If your child’s digestive health is poor and he is malnourished at this point, his growth and development will be jeopardised.

Within your baby’s gut

At birth, your baby’s gut is sterile. As soon as you start breastfeeding, bacteria are introduced into your baby’s gut. Mother’s breast milk gas several beneficial bacteria, e.g. bifidobacteria and lactobacillus, which are crucial for your baby’s gut health. The number of bacteria, both the good and bad bacteria, increases rapidly in the baby’s first few days of life.

As your baby grows, his gut microflora established during his first two years stabilises, and it usually maintains a balance until he reaches adulthood.

A healthy gut microflora ecosystem is essential to your baby’s overall health. Babies that don’t have the right balance of gut bacteria are likely to be more prone to colic (gas and pain in the abdomen), and are believed to be at greater risk of developing allergy (e.g. eczema) and asthma when they grow up.

Breastfed vs. bottle-fed

Breastfeeding can help your child achieve optimal growth, development, and health. Studies have suggested that children who are breastfed have significantly fewer gastrointestinal, ear, urinary, and respiratory infections. Breast milk is rich in antibodies and it can better protect your child against infections. Breast milk will also encourage the colonisation of good bacteria in the newborn’s gastrointestinal tract.

Formula fed babies’ gut microflora have been found to be different from breastfed babies. Formula-fed infants tend to have far less bifidobacteria, a bacteria that contributes towards the development of healthy gut microflora. Some studies suggest that there is increased risk of atopic eczema in infants who are given formula milk compared to those who are exclusively breastfed.

Moreover, bifidogenic factors that are found in breast milk help to boost the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, which lessens the risk of diarrhoea and other intestinal illnesses. In other words, breast milk keeps the digestive system in good condition.

It is therefore essential to breastfeed babies, especially during the first few days of life. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that mothers breastfeed their children exclusively for at least the first six months and continue breastfeeding their child up till the age of two years. In fact, both UNICEF and WHO encourage mother’s to breastfeed up to two years, if possible. This is because children’s immune systems are not as strong yet, so they need more protection, which breast milk can provide.

Care for your child’s digestive health

You might think the digestive system is merely to help us digest food, but the truth is, it plays a much bigger role. Without a healthy digestive system, your child can’t get all the nutrients he needs to grow properly and stay healthy. A problematic gut can affect your child in several ways, including his body weight, nutritional status, immune system, and even his emotions.

Your child’s digestive system is his “food processing machine”. Food must first be adequately broken down and properly absorbed before it can be utilised by his body. If any part of the process goes wrong, your child’s nutritional status is at risk, and when this happens, it may affect his physical as well as cognitive development.

Your child’s digestion affects his metabolic rate, which in turn affects his overall weight. Good digestion helps optimise metabolism. When your child is not properly nourished, it interferes with nutrient breakdown, absorption, and metabolism, which leads to accumulation of toxins in the body.

Your child’s digestive tract lining is also his body’s first line of defence as it acts as a barrier that stops invaders from entering the body. Studies have indicated that a large proportion of the body’s immune cells lies within the gastrointestinal wall.

This makes sense as your digestive tract makes up the largest surface area in your body and is exposed to an enormous amount of food during a lifetime.

So, if you want your child to grow and stay healthy for many years to come, start taking good care of his little tummy now. By Prof Dr Christopher Boy Chiong Meng, The Star

Nevertheless, it takes courage to really love without expecting anything in return.  There is deep meaning in those yearnings if we take time to really listen to them, and not just rush to cover them up, numb ourselves out, or avoid the hard work and feelings. There is no rushing personal growth in marriage counseling. Time tempers the pain, but sometimes how awful that sounds when you are just coming to grip with the news that your beloved is no longer yours to love. It really hurts, but love just is and you cannot will it away or toward you. It meanders on its own accord and takes it sweet time, or rushes in with heady abandon despite your best intentions and self-protection.

Sometimes no matter how much it hurts to love, there is no letting go of those feelings, because there is nothing to let go of and at least nothing tangible. Now, if you have asked yourself the question “how do I save my marriage from divorce” you have come to the right place. You need to have the best marriage counselor at your fingertips, if your marriage is struggling, unhappy, or on the verge of divorce. You need to know what factors could be working against your marriage right now, even if you see nothing wrong. Many people believe that their marriage is working fine until their spouse gives them the wake-up call.

Nevertheless, if you’re finding yourself overwhelmed due to demands for your time and relationships with love ones are being negatively affected, then reconnecting with your family and friends is something everyone needs to have. And that was what transpired during our recent travel at my in-laws place. Upon arrival, we were greeted by some of their old time friends, and relatives. Since almost fifteen years had passed that we were not able to visit back this place, probably the reason why dozens of their in-laws gather around us for some pleasantries.

The instant influx and gathering of my in-laws really amazed us. Yet, I know that the best way to accommodate and pleased these people is through their stomach. So without much ado, we immediately initiated a recipe search for the purpose which turns out also to be more challenging and exciting. I really thank my better half in setting up priorities and having a long time perspective which is fantastic. Towards it, investing time in health and happiness of your family is a very valuable high-priority use of time. After all, and in the end, it was really an excellent family vacation.

Nevertheless, you need to know what factors could be working against your marriage right now, even if you see nothing wrong. Many people believe that their marriage is working fine until their spouse gives them the wake-up call. It takes courage to really love without expecting anything in return.  There is deep meaning in those yearnings if we take time to really listen to them, and not just rush to cover them up, numb ourselves out, or avoid the hard work and feelings. Sometimes no matter how much it hurts to love, there is no letting go of those feelings, because there is nothing to let go of, and at least nothing tangible. Hence, most importantly, try to undergo Marriage Counseling before anything comes too late.

In a nutshell, how you can love someone, and they just can’t show up in return. These were the words of a friend grieving the loss of a lover who turned for comfort. There is no rushing personal growth. Time tempers the pain, but we all know how awful that sounds when you are just coming to grips with the news that your beloved is no longer yours to love. You’ll feel better, just give it some time, are some default words of comfort, except, they don’t really comfort the right person. Love just is, you cannot will it away or toward you. It meanders on its own accord and takes it sweet time, or rushes in with heady abandon despite your best intentions and self-protection.

Nevertheless, one of the basics of good marriage is dealing effectively between yourself and your spouse the problems that will arise along the way and this is both applicable principles to old timers and newlyweds. There are different known best methods to Save Marriage so minor problems won’t escalate to heated arguments and hassle confrontations. Whether these are long term rooted problems or some rare situations in your married lives or merely time, it has brought this failures in marriages, you don’t need to tolerate such sufferings, and does not need to conclude in failed marriages. Sometimes it is just time to move on. Sometimes, to save your soul you have to free yourself of all that is oppressive.

Sometimes, you must remove the albatross around your neck if you have any hope of living out your life with happiness, hope, self-respect, and meaningfulness. Tell your spouse that they are appreciated. How To Save Your Marriage takes positive acts of appreciation, love and respect to counter every one negative occurrence.  It is probably easy to remember the last time you stated a criticism, but when was the last time you gave your spouse compliments? When you are engaged in disagreement, make attempts to turn the fight around. Use humor, empathy, interest, and affection to say something appreciative, to make an attempt to repair the interaction. Consider what is good for the relationship rather than listening only to your own thoughts and feelings.

evolutiongems.pdf) briefly describes 15 examples published in the journal Nature over the past decade that offer powerful evidence for the theory. I will describe three examples.

1 The origin of feathers

The fossil record is one of the main pillars of evidence on which the theory of evolution stands. But critics claim the fossil record is fatally flawed because of the lack of “transitional forms” that illustrate intermediates in the transition of one major group of animals to another. The critics are wrong, and the first two cases I will cite describe examples of transitional forms.

Evolutionists tell us that modern birds are descended from dinosaurs. A famous fossil that provides evidence for this was discovered in Bavaria in 1861. The fossil is called Archaeopteryx . The creature displays reptilian features, such as teeth and a long, bony tail, but it also has wings and flight feathers like a bird. It is commonly interpreted as a fossil of the earliest known bird. But has the fossil record thrown up any dinosaurs with feathers – unambiguous transitional forms?

Yes. Fossils found in China in the 1980s showed a variety of dinosaurs with feathers and feathery plumage. Many of these feathered dinosaurs could not have flown, which means that feathers evolved for reasons other than flight (heat insulation, for example). Flight was an extra opportunity that was exploited by creatures already carrying feathers.

2 Land-living ancestors of whales

Whales are mammals, like ourselves, but they have lived in the water for millions of years. There is good evidence that mammals originated on land, which means that, originally, the ancestors of whales forsook the land for the water. The fossil record now provides good evidence for this.

There is no shortage of fossils from the first 10 million years of whale evolution of creatures showing whale features (anatomy of the ear, for example) and limbs like those of land-living animals from which they descended. But until 2007, there was no report of a good fossil of the land-living creature from which whales eventually evolved. Work by Hans Thewissen and others described now-extinct creatures called raoellids that looked like small dogs but were more closely related to even-toed ungulates (a group that includes cows, sheep, deer, pigs and hippos). Molecular evidence had already hinted at a deep evolutionary connection between whales and even-toed ungulates.

Thewissen’s work shows that one raeollid, Indohyus (oictured), is similar to whales but unlike other even-toed ungulates in various ways (for example, ear and teeth structure) that indicate the creature spent much of its time in the water. The raeollid diet is very unlike the whale diet, suggesting that the impetus to take to the water might have been dietary change. Indohyus is definitely a good candidate for a transitional form.

3 The molecular basis for Darwin’s finches

All living processes and behaviours are underpinned by molecular mechanisms. Evolution works through molecular mechanisms, and these mechanisms are being elucidated by elegant research.

Darwin described several species of finches in the Galapagos Islands that all looked similar except for their beaks. Ground finches had broad, deep beaks, warbler finches had slender, pointed beaks, and so on. Beak size and shape reflected differences in diet. Darwin speculated that all the finches had a common ancestor that originally migrated to the islands, and that natural selection had then evolved a variety of forms from this common ancestor suited to different ecological niches on the island.

Arhat Abzhanov and others have studied the genes that are switched on and off in the developing beaks of finch chicks. They found that differences in beak shape coincided with variations in the expression of the gene for calmodulin, a molecule that regulates the signalling effected by calcium on metabolism and development. For example, calmodulin is expressed stronger in species with long pointed beaks than in species with more robust beaks.

Biologists are advancing from the documentation of evolution at whole animal level to identification of the underlying molecular mechanisms. By William Reville, Irish Times

A survey found that 50.5 per cent of UAE marriages were between cousins, and 26 per cent of those were
first cousins.

However, that figure represents a rise from previous studies, said Dr Ahmad Teebi, a professor of paediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.

“While this trend has been declining elsewhere, we are seeing an increase in the UAE,” he told Khaleej Times in a phone interview. “However, the increase is still relatively small.”

Teebi said that the practice of cousin marriages had decreased in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Mauritania and the Palestinian population in Israel.

At a conference in Doha on Wednesday, Teebi spoke of potential problems of first cousin marriages.

“In the case of first-cousin marriage, a couple’s chance of having a baby with a birth defect rises from three per cent, which is the non-cousin marriage rate, to between 4.5 and six per cent,”
said Teebi.

“In the case of second-cousin marriages, the risk increases only slightly above that of the general population.

“The frequency of a normally-rare disease can increase among populations that marry within the family,”
he added.

“This is known as founder effect and can be observed in geographically isolated areas and among populations that practice intermarriage based on circumstances, customs, beliefs or economics. We also see an increase in the number of miscarriages as a result of this practice.”

It is estimated that up to 20 per cent of marriages worldwide today are between first cousins, said Teebi. Reasons for the practice include geographical isolation, social or psychological support, convenience and tradition,
he added.

“Avoiding cousin marriage will result in a real reduction of the frequency of birth defects and genetic diseases in general,” Dr. Teebi said. “But if marriage between a close relative is unavoidable, I encourage premarital genetic counselling. This may include carrier testing and would help the couple and their doctor create a plan for prevention.” Khaleej Times