May 31, 2005
I wanted to wait till it was broadcast, but well I couldn't hold it any longer, lol, last week, I was interviewed by the BBC Arabic Service. Wow... It was about Arab bloggers and blogging in the Arab world. The talk was about blogging in general, how I started blogging, how I choose the topics I talk about, why I blog in English, if there were any common characteristics between bloggers...etc. It was really nice, although I was a bit tense, I mean it's the BBC for God's sake, lol... The interview is for a new program called BBC Xtra...
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Miss Canada, Natalie Glebova, was crowned Miss Universe in the 54th annual pageant held in the Thai capital of Bangkok. The brunette from Toronto was chosen over Miss Puerto Rico Cynthia Olavarria. Natalie Glebova is a model and motivational speaker to grade school and high school students. When she was asked what she considered the biggest challenge of her life. She said it was remaining optimistic. "I always try to maintain a positive outlook on life," she said. Well, she deserves to win and I totally agree with her that remaining optimistic is the most important thing in a...
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May 30, 2005
Bush pushing new "let's use nuclear" policy... Under the cloak of secrecy imparted by use of military code names, the American administration has been taking a big - and dangerous - step that will lead to the transformation of the nuclear bomb into a legitimate weapon for waging war. No longer are nuclear bombs considered "the weapon of last resort." No longer is the nuclear bomb the ultimate means of deterrence against nuclear powers, which the United States would never be the first to employ. In the era of a single, ruthless superpower, whose leadership intends to shape the world...
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French voters have overwhelmingly rejected the European Union's proposed constitution in a key referendum. Almost 55% of people voted "No", with 45% in favour. Turnout was high, at about 70%. The vote could deal a fatal blow to the EU constitution, which needs to be ratified by all 25 member states. President Jacques Chirac accepted the voters' sovereign decision and said that he had noted it and intends to respond. It appears that his reponse will come as a government shakeup with strong signs that the prime minister will be replaced. I haven't read all of the proposed EU constitution,...
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May 29, 2005
Is King Fahd dead? Reliable sources in the Saudi capital Riyadh said Friday King Fahd is dead, reports the Saudi Institute. King Fahd of Saudi Arabia has been dead since late Wednesday, according to several well-placed sources in the capital Riyadh who spoke to the Saudi Institute, a pro-democracy think tank in Washington, on condition of anonymity. The government also canceled all military leave, "a sure sign that something is happening," said the Saudi Institute. [Source: UPI] The Saudi government denies it and say that he's in the hospital but in a stable condition and that tests are being run....
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May 28, 2005
So, what do you know? All of a sudden, we're in Jordan. We just flew over here last night. Eman's whole family are here this time, and it's been great seeing and being with all of them again :) We really missed them. We'll be here for three weeks of relaxation and fun. I personally truly needed some time off from my everyday life, work and all the stress that comes with both of them. I'm sure Eman needs this break even more than I do. I've got a long to-do list as usual with some things carried over from...
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May 27, 2005
So, Newsweek weren't that wrong after all... The commander of the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said Thursday an investigation had identified five incidents in which the Quran appears to have been mishandled by his personnel. The five suspect incidents were among 13 involving alleged mishandling that were culled from a review of about 31,000 documents representing three years worth of records. Ten allegedly were by guards and three by interrogators, said Brig. Gen. Jay Hood, who has held his job since March 2004. "We found that in only five of those 13 incidents, four by guards and...
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May 26, 2005
Nokia used the LinuxWorld Summit in New York this week to venture into new turf and launch a new product that is a step away from their core mobile phone business. The Nokia 770 is a tablet PC for use in the home to browse the Internet and check e-mail primarily. Sporting an 800x480 screen with zoom facility, on-screen keyboard, WiFi connectivity and Bluetooth, the machine runs on the Linux operating system and Nokia's maemo development platform. Other bells and whistles include an Internet radio, RSS reader, image viewer and media player. This looks like quite a cool product. It's...
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Yesterday, I found these really interesting numbers about Tunisian emigration on Zizou from Djerba's blog. - 80% of Tunisian youth would like to emigrate. - 80.000 to 100.000 Tunisian youth leave Tunisia each year (Some come back of course). - 25 to 35% of Tunisians abroad are jobless. According to statistics from 2003, the number of Tunisians abroad is 850,000. 6000 of them are students. Even though these numbers might not be 100% accurate, I do believe that they are pretty close to reality and I think they're very interesting. I'm sure numbers like these are reflected throughout the Arab...
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May 25, 2005
In a 300-page annual report released today, Amnesty International state that human rights are in retreat worldwide and that the United States bears most responsibility. All over the world governments are increasingly rolling back the rule of law, taking their cue from the U.S.-led war on terror, the report said. "The USA as the unrivalled political, military and economic hyper-power sets the tone for governmental behavior worldwide," Secretary General Irene Khan said in the foreword to Amnesty International's 2005 annual report. "When the most powerful country in the world thumbs its nose at the rule of law and human rights,...
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Environmental group Greenpeace has nominated President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and five others for its first "Golden Chainsaw" prize -- to be awarded to the Brazilian deemed to have contributed most to the Amazon's destruction. Figures released last week showed deforestation of the Amazon rainforest reached the second-highest level on record in 2003-2004 -- an area of 26,130 square km (10,088 sq miles), driven by logging, ranching and farming interests. The concerned public can vote online here while environmental activists and journalists will make a "critics' choice". The winner, to be announced on June 6, will be awarded a...
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May 24, 2005
The next version of Apple's iTunes software will support and organize podcasts. Podcasts, which are sound files and audio content such as radio shows, have surged in popularity. They do not require an iPod to listen to them on the go. Any digital MP3 player will work. "With the next version of iTunes, due within 60 days, there will now be an easy way for everyone to find and subscribe to" podcasts, the company said in a statement. Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder and chief executive demonstrated on Sunday evening how Apple's podcasting organization and downloading process would work within iTunes...
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Your money or your files! Security researchers at San Diego-based Websense Inc. uncovered the unusual extortion plot when a corporate customer they would not identify fell victim to the infection, which encrypted files that included documents, photographs and spreadsheets. A ransom note left behind included an e-mail address, and the attacker using the address later demanded $200 for the digital keys to unlock the files. [Via: CNN] I'm actually surprised this didn't happen before. I guess it was just easier to take the money directly instead of asking for it. Something like this means hackers are running out of ways...
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May 23, 2005
1) I will have a cup of coffee in the morning and read my PAPER newspaper like I used to, before the Web. 2) I will eat breakfast with a knife and fork and not with one hand typing. 3) I will get dressed before noon. 4) I will make an attempt to clean the house, wash clothes, and plan dinner before even thinking of the Web. 5) I will sit down and write a letter to those unfortunate few friends and family that are Web-deprived. 6) I will call someone on the phone who I cannot contact via the...
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Posted on May 23, 2005 02:36 PM under:
Cinema
Sibling filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's "The Child," about a 20-year-old petty crook suddenly faced with the responsibilities of fatherhood, won top honors at the Cannes Film Festival. It was the second time a film by the Belgian brothers won the prestigious Palme d'Or, coming six years after their teen drama "Rosetta" took the main Cannes prize. The award was presented Saturday by Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, who won Academy Awards in February for Clint Eastwood's boxing saga "Million Dollar Baby." Sounds like a great movie. Hope I get to check it out soon. [Source: CNN]...
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This guy spent 500 hours painting a picture of Venice in MS Paint! Afterwards he added some effects with Photoshop. This is amazing!! The painting is awesome! This guy must have so much free time and nerves of steel to do something like this in MS paint. I'd go mad if I tried to draw anything more than a stick figure in paint, lol. [Via: Boing Boing, AtomTigerBlog]...
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May 22, 2005
Posted on May 22, 2005 11:31 PM under:
Tunisia
We just got home from the second Tunisian blogger meetup :) It was awesome. We all had a magnificent time and so much fun. Turnout was a bit less than for the first meetup, 10 people turned up, one of them a guest. The blogs represented in this meetup were: Evil Drako, Adib, La Blogeuse, Imaghreb, Chikipi, Staka, Zizou from Djerba, AquaCool and Subzero Blue. It was great meeting everyone again and getting to know the new people. We all wished more new bloggers turned up and that the bloggers we already met last time could have made it this...
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Posted on May 22, 2005 09:46 AM under:
Music
Greek singer Helena Paparizou won the Eurovision song contest last night with her song "My Number One", a mid-tempo tune with minor-keyed Balkan flavorings. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko presented her with the prize for her seductive performance of "My Number One", saying "This is the prize for the song that unites all Europe". Eurovision is one of Europe's most widely watched events, with more than 150 million people tuning in to this year's edition. Last year's winner was Ukraine's Ruslana. She startled the audience in Istanbul, Turkey, with her song "Wild Dances"....
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A distant relative of mine passed away, God bless his soul, and yesterday I attended his funeral. Funerals must be one of the most depressing things in life. Just the thought that a person you knew to be so full of life, energy, kindness and good has passed away and is being lowered a stiff lifeless body into a hole in the ground is a very depressing thought. Most people start thinking of their own deaths, and they get more and more scared of it, fearing it could come and take them by surprise at any second. As for me,...
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May 21, 2005
Labour politician and former UK environment minister Michael Meacher has slammed Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George Bush for starting a war he says was to secure oil interests. "The reason they attacked Iraq is nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction, it was nothing to do with democracy in Iraq, it was nothing to do with the human rights abuses of Saddam Hussein." "It was principally, totally and comprehensively to do with oil, This was about assuming control over the Middle East and over Iraq, the second largest producer and also over Saudi Arabia next door."...
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Posted on May 21, 2005 11:31 AM under:
Tunisia
Just a quick reminder to all Tunisian bloggers. The second Tunisian blogger meetup is tomorrow at 7:00 PM at the Sidi Bou Said Port Café. I hope you can all come :) See you tomorrow......
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May 20, 2005
All the talk today is about the photos of Saddam half-naked in only his underpants doing his washing in a prison cell. The photos were published in the UK tabloid newspaper The Sun and then carried by the NY Post in the US. The Sun is pointing to the US Military for a conspired release of the photos to humilate the Iraqi Insurgency. The US Military is denying it played an organized role in the release of the photos, saying it is aggressively investigating who leaked the photos. I think this is disgusting and very low. This kind of humiliation...
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Posted on May 20, 2005 08:20 PM under:
Google Personalized Google introduces personalized home pages. (tags: google personalization) The All-Time Top 100 Voices in the Movies The top actor voices in cinema history. (tags: cinema movies voices) Star Wars III Revenge of the Sith leaked online already Workprint released by pirate group named VISA. (tags: starwars episode3 revengeofthesith piracy) How to fake fingerprints Now I can frame anyone I want :P (tags: fake fingerprints) Talkr: Letting blogs speak for themselves Talkr converts text-only blogs into podcasts. Sounds cool. (tags: talkr blog podcast)...
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One morning, something can change, something has changed... You turn your face, your eyes, your heart and your hopes towards another Reality. One instant, one second, far from human beings, from their doubts, from their wounds. And the Universe speaks to you of the heart of its evidences: « Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the succession of night and day there are indeed signs for people of insight » You know... Tariq Ramadan [Continue reading: You know...]...
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Posted on May 20, 2005 07:58 AM under:
Cinema
Last night we watched Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and man did I love it. I saw the previews and trailers for this movie many times, but never thought it'd turn out this good. It's an adventure/comedy/fantasy about three wealthy children whose parents are killed in a fire. When they are sent to a distant relative Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), they find out that he is plotting to kill them and seize their fortune. It's based on the first three books in the "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" book series: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room,...
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Macvaysia passed on this meme to me. It goes something like this: "What follows is a list of different occupations. The reader must select at least five of them. The reader may add more if they like to the list before they pass it on (after the reader selects five of the items as it was passed to the reader). Of the five selected, the reader is to finish each phrase with what he would do as a member of that profession. Then pass it on to three other bloggers." Ok. Here's the list: If [Reader] could be a scientist...
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May 19, 2005
A survey conducted by the Business Software Alliance shows that one out of every three software programs that people use around the world is pirated. The survey showed that the global piracy rate decreased by one percentage point last year, but piracy related losses grew $4 billion to a record $33 billion for the year thanks mostly to currency falls in the US dollar. Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe had incredibly high amounts of piracy with rates ranging between 87 and 92% while the United States, New Zealand, Austria, Sweden, and the UK only ranged between 21 to 27%....
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"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build better and bigger idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook looooool... I loved this one... Very very true... [Via: Zaid Amireh]...
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May 18, 2005
12. Specifications are for the weak and timid! 11. This machine is a piece of GAGH! I need dual processors if I am to do battle with this code! 10. You cannot really appreciate Dilbert unless you've read it in the original Klingon. 9. Indentation?! -- I will show you how to indent when I indent your skull! 8. What is this talk of 'release'? Klingons do not make software 'releases'. Our software 'escapes' leaving a bloody trail of designers and quality assurance people in its wake. 7. Klingon function calls do not have 'parameters' -- they have 'arguments' --...
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Everyone has heard of Newsweek's May 9 story about the desecration of the Koran in Guantanamo bay that said American interrogators put copies of the Quran on toilets or in one case, flushed one down a toilet in an attempt to rattle suspects. Newsweek's article cited "sources" as saying a report from a military investigation into allegations of prisoner abuse revealed that interrogators, "in an attempt to rattle suspects, flushed a Quran down a toilet." The article sparked massive anti-American riots in Afghanistan, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, Pakistan, Indonesia and elsewhere in the Muslim world last week. In its May 23...
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Uri Avnery and Gush Shalom group demonstrating. - A symbolic blood stain on the national flag. - More Photos by Rachel Avnery. The car stopped for a moment. An elderly lady pushed her head out of the window and shouted; "Aren't you ashamed of yourselves? Today is Holocaust Day, and you are demonstrating for Arabs?!" "How can one demonstrate for Arabs, especially on Holocaust Day? Well, it's a good question. And there is a good answer. The answer expresses one of the lessons to be drawn from the Holocaust, a lesson that should be raised like a banner on...
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May 17, 2005
Every day, goods are trashed in one part of the world that could ease suffering in another. Global Hand wants to see those goods reach people in need. We live in a dysfunctional world: one that allows massive waste and need. We have excessive product, on one hand, and excessive need on the other. Global Hand wants to change that. Our goal is to link people who have available goods, non-profit organisations who need goods, and those who can transport them. I think this is a great idea. I totally agree with their way of thinking, and it has crossed...
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In a glitzy ceremony held at Sony's film studios yesterday, the company released eagerly anticipated details of its upcoming PlayStation 3 and said the console would reach shelves in spring 2006. According to the company, the new console will have wireless controllers, a detachable 2.5-inch hard drive, slots for compact flash and Sony's memory stick media and a built-in Wi-Fi connection that can connect to the Playstation Portable. The system will include USB 2.0 and gigabit Ethernet connections, and will support games made for previous generations of PlayStation systems. It will include support for up to seven controllers at once,...
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Posted on May 17, 2005 06:22 PM under:
Link Dump
The baby from the cover of Nirvana’s Nevermind Ever wondered what happened to him? (tags: nirvana cover baby) 50 Fun Things To Do With Your iPod Besides listen to music with those white earbuds. (tags: iPod fun hacks) IE7 Will Have Tabs At last, they get the whole tabbed browsing thing. (tags: ie tabbedbrowsing) Grocery Store Wars Join the Organic Rebellion, looool... (tags: humour starwars storewars) A Hamburger Today A new blog about nothing but hamburgers. (tags: hamburger blog) The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) They claim to be the web's largest movie script resource. (tags: IMSDb movie scripts)...
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Posted on May 17, 2005 01:28 PM under:
Cinema
Last night we watched "Meet The Fockers" at last. I liked the first one a lot, so I've basically been waiting to see this movie ever since it went into production. It has all the old characters plus Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand as Greg Focker's (Ben Stiller) mad parents. The whole plot is about how all hell breaks loose when the Byrnes family meets the Focker family for the first time. Imagine that? It's a fun movie with some really nice funny moments, but "Meet The Parents" still remains a lot better. It's that whole sequel not living up...
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May 16, 2005
George Lucas weighs in on the war in Iraq and Star Wars... "Star Wars" director George Lucas says that although he wrote the original film during the Vietnam War, his six-part saga could apply to the war in Iraq. ''In terms of evil, one of the original concepts was how does a democracy turn itself into a dictatorship,'' Lucas told a news conference at Cannes, where his final episode had its world premiere. ''The parallels between what we did in Vietnam and what we're doing in Iraq now are unbelievable. [Source: CNN] I totally agree with his point of view...
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Good news from Kuwait... Kuwaiti lawmakers approved political rights for women Monday, clearing the way for females to participate in parliamentary elections for the first time in the Gulf nation's history. Scores of women activists in the gallery immediately rose to their feet in applause, with some ululating and others singing the national anthem. Allowing women to vote could more than double the number of registered voters in Kuwait. Previously, the vote was restricted to men over 21 who were not members of the police force or military -- about 139,000 registered voters. If all women over 21 registered, that...
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Posted on May 16, 2005 06:11 PM under:
Music
This "WARNING ARTIST SUPPORTS FILESHARING" seal is designed to fit in the slot normally filled by the FBI's new "FBI ANTI-PIRACY WARNING" seal that mars the backs of so many new CDs. You need something to alert your customers that they won't face 20 years of prison time for letting a friend download your album. In an effort to combat the Anti-Piracy Seal, an alternative logo for artists who aren't concerned with file sharing and federal level copyright infringement has been created. I think this is cool, and I hope some artists start releasing their cds with this seal on...
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May 15, 2005
A Senate committee has approved a $441.6 billion defense bill for fiscal 2006 that envisions spending an additional $50 billion next year for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Can you just imagine how much could be done towards making the world a better place with all that money?! Instead it's all being spent on war and destruction!! More lives will be lost, more destruction, more hatred, more enemies, more more more in an endless cycle of mad violence. The only winners behind this are those giant weapons manufacturers and the politicians they bribe and back. It's disgusting......
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Posted on May 15, 2005 08:28 PM under:
Cinema
Last night we watched "The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie". I'm a big fan of cartoons and animation, so when our DVD rental place got this one at last, I just had to rent it. There was a lot of hype around the movie when it was released, so I was expecting something very very good. And well it turned out quite a nice movie to watch. Not as good as I expected, but still good. The story is about SpongeBob SquarePants and his friend Patrick Star taking leave from the town of Bikini Bottom in order to track down King Neptune's...
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Posted on May 15, 2005 11:16 AM under:
Tunisia
So, the second Tunisian blogger meetup is next week. It will be held on Sunday, May 22nd at 7:00PM at the Sidi Bou Said port café. I hope everyone blogging from Tunisia can make it. Please spread the word and promote the meetup on your blogs too so we can get as many people as possible there. For more details and to confirm you'll be attending, go to the Tunisian Blogger Meetup 2 event page. Thank you to everyone who responded with ideas and suggestions for this second meetup :)...
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Posted on May 15, 2005 11:01 AM under:
Music
A DJ friend of mine in Jordan first introduced me to Will Young over a year ago, and I remember really liking the songs I heard. Lately I've been listening a lot to his song "Leave Right Now", which I really love. I also caught his new album's title track "Friday's Child" on some music channel, and I decided to get the album. So, I finally got around to listening to Will Young's album "Friday's Child", and I have to say that I really really like it. It's easy-going pop music with soulful tunes and a jazzy touch, nice lyrics...
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May 14, 2005
One more year to wait... Al Jazeera has announced it will launch an English-language channel at the start of 2006, as it named a senior management team. British national Nigel Parsons will head operations at the company's Doha headquarters, while Trish Carter, formerly of New Zealand television, will head a new Asia desk in Kuala Lumpur. Sue Philips, formerly employed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp, will take charge of European coverage in London, while Will Stebbins, formerly with Associated Press Television News, will head a North American desk in Washington. [Source: Al Jazeera] Since Al Jazeera started, I thought the...
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