August 31, 2007
I think there are two main kinds of passionate bloggers in the world: the kind that write for themselves and the kind that write for their readers. Personally, I think I'm a mix of the two, I write for myself and for my blog's readers at the same time. And even though I do get your feedback on individual blog items from time to time, I wanted to go ahead and ask you in general what things you like and what other things you dislike about this blog? I'm really interested in knowing: what kinds of posts you enjoy the...
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According to a study by The Center Against Racism, via YnetNews : Over half of the Jewish population in Israel believes the marriage of a Jewish woman to an Arab man is equal to national treason 75 percent of participants did not approve of apartment buildings being shared between Arabs and Jews Sixty percent of participants said they would not allow an Arab to visit their home 40 percent of participants agreed that "Arabs should have their right to vote for Knesset revoked" over half of the participants agreed that Israel should encourage its Arab citizens to immigrate from the...
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August 30, 2007
A weird and interesting bit of news... Staring at women’s breast is good for men’s health and makes them live longer, a new study reveals. Researchers have discovered that a 10-minute ogle at women’s breasts is as healthy as half-an-hour in the gym. A five-year study of 200 men found that those who enjoyed a longing look at busty beauties had lower blood pressure, less heart disease and slower pulse rates compared to those who did not get their daily eyeful. Dr Karen Weatherby, who carried out the German study, wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine: “Just 10...
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This morning I finished reading former US President Jimmy Carter's book by the name "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid". I've been wanting to read this book ever since it was published, I found it in Tunisia in the Al Kitab bookstore but it was too expensive, so I posptponed and bought it from Prime Megastore on my last trip to Jordan. In this book, Jimmy Carter tackles the Middle East crisis and the question of Israel's peace with its neighbors--in particular, how Israeli sovereignty and security can coexist permanently and peacefully with Palestinian nationhood. It is a comprehensive and well-informed...
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August 29, 2007
The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. -- St. Augustine...
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Posted on August 29, 2007 05:58 PM under:
Tunisia
According to the numbers released by Tunisia's National Statistics Institute, Tunisia has 747 thousand rich people and only 376 thousand poor; which puts poverty at only 3.8% in Tunisia, the middle class at 80% and the percentage of the rich at 6.2%; which sounds great, but a bit unrealistic too. Taking a closer look at the numbers behind the numbers as they were released in a recent Tunisian economic review, we find the following: Rich people in Tunisia are defined as people who spend 4000 TND (US$ 3,120) or more per year, that's around 11 TND (US$ 8.58) per day....
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August 28, 2007
Exactly one year ago, on a hot Tunisian summer day like this one, August 28th, I witnessed the amazing miracle of life when our beautiful baby boy "Adam" was born into this world. It was an overwhelming breath-taking moment for me, one that I will never forget for as long as I live, the rush of mixed feelings that went through me at the moment of my child's birth is something I simply can't put into words, and the changes inside of me that resulted from those few seconds are ones that will be with me for eternity. I became...
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August 27, 2007
Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you’ll see the way to fly. -- Richard Bach...
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August 26, 2007
Muslim charities and aid organizations putting together a Live8-like music concert in London to help raise funds and awareness for the Darfur crisis. A Muslim Live8 is to be staged at Wembley to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Darfur... The charities Islamic Relief and Muslim Aid, which are organising the event, want the concert to raise funds and awareness about the genocide in the region, where combatants and victims are all Muslim. Speaking at a press conference at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Jehangir Malik of Islamic Relief said: "We are going for our own equivalent of Live8. We are...
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Posted on August 26, 2007 01:15 AM under:
Books
Today I finished reading "The Art Of The Start" by Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist at Apple Computer and current Venture Capitalist. This is the second book I've read by Guy, the first being "Rules For Revolutionaries". This book, as its name suggests, is about the art of starting a business and how each and every task at hand should be handled from; from identifying your customer base and writing a business plan to raising capital and bootstrapping to recruiting, establishing partnerships and building brand identity. I think the book is very useful for someone starting a business, giving them...
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August 24, 2007
I just came across a really good list of 10 tips to keep the peace in your everyday life relationships with people, put together by Tom Roderick, Executive Director of Educators for Social Responsibility Metro. The list goes as follows: 1. Slow down the action 2. Listen well 3. Give the other person the benefit of the doubt 4. Acknowledge the other person's feelings 5. Be strong without being mean 6. Try to see a conflict as a problem to be solved 7. Set your sights on a "win-win" solution 8. If you don't seem to be getting anywhere in...
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August 23, 2007
So, you know all that brainstorming we've all been doing to come up with "good" ideas? It turns out we could've come up with more and better ideas if we did it alone individually rather than in groups... Brainstorming [is] used in nearly all of the world's largeset companies, nonprofits, and government organizations. And the reasons seem obvious... "The average person can think of twice as many ideas when working with a group than when working alone."... But is it true? In 1958... psychologists let groups of four people brainstorm about the practical benefits or difficulties that would arise if...
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August 22, 2007
Google has gone ahead and launched Sky in Google Earth, a new functionality that will be adding space imagery to Google Earth's extensive maps and imagery of planet Earth. Google's announcement says that with this functionality "You can now explore the universe from the comfort of your chair. Zoom in to distant galaxies hundreds of millions of light years away, explore the constellations, see the planets in motion, witness a supernova explosion; it's like having a giant, virtual telescope at your command -- your own personal planetarium!" According to TechCrunch, the space imagery used in this new functionality includes over...
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August 21, 2007
I’m proud to announce that Subzero Blue will be participating in Blog Action Day. On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. The aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future. Sign your blog up here to get involved....
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August 20, 2007
Tim Ferriss, writer of the book "The 4-Hour Workweek", has published a list of the 9 habits you have to stop now to become more productive. I totally agree with his list, and have more or less been applying this in my everyday life for a while now. The list goes as follows (with my comments): 1. Do not answer calls from unrecognized phone numbers: I rarely ever answer a phone call by a number I don't recognize, some people think it's wrong of me to do so, but personally I think that if that someone is a person I...
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There are very few people who don't become more interesting when they stop talking. -- Mary Lowry...
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August 18, 2007
Like every humming bird and bumblebee Every sunflower, cloud and every tree I feel so much a part of this Nature's got me high and it's beautiful I'm with this deep eternal universe From death until rebirth This corner of the earth is like me in many ways I can sit for hours here and watch the emerald feathers play On the face of it I'm blessed When the sunlight comes for free I know this corner of the earth it smiles at me My corner of the earth, the corner that I know so well, that I feel knows...
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August 17, 2007
More and more money for weapons... US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns has signed a deal that will provide Israel with $30bn of military aid over the next 10 years. The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has said the aid will preserve his country's military advantage over other countries in the Middle East. The new military aid package represents a 25% increase from present levels. [...] Mr Burns called the aid package an "investment in peace", saying "peace cannot be made without strength". [Source: BBC News] Now, this isn't really something unexpected, the US has been pouring billions upon billions...
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August 16, 2007
Ajaaj - "Legends of the past, protecting the future". That's the tagline for the new comic book by Watani featuring the first UAE superhero called Ajaaj. The comic book series is set in the year 2020; the UAE is leading the way in world trade, industry and tourism. However, the media is filled with reports of a natural disaster, a sand storm which has hit towns and shores leaving substantial damage in its aftermath. These reports are interrupted by kids who refute them, declaring the force behind the storm is Ajaaj. They say he can morph into a well-built young...
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August 15, 2007
Some good health news from Canada... A unique gene that can stop cancerous cells from multiplying into tumours has been discovered by a team of scientists at the B.C. Cancer Agency in Vancouver. The team, led by Dr. Poul Sorensen, says the gene has the power to suppress the growth of human tumours in multiple cancers, including breast, lung and liver. The gene, HACE 1, helps cells fight off stress that, left unchecked, opens the door to formation of multiple tumours. [Source: Globe And Mail] In a world where everything seems to cause cancer now because of the big mess...
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August 14, 2007
David Walker, comptroller general of the US, draws parallels between the state of the US and the fall of Rome... The US government is on a ‘burning platform’ of unsustainable policies and practices with fiscal deficits, chronic healthcare underfunding, immigration and overseas military commitments threatening a crisis if action is not taken soon, the country’s top government inspector, David Walker, comptroller general of the US, has warned. [...] Drawing parallels with the end of the Roman empire, Mr Walker warned there were “striking similarities” between America’s current situation and the factors that brought down Rome, including “declining moral values and...
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Springtime's Bike Dispenser is a sort of vending machine that allows you to rent an RFID-tracked bike from one stand, ride it to your destination, drop it off at another stand, and then walk away. The Dutch company won an award at the 2007 Spark Design & Architecture Awards for their idea, which works perfectly for an urban environment. Very cool and practical idea... I love it... [Via: Gizmodo, Trendhunter]...
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August 12, 2007
The Georgia Guidestones are a huge granite monument located on a hilltop in Elbert County, Georgia, USA. A message comprised of ten guides is inscribed on the monument in eight modern languages, and a shorter message is inscribed at the top of the structure in four ancient scripts: Babylonian, Classical Greek, Sanskrit, and Egyptian Hieroglyphs. The monument was meant to "offer direction to humanity" The message in English reads: 1. Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature. 2. Guide reproduction wisely - improving fitness and diversity. 3. Unite humanity with a living new language. 4. Rule passion -...
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Hmmm, it seems there's more to Green Tea than meets the "tongue"... Concentrated chemicals derived from green tea dramatically boosted production of a group of key detoxification enzymes in people with low levels of these beneficial proteins, according to researchers at Arizona Cancer Center. These findings, published in the August issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggest that a green tea concentrate might help some people strengthen their metabolic defense against toxins capable of causing cancer. [Source: Biosingularity] I'm not much of a tea person, although my wife loves the...
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August 10, 2007
Posted on August 10, 2007 04:44 PM under:
Tunisia
Starting yesterday 11:30AM, the network of Tunisiana, Tunisia's only private mobile phone operator, has been having problems, even going down for hours, and with outgoing and incoming calls being impossible. The problems persist to this very moment for two whole ranges of numbers. Tunisie Telecom, the first telecom operator, also ran into similar problems yesterday, with their network rejecting calls. But things got back to normal on their side a bit quicker. Many Tunisian blogs have written about this already, and it has been covered quite enough, but well I want to talk about a whole different angle of this...
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August 09, 2007
Bits of news like this show me we have yet a long long way to go ahead of us before anything like peace, understanding and mutual respect is reached... A Dutch member of parliament has called for the Quran to be banned in the Netherlands, describing it as a "fascist book" which calls on people to kill non-believers and rape women. Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Freedom Party, called for the ban in a letter published in De Volkskrant newspaper. [...] "I am fed up with Islam in the Netherlands: no more Muslim immigrants allowed. I am fed up...
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August 08, 2007
There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies. The first method is far more difficult. -- C.A.R. Hoare...
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August 06, 2007
The other day I was thinking about what it would take for someone to just disappear, just seem to have dropped off the face of the earth, if they were to wish to do so. I'm not talking illegal stuff, no, just using strictly legal means; how can a person just disappear into thin air without a trace? It's not like I'm planning to do this anytime soon or ever really, but well sometimes my mind does wonder off to such weird ideas, and I think that it'd be cool to have a plan if someone ever felt the urge...
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August 05, 2007
Posted on August 5, 2007 08:26 PM under:
Tunisia
So, some interesting news between Tunisia and Jordan in the travel area... Jordan and Tunisia have concluded discussions on the issue of aviation on Sunday at the headquarters of the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission. The discussions led to signing a MoU aims at liberalizing air transport between the two countries and direct allowing aviation companies, designated by the contracting parties, to operate any number and any kind of flights without restrictions. The two sides agreed to add Aqaba as an air route to the schedule of the bilateral air transport agreement to the Tunisian side and to add Tabarka and...
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Posted on August 5, 2007 11:33 AM under:
Books
Last night I finished reading "Winning" by Jack Welch, Chairman and CEO of General Electric between 1981 and 2001, transforming the industrial giant from a sleepy "Old Economy" company with a market capitalization of $4 billion to a dynamic new one worth nearly half a trillion dollars. "Winning" describes the management wisdom that Welch built up through his four and a half decades of work at GE, focusing on actual management techniques. The book is divided into five major sections that cover management from all sides: Underneath It All: Here he talks about missions and cultural values, as well as...
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August 04, 2007
So here are the thoughts of Tom Tancredo, one of the 2008 Republican US presidential candidates... Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo’s campaign stood by his assertion that bombing holy Muslim sites would serve as a good "deterrent" to prevent Islamic fundamentalists from attacking the United States. "This shows that we mean business,” said Bay Buchanan, a senior Tancredo adviser. “There’s no more effective deterrent than that." "If it is up to me, we are going to explain that an attack on this homeland of that nature would be followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina,” Tancredo...
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August 03, 2007
For a couple of years now, I've been wishing I could just stop, take a break from everything and take a sabbatical year, and just do whatever I want to do in it. When you come to think of it, it's not really such a hard thing to do after all, I think that if you've got yourself financially covered for a year, meaning that you've managed to save what equals 12 of your paychecks, then you're good to go and have yourself a year off from work and the everyday responsabilities you've had for the past years. Ok, it's...
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August 02, 2007
The reality of the other person is not in what he reveals to you, but in what he cannot reveal to you. Therefore, if you would understand him, listen not to what he says but rather what he does not say. -- Khalil Gibran...
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August 01, 2007
I just love this... A great new way to represent percentage-based statistics instead of the traditional pie chart. - The chart on the left is from a NY Times story on atheism and the afterlife, and was created by Charles M. Blow. - On the right, a detail from a Wired story on how much Americans spend on gadgets, and was created by Arno Ghelfi. Very creative and more representative and accurate I think. [Via: Anil Dash]...
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