A very common question, but answer is not simple, as among all humans, it is difficult to find a person who could say that he/she is happy with the life. Most of the times, life seems a combination of sorrows and happiness. Sometimes life looks as it is full of joy and other moment, there is only darkness around us. Well, bright or dark side are both part of life, but the real meaning of life would be clear when we learn that life is a precious thing and we should accept it and live it, as our creator want us to lead it. That way we can get the real happiness, whatever the situation we are in.

I love reading parables, because there is a lesson every time you can learn and implement it on your life. The parable I am quoting here is like an all time lesson for me, because I have read it many times, and found it very encouraging at the down times of my life. I want to share it with all, with this hope that it would be learning for you also.

I should admit that there was a time, I was not happy with my life, and many times I asked from myself or from God, why I am here or why it is happening to me?. I can say for sure that most of us do the same at down times. But the reality is that we cannot change what we have, to accept it as it is and be happy in it is the real meaning of life.

Read it and think!

Terribly Tragically Sad Man
                     (A modern parable by Loren Seibold)

Once there was a boy who lived in a big house on a hill. He loved dogs and horses, sports cars and music. He climbed trees and went swimming, played football and admired pretty girls. Except for having to tidy up after himself, he had a nice life. One day the boy said to God, “I’ve been thinking, and I know what I want to become when I become a man.
“What?” said God.

“I want to live in a big house with a veranda across the front and two St. Bernard dogs and a garden out back. I want to marry a woman who is tall and very beautiful and kind, who has long, black, hair and blue eyes, who plays the guitar and sings in a clear, high voice. I want three strong sons to play ball with. When they grow up, one will be a great scientist, one will be a politician and the youngest will be a professional athlete.

“I want to be an adventurer who sails vast oceans and climbs tall mountains and rescues people. And I want to drive a red Ferrari and never have to tidy up after myself.”

“That sounds like a nice dream,” said God. “I want you to be happy.”

One day, playing ball, the boy hurt his knee. After that he couldn’t climb tall mountains or even tall trees, much less sail vast oceans. So he studied marketing and started a medical-supplies business.

He married a girl who was very beautiful and very kind and who had long, black hair. But she was short, not tall, and had brown eyes, not blue. She couldn’t play the guitar, or even sing. But she prepared wonderful meals seasoned with rare Chinese spices and painted magnificent pictures of birds.

Because of his business, he lives in a city near the top of a tall apartment building that overlooked the blue ocean and the city’s twinkling lights. He didn’t have room for two St. Bernards, but he had a fluffy cat.

He had three daughters, all very beautiful. The youngest,who was in a wheelchair was the loveliest. The three daughters loved their father very much. They didn’t play ball with him, but sometimes they went to the park and tossed a Frisbee – except for the youngest, who sat under a tree strumming her guitar and singing lovely, haunting songs.

He made enough money to live comfortably but he didn’t drive a red Ferrari. Sometimes he had to pick up things and put them away – even things that didn’t belong to him. After all, he had three daughters.

Then one morning, the man awoke and remembered his dream. “I am very sad,” he said to his best friend.

“Why?” asked his friend.

“Because I once dreamed of marrying a tall woman, with black hair and blue eyes who would play the guitar and sing. My wife can’t play the guitar or sing. She has brown eyes, and she’s not tall.”

“Your wife is very beautiful and very kind, “said his friend. “She creates splendid pictures and delectable food.” But the man wasn’t listening.

“I am very sad,” the man confessed to his wife one day. “Why?” asked his wife. “Because I once dreamed of living in a big house with a veranda, and of having two saint Bernards and a garden out back. Instead I live in an apartment in a high rise building.”

“Our apartment is comfortable and we can see the ocean from our couch,” said his wife. “We have love, laughter and paintings of birds and a fluffy cat-not to mention three beautiful children.” But the man wasn’t listening.

“I am very sad,” the man said to his therapist. “Why?” asked the therapist. “Because I once dreamed that I would grow up to be a great adventurer. Instead, I am a bald businessman with a bad knee.”

“The medical supplies you sell save many lives,” said the therapist. But the man wasn’t listening. So his therapist charged him $110 and sent him home.

“I am very sad,” the man said to his accountant. “Why?” asked the accountant. “Because I once dreamed of driving a red Ferrari, and never having to tidy up myself. Instead, I take public transportation and sometimes I still have to clean up.”

“You wear good suits. You eat at fine restaurants, and you’ve toured ,”said his accountant. But the man wasn’t listening. His accountant charged him $100 anyway. He was dreaming of a red Ferrari himself” I am very sad,” the man said to his clergyman. “Why?” asked the clergyman. “Because I once dreamed of having three sons: a great scientist, a politician and a professional athlete. Instead, I have three daughters and the youngest can’t even walk.”
“But your daughters are beautiful and intelligent” said the clergyman. “They love you very much, and they’ve all done well. One is a nurse, another is an artist and the youngest teaches music to children.

But the man wasn’t listening. He was so sad that he became very sick. He lay in a white hospital room surrounded by nurses in white uniforms. Tubes and wires connected his body to blinking machines that he had once sold to the hospital
He was terribly, tragically sad. His family, friends and clergyman gathered around his bed. They were all deeply sad too. Only his therapist and his accountant remained happy

THEN ONE NIGHT, when everyone except the nurses had gone home, the man said to God, “Remember when I was a boy and I told you all the things I wanted” It was a lonely dream,” said the God.
Why didn’t you give me those things?” asked the man ” I could have,” said God. “But I wanted to surprise you with things you didn’t dream of.” I suppose you’ve noticed what I ‘ve given you: a kind, beautiful wife; a good business; a nice place to live; three lovely daughters – one of the best package I ‘ve put together – “yes, “ interrupted the man. “Bur I thought you are going to give me what I really wanted “And I thought you were going to give me what I really wanted, “said the God “What did you want?” asked the man.
It had never occurred to him that God was in want of anything. I wanted to make you happy with what I’d given you, “said the God

THE MAN LAY IN THE DARK all night, thinking. Finally he decided to dream a new dream, one he wished he’d dream years before. He decided to dream that what he wanted most were the things he already had. And the man got well and lived happily in the high rise, enjoying his children’s beautiful voices, his wife’s deep brown eyes and her glorious paintings of birds. And at night he gazed at the ocean and contentedly watched the lights of the city twinkling on, one by one!

Source: Reader’s Digest- June 1993 (Condensed from ”Signs of the times”by Loren Seibold

Recycling can save our money. And collecting and sorting metal, glass, plastic and paper recyclables not only helps protect the environment — it benefits the city’s bottom line where we live.
Read some facts which can help us understand why recycling is so important for our environment:
- According to the EPA, recycling cuts global warming pollution by the equivalent of removing 39.6 million passenger cars from the road.
- 31 percent of plastic soft drink bottles, 45 percent of aluminum cans and 67 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.
- Only 13 percent of water bottles are recycled. In 2005, Americans purchased 30 billion water bottles, and 26 billion of them wound up in landfills.

Recycling is one of the most feel-good and useful environmental practices around. The benefits go way beyond reducing piles of garbage — recycling protects habitat and biodiversity, and saves energy, water, and resources such as trees and metal ores. Recycling also cuts global warming pollution from manufacturing, land filling and incinerating.

Successful recycling involves minimizing waste along the entire life cycle of a product, from acquiring raw materials to manufacturing, using and disposing of a product. Buying products made from recycled materials is just as important as sorting waste into the right bins.

And when we reduce the amount of stuff we buy in the first place, and reuse what we can, we reduce the environmental harm associated with acquiring raw materials and manufacturing.

Here are some tips that will help you cut down on waste and boost your recycling skills:

Shop smart:
Purchase paper and other products for your home and office that are made with post-consumer recycled content and packaged in recyclable materials.
(See our paper guides for businesses and consumers) Buy in bulk when you can to reduce the amount of packaging that gets thrown away.

* Convenience is key:
Put collection bins in various places around your home and office to make recycling convenient. Use different bins that follow your city’s recycling policies,
(see New York City’s recycling guidelines as an example) so you don’t have to separate it out later. If you tend to forget what’s recyclable and what’s not, make a sign like this one and post it near your bins.

* Don’t forget to reuse:
Paper, plastic, glass and cans aren’t the only items that should be diverted from incinerators and landfills. Reduce the environmental impacts of organic waste by composting food scraps, and by leaving short grass clippings on lawns to decompose. Donate old clothing to homeless shelters, thrift stores, animal shelters and other community organizations. Take advantage of manufacturer take-back programs for your
unwanted electronics.

* Make waste an endangered species:
Bring your own reusable bags to local stores. Keep a ceramic mug for water or coffee at work rather than using disposable paper or plastic foam cups. Most cities in the United States have clean, drinkable water, so use tap water (you can filter it if you’d like) and refillable water bottles instead of buying bottled water.

* Talk to your local government and businesses:
Encourage local officials to consider incentives and more ambitious recycling initiatives. Give positive feedback to store managers and manufacturers who are making good environmental choices.

* Take your good habits on the road:
Recycling policies can vary from city to city and from state to state. A plastic container you recycle at home might be garbage-bound in another community. Or something you can’t recycle at home might be recyclable in your school or workplace. When traveling away from home, learn the local rules (from the city’s website or by reading signs) and follow them.

Soruce: “Recycling 101″ from NRDC

Do you want to live a healthy, happy and successful life?

I am sure everybody would answer in “YES”, but where is the key to these treasures?— We look around to search for the best for us, and of course if the world around us is better place, then there is a good and enough reason to be happy and successful.

Can we change our world for the better?

I found the answer in this amazing book. You can not only change yourself but the world around yourself. This self help and self development book is a must read. Let’s see what topics are discussed in the book:

Acknowledgements:
Ch 1: The Introduction
Ch 2: Owner’s Manual for Human Beings
Ch 3: Self-Awareness and the Daily Affirmation
Ch 4: “To Thine Own Self Be True”
Ch 5: External versus Internal Happiness
Ch 6: Cause and Affect — Attractor Fields
Ch 7: The Proof is in the Pudding
Ch 8: Transforming Emotions
Ch 9: Have Fun Helping to Change the World

Some comments about the book:
I’ve just finished reading your book and was sorry when it came to an end. As I finished it I felt moved by the power of your words and thoughts and just wanted to say thank you for sharing them with me.”-Gary Pangburn, United Kingdom

“What a great book. Thank you for putting this out into the world. It takes bravery indeed to be this candid and expose so much of yourself in an effort to help others.” -Roland Achtel

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the amazing book that you have made availabe on your web site. Once again THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH, and good luck in the future with spreading your knowledge. -Alan Shone

“I have read many self-help, happiness books in the past, but yours has inspired me the most. It’s a simple, but powerful message.”- John Paul Monaco

“I believe everyone should read your book. I will certainly pass it on to everyone I can in the UK. Many thanks it is a tremendous help to me.”-Michael Cooper

And you won’t believe what I am going to say that

“THIS BOOK IS FREE TO DOWNLOAD”
Download page of 90 page PDF e-book:

Happy e-book

Link to the site: ‘How To Be Happy.org’

I love to read quotable quotes, and the section at “Reader’s Digest” is my favorite. As well I enjoy the humorous quotes, I have taken some from the site, listed at the bottom, and invite everyone to enjoy some quotes (funny) about “Love and marriage”

* “Marriage is a romance in which the hero dies in the first chapter.” – Anonymous
* “Marriage is a three ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring, and suffering.” – Anonymous

* “The theory used to be you marry an older man because they are more mature. The new theory is that men don’t mature. So you might as well marry a younger one.” – Anonymous

* “Compromise: An amiable arrangement between husband and wife whereby they agree to let her have her own way.” – Anonymous

* “Marital Freedom: The liberty that allows a husband to do exactly that which his wife pleases.-Anonymous

*
“LOVE, n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage or by removal of the patient from the influences under which he incurred the disorder… It is sometimes fatal, but more frequently to the physician than to the patient.”
- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary, 1911
* “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” – George Burns

* “Do you know what it means to come home at night to a woman who’ll give you a little love, a little affection, a little tenderness? It means you’re in the wrong house, that’s what it means.” – George Burns

* “The most happy marriage I can picture or imagine to myself would be the union of a deaf man to a blind woman.” – Samuel Tayler Coleridge

* “I haven’t spoken to my wife in years. I didn’t want to interrupt her.” – Rodney Dangerfield

* “When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her.”- Sacha Guitry

* “Man has his will, – but woman has her way.”- Oliver Wendell Holmes – US Writer

* “The Average girl would rather have beauty than brains because she knows that the average man can see much better than he can think.’- Ladies’ Home Journal

* “Marriage is the alliance of two people, one of whom never remembers birthdays and the other who never forgets them.” – Ogden Nash

* “Never feel remorse for what you have thought about your wife; she has thought much worse things about you.” – Jean Rostand – Le Mariage

* “Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays.” – Henry Youngman

Source link: http://funquotes.witticism.org/

Computers have become part of our life, and internet has made the world small for us, just a click away from tons of information.

But at what age children can benefit for using computers?  Use of computers should be within some limits, as beside learning it can be an addiction for kids also. Recently I came across a website which was about Internet addiction and as the name of the site shows:”Mind prison: Internet addiction disorder” I was quite surprised to read the first page of the site. I am just giving few lines here:

Internet Addiction Disorder is a speculated mental disorder made and introduced by Ivan Goldberg, M.D., in 1995. It is an addiction that closely parallels the other addictions such as drug and pathological gambling addiction and is potentially just as damaging. The main aim of this site is to help it’s readers to be better equipped in identifying the symptoms and causes of IAD and how to prevent and treat it.
Addiction might be for games, social interaction sites etc. But better to check the site for more useful information:
Mind prison,Internet addiction disorder

National Association for the education of young children,is world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 100,0000 members, dedicated to improve the well-being of all young children from birth to age 8.

In their article ‘Computers and Young Children’ they suggest:

* Use computers for short periods of time (10-20 minutes).
A long period in front of any screen-a computer, television, or a video game-is time away from other, more valuable activities.

* Sit with the child, or encourage children to work in pairs.

Use children’s computer time to improve their social and language skills. *They can learn rules of fairness; have opportunities to become “experts” with a program or game, and practice taking turns. They may also learn new words as they explain what they are doing and teach others how to use the computer.

* Choose software and Web sites that are “open-ended,” age-appropriate, and encourage pro social values. Open-ended software that encourages creativity, language skills, early reading skills, and problem solving can benefit 3- to 5-year-olds.

* Computer games that show killing and destruction as fun or as an acceptable way to solve problems can be harmful. Read reviews of the software or try it out before buying it. Is it suitable for young children?

* Extend learning from the computer—at home or in preschool.
Extending learning means that you apply the lessons learned at the computer to other activities. Housekeeping; playing games; identifying shapes, letters, or numbers; or writing and acting out stories are some examples of activities that can help reinforce what children are learning at the computer.

* Put the computer in a public area.
Make it part of a learning center, or put it in a playroom or in the kitchen. When the computer is near you, it’s easier to see how children are using it. It’s also easier to make computer use part of other activities.

* Be sure that you know the content of the software or Web site first!
If you are familiar with the software, you will be able to answer questions and suggest activities that reinforce what children are learning on and off the computer.

* Monitor children’s computer use.
When young children use a computer, an adult should be nearby. Try to avoid telling the children what to do next, but be available to help them figure out what to do.

Some more links about young children and computers.

* 6 Ways to Maximize Computer Time

* Computers: Are They Good for Young Children?

* Prolonged computer use and health risks for kids

“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”
(Oscar Wilde quotes)

Truth resides in every human heart, and one has to search for it there, and to be guided by truth as one sees it. But no one has a right to coerce others to act according to his own view of truth.
- Edmund Burke

I was truly inspired while browsing the site “The truth campaign“, because at this commercial age, every form of media is loaded with propaganda, ads, and campaigns, a site with truth campaign looks really different.
Most of the time when I search for information at the net, I discovered that despite of non-profit, or Government based sites there is some purpose of earning behind all sites.

“The truth campaign” is not run for profit, and not politically or religiously aligned.

It is very hard to find out where lies the truth, as in our fast growing, competitive life we don’t have time to search about the facts behind the load of information bombard at us.

Purpose of the site:

“As human beings we have an infinite capacity for Love and Creation, but only when presented with the complete picture and all the facts – THE TRUTH – can we make the best choices required for our spiritual evolution. The SEARCH for Truth is the purpose of the Truth Campaign.”

What site does:

* To promote freedom of thought and expression of the individual’s unique creativity by providing, and networking hard to get and suppressed information about essential issues such as: health and disease, conspiracies, new science and technology, alternative views and the so-called ‘paranormal’ etc.
* To promote truth in all aspects of life in the recognition that information is a basic human right and that secrecy and the withholding of information promotes stagnation and corruption among the greedy and power-hungry.

Site was created in 1996 by Ivan Fraser.

Ivan Fraser is an ex-registered nurse with experience in hands-on healing, and now full time researcher into hidden and suppressed knowledge. He has appeared on radio and television talking on the subjects presented by the Truth Campaign.

The site is about their magazine which is published 4 times a year, but you can still get a lot of links to other similar kind of sites and many articles taken from the “Truth magazine”
Articles
A wonderful article at site:
Love Changes Everything

More information:
About the site

I love to participate in forums or community sites, because these are the places where you have direct contact with like minded people. You can share your thoughts with them, get the tips and advice and offer yours also.

Thrifty Fun is a community site, where everyone can share knowledge and ideas. It has been online since 1997, and their goal is to provide valuable information to help people save money, save time and solve problems.

ThriftyFun.com is an interactive Web site where you can post questions and contribute answers to others who are trying to have fun while saving money.

What you can get from the site?
Site provides very easy navigation menus. There are 2 search boxes at the top of the home page, where you can search for answers and if you don’t get the answer to your problem, then use second box to post your question.

You can get Free Newsletters which provide money saving tips and ideas and moreover is a great way to stay in touch with what’s happening in the Thrifty Fun community.
Newsletters you can subscribe to are:
- Tip of The Day (daily)
- Daily Thrifty Tips (weekdays)
- ThriftyFun Recipes (weekdays)
- Happy Garden Newsletter (weekly)
- ThriftyFun Crafts (weekly)
- Saving Money On… Newsletter (weekly)
After entering your e-mail at the ‘free newsletter’ box, you are taken to another page where you can chose the newsletters to get in your inbox.

- At Share photos page, you can participate in their photo contest where a winner is chosen each week and gets $25.00 as a prize.

- At Share tips page, they are offering tip contest, where you can send recipe or tip and prize money is same $25.00.

Popular Topics discussed at the site include: Beauty, Budget and Finance, Christmas, Cleaning, Consumer Advice, Craft Projects, Craft Tips, Food Tips, Garage Sales, Gardening, Gifts, Green Living, Home Improvement, Organizing, Parenting, Parties, Pest Control, Pets, Product Reviews, Recipes, Repair, Thanksgiving, Weddings for Less.

-

How about keeping your mind positive,  and refreshed by reading through inspirational and motivational news and stories?

It is a reality that positive thinking plays an important role in what you get from life. You think positively and more positive things would happen.

Daily Good is spreading the good by delivering “inspiring goodness” to 51,636 people by e-mail without any costs, advertising or agendas.

It is a fully volunteer run project of Charity Focus.org.

It started when college student Nipun Mehta started e-mailig a daily quote to a couple of his friends. Today this list is reaching more than 50.000 readers.

Their motto is  “Spread the good-make someone smile”

The entire project is run by volunteers, and the site content is free to use. They don’t sell advertising or promote any products.

How can you participate?

* You can suggest good news stories.

* Tell your friends about DailyGood.
* To volunteer, you can Register

A quote from the site:
“Inspiration is not only a matter of being ‘pumped up’. It is, at its core, a deep communion with one’s love for humanity and life itself.”

You can also get daily quotes from the site by subscribing at the site, and there is also some interesting stuff at the site, news and stories from all over the world.

Here are some titles of the inspiring news:

Everyone loves free stuff and many people search the net just to check the free stuff. Yes there are lot of resources, links and information scattered around, but the most difficult task is to dig out the information from it. Many sites which sell their products offer some free stuff to attract the customers. It is similar to hanging the banner ‘sale’ or ‘buy one get one free’ to increase the sales. Today I am reviewing the site “Tutorials.com” which sells online courses and tutorials. It offers few of the tutorials and how to guides FREE of cost.

* List of how to tutorials where you can find more than hundred ‘how to ‘ articles, I am showing you only a few titles among all:

Learn2 Adjust a Bicycle (To Fit You)
Learn2 Adjust the Sound on Your Computer
Learn2 Apply Eyeliner
Learn2 Appreciate Beer
Learn2 Appreciate Cheese
Learn2 Appreciate Gourmet Mushrooms
Learn2 Attach Speakers to Your Computer
Learn2 Attract Butterflies
Learn2 Avoid Frostbite
Learn2 Avoid Home Burglary
Learn2 Avoid Junk Mail
Learn2 Avoid Repetitive Stress
Learn2 Avoid Telemarketers
Learn2 Avoid Tourist Traps
Learn2 Bathe an Infant
Learn2 Be a Good Babysitter

There are few guides amomg which I am giving two links:

- Anti-Spyware: Tools You Need

- This links would take you to many guides for money and finance topic: Understanding Your Credit Report

I love to read the sites with interesting stuff. Being in education field facts around the world always inspire me. I can realize that most of the visitors of this blog like the reviews of interesting sites.
The Big Site of Amazing Facts showcases Interesting and Unusual Facts about the world we live in that have been lost in time and space.

Mission: (In their own words)

“The aim of The Big Site of Amazing Facts is to be low fat, easy to navigate, and to fill a niche in the Internet database by providing real information that is not found anywhere else on the Internet.
As a dot com experiment, our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge and information transfer and sharing.”

What kind of interesting facts you can find at the site?

Few titles are:

Is There a Difference Between a Rabbit and a Hare?
Which Animal Defends Itself by Spitting?
What Are Antlers?
What Makes a Skunk Smell?
Are Bats Really Blind?
Why Is a Sloth Called Lazy?
Are There Really Such Animals as Ligers and Tigons?
Is It True That the World’s Largest Animal Feeds on the Smallest?
Can Dolphins Talk?
Why Does a Whale Spout?
Why Do Turtles Live For More Than 200 Years?
How Does a Turtle Get into Its Shell?
How Does a Chameleon Change Colors?
What Is a Mammal?
Can a Porcupine Shoot Its Quills?
Why Do Raccoons Wash Their Food?
Do Cats Really Have 9 Lives?
How Does a Cat Purr?
Do Cats Eyes Really Shine in the Dark?
Which Insects Keep Their King and Queen Prisoners?
What Animal’s Favorite Game Is Bellywhopping?
There are many how to facts, but I was searching the site with interesting posts, which I found at ‘odd facts’ page. Few of the titles are really interesting like as:

- What Is the Last Largest Number You Can Count To?
- What Is the Largest Single Cooked Food in the World?