Maldives ibu's Eyes

Attorney-General Dr. Hassan Saeed and Justice Minister Mohamed Jameel Ahmed resign

2007-08-05
Attorney-General Dr. Hassan Saeed and Justice Minister Mohamed Jameel Ahmed have resigned from the Cabinet today.
They are scheduled to hold a press conference at 15:30 today at..full

Local Skins

Zebrafish study may point way to blindness cure

LONDON (Reuters) - The ability of zebrafish to regenerate damaged retinas has given scientists a clue about restoring human vision and could lead to an experimental treatment for blindness within five years.
British researchers said on Wednesday they had successfully grown in the laboratory a type of adult stem cell found in the eyes of both fish and mammals that develops into neurons in the retina.
In future, these cells could be injected into the eye as a treatment for diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetes-related blindness, according to Astrid Limb of University College London's (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology.
Damage to the retina -- the part of the eye that sends messages to the brain -- is responsible for most cases of sight loss.
"Our findings have enormous potential," Limb said. "It could help in all diseases where the neurons are damaged, which is basically nearly every disease of the eye."
Limb and her colleagues studied so-called Mueller glial cells in the eyes of people aged from 18 months to 91 years and found they were able to develop them into all types of neurons found in the retina.
They were also able to grow them easily in the lab, they reported in the journal Stem Cells.
The cells have already been tested in rats with diseased retinas, where they successfully migrated into the retina and took on the characteristics of the surrounding neurons. Now the team is working on the same approach in humans.
"We very much hope that we could do autologous transplants within five years," Limb told Reuters.
Autologous transplants, initially on a trial basis, will involve manipulating cells and injecting them back into an individual's own eye. Eventually, Limb hopes it will also be possible to transfer the cells between different people.
"Because they are so easy to grow, we could make stem cell banks and have cell lines available to the general population, subject to typing as with blood transfusions," she said.
Just why zebrafish have an abundant supply of adult stem cells to regenerate their retinas, while they are rare in mammals, remains a mystery but Limb suspects it is because mammals have a limiting system to stop proliferation.
The new work on Mueller glial cells is the latest example of researchers exploring the potential of different kinds of stem cells in treating eye disease. Another team from UCL and Moorfield's Eye Hospital said in June they aimed to repair damaged retinas with cells derived from embryonic stem cells.

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THE MEANING OF LIFE - JOURNEY

Who am I and what am I doing here? For thousands of years, men and women have pondered the meaning of life and their place in the cosmos. Whole civilizations were born, grew up, and died around their answers to these questions. From the ancient Egyptians through the Industrial Revolution, from Romeo and Juliet to you and me, each person and each society defines for itself what is important, and hence how to put order to life and resources.

Context is everything. Imagine the commitment of time and energy necessary to build the pyramids. Did the Egyptians (or their captives) gladly march to Cheops, eager contributors to their Pharaoh's immortality, or were they coerced, baking miserably in the Saharan Sun? For one, each day is slavery, while another exalts in the culmination of a life's dream.

What about you? What is important in your life? How well do you know your context? The same way that on a macro-scale it is the governing ethos that defines a civilization, on a micro-scale, it is your Life Purpose that defines what is significant.

Knowing your Life Purpose makes clear the core issues of your existence, sheds new light on the key events and people in your life, and brings a new understanding to current circumstances.

Look around you. A new world view is emerging, and with it, a new definition of what is important. Like all preceding world views, from Cleopatra's to Newton's, our current version, advanced though it may be, has been found confining and incomplete; confining in that too many people work at jobs with little or no satisfaction; incomplete in that it has disregarded humanity's universal need to contribute to something greater than ourselves, to connect to our soul, our spirituality, and its expression point in each of us in the form of our Life Purpose.

Adapt or perish. Any country, company or person that cannot or will not adhere to this emerging reality is doomed. The Information Age will self destruct, stillborn, choking on a glut of lifeless data if it cannot add to the value of people's lives, help individuals define and manifest that which is really important, help all of us better connect to our spiritual center.

Like seeing the oak tree contained within the acorn, one's soul purpose can be seen in the wave energy imprint frozen in the form of our fingerprints five months prior to birth. An understanding of this Life Purpose map revolutionizes our understanding of who we are and therefore what is important. Through this redefinition, we can better participate in humanity's daunting task of recreating civilization in the twenty-first century.

Read on to find out more about your Life Purpose.
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The journey of life begun
That fateful day I was born
My eyes opened up blissfully to the sun
My soul, heart and brain emerged as one
Behold my journey had begun!

This little child in time has grown
Yes! Time has flown, time has flown
A lot has been learnt on my very own

Life has been a mystifying journey
With every up and down
With tears and laughter
With hate and love
With stupidity and wisdom
With enemies and friends
But even in my journey of frustration
I have found a means of celebration
In my toilsome exploration to my fateful destination

Tick tock, the clock goes on
Minute by minute, then hourly
Month by month then yearly
Tick tock, and in my journey
I have searched, questioned and answered
Whilst walking painfully along many paths
Sometimes requesting protection
Seeking from above immunization
When hit by obstacles in locations

But I am still on this journey
Shaking hands with the sad and merry
My passion for life which was once raw
Is now confined within the Almighty’s law
For life's journey itself never ends
Once you have reached the end of each road
Uplifting off your entire cloggy load
Be it in a hot summer or a winter’s cold
Behold! A new journey will unfold.

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The Real Meaning of Adventure

What is adventure? Some people believe that adventure is not just that extreme and dangerous experience that one could find existing. On the contrary, they believe that it is an attitude that helps us face the obstacles present in our daily routine. For example, the challenges we have to deal with, the new and different options that life offers, the unknown that is at all time waiting for us, represent an adventure in itself. And it is in this adventure that the human beings discover themselves.

The word adventure has different meanings for different people. Generally, adventure implies thrill and excitement, risks and dangers, and the unexpected and extraordinary experiences. The adventurous people are always on the look out for things that will evoke new feelings and sensations. This is the definition of adventure commonly accepted. However, there are others for whom adventure means much more than this. They associate adventure with a certain bent of mind that helps them enjoy life to the fullest, by accepting it as it unfolds before them. They see opportunities in difficulties and treat hurdles as stepping-stones. They accept everything knowing very well that there is nothing without its pluses and minuses.

Therefore, life is seen as an adventure in itself. It is the manner in which you decide to view and live your own life. And the approach you have to life will certainly affect the way you experience this mysterious journey which we are part of. Some people believe that traveling, sightseeing or hanging on a rope is what an adventure stands for. But the problem may be that they are not experiencing their life as an exploration and their boring life leads them to lookfor excitement outside themselves.

This hidden and deeper meaning of adventure can only be understood by changing one's point of view towards life. This will not only enable you to identify the raison d'etre of your life, but will also help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and accept yourself as a person. However, one needs to realize that one just doesn't stumble upon adventures just like that. It is only through discovering our own strengths that we can uncover these adventures, and derive wisdom from them. As human beings, we are posed in the world in such a manner that we are compulsive adventurers. And, being so, we are capable of shaping our own lives and destinies, through a positive and constructive approach.

Life is a rare opportunity. With a little faith we can change the very meaning of life. Hurdles and obstacles can be used as openings and opportunities to discover the extent of our strength and courage. The secret lies in living life as an ever-new, ever-fresh adventure and being open to accepting whatever comes our way.