I know we normally say “on my mind” but is it wrong to say “in my mind?” – LP
It depends on what you mean. When you say “There’s something on my mind.” you mean you are thinking a lot about that something or worrying about it. But when you say “I can still hear the music in my mind, even though the concert took place many days ago.”, you are talking about something you can still remember. “On someone’s mind” is an idiomatic expression: you can change “someone’s” to “my” or “your”, etc, but you can’t change “on” to “in” without altering the meaning of the expression
(Is this the correct way to ask a friend who is still studying in university?)
Answer:
It is better to say:“What subject are you taking at university?”
Is this correct?
1. A: Have you ever met him?
B: No, I have not met him.
The Answer.
1. “Met”here is used as a past participle and is part of the present perfect negative verb “have not met”. The answer is in the present perfect tense because the question is in that tense, using the verb “have met”. It would be better to use the adverb “never” in the answer instead of “not”, because the question uses the adverb “ever”. Thus the dialogue would go:
A : Have you ever met him?
B : No, I have never met him.
We are still on the topic of American English vs British English, now let's look at the differences in the usage of prepositions.
Prepositions
There are also a few differences in preposition use including the following:
American English – on the weekend
British English – at the weekend
American English – on a team
British English –in a team
American English – please write me soon
British English – please write to me soon
source: Mind Our English - The Star
In British English, the present perfect is used to express an action that has occurred in the recent past that has an effect on the present moment. For example: I’ve lost my key. Can you help me look for it?
In American English, the following is also possible: I lost my key. Can you help me look for it?
In British English, the above would be considered incorrect. However, both forms are generally accepted in standard American English.
Other differences involving the use of the present perfect in British English and simple past in American English include already, just and yet.
Maal Hijrah, which is also called Awal Muharram, is an important day for muslim. It falls on the first day of Muharram on every Muslim calender year, which is the first day on muslim calender.
The meaning of Maal Hijrah in English is migration. On this day, Muslim remember Nabi Muhammad S.A.W migrate from Mekkah to Madinah on the year 622 A.D. Besides, Maal Hijrah also mean changes from bad to good side and can be said as starting point and evaluate inner-self on self achievement.
Awal means begining in English and Muharram is the first month of muslim calender. In another words, this is the first day in Muslim calendar. Therefore, this is also the new year for all Muslim.
This day has became an important religious day for all muslim. All the mosque will have solat sunat.
Happy New Year To All Muslims
Nomenclature refers to either a list of names and/or terms, or to the system of principles, procedures and terms related to naming - which is the assigning of a word or phrase to a particular object or property.[1] The principles of naming vary from the relatively informal conventions of everyday speech to the internationally-agreed principles, rules and recommendations that govern the formation and use of the specialist terms used in scientific and other disciplines.
Naming "things" is a part of our general communication using words and language: it is an aspect of everyday taxonomy as we distinguish the objects of our experience, together with their similarities and differences, which we identify, name and classify. The use of names, as the many different kinds of nouns embedded in different languages, connects nomenclature to theoretical linguistics, while the way we mentally structure the world in relation to word meanings and experience relates to the philosophy of language.
Onomastics, the study of proper names and their origins, includes: anthroponymy, concerned with human names, including personal names, surnames and nicknames; toponymy the study of place names; and etymology, the derivation, history and use of names as revealed through comparative and descriptive linguistics.
The scientific need for simple, stable and internationally-accepted systems for naming objects of the natural world has generated many formal nomenclatural systems. Probably the best known of these nomenclatural systems are the five codes of biological nomenclature that govern the Latinized scientific names of organisms.
20 ways to feed your family for $100 a week.
1. Canned Tomatoes
The expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A
The problem: The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people's body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. "You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that's a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young," says vom Saal. "I won't go near canned tomatoes."
The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), such as the brands Bionaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe's and Pomi.
14 worst health mistakes even smart women make.
2. Corn-Fed Beef
The expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of half a dozen books on sustainable farming
The problem: Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. More money for cattle farmers (and lower prices at the grocery store) means a lot less nutrition for us. A recent comprehensive study conducted by the USDA and researchers from Clemson University found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; and lower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease. "We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure," says Salatin.
The solution: Buy grass-fed beef, which can be found at specialty grocers, farmers' markets, and nationally at Whole Foods. It's usually labeled because it demands a premium, but if you don't see it, ask your butcher.
25 ridiculously healthy foods you should be eating now.
3. Microwave Popcorn
The expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group,
The problem: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize—and migrate into your popcorn. "They stay in your body for years and accumulate there," says Naidenko, which is why researchers worry that levels in humans could approach the amounts causing cancers in laboratory animals. DuPont and other manufacturers have promised to phase out PFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of bags of popcorn will be sold between now and then.
The solution: Pop natural kernels the old-fashioned way: in a skillet. For flavorings, you can add real butter or dried seasonings, such as dillweed, vegetable flakes, or soup mix.
Your nutritional guide to grocery shopping.
4. Nonorganic Potatoes
The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board
The problem: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes—the nation's most popular vegetable—they're treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. "Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won't," says Moyer, who is also farm director of the Rodale Institute (also owned by Rodale Inc., the publisher of Prevention). "I've talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals."
The solution: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn't good enough if you're trying to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh.
14 ways to make veggies less boring.
5. Farmed Salmon
The expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany and publisher of a major study in the journal Science on contamination in fish.
The problem: Nature didn't intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. According to Carpenter, the most contaminated fish come from Northern Europe, which can be found on American menus. "You can only safely eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months without increasing your risk of cancer," says Carpenter, whose 2004 fish contamination study got broad media attention. "It's that bad." Preliminary science has also linked DDT to diabetes and obesity, but some nutritionists believe the benefits of omega-3s outweigh the risks. There is also concern about the high level of antibiotics and pesticides used to treat these fish. When you eat farmed salmon, you get dosed with the same drugs and chemicals.
The solution: Switch to wild-caught Alaska salmon. If the package says fresh Atlantic, it's farmed. There are no commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon.
Delicious and easy fish recipes6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones
The expert: Rick North, project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility and former CEO of the Oregon division of the American Cancer Society
The problem: Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers. "When the government approved rBGH, it was thought that IGF-1 from milk would be broken down in the human digestive tract," says North. As it turns out, the casein in milk protects most of it, according to several independent studies. "There's not 100% proof that this is increasing cancer in humans," admits North. "However, it's banned in most industrialized countries."
The solution: Check labels for rBGH-free, rBST-free, produced without artificial hormones, or organic milk. These phrases indicate rBGH-free products.
Don’t be fooled by these 11 health food imposters.7. Conventional Apples
The expert: Mark Kastel, former executive for agribusiness and codirector of the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policy research group that supports organic foods
The problem: If fall fruits held a "most doused in pesticides contest," apples would win. Why? They are individually grafted (descended from a single tree) so that each variety maintains its distinctive flavor. As such, apples don't develop resistance to pests and are sprayed frequently. The industry maintains that these residues are not harmful. But Kastel counters that it's just common sense to minimize exposure by avoiding the most doused produce, like apples. "Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers," he says. And increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides (from all sources) with Parkinson's disease.
The solution: Buy organic apples. If you can't afford organic, be sure to wash and peel them first.
CHILD genius Adi Putra Abdul Ghani, 10, is now the chief executive officer of two companies and a lecturer who charges RM6,000 per hour, Sin Chew Daily and Nanyang Siang Pau reported.
The dailies said his mother Serihana Alias operates the two companies, which sell vitamins under the brand Adi.
Brainy: File picture showing Adi Putra, who is now a lecturer and chief executive officer of two companies. Adi Putra, who is supposed to be attending Year Four classes at his age, has stopped schooling.
He has been invited to certain local universities to give lectures.
The Perak-born child genius, who moved to Selangor with his family a few years ago, was quoted as saying that he wanted to be a lecturer in Islamic studies.
Serihana said he keeps track of foreign stock markets via the Internet and studies at home.
“He’s interested in mathematics, physics, chemistry, geography and biology, but not so much in history and politics. He dislikes reading books but loves spending his time browsing the Net for study materials.
“Adi also hopes to study in Canada, Singapore or the United States, but we have yet to come to a final decision,” she said.
Studies show that the collision risk for drivers who text messages while driving goes up 23 times over those who do not do so as text messaging takes the eyes off the road for too many seconds.
Alice Chong was driving home from work and approaching a toll plaza when her phone rang. Without thinking twice, she reached for her phone which was in her handbag on the seat next to her.
In the blink of an eye, her brand new car had plowed into the back of a van.
The price of that phone call? She was without a car for two months and her vehicle suffered extensive damage to the radiator, body work and engine.
“I only took my eye off the road for a few seconds but that proved to be a very expensive lesson for me,” says Alice (not her real name), who swears never to touch the mobile phone again while driving.
As the experts say, it only takes a second for an accident to happen. There is more concern now that more people seem to be texting while driving, a task labelled as “very distracting” for drivers.
Out of the 73 billion messages Malaysians sent last year, one can only wonder how many were sent out while behind the wheel of a vehicle.
This subject has come under close scrutiny of late in the United States, where many states have been introducing laws to ban texting while driving. This follows several major accidents linked to texting in the past few months.
Data from the American Transportation Department revealed that 11% of drivers in fatal crashes had been distracted at the time of the accident in 2008, compared with 8% in 2004.
The spike in text messaging and use of mobile phones in recent years is believed to have aggravated the problem although it was unclear how many accidents were due to texting specifically.
Driving hazard: Texting while driving can cause you to lose your concentration and may result in an accident. There are no statistics available in Malaysia on the phenomenon but Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) director-general Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah says that distracted driving contributes to out-of-control driving.
This, in turn, is one of the biggest contributors to accidents.
For collisions in 2007, out-of-control driving contributed to 23% (1,318 out of 5,672 cases) of fatal accidents and 14% of overall accidents (3,674 out of 27,035 cases).
Dr Ahmad believes that mobile phones are one of the biggest distractions.
“Phones are a major culprit even though we have laws prohibiting their use (while driving),” he says.
He believes that road safety has a lot to do with prevailing culture and while the mobile phone has given us a sense of urgency, it has become a distraction.
“When the phone rings, there is a compulsion that we have to pick it up. The mobile phone provides promptness but this is dangerous (when driving),” says Dr Ahmad.
Road Safety Department director-general Datuk Suret Singh believes texting causes a significant number of accidents.
“I don’t think we are any different from other countries.
“It is probably higher here compared to Western countries as more Malaysians use their phones and text when driving,” he says.
Federal traffic police chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Datuk Abdul Aziz Yusof says the police don’t tolerate the use of mobile phones.
“There are people who do that but we don’t compromise on this. Texting is worse than talking. There are cases where even motorcyclists are texting. This is very dangerous because their concentration level is minimal.”
He adds that there is no compilation of statistics on accidents due to mobile phone usage.
“It will be very difficult to prove but we are sure there are cases,” says Abdul Aziz.
Road Transport Department (JPJ) enforcement officer Syed Abdullah Syed Hussein says that it will be difficult to prove that a driver was texting.
It is easier to spot a driver who is holding his mobile phone to his ear and slap him with a summons of RM300 than one who is texting.
Hands-free also distract
Dr Ahmad says studies have shown that using a hands-free device causes as much a distraction as talking on the phone.
“When talking (without hands-free kit), we don’t have full control of the steering wheel and our concentration is divided between the conversation and the road.
“When using the hands-free device, only our concentration is divided.
“But studies overseas have shown that both scenarios impair our judgement similarly,” he says.
So logically, this would mean texting presents more danger than talking, as our eyes are off the road for more seconds, says Dr Ahmad.
Last month, a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) in the US found that drivers sending or receiving text messages take their eyes off the road much longer than they do when talking or listening on their mobile phones.
The study found that the collision risk for drivers who sent text messages went up 23 times over those drivers who did not use texting devices.
It also showed that text messaging had the longest duration of eyes off road time (4.6 seconds over a 6-second interval).
The study compared this to a driver travelling the length of a football field (about 110m) at 88kph without looking at the road.
“Talking/listening to a cell phone allowed drivers to maintain eyes on the road and were not associated with an increased safety risk to nearly the same degree,” states the report.
Accidents happen in a snap
It must be reminded that accidents happen in a split second – a vital second in which one needs to make a decision and react, says Dr Ahmad.
“When we are driving, we make a lot of decisions and this includes split-second decisions. We have to factor in the risk behaviour of others.
“If you are distracted, you might not be able to react in time or you might make a wrong decision,” says Dr Ahmad.
He gives an example of a motorcycle weaving in and out of traffic.
“If the motorcycle comes in front of you suddenly and if you are distracted, you might not be able to stop your car in time,” says Dr Ahmad.
He gives another example where one’s judgment might be compromised because of distractions.
“If you come to a T-junction and are turning right, you have two decisions to make – judging traffic on the near side and the far side. This is called the acceptance gap.
“If you are distracted, you might underestimate the gap, especially if it’s dark or if you are being obstructed,” he says.
There are even those who claim that driving and texting is more dangerous than driving under influence (DUI), but Dr Ahmad does not want to commit to this theory.
”I can’t say it’s true, but a lot people claim that is the case. When you are drunk, you are totally out of control.
“But that split second whether you are affected by drunkenness or distracted by texting is the same; you will meet with an accident,” says Dr Ahmad.
He believes that driving under influence of alcohol or drugs is the most dangerous distraction because the driver may not be in the right frame of mind.
He also lists lethargy as another major distraction.
Other forms of distractions include smoking, eating and fiddling around with electronic devices such as the radio or GPS.
Distractions outside the vehicle would include billboards, improper road signs and even accidents.
He says that even fellow passengers could be a form of distraction.
“You could have children making noise behind. This could increase the stress and anxiety levels. Drivers could react by speeding and driving recklessly,” says Dr Ahmad.
As for the distraction caused by mobile phones, what can be done to stop drivers from using these devices other than the issuance of summons?
Suret reckons most people drive under a false sense of security that nothing will happen to them.
The invincible feeling
“People have probably used their mobile phones before but nothing bad happened. But using the phone is a strict no-no. You should put it on silent while driving. We have survived thousands of years without mobile phones,” he says.
Dr Ahmad agrees, saying many questions were asked on why there were many accidents in the recently ended Ops Sikap.
(There were 17,338 accidents and 265 fatalities in the operation from Sept 13 to Sept 27.)
“A lot of people blame the enforcement. True, it’s not enough, but we cannot be relying on external enforcement all the time. There are limits to the numbers we can supply. Enforcement from family (or passengers) can help,” he says.
“All it takes are two seconds’ loss of concentration to cause life-long suffering. No amount of money can reverse that. Is it worth the risk?” asks Suret.
