A man once noticed that another man always missed washing his heals during wudhu. One day this man asked him if he could observe him performing wudhu and point out his errors or omissions. When he got to the final step of washing his feet he over emphasized the washing of his heel. When he finished performing wudhu he asked the man if he had committed any errors to which the man replied, “Your wudhu was perfect, it is actually my wudhu that needs improvement and that I must wash my heels”. 

SubhanAllah.

What a wonderful way to correct someone. Not the, “OMG, you’re doing it wrong” or “COME ON, you didn’t know that?”.

There are etiquettes to everything especially when it comes to religion. So, when correcting someone don’t make them feel stupid or point them out in front of others. Your correction if done in the wrong way can even put someone off of doing something forever. This is especially horrible when it’s a good deed that you’re putting someone off of.  

Every politician’s ultimate slogan is, “I’ll lower taxes”!  And the people flock to the polling stations for the candidate that promises them the most tax cuts. Now, let me rephrase what is meant by that slogan, “I will cut services”! The thing is though that most voters know this, but they believe it’s welfare that will be cut.

Hoorah get those lazy bums out of their homes and into the workplace.

But, most of the people on welfare need that money to SURVIVE and with welfare they are living way below the poverty line of $18,000 annual income. Sure, there are some that abuse the system, but there are always some that try to ruin things for everyone else.

I could try to convince you why you should care about others, but it’s more likely you care about yourself. So, here’s why lower taxes are bad for you. Lower taxes means less public spending which means poor education for your children, long wait times at the hospital, reduced quality of essential needs provided by the government such as testing of such things like your water and decreased maintenance of parks, roads and public transit.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Now trust me you want these services more than that Ipad or large screen TV.

What we should be asking for is increased services decreased administrative costs. Lower taxes will get us nowhere rather it will take us a step back or two.

Zakaat is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is the annual donation of 2.5% of the assets that one has had for one year or more. The donation is to be made to those who are in need. But, unfortunately it maybe the one pillar of Islam that Muslims disobey the most.

But, what can 2.5% do?

Collectively it can eradicate poverty. This is no pipe dream statement. There are 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide and if they all gave 2.5% of their assets poverty would no longer exist. How am I sure? Because if 400 of the wealthiest people in the world gave 4% of their assets it would eradicate poverty (P. Donnelly) so, imagine if 1.6 billion people gave 2.5% each year.

Oh reader lets be a part of a worldwide change and ERRADICATE POVERTY! 

Differing styles of government have differing pronounced effects on population health. The greater the income redistribution the better the health of the population is. When there is less of a push for income equality then there is a larger health inequality.

Four types of government have been studied in regards to population health: social democratic, Christian democratic, liberal and conservative/ fascists.

·          Social Democratic
o    Inequality addressed through social programs
o    Universal health care coverage & social benefits
§  Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Austria

·         Christian Democratic
o    Fewer redistributive policies
o    Universal health care coverage
o    But much emphasis on family caregiving (i.e., private vs. public $$$)
§   Italy, Netherlands, West Germany, Belgium, France

·         Liberal
o    Few redistributive policies; lower social expenditures
o    Social programs tend to be means-tested (averages)
§   UK, Ireland, Canada, USA

·         Conservative/Fascist
o    Underdeveloped welfare states; poor social program
o    Very unequal income distribution
o    Implementation of democracy (1970s) improved these situations
§  Spain, Portugal, Greece

As you move down from social democratic to conservative/fascist less and less is spent on the public; this creates a greater divide amongst individual due to differences in income. The greater divide leads to differing interests of different social classes which increase competition for commodities and jobs. This all leads to increased social mistrust. Greater income inequality is correlated with greater population mortality mediated by social mistrust.

The solution is simple, but hard to swallow. Increase redistribution of income amongst a population which will increase the overall population’s health. This is done of course by increased taxation and greater government involvement. But, hey can’t put a price tag on one’s health, right?

References:
Ichiro Kawachi, et al., “Social Capital, Income Inequality, and Mortality,” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 87, no. 9, 1491-1498.

Vincente Navarro, et al., “Politics and Health Outcomes,” Lancet, vol. 368 (2006): 1033-1035.

I’ve done a review before of G.HOST a virtual computer where one could save files and have a desktop that could be viewed on any computer via the internet and an internet browser. After further use I found it to egregious to upload and use a slower desktop on the net and it eventually went under.

But, wait the dream isn’t over. It actually got way better. Introducing Dropbox! It’s a tiny application that creates a folder on your computer and backs up whatever you put in it online. When you download this application to another computer you use the same folder appears on that computer with what you had already put on it. So, now all you have to do is save to that folder for it to be easily accessible on all computers you use Mac or Windows! But, wait there’s more you can access all subfolders and files by visiting dropbox.com and signing in for those computers you use but don’t own. Life really can be this easy. Sign up and check it out. Chances are you’ll love this virtual USB drive.

If you sign-up using the link below both you and I get an extra 250MBs of space! You initially start off with 2GBs.

http://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTMwMDI4NDU5

Back home we had maids, life was good. Yes, it was. Now you’re a slave for this big corporation undervalued, not tasked with the skills you have. Poor you, you came with big dreams here. Now all you have is some health benefits and a social security net.

What did your maid have back home?

Oh that’s right she got paid with a morsel of food and her children were destined for the same future as her. She had no benefits and if she was lucky you treated her with respect, otherwise she was the scum of the earth. She toiled for you hard, day and night on call to your demands. She never raised her voice nor did she dare call you anything other than sir or ma’am. One day you caught her stealing some jewellery, but rather then ask your faithful servant what led her to do this, you beat her till she bled and kicked her out telling her never to show her face again or else… You never heard from her again.

Poor you, you had maids back home and now you work for a major corporation with some health benefits and a social security net.

This article was inspired by the following video:
(Note: There is background music.)

Left, right, centre? What? 

In politics these aren’t directions, but a label for how one views policy. Here’s a breakdown of the terms.

Leftist/Left-Wing: those who support varying degrees of social or political or economic change designed to promote the public welfare

“Leftists... claim that human development flourishes when individuals engage in cooperative, mutually respectful relations that can thrive only when excessive differences in status, power, and wealth are eliminated. According to leftists, a society without substantial equality will distort the development of not only deprived persons, but also those whose privileges undermine their motivation and sense of social responsibility. This suppression of human development, together with the resentment and conflict engendered by sharp class distinctions, will ultimately reduce the efficiency of the economy.” – Barry Clark

Rightist/ Right Wing: those who support political or social or economic conservatism; those who believe that things are better left unchanged; support a stratified society to promote or preserve social order or traditional values

The terms Right and Left were coined during the French Revolution, referring to seating arrangements in parliament; those who sat on the right supported preserving the institutions of the Ancien Régime (the monarchy, the aristocracy and the established church) and  those who sat on the left generally supported the radical changes of the revolution, including the creation of a republic and secularization.

Centrist: centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting moderate policies which lie between different political extremes

In Canada the leftist party would be the New Democratic Party (NDP), the rightist are the Conservatives and the centrist are considered to be the Liberals.

 

Prioritize
Some things are more important than others. Some things are more urgent. Prioritize your tasks.

Surround yourself around motivators
Always find others that are motivated for the same goal as you. Strength in numbers.

Balance
We are people of the middle path. Balance is always important. Stay involved but don’t forget to do zhikr. Help others but don’t forget yourself. Be friendly, but don’t forget your family.

Know your limits
Do what you can. Don’t agree to do things you can’t do… It’s worse to flake.

Intention
In everything you do make a firm intention on the reason for your actions. Everything can become beneficial when your intent becomes to please Allah.

Deadlines
Schedule your tasks and goals. Greater accountability makes it more likely that you will follow through even if you are only holding yourself accountable to yourself.

Write Things Down
When a thought or an idea comes to mind write it down! Cause if you don’t, chances are you’ll forget just like you forgot about the dream you had last night.