Archive for December, 2009
Top 10 Movies About FireFighters
Firefighting has been a great theme for movies for decades. There’s always a rush of adrenaline whenever we watch these movies. That’s not what we only see, though. We see inspiring tales about brave men and women willing to give up their life just to show their love to their community. Being a firefighter is a profession to be proud of. That’s something not everyone is able to do: save lives.
Below is a top-ten list of movies about firefighters. These are all heart-warming and a great story to tell. A few are even true stories which make it better and we can better relate to them.
- 9/11 – This is a documentary film made by Jules and Gedeon Naudet. They were filming a New York firefighter when they shot a footage of the 9/11 air crash on the World Trade Center. The movie isn’t about the terrorist attack, but rather about a firefighter rookie and his peers being heroes.
- Ladder 49 – After being mentored by Mike Kennedy, Jack Morrison has become an expert in the field of firefighting. He has been through so much harm, and always remains unscathed. However, in the worst fire he’s ever been, he gets trapped in a building with nothing to do but reflect since he has hurt his relationship with his family. Meanwhile, Kennedy and his colleagues try to save him from the harm he’s now facing.
- The Towering Inferno – A disaster movie made in the 70s, it has been giving honor to the firefighters who have sacrificed so much for the safety of others. The story is about a fire that broke through a skyscraper as a big party was being held in celebration for it. The firefighters meanwhile are having a hard time because of the height of the building.
- Backdraft – Brian MdCafferty, a rookie firefighter wants to prove himself to his more experienced brother when a series of fire starts to break out. This is caused by an arsonist, and wanting to stop the catastrophes, Brian begins to work with an investigator to stop the fires. In the end, Brian learns about the true meaning of being a firefighter.
- Hellfighters – An inspiring story about firefighting, Hellfighters is a story about Chance Buckman and his team of firefighters. They put out oil fires, which are more dangerous than ordinary fires. The movie focus on the hardships being endured by firemen and the friendships and love they discover along the way.
- Frequency – Changing the past has never been this electrifying. For John, that is his ultimate dream. Go back in time to save his firefighting father from dying. But that change led to other alterations, including the death of his mother. Every time John travels to the past, something different happens in the present.
- Brothers…On Holy Ground – After the brutal 9/11 attack, firefighter Mike Lennon begins to interview firehouses who have lost brave men. Included there was John Santore, who was interviewed before the attack and died during. The story is not only about him, but also about widows who grieves for their husbands. This movie touches all who watched it, as lessons about the anguish and pride firefighters feel is taught to us.
- Turk 182! – Although Jimmy’s brother was injured due to a fire, he wasn’t given any benefits. This was because it was an off-duty rescue, so it wasn’t really necessary for the government to provide for him. At the same time, the mayor is in a scandal, which was worsened by Jimmy’s graffiti. We see the struggle Jimmy and his brother faces to get what they deserve.
- Firehouse – A New York firehouse gets its first black man as its firefighter. Shelly Forsythe thought his greatest fight would only be with fire, not knowing it would also be racism. He had to struggle to earn the respect of his peers. His boss was one of them, but in the end, learned to value Shelly’s bravery and integrity.
- Taking the Heat: The First Women Firefighters of New York City –1977 was the year when Brenda Berkman and other female firefighters applied for the job. All of them failed the test, which brought up a huge debate whether to hire them or not. But it is only the first of the series of trials they face, as they soon learned that even their male colleagues would sabotage them simply because they were women.
Natural Medicines to Heal Burn Scars
Many people have experienced minor burns over the course of their life and have tried to heal the scars using various over-the-counter and prescription products. We have put together a short list of natural products that you can try to heal burn scars.
- Papaya – It may seem unlikely that a tropical fruit can treat your burn scar but there is actually evidence that the fruit can be helpful due to the enzymes in the fruit. You should manually crush the papaya and rub the fruit over the burn area. Let it sit for a 10 minutes before cleaning it off.
- Blue Yarrow Oil – If you are trying to heal a radiation burn, then your best bet is to try blue yarrow oil. This is an essential oil that is normally used in aromatherapy and different types of alternative medicine. You should combine 8 drops of blue yarrow oil in an atomizer bottle (fill the rest with water). Let them combine for 2 hours and then spray that mixture on the burn scar and let is sit again for 10 minutes before wiping it off.
- Lime Juice – Lime juice can be effective after the wound has healed up to reduce the burn scar. Once the wound has healed, you can squeeze the juice out of a lime and rub it directly on the wound. Let that stand for 10 minutes before wiping off the juice. You should repeat this as many times as you want in order to get the best results.
- Vitamin K – This is one of the best nutrients for your skin. Most lotions and moisturizers include Vitamin K. You can either get a topical Vitamin K rub or ingest more Vitamin K in order to reduce burn scars.
- Apply Pressure – Unlike some of the other treatments this is something that you do immediately after the burn. You can use a wrap or other pressure garment to try and reduce the swelling normally associated with a burn and that will reduce the size of the eventual scar (though it can be painful).
Of course these treatments should only be used after checking with your physician to make sure that in your particular case the treatment you are considering will enhance what your doctor is already prescribing.
Quran and Science of Meterology
Quran Treats the phenonomenon of Rain and Hail
The Quran has claimed not once but twice in most explicit terms to contain all knowledge that concerned humanity. And has challenged the world to bring a chapter like it, when I was asked that Quran was not the book of science, it was only the book of religion. How therefore, the treatment of the subjects like atomic science, the atomic bombs and atomic radiations could be expected in a book of religion. My answer to this was and is that the Quran is a book of a religion indeed, but it is the book of a religion that is perfect and complete and may be expected to provide answer to every question that was concerned with the humanity. If the destruction of the habitations of Sodom and Gomorrah received a mention in it, while these habitations were no larger than a negligible part of a modern city, how then the mention of a destroyer which would not leave so much as a blade of grass unburnt from one end of the world to the other, could be ignored without damaging the claim to universality. The Quran must be expected to give an answer to the question of atomic annihilation of the world. Again it may be asked whether the Quran contains the outcome of the research of modern science of meteorology. The answer to this question is yes it does. Quran shows this in one sign (Ayat) of about forty words. Read the following from the Quran regarding the phenomenon of rain and hail:-
” Hast thou not seen that Allah gently driveth forward the clouds and gathereth them together, and then layeth them in heaps? Thou also seeth the rain which falleth from the midst thereof, and Allah sendeth down from heaven, from mountains wherein there is hail, He striketh therewith whom he pleaseth, and turneth the same from whom He pleaseth, the brightness of His lightening wanteth but little of taking away the sight”.
( Quran XXIV – 43 )
” Have you not seen that God drives the clouds, then joins them together and puts them fold on fold. Then you see the rain fall through them; and He sends down hail from the sky where there are mountains of it, and strikes those with it whom. He will, and wards it off from whomsoever He pleaseth. His lightning could snatch away their eyes”.
(Quran – An-Nur-43 The Light)
You have read it now, or you have heard it. And if you pen to be a meteorologist, how much of the science of modern meteorology you have discerned in it, so that after we have explained it, you might compare. To most of the readers of the Quran it is merely a matter of common observation which has been mentioned by the Quran ; whether in the translation or in the original Arabic text of the Quran. Let this be remembered, however, that the mysteries are revealed only in the original Arabic text and never in the translations. It is the Arabic text of the Quran that reveals the essence of the modern science of meteorology about the phenomenon of rain and hail. Read the Quran -An Noor-43 )
In the first sight there appears to be no scientific facts of the modern research, but by the grace of Al-mighty Allah there are scientific facts to be revealed to those possessed of knowledge, and sincere in their faith in the Quran. The original Arabic text of the Quran has miracles to reveal. Most complex, intricate and perplexing facts of science and philosophy may be found in the words and mysteries discovered. To a knowledgeable reader the world of the Quran appears like kaleidoscopic world. The words changing their forms and clows and assuming new forms and colours, astonishing and perplexing the poor human intellect. During my forty-year long research in the Quran more than once I went to sleep with satisfaction that I had exhausted the meanings of a certain sign. But next morning to my surprise I saw the same sign blossoming with fresh flowers that had exchanging colours and delightful fragrance.
Let it be remembered that the modern science of meteorology is of recent origin, while the Quran was revealed fourteen centuries ago. If therefore the discoveries of the mo dern meteorology are found in the Quran, there remains no doubt about the divine original of the Quran, and the Quran deserves to assume a unique place among the divine scriptures.
We will now interpret the sign (Ayat) of the Quran in the light of all the latest discoveries of science in the field of meteorology. It is generally observed by the Non-Muslims, that whenever a discovery of science appears, the Muslims prop up the Quran saying, Lo! here is it written in the Quran, why the Muslims cannot find these facts from the Quran before the discovery is declared by science. The answer to this objection is, that firstly the Quran is not the text book of science to teach the people the technique of producing the things that are produced by the science, rather the Quran observes and regulates the entire life of humanity, every aspect of it. Therefore the Quran has its own style of treating the subject of pure science. Secondly, the Quran would not like the appearance of certain things or their wrong use in order to keep the humanity safe from the noxious effects thereof. Therefore the Quran treats such subjects of science in its peculiar manner. For instance the Quran has treated the atomic science, the entire essence of the subject, but has not taught to build the atomic bombs. Thirdly, if the Quran had explained the inventions of science as we see them today and had used the terms as we hear them today, it is not difficult to imagine that the hearers of that time, would have stampeded away thrusting their fingers in their ears, yelling, ” How impossible, how nonsensical, away, away to your rational creed, the creed of our fathers”. The fate of Islam was thus no hidden secret. And it was a miracle of the Quran, to say a thing comprehensible and appealing to its first hearers, and conceal within the same language that could answer all that was to come in time in any form, scientific, philosophic, economical, social. Yet let it be understood that the corroboration of the Quran and science is a topic fraught with imminent dangers. Science changes while the Quran is constant. Once said, for-ever said. The corroborator therefore must have thorough knowledge of science, to discern the established facts from more theories and hypotheses, and should at the same time have the thorough knowledge of the Quran to its real mind. Otherwise there is a great possibility of wrecking the reputation of the Quran, and making this word of God about of ridicule, unrecking at the same time the doom of the corroborator himself. I have seen many a corroborator that blundered in this field and fell from the cliffs to the vale of ignominy. God save us from such a doom. I myself am a corroborator, but I weigh a thing a hundred times and pass many a sleepless nights before I find courage to pen a single fact or to bring it on record. Yet I pray to Allah, the Merciful to guide me aright in this hazardous field and let me have no personal or other consideration, and forgive any slip of fall. I am obliged to take to this field for no other reason than that it has become the inevitable necessity of these days. Otherwise the early authentic commentators of the Quran have left no point unambiguous.
Now let us revert to our topic in the name of Allah the Benign, the Merciful. Allah says:-
“(Alam Tara). Has thou not seen?” This question was first posed to the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) and his contemporary Arabs. Now it could be posed to the meteorologist. This is the marvellous feature of the All-time and eternal Quran.
Then :-
“(Annallaha Yuzji). That is God drives”. It is to contradict the view of those who think that the laws of nature work on their own, or that the whole affair of creation is accidental only. Here the God asserts his complete control of the Phenomenon.
Then (Yuzji Sahaban). (Sahab) means a cloud, but the derivatives formed on its root (sahaba) give the meanings as, to drive along, to drag along, to withdraw, to recall, to retract etc. The modern meteorological science on this point says, ” Previous to a thunderstorm, the clouds are in great commotion. Great masses being torn asunder, others uniting together. These clouds being electrified, some more some less strongly, act inductively on one another, and if a piece happens to be torn away with more than its fair share of electricity that has been induced into it, it may soar away intensely electrified, several such pieces may unite to form a big cloud”.
Then The Quran says:-
” (Thumma Yuallifu Bainahu). That is thereafter affects between the different parts of the cloud a harmony and achieves affinity between them. Generally it is translated as ” and gathereth them together”. In order to know what sort of harmony and affinity is affected and achieved between the various parts of the cloud, let us read the following from the science of meteorology.
” To achieve the coalescence of the minute spherules of water into fallable rain drops, a proper electrical affinity, between a particle and a particle within the cloud and further, within the cloud and the earth has to be achieved. In the presence of a strong positive charge in the cloud the SPHERULES WOULD TEND TOWARDS SEPARATION, EXCLUDING ANY POSSIBILITY OF THEIR COALESCENCE. A charge of milder sort in the vicinity has been found to be helpful for the desired coalescence for the spherules into rain drops. The necessity of the ELECTRIC POTENTIAL and hence the electricity itself, having thus been established a slight ACIDIFICATION of the cloud water is to be UNDERSTOOD as a means to impart conductivity to the water, which in a state of its purity is a bad conductor of electricity”.
Let the great masters of Chemistry read these chemical processes explained by the Quran.
Then the Quran says:-
” (Thumma Yajaluhu rukaaman)”. That is then “layeth them in heaps”. Let us read what the modern meteorological science says about the heaping up of the cloud. It says:-
” When the vapour in the air is condensed not through contact with cold bodies, but through the cooling of a mass of vapour -ladden air, then a cloud is formed. A cloud consists of fine drops of water. if it be near the ground it is called mist or fog. It would at the outset seem impossible to classify or account for the myriads of forms of the cloud, but when we come to observe and watch them closely, two main types of cloud-forms assert themselves. Those which appear in fillowy well-defined shapes, and those which spread over the heavens in a layer thick or thin, partial or complete. The former of these is called CUMULUS, a Latin word meaning HEAP, the latter STRATUS, a Latin word meaning A LAYER. These names are due to LUKE HORWARD (1802) and have been used by all cloud observers since his time. The meteorological science is of recent origin. It developed within the centuries of this modern age. Luke Horward (1802) first used the Terms CUMULUS and STRATUS”.
The Quran has anticipated him by centuries. The word Rukaaman which the Quran has used means exactly the CUMULUS. So far as the Term STRATUS is concerned, the Quran has used it in another sign (verse) about the very same topic. The sign is as follows:
That is : ” Allah is He who sendeth the wind so that they raise clouds, and spreadeth them along the sky as pleaseth Him. And forms them in layers, and thou seest the rain downpouring from within them”.
( Quran XXX – 48 )
” It is God who sends the breezes that raise clouds, then spreads them over the sky as He please, fold on fold, then you see the drops of rain issue from between them. When He sends it down to those of His creatures as He will, they are filled with joy”.
(Quran The Romans, 48)
The actual word is (Kisafan) which means to lay in layers, to stratify, to lay layer upon layer. It is exactly the term STRATUS, the term of Luke Horward. Though generally it is translated as, “causeth them to break”. It is surprising to note, that the Quran anticipated Luke Horward (1802) by centuries. The words of the Quran thus are not only scientific but also prophetic.
Then the Quran says:-
(Fataral Wadaqa Yakhruju min khilaalihi). That is : Thou seest the rain which falleth from the midst thereof. Actual word is (Min Khilaalihi), that is the rain is pouring from the (khilal) of the cloud. The meaning of this word is pin, skewer, spit. The root of this word is (khallala) which means to acetify. “Khal” means vinegar. Now the necessity of the acidification of the cloud water we have already narrated in the previous pages. A charge of milder sort is essential to achieve the coalescence of the spherules. The charge necessitates electricity. But pure water is a bad conductor of electricity. It is necessary therefore to acetify the water to endue water with the quality of conductivity. Thus the role of the word (khilal ) in the phenomenon becomes clear, to mean that no (khilal) meant no rain, and therefore no life on earth.
The Quran further says:-
(wa yunazzilu min assamaae min jibaalin fiha min bardin). That is:- ” And Allah sendeth down from heaven, from mountains wherein there is hail”. First imagine a cloud like a mountain of hail. How beautiful is the mountain of white pearls and how exact but novel is the simile. But the point which attracts our attention is hidden in the word (jibaal) which means mountains. The root of this word is (jabala) which means to kneed. Perhaps the most astonishing discovery of the modern meteorological science is that no mist nor fog could be formed, unless there were present in the vapour-laden air particles of dust or sand to act as the nucleus for the spherules of water that constitute the fog. This has been proved, since air filtered through cotton wool, has no tendency towards fog formation. The hail pellets likewise have been found to have been built around a spec of dust acting as their Nucleus, a process in distinction from that of the formation of snow. Now let us see the word (jibaal) that is mountains used by the Quran. The word Jibaal has been derived from the root-verb (jabala) which means to kneed. Then imagine a cloud of rain or of hail, wherein every spherule has a spec of dust or sand though invisible to naked eye. Certainly the cloud appears like a mountain made of dust particles kneeded with water. Remarkable also is the role of mountains in the formation of rain.
Now in the end it may be asked that the Quran in this phenomenon has made no mention of the great role played by the air. It is the air that carries the moisture, and it is the air that wafts the clouds. without the air no rain would have been possible. The question takes our thought to another sign (Ayat) of the Quran which is identical with the sign which we are discussing, and has mentioned the role of air. In the previous pages we have alluded to sing just read:-
(Quran-Alarum -48)
(Allah-u-lazi yursilu-arriaha fatuseeru sahaban). That is, ” He is Allah who sendeth the winds, so that they raise clouds”.
( Quran XXX-48 )
The Quran’s challenge, “Bring ye a chapter like unto it” stands good for every age, including this age of science. The knowledge of science shown by the Qruan is such that no scientist will ever think of being an equal to or like the Quran, the amazing word of Allah, the God of the worlds.
Making Science Fun
Every school in America is required to teach science. This is because science and scientific learning is a fundamental part of our existence. Most everything that we encounter on a day-to-day basis is, in some way, related to science. Even when we are sleeping, science is there to explain why we need to sleep and what takes place while we are sleeping. Because of this, science education is essential to life as we know it. Of course there will be many people who are happy to go through life without knowing how a bird can fly. Even given this fact, there will always be something that they will need to know and understand that is grounded in science. Even if it is something as simple as ‘fire is hot’ or ‘getting punched hurts. Science is there to explain these simple things too.
A good foundation in science through science education is required for all children, but the way that this education takes place is not strictly defined. With that said, many schools will take to science experiments using hands-on science products and supplies. This is an excellent way for students to ‘see’ the science around them. Often times learning from a book can be tedious and will cause students to become uninterested in the subject matter. A science experiment, however, is interactive and forces the students to take part in science learning. These projects don’t have to be complicated and will usually result in a much higher level of learning retention.
There are a few reasons why children better retain knowledge gained through scientific experimentation. One is it allows you to appeal to those children who are visual learners. These students are the ones who need pictures or demonstrations to remember things. Words just don’t stick in their minds as well, but when they can see a science demonstration or visualize an experiment, they can comprehend and retain the subject matter with much better success. Many students tend to thrive in science because it offers the visual aspect that many other subject matters do not.
Another reason that knowledge gained through science experimentation is retained longer by students is because they are actively engaged. They can’t simply skim through the experiment, they have to make sure that they are doing things correctly, and the only way to ensure that is by understanding what is going on. It forces students to understand the science behind what they are doing, and if they don’t, often times the experiment won’t turn out right.
Finally, hands-on science experimentation gives the student a sense of accomplishment. It is a reward of sorts, to have the experiment turn out correctly. That reassurance and sense of achievement at the end of each experiment will cause them to want to do more. It will also give them more confidence in what they are doing and possibly cause them to take up more science projects on their own. They will already be comfortable with the process they need to follow and will merely need their own ideas and theories to start their own projects. Even their own small science projects will increase their knowledge of how the world around them works and functions.
