WHO and World No Tobacco Day

World Tobacco Day is one of many other world health awareness days throughout the year organized by the WHO, including World Mental Health Day, World AIDS Day, and World Blood Donor Day, among others.

Timeline:

• In 1987, the World Health Assembly of the WHO passed Resolution WHA40.38, calling for April 7, 1988 to be “a world no-smoking day”. April 7, 1988 was the 40th anniversary of the WHO. The objective of the day was to urge tobacco users worldwide to abstain from using tobacco products for 24 hours, an action they hoped would provide assistance for those trying to quit.
• In 1988, Resolution WHA42.19 was passed by the World Health Assembly, calling for the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, every year on May 31. Since then, the WHO has supported World No Tobacco Day every year, linking each year to a different tobacco-related theme.
• In 1998, the WHO established the Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI), an attempt to focus international resources and attention on the global health epidemic of tobacco. The initiative provides assistance for creating global public health policy, encourages mobilization across societies, and supports the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The WHO FCTC is a global public health treaty adopted in 2003 by countries across the globe as an agreement to implement policies that work towards tobacco cessation.
• In 2008, on the eve of the World No Tobacco Day the WHO called for a worldwide ban on all tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship. The theme of that year’s day was Tobacco-free youth; therefore, this initiative was especially meant to target advertising efforts aimed at youth. According to the WHO, the tobacco industry must replace older quitting or dying smokers with younger consumers. Because of this, marketing strategies are commonly observed in places that will attract youth such as movies, the Internet, billboards, and magazines. Studies have shown that the more youth are exposed to tobacco advertising, the more likely they are to smoke.

Themes:

Each year, the WHO selects a theme for the day in order to create a more unified global message for WNTD. This theme then becomes the central component of the WHO’s tobacco-related agenda for the following year.The WHO oversees the creation and distribution of publicity materials related to the theme, including brochures, fliers, posters, websites, and press releases. In 2008 for the theme Tobacco-free youth, YouTube videos were created as a part of the WNTD awareness campaign, and podcasts were first used in 2009.

In many of its WNTD themes and related publicity-materials, the WHO emphasizes the idea of “truth.” Theme titles such as “Tobacco kills, don’t be duped” (2000) and “Tobacco: deadly in any form or disguise” (2006) indicate a WHO belief that individuals may be misled or confused about the true nature of tobacco; the rationale for the 2000 and 2008 WNTD themes identify the marketing strategies and “illusions” created by the tobacco industry as a primary source of this confusion.The WHO’s WNTD materials present an alternate understanding of the “facts” as seen from a global public health perspective. WNTD publicity materials provide an “official” interpretation of the most up-to-date tobacco-related research and statistics and provide a common ground from which to formulate anti-tobacco arguments around the world.

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Depressed

Life teaches me

So many lessons !!!

Though am not ready for learning any of it !!!

I pray god to take me away to his feet…

For i shall be a slave to him

And serve him better !

Instead to have a life

Without you forever

And watching you smiling, playing

Hugging & Kissing some other !!!

Let my love and faith fly away

Making you and your latest life

Way much better than we had !!!

Missing you with a depressed heart

And still loving you !?!

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Tips for avoiding Divorce

Marriage is supposed to be a sacred bond two people choose to share for the rest of their days on this planet.

Today’s divorce rates are high and the average times one will marry in a lifetime is even higher. AboutDivorce.org states that when considering “the current divorce rate statistics, 50% of the marriages end in divorce.” In the next paragraphs, discussed are some steps to take when time get rough on the homefront.

1. Communication

When any relationship hits a rocky patch the first step of action is to take a step back for a moment and evaluate or even discuss with your partner how communication may be lacking. Men and women need to remember, seldom does the opposite sex really understand the other. We are just simply wired differently and unless you spell it out for your partner, word for word, they may not be getting the message you are sending.

When a woman cries, she wants to believe that her man knows what she is crying about. When a man heads out fishing for his day off and your still asleep in bed, he isn’t thinking that you may be wondering where he is when you wake up. He is more concerned with gathering up his things up without waking you. Leaving socks and wet towels on the floor just isn’t that big of a deal in the world of man, he isn’t meaning to leave stuff lying around everyone for someone else to pick up.

Talking about small issues that may be causing much larger rifts in your marriage can be such a quick and satisfying fix. If only more people could find it easier honestly communicate with one this person they vowed to stay with through good times and bad.

2. Quality Time

The second point to consider is how much quality time you are spending together, with and without your children, if applicable. Do you find time for the special outings that brought you together in the first place? Although spending quality time together with family and friends is always important, time together alone is of the utmost significance as well.

3. The Little Things

Are your spouse’s little habits that make them uniquely who they are, driving you crazy? Step back for a moment and think about it because chances are these are the little things that make you love them the most. Do they know exactly how to press your button in right order to get you to snap? Sometimes, it is best to just walk away and let it go.

When the little things are getting you or your partner down, maybe a trip to a favorite destination spot or a B&B tucked away up on a mountain would help to spark the flame when times get tough on the home front. Sometimes a change of scenery is the best way to clear the cobwebs from any relationship that may be stuck in the struggle of letting the little stuff get the better of you.

4. Sex

For some the word is taboo. Is there an eerie distance between you and your partner through this marital speed bump? You may want to think about how long it has been since you have been romantically involved with each other? How often do you enjoy each other and does this happen on regular basis? These are all questions that a couple should consider when experiencing troubles. Simply changing it up under the sheets can sometimes brighten the darkest of skies.

5. Seek Counseling

When all else fails and there seems to be no solutions or answers for your marital issues, it may be necessary to seek professional counseling with a licensed marriage counselor. A visit to you family doctor can provide you with an up to date life of the best people to see in you area.

In conclusion, hopefully a resolution can be found between two friends and partners before a divorce is considered or executed. However, in some cases this just is not possible.

 

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Divorce effects on Children

Divorce is an intensely stressful experience for all children, regardless of age or developmental level; many children are inadequately prepared for the impending divorce by their parents. A study in 1980 found that less than 10% of children had support from adults other than relatives during the acute phase of the divorce. 

The pain experienced by children at the beginning of a divorce is composed of: a sense of vulnerability as the family disintegrates, a grief reaction to the loss of the intact family (many children do not realize their parents’ marriage is troubled), loss of the non-custodial parent, a feeling of intense anger as the disruption of the family, and strong feelings of powerlessness.

Unlike bereavement or other stressful events, it is almost unique to divorcing families that as children experience the onset of this life change, usual and customary support systems tend to dissolve, though the ignorance or unwillingness of adults to actively seek out this support for children.

A major focus of the scholarly literature on divorce is the grouping of common reactions of children by age groups. 

• Preschool (ages 3-5): These children are likely to exhibit a regression of the most recent developmental milestone achieved. Additionally, sleep disturbances and an exacerbated fear of separation from the custodial parent are common. There is usually a great deal of yearning for the non-custodial parent. 
• Early latency (ages 6½-8): These children will often openly grieve for the departed parent. There is a noted preoccupation with fantasies that distinguishes the reactions of this age group. Children have replacement fantasies, or fantasies that their parents will happily reunite in the not-so-distant future. Children in this developmental stage have an especially difficult time with the concept of the permanence of the divorce.  
• Late latency (ages 8-11): Anger and a feeling of powerlessness are the predominate emotional response in this age group. Like the other developmental stages, these children experience a grief reaction to the loss of their previously intact family. There is a greater tendency to label a ‘good’ parent and a ‘bad’ parent and these children are very susceptible to attempting to take care of a parent at the expense of their own needs.
• Adolescence (ages 12-18): Adolescents are prone to responding to their parent’s divorce with acute depression, suicidal ideation, and sometimes violent acting out episodes. These children tend to focus on the moral issues surrounding divorce and will often judge their parents’ decisions and actions. Many adolescents become anxious and fearful about their own future love and marital relationships. However, this age group has the capability to perceive integrity in the post-divorce relationship of their parents and to show compassion for their parents without neglecting their own needs.

Diminished parenting: In the wake of a divorce, most custodial mothers exhibit varying degrees of disorganization, anger, decreased expectations for appropriate social behavior of their children, and a reduction of the ability of parents to separate the child’s needs and actions from those of the adult. While diminished parenting is usually an expected short-term consequence of divorce; there is a serious potential for these changes to become chronic if a custodial parent does not reconstitute the relationship with the child or becomes involved in a new relationship which overwhelms the relationship with the child.

The overburdened child phenomena: approximately 15% of children interviewed at the 10 year follow-up point in a 15 year study showed significant effects from taking on the role of holding a custodial parent together psychologically. In a change that goes deeper than a simple reversal of the care-taker role, the child oftentimes becomes responsible for staving off depression and other threats to parent’s psychological functioning, at the cost of their own needs.

When the divorce rate began to rise exponentially in the 1970s, it was thought that absence of paternal contact was a critical factor in the poor adaptation of some children to divorce.   Several studies, including the National Survey of Children, have shown that paternal participation has a negligible effect, if any, on the well being of children (academics, behavioral problems, distress, and delinquency). However, it is important to note that there are several limiting factors in these studies (low overall level of paternal contact with children) and that the principle conclusion derived should be that increased paternal contact does not correlate to increases in positive outcomes.

10 and 15 year longitudinal studies show that divorce is not to be considered as an acute stress/crisis in the lives of children but rather, it is an event that can have long term consequences on psychosocial functional of children, adolescents, and young adults. The long-term outcomes of well-adjusted or poorly adjusted children draw heavily on the child’s post-divorce quality of life and on the post-divorce or remarried parent-child relationships.

The most frequent delayed onset negative consequences center around anxieties and fear of the child that s/he will repeat the failed marital or love relationship that the child observed during the divorce.

Wallerstein’s ‘sleeper effect’ is a piquant example of the far-reaching effects of one such long-term consequence.  Up to 66% of the women between 19-23 that were interviewed during 10 years post-divorce had a resurgence of anxiety, fear, guilt, and anger that they had suppressed for many years.  These feelings tended to resurface when the adolescent and young adult women were attempting to make major life decisions (such as marriage).

 

• Divorce and its ensuing ramifications can have a significant and life-altering impact on the well being and subsequent development of children and adolescents.
• The consequences of divorce impact almost all aspects of a child’s life, including the parent-child relationship, emotions and behavior, psychological development, and coping skills.
• There is a significant need for child mental health professionals, along with other child specialists, to be cognizant of the broad spectrum of possible fall-out from a divorce and then to provide sufficient support for children of divorced parents in all the necessary psychosocial aspects of the child’s life.

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Divorce effects on men

Many of the effects of divorce on men can be devastating yet a few are contradictory and may even prove to be beneficial. A lot depends on how the divorce is handled, For instance in one Swedish researchers studying ‘the effects of divorce on men’ found that men’s physical condition improved after divorce…this may be due to the fact that as men begin dating again they are more concerned with external appearances and want to look as attractive as they can in their efforts to find a new mate or it may be a “make over” in an attempt to win back their estranged wife having “let themselves go” during the marriage. The gym can become a popular place and can also effect an immediate ego boost,a lift in self esteem due to increase in “feel good chemicals” such as dopamine which also is heightened through physical exercise..

One challenging effect of divorce on men is for men to be are less prepared domestically apart from all the other potential effects..i.e cooking,washing ironing…men will skip meals or eat them on the run,eat far less fruit and vegatebles in favor of readily available and easy obtained junk food.

Often a man’s emotional state can interfere with his employment and wage earning ability.

Some men also become estranged from their children particulary if their former wife has a new partner.and a man can be become alienated form his children as he will often be considered an “outsider” or part time parent in these changed circumstances.

“Men often ignore things that they really shouldn’t until such time it becomes too little-too late”

When a marriage is about to be dissolved, emotions often run high in men, and a lot of important financial decisions as well as emotional ones have to be made. Out of control emotions and anger usually sets the stage for disaster. As a general rule: Never mix emotions(particularly anger) and finances, or emotions and legal matters of divorce. Decision made during the emotional turmoil and upheaval of divorce are likely to be bad one over the long run. How the financial matters are handled can greatly influence the whole process and often be the deciding factor in whether a divorce is going to become a battlefield with no prisoner taken,total destruction,a blitzkrieg or handled well amicably and may even cause a a rethink in their partner and called off!

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Divorce effects on Women

A marriage that has led to a divorce, has adeep impact on the mind of the woman, leaving her tired, insecure, mentally andphysically weak. All through my life I have seen all the ups and downs of life that it has to offer. And I know how it feels to be shaken morally. I have seen a number of marriages which ended up into separation. And the trauma these women go through is not only the mental trauma,but also the sufferings they undergo, so as to survive and make a living, to bring up their children as a responsible single parent.
Women as such are the most affected. The toughest times to deal with are the initial stages of divorce. It stresses us out totally making us totally devastated. It makes us feel insecure, helpless, worn out. We seem to forget the meaning of life with all our hopes shattered and scattered all around us. The feeling of rejection engulfs us to such an extent that we start losing our self esteem. With no one around to comfort us at such a crucial stage, a sense of insecurity and guiltovercomes us. We begin to blame ourselves for all that has happened. As a result of which, we suffer from depression. We begin to question ourselves about the challenges that time has set for us.
Often women are troubled with thoughts like how will I pay the bills that have already piled up? How will I make a new beginning with so much ofburden and responsilibility already on my shoulder? How will I parent my child and will I get alimony for my child? How will I clear the dues of the divorce lawyer? Whom shall I approach for help? These are the matters that usually bother a woman apart from going through themental agony. What one can do at this juncture is seek advice from a lawyer who will tell you about the divorce rights.

Most often, women conclude that divorce is the key to freedom from anunhappy marriage. But we forget to realize the fact that it is very difficult to recover from it.
Reasons and causes that lead to divorce are many. One might consider that the best thing to put an end to all the pains would be to end the marriage. But before jumping into such a conclusion, right away sit back and think about it, for u might regret it at a later stage of your life. For most women, who are divorced, say if they had known the obvious, then they would have never asked for a divorce.

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Divorces are made at hell

Hello all,

I have recently seen people getting married and getting divorced sooner, not even waiting for an year of time. But why does this happen? It does not depend on the country or people with cultural differences. It happens due to the human minds getting dumped with various unwanted fantasies which leaves their marriage life a big question mark…

In older days people were aware of the customs and bonds a marriage offers the two within a relationship. The love, warmth, happiness, sacrifices, adjustments and many other criterion’s were merged together under a relationship. But in this modern era people run back of money, name and fame. They find their life is contented with such unrealistic pleasures which may pass away at a particular period of time. There is no eternity for these pleasures.

Once their time of unrealistic pleasures passes away they are left out alone with loads and loads of grief, fear and sadness filling their heart. There wont be any children or grandchildren to play with them, make them laugh, disturb them asking bedtime stories or walk them home from school. All that remins is a silent house, unspoken words and lacking eagerness for joy and pleasure.

Do the people who get divorces easily think of their family and kids? I hope the answer is a big NO. Once if there are some sort of arrogant or violent behavior from the partner there is a need for divorce which may act as a big relief to both the parent and the kid. But changing minds and acting irresponsibly by both leads the child to a state of psychological illness. 

According to the Indian law the following aspects are been taken for divorce:

• Adultery
• Desertion
  
• Cruelty
  
• Impotency
  
• Chronic Disease
  

Other than these any kind of act is not considered as an offence under the Divorce law. 

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The Burnt Biscuits

When I was a kid, my mom would prepare special breakfast every now and then. And I remember one night in particular, after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eating every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I’ll never forget what he said, “Honey, I love burned biscuits.”

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned.

He wrapped me in his arms and said, “Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she’s real tired. And besides – a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone! You know, life is full of imperfect things… and imperfect people. I’m not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else.

What I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults – and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences – is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.”

And that’s my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He’s the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn’t a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!

Don’t put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket – keep it in your own.

God Bless You… Now, and always…

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Expectations…..

A butcher watching over his shop is really surprised when he sees a dog coming inside the shop. He shoos him away. But later, the dog is back again.
So, he goes over to the dog and notices’ it has a note in its mouth. He takes the note and it reads, “Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please.”

The dog has money in its mouth, as well. The butcher looks inside and, low and behold, there is a $10 note there. So he takes the money and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog’s mouth. The butcher is so impressed, and since it’s about closing time, he decides to shut the shop and follow the dog. So off he goes.

The dog is walking down the street, when it comes to a level crossing the dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the button.

Then it waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the lights to turn. They do, and it walks across the road, with the butcher following him all the way.

The dog then comes to a bus stop, and starts looking at the timetable. The butcher is in awe as the dog stops a bus by pulling its left leg up and gets in it. The butcher follows the dog into the bus.

The dog then shows a ticket, which is tied to its belt to the bus conductor. The butcher is nearly fainting at this sight, so are the other passengers in the bus.

The dog then sits near the driver’s seat looking outside waiting for the bus stop to come. As soon as the stop is in sight, the dog stands and wags its tail to inform the conductor.

Then, without waiting for the bus to stop completely, it jumps out of the bus and runs to a house very close to the stop. It opens the big iron gate and rushes inside towards the door.

As it approaches the wooden door, the dog suddenly changes its mind and heads towards the garden. It goes to the window, and beats its head against it several times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door.

The butcher watches as a big guy opens the door, and starts abusing the dog, kicking him and punching him, and swearing at him.

The butcher surprised with this, runs up, and stops the guy. “What in heaven’s name are you doing? The dog is a genius. He could be on TV, for the life of me!” to which the guy responds: “You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog’s forgotten his key.”

Moral of the story…

You may continue to exceed onlookers’ expectations but shall always fall short of the bosses’ expectations.

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Illusions !!!

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