Month: February 2004

Greater Middle East

Recently we’re hearing more and more about something called The Greater Middle East.
It’s a new term that the Bush administration has created for a region that extends beyond the known geographical boundaries of the Middle East. It goes from Morocco in the west to Pakistan in the east.

They say that it’s a plan to promote democracy in the “Greater Middle East” that will adapt a model like the one used to press for freedoms in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

It’ll supposedly come in the form of a package of incentives that will be given to countries of the region in return for concrete steps towards political reform, improving the record on human rights, women

AquaCool

So, my wife’s blog has a new cooler design.

Yes, you read right. My wife has a blog too, and it’s been on my blogroll for quite some time, without anyone knowing it’s my wife’s blog.

Well, almost no one.
Jalan-Jalan found out using his sherlock holmes hat and skills, and I told Houssein about it when we met in Tunis last year.

Why was it kept secret ?
It wasn’t, we just didn’t mention the relation between our blogs directly.

So, interested in some strongly voiced opinions ?
If yes, then AquaCool is the blog for you.

Helping Your Visitors

Just found a really interesting article on a list apart on how to help your site’s visitors.

For this to be possible you have to recognize and achieve a number of things.

1. Recognize that websites are hard to navigate.
2. Understand what it is your visitors are looking for.
3. Accept that visitors scan your headings and links.
4. Be relevant in the words and phrases you use.

I definitely agree. Site makers should put theirselves in the visitors shoes more often when they’re designing a website, and try to make it as easy as possible for users to find their way around and know how to use it.

Read the whole thing here.

The World’s Richest People

So, Forbes has released this year’s list of the World’s richest people.

Bill Gates still tops the list of course.

J.K. Rowling from Harry Potter fame and the Google co-founders have newly entered the list too.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is at 4th place.

And I’m nowhere to be found on the list, lol…
Maybe next year 😛 (In my dreams)

Check out the full list of the World’s Richest People.

Exposure vs. Freedom of Expression

Recently I’ve been thinking about how much freedom I can enjoy while writing on my blog.
The whole idea of a blog is to have freedom of expression and just talk about whatever you feel like talking about.

But still, sometimes I have so much to talk about, and I just can’t use my blog for it anymore.
Why ? because my blog and I are more exposed now.
It’s no longer that blog sitting around in the blogosphere with a few unknown people stumbling upon it every now and then. People from my everyday life, my family, my work know it and read it daily now.
And so, I have to choose what to talk about, use the right words and try not to harm myself or hurt any of the people reading it.

It’s weird, I know. But that’s the way freedom becomes when it’s matched with exposure.
I have to put certain limits on myself and on what I write. It sucks, but it’s necessary.

Why won’t anyone say they are Jewish?

Does the Jewishness of the neocons influence American foreign policy in the Middle East? Or is this analysis just more anti-Semitism?

This is the debate the guys at adbusters have started.

I think it’s very interesting that some people are starting to think about this and realize it as it’s very true.
But still, I think the word Jewish should be changed to Zionists.
Not all Jews support what is happening and how things are being dealt with. Judaism is a religion, and we shouldn’t mix peaceful Jews with murdering Zionists.

Anyway, in addition to the fact that Zionists are in key positions and making a lot of influence on decisions, other people who run for office too are approached by Zionist groups and individuals who promise them support and money in return for pushing the Zionist and Israeli causes in the case they win.

I know this through an American who once ran for office and blogged about how he was approached by people like this.

It’s incredible how much happens in the backstreets and alleys of politics, and how many decisions are pushed through from the background.
The people we see at the front these days are just puppets to who put them there in the first place.

Anyway, if you’re interested in joining the debate, click here.

RSS in My Yahoo!

So, Yahoo! have added an RSS aggregating feature in My Yahoo!.
I heard that they were working on this before, but today is the first time I actually saw it and tried it out.

It’s still in beta but it seems to work fine.
I think it’s a great idea.
Everyone has to have a Feed reader of some sort nowadays. Too many blogs and news sites to keep up with.

Big Brother Arabia

So, not to be left behind, MBC has joined the reality tv rush too, and has started Big Brother Arabia.

This is the same concept of Big Brother that was used in the other countries: A bunch of participants in a house, living together, with no contact with the world, completing certain tasks and recording their feelings about it all seperately for the viewers to see.

The viewers watch these people go on about their lives, listen to their feelings and then vote the participants off one by one.
The last person standing is the winner.

Should be fun.