03.21.07
Posted in Miscellaneous at 4:12 am by Shhh....
MORE AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN DIE FROM ACCIDENTAL POISONING THAN OTHER CHILDREN
Safe Kids Worldwide Targets African-American Parents and Caregivers During National Poison Prevention Week, March 18 – 24
Washington, DC (BlackNews.com) - African-American children account for more than one out of four children killed by accidental poisoning in the United States, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data for 2000-2004. Each year, about 91,000 kids ages 14 and under are treated in emergency rooms for accidental poisoning and about 100 die. On average, 26 are African-American. Most accidental poisonings occur in the home, and over 40 percent of the time, they involve medications. Cosmetics, cleansers, personal care products, plants, pesticides, art supplies, alcohol and toys are also responsible for accidental poisoning.
“The high rate of accidental poisoning among African-American children stems from the fact that nearly one out of three African-American kids live in low-income households or neighborhoods,” said Robin Wilcox, program director of Safe Kids Worldwide. “Low-income households are less likely to invest in cabinet locks and other safety devices or to have access to reliable child care — so we need to make even greater efforts to help low-income parents keep their kids safe from accidental poisoning.”
In honor of National Poison Prevention Week 2007 (March 18-24), Safe Kids Worldwide is partnering with the Cardinal Health Foundation to reduce accidental poisoning among African-American and other children. A new poison prevention Web site, www.usa.safekids.org/poison, debuting March 19, features educational games for kids and parents to play together, poison safety checklists for parents and caregivers, and an interactive house that can be searched for poison-related hazards. On the Web site, adults can e-mail free greeting cards with poison prevention messages to others and take a pledge to keep their homes poison-free. It also includes a contest to name the animated talking pill bottle featured in an award-winning TV public service announcement by Safe Kids Worldwide and the Cardinal Health Foundation. The pill bottle reminds adults to keep medicines out of children’s reach. The person submitting the winning entry will receive $250.
Since African-Americans obtain their news from radio more frequently than other Americans, Safe Kids and Cardinal Health Foundation are also sponsoring a radio media tour of 13 cities with large proportions of African-Americans to get the message out to parents and caregivers about how to protect children against accidental poisoning. Cities featured in the tour include Louisville, Washington, D.C., Memphis, Little Rock, Cleveland, Chicago and Baton Rouge. Speakers will include local Safe Kids coalition coordinators who will talk about poison prevention and local poison prevention events in their communities.
In honor of National Poison Prevention Week 2007 (March 18-24), Safe Kids Worldwide is partnering with the Cardinal Health Foundation to reduce accidental poisoning among African-American and other children. A new poison prevention Web site, www.usa.safekids.org/poison, debuting March 19, features educational games for kids and parents to play together, poison safety checklists for parents and caregivers, and an interactive house that can be searched for poison-related hazards. From the Web site, adults will be able to e-mail free greeting cards with poison prevention messages to friends and relatives and take a pledge to keep their medicine cabinets and homes safe. The Web site also includes a contest to name the animated talking pill bottle which is the poison prevention mascot in an award-winning TV public service announcement by Safe Kids Worldwide and the Cardinal Health Foundation. The pill bottle helps to remind adults of the importance of keeping medicines out of children’s reach. The person submitting the winning entry will receive $250.
“Cardinal Health provides solutions, including medications, designed to improve quality, safety and efficiency in healthcare. It concerns us that sometimes parents and other caregivers can lose sight of the dangers that improper medication storage can cause for children,” said Debra Hadley, executive director of the Cardinal Health Foundation. “By increasing awareness of this problem and what to do to prevent it, we hope to reduce the number of accidental childhood poisonings from medications and other substances.”
Safe Kids Worldwide joins the Poison Prevention Week Council with the message, “Children act fast…so do poisons!” Hazardous products in the home, including medicines and vitamins, need to be stored out of reach in a locked cabinet. “Parents need to keep the toll-free poison control hotline number handy: 800-222-1222,” said Wilcox. “Keep it near every phone in your home and program it into your cell phone.” From anywhere in the United States, this number connects to the local poison control center.
“Call 911, not poison control, if a child is choking, having trouble breathing or having a seizure,” said Wilcox. “Follow the 911 operator’s instructions. Do not induce vomiting or give the child any fluid or medication unless directed.”
Safe Kids Worldwide offers these additional tips:
* Don’t refer to medicine or vitamins as candy. Children should not think of therapeutic substances as treats. And when you are administering medicine to your children, follow dosage directions carefully.
* Do not flush expired medications down the toilet. They can contaminate soil and groundwater. Contact your pharmacist to get instructions on the best way to dispose of expired medications. Some pharmacists will accept expired medications at their store for disposal or offer instructions on the best way to handle it if they don’t.
* Discuss these precautions with grandparents and relatives. Grandparents may have medications that can be very dangerous to children, and their homes might not be as well childproofed as yours.
* Get your home tested for lead. Kids inhale the dust of lead-based paint and can build up enough lead in their blood to affect intelligence, growth and development. An estimated 890,000 children ages 1 to 5 have too much lead in their blood. Lead-based paint was used in homes until 1978, so it’s important to have older homes tested.
* Install a carbon monoxide detector in every sleeping area. Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless gas that builds up around fuel-burning appliances — and cars in garages — and is present in tobacco smoke. It can make a child seriously ill in concentrations that would barely affect an adult.
* Stay alert while using cleaning products or other potentially harmful substances. A child can be poisoned in a matter of seconds. Never leave kids alone with an open container of something you wouldn’t want them to ingest.
* Learn which plants are poisonous. Keep poisonous houseplants out of reach, and teach children not to put any part of an outdoor plant in their mouths without adult supervision.
* Learn CPR. In less than three hours, you can learn effective interventions that can give a fighting chance to a child whose breathing and heartbeat have stopped. Ask your local hospital, fire department or recreation department where to get CPR training.
For more information about poison prevention and tips on keeping your children safe, visit: www.usa.safekids.org/poison. Safe Kids Worldwide is a member of the Poison Prevention Week Council (www.poisonprevention.org).
Supported by the resources of Cardinal Health (www.cardinalhealth.com), including more than 55,000 employees around the world, the Cardinal Health Foundation is the focal point of the company’s community relations efforts. The Foundation’s mission is to advance and fund large regional and national programs that improve access to and delivery of quality healthcare services. Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health is a $75 billion, global company providing the healthcare industry’s broadest suite of products and services that help improve quality, safety and productivity all along the chain of care.
Safe Kids Worldwide is a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury, a leading killer of children 14 and under. More than 450 coalitions in 16 countries bring together health and safety experts, educators, corporations, foundations, governments and volunteers to educate and protect families. The organization was founded in 1987 by Children’s National Medical Center with support from Johnson & Johnson.
CONTACT:
Mike Livingston
202-662-4478
-END-
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Posted in Employment, Scholarships, Internships, & Fellowship at 3:45 am by Shhh....
The Islamic Center of Maryland (ICM) is in search of a Full Time Office Administrator.
The ICM Administrators primary role is to act as the day to day office administration and liaison for committees. The Administrator has to be knowledgeable of most if not all of the activities that are taking place at the Masjid, so that he can provide information to all requestors.
The administrator is the first point of contact for people communicating with ICM. As such the administrator is responsible for interacting with them thru phone, email, letter, and/or human interaction. Additionally the Admin is responsible for providing first level or high level contact information for the variety of ICM activities e.g. education, masjid programs, other social activities that take place at ICM. As such this includes providing high level information of the program, contact person and/or forms to the requestor.
The administrator is expected to keep a schedule of all activities. He is responsible for coordinating the logistics of Guest Khateebs visits to ICM for Jumaa and other activities. Responsibilities include managing the day to day operations associated with running an office.
Salary commensurate with experience.
Skills Required:
Word Processing - MS Word
Spreadsheet – MS Excel
Internet
Email – MS Outlook
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Interested parties should please email, mail or fax resumes to:
Islamic Center of Maryland
19401 Woodfield Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
icmadmin@icomd.org
Ph. 877 426-4911
Fax. 301 987-8915
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03.19.07
Posted in Miscellaneous at 5:27 am by Shhh....
Humility
The Most Beautiful Word in the English Language
By Bruna Martinuzzi
Many years ago, one of my university professors mentioned that “windowsill” was voted the most beautiful word in the English language. Being an armchair linguist, this factoid naturally stayed with me. Words have enormous power. They can make us erupt into laughter or bring tears to our eyes. They can influence, inspire, manipulate and shock. They can build and destroy. Some words have different effects on different people. One such word is humility. It is one of those words that are seldom in neutral gear. Some, like me, love the word and all it stands for. Some almost fear it and interpret it synonymously with lack of self-confidence or timidity.
The dictionary defines humility as modesty, lacking pretence, not believing that you are superior to others. An ancillary definition includes: “Having a lowly opinion of oneself, meekness”. The word “humility” first struck me in the context of leadership when Jim Collins mentioned it in his seminal work Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t. In this book, Collins examined companies that went from good to great by sustaining 15-year cumulative stock returns at or below the general stock market, and after a transition point, cumulative returns at least three times the market over the next 15 years.
Among the many characteristics that distinguished these companies from others is that they all had a Level 5 leader. Level 5 leaders direct their ego away from themselves to the larger goal of leading their company to greatness. These leaders are a complex, paradoxical mix of intense professional will and extreme personal humility. They will create superb results but shun public adulation, and are never boastful. They are described as modest. An example of such a leader who epitomized humility is David Packard, the co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, who, in Jim Collins’ words, defined himself as a HP man first and a CEO second. He was a man of the people, practicing management by walking around. Shunning all manner of publicity, Packard is quoted as saying: “You shouldn’t gloat about anything you’ve done; you ought to keep going and find something better to do.”
Another great leader is Patrick Daniel, CEO of North American energy and pipeline company Enbridge, who espouses two leadership attributes: determination to create results and humility, shifting the focus away from himself and continually recognizing the contributions of others. “I have learned through the lives of great leaders,” he said, “that greatness comes from humility and being at times, self-effacing.”
Clearly these leaders, and many others like them, don’t espouse the meaning of humility as “meek”. On the contrary, it is a source of their strength. But the notion of being self-effacing is one that we struggle with in our competitive culture, prescribing that we take every opportunity to toot our own horn, and that we don’t dare leave the house without our dynamic elevator speech all rehearsed.
We often confuse humility with timidity. Humility is not clothing ourselves in an attitude of self-abasement or self-denigration. Humility is all about maintaining our pride about who we are, about our achievements, about our worth – but without arrogance – it is the antithesis of hubris, that excessive, arrogant pride which often leads to the derailment of some corporate heroes, as it does with the downfall of the tragic hero in Greek drama. It’s about a quiet confidence without the need for a meretricious selling of our wares. It’s about being content to let others discover the layers of our talents without having to boast about them. It’s a lack of arrogance, not a lack of aggressiveness in the pursuit of achievement.
An interesting dichotomy is that, often, the higher people rise, the more they have accomplished, the higher the humility index. Those who achieve the most brag the least, and the more secure they are in themselves, the more humble they are. “True merit, like a river, the deeper it is, the less noise it makes”. (Edward Frederick Halifax). We have all come across people like that and feel admiration for them.
There is also an understated humility of every day people we work with who have the ability to get the job done without drawing attention to themselves. Witness the employee who is working at his computer into the late hours, purely motivated by a keen sense of duty, the executive assistant who stays after 5:30pm on a Friday night in an empty office to await a courier, or the manager who quietly cancels an important personal event to fly out of town to attend to the company’s business. This is akin to the philanthropist who gives an anonymous donation.
Humility is also a meta-virtue. It crosses into an array of principles. For example, we can safely declare that there cannot be authenticity without humility. Why? Because, there is always a time in a leader’s journey when one will be in a situation of not having all the answers. Admitting this and seeking others’ input requires some humility.
Another mark of a leader who practices humility is his or her treatment of others. Such leaders treat everyone with respect regardless of position. Years ago, I came across this reference: the sign of a gentleman is how he treats those who can be of absolutely no use to him.
Something interesting happens, too, when we approach situations from a perspective of humility: it opens us up to possibilities, as we choose open-mindedness and curiosity over protecting our point of view. We spend more time in that wonderful space of the beginner’s mind, willing to learn from what others have to offer. We move away from pushing into allowing, from insecure to secure, from seeking approval to seeking enlightenment. We forget about being perfect and we enjoy being in the moment.
Here are a few suggestions on practicing humility:
There are times when swallowing one’s pride is particularly difficult and any intentions of humility fly out the window, as we get engaged in a contest of perfection, each side seeking to look good. If you find yourself in such no-win situations, consider developing some strategies to ensure that the circumstances don’t lead you to lose your grace. Try this sometimes: just stop talking and allow the other person to be in the limelight. There is something very liberating in this strategy.
Here are three magical words that will produce more peace of mind than a week at an expensive retreat: “You are right.”
Catch yourself if you benignly slip into over preaching or coaching without permission – is zeal to impose your point of view overtaking discretion? Is your correction of others reflective of your own needs?
Seek others’ input on how you are showing up in your leadership path. Ask: “How am I doing?” It takes humility to ask such a question. And even more humility to consider the answer.
Encourage the practice of humility in your company through your own example: every time you share credit for successes with others, you reinforce the ethos for your constituents. Consider mentoring or coaching emerging leaders on this key attribute of leadership.
There are many benefits to practicing humility, to being in a state of non-pretence: it improves relationships across all levels, it reduces anxiety, it encourages more openness and paradoxically, it enhances one’s self-confidence. It opens a window to a higher self. For me, it replaces “windowsill” as the most beautiful word in the English language.
Copyright © 2006-2007 by Bruna Martinuzzi. All Rights Reserved.
Based in British Columbia, Bruna is the President and Founder of Clarion Enterprises Ltd, a company which specializes in emotional intelligence and leadership training. Click here [ Bruna.Martinuzzi@mindtools.com ]to contact her.
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Posted in Do Something...Get Active! at 12:43 am by Shhh....
PETITION SIGNATURE ROUND-UP!
Fatima and Mansour Al-Timani Need Your Support!
Muslimah Writers Alliance (MWA), in support of women throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
and in protest of an appellate court ruling that threatens to adversely affect Muslim women worldwide, announces the launch of its “Say ‘No’ to Forced Divorce - ‘Yes’ to Reforms” international online petition drive.
The petition addresses King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz on the issue of forced divorce and the need for reforms relating to women’s rights.
The original legal action resulted in the forced divorce of Fatima and Mansour Al-Timani.
Filed by Fatima’s half-brothers after the death of her father, the petition claimed that Al-Timani misrepresented his tribal affiliation (or social status) when he sought permission to marry Fatima.
Al-Timani denied the charge, and in the single court appearance Fatima was made aware of,
she adamantly declared to Justice Ibrahim Al-Farraj, that she did not wish to be divorced from her husband.
Their attorney, Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, has since requested that King Abdullah intercede in the matter.
“The High Court is the only legal establishment that can overrule the appeals court if it finds the ruling contrary to the Shariah.”
——————————————————————————–
CAMPAIGN SUPPORT FROM THE QUR’AN AND HADITH
“O mankind, We created you from a single (pair) of male and female and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other).
Verily, the most honored of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous among you.” Qur’an 49:13 (Translation of the Meaning)
The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “One who helps a fellow Muslim in removing his (or her) difficulty in this world, Allah will remove the formers distress on the Day of Judgment.
He who helps to remove the hardship of another, will have his difficulties removed by Allah in this world and in the Hereafter…” (Muslim)
——————————————————————————–
QUOTE FROM KING ABDULLAH BIN ABDUL AZIZ
“The whole world is looking for humaneness.
Anybody who works for faith, nation and moral values will never be a loser.”
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah
Addressing attendees of the National Heritage and Culture Festival at Janadriya, February 17, 2007
——————————————————————————–
Petition Statistics
Signatures Total 644 as of February 14, 2007
Signatures Represent 33 Countries, 45 Foreign Cities, 15 U.S. States, and 32 U.S. Cities
——————————————————————————–
Say ‘No’ To Forced Divorce - ‘Yes’ to Reforms
PETITIONING: THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES, KING ABDULLAH BIN ABDUL AZIZ
PETITION
http://www.petitiononline.com/no24orce/petition.html
WHERE TO SIGN THE PETITION
http://www.petitiononline.com/no24orce/petition-sign.html
QUICK FACTS AND INFORMATION REFERENCES
SOURCE: http://muslimahwritersalliance.com/mwa-community/quick_stats.html
Press Release - Feb. 14, 2007
Muslimah Writers Alliance Petitions King Abdullah to Stop Forced Divorces
http://prweb.com/releases/2007/2/prweb505146.htm
Press Release - Feb. 5, 2007
Muslimah Writers Alliance Joins in Petitioning Saudi Arabia for Reversal of Forced Divorce
http://muslimahwritersalliance.com/mwa-community/support_elimination_of_gender_bias_ksa.htm
Result of September 2006 MWA Grand Mosque Equal Access for Women Petition
http://www.muslimahwritersalliance.com/MWA-GMEA4W/Press-Release2.html
Chronological Log of Media Coverage
http://muslimahwritersalliance.com/mwa-community/al-timani_case_chronology.htm
Human Rights position statements made in the Kingdom’s Memorandum to The General Secretariat of the Arab League*
outlining its position for ABSTAINING from signing ‘The International Human Rights Declaration’ and
the ‘International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’
http://www.saudiembassy.net/Issues/HRights/hr-memo.html
You will see from the highlighted and underscored excerpts of the Kingdom’s Memorandum (see link below),
that there are numerous statements that certainly appear to contradict what we see happening right now with the issue of forced divorce.
http://muslimahwritersalliance.com/files/saudi_human_rights_memo.htm
Send Letters and/or Faxes to:
The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for all aspects of government related to security and the protection of human life and property.
The Ministry of the Interior has as a prime responsibility the maintenance of the Kingdom’s laws, based on Islam.
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
Minister of the Interior
P.O. Box 2933 Airport Road
Riyadh 11134
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: + 966 1 403 1185
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
Ministry of Justice
The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the administration of Shari’ah Law and the provision of legal services for all Saudi citizens.
University Street, Riyadh 11137
Tel: +966 405 7777 / 405 5399
Call for fax number
Additional information may be available on the Ministry of Justice’s Website (it’s in Arabic only).
http://www.moj.gov.sa/layout/default.asp
~PLEASE FORWARD, INSHA’ALLAH!!!~
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03.16.07
Posted in Pearls of Wisdom at 5:25 pm by Shhh....
In many of our nation’s cities there is an upsurge in violence, particularly among young people. With the state of the economy these days it is easy to see that most of the violence is directly related to the lack of gainful employment in our major cities. Although it is true that the economic situation begets lawlessness, it nevertheless is no easier to accept.
Recently a meeting was held at the Muslim Center in Detroit to begin action to attack the problem. It was a meeting of Muslims, Christians, Jews and ex-Jews, as well as non-religious groups. The responsibility of the adults, particularily the men, was emphasized. This brought to mind a previous column on saving our children. The column was drawn from the 66th sura of the Holy Quran, the sixth verse.
“O ye who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones, over which are appointed angels stern and severe, who flinch not from executing the commands they receive from ALLAH, but do precisely what they are commanded.” 66:6
In this powerful verse ALLAH instructs us to save ourselves first, and then our families, from the ravaging fires of Hell…
Here is an analogy. On every airline flight, when the stewardess is giving emergency instructions, she always asks you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before assisting others. It just makes sense. If you are not in good shape, how can you help others?
Similarly, if you are doing immoral things and not living a good Islamic life, then chances are, they won’t live a moral life either.
Since Satan has no power over us, except what we give him. Since he can’t command us to do anything – just ask. Then the lack of Godliness and morality in society is not Satan’s fault – it’s our fault.
And it most certainly is not the fault of ALLAH, since He has given us all the instruction we need to save ourselves.
We must remember, our children do what they see and hear – not so much of what they are told. The old saying “Do what I say, not what I do”, does not work. It never has…. and it never will.
We ask you, O ALLAH, looking at the depths of despair we adults have allowed this world to sink to, for the strength and light we need that we may follow You – and save our children.
We ask you O ALLAH to help us tell our sons to pull their pants up. And not be intimidated - especially since he is eating our corn flakes, with our milk, out of our refrigerator. Especially since he is using our toothpaste, and washing with our soap, in our bathtub, drying with our towel, wiping with our toilet paper, watching our TV and sleeping in our bed.
We ask you to help us tell our daughters to not display themselves in degrading manners, especially in public. Help us to DEMAND that they place less emphasis on their breast and behinds, and more on their brains.
Give us the strength to stop our children from listening to vulgar rotgut music in our presence. Help us to not allow music that should be in garbage cans to played around us. It is the height of disrespect to a parent.
We ask you O ALLAH to strengthen us and help us refrain from watching sex-filled movies with our children – especially mothers and sons, and fathers and daughters.
O ALLAH, Help us to realize that a prayer for the children is a prayer first for ourselves.
We ask You to keep us, protect us, help us, FORGIVE US, We ask you to increase our fear of displeasing You, and grant us the blessings of faith.
Help us put our oxygen mask on first. Help us live our lives in a moral fashion first…So we can have the ability to save our families.
We ask this in the Almighty name of God, The All Powerful, the All Merciful.
As Salaam Alaikum
(Al Hajj) Abdullah Bey El-Amin
http://muslimmedianetwork.com/mmn/?p=805
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