Ex-Priests journey to Islam

I found a great article by Anselm Tormeeda, an Ex Priest and Christian Scholar of Spain. Here is his story....

"Great numbers of Christians embraced Islam during and soon after the Islamic conquests after the prophets death. They were never compelled, rather it was a recognition of what they were already expecting. Anselm Tormeeda[1], a priest and Christian scholar, was one such person who’s history is worth relating. He wrote a famous book called “The Gift to the Intelligent for Refuting the Arguments of the Christians”[2]. In the introduction[3] to this work he relates his history:

“Let it be known to all of you that my origin is from the city of Majorca, which is a great city on the sea between two mountains and divided by a small valley. It is a commercial city, with two wonderful harbors. Big merchant ships come and anchor in the harbor with different goods. The city is on the island which has the same name - Majorca, and most of its land is populated with fig and olive trees. My father was a well respected man in the city. I was his only son.

The truth and nothing but the truth!

A few days ago my dad and i got into a discussion about Christianity (he's christian). He is convinced that Jesus had witnesses to him being crucified and resurrecting. I on the other hand said that the gospels contradict one another in who saw jesus at the tomb, and so on... I found a great article on this very topic.


"Of all the Christian mysteries, none rank as highly as the concept of Christ’s crucifixion and atoning sacrifice. In fact, Christians base their salvation on this one tenet of faith. And if it really happened, shouldn’t we all?
If it really happened, that is.

Going Coconut!!!!

I just finished an amazing book "The Coconut Oil Miracle", I would highly recommend everyone going out and buying a copy of this book, you will not be disappointed. The past year or so i have watched as my metabolism slowed down to a snail like speed. I eat a carrot and gain

Can i "Beet" you...

I have started eating healthier and wanted to share with everyone all the nutritional value of one of my favorite foods, beets! I like to add some lemon juice and some mayonnaise (organic) and some salt and pepper.
Beet Facts:

An avacado a day, will keep the doctor FAR away!

Next to the olive, the avocado is the second fruit with the highest monounsaturated fatty acids content at 20%. This amounts to almost twenty times that of any other fruit. I like to make guacamole out of my avacado and add some red onion, tomato, lime juice, salt and cayenne pepper, yum!

Health Benefits

Avocado is a fruit that is often avoided because of its high fats content. Together with that perception, the numerous health benefits are also overlooked. It's time we take a good look at the healing virtues of this fruit:

Bad Breath: The avocado is one of the best natural mouth wash and a remedy for bad breath. It is effective in removing intestinal putrefactions or decomposition which are the real cause of a coated tongue and this unpleasant condition.

Beauty Aid: The oil extracted is widely used in preparation of beauty products. These include creams, cleansers and moisturizers to prevent the ageing effect of dehydration; bath oils, shampoos, scalp conditioner and hair tonic.

Cholesterol: An avocado contains oleic and linoleic acids that are effective in lowering the LDL cholesterol and increasing the healthy HDL cholesterol.

Duodenal ulcer: The blandness of this fruit (and papaya) is comforting and soothing to the hypersensitive surfaces of the stomach and duodenum. Its abundant nutrient and enzymes are an effective remedy to treat these ulceration.

Fetal Development: The high folate content is important and necessary for healthy fetal cell and tissue development.

Immune System: Regular consumption of avocados strengthens the body's immune system.

Increases Absorption of Phytonutrients: Studies have proven that when even a small amount of avocado is consumed together with other fruits and vegetables, the absorption of phytonutrients are a few times higher than when consumed on its own.

Kidney Stones: Consumption of the high-potassium content fruit helps to reduce urinary calcium excretion, lowering the risk of stones forming in the kidney.
Morning Sickness: The vitamin B6 helps relieve nausea and queasiness associated with pregnancy.

Muscle and Nerve: The high potassium content helps balance our body's electrolytes, aids muscle activity, nerve function and energy metabolism.

Psoriasis: The avocado oil is beneficial in the treatment of psoriasis. Apply regularly on affected parts to remove the scales.

raw food, what it is

What is the raw food diet you ask? "The raw food diet is a diet based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed.


Heating food above 116 degrees F is believed to destroy enzymes in food that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and "life force" of food. Typically, at least 75% of the diet must be living or raw."

"A huge golden-brown roasted steak, dripping with butter. Surrounded by finger chips and garnished by a sprig of basil and creamy mayonnaise. The aroma of exotic herbs. Your taste buds tingle. You almost feel the steak melting in your mouth. Yummy, isn't it? But wait! What about the cholesterol you are inviting into your system?If you are health-conscious and have sufficient will-power, you may push away this delicious picture and go for something more banal, like a boiled salad.

But is that really as healthy as it seems?"In cooked food," says Jehangir Palkhivala, an Indian yoga therapist, "life forces are taken away from the food. Raw food can be consumed easily without exerting pressure on our organs." And this is only for starters.Nutrition science is fast gaining the reputation of being a healing and preventive device. Dr Nand Kishore Sharma, a naturopath in New Delhi, India, feels that most diseases are caused by bad food habits.

"Unnatural food, which includes any form of food not found in nature, generates toxins that gradually poison the body," he says. From his 'Fireless Kitchen', Dr Sharma gives patients regenerative or natural food for degenerative diseases. This, he claims, has cured many. "I have even seen people grow new teeth and hair at 60 and 70 years of age," he says.

Raw food is usually defined as that which is not cooked, applied to fire or fragmented. Uday Chotai, a naturohygienist from Mumbai, adds: "According to naturopathy, there are two types of food—suncooked and uncooked. Fruits that ripen in the sun fall into the category of suncooked food. Uncooked or raw food have not ripened at all." But both types have high pranic value and meet every requirement of the body.

However, despite such a foolproof natural system, man tends to experiment with nature-often with adverse results. We eat peeled fruits and vegetables because they taste better and are easier to chew. But in doing so, we rid them of their vitamins, minerals and fiber. Chewing has its own advantages: the more we chew, the better does the food mix with digestive juices in our mouth. This reduces strain on the stomach.

Dr Victor G. Rocine, a Norwegian homeopath, advises eating food "the way God manufactured it". According to him, we must preserve the organic chemical salts in food because once we remove them, we are likely to alter other chemicals as well. Dr Rocine also discourages adding artificial ingredients to food, especially if their natural forms are available. He cites the example of common salt. Table salt, according to him, is an inorganic substance and hence not of much value for us organic beings. Dr Rocine suggests taking sodium from organic substances such as spinach, strawberries and carrots. Foods rich in sodium are often rich in chlorine and oxygen also.Dr Sharma agrees: "

Man needs perhaps one per cent salt. This he can easily get from fruits and vegetables." Going a step further, A.P. Dewan, in his book Food for Health, says too much salt increases the body's alkalinity. This can result in cancer. The notion that cooking destroys food has many supporters. "Natural foods," points out Ma Urvashi, "contain sun energy in the cellulose. This is destroyed when exposed to high temperatures while cooking." When ingested, the cooked food is first broken down to its natural form and then digested. "We can save our body a lot of energy if we take natural food in the first instance," she argues.

To read the rest of the article go to http://www.lifepositive.com/body/holistic-recipes/recipes/rawfood.asp

pics of amazing foods from raw food recipes

Here are some appetizing foods made from all raw ingredients. Nothing has been cooked. To get textures that are similar to breads and pie crusts, you use a dehydrator (use flax seed oil to make crackers and breads as well)... Eating raw doesnt have to be boring, just look at all these creative ways chefs have made food out of raw ingredients. And believe me, they taste even better than the real thing (raw pizza vs pizza, pasta vs vegetable pasta made from shredded zucchini and nuts that have been soaked and dehydrated that have similar texture to cheese and taste the same!)

Heres some information about bean sprouts that you might not already know...

Sprouts probably contain the largest amount of nutrients per unit of any food known. Enzymes that initiate and control most chemical reactions in our body are activated in the sprouting process. This helps convert proteins into amino acids, starch into glucose and increases the value of vitamins. For example, vitamin B increases by 1,000 per cent and Vitamin C by 600 per cent in sprouted wheat.A study of Chinese pharmacopoeia reveals that the Chinese could lose weight, cure rheumatism, lower fever and tone the body through the regular consumption of sprouts. Sprouts were introduced to the West by Captain Cook.

Despite many strenuous voyages spanning a decade, his crew was remarkably fit. Their secret-sprouted beans.It is best to eat sprouts fresh. However, the nourishment which develops as the sprouts grow is very stable and can be frozen or dried for future use. Sprouts can be mixed with other foods and dressings such as lemon juice and rock salt. This live food rejuvenates body cells and tissues and provides energy. It also retards the aging process. Sprouted potato and tomato seeds, however, should be avoided as they are poisonous. Alfalfa and moong-bean sprouts are, on the other hand, excellent soft food: they contain every known vitamin necessary for the human body in perfect balance. And yes, they don't taste bad either.

No more tomorrows, only Today!!!

A few months back i blogged about the Master Cleanse and all of its benefits (detox & weight loss). I have finally found the time to detox for the 10 day minimum and begin a new healthy lifestyle.

Here's a quote about the Master Cleanse: "The Master Cleanser Diet, or as popularly known; The Lemonade Diet was created by the late Naturopath Stanley Burroughs. The Diet consists of fasting to rid the body of toxins, created by improper diet, lack of exercise and negative mental attitudes. The purpose of the Lemonade Diet is to dissolve and eliminate toxins and congestion; to cleanse the kidneys and digestive system; to purify glands; to eliminate waste and hardened materials in the joints and muscles; to build a healthy bloodstream; to maintain optimal blood pressure; and to what you all are waiting to hear... to lose weight. As a reducing diet it is superior in every way, reducing fat at a rate of about two (2) pounds a day for most persons, without harmful side effects."

This past month i have been doing a lot of reading about "Raw Food" lifestyle and i feel the easiest way to transition into that lifestyle is after a detox/cleanse. I have found some amazing raw food recipes and i was even lucky enough to find a raw food deli near my house. I tasted their "cheese cake" the crust is made out of nuts and the "cheese" is also made out of a combination of nuts and herbs soaked and dehydrated, the end result: AMAZING! it tasted better than cheesecake!!! I also tried their "apple pie" which is made out of all raw roods (nothing is cooked so that you preserve the enzymes and nutrients). For anyone living in Michigan, try out Red Pepper Deli, you will love it!

I must say eating raw (im going to do 70-80% raw) makes you feel energized and healthy. The health benefits are also amazing (brighter eyes, clean skin free from acne, lower cholesterol, increased metabolism and the list goes on). I have attempted to try the master cleanse a few times in the past few months and each time i only made it through day one! This time, i motivated myself to stick with it for 10 days. 10 days is nothing, and afterward i know i will feel amazing and soak up the benefits.

Day 1 of cleanse- I was surprised that i didnt feel hungry. I stuck to the instructions and had a glass of the lemon/maple syrup/cayenne pepper concoction and drank it every hour (about 10 glasses). You get all your calories from the maple syrup so you are not starving yourself. I felt energized and did a 40 minute workout video and power walked for 40 minutes

Day 2 (today)- more of a struggle, I love the food network channel and watched a few of the programs and almost ran into the kitchen to eat some food!!! I then realized that if i want to make it through the 10 days i need to stay away from the kitchen and the food network (you dont eat any food for 10 days, just the drink), some people try a juice or vegetable fast. Right now i am daydreaming about pizza and mozzarella cheese sticks... What i wouldnt give for a few bites, yummm!!!
I've lost 3 pounds (its expected to lose about 10 pounds during the cleanse, most of it is "waste products" from your colon that have been sitting there for years!!!), you also lose a little bit of water and fat....

I would recommend everyone doing a fast at least once a year. If you think about all the garbage that we put in our stomachs and how it just sits in our colon and clogs it leading to numerous health problems, you too would realize that everyone can benefit from a cleanse!!!

Today is almost over and then it's onto day 3...... im already thinking about after the cleanse and the healthy food i will eat. I just became a big fan of avodaos (i make a guacamole out of it with some onion, lime, cilantro and tomato and spread it on bread made from bean sprouts and lentils)... Yes, this bread is made out of bean sprouts and lentils which means it wasnt processed and is healthy for you and your body digests it better and it even taste better than regular bread!!! the name of the bread is Ezekiel Bread - Sprouted Grain Bread (google it, there are all types of this bread)

I will keep everyone updated on the rest of my cleanse, inshaAllah i wont give up!

Sex Trafficing part 2

Source:
By Tina Frundt

When we hear the words "sex trafficking," as Americans we immediately think of women and children overseas who are being forced into the sex trade or who are brought into the United States for the purpose of sexual exploitation. We don't usually think closer to home — Americans trafficked by Americans. But I want you to think about young women and even girls that you have seen late at night when you come home from work or a social event. Maybe you have seen them in the streets in short dresses and spike heels. You turn your heads to look away. We do not look at the faces of these young women and girls who are forced to be out in the street. Maybe we think this is what they want to do or they wouldn't be out there. Maybe it is easier to believe that it is an empowering choice they have than face the harsh reality of child sexual abuse, physical and mental abuse, and the pimps that prey on the young women and girls.

To understand all aspects of sex trafficking in the United States, you have to open your mind and let go of what you have seen or heard on television. You need to let go of the media's portrayal of the "joys" of street prostitution, and open your eyes to the violence and control the pimps and sex traffickers exercise over their victims, who are mostly girls and young women.

ECPAT USA (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes)', an Anti-Trafficking agency, states that the average age of entry into street prostitution is between 12 and 14 years old, though there have been cases of girls as young as 9 years old.

I was 14 years old when I was forced into prostitution. Like many teens at that age, finding my own identity and defying my parents were top on my list. So when a man came into my life and showered me with attention and listened to me when I complained about my parents, I did not think twice that he was ten years my senior. After all, he said I was mature for my age and told me I understood him better than anyone his own age. Little did I know, he was laying down the seeds of manipulation. It did not matter what my parents said, to me they did not understand me and he was the only one that "got me". After six months, I thought

I loved him, at least that is what he told me, so I did what I thought my heart was telling me and ran away to be with him. We ended up in Cleveland, Ohio. He told me we were going to meet the rest of the family.

To read more please go to http://www.womensfundingnetwork.org/resource/past-articles/enslaved-in-america-sex-trafficking-in-the-united-states

Sex Trafficing in the US, part 1

A young girl in Brazil is approached by an older man. You're very beautiful he states, he asks if he can talk to her parents. She points in their direction, 20 feet away. The man approaches the young girls parents and hands them his business card. He is from the US and is a modeling/acting scout. He asks how old their daughter is and they tell him she is 12 years old. He asks if she has any brothers and they say 3. He asks if he can see them as well and is introduced to the brothers. One brother, age 10, catches his interest and he asks the young boy if he is interested in acting. The family is very poor and are not sure what to think of this american man. He tells them that he sees a lot of potential in their daughter and son and hands them $2500 as a deposit to allow him to take them to the US to model and act at his agency. He promises to put them in a nice apartment with other kids their age. The parents are thrilled and thank the nice man and the man tells them to think it over and he will come back in a week. A week later the young girl and boy board the mans private jet and are off to New York..... When they arrive they cant wait to see their new apartment that they have been promised and meet all the nice boys and girls they will be living with. They take a taxi to a deserted area, and pull up in front of what looks like a warehouse. The man pays the taxi driver and shoves the kids foward. They enter the abandoned warehouse and meet an older woman who looks the kids over. You did well the woman tells the man. The boy is very cute, our male clients will love him, she says. The kids arent sure what to think of the woman. The man then turns to the kids and tells them if they dont make the $2500 he gave to their parents in the next 2 weeks he will kill them and their family. They are shocked, and ask how they are expected to make the money. The old woman laughs and says that they now work for her. She informs them that they are to have sex with multiple men daily and will get paid $10 for each man they sleep with...they have just entered the world of sex trafficking

"Many of San Francisco's Asian massage parlors -- long an established part of the city's sexually permissive culture -- have degenerated into something much more sinister: international sex slave shops.

Once limited to infamous locales such as Bombay and Bangkok, sex trafficking is now an $8 billion international business, with San Francisco among its largest commercial centers.

San Francisco's liberal attitude toward sex, the city's history of arresting prostitutes instead of pimps, and its large immigrant population have made it one of the top American cities for international sex traffickers to do business undetected, according to Donna Hughes, a national expert on sex trafficking at the University of Rhode Island.

"It makes me sick to my stomach," said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. "Girls are being forced to come to this country, their families back home are threatened, and they are being raped repeatedly, over and over."
Because sex trafficking is so far underground, the number of victims in the United States and worldwide is not known, and the statistics vary wildly.

The most often cited numbers come from the U.S. State Department, which estimates that 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked for forced labor and sex worldwide each year -- and that 80 percent are women and girls. Most trafficked females, the department says, are exploited in commercial sex outlets.
Relying on research from the Central Intelligence Agency, the State Department estimates there are 14,500 to 17,500 human trafficking victims brought into the United States each year -- but does not quantify how many of those are sex victims. Some advocacy groups place the number of U.S. victims much higher, while others criticize the government for overstating the problem.

"The number will always be an estimate, because trafficking victims don't stand in line and raise their hands to be counted, but it's the best estimate we have," said Ambassador John Miller, director of the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. The CIA won't divulge its research methods, but based its figures on 1,500 sources, including law enforcement data, government data, academic research, international reports and newspaper stories.
Women trafficked for the sex industry are predominantly from Southeast Asia, the former Soviet Union and South America -- lured to the United States by promises of lucrative jobs as models or hostesses, only to be sold to brothels, strip clubs and outcall services and extorted into working off thousands of dollars in surprise travel debts to their new "owners."

Federal investigators say that even those who come to the United States with the idea of working as high-society call girls cannot imagine the captivity and the degrading workload they face.

"Human trafficking is a multibillion-dollar business. In terms of profits, it's on a path to overtake drug and arms trafficking," said Barry Tang, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement attache with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in South Korea. "There's a highly organized logistical network between Korea and the United States with recruiters, brokers, intermediaries, taxi drivers and madams."

The United States is among the top three destination countries for sex traffickers, along with Japan and Australia. Once in the United States, traffickers most often set up shop in California, New York, Texas and Las Vegas.
It's an underground world, but in more than 100 interviews with federal agents, experts and sex trafficking victims in California and South Korea, a picture emerges about how international traffickers buy and sell women between Asia and the West Coast.

Overseas, the trafficker is usually a woman. She recruits from clubs, bars, colleges, pool halls and restaurants, said Deputy Special Agent Mark F. Wollman, who oversees San Francisco for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Recruiters fill the want ads in papers and the Internet, targeting vulnerable young women with fake job offers for waitresses, models and hostesses in America.
Traffickers fly the women to Canada or Mexico, and walk or drive them into California. In Canada, they slip through Indian reservations off-limits to the U.S. Border Patrol, often at night, and sometimes along snow-packed trails.

In Mexico, the traffickers lead the women over the same treacherous desert paths worn down by migrants heading to "El Norte" for work. More women come through airport customs in San Francisco and Los Angeles, using fake passports and student or tourist visas made for them by their traffickers.
It's relatively easy for traffickers to evade authorities at the checkpoints -- land, air or sea -- because women still don't realize at that point that they are being tricked.

"It's not like the movies where you open a trunk and you interview them and they tell you everything," said Lauren Mack, special-agent-in-charge with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Diego. "They aren't going to tell you they're victimized because they aren't -- yet."
to read more go to http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/06/MNGR1LGUQ41.DTL