A Dose of Peace and Love

WE BELONG TOGETHER, WE ARE ONE
It was nine (9) years ago when the world actually trembled in agony, disaster and death. It was September 11, 2001, the twin towers met their never thought about the demolition, the towers went down with lots of lives, forget about monetary aspects. It seemed at first sight that the United States of America, a world super power who could boast of state of the art technology in weapons was under attack. This was assessed to be an act of terrorism and America won’t rest till they actually got hold of the organizers of this crime against humanity. September 11, 2001 was the transformative incident of first term of President George W. Bush and led to what he has called the Global War on Terrorism, or war against terrorism. The accuracy of describing it as a "war" and the political motivations and consequences are the topic of strenuous debate. The U.S. government increased military operations, economic measures and political pressure on groups it accused of being terrorists, as well as on governments and countries accused of sheltering them. October 2001 saw the first military action initiated by the U.S. Under this policy, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in order to remove the oppressive Taliban regime (which harbored al-Qaeda) and to capture Al-Qaeda forces. The invasion was supported by a large number of countries. Prior to the invasion, the Taliban had refused to hand over bin Laden without being shown evidence of his connection to the attacks. While the primary objective of capturing bin Laden has failed so far, the invasion did succeed in uprooting the extremely oppressive Taliban from power, enabling the implementation of a government more cooperative and supportive in the search for bin Laden and the general "War on Terrorism". The invasion removed a safe haven and base of operations for al-Qaeda. The attacks had major worldwide political effects. Many other countries introduced tough anti-terrorism legislation and took action to cut off terrorist finances, including the freezing of bank accounts suspected of being used to fund terrorism. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies stepped up cooperation to arrest terrorist suspects and break up suspected terrorist cells around the world.
The attack prompted numerous memorials and services all over the world. In Berlin, 200,000 Germans marched to show their solidarity with America. The French newspaper of record, Le Monde, ran a front-page headline reading "Nous sommes tous Américains", or "We are all Americans". A national day of mourning was held in Ireland on Friday, September 14, the only country other than the U.S.A. to do so. In London, the U.S. national anthem was played at the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. (To mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee, New York City lit the Empire State Building in purple and gold, to say "thank you" for this action.) In the immediate aftermath, support for the United States' right to defend itself was expressed across the world, and by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1368.
Reaction to the attacks in the Muslim world was mixed. The great majority of Muslim political and religious leaders condemned the attacks — virtually the only significant exception was Saddam Hussein, then president of Iraq. Also, shortly after the attack, the media picked up on a number of celebrations of the attacks in the Middle East with images of these celebrations being broadcast on television and published in print. Less publicized were public displays of sympathy, including candlelight vigils in countries like Iran. Was the world uniting on one side to fight the other side. What happened to round table conference and dialogues? Do we have to still pop a bullet to express our emotions? The world had lost a lot of lives during September 11, yet we were getting ready to lose some more. In the weeks following the attacks, there was a surge in incidents of harassment and hate crimes against Middle Easterners and others thought to be "Middle Eastern-looking" people — particularly Sikhs, because Sikh males usually wear turbans, which are stereotypically associated with Muslims by many Americans. In many cities there were reports of vandalism against mosques and other Islamic institutions, including some cases of arson.
Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man, was one of the first victims of this backlash; he was shot dead on September 15 at the gas station he owned in Mesa, Arizona. A total of nine people were murdered within the United States as part of the backlash. In 2008, author Moustafa Bayoumi released the book How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America. In his books, mentions about mass arrest and deportations of Arabs and Arab Americans conducted by the various government organizations, including the FBI. Many of those who were arrested had insufficient evidence other than their roots, to connect them to terrorism, but were nonetheless, incarcerated in prison indefinitely, oftentimes without notifying the detainee's relatives; as if they had just disappeared. Deportation of Arabs and Arab-Americans significantly increased following 9/11, oftentimes at short notice. In one case mentioned in Bayoumi's book, one man was deported "without his clothes".The afthermath of September 11, can still be felt today in all areas of human life. Let talk about health, the pulverized concrete which filled the streets with voluminous dust has led through time to serious lung and cardiovascular disorders. These are covered in a recent article, Tracing Lung Ailments That Rose With 9/11 Dust, May 13, 2006. Although at the time of the tower collapses the EPA advised that there was no danger from air contamination, it has subsequently come to light that toxic fumes were very much in evidence. In February 2006, under pressure from New York's congressional delegation, the Bush administration appointed Dr. John Howard (not to be confused with former Australian Prime Minister John Howard), the director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), to coordinate the screening and treatment of the rescue personnel who were exposed to toxic fumes at Ground Zero. This disaster impacted greatly on the American economy, the attack on the World Trade Center led to huge insurance claims, with many insurance companies throughout the world having to disclose the impact of the attack in their financial statements. In April 2004, a jury of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected claims by World Trade Center leaseholder, Larry Silverstein, that two planes hitting the Twin Towers should, within the terms of his insurance policies, be considered two separate incidents, which would have entitled him to $7 billion in insurance reimbursements. The insurers, Swiss Reinsurance Co. and others, initially argued successfully that the attacks in New York were one incident and that Silverstein was only entitled to $3.5 billion. In December 2004, a federal jury decided that the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center was, for insurance purposes, two occurrences, which mean that Silverstein stands to collect up to $4.6 billion.
In 2003, Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York agreed to hear a consolidated master case against three airlines, ICTS International NV and Pinkerton's airport security firms, the World Trade Center owners, and Boeing Co., the aircraft manufacturer. The case was brought by people injured in the attacks, representatives of those who died, and entities that suffered property damage. In September 2004, just before the three-year statute of limitations expired, the insurers for the World Trade Center filed suit against American Airlines, United Airlines, and Pinkerton's airport security firm, alleging their negligence allowed the planes to be hijacked. Because the Air Transportation Act, which was passed after September 11, limits the liability of airlines aircraft manufacturers, and airports to the amount of their insurance coverage, this case will likely be combined with the consolidated master case filed in 2003. Is it possible to leave the psychological effect on the children out, not really! The attacks were regarded by some as particularly disturbing to children, in part because of the frequency with which the images were replayed on television. Many schools closed early, especially those with children whose parents worked in Washington, D.C. and NYC. In Sarasota, Florida, Emma E. Booker Elementary School became a part of history because President George W. Bush was reading to a classroom of children when the attacks happened.
When asked for her thoughts on the attacks, the then first lady, Laura Bush, a former school librarian, gave a very strong warning to parents: don't let your children see the pictures over and over, especially with young children, but even elementary school-aged children shouldn't be watching it all the time. She felt it was too frightening for them and warned parents to turn off the televisions so that children don't see the replays over and over. She gave the warning based on how children reacted to the Oklahoma City bombing. She also composed open letters to children, which she distributed through state education officials. A "Dear Students" letter went to middle and high school students, while elementary school students received one beginning "Dear Children". Its nine years now, yet the world can’t let go. What happened to forgiveness, may be the word has also undergone so much evolution, it has degenerated. I pray we learn to forgive and share our grievances in a more acceptable way.

Drugs and Your Health

Drugs essentially are poisons. The degree they are taken determines the effect. A small amount gives a stimulant (increases activity). A greater amount acts as a sedative (suppresses activity). A larger amount acts as a poison and can kill one.
This is true of any drug. Each requires a different amount.
Caffeine is a drug, so coffee is an example. One hundred cups of coffee would probably kill a person. Ten cups would probably put him to sleep. Two or three cups stimulates. This is a very common drug. It is not very harmful as it takes so much of it to have an effect. So it is known as a stimulant.
Arsenic is known as a poison. Yet a tiny amount of arsenic is a stimulant, a good-sized dose puts one to sleep and a few grains kills one.
But there are many drugs which have another liability: they directly affect the mind.
In order to have a good understanding of the mental effects of drugs, it is necessary to know something about what the mind is. The mind is not a brain. It is the accumulated recordings of thoughts, conclusions, decisions, observations and perceptions of a person throughout his entire existence. Are you struggling with a drug problem that’s spiraled out of control? If so, you may feel isolated, helpless, or ashamed. Or perhaps you’re worried about a friend or family member’s drug use. In either case, you’re not alone. Addiction is a problem that many people face.
The path to drug addiction starts with experimentation. You or your loved one may have tried drugs out of curiosity, because friends were doing it, or in an effort to erase another problem. At first, the substance seems to solve the problem or make life better, so you use the drug more and more.
But as the addiction progresses, getting and using the drug becomes more and more important and your ability to stop using is compromised. What begins as a voluntary choice turns into a physical and psychological need. The good news is that drug addiction is treatable. With treatment and support, you can counteract the disruptive effects of addiction and regain control of your life.