The former Philippine president, G

loria Macapagal Arroyo, has had her photographs and fingerprints taken in a hospital room in Manila, following her arrest on electoral-fraud charges.

Police Senior Superintendent Jose Coronel said Arroyo was wearing a neck brace and hospital gown when her mugshots were taken on Saturday inside her room at the St Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City in Manila.

"Some intravenous fluids were also being administered to her," he said. "The fingerprints and pictures are now with our technicians for processing."

Lawyers of the Arroyo family appealed to the media not to publish the mugshots to avoid further humiliation for the 64-year-old former president.

About 30 police officers were deployed at the entrances and exits of the hospital since Friday evening when the arrest warrant was served to Arroyo. Two officers were also assigned to guard her room at the private hospital.

The Philippine supreme court upheld on Friday Arroryo's right to travel but a lower court later accepted the formal charges against her. The government rushed the case in court, saying she could be trying to evade justice.

Wrongdoing denied

Seventeen months after stepping down, Arroyo has become the second former Philippine president to face trial.

She denies wrongdoing and accuses the authorities of preventing her from seeking overseas medical treatment for a bone ailment.

Al Jazeera's Marga Ortigas reports from Manila on the legal drama surrounding ex-president Arroyo's arrest

Her lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, said the government had filed fabricated charges with "indecent haste".

He said he would start filing appeals when courts reopen on Monday.

Arroyo has been recovering in a hospital since her failed attempt to leave the country on Tuesday.

Arroyo ruled the Philippines for more than nine years until last year, when she won a seat in the lower house of parliament.

The charges arise from allegations that she conspired with officials to tamper with results of 2007 congressional polls to favour her candidates.

She was accused of having direct knowledge of massive cheating in an autonomous Muslim region in the southern Philippines, the country's poorest region.

An investigation this year by the Senate Electoral Tribunal found that an Arroyo ally, Miguel Zubiri, benefited from fake ballots. He resigned his senate seat in favour of an opposition candidate.

Repeated setbacks

Benigno Aquino, the current Philippine president, won a landslide presidential election on an anti-corruption platform and has pledged to bring Arroyo to justice, but has faced repeated setbacks to his campaign.

In one of the most prominent blows, the supreme court ruled in December last year that a "truth commission" that Aquino set up specifically to investigate Arroyo was unconstitutional.

If Arroyo is found guilty she could face a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.

Politics in the Philippines is notorious for corruption, vote-rigging and long-running bitter rivalries between clans and families.

Arroyo, herself the daughter of a former president, has been surrounded by corruption allegations for years, and survived several attempts to have her impeached while in office.

Her predecessor Joseph Estrada, was jailed for corruption, and another former leader, Ferdinand Marcos, amassed a vast fortune by embezzling public money.

...تابع القراءة

The former Philippine president, G

loria Macapagal Arroyo, has had her photographs and fingerprints taken in a hospital room in Manila, following her arrest on electoral-fraud charges.

Police Senior Superintendent Jose Coronel said Arroyo was wearing a neck brace and hospital gown when her mugshots were taken on Saturday inside her room at the St Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City in Manila.

"Some intravenous fluids were also being administered to her," he said. "The fingerprints and pictures are now with our technicians for processing."

Lawyers of the Arroyo family appealed to the media not to publish the mugshots to avoid further humiliation for the 64-year-old former president.

About 30 police officers were deployed at the entrances and exits of the hospital since Friday evening when the arrest warrant was served to Arroyo. Two officers were also assigned to guard her room at the private hospital.

The Philippine supreme court upheld on Friday Arroryo's right to travel but a lower court later accepted the formal charges against her. The government rushed the case in court, saying she could be trying to evade justice.

Wrongdoing denied

Seventeen months after stepping down, Arroyo has become the second former Philippine president to face trial.

She denies wrongdoing and accuses the authorities of preventing her from seeking overseas medical treatment for a bone ailment.

Al Jazeera's Marga Ortigas reports from Manila on the legal drama surrounding ex-president Arroyo's arrest

Her lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, said the government had filed fabricated charges with "indecent haste".

He said he would start filing appeals when courts reopen on Monday.

Arroyo has been recovering in a hospital since her failed attempt to leave the country on Tuesday.

Arroyo ruled the Philippines for more than nine years until last year, when she won a seat in the lower house of parliament.

The charges arise from allegations that she conspired with officials to tamper with results of 2007 congressional polls to favour her candidates.

She was accused of having direct knowledge of massive cheating in an autonomous Muslim region in the southern Philippines, the country's poorest region.

An investigation this year by the Senate Electoral Tribunal found that an Arroyo ally, Miguel Zubiri, benefited from fake ballots. He resigned his senate seat in favour of an opposition candidate.

Repeated setbacks

Benigno Aquino, the current Philippine president, won a landslide presidential election on an anti-corruption platform and has pledged to bring Arroyo to justice, but has faced repeated setbacks to his campaign.

In one of the most prominent blows, the supreme court ruled in December last year that a "truth commission" that Aquino set up specifically to investigate Arroyo was unconstitutional.

If Arroyo is found guilty she could face a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.

Politics in the Philippines is notorious for corruption, vote-rigging and long-running bitter rivalries between clans and families.

Arroyo, herself the daughter of a former president, has been surrounded by corruption allegations for years, and survived several attempts to have her impeached while in office.

Her predecessor Joseph Estrada, was jailed for corruption, and another former leader, Ferdinand Marcos, amassed a vast fortune by embezzling public money.

...تابع القراءة

Media reports are quoting Libyan sources as saying that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been arrested near Obari in southern Libya. More news will follow ...



...تابع القراءة

Media reports are quoting Libyan sources as saying that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been arrested near Obari in southern Libya. More news will follow ...



...تابع القراءة

good-mood foods 

This week's recipe: Chocolate Pudding with Bananas
"Feel-good" fat. A low-fat diet may make you grumpy. British researchers assessed the moods of 20 people, ages 20-37, before and after eating either a daily total of 41 percent or 25 percent of calories from fat. After a month, the lower-fat eaters were rated as more hostile and depressed. Those on the higher-fat diet exhibited better moods and less tension and anxiety. One explanation: Fat stimulates hormones that influence activity of the brain chemical serotonin, important in governing mood. Low serotonin is linked with increased aggression and depression. One solution: Many experts say it's OK to get your quota of feel-good fat if it's mainly monounsaturated fat (olive oil) and fish fat and not artery-destroying saturated animal fat.
Chocolate. One of the most powerful mood elevators is chocolate, says psychologist David Benton of Britain's University of Wales. In studies, he played music that put students into a depressed mood. Then he offered them either milk chocolate or carob, an imitation chocolate. Chocolate improved their moods; carob didn't. Also, chocolate cravings rose as moods sank. Benton says chocolate contains not just serotonin-boosting sugar and mind-soothing fat, but also other chemicals that favorably affect brain messengers controlling mood.
Fish. If you don't eat fish, your chances of becoming depressed rise. Around the world, depression rates drop as fish consumption rises, say Joseph R. Hibbeln and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health. The Japanese, who eat the most fish, are the least depressed. Reason: The omega-3 fat in fish manipulates brain chemicals in ways that boost mood. In a groundbreaking new study, Harvard researcher Andrew Stoll found doses of omega-3 fatty acids improved symptoms of manic depression in 64 percent of 14 patients after four months, vs. 18 percent on a placebo. Stoll theorizes that omega-3 fat affects signaling among brain cells in much the same way as lithium and valproate, drugs for treating manic depression.
Foods high in vitamin D. If dim winter sunlight gives you seasonal affective disorder (SAD), getting more vitamin D may boost your mood. Australian researchers gave 44 healthy adults either 400 IU or 800 IU vitamin D or a "sugar pill" for five days in late winter. Subjects were unaware of which they were getting. It turned out those getting the vitamin D reported feeling better. One possible explanation: Vitamin D, called "the hormone of sunlight," boosts levels of serotonin - a feel-good chemical - in the brain.
Vitamin D can be toxic, so don't overdo it. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends 200 IU vitamin D daily for ages 19-50, 400 IU for ages 51-70, 600 IU after 70. Food sources: salmon, fortified milk, fortified cereal.
B vitamin foods. B vitamins have profound effects on the brain. Much research shows correcting a deficiency of the B vitamin folic acid can relieve depression. Further, in a recent British study of 129 healthy young people, those taking a high daily dose (10 times the recommended daily dose) of nine vitamins for a year reported feeling "more agreeable." Especially effective: thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2) and B6. In thiamine-deficient women, mood improved after three months. Researchers found 20 percent of those in the study had marginal thiamine levels. But thiamine boosted mood even in women not lacking thiamine. Foods high in B vitamins: dried beans, whole grains, fish, dairy products, poultry, eggs, bananas, avocados

...تابع القراءة

good-mood foods 

This week's recipe: Chocolate Pudding with Bananas
"Feel-good" fat. A low-fat diet may make you grumpy. British researchers assessed the moods of 20 people, ages 20-37, before and after eating either a daily total of 41 percent or 25 percent of calories from fat. After a month, the lower-fat eaters were rated as more hostile and depressed. Those on the higher-fat diet exhibited better moods and less tension and anxiety. One explanation: Fat stimulates hormones that influence activity of the brain chemical serotonin, important in governing mood. Low serotonin is linked with increased aggression and depression. One solution: Many experts say it's OK to get your quota of feel-good fat if it's mainly monounsaturated fat (olive oil) and fish fat and not artery-destroying saturated animal fat.
Chocolate. One of the most powerful mood elevators is chocolate, says psychologist David Benton of Britain's University of Wales. In studies, he played music that put students into a depressed mood. Then he offered them either milk chocolate or carob, an imitation chocolate. Chocolate improved their moods; carob didn't. Also, chocolate cravings rose as moods sank. Benton says chocolate contains not just serotonin-boosting sugar and mind-soothing fat, but also other chemicals that favorably affect brain messengers controlling mood.
Fish. If you don't eat fish, your chances of becoming depressed rise. Around the world, depression rates drop as fish consumption rises, say Joseph R. Hibbeln and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health. The Japanese, who eat the most fish, are the least depressed. Reason: The omega-3 fat in fish manipulates brain chemicals in ways that boost mood. In a groundbreaking new study, Harvard researcher Andrew Stoll found doses of omega-3 fatty acids improved symptoms of manic depression in 64 percent of 14 patients after four months, vs. 18 percent on a placebo. Stoll theorizes that omega-3 fat affects signaling among brain cells in much the same way as lithium and valproate, drugs for treating manic depression.
Foods high in vitamin D. If dim winter sunlight gives you seasonal affective disorder (SAD), getting more vitamin D may boost your mood. Australian researchers gave 44 healthy adults either 400 IU or 800 IU vitamin D or a "sugar pill" for five days in late winter. Subjects were unaware of which they were getting. It turned out those getting the vitamin D reported feeling better. One possible explanation: Vitamin D, called "the hormone of sunlight," boosts levels of serotonin - a feel-good chemical - in the brain.
Vitamin D can be toxic, so don't overdo it. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends 200 IU vitamin D daily for ages 19-50, 400 IU for ages 51-70, 600 IU after 70. Food sources: salmon, fortified milk, fortified cereal.
B vitamin foods. B vitamins have profound effects on the brain. Much research shows correcting a deficiency of the B vitamin folic acid can relieve depression. Further, in a recent British study of 129 healthy young people, those taking a high daily dose (10 times the recommended daily dose) of nine vitamins for a year reported feeling "more agreeable." Especially effective: thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2) and B6. In thiamine-deficient women, mood improved after three months. Researchers found 20 percent of those in the study had marginal thiamine levels. But thiamine boosted mood even in women not lacking thiamine. Foods high in B vitamins: dried beans, whole grains, fish, dairy products, poultry, eggs, bananas, avocados

...تابع القراءة

There was a boy who was always losing his temper. His father gave him a bag full of nails and said to him, “My son, I want you to hammer a nail into our garden fence every time you need to direct your anger against something and you lose your temper.”

So the son started to follow his father’s advice. On the first day he hammered in 37 nails, but getting the nails into the fence was not easy, so he started trying to control himself when he got angry. As the days went by, he was hammering in less nails, and within weeks he was able to control himself and was able to refrain from getting angry and from hammering nails. He came to his father and told him what he had achieved. His father was happy with his efforts and said to hi “But now, my son, you have to take out a nail for every day that you do not get angry.”

The son started to take out the nails for each day that he did not get angry, until there were no nails left in the fence.

He came to his father and told him what he had achieved. His father took him to the fence and said, “My son, you have done well, but look at these holes in the fence. This fence will never be the same again.” Then he adde “When you say things in a state of anger, they leave marks like these holes on the hearts of others. You can stab a person and withdraw the knife but it doesn’t matter how many times you say ‘I’m sorry,’ because the wound will remain.

والان مع ترجمةالقصة باللغةالعربية

كان هناك ولد عصبي وكان يفقد صوابه بشكل مستمر فأحضر له والده كيساً مملوءاً بالمسامير وقال له :

يا بني أريدك أن تدق مسماراً في سياج حديقتنا الخشبي كلما اجتاحتك موجة غضب وفقدت أعصابك

وهكذا بدأ الولد بتنفيذ نصيحة والده ....

فدق في اليوم الأول 37 مسماراً ، ولكن إدخال المسمار في السياج لم يكن سهلاً .

فبدأ يحاول تمالك نفسه عند الغضب ، وبعدها وبعد مرور أيام كان يدق مسامير أقل ، وفي أسابيع تمكن من ضبط نفسه ، وتوقف عن الغضب وعن دق المسامير ، فجاء والده وأخبره بإنجازه ففرح الأب بهذا التحول ، وقال له : ولكن عليك الآن يا بني استخراج مسمار لكل يوم يمر عليك لم تغضب فيه .

وبدأ الولد من جديد بخلع المسامير في اليوم الذي لا يغضب فيه حتى انتهى من المسامير في السياج .

فجاء إلى والده وأخبره بإنجازه مرة أخرى ، فأخذه والده إلى السياج وقال له : يا بني أحسنت صنعاً ، ولكن انظر الآن إلى تلك الثقوب في السياج ، هذا السياج لن يكون كما كان أبداً ، وأضاف :

عندما تقول أشياء في حالة الغضب فإنها تترك آثاراً مثل هذه الثقوب في نفوس الآخرين .

تستطيع أن تطعن الإنسان وتُخرج السكين ولكن لا يهم كم مرة تقول : أنا آسف لأن الجرح سيظل هناك .

...تابع القراءة

There was a boy who was always losing his temper. His father gave him a bag full of nails and said to him, “My son, I want you to hammer a nail into our garden fence every time you need to direct your anger against something and you lose your temper.”

So the son started to follow his father’s advice. On the first day he hammered in 37 nails, but getting the nails into the fence was not easy, so he started trying to control himself when he got angry. As the days went by, he was hammering in less nails, and within weeks he was able to control himself and was able to refrain from getting angry and from hammering nails. He came to his father and told him what he had achieved. His father was happy with his efforts and said to hi “But now, my son, you have to take out a nail for every day that you do not get angry.”

The son started to take out the nails for each day that he did not get angry, until there were no nails left in the fence.

He came to his father and told him what he had achieved. His father took him to the fence and said, “My son, you have done well, but look at these holes in the fence. This fence will never be the same again.” Then he adde “When you say things in a state of anger, they leave marks like these holes on the hearts of others. You can stab a person and withdraw the knife but it doesn’t matter how many times you say ‘I’m sorry,’ because the wound will remain.

والان مع ترجمةالقصة باللغةالعربية

كان هناك ولد عصبي وكان يفقد صوابه بشكل مستمر فأحضر له والده كيساً مملوءاً بالمسامير وقال له :

يا بني أريدك أن تدق مسماراً في سياج حديقتنا الخشبي كلما اجتاحتك موجة غضب وفقدت أعصابك

وهكذا بدأ الولد بتنفيذ نصيحة والده ....

فدق في اليوم الأول 37 مسماراً ، ولكن إدخال المسمار في السياج لم يكن سهلاً .

فبدأ يحاول تمالك نفسه عند الغضب ، وبعدها وبعد مرور أيام كان يدق مسامير أقل ، وفي أسابيع تمكن من ضبط نفسه ، وتوقف عن الغضب وعن دق المسامير ، فجاء والده وأخبره بإنجازه ففرح الأب بهذا التحول ، وقال له : ولكن عليك الآن يا بني استخراج مسمار لكل يوم يمر عليك لم تغضب فيه .

وبدأ الولد من جديد بخلع المسامير في اليوم الذي لا يغضب فيه حتى انتهى من المسامير في السياج .

فجاء إلى والده وأخبره بإنجازه مرة أخرى ، فأخذه والده إلى السياج وقال له : يا بني أحسنت صنعاً ، ولكن انظر الآن إلى تلك الثقوب في السياج ، هذا السياج لن يكون كما كان أبداً ، وأضاف :

عندما تقول أشياء في حالة الغضب فإنها تترك آثاراً مثل هذه الثقوب في نفوس الآخرين .

تستطيع أن تطعن الإنسان وتُخرج السكين ولكن لا يهم كم مرة تقول : أنا آسف لأن الجرح سيظل هناك .

...تابع القراءة

Many civilizations (from those of the Canaanites to the more recent Ottoman Empire) have contributed to Palestinian culture. It is no surprise, therefore, that there is a wide choice of arts and crafts for visitors to enjoy. The markets and small craft shops offer many different gifts for tourists to make home with them.
Olive-wood carving:
The carving of olive wood has a history of over 1500 years in Bethlehem. There are now more than 1000 different gifts sold in the town. Many are traditional carvings showing life in Palestine.
Wicker furniture:
In Gaza, one famous traditional crafts is the making of furniture from wicker. You can see this everywhere. It is both beautiful to look at and to use.
Pottery and glass:
In Jerusalem you can visit factories to watch artists painting beautiful patterns on plates, bowls and vases. In Hebron famous glass- blowing factories produce lovely blue vases and jugs.
Olive oil soap:
This special soap from Nablus makes excellent gift friends. It is wonderful for the skin.

 

...تابع القراءة

Many civilizations (from those of the Canaanites to the more recent Ottoman Empire) have contributed to Palestinian culture. It is no surprise, therefore, that there is a wide choice of arts and crafts for visitors to enjoy. The markets and small craft shops offer many different gifts for tourists to make home with them.
Olive-wood carving:
The carving of olive wood has a history of over 1500 years in Bethlehem. There are now more than 1000 different gifts sold in the town. Many are traditional carvings showing life in Palestine.
Wicker furniture:
In Gaza, one famous traditional crafts is the making of furniture from wicker. You can see this everywhere. It is both beautiful to look at and to use.
Pottery and glass:
In Jerusalem you can visit factories to watch artists painting beautiful patterns on plates, bowls and vases. In Hebron famous glass- blowing factories produce lovely blue vases and jugs.
Olive oil soap:
This special soap from Nablus makes excellent gift friends. It is wonderful for the skin.

 

...تابع القراءة

Hi Every One :
This is my first essay that I have written by myself , and I hope to give me your opinion as well as your advices to improve my writing skill
Note
If there is any mistake , please tell me to avoid it next time
Thank you for giving me your time

"TO BE OR NOT TO BE"

"TO BE OR NOT TO BE "This is my strategy that I usually try to practice in my life
FIRST OF ALL ,TO BE A GOOD MUSLIM
by praying 5 times per day
by doing what Allah – Almighty – has ordered us to do and avoiding what He has forbidden
by helping people in general and the poor in particular
by leaving useful works after my death
by keeping smile with others
SECOND, TO BE A SUCCESSFUL MEMBER IN MY SOCIETY
by improving my English as a second language, and using it to spread the instructions of Islam all over the world
by taking the master degree in linguistics
by acquiring new skills that fortify my relation with others
by thinking positively
THIRD , TO BE A GREAT WOMAN
by having a romantic relationship with my lovely husband
by bringing up my children to be productive members in their society


The End

...تابع القراءة

Hi Every One :
This is my first essay that I have written by myself , and I hope to give me your opinion as well as your advices to improve my writing skill
Note
If there is any mistake , please tell me to avoid it next time
Thank you for giving me your time

"TO BE OR NOT TO BE"

"TO BE OR NOT TO BE "This is my strategy that I usually try to practice in my life
FIRST OF ALL ,TO BE A GOOD MUSLIM
by praying 5 times per day
by doing what Allah – Almighty – has ordered us to do and avoiding what He has forbidden
by helping people in general and the poor in particular
by leaving useful works after my death
by keeping smile with others
SECOND, TO BE A SUCCESSFUL MEMBER IN MY SOCIETY
by improving my English as a second language, and using it to spread the instructions of Islam all over the world
by taking the master degree in linguistics
by acquiring new skills that fortify my relation with others
by thinking positively
THIRD , TO BE A GREAT WOMAN
by having a romantic relationship with my lovely husband
by bringing up my children to be productive members in their society


The End

...تابع القراءة

Smiling … is very important


Smiling is an easy language. Every body knows it and it doesn’t have to be translated. Your real smile is your tickect to win a persons heart. It has many different benefits and it is the most beautiful thing in life. It doesn’t take a lot of time just with a blink of an eye.


First of all, many studies show that when the person becomes nervous his face will be full of wrinkles which will cause old age. Also , it shows that the smiling decrease the quantity of wrinkles. Smiling lifts the face and makes you look younger. The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person apper younger. Don’t go for a face lift, just try smiling. Also there are different types of smiles. One kind of smile that it stays memorable. Another kind is dazzling.


In addition, smiling has psychological benefits. Smile protects against depression, causes the nerves and leaks the psychological pressures of life. Smiling changes your mood. Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There is a good chance your mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood. Also, the stranger you graced with your smile may go on to pass the kindness to someone else. Who knows how far your original smile will travel ..?


Lastly, smiling has also physical benefits. The smile is a kind of preventive treatment for disease. It has a positive effect on the body. Smile relieves the nerves, heart and brain. It increases the body's immunity and also strengthens memory. Anger and emotion of the nerves increases the exposure of cholesterol, ulcers, headaches and pains. When you smile you move a 17 muscles only but when you get angry you move 47 muscles of the body muscles. Smiling lowers your blood pressure. When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure.


Smile is important in life. It is amazing in many ways. When you get angry just try to smile you will see that your mood will change. You can gain friends when just smile. You can affect people only when you smile. So , you must smile as possible as you can .

...تابع القراءة

Smiling … is very important


Smiling is an easy language. Every body knows it and it doesn’t have to be translated. Your real smile is your tickect to win a persons heart. It has many different benefits and it is the most beautiful thing in life. It doesn’t take a lot of time just with a blink of an eye.


First of all, many studies show that when the person becomes nervous his face will be full of wrinkles which will cause old age. Also , it shows that the smiling decrease the quantity of wrinkles. Smiling lifts the face and makes you look younger. The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person apper younger. Don’t go for a face lift, just try smiling. Also there are different types of smiles. One kind of smile that it stays memorable. Another kind is dazzling.


In addition, smiling has psychological benefits. Smile protects against depression, causes the nerves and leaks the psychological pressures of life. Smiling changes your mood. Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There is a good chance your mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood. Also, the stranger you graced with your smile may go on to pass the kindness to someone else. Who knows how far your original smile will travel ..?


Lastly, smiling has also physical benefits. The smile is a kind of preventive treatment for disease. It has a positive effect on the body. Smile relieves the nerves, heart and brain. It increases the body's immunity and also strengthens memory. Anger and emotion of the nerves increases the exposure of cholesterol, ulcers, headaches and pains. When you smile you move a 17 muscles only but when you get angry you move 47 muscles of the body muscles. Smiling lowers your blood pressure. When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure.


Smile is important in life. It is amazing in many ways. When you get angry just try to smile you will see that your mood will change. You can gain friends when just smile. You can affect people only when you smile. So , you must smile as possible as you can .

...تابع القراءة