February 28, 2008
Just came across this bit of news from the Arab world: The Arab League is to step up the fight against intellectual property (IP) theft, piracy and counterfeiting, which costs the Arab world up to $50 billion each year. [...] In many countries across the region, over half of all software in use is believed to be counterfeit, and local attitudes to the concept of IP are said to contribute to the growing problem, with piracy still viewed by some as a harmless crime. ‘Arab World Protect 2008: The First Arab Consumer and Brand Protection Forum’, to be held in...
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February 27, 2008
Interesting Gallup Poll results from Islamic World: - 93% of Muslims Worldwide Condemn 9/11 Attacks; and most said the biggest obstacle to better relations with the West was the latter's lack of respect for Islam. - 0% Approve of Attacks on Religious Grounds. Among the seven percent who viewed the Sep 11 attacks as justified, not one gave religious justification for their views, instead expressing their fear of US plans for occupation and domination of the Muslim world. - Substantial majorities in all Muslim countries said they supported bringing democratic principles to their own countries and admired the US primarily...
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February 25, 2008
What defines a person? A person is what he thinks? Not necessarily, a lot of people think things they don't apply in real life. Plus you don't always know what they really think. A person is what he believes? Even more than the previous point, a lot of people don't really live by what they believe. A person is his religion? Nobody follows their religion with 100% accuracy, and even if they think they do, they more or less follow their own understanding of it, which makes it pretty undefinable. A person is what he says? Ever heard of lying,...
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February 22, 2008
Just came across this interesting quote by Henry Kissinger in the mid 1970's: "Control the oil and you control entire nations; control the food and you control the people." ~ Henry Kissinger Rings very true, even if in a conspiracy theory kind of way, but yet if we look at the Arab world; we control most of the oil in the world, and we produce a lot of the food in the world, and have the potential to produce even more, yet there isn't an area of the world that has less control, even over its own future. What does...
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February 21, 2008
The hypocrite's crime is that he bears false witness against himself. What makes it so plausible to assume that hypocrisy is the vice of vices is that integrity can indeed exist under the cover of all other vices except this one. Only crime and the criminal, it is true, confront us with the perplexity of radical evil; but only the hypocrite is really rotten to the core. ~ Hannah Arendt, On Revolution, 1963...
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February 19, 2008
I posted on Twitter this morning about Fidel Castro's resignation as president of Cuba and commander-in-chief of Cuba's military. I heard the news in the morning, and thought about posting it on the blog, but I didn't really have much to say about it. It's hard to really judge a person like Fidel Castro who is seen as a hero by so many people and a hated dictator by so many others; it's obvious both sides have credible and real points; in the end, all I hope for is for things to get better for the Cuban people, whether it...
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A thought that has been on my mind these past few days and that I thought I'd finally try to put down in writing, maybe in an attempt to sort out my ideas, and save them for future reference. The thing is that on most of these web services where you have to setup your profile; whether it be a social networking site, a job site, or any other kind of service; and even offline; whether it be a CV, a business card or presentation; you always end up with a one dimensional profile of yourself, just one way of...
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February 18, 2008
Posted on February 18, 2008 11:29 PM under:
Tunisia
Some more good eco-friendly news from Tunisia... Three wind farms with a total capacity of 120 megawatts of electricity will be built by 2009 in Bizerta, Jendouba and Beja. Tunisia's wind power energy strategy aims at increasing the total electricity production resulting from this non polluting form of energy to 175 MW by 2010, thus amounting to some 4,2% of the electricity production in the country. [...] ... the Tunisian government has so far pledged some 18 million dollars of funds for setting up the project. [Source: Tunisia Online News] Tunisia already has one wind farm in Hawariya (Cap Bon),...
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February 15, 2008
Great Pulitzer prize winning comic from 2002... Clay Bennett 10/11/01 / ©2001 Christian Science Monitor [Source: Pulitzer.org]...
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February 14, 2008
Really cool and edible idea from the designers Mary & Matt: Chocolate Scrabble. I'd definitely always be out of letters... [Buy: Mary & Matt] [Via: AndFarAway, Core77]...
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February 13, 2008
Posted on February 13, 2008 09:31 PM under:
Link Dump
10 Mistakes in Icon Design The most commonly observed mistakes in icon design. (tags: design icons icon interface tips graphics iconography interesting list) Paris By Night Great night shot of Paris. Very nice. (tags: photography paris photo panorama night photos cool) l337 Eye Chart Apparently my eyez r teh l337 :P Check yours ;) (tags: pictures cool l337 eye chart fun funny)...
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"Does Israel have a right to exist?" people ask. What does that mean? Do countries really have rights, or do people have rights? The Jewish people have a right to exist, the Israeli people have a right to exist, but what does "Israel" mean? Israel defines itself as the state of the Jewish people. It is not a state of its citizens. It is a state of many people who are not its citizens, like myself, and is not the state of many people who are its citizens, like the 20 percent of its population that is Palestinian. So...
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Posted on February 13, 2008 01:28 PM under:
Tunisia
Kyocera Corporation just announced that it will supply and install its solar power generating systems in Tunisia under a yen-loan project by the Japanese government through Itochu Corporation. Starting in April 2008, Kyocera will successively install its solar power generating systems in 500 households in villages that do not currently have electricity in the three Tunisian governorates of Kef, Siliana and Beja. These systems will charge storage batteries using power generated during daylight hours and make the power available for residential lighting and other needs at night. Anticipated benefits include new freedom to engage in nighttime studies and side jobs,...
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February 12, 2008
Posted on February 12, 2008 08:30 PM under:
Cinema
Last night, I got to watch 'The Kite Runner', the movie adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's marvelous novel, directed by Marc Forster. 'The Kite Runner' follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted....
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February 11, 2008
uTest, a global marketplace for software application testing, as they define themselves, is now open for business. The startup takes a crowd-sourcing approach to testing software bugs coupled with a Pay Per Bug business model; Anyone can sign up to test software and make some cash along the way. On the other hand uTest's customers gain access to a large, diverse and global community of software testing individuals, who will help with their QA testing over uTest's secure testing platform, which provides a hosted infrastructure to manage complete software QA cycles and projects. Software application testers who are part of...
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February 10, 2008
Swedish car-maker Volvo has come up with a crash-proof family car which should go on sale in the autumn of this year. The car's secret is a laser-guidance system to spot vehicles in front that are too close or stopping suddenly. When it does, the car will automatically stop to avoid a crash. The CitySafety system, as it is called, kicks in at speeds of up to 20mph and is designed for urban driving. Volvo say that the system has the potential to prevent half of all rear-end collisions, that make up 29 per cent of all reported car accidents.....
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February 09, 2008
Posted on February 9, 2008 06:55 PM under:
Cinema
A few days ago, I got to watch "The Great Debaters", a movie directed by Denzel Washington, starring himself, Forest Whitaker, and a number of upcoming actors. The movie is based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship. If you're following me on twitter, you probably already know that I really liked the movie. The directing and acting are very good, and the story is a really nice one that keeps...
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"I am a Muslim" Kill me & call it "Collateral Damage" Imprison me & call it "Security Measure" Exile my people en mass & call it "New Middle East" Rob my resources, Invade my land, alter my leadership & call it "Democracy" [Source: Edge of Space] [Via: you.presscue]...
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February 07, 2008
An interesting study from New Zealand says it does... Creative genius and crime express themselves early in men but both are turned off almost like a tap if a man gets married and has children, a study says. Satoshi Kanazawa, a psychologist at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, compiled a database of the biographies of 280 great scientists, noting their age at the time when they made their greatest work. [...] Within five years of making their nuptial vows, nearly a quarter of married scientists had made their last significant contribution to history's hall of fame. "Scientists rather...
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Posted on February 7, 2008 12:01 PM under:
Tunisia
Italian property firm Ernesto Preatoni Group will invest 15 billion euros ($22 billion) in a luxury resort of hotels and holiday homes in northwest Tunisia, it was reported yesterday. The project includes a high-class tourism complex, hotels, leisure centers and ports in the northwest of Tunisia; Work will start before the end of this year and will last 12 years. So another outside investment in the tourism sector in Tunisia. Tourism obviously is one of Tunisia's biggest sources of income, and so investments in this area are always very good news; but I really wish we start seeing big investments...
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February 06, 2008
Interesting and important report from the World Bank on education in the Arab world... The World Bank has said the quality of education in the Arab world is falling behind other regions and needs urgent reform if it is to tackle unemployment. [...] It said that although education was becoming more accessible and the gender gap was being reduced, the region had not witnessed the positive changes seen in Asia and Latin America, particularly in literacy rates and enrolments in secondary schools and universities. [...] The report said unemployment in the Arab world averaged 14%, which is higher than other...
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Posted on February 6, 2008 12:57 PM under:
Tunisia
Emirati Al Maabar International Investments Company recently announced its plans to build one of its biggest projects in the African Continent. This project is 'Bled El Ward' (City Of Roses) on the northern rives of the capital Tunis, in Ariana, on a total area of 5 Thousands Hectares, with a total cost that reaches $10 Billion. The project will result in the construction of a modern city made up with many components such as the International Health city, water channels in addition to tourist resorts, residencies, sport facilities, Golf fields, and areas for shopping, entertainments and open space. The project...
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February 05, 2008
The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein has condemned a decision by Israeli authorities to demolish the Al-Omari mosque in the village of Umm Tuba near Jerusalem under the pretext that the building had been built without a license... Sheikh Hussein told Ma'an that the mosque was built more than 700 years go, and it was last restored in 1963. It is the only mosque in Umm Tuba. The Mufti claimed that Israeli authorities have been attempting to wipe out historic Islamic sites in Palestine which is violation of all religious values and international treaties. He warned of...
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February 04, 2008
Posted on February 4, 2008 07:05 PM under:
Cinema
Last night, I got to watch "Atonement", a movie featuring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, based on the book by Ian McEwan, and directed by Joe Wright. I read the book a few years ago, and truly enjoyed it a lot, really great book. Needless to say: the book is a lot better than the movie; but well that's always the case; still this is a very good movie, worth watching, especially if you've read the book. The movie is nominated for 7 Oscars this year; of which there is a 'Best Motion Picture of the Year' nomination. The story...
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February 02, 2008
I am not opposed to all wars, What I am opposed to is a dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics. -- Barack Obama...
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February 01, 2008
WOW... Microsoft Corp. has pounced on slumping Internet icon Yahoo Inc. with an unsolicited takeover offer of $44.6 billion in its boldest bid yet to challenge Google Inc.'s dominance of the lucrative online search and advertising markets. The surprise offer of $31 per share, made late Thursday and announced Friday, comes with Sunnyvale-based Yahoo in a vulnerable position. In a statement Friday, Yahoo said it will "carefully and promptly" study Microsoft's bid. [...] In a letter to Yahoo's board of directors, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer indicated the world's largest software maker is determined to bring the two companies together....
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