WHY DO THEY CALL IT HONEYMOON?

In many parts of Europe it was traditional to supply a newly married couple with enough mead for a month, ensuring happiness and fertility. Mead is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey.

From this practice we get honeymoon (moon meaning "month") or, as the French say, "lune de miel"

The Merriam-Webster dictionary reports the etymology as from "the idea that the first month of marriage is the sweetest".

One of the more recent citations in the Oxford English Dictionary indicates that, while today honeymoon has a positive meaning, the word was originally a reference to the inevitable waning of love like a phase of the moon.
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeymoon

(taken from : http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100321212119AAdIxi4)

ISRAEL NIAT BUNUH

Oleh Norfatimah Ahmad, Nazura Ngah dan S Anand Kumar

2010/06/04


Aktivis tunjuk bukti tentera Zionis mahu hapus sukarelawan

KUALA LUMPUR: Sukarelawan Malaysia dan dari negara lain yang berada atas kapal Mavi Marmara yakin serangan tentera Israel terhadap kapal itu Ahad lalu sehingga mengorbankan sekurang-kurangnya 10 aktivis sebagai satu serangan dan pembunuhan terancang.

Dakwaan itu berdasarkan serangan menggunakan peluru hidup tanpa amaran, kehadiran dua helikopter berlegar-legar di ruang udara berhampiran kapal seawal jam 2 pagi dan serangan awal pagi ketika aktivis Islam sedang menunaikan solat Subuh.
Ketua Misi Lifeline 4 Gaza (LL4G), Noorazman Mohd Samsuddin yang menyertai misi bantuan kemanusiaan Gaza bersama sembilan rakyat Malaysia, berkata apabila tentera Israel menggunakan peluru hidup, ia bermakna mereka berniat untuk membunuh aktivis.

“Jika hanya mahu menawan kapal, tidak perlu guna peluru hidup kerana kami tidak bersenjata. Serangan awal pagi ketika aktivis Islam menunaikan solat Subuh menguatkan lagi teori itu.

“Jika mahu memeriksa kapal, mereka sepatutnya memberi amaran dan memperkenalkan diri dulu. Jika betul ada amaran, kami akan memberhentikan kapal kerana aktivis tidak sekali-kali ingkar arahan pihak berkuasa jika diarah menyerah diri.

“Tiada sebab kami mahu melawan kerana kapal tidak membawa senjata api, sebaliknya hanya bantuan kemanusiaan untuk rakyat Palestin,” katanya ketika dihubungi di Jordan, semalam.

Pandangan beliau disokong aktivis negara lain, Mattias Gardell dan Henning Mankell, kedua-duanya dari Sweden yang turut menuduh Israel merancang untuk melakukan pembunuhan di atas kapal berkenaan.
“Kami ialah saksi kepada pembunuhan terancang,” kata Mattias yang juga pakar sejarah. Beliau berada atas Mavi Marmara bersama isterinya yang juga sejarawan, Edda Manga.

“Ini adalah serangan tentera terhadap misi bantuan kemanusiaan di perairan antarabangsa.

“Adalah mengejutkan Israel bertindak di luar batasan. Ramai penumpang kapal menganggap komando Israel akan membunuh semua orang. Mereka ketakutan.

“Amat pelik jika ada orang anggap tidak perlu pertahankan diri. Adakah anda patut duduk saja dan kata bunuh saya,” katanya kepada radio awam sejurus tiba di Istanbul, Turki bersama hampir 500 aktivis yang dipetik oleh agensi berita AFP.

Henning, penulis cerita jenayah terkenal Sweden yang berada atas kapal lain pula menyifatkan tindakan Israel itu adalah pelanunan di laut antarabangsa.

Sementara itu, Bulent Yildirm, ketua badan kebajikan Islam Turki yang mengetuai kempen memecahkan sekatan Israel terhadap Gaza, mendakwa askar Israel membunuh aktivis secara rambang apabila memasuki Mavi Marmara yang mengetuai enam kapal lain bagi membawa bantuan ke Gaza.

Seorang lagi sukarelawan Malaysia yang juga Pengerusi Aqsa Syarif, Hasanuddin Mohd Yunus, berkata jika tentera Yahudi mahu menyekat kapal itu daripada meneruskan pelayaran, mengapa perlu melepaskan tembakan rambang termasuk menggunakan peluru hidup.

Beliau berkata, tentera Israel tidak harus bertindak kejam sehingga perlu melepaskan tembakan ke arah sukarelawan, sebaliknya boleh memikirkan cara lain untuk mendesak mereka menyerah diri.

“Saya menyaksikan sendiri bagaimana tentera Israel menembak tepat ke arah dahi seorang sukarelawan dari Turki sehingga otaknya terkeluar. Mereka juga menembak seorang petugas media dari Indonesia dan peluru terkena dada hanya kerana dia mahu merakamkan gambar kekejaman tentera Yahudi atas kapal,” katanya.

Wakil Pertubuhan Himpunan Lepasan Institut Pendidikan Malaysia (Haluan) Palestin, Al Hami Husain Suhaimi pula yakin ia adalah serangan terancang untuk menawan Mavi Marmara berdasarkan pengawasan tentera Israel terhadap kapal itu sejak jam 2 pagi.

Beliau berkata, sebelum serangan jam 4.30 pagi, dua helikopter berlegar di ruang udara berhampiran kapal seolah-oleh menunggu masa sesuai untuk menyerang.
“Kami menjangkakan selepas solat Subuh dan bersarapan, kapal mula menghampiri Gaza dan meminta kebenaran untuk memasuki wilayah itu.

“Israel lebih awal bertindak. Selain kapal diekori tentera menaiki dua bot laju yang cuba menaiki kapal, mereka menembak dengan peluru asap untuk memudahkan pergerakan. Semua tindakan itu menggambarkan serangan dibuat secara terancang untuk menawan kapal kami,” katanya.
(diambil daripada : http://www.bharian.com.my/bharian/articles/Israelniatbunuh/Article/)

WOMAN BURNED ALIVE AFTER KIOSK WORKERS REFUSE TO LEND FIRE EXTINGUISHER

A man’s desperate attempts to save a student from her burning car were in vain, when petrol kiosk attendants refused to lend him their fire extinguishers despite his pleading.

The incident on the flyover along Jalan Cheras, near Jalan Loke Yew, happened at 3.30 a.m. yesterday (03.06.2010) and involved the Myvi driven by the deceased, a Toyota Vios and a lorry.


According to Malaysian newspaper, The Star, witness Teo Chai Yong, 31, who was the first to arrive on the scene, called emergency services when he noticed the Myvi was on fire and saw a girl trapped inside, screaming for help.

Teo then drove to the nearest 24-hour petrol station, less than 500m away, hoping to find a fire extinguisher.

"As I ran up to the counter, I saw four fire extinguishers behind the glass door. An attendant was inside by the counter."

"I pleaded with him to let me have the fire extinguisher and screamed that someone was pinned inside a burning car."

"But he just stared at me and kept saying he was not allowed to open the door after hours," Teo said.

Desperate, Teo even offered to buy the extinguishers and showed the attendant his identity card.

A second assistant showed up and told Teo to call the fire department if there was a fire.


Frustrated, Teo then rushed back to the accident scene, only to see the car with the woman still inside, engulfed in flames.

"She was still screaming but I could do nothing. I just stood there, her screams grew more frantic before fading away," Teo said.

When contacted, BH Petrol's managing director, Tan Kim Thiam expressed great regret over the incident. He explained that the attendants' reluctance may stem from a fear of being robbed, as this was a frequent problem in the past.

City traffic police investigations Chief Deputy Supt Abdullah Roning told The Star that the woman was burnt beyond recognition, and her personal identification documents were also lost in the fire.

The police believed she was a 27-year-old college student from Sarawak.

Update: The deceased's identity was confirmed by police this morning - Florina ak Joseph, 27, a Sarawakian native and a student.

(taken from : http://news.malaysia.msn.com/commented/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4128379)

THE GOOD AND THE BAD OF THE SUN

Benefit #1

Tryptamines are natural chemicals which the body produces that alter and improve our moods. Sunlight helps to stimulate the pineal gland to produce such beneficial substances. Endorphins are also produced under the influence of the Sun, which are hormones that induce one’s wellbeing.

Benefit #2

The Sun can act as a treatment to certain skin conditions such as psoriasis. Such disease has to do with too much skin growing at the same spots resulting in areas of inflammation and red scaly patches to do with excessive skin production. The sun helps to slow the skin growth and aid in relieving the symptoms.

Benefit #3

In order for our bodies to naturally produce vitamin D, UV from the sun is essential. Vitamin D has been known to produce much goodness for our bodies as it can help to strengthen bones, muscles and one’s immune system. This vitamin is also known to fight certain cancers such as colon and breast.


Benefit #4

Forget hand sanitizers. The sun does wonders in the fields of disinfection and sterilization. The Sun helps to destroy microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria by penetrating the cell’s membrane and destroying the DNA thus helping to put a stop to reproduction.

Benefit #5

Good news! The sun increases the rate at which you sweat which then relaxes the kidneys. The sunlight helps to activate the thyroid which helps in losing weight as it acts as a catalyst on the metabolic rate.


Disadvantage #1

Skin Cancer; we should all know about this obvious killer. UV rays emitted from the Sun are an environmental human carcinogen. The sun exposure is indeed the most prominent reason for skin cancer patients.

Disadvantage #2

Overexposure to UV rays can cause harmful damages to the eye tissues, causing a burn to the eye’s surface. This is known as ‘snow blindness’ or photokeratitis. The effects of this will be eliminated after a number of days but may worsen if it is a long term event of exposure. Cataracts can also be caused and if left untreated, it may lead to blindness.

Disadvantage #3

The Sun causes accelerated aging of the skin as it destroys the collagen and connective tissue beneath the epidermis. Wrinkles, brown spots and loss of skin elasticity are a result of this. Remember, photo-aging of the skin is a cumulative process. It is never too late to slip, slop, slap on the sun screen and kick-start the sun-protection program.


Disadvantage #4

UV sunlight may cause a harmful suppressing effect on the immune system. When you are sun burnt, the distribution and function of the natural disease fighting white blood cells are altered.

Disadvantage #5

Sunburn. One’s worst enemy. The absorption of sun rays causes our skin cells to be damaged. The most horrible part to having sunburn is redness and fragility of what our skin becomes when the blood rushes up to these affected areas to repair it. Not forgetting the peeling part after the redness calms down.

(taken from :http://lifestyle.malaysia.msn.com/Beauty/News/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4126864&page=0)