Olivia Munn Exposes Never-Before-Seen Footage on Chinese Fur Farms

Be a vegetarian... Let animals be free... Become an animal lover

In my personal view I believe that every creature has a right to live. We as a human being don't have a right to end   others lives including animals & fish. To have a healthy life we do not need to have animal flesh. All the proteins & fat we get from animal flesh can also be obtained from the vegetables & serials. Let the death & the birth of all creatures, be decided by the nature. This theory is unique for all, irrespective of any religion

Did you know that the below famous personnel are vegetarians ?

• Abraham Lincoln, former President of the United States
• Amitabh Bachchan, Indian celebrity superstar
• Brad Pitt, actor 
• Bryan Adams, singer and songwriter
• Jackie Chan, Hong Kong action actor & martial artist
• Paul McCartney, musician, singer and songwriter, Beatles guitarist 
• Naomi Watts, actress 
• Michael Jackson, singer and The King of Pop
• Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian painter and inventor 
• Leo Tolstoy, Russian writer and philosopher 
• Kate Winslet, actress (Tatanic movie actress)
• Kareena Kapoor, actress 
• John Lennon, Beatles singer and songwriter 
• John Abraham, actor Bollywood  
• Chinthana Vidanage, Sri Lankan Weight lifter
• Greg Chappell, Former Australian cricket captain

Also there are hundreds of genuine reasons to switch to a plant-based diet; here are the best .

1 You'll live a lot longer. Vegetarians live about seven years longer, and vegans (who eat no animal products) about 15 years longer than meat eaters, according to a study from Loma Linda University. These findings are backed up by the China Health Project (the largest population study on diet and health to date), 

2 You'll save your heart. Cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer in the United States, and the standard American diet (SAD) that's laden with saturated fat and cholesterol from meat and dairy is largely to blame. Children as young as age 3 who are raised on fast food and junk food show early signs of heart disease, 

3 You'll reduce your risk of cancer. A study in The International Journal of Cancer concluded that red meat is strongly associated with breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute says that women who eat meat every day are nearly four times more likely to get breast cancer than those who don't. 

4 You'll fit into your old jeans. On average, vegetarians are slimmer than meat eaters, and when we diet, we keep the weight off up to seven years longer. 

5 You'll give your body a spring cleaning. Giving up meat helps purge the body of toxins (pesticides, environmental pollutants, preservatives) that overload our systems and cause illness. When people begin formal detoxification programs, their first step is to replace meats and dairy products with fruits and vegetables and juices. 

6 Your bones will last longer. The average bone loss for a vegetarian woman at age 65 is 18 percent; for non-vegetarian women, it's double that. Researchers attribute this to the consumption of excess protein--the average meat-eating American woman eats 144 percent over the recommended daily allowance; the average man eats 175 percent more. Excess protein interferes with the absorption and retention of calcium and actually prompts the body to excrete calcium, laying the ground for the brittle bone disease osteoporosis.

7 You'll protect yourself from food-borne illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that among Americans, there were approximately 80 million incidences of food-borne illness a year--resulting in 9,000 deaths. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, 25 percent of all chicken sold in the United States carries salmonella bacteria and, the CDC estimates, 70 percent to 90 percent of chickens contain the bacteria campy-lobacter (some strains of which are antibiotic-resistant), approximately 5 percent of cows carry the lethal strain of E. coli O157:H7 (which causes virulent diseases and death), and 30 percent of pigs slaughtered each year for food are infected with toxoplasmosis (caused by parasites). 

8 You may get rid of your back problems. "Back pain appears to begin, not in the back, but in the arteries,"  Eating a plant-based diet keeps these arteries clear of cholesterol-causing blockages to help maintain a healthy back.

9 You'll be more "regular." Eating a lot of vegetables necessarily means consuming fiber, which pushes waste out of the body. Meat contains no fiber. Studies done at Harvard and Brigham Women's Hospital found that people who ate a high-fiber diet had a 42 percent lower risk of diverticulitis. People who eat lower on the food chain also tend to have fewer incidences of constipation, hemorrhoids and spastic colon.

10 You'll cool those hot flashes. Plants, grains and legumes--especially soy--contain phytoestrogens that are believed to balance fluctuating hormones, so vegetarian women tend to go through menopause with fewer complaints of sleep problems, hot flashes, fatigue, mood swings, weight gain, depression and a diminished sex drive.

11 You'll preserve our fish population. Because of our voracious appetite for fish, 39 percent of the oceans' fish species are over harvested, and the Food & Agriculture Organization reports that 11 of 15 of the world's major fishing grounds have become depleted.

12 Going vegetarian is very easy to do. Vegetarian cooking has never been so simple. Supermarkets carry packaged convenience foods like tofu hot dogs, veggie burgers and soy yogurt, milk and cheeses. There's greater availability of vegetarian options in mall and arena food courts. Many more restaurants specializing in vegetarian food have opened, and others have added "veg-friendly" dishes to their menus. Even traditional fast food chains now offer salads, veggie burritos and vegetarian pizza

Some times I get in to arguments that the meat / fish / animal products which people used to buy from the super market or butcher are already processed or killed, therefore the buyer haven't involved in the slaughter process. Let’s be logical; first of the five precepts a Buddhist should observe is, ‘not taking others’ lives’. Even if it was not us who had killed the being, of whose flesh we ate, we cannot avoid the fact that we have encouraged its killing. If we stop eating the flesh of other animals, the killing of those animals too would stop. If No demand, there will not be any supply....One cannot do loving kindness (“Maithree“) meditation if he eats others’ flesh. How could one wish for health, happiness and well-being of others while eating them ? We do not keep human dead bodies at homes. So, why should we make our stomachs cemeteries where dead bodies are buried?

There are many more arguments about the vegetarianism & also there will be some more about this article. But still I am happy that I do not contribute my self for any animal slaughter. I would be definitely more happier if I could make a animal lover through this article

* Special thanks to www.thebuddhism.net & all the animal right organizations for acting & making voice on behalf of animals

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Experienced the World War II in "Fort Siloso"

Entrance to Fort Siloso

Watch tower

Fort Siloso , A artillery fortress situated at Sentosa island in Singapore.

Built in  1880s as part of a ring of British fortresses guarding Singapore harbour, Fort Siloso is the sole surviving coastal fort.

Life size wax models

It This was the best Military Coastal Fort Museum Exhibit I have ever seen. Life size wax work models of soldiers were amazing. During the travel in Fortress we could hear British martial music playing and voices of officers and sounds of soldiers' boots foot steps.        

US Green Card (DV-2011) Results released - 4 winners from Maldives & 515 winners from Sri Lanka

Diversity Visa Lottery 2011 (DV-2011) Results - 4 winners from Maldives & 515 wionners from Sri Lanka
The Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky has registered and notified the winners of the DV-2011 diversity lottery. The diversity lottery was conducted under the terms of section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and makes available *50,000 permanent resident visas annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Approximately 100,600 applicants have been registered and notified and may now make an application for an immigrant visa. Since it is likely that some of the first *50,000 persons registered will not pursue their cases to visa issuance, this larger figure should insure that all DV-2011 numbers will be used during fiscal year 2011 (October 1, 2010 until September 30, 2011).

Applicants registered for the DV-2011 program were selected at random from over 12.1 million qualified entries (16.5 million with derivatives) received during the 60-day application period that ran from noon on October 2, 2009, until noon, November 30, 2009. The visas have been apportioned among six geographic regions with a maximum of seven percent available to persons born in any single country. During the visa interview, principal applicants must provide proof of a high school education or its equivalent, or show two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience within the past five years. Those selected will need to act on their immigrant visa applications quickly. Applicants should follow the instructions in their notification letter and must fully complete the information requested.

Only participants in the DV-2011 program who were selected for further processing have been notified. Those who have not received notification were not selected. They may try for the upcoming DV-2012 lottery if they wish. The dates for the registration period for the DV-2012 lottery program will be widely publicized during August 2010.

* The Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) passed by Congress in November 1997 stipulated that up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually-allocated diversity visas be made available for use under the NACARA program. The reduction of the limit of available visas to 50,000 began with DV-2000.

It is noted that this time there were 4 people from Republic of Maldives & 515 people from Sri Lanka were selected as DV 2011 winners. The highest number of winners were from Nigeria (6000 winners) & the 2nd & 3rd highest number of winners were from Bangladesh (5999 Winners) & Ethiopia (5200 winners)


Natives of the following countries were not eligible to participate in DV-2011: Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born, excluding Hong Kong S.A.R. and Taiwan), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.

Solar Eclipse - 15th January 2010

The longest lasting annular solar eclipse of this millennium occured today. It was the longest annular eclipse until the year 3043. It is not only the longest Annular eclipse, but also the longest solar eclipse for the next ten centuries, meaning you will not see another such eclipse for the next 1,033 years A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring Earth's view of the Sun. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun, causing the sun to look like an annulus (ring), blocking most of the Sun's light. An annular eclipse will appear as partial eclipse over a region thousands of kilometres wide. This is the longest annular solar eclipse of the millennium, and the longest until December 23, 3043, with a maximum length of 11 mins and 7.8 seconds. (The solar eclipse of January 4, 1992 was longer, at 11 minutes, 41 seconds, occuring in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.) It was visible as a partial eclipse in much of Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It was seen as annular within a narrow stretch of 300 km width across Central Africa, Maldives, South Kerala (India), South Tamil Nadu (India), North Sri Lanka, parts of Burma and parts of China. The eclipse started at the Central African Republic, traverses Cameroon, Congo and Uganda, passes through Nairobi, Kenya, and enters the Indian Ocean and reaches its greatest eclipse. After that it entered Maldives, where it would be the longest on land with 10.8 minutes of viewing. This made the tiny islands of Maldives the best spot for viewing this eclipse from land. The annular Eclipse at Male', the capital city of Maldives started at 12:20:20 hrs and ended 12:30:06 hrs Maldives local time . This is also the longest duration of any city having an international airport in the eclipse track. Maldives Science Society hosted an eclipse viewing gathering for those who love eclipse viewing. MSS reserved 50 eclipse glasses for the viewers to share. Also during this time MSS demonstrated on building a pinhole projector and keept a bigger pinhole projector for all to view the eclipse at ease. At approx 13:20 Hrs, the annular solar eclipse entered India at (Trivandrum), Kerala and exits India at Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu

Maldives Victory day - 3rd November

The Maldives’ Victory Day is centered on the day that a terrorist group from Sri Lanka attacked the Maldives government on November 3, 1988. They attempted to overthrow the government, but failed and fled the country, hence the celebration.

The Maldives is an island in the Indian ocean consisting on 19 atolls made up of more than 2,000 coral islands southwest of Sri Lanka. The Maldives islands were colonized more the 800 years ago and became a self-governing British protectorate in 1887 and achieved independence in 1965. Maldives is one of the world’s poorest countries, but that is slowly changing because of the increasing number of tourists that make the Maldives their vacation destination. Maldives has a very small population of around 370,000.
History of the Maldives’ Victory Day

Since 1965, the Maldives have been independent and free from foreign rule. However, the coup attempt in the Maldives in November 1988 was one of the most perilous times in the country’s history. Many people were caught in the crossfire and many lives were lost. The act of treason was committed by a few treacherous Maldivians who threatened the country’s independence. Called on by the government of the Maldives, India provided swift and decisive aid to supress the coup. It is said that eight soldiers and eleven civilians died on that day.

Maldives holds world's first underwater Cabinet meeting

President of Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed and 11 cabinet ministers donned scuba gear and submerged 4 meters below the surface of sea to hold the world's first underwater cabinet meeting, in a bid to push for a stronger climate change agreement in the upcoming climate summit in Copenhagen.

“We are trying to send our message to let the world know what is happening and what will happen to the Maldives if climate change isn't checked” said President Nasheed, speaking to the press as soon as he resurfaced from underwater.

“What we are trying to make people realize is that the Maldives is a frontline state. This is not merely an issue for the Maldives but for the world. If we can't save the Maldives today, you can't save the rest of the world tomorrow”, said President Nasheed further.

During the 30-minute meeting held in the turquoise lagoon off Girifushi Island, with a backdrop of corals, the President, the Vice President and eleven other Cabinet ministers signed a resolution calling for global cuts in carbon emissions.

President Nasheed and the ministers used a waterproof pencils to sign the declaration, 'SOS from the frontline', printed on a white plastic slate, to be presented before the landmark UN climate summit in Copenhagen in December.

“Climate change is happening and it threatens the rights and security of everyone on Earth” the SOS message said. The SOS, endorsed by the cabinet, further called for people to “unite in global effort to halt further temperature rises, by slashing carbon dioxide emissions to a safe level of 350 parts per million”.

The Maldives is calling for an agreement at Copenhagen that will help reduce carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere to no more than 350 part per million. This would require a 40 per cent global reduction in green house gas emissions by 2020 from 1990 levels.

When asked what would happen if Copenhagen fails, the President said that “we are all going to die”. However, he said the Maldives would be the first country to adopt any amicable climate agreement that comes through Copenhagen.

In March this year President Nasheed announced that the Maldives would be the first country in the world to go carbon neutral, and the Maldives would achieve the target by 2020.

President Nasheed, who is an influential voice on climate change, is a certified open water diver, while other ministers took diving lessons recent weeks.

After the dive, signed wet suits of the President and the ministers will be auctioned on www.protectmaldives.com.mv to raise funds for coral reef protection in the Maldives.

Wushu at Maldives

Wushu Federation Maldives invites young boys & girls for WUSHU training - Classes will be started in 1st week of October at Male' social centre - for more information call 7787750 / 7894400 / 7501396
http://www.wushumaldives.org

WUSHU Introduced to Maldives

Wushu, Literally means Martial(Wu) Art (Shu) was sucessfully introduced to Republic of Maldives by Sri lanka Wushu Federation (www.wushu.lk). Initially "Sanshou" will be trained at "Maldives Wushu Federation" (www.wushumaldives.org) & later "Taolu" will be trained

Lions Vs Tigers

Lions Vs Tigers (Extracted from Thesara Jayawardena's article)

Sri Lankan Civil War is what we call the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka, since 23rd July 1983.The on-and-off civil war is between the Sri Lankan government and the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers, is a separatist armed organization which fights for the creation of an independent state named Tamil Eelam in the north and the east of Sri Lanka.Named as world's deadliest group of guerrilla fighters, LTTE has caused significant danger to the population, environment and the economy of Sri Lanka.Nearly 100,000 people have been officially listed as killed in the war since 1983. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is an organization banned as a terrorist organization in 32 countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada and the member nations of the European Union.

After almost 20 years of fighting and failing three times at peace talks, including the time when Indian Army operated a peacekeeping force from 1987 to 1990, another cease-fire agreement was declared in December 2001. This was followed by a ceasefire agreement signed with international intercession in 2002.

By the end of 2005 conflict between LTTE & the SL Government began to rise until the government launched a number of major military attacks against the LTTE beginning in July 2006. The Sri Lankan military forces were successful in driving the LTTE out of the entire Eastern province of the island.

In 2007, Sri Lanka Military forced extended their attacks to the north of the country. The withdrawal from the ceasefire agreement was formally announced on
2nd January 2008. The Sri Lankan Government pointed out that the LTTE violated the agreement over 10,000 times.

Since then, the Sri Lankan Government took control over almost the entire territory previously controlled by the Tamil Tigers, including their capital Kilinochchi, main military base Mullaitivu and the entire A9 highway.

The fate of civilians trapped in the 'no-fire zone' became a major concern for the international community at this stage of war. On 22nd April 2009, the UN Security Council has called on Tamil Tiger rebels to lay down their arms and let the UN help evacuate civilians from the war zone.

On 17th May 2009, the Sri Lankan Army reported that all civilians had escaped from the warzone, freeing up the military to finish off the rebel forces and leading the Honorable President Mahinda Rajapakshe to declare military victory.

Sri Lankan troops raced to clear the last LTTE pockets of resistance.As the last LTTE strong-points collapsed, Sri Lankan troops killed 70 rebels attempting to escape by boat. Several Important LTTE commanders committed suicide. Upon hearing news of the Sri Lankan victory, people celebrated all around the country. After 26 years of fighting the separatists, the war had been won by the Sri Lankan Government.

The LTTE finally admitted defeat on 17th May 2009, with the rebels' chief of international relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, stating on the website that "This battle has reached its bitter end ... We have decided to silence our guns. Our only regrets are for the lives lost and that we could not hold out for longer"

Today, 18th May 2009 The Sri Lanka Army forces confirmed, the leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran, was shot dead in the morning.

Some nice sceneries

These are the scenes around the Maldives Airport sea area. You can see different colours in sea water. The Video shows a recording done in deep sea while I was in Submarine tour.

A Political change in Maldives

Yesterday the second round of the Maldives presidential election was held & today morning the provisional result were released by ending a 30 years of earlier president's government. Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (DR Party) was the president in Maldives for past 30 years. The results of the second round of the presidential elections held in Male' on Tuesday (28th Oct) showed that the "Maldives Democratic Party" (MDP) alliance's candidate Mr. Mohamed Nasheed ( Anni )had emerged as the clear winner of the election.

Went to "Kuda Bandos"

Last saturday went to "Kuda Bandos" for a Team building exercise. Its a nice island covered by some trees & bushes.

45 minutes in a Submarine

Day before yesterday got a chance to go on a Submarine. It was a public holiday for Maldives. So around 4PM got in to a Dhoni boat to go to the submarine located in the mid of the sea. Though it was a rainy day the deep see was so silence. Took some rare photographs & some videos

Great experience - Sea journey

Today is the 6th year anniversary of my company. It was celebrated in mid of the sea. Around 5.30PM we got in to the yacht "sultans 001" . It was a great experience for me, as this is the first time I traveled in a yacht. Around 7.30 PM we returned to Male' by yacht "006" .

Almost two months in the Maldives

It has been almost two months in the Maldives now. I'm staying in Male', the capital & commercial city of the Maldives . This is a oval shape small island, a nice country surrounded by a see. Maldivians speak a language called "Dhivehi" which is a mixture of Sinhala, Hindi, Tamil & some other asian languages.The official currency is "Rufia" . Fiday is a public holiday & officially 6 working days per week.