Bismallah al Rahman al Raheem. Brothers and sisters, Assalam alaikum -  I first came to Pakistan seven years ago following the horrific events of 9/11 - I am sure every single one of you can remember that day very well. It was the dawn of a frightening new era - it was the time when George W Bush said: You are either with me or with the terrorists. Who here is with George W Bush now? Who here stands shoulder to shoulder with the President of the United States ? He might be gone from The White House soon, but his rotten legacies will live on. And one of those legacies is his never-ending War on Terror. His War on Terror gave birth to the cages of Cuba - to Guantanamo   Bay where hundreds of our brothers were sold like slaves to the Americans.   I wish this obscenity had happened somewhere else, but the stark reality is retired General Pervez Musharraf and his men got rich on the back of this vile trade - he even admitted it in his autobiography.   How could Muslims sink so low as to sell their brothers like parcels of meat? Because of this an international organisation called Cage Prisoners was launched from London and its work initially focused on the torture and detention of those brothers held in Guantanamo , a boil on the face of humanity. I became one of the patrons of Cage Prisoners and tried to raise awareness to get justice for our brothers in Islam. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever believe that sisters would also be swept up in the War on Terror. Never did I ever in my darkest nightmares imagine they would be brutalised, raped and tortured ... but they have. I suppose we should not have been too surprised, after all it seems the US President is totally disinterested in the suffering of others, especially when it comes to Muslims.   Muslim blood is cheap as far as the US military is concerned. The rivers of blood in Iraq and Afghanistan have now been swollen with the blood of innocent Pakistanis.   How did we allow ourselves to sleepwalk into this outrageous state of affairs. But what still catches my breath is the disinterest expressed by brothers and sisters across the Muslim world to the plight of sisters ... and I am talking about all corners of the Muslim world, including here in Pakistan , a country I have grown to love and regard as my second home.   I salute those dear sisters in Lal Masjid who were mocked and ridiculed for trying to close down a brothel - they were mocked and ridiculed for their piety and many of them were martyred as they fought for common decency.   How did we allow that to happen? How did we sink so low?   Newspaper columnists here in Pakistan sneered at their efforts and called their work the Talibanisation of Pakistan.   Anywhere else in the world they would have been praised as feminists and as righteous individuals for trying to close down the sex industry which clearly exploits women.   But it's not just the heroic sisters from Lal Masjid which brings me here today. Five years ago when Cage Prisoners first brought the mystery disappearance of Dr Aafia Siddiqui to the attention of the media no one listened? OK - five years ago few of us believed that the Bush Administration could really sanction the kidnapping of a mother and her three children.    I know because I was one of those doubters but what changed for me was my own journey to Guantanamo earlier this year. For some bizarre reason the Americans agreed to give me and film-maker David Miller unprecedented access to the world's most notorious prison - and even more amazingly they let us out again. I am probably one of the few Muslims who flew half way across the world to get to Guantanamo without having to be shackled, shaved and abused. The experience as brief as it was left me shocked � in fact as I left the maximum security block at Camp Delta one of the young guards asked me how I felt. I told him I was speechless, lost for words. He said proudly: Yup, it's awesome isn't it?

 A huge number of lives would be saved if warnings came early enough to escape an earthquake’s deadly effects. It is interesting to note that more quakes tend to occur in the winter than the summer, usually when there is a surge of unusually warm weather. There is evidence suggesting that earthquakes are more likely to occur when the moon is closest to Earth. Apparently, the moon’s gravitational pull, which is responsible for our tides, may also affect earth’s tectonic plates. Yet another theory suggests that the earth shakes because of solar winds caused when sun flares reach large heights. Certain changes in earth structure and appearance can also indicate the coming of a large quake. One side of a fault may rise up a little bit, or small earth tremors may be noticed. Water may come up from the earth, or the level of well water may change drastically. Long-time residents in earthquake-prone regions insist that they can sense coming tremors. They take clues from unusual animal behavior, chemical changes in water, strange lights, groaning noises from the ground, or the uncustomary calm of “earthquake weather.” As researchers investigate the earthquake phenomenon more, they are giving more credit to these traditions. Some scientists believe that “earthquake weather” does in fact exist. The squeezing motion of the earth prior to a quake is believed to generate electric currents that decomposes trapped ground water and releases hydrogen and oxygen ions into the air. These ions may then produce fog, clouds, and the unusual calm characteristic of earthquake weather. These same charges may also cause “earthquake lights,” fireballs, flashes, and eerie glows that have been reported in the sky before or during plate movements. Animals have also been used as indicators of coming earthquakes. Horses have been known to act up, rearing and racing away before a tremor strikes. Fish and pheasants in Japan and China have also been valued for their ability to sense coming earthquakes. Pheasants supposedly scream in alarm before a tremor, while fish jump out of the water. Pet cats have run away and snakes and rats come out of their hiding places. In Turkey, it is said that the appearance of bats during the day signals an impending tremor. Residents around the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia are alerted when the normally inactive bears begin to act more energetic than usual. In 1975, citizens of Hai, China noticed a tilting of the ground and frightened rats and dogs. Chickens flew up in trees and screeched loudly. Cats picked up their kittens in their mouths and ran for their lives. When the earthquake hit, its citizens were already camping safely in the fields outside the city. Apparently, the animals had noticed tiny tremors and rising gases that were undetected by humans. Dogs howled all night before the famous 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Before the 1835 Chile quake, all the dogs in the city of Talcahuano ran out of town. Horses kicked at their stalls, trying to get loose before an 1887 earthquake. People were warned of a 1954 quake in Greece by storks flying off in an agitated manner. Villagers who saw this fled their homes for open spaces, saving their lives. However, all of these signs are not positive indicators of earthquakes, which more often than not occur suddenly and without warning. Once a region has suffered a major earthquake (measured 7.0 in magnitude or more), it is likely to be safe from further quakes for at least several decades. This is because the great strain between conflicting plates has been relieved. On the other hand, the longer a fault-area goes without a major earthquake, the more likely one is to occur. Scientists are thus able to pinpoint regions where earthquakes are likely to occur, but they are still unable to tell exactly when this will happen. In 1977, the U.S. Congress passed the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program Act, providing funds to scientific organizations for constant earthquake research. Chinese scientists are also working on earthquake prediction. A program with 10,000 participating amateur workers has succeeded in issuing timely warnings for ten major earthquakes. Although most of the U.S.’s earthquakes occur on the west coast, Robert Ketter, director of the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, considers it probable that a major earthquake will hit the eastern seaboard before 2010. The damage could be considerable, considering that many eastern cities are not prepared for earthquakes. Scientists are careful not to issue earthquake predictions too often, for they disrupt business, keep tourists away, and alarm the public. Also, a predicted quake may not occur within a reasonable duration of time. People may also stop paying attention to warnings if they come too often.

4 hours ago Heh Im always the last person to finish eating when Im out with friends. Hell even just sitting at my desk at work it usually takes me about 45 minutes to finish. I think its partly me just naturally being a slow eater and also be just really enjoying food and savoring it hehe. I do agree that the speed of eating has a direct correlation to the amount of food you intake and therefor could effect weight (if the food youre eating is unhealthy to begin with. stuffing yourself on steamed veggies probably wont cause too much trouble heh). If youre just woofing it down you wont realize when youre full until its too late because youre eating faster than youre digesting. Whereas if you slowly indulge you'll notice when youre full and call it quits before you over stuff. 4 hours ago Everything is faster now-a-days, and eating is definately a key factor....we need to sit and eat healthy!