Malaysian woman fails to reverse Muslim conversion

AP - Wednesday, August 4

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – A Malaysian woman lost a court battle Wednesday to nullify her conversion to Islam when she was a child, but vowed to fight on to be recognized as a Hindu.
The interfaith dispute could further anger non-Muslims who have long complained that their religious rights are being sidelined in Muslim-majority Malaysia, and may erode minority support for the government.
Malaysia's secular High Court ruled it had no jurisdiction to hear the case as Banggarma Subramaniam is a Muslim and should refer to the Islamic Shariah court, said her lawyer Gooi Hsiao Leung.
Banggarma has said she and her three siblings were under the care of a government orphanage in northern Penang state when she was converted to Islam by welfare officials in 1989 when she was seven years old.
She ran away when she was 16 and got married two years later in 2001 in a traditional Hindu ceremony. When she returned to the home to collect her identity card and other documents, she was given the Muslim conversion certificate which listed her name as Siti Hasnah Vanga-rama Abdullah.
She has been unable to register her marriage or name her husband as the father of their two children in their birth certificates as she is listed a Muslim. Banggarma's husband must convert to Islam to legally wed her as marriage between Muslims and non-Muslims is not allowed in the country.
Banggarma said she was disappointed with the court ruling and planned to take the case to the Appeals Court.
"Why must I be forced to accept Islam?" Banggarma said. "I was born an Indian, a Hindu and I remain so until I die. They have no rights over me."
The welfare department claims Banggarma was converted in 1983 by her father and that she must go to the Shariah court to verify her status.
Gooi, however, said her conversion certificate was dated 1989 and that under Penang Islamic laws, minors below 18 cannot be converted to Islam without the consent of their parents.
Malaysia has a dual court system with civil courts for non-Muslims and Shariah courts for Muslims. In interfaith disputes involving Islam, the Shariah courts typically get the last word, which has upset non-Muslims who fear they cannot get justice in such courts.
If she renounces Islam, Banggarma risks being charged with apostasy, which in Malaysia _ as in many Islamic nations _ is regarded as a crime punishable by fines and jail sentences. Offenders are often sent to prison-like rehabilitation centers.
Minorities are increasingly becoming worried that their rights have become subordinate to those of ethnic Malay Muslims, who form nearly 60 percent of Malaysia's 28 million people.
The unhappiness over racial discrimination erupted in an unprecedented street protest three years ago by tens of thousands of ethnic Indians. The demonstration emboldened the minorities into voting against the government, which returned to power with its worst performance ever in the March 2008 general elections

::otc skincare exp date ?::

Q: Do over-the-counter skincare products have an expiration date?

A: Basically, dear reader, an OTC skincare product expires when you decide it does. Though most are formulated to last about two years, there is no federal regulation or clear guideline establishing expiration dates, says our friend cosmetic chemist Mort Westman, of Westman Associates in Oak Brook, Illinois. (That is not the case for products like sunscreen, which contain OTC drugs; the FDA mandates expiration dates for the active ingredients.) Westman points out, however, that there are definitely signs that a cream or lotion should be pitched: The consistency has changed (it's thinner, or has become lumpy or separated into layers), the color has darkened, or the smell has either minimally or wildly (and unpleasantly) altered from when you bought it. Lotions containing retinol and antioxidants, like vitamins C and E, are particularly vulnerable, so they must be stored carefully. What does "stored carefully" mean? A cool (but not freezing), dry place away from sunlight.

Keep in mind: To maximize a product's life, try to keep your fingers out of it. There's less risk of bacterial contamination that way.

copy and paste from OPRAH MAG..

:: scoliosis ::

Scoliosis (from Greek: skoliōsis meaning "crooked condition," from skolios, "crooked")^[1] is a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side. Although it is a complex three-dimensional deformity, on an x-ray, viewed from the rear, the spine of an individual with a typical scoliosis may look more like an "S" or a "C" than a straight line. It is typically classified as either congenital (caused by vertebral anomalies present at birth), idiopathic (cause unknown, sub-classified as infantile, juvenile, adolescent, or adult according to when onset occurred) or neuromuscular (having developed as a secondary symptom of another condition, such as spina bifida, cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy or physical trauma)
The signs of scoliosis can include:

• Uneven musculature on one side of the spine
• A rib prominence and/or a prominent shoulder blade, caused by rotation of the ribcage in thoracic scoliosis
• Uneven hips / leg lengths
• Asymmetric size or location of breast in females
• Slow nerve action (in some cases)

Associated conditions

Scoliosis is sometimes associated with other conditions such as Ehler-Danlos syndrome (hyperflexibility, 'floppy baby' syndrome, and other variants of the condition), Charcot-Marie-Tooth, Prader-Willi syndrome, kyphosis, cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophy, familial dysautonomia, CHARGE syndrome, Friedreich's ataxia, proteus syndrome, spina bifida, Marfan's syndrome, neurofibromatosis, connective tissue disorders, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, and craniospinal axis disorders (e.g., syringomyelia, mitral valve prolapse, Arnold-Chiari malformation).

Cause

In the case of the most common form of scoliosis, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, there is no clear causal agent and it is generally believed to be multifactorial. Genetics are believed to play a role. Various causes have been implicated, but none have consensus among scientists as the cause of scoliosis, though the role of genetic factors in the development of this condition is widely accepted.
Scoliosis is more often diagnosed in females. In some cases, scoliosis exists at birth due to a congenital vertebral anomaly. Occasionally, development of scoliosis during adolescence is due to an underlying anomaly such as a tethered spinal cord, but most often the cause is unknown or idiopathic, having been inherited through multiple factors, including genetics.^[5] Scoliosis often presents itself, or worsens, during the adolescence growth spurt.
In April 2007, researchers at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children^[6] identified the first gene associated with idiopathic scoliosis, CHD7. The medical breakthrough was the result of a 10-year study and is outlined in the May 2007 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.^[7] and is often performed on school students.) If a prominence is noted, then scoliosis is a possibility and the patient should be sent for an X-ray to confirm the diagnosis. Alternatively, a scoliometer may be used to diagnose the condition.^[8] The patient's gait is assessed, and there is an exam for signs of other abnormalities (e.g., spina bifida as evidenced by a dimple, hairy patch, lipoma, or hemangioma). A thorough neurological examination is also performed.
It is usual, when scoliosis is suspected, to arrange for weight-bearing full-spine AP/coronal (front-back view) and lateral/sagittal (side view) X-rays to be taken, to assess the scoliosis curves and the kyphosis and lordosis, as these can also be affected in individuals with scoliosis. Full-length standing spine X-rays are the standard method for evaluating the severity and progression of the scoliosis, and whether it is congenital or idiopathic in nature. In growing individuals, serial radiographs are obtained at 3-12 month intervals to follow curve progression. In some instances, MRI investigation is warranted to look at the spinal cord.
The standard method for assessing the curvature quantitatively is measurement of the Cobb angle. The Cobb angle is the angle between two lines, drawn perpendicular to the upper endplate of the uppermost vertebrae involved and the lower endplate of the lowest vertebrae involved. For patients who have two curves, Cobb angles are followed for both curves. In some patients, lateral bending X-rays are obtained to assess the flexibility of the curves or the primary and compensatory curves.

Genetic testing

Genetic testing for AIS, which has become available in 2009 and is still under investigation, attempts to gauge the likelihood of curve progression.
Through a genome-wide association study, geneticists have identified single nucleotide polymorphism markers in the DNA that are significantly associated with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Fifty-three genetic markers have been identified. Scoliosis has been described as a biomechanical deformity, the progression of which is dependent on asymmetric forces otherwise known as the Heuter-Volkmann law.

:: dari kawan kepada kawan ::

Kawan Baik

Bukannya senang nak cari kawan yang baik .
Bukan senang juga nak menjadi kawan yang baik .

Kawan yang baik tak pernah mengumpat di belakang kawan baik nya.
Kawan yang baik tak pernah cemburu dengan kejayaan kawan baik nya.
Sebaliknya kawan yang baik lah yang paling banyak membantu kawan baik nya
untuk mencapai kejayaan.

Kawan yang baik tak pernah mempengaruhi kawan baik nya untuk membuat
perkara yang buruk dan sia-sia.
Kawan yang baik adalah orang yang selalu menasihati kawan baik nya untuk
berbuat kebaikan.

Kawan yang baik adalah orang pertama yang akan dicari bila tiba masa sedih
atau gembira.
Kawan baik menjadi tempat kita meluahkan perasaan yang tak dapat diluahkan
kepada kawan biasa.

Kawan yang baik tak pernah memaksa kawan baik nya untuk sentiasa berada
disisinya.
Kawan yang baik tak pernah melarang kawan baik nya untuk berkawan dengan
kawan yang baik .
Kawan yang baik tak pernah cemburu jika kawan baik nya mempunyai ramai
kawan baik , kerana kawan yang baik tahu apa yang paling baik untuk kawan
baik nya.

Kawan yang baik akan sentiasa mendoakan kesejahteraan dan kebahagiaan
kawan baik nya di dunia dan di akhirat di dalam doanya.

Kita adalah kawan yang baik jika kita faham bahawa kawan baik kita
bukanlah seorang yang sempurna. Kita adalah kawan yang baik jika kita
menjadi kawan yang baik kepada kawan baik kita.

Kita bukanlah kawan yang baik jika kita tidak menghargai kawan baik kita,
kerana kawan yang baik akan sentiasa menghargai kawan baik nya.

Kita bukanlah kawan yang baik jika kita tidak memberitahu perkara yang
baik kepada kawan baik kita, kerana kawan yang baik akan selalu
menyampaikan perkara yang baik kepada kawan baik nya.

Kawan yang baik akan memanjangkan naskah ini kepada kawan-kawannya, bukan
kerana terpaksa, bukan kerana suka-suka, tetapi untuk dijadikan pedoman
oleh kawan-kawannya supaya dapat menjadi kawan yang baik kepada
kawan baik nya.

Dan kalau kita nak dapat kawan baik yang baik, kita mesti lebih dahulu
menjadi seorang kawan yang baik ...kepada kawan baik kita.

Dan semoga kita menjadi kawan baik yang baik...!!!!!