September 28, 2006 Thursday Ramazan 4, 1427

KARACHI: Turn off TV, turn on life

KARACHI, Sept 27: In our part of the world television is considered as a source of enjoying life, while in the developed countries including the USA dozens of groups are seeing the television as a big time waster and urging citizens to turn off television and start enjoying life.

It is said that television cuts into family time, harms children's ability to read and succeed in school, and contributes to unhealthy lifestyles and obesity.

The TV turnoff network (formerly TV-Free America) is among those organisations that try to encourage children and adults to watch less television and so have more time for a healthier life and more community participation.

Founded in 1994, the TV-Turnoff Network is dedicated to the belief that we all have the power to determine the role that television plays in our own lives. Rather than waiting for others to make �better� TV, we can turn it off and reclaim time for our families, our friends, and for ourselves. The TV-Turnoff Network has helped millions of people do just that. Their two primary programs 'TV-Turnoff Week' and 'More Reading, Less TV' has helped people, especially children, to turn off TV and turn on life.

Its grassroots project is TV-Turnoff Week, and its popularity could be gauged from the fact that since 1995, more than 24 million people have participated in TV-Turnoff Week.

Its 'More Reading, Less TV' is a four-week programme that helps elementary school teachers motivate their students to put down their remote controls and pick up books instead. More than 30,000 students nationwide have benefited from this programme.

It is said that the programme improves students' reading habits and their attitudes toward reading, especially among those who identify themselves as poor readers. Students watch less television, read more, and participate in more screen-free activities than before.

A multi-day TV �fast� allows sufficient time for the development of habits likely to be more productive and rewarding.

It is recommended to indulge into positive and healthy activities than to waste one's time sitting passively before the tube.

Such alternate activities especially for kids could include: Volunteer in a school to teach reading, maths, computer skills; learn to play the guitar or other musical instruments; attend community programmes; organize a community clean-up; put together a puzzle; visit the library, borrow a book, attend library activities; listen to the radio; visit the zoo; paint a picture, a mural or a room; attend a high school sporting event; go swimming; read a book aloud to your younger sister/brother; plan a picnic or barbecue; go bird watching; volunteer for a community organisation or charity; play with your pet; write a letter to a friend or relative; learn to cook; plant a flower, vegetable or herb garden; read magazines or newspapers; start a neighbourhood cricket, soccer, or hockey game; go through your closets and clothes.�PPI

 

Subject: Satan's temptations
SATAN'S TEMPTATIONS

In the beginning God covered the earth with broccoli,
cauliflower and spinach, with green, yellow and red
vegetables of all kinds so Man and Woman would live
long and healthy lives.

Then using God's bountiful gifts,
Satan created Dairy Ice Cream and Magnums.

And Satan said "You want hot fudge with that?
And Man said "Yes!"

And Woman said "I'll have one too with chocolate chips".
And so they gained 10 pounds.

And God created the healthy yoghurt that Woman
might keep the figure that Man found so fair.

And Satan brought forth white flour from the
wheat and sugar from the cane and combined them.

And Woman went from size 12 to size 14.
So God said "Try my fresh green salad".

And Satan presented Blue Cheese dressing and garlic croutons on the side.
And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said "I have sent you healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them".

And Satan brought forth deep fried coconut king prawns,
butter-dipped lobster chunks and chicken fried steak, so big it needed its own platter.

And Man's cholesterol went through the roof.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with potassium and good nutrition.

Then Satan peeled off the healthy skin and sliced
the starchy centre into chips and deep fried them in animal fats adding copious quantities of salt.

And Man put on more pounds.

God then brought forth running shoes so that his Children might lose those extra pounds.

And Satan came forth with a cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels.

And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering
light and started wearing stretch jogging suits.

Then God gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite.

And Satan created McDonalds and the 99p double cheeseburger.
Then Satan said "You want fries with that?"
and Man replied "Yes, And extra large size please".

And Satan said "It is good."

And Man and Woman went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple by-pass surgery.

And then . Satan chuckled and created the National Health Service.

THE FINAL WORD ON NUTRITION

After an exhaustive review of the research literature,
here's the final word on nutrition and health.:

1. Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks
than us.
2. Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than
us.
3. Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart
attacks than us.
4. Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer
heart attacks than us.
5. Germans drink beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer
fewer heart attacks than us.

CONCLUSION:
Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
Best wishes and happy eating......of course after 'iftari'
 

http://www.sensei-international.com Listen to the interview of Omar Khan on the Interview on Landed FM at bottom of opening page ... jj
 

Results of the second positive story competition
1st Prize Winners � 1000 AED
Mohammad Ayub + Alfonso + Pasha + Mureed Abbas (Story 12+ 17)
2nd Prize Winners- 500 AED each
Asghar (Story #9), Umar. Khalid Officiating ABM (UET) (Story # 6), mtiaz Ahmed (Story # 3)
3rd prize winners - 250 AED each
Yaqoob Patel (story # 1) , Mohammad Yousuf (story # 13),, Syed Saeed (story # 14) Tariq Mahmood (story # 10) Khawar (Story #16)