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Sunday, October 21, 2007

Sites for Islamic images and pictures

From a long age, I wanted to collect all links and resources about Islamic sites, miracle pictures, Islamic blogs, and Islam related stuff. Allah has fulfilled my wish, and now I am saving all my book mark sites, links, images at this blog to share with all. I love Arabic calligraphy and I love to draw Islamic pictures with calligraphic verses.

Here are some links and few pictures. I would be updating these posts, as I get new and more links and resources.
Islamic Finder has a good collection of pictures, which can be used as e-card also.

I liked the page with miracle pictures: Miracle pictures

Another site with miracle pictures is: Miracles of Islam To my knowledge they have the largest collection of authentic Islamic miracle pictures. You can subscribe there by entering you e-mail, to get updates at your inbox.
They say:
"This site provides you with access to Internet's largest collection of Islamic miracle pictures. Our goal and intention is not to prove Islam using these pictures, but to show the world that Allah's signs are visible all around."

Few pictures:




MOre sites with miracle pictures:

Pictures at Al-Iman

Note: This article and more article links would be updated as I get more links.

This is Truth- for the seekers of truth!

For the truth seekers, This is Truth is in fact a web version of a book, prepared by Abdullah M. Al-Rehaili. Brother Al-Rehaili compiled this book by transcribing a televised series by Dr. Abdul-Majeed Al-Zindani which is now on videotape.

The book shows recent scientific research, linking to Quranic verses.

In Truth seeker section of the site, importance of seeking truth is explained in a very clear way:

"Islam teaches that our Creator has given human beings the faculty of reason. Therefore, it is incumbent upon them to reason things out objectively and systematically for themselves to ponder, to question and to reflect.

Nobody should press you to make a hasty decision to accept any of the teachings of Islam, for Islam teaches that human beings should be given the freedom to choose. Even when a person is faced with the truth, there is no compulsion upon him to embrace it.

But before you begin to form an opinion about Islam, ask yourself whether your existing knowledge about it is thorough enough. Ask yourself whether that knowledge has been obtained through third party sources who themselves have probably been exposed to only random glimpses of Islamic writings and have yet to reason out on Islam objectively and systematically themselves.

Is it fair enough that one should form an opinion about the taste of a particular dish just by a mere hearsay from others who may themselves have not necessarily tasted the dish yet?

Similarly you should find out for yourself about Islam from reliable sources and not only taste it, but rather digest it very well before you form an opinion of it. That would be an intellectual approach to the truth.

In making your next move to the truth, Islam continually reassures you that your rights to freedom of choice and freedom to use that God-given faculty of thought and reason will be respected, for everyone has that individual will. No one else can take away that will and force you to submit to the true way of your Creator, you have to find out and make that decision yourself!"


What is this book about?

"The contents of this book were originally presented in the form videotape, in which several meetings and dialogues were conducted with well-known scientists in different fields of science. This was done to examine the scientific facts mentioned in several Qur'aanic verses, and to highlight the fact that the religion of Islam encourages science and the acquisition of knowledge with absolutely no contradiction between the Qur'aanic revelation and the scientific facts.

The scientists who participated in these dialogues were all non-Muslims, most of whom were explaining some scientific facts which they have realized only very recently and after several years of research and study. When they were told that what they have just discovered recently was already referred to either directly or indirectly in the Holy Qur'aan more than 1400 years ago, they showed a great deal of astonishment. Their comments were varied, but almost all of them confessed that this Qur'aan could not have come from any human or ordinary source. Indeed, some of them were convinced and have affirmed that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a messenger from Allah, to the point that one of them even embraced Islam by declaring the Islamic creed otherwise known as the "Shahaadah" and thus became a Muslim.

When those experts and authorities of science acclaim these facts, they actually demonstrate a proof of the truthfulness of Islam in front of their fellow scholars and to those endowed with less knowledge among their own people. They are actually opening closed doors and paving the road to the true faith in Allah, the Lord of the universe. What then, is the excuse of those who turn away from faith after these proofs and the testimonies of those scientists?"


As This is Truth is a web version of the said book, the site gives links many topics, including:

* What is Islam
* Quran
* Muhammad
* Islam and Science
* Modern Science
* Truth Seeker

More topics start from creation of man, human body, origin of earth, seas & oceans,astronomy etc. Site is easy to navigate and you can get printer friendly pages to print out the articles and pictures.

May our intellectual journey towards the truth be a pleasant and fruitful one... Amen

Saturday, October 20, 2007

How addiction of Watching TV is affecting our lives?

This is a fact that we spend a large amount of our lives watching T.V. And beside work, sleep and eating, main activity of our life revolves around T.V programmes.

But how much time of our life, we are watching TV?
* An opinion of a participant at a message board:
"According to the TV Turn Off Network (formerly TV-Free America) people watch an average of 4 hours and 35 minutes a day. If you watch just 4 hours of television every day (not an outlandish estimate), and live to be 70, it will amount to 11.6 years of continuous television watching."
Link:We spend 11 years our lives

How much T.V is effecting our health,lives, cultures, latest studies show a clear picture of it.

As to a report where watching T.V is considered "Electric Herion" and is called a serious addiction. And effects of this addiction are analyzed very clearly here:

"Not unlike drugs or alcohol, the television experience allows the participant to blot out the real world and enter into a pleasurable and passive mental state. The worries and anxieties of reality are as effectively deferred by becoming absorbed in a television program as by going on a 'trip' induced by drugs or alcohol. And just as alcoholics are only vaguely aware of their addiction, feeling that they control their drinking more than they really do ('I can cut it out any time I want—I just like to have three of four drinks before dinner'), people similarly overestimate their control over television watching. Even as they put off other activities to spend hour after hour watching television, they feel they could easily resume living in a different, less passive style. But somehow or other, while the television set is present in their homes, the click doesn't sound. With television pleasures available, those other experiences seem less attractive, more difficult somehow.
"Finally it is the adverse effect of television viewing on the lives of so many people that defines it as a serious addiction. The television habit distorts the sense of time. It renders other experiences vague and curiously unreal while taking on a greater reality for itself. It weakens relationships by reducing and sometimes eliminating normal opportunities for talking, for communicating." [p.p. 23-25, Marie Winn, THE PLUG IN DRUG; Penguin, 1977. ISBN - 0-14-007698-0]


Washington Post, Terence McKenna's FOOD OF THE GODS says, "television is emotionally equivalent to electronic heroin"

Link for the article: Report

I have given more information about how TV affects our brain at one of my article:
You-watch-tv-to-turn-your-brain-off/

More articles:

- Why-You-Want-to-Keep-Your-Baby-Away-From-the-TV--12053.aspx

- tv-is-not-the-truth-even-if-you-think-it-is.htm

- parents_arent_limiting_kids_tv_media_time

- tv-does-more-damage-to-your-children-than-you-ever-imagined.htm

- tv_be_gone.htm

- TV and Games Linked to Antisocial Behavior

* The children's communication charity I CAN has conducted further research to find out why language skills are declining.
Its poll of 1,000 Britons suggests that parents are so caught up with their daily routines - including TV viewing - they are neglecting to find time to chatter to their children.
According to the survey, a third of parents spend less than two hours a day engaged in conversation with their children.
However 38 per cent spend more than two hours a day in front of the television and 47 per cent spend at least two hours on domestic duties.
The findings sparked warnings that busy parents are failing to realise the importance of conversation in the home.
Scientific studies have shown that talking to children, especially under-fives, is crucial for brain development.

Article link: 'Parents spend more time watching TV than talking to their children'

* A site dedicated for screen time awareness( About turning off the TV): TV Turn Off

Few words about the site:
"Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness( TV Turn Off.org) provides information so people can live healthier lives in functional families in vibrant communities by taking control of the electronic media in their lives, not allowing it to control them."

*Mark Stibich, PhD, is a behavior change expert, over 10 years of experience in helping individuals make health changes and increase their wellness. His opinion about watching tv:

From Mark Stibich, Ph.D.,
1. Television Eats Your Time
2. Television Makes You Stressed
3. Television Makes You Overweight
4. Television Makes You Uninteresting
5. Television Ruins Your Relationships
6. Television is Not Relaxation
7. Television Loses Opportunities
8. Television is Addictive

Television can become addictive. Signs of TV addiction include:
-using the TV to calm down
-not being able to control your viewing
-feeling angry or disappointed in how much TV you watch
-feeling on edge if kept from watching
-feeling a loss of control while watching
9. Television Makes You Buy Things
10. Television Costs Money

Article link: Turn off TV

* A parents suggestion to limit watching tv

Friday, October 19, 2007

Ready Web-- A resource for parents and educators

A very impressive and easy to navigate site "
Ready Web"
is an electronic collection of resources for early childhood and school rediness. So for parents and teachers this site is a valuable source of inforamation, research based studies, tips and advices.

Founded at: December 9, 2006

ReadyWeb provides a Virtual Library of the full text of documents and articles, and hyperlinks to documents and articles, on various topics related to school readiness.
"ReadyWeb" also provides bibliographies of documents and journal articles from the ERIC database.

Link to virtual library where you can find 4 catagories:
1-Tips for Parents

2-Research, Statistics, and Definitions

3-Getting Schools Ready for Children

4-Public Policy Issues and Initiatives

Virtual library
For parents: There is a long list of articles which take you to other sites or information sources.

Check here: Tips for Parents

I am giving here few article links, rest of the articles, or research reports are also a source of information.

** Tips to Help Children Adjust for both parents and teachers

** Preventing Reading Difficulties Before Kindergarten

ReadyWeb is a project of the Early Childhood and Parenting (ECAP) Collaborative, College of Education, at the University of Illinois.

It was originally funded, at least in part, with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences.

Achievements:
* ReadyWeb has been awarded the Parenting Q&A Seal of Approval.
* ReadyWeb has received the LookSmart Editor's Choice award.
* ReadyWeb has been rated in the Top 5% of all Web sites by Lycos.
* ReadyWeb has received the
* "RECOGNIZED BY 4therapy.com AWARD" as a Web site that provides a useful public service to consumers and/or professionals seeking information on the Internet.
* ReadyWeb was featured in the July 20-September 20, 2004, issue of Parents' Source as a great resource for the whole family!

A beautiful site for parents and teachers!


This is one of my favourite sites, which provides free learning and reading skill guide for parents and teachers. Kids can also enjoy the stories and other activities at the site.

"Their mission is helping parents and teachers build children's learning skills."

This site was launched on October 31, 1995.

* Chateau Meddybemps is named as one of the seven best language arts sites for elementary teachers.
More achievements:

* An average of more than 64,000 unique visitors view the site during typical months. Just under 200,000 visited during October. The numbers also jump around Easter. That's a lot of children, not counting the parents, siblings or teachers looking over their shoulders.

* The site is well respected by parents and educatiors. Close to 6,000 other sites (many from far corners of the world) provide links to meddybemps.com.

* Reviewers for the International Reading Association (IRA) named Chateau Meddybemps the third best phonics site for children. A book called 101 Best Sites for Elementary Teachers placed our site among the top seven language arts sites.

http://www.meddybemps.com/aboutmission.html

Purpose of this site: (In their own words)
"Chateau Meddybemps was created for two reasons:

1. (The serious reason) To enable parents and teachers to help young children strengthen learning skills in unique and playful ways.

Rather than provide level after level of a particular type of activity, we simply encourage parents to use our site to explore the fun in learning. Discuss this. Play with that. Answer a riddle. Learn about letters of the alphabet. Count, color and create. Write a story.

In all these activities, skills overlap. A child builds self-confidence, develops new abilities and enjoys learning.

By using this site, you can participate, guide and share in the pleasures of discovery. By following this model, you can build skills using all sorts of materials in your child's environment. You will also strengthen the bond between you by sharing experiences.
We recommend that you read the Parent's Guide or Teacher's Guide. These guides:
1. Explain how children learn
2. Describe the sequence of skills development
3. Compare a variety of skill-building tools
4. Tell you how to make learning fun
When you have appropriate expectations, working with your child will be a rewarding experience for both of you. Building skills takes time, but you will see progress and your child will be much more likely to succeed in school.

2. (The playful reason) To share the characters and stories of the island of Meddybemps - because they're just too much fun to keep all to ourselves."


Bed time stories link: Bed time stories

Teacher's guide:
Teacher's Guide Topics:
* Use Language
* Listen
* Write
* Read
* Develop Social Skills
* Think
* Develop an Understanding of Math Concepts
Teacher's guide

Parent's guide:
Parent's guide

Few useful posts for teachers, parents and kids!

It is a collection of useful posts and links for every teacher,parent and kids.
I have plan to add more links and posts, so please check often this blog for more useful stuff.

** keep-your-kids-protected-online/

** food-for-thought-seeds-of-wisdom/

** How-to-keep-our-children-protected-online/

** come-and-read-a-parable/

** You-watch-tv-to-turn-your-brain-off/

** Review-of-an-interesting-and-inspirational-site-the-truth-campaign/

** Review-of-a-site-giving-you-advice-on-good-habits-zen-habits/

** Do-you-have-a-trouble-tree?/ (I think everybody should have it!)

** Are-you-happy-with-your-life?/

** Change-our-world-for-the-better/

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Few interesting sites for parents and kids

For some great tools to work with your children on being good neighbors and getting along with others.
National Georaphic's websites:

http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/games.html

Get tools and tips for parents http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/parents_welcome.html

Find classroom resources for educators http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/educators_welcome.html

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Useful links for online safety !

According to an estimate as low as 2% of the world population regularly accesses the internet. And as Internet World Stats says that according to September 30, 2007 stats, 1,244 billion poeple use the internet. Mostly internet is used for many purposes. People use chat, messaging and email to make and stay in touch with friends worldwide, sometimes in the same way as some previously had pen pals. Social networking Web sites like Myspace and Facebook many others like them also put and keep people in contact for their enjoyment. Many use the World Wide Web to access news, weather and sports reports, to plan and book holidays and to find out more about their random ideas and casual interests. Many use the Internet to access and download music, movies and other works for their enjoyment and relaxation.

To know more about internet, chech the Wikipedia page.

But how to use intenet safely?

There are many sources and links which provide information about safe internet use. Like as:

1- Cyber Law Enforcement.org is a network of law enforcement officers, who specialize in cybercrime investigation, training other law enforcement officers and who assist cybercrime victims online.

Their tipline handles child pornography, cyberstalking and missing children tips, as well as tips for cyberscams and fraud online.

The Cyber Law Enforcement Organization also includes the Legal Eagles group of prosecutors, defense counsel and legal experts in the field of cybercrime, to help educate and guide the Internet community on crime prevention and reporting of cybercrimes.

Mission: The Cyberlaw Enforcement Organization (CLEO) has four main goals:
To unite police officers worldwide and educate them on cybercrime, cyberlaw, investigative techniques and how they interact.
To provide investigative assistance to police departments when requested.
To provide online help and education for victims of cyberstalking, cyberharassment, pedophiles, hacking, and virus attacks, as well as access to support groups and online counseling.
To standardize relations and communications between police departments, Internet Service Providers , Legal system contacts and victim advocacy groups worldwide.

2- INHOPE represents Internet Hotlines all over the world, supporting them in their aim to respond to reports of illegal content to make the Internet safer.

Mission: The mission of the INHOPE Association is to support and enhance the perfomance of Internet Hotlines around the World, ensuring swift action is taken in responding to reports of illegal content making the internet a safer place.

Goals
* To establish and support effective national hotlines.
* To train and support new hotlines
* To foster ongoing Internet safety awareness and education throughout Europe
* The establishment of effective common procedures for receiving and processing reports

INHOPE says: Recent studies have estimated that almost two thirds of content on the Internet is user generated through blogs, discussion forums, newsgroups etc. Some of these sites may contain content that could be harmful for children such as promotion of suicide, bulimia or anorexia. Like any other public place, parents and guardians can take steps to protect children on the Internet and the following tips offer a good starting point.
Tips for online safety:

- Keep your computer in a family room, not in a bedroom, that way you can supervise its use.
- Interact with your child while they are on the Internet - expressing an interest can be both informative and reassuring.
- Encourage children to show you anything that makes them uncomfortable.
- Ask your ISP about how special filtering programs that can be used to help protect your child.
- Use your children’s expertise and learn from them.
Report link: Protecting Children Online


3- Insafe is a network of national nodes that coordinate Internet safety awareness in Europe.
Mission: The mission of the Insafe cooperation network is to empower citizens to use the internet, as well as other online technologies, positively, safely and effectively. The network calls for shared responsibility for the protection of the rights and needs of citizens, in particular children and youths, by government, educators, parents, media, industry and all other relevant actors. Insafe partners work closely together to share best practice, information and resources. The network interacts with industry, schools and families in the aim of empowering people to bridge the digital divide between home and school and between generations.

Insafe partners monitor and address emerging trends, while seeking to reinforce the image of the web as a place to learn. They endeavour to raise awareness about reporting harmful or illegal content and services. Through close cooperation between partners and other actors, Insafe aims to raise Internet safety-awareness standards and support the development of information literacy for all.

Internet helplines: in many countries Insafe nodes cooperate with national helplines to respond to the questions and concerns of young people linked to their experiences online or the harmful or illegal online content they encounter. To find out if there is an internet helpline in your country visit the relevant section of the Insafe portal http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/focus.htm

Check the frequently asked question page where you will find information which will raise awareness of some of the risks that can be associated with these types of communication. However, despite the risks it is also important to recognise the benefits that exist for young people using these technologies too and this is highlighted in the FAQs. Research has shown that young people feel empowered when using online technologies and the “anonymous” nature of the communication can often mean that they lose their inhibitions and engage in risky activities that they would not even consider in the offline world. The information contained within these pages will help parents, carers and teachers to engage in a more meaningful dialogue with young people to overcome these issues.
FAQS page
-Check the links at FAQ page, for example "Blog" link provides you all necessary information if you are planning to create blog.



4- ConnectSafely.org is a project of Tech Parenting Group, a nonprofit organization based in Palo Alto, Calif., and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Connect Safely.org is a forum, where parents, teens, educators, and experts discuss and learn about safe blogging and social networking.

The forum is designed to give teens and parents a voice in the public discussion about youth online safety begun back in the '90s.
In addition, the site has tips for teens and parents, as well as other resources for safe blogging and social networking.

Useful pages at the site:
* Safety tips and advice
* Useful links to other sites
* Download section of useful internet safety tips

5-
Cyber tip line.com is a site helping you and your teens from internet dangers.
Their advice for parents and parents and guardians:
"If you’re a parent or guardian, talk to your children about “the Net.” If you need to learn more, ask your kids. You’ll learn from each other - if not about the Internet, then about life in general, how to make good decisions, and how to look at information critically.
If you’re the parent or guardian of a teenager, you may feel teens don’t need the same restrictions and controls as younger kids. You may be right, but just because they’re older doesn’t mean they’re out of danger. Teenagers are actually more likely to get into trouble online than younger children. Teens are more likely to explore; they’re more likely to reach out to others besides their peers; and, sadly, they’re more often preyed upon as victims by child molesters and other exploiters."

Check the pages:
- Know the dangers
- Sharing and posting personal information online
- Situations to avoid
- Surf Sagfer

5- WiredSafety.org is the world's largest Internet safety and help group, whic helps victims of cyberabuse ranging from online fraud, cyberstalking and child safety, to hacking and malicious code attacks. It also helps parents with issues, such as MySpace and cyberbullying.

More about the site:

Originating in 1995 as a group of volunteers rating websites, it now provides one-to-one help, extensive information, and education to cyberspace users of all ages on a myriad of Internet and interactive technology safety issues. These services are offered through a worldwide organization comprised entirely of volunteers who administer specialized websites and programs. WiredSafety.org volunteers range in age from 18 to 80 and run the gamut from TV personalities, teachers, law enforcement officers, PhD's, writers and librarians to stay-at-home moms, retired persons, and students. WiredSafety.org’s founder and Executive Director, cyberlawyer Parry Aftab, is also an unpaid volunteer. With the exception of its TeenAngels, outreach, law enforcement training and speaking programs, all work and help is provided online and free of charge.

WiredSafety.org provides:

- Assistance for online victims of cybercrime and harassment
- Advice, Training and Help for law enforcement worldwide on preventing, spotting and investigating cybercrimes
- Education for children, parents, communities, law enforcement, and educators
- Information and Awareness on all aspects of online safety, privacy, responsible use and security.
Those who can benefit from WiredSaftey.org’s expertise include:

Parents, grandparents and caregivers;
Kids, preteens, teens and college students;
Members of the Internet and interactive technology industries;
Law enforcement, legislators, the judicial community and regulatory agencies; and
Schools and other educational institutions
Link page: Overview

* Parents page helps parents to understand the greatest risks their children face online. Download the "Parenting Online" PDF book and many useful articles.
Educators need to understand that the internet is essential to our children's education, future careers and lives, but side to side there are many risks our children face online.
This page also includes links to some useful posts.
*Kids, tweens and teens page offers special information designed to teach younger Internet users how to surf safely and how to have fun doing it.


6- NetSmartz411 is parents' and guardians' premier, online resource for answering questions about Internet safety, computers, and the Web.
Parents, guardians, grandparents, stepparents, teachers, and concerned friends are welcome to use NetSmartz411 to better understand the opportunities and challenges children face online. NetSmartz411 is provided at no cost to the public by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
NetSmartz411 suggests NetSmartzkids.
Net Smartz Kids is an interactive, educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) for children aged 5 to 17, parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the Internet.

The goal of the NetSmartz Workshop is to extend the safety awareness of children to prevent victimization and increase self-confidence whenever they go online.
These goals include to:

- enhance the ability of children to recognize dangers on the Internet
- enhance the ability of children to understand that people they first "meet" on the Internet should never be considered their friend
- encourage children to report victimization to a trusted adult
- support and enhance community education efforts
- increase communication between adults and children about online safety

Katiesplace.org: for Young Victims of Internet Sexual Exploitation
Katiesplace.org: for Young Victims of Internet Sexual Exploitation

7- Katiesplace.org is a special program of WiredSafety.org, designed by and for young victims of Internet sexual exploitation. But Katiesplace.org is not only for victims, it is also for those who love and care about them, such as their family members, friends and loved ones.

Schools online page gives you useful information and guidelines to use internet in schools.

8- Teenangles is a group of 13-18 year-old volunteers that have been specially trained by the local law enforcement, and many other leading safety experts in all aspects of online safety, privacy, and security.
After completion of the required training, the Teenangels run unique programs in schools to spread the word about responsible and safe surfing to other teens and younger kids, parents, and teachers.
Teenangels was founded in 1999 by leading cyberlawyer Parry Aftab, Executive Director of WiredSafety.org

Safety tips are from the mouths of teens:

Thoughts for Parents, Teens & Kids from the Teenangels

"Parents... Don't be afraid of the Internet. It's an extremely useful tool & can't be dismissed because it is new & sometimes confusing. The Internet can be an excellent way for you & your children to bond & share a common interest. Be open with your kids & get involved. Most of all, learn all that you can about being safe, keeping your child safe, & taking advantage of the Internet's myriad uses. Tell your children not to be afraid to come to you with problems of any kind.

Teenagers...Although the Internet is a great way to meet new people, do research, and chat with friends, there are dangers. Be aware of these dangers. Always use common sense. Although you may think that bad things won't happen to you, they most certainly can. Be open with your parents about what you do online. Don't meet people offline that you met online! Make sure a site is secure and trustworthy before giving in your personal information. Obey the law and don't steal music, motion pictures and software! Balance the time you spend online and offline. Remember your friends in real life and don't take them for granted. Go outside & enjoy life beyond cyberspace."

Kids... While it's great to chat with people in kid-safe chat rooms online, you should spend time with friends in real life. School, family, & friends should always come before the Internet. Always tell your parents about what you do online. Let them sit with you, & teach them about the Internet. When they do sit with you, don't get mad at them. Just know they care about you & don't want to see you hurt in any way. Always remember that people online don't always tell the truth. Don't give out a lot of information about yourself. If anything bad ever happens to you on the Internet, always tell your parents or someone you trust. Always remember that it's never your fault.


Net bullies helps us to avoid being bullied online.

More pages to check:
- For schools
- For Parents
- Why kids bully each other online
- Prevetion


Few posts relating to this topic:

* The impact of internet on our society

* Keep your kids protected online
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