Speaker's Corner

Currently Reading...

2006-09-25T16:45:00.001+04:00

I started reading it sometime ago. I'm liking it so far. I will write a short review once I'm done.
What are you reading these days?

Ramadan Mubarak

2006-09-25T16:33:00.000+04:00

Wishing you all a blesseed Ramadan.
كل سنة وأنتو سالمين

Cool Link

2006-08-27T17:02:00.000+04:00

Radio.Blog.Club
Radio.blog is the first stand-alone player that lets you stream sound on your website. But i use it to listen to music while i work. They have a great collection and every artist you can think of. Enjoy

99 Names of God

2006-04-04T00:55:00.000+04:00

My friend Fouad drew this and sent it to me. He wrote the 99 names of God that we have in Islam. Can you guess them all?

Arabs Boycott Danish Products

2006-02-03T20:53:00.000+03:00

This is a leaflet that's being handed out at all supermarkets urging Arabs to boycott all Danish products after a Danish newspaper published offensive and insulting cartoons of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)

Well I know I'll be buttering my toast with Al Ghouta butter from now on...

Insanely Funny Cat Video

2006-02-02T20:56:00.001+03:00

I almost fell of my chair laughing at this hilarious cat video. You can watch it by going to:

http://www.extremely-sharp.com/direct/catvideo.html

It may take sometime to load if you have a slow internet connection but believe me it's totally worth it!

Back in Damascus:) (Edited)

2006-01-12T01:49:00.000+03:00

I've been really busy lately with work and famiy affairs...which explains the lack of updates on my blog...Now that things have calmed down I hope I can go back to updating my blog on regular bases...I thank all of you who keep coming back and those who wrote me sweet notes and messages asking about me :)

I wrote the post below at the begining of January but never got to publish it so here it is:

I admit I've been neglecting my blog...Although I've been back in Damascus for over 3 weeks now, I've been too busy and lazy to post anything.
Family and friends keep asking me wheather I've noticed anything different in Damascus...Not much has changed in the city since my return but here's what I noticed on the Damascus scene:

Syrian flags are everywhere. On buildings, on cars, in stores... People (including myself) are feeling quite patriotic due to the recent developements on the political scene.

After 3 years of delays and digging, renovations and construction work on the Omayad Square (dubbed by some the "crazy circle") are back on track after the hiring of a private contractor (AL Khayat construction company ). The private company promises to finish the construction work on the square in 2 months time...Al Abbassyin square is up next after the Omayad square is finished.

Also after months of delays, a KFC branch has finally opened in Damascus. It's packed with people whenever I pass by the joint in Abu Rummaneh street...You can read more about it at Ghalia's Blog.

Otherwise it's really good to be home :)

Interesting Blog Terms

2005-12-06T10:55:00.000+03:00

Blogorrhea
(BLOG diaRRHEA) Typically refers to meaningless ranting and raving on a blog.

Blog hopping
Blog hopping is to follow links from one blog entry to another, with related side-trips to various articles, sites, discussion forums and more.
One can blog hop through the links provided in a blog and follow them, to the next blog and so on.

Blognosing
Sucking up to people with the hopes of getting linked in their blog. From "brown-nosing."

Vlog
(Video bLOG) A Weblog (blog) that provides a video journal on a subject rather than text entries. A link to a video on a regular text blog is not a vlog. Vlogs are short video entries that take the place of text and are typically listed in chronological order like a text blog. Also called a "vog" or "vog blog."

Bleg
A Bleg is a colloquial term for a blog entry consisting of a request to the readers, such as for information or contributions. The name is derived from the words "" and "Beg".

Edublog
An edublog is a blog used for educational purposes. The act of edublogging is blogging within a learning environment or for educational purposes.
The above terms are from Answers.com

Bloggerji (M)- Bloggerjieh / Bloggeraieh (F) (In Arabic) (Many thanks to GraYFoX for reminding me)

A person who owns or writes for a weblog.

Blaster (Coined by Omar)

From Blog Master" as in "Webmaster.

Many thanks to Omar for coining the terms below:

Blog-o-holic: Those who browse or blog at all the times.. even when they're sleepy, busy or have friends sitting next to them..

Blog-o-phrenia: Having two blogs (and in my case 3) that talk about completely different things

Blog'd-ucated: Where he/she believes that blogs are the only sources of information in life.

Blog-o-mantic: (from Romantic) He/She who falls in love with another blogger cos her/his postings touch his soul

Bloggin'+ adjective or noun: Like saying: he's bloggin' crazy, or: I was on that bloggin' site. (but that's geek jargon anymore.. so you most probably won't be hearing much unless you hang around some system administrators)

For some interesting blog terms (some coined by bloggers themselves) go to: Samizdata.net

Technorati Tags: Blogging, Blogs, Blog Terms, Coined words

Damascus, Now and Then

2005-11-20T11:32:00.000+03:00

My friend send me these photos by email. This is Abu Rummaneh street in Damascus, the first photo was taken in 1940 and the second was taken in 2000.

*Abu Rummaneh is an upper-class neighbourhood in Damascus. Located in the heart of the capital, it holds many trendy shops and restaurants.

The 7even Tag

2005-11-17T22:21:00.000+03:00

Several friends tagged me on this so here we go:

Se7en things I want/like to do:

1. Sleeping
2. Going out.
3. Have a good laugh.
4. Keeping a pet cat.
5. Speak French fluently.
6. Have a good chat with a best friend.
7. Making someone feel better.

Se7en things I don't want/like to do:
1. Waking up early.
2. Feeling sick.
3. Waiting for someone who is late.
4. Smell or eat Clementines.
5. Watch someone do something the wrong way.
6. Have a bad hair day.
7. Listen to egoistic people talk about themselves.

Se7en things I say most often (With Explanations):
1. Ya allah (said when in despair as in "ya allaaaa" or when admiring something as in "ya allah shoo 7ilweh!")
2. La2 Lahon ou bass! (said jokingly when being teased by someone)
3. Waja3 (said when feeling guilty)
4. ah... walla? (Showing my surprise at something)
5. Shoo fi mafi (a conversation starter)
6. aiwah (when listening to someone talking or when answering the phone)
7. Ya3ni (when trying to explain something and I'm not making any sense)

From Houston, TX...

2005-11-11T22:17:00.000+03:00

Ah… I’m finally on vacation! I’ve been here for 1 week and am having a good time with my family here. I must say Houston isn’t a picturesque city but good company, shopping malls and fine restaurants make up for it’s lack of nice scenery( well at least it does for me!)

Having a sweet tooth I naturally headed to a candy store as soon as I could and what better place to go other than Dylan’s Candy Bar! The store is located in the Galleria Mall (the 4th largest mall in the U.S) and I happened to read recently that it’s owned by Dylan Lauren, Ralph Lauren’s daughter. There are 2 other branches in Orlando and on Long Island.

Although you can find most of the types of candy they have at any regular supermarket, it’s the way they display and present the candy that makes it look like something out of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Here are some photos I took (unfortunately I couldn’t take any inside the store):

Digg in!

Technorati Tags: , Candy, Dylan Lauren, Houston, Texas, Candy Bar

Guys' Rules

2005-10-21T21:05:00.000+03:00

A friend of mine sent me this. However these rules do not express my views on the issue ;)

The Guys' Rules:

At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down. Finally, the guys' side of the story.We always hear the rules from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side.These are our rules! Please note...these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat.
You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down.You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.
1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way
1. Crying is blackmail.
1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do notwork! Just say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.
1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't expect us toact like soap opera guys.
1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done.Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, forexample, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing'swrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer youdon't want to hear.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...Really.
1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or monster trucks.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.

1. Thank you for reading this.Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know menreally don't mind that? It's like camping.

Technorati Tags: , Guy's Rules, Guy Jokes

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2005-10-21T20:46:00.000+03:00

Warning! This post is all about Harry Potter, so if you aren’t a fan, skip this post and skim through my other posts or have a look at my photoblog to the right :)

I’ve finished reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince some time ago. Like all Harry potter fans I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and was ecstatic when I did as the book wasn’t available in Syria.

The sixth installment of the Harry Potter series was as enchanting as the previous five books. J.K Rowling’s creative use of imagery and descriptions made me feel like I was actually there with Harry and the other characters.

The book was much darker than the previous ones and we got an idea of the things that made Lord Voldemort what he is. We also witnessed the emotional growth of Harry and his friends as they face different life challenges in their sixth year at Hogwart, some of which were extremely entertaining (Such as the Ron-Lavender fling and Harry’s jealousy of Dean Thomas, Ginny’s boyfriend).

Although the book was a bit slow at the beginning the events soon escalated till the action ended with a bang with the death of Albus Dumbledore (I still cry my eyes out whenever I read that part) And this brings us to the question, did Snape really kill Dumbledore with cold blood? I think not. Snape was probably acting upon the instructions of Dumbledore and must have made him an unbreakable vow to do it. And this raises another question, is Dumbledore really dead? Some like to believe that he isn’t but I think that he did pass away as he was seen snoozing in his portrait at his office along with all of Hogwarts deceased headmasters.

The book ends with us readers pondering and thinking who might R.A.B be. Regulus Black, Sirius brother seems like a likely candidate, but I wouldn’t think J.K would give it to us so easily. I guess we just have to wait for Book 7 to find that out.

From an artistic point of view, the book like all the others featured a beautiful cover and illustrations by the talented Marie GrandPre.

Overall the book was a great read and I highly recommend it.

In case you haven’t read the book yet, here’s the plot summary, but I warn you it’s a major spoiler so if you want to read the book, do not read the following.

Plot Summary from Wikipedia

Voldemort and his allies begin to act openly, causing widespread chaos and paranoia in Britain. Rufus Scrimgeour has replaced Cornelius Fudge as Minister of Magic after a public outcry following Fudge's mishandling of the early stages of Voldemort's attack on the wizarding world.

Severus Snape makes an Unbreakable Vow to Draco Malfoy's mother Narcissa that he will protect Draco and aid him in his first, unspecified, mission as a Death Eater.

Security measures have been increased at Hogwarts. Snape is given his coveted Defence Against the Dark Arts post while Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter persuade Horace Slughorn to return from retirement to replace Snape as Potions teacher. Slughorn lends Harry an old textbook marked as the property of the "Half-Blood Prince". Its handwritten notes help Harry to outdo even Hermione in Potions.

Using his Pensieve, Dumbledore shows Harry a number of memories throwing light on Voldemort's past. Dumbledore theorises that Voldemort has split his own soul into seven parts, storing six of the pieces in Horcruxes: magical objects which grant immortality as long as they exist. While two of Voldemort's Horcruxes have already been destroyed (Tom Riddle's diary by Harry[HP2] and Marvolo Gaunt's ring by Dumbledore), Dumbledore believes that there are four more that must be destroyed. He and Harry set off to retrieve one (Salazar Slytherin's locket), but Dumbledore is heavily weakened by drinking the potion guarding it.

The two return to find the Dark Mark over Hogwarts and Death Eaters attacking students and staff. As they investigate, they are surprised by Draco. Dumbledore paralyse Harry, who is invisibly cloaked. Harry witnesses all the events that follow but remains invisible to all the protagonists. Draco reveals that he let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts via a magical cabinet. Other Death Eaters soon arrive and urge Draco to fulfil his mission, but he hesitates. Snape arrives and kills Dumbledore with the Avada Kedavra, fulfilling his vow to Draco's mother. Harry pursues Snape, who identifies himself as the Half-Blood Prince before fleeing Hogwarts.

Minerva McGonagall becomes the interim headmistress of Hogwarts, but she and the other teachers fear that the school may have to be closed down. Harry discovers that the locket he and Dumbledore recovered is a fake. The actual locket was taken by a mysterious "R.A.B.". After Dumbledore's funeral, Harry decides not to return to school so that he can devote his time to destroying the remaining Horcruxes and defeating Voldemort.

Technorati Tags: , Harry Potter, Book6, Halfblood Prince, JK Rowling, HP, Potter Mania, Books, Potter, R.A.B, Reviews

Useful links

2005-10-09T22:54:00.000+03:00

Here are a few useful websites I came across:

The Kodak website offers photographing enthusiasts some really good tips and guides for taking digital photographs.
Taking Great Pictures

This website offers tutorials on Photoshop as well as some tips for Blog Design.
Photoshop Tutorials&Tips

And for those of you feeling bored visit this page for some serious bubblewrap popping!
Bubblewrap popping

Technorati Tags: Photography Tips, Photoshop Tutorials, Bubblewrap Popping

Extreme Makeover

2005-09-28T22:11:00.000+04:00

Hey guys. I'm back:) After one month of pondering and thinking(ok not really), I decided to change my blog template. The previous green template was making me queasy everytime I looked at it so I opted instead for this edgier, more elegant template from Blogger Templates. I still have to add some of the old things I had. I'll do that as soon as I figure out how.

Tag

2005-08-28T00:41:00.000+04:00

Yazan tagged me on this so here we go:

10 years ago: Skinny 13 year old. 7th or 8th grader. Quite full of myself. Doing well at school. Had the biggest cat fight with my then best friend, never liked or trusted a redhead after that :p

5 years ago: 18 years old. 1st year English Literature student. Recovering from the Baccaloria nightmare. Met one of my two best friends. Feeling a bit lost and overwhelmed by the masses of students at Damascus University. Enjoying my new found freedom.

1 year ago: Graduated from University. First trip to the U.S, had a great time there. Feeling confused about what to do next (work or study some more?, I ended up studying some more), went through some serious religious issues. Discovered my love of discovering new places.

Tomorrow: Work :( And hope it brings everything good to all whom I care about.

5 snacks I enjoy: Chocolate, Chips, Candy, Salads(think Caesar), and fruit.

5 bands/artists that I know the lyrics to most of their songs: Beatles, Abba, Kulna Sawa, Queen and Dalida.

5 things I'd do with $100,000,000: hmm...well I would give half of it to charity /build a charitable organization/help underprivileged kids get a decent education, put half of the rest in the bank at the disposal of my family, and keep the other half for myself.

5 locations I'd like to run away to: Switzerland, Morocco, England, India, and France.

5 bad habits I have: I'm messy, my sharp tongue, not getting enough sleep, I'm sometimes too nice for my own good, and worrying too much.

5 things I like doing: Listen to music, hanging out with my friends, playing computer games, going out, reading, and surfing the net.

5 thing I will never wear: Platforms, Plastic hoop earrings, any color that isn't found in nature(think neon green and pink), big gold jewelry, and a silly hat with feathers.

5 TV shows I like: The Amazing Race, Friends, Frasier, Gilmore Girls and Crossing Jordan.

5 movies I like: Life is beautiful, Harry potter movies, Lord of the Rings movies, City of Angels, and Sense and Sensibility.

5 people I'd like to meet: J.K Rowling, Oprah Winfrey, my unborn nephew ...uh can't think of another two right now.

5 biggest joys at the moment: Photography, my new found hobby, Hanging out with my friends, Going back to doing my artwork, Meeting new people at work, The prospect of having my braces taken off :D

I tag Omar, Omar a.k.a Oz, and No One

What's playing on your CD player?

2005-08-25T00:07:00.000+04:00

I was feeling nostalgic the other day so I went and got 2 CDs: Dalida and Boney M. We used to listen to them as kids my siblings and I. I still remember how these songs would be playing in the car while my sister and I were fighting over who gets to sit by the window(she did). Ah those good old days …

So guys, what’s playing on your CD player these days?

Weird Facts

2005-08-21T16:06:00.000+04:00

Things you didn’t know you didn’t know

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

A crocodile can't stick its tongue out.

A shrimp's heart is in its head.

In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80 years,no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried its head in the sand.

It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.

A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.

More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.

Horses can't vomit.

The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick"is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.

If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib.If you try to suppress a sneeze,you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.If you keep your eyes open by force,they can pop out.

If the US government has no knowledge of aliens,then why does Title 14, Section 1211of the Code of Federal Regulations,implemented on July 16, 1969,make it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles?

In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere.

A duck's quack doesn't echo,and no one knows why.

23% of all photocopier faults worldwide are caused by people sitting on them and photocopying their butts.

Most lipstick contains fish scales.

Like fingerprints,everyone's tongue print is different.

Over 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow.

Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there.

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older.

The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.

The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating 1 olive from each salad served in first-class.

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.

The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.

Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.

Walt Disney was afraid of mice.

Pearls melt in vinegar.

The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.

It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs.

The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.

Turtles can breathe through their butts.

Butterflies taste with their feet.

In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all of the world's nuclear weapons combined.

Ninety percent of New York City cabbies are recently arrived immigrants.

Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.

Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

A snail can sleep for three years.

No word in the English language rhymes with "MONTH.

"Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing. SCARY!!!

The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

All polar bears are left handed.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

"Go," is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall. Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.

The Street Called Straight, Damascus

2005-08-12T22:16:00.000+04:00

I found this photo of Souq El Taweel, or Midhat Pasha (also known as the Street Called Straight) at the US Historical Archive website. But I don't know what year was it taken in.

"The street called Straight is straighter than a corkscrew, but not as straight as a rainbow. St. Luke is careful not to commit himself; he does not say it is the street which is straight, but "the street which is called Straight." It is the only facetious remark in the Bible,I believe."

Mark Twain The Innocents Abroad , 1869

2005-08-12T21:57:00.000+04:00

Haven't posted in quite a while now. I was suffering from a uh writers block. But I've gotten over it now so watch out for my posts to come :) You can also check out my photos on Flickr, just click the badge on the right.

A Vision of the Future

2005-07-30T23:51:00.000+04:00

I came across this today and found it quite funny...

Having chosen English as the preferred language in the EEC, the European Parliament has commissioned a feasibility study in ways of improving efficiency in communications between Government departments.

European officials have often pointed out that English spelling is unnecessarily difficult; for example: cough, plough, rough, through and thorough. What is clearly needed is a phased programme of changes to iron out these anomalies. The programme would, of course, be administered by a committee staff at top level by participating nations.

In the first year, for example, the committee would suggest using 's' instead of the soft 'c'. Sertainly, sivil servants in all sities would resieve this news with joy. Then the hard 'c' could be replaced by 'k' sinse both letters are pronounsed alike. Not only would this klear up konfusion in the minds of klerikal workers, but typewriters kould be made with one less letter.

There would be growing enthusiasm when in the sekond year, it was anounsed that the troublesome 'ph' would henseforth be written 'f'. This would make words like 'fotograf' twenty per sent shorter in print.

In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reash the stage where more komplikated shanges are possible. Governments would enkourage the removal of double letters which have always been a deterent to akurate speling.

We would al agre that the horible mes of silent 'e's in the languag is disgrasful. Therefor we kould drop thes and kontinu to read and writ as though nothing had hapend. By this tim it would be four years sins the skem began and peopl would be reseptive to steps sutsh as replasing 'th' with 'z'. Perhaps zen ze finktion of 'w' kould be taken on by 'v', vitsh is, after al, half a 'w'. Shortly after zis, ze unesesary 'o' kould be dropd from words kontaining 'ou'. Similar arguments vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of letters.

Kontinuing zis proses yer after yer, ve vud eventuli have a reli sensibl riten styl. After tventi yers zer vud be no mor trubls, difikultis and evrivun vud fin it ezi tu understand ech ozer. Ze drems of the Guvernmnt vud finali have kum tru.

Technorati Tags: EU Jokes, EU Humor, EU

Book Tag

2005-07-26T00:38:00.000+04:00

Omar tagged me to write this post so here it is:

Number of books I own: um…Never thought of counting them, you can count them if you want :p

Last book I bought: “Hikayet Jaddi” or The Story of My Grandfather by Elfat AL-Idilbi. Haven’t read it all yet. It’s about a Dagestan family who emigrate to Damascus and how they evolve and adapt to the Damascene society.

Last book I read: “Pastel School by Hazel Harrison”, a great book if you want to learn how to draw with pastels or just learn some new techniques if you already use them.

Book I am currently reading: “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”, I just started reading it today and I’m already hooked!

Some books I like:

“Gone with the wind” by Margaret Mitchell: I suppose you all know the story. I read it as a teenager and It was the first “serious” novel for me to read. My favorite part is when Rhett tells Scarlet: ”Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”.

“Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul”: I don’t usually like these types of books, but this book was different. It’s a collection of stories on life, love and learning some written by professional authors and some written by teenagers who wanted to share their stories. There’s something for everybody in this book.

My dictionary: Sounds geeky but I honestly can’t live without it!

“Guests of the Sheikh” by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea, the authors writes about her two year stay in the village of EL Nahra in southern Iraq. Very well written, objective and informative.

I tag anyone who feels like it :)

El Gordo

2005-07-22T23:16:00.000+04:00

Love me...Feed me...Never leave me.
"Garfield"

Cars in Syria...No longer a dream?

2005-07-15T18:09:00.000+04:00

With all the talk about cars in Syria getting cheaper, people are getting very excited at the prospect of finally being able to afford a reasonable car.
This was evident at SyrAuto car fair that was held at the Damascus International Fair two weeks ago.

And would any Fair be complete without Baya3 Dara(corn vendor)?

You can view more car pics here

Technorati Tags: Cars

Damascus by Night

2005-07-15T01:25:00.000+04:00

Technorati Tags: Damascus , Night View

The Importance of Correct Punctuation

2005-07-07T23:57:00.000+04:00

I know I have been boring you with posts about English but I can’t resist them!
(I studied English Literature:))

Now take a look at these two texts and see how changing the position of the comas and full stops can change the whole meaning:

Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we're apart. I can be forever happy--will you let me be yours?
Gloria

Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we're apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be?
Yours,
Gloria

Antarctica's Ultimate Stay-at-home Dad's

2005-07-06T00:59:00.000+04:00

I was reading at work today National Giographic Kids magazine(No i wasn't slacking, It was actually part of my work!) and I came across a great article about Emperor Penguins( I personally love penguins)
The original article is really long so here's a summary of it that I found:

Emperor penguins are the largest of the 17 species, or kinds, of penguins, and they spend their entire lives on the cold Antarctic ice and in its waters. They survive—breeding, raising young, and eating—by relying on a number of clever adaptations.

Emperors clump together in huge, huddled masses. They take turns moving to the inside of the group, where they’re protected from the icy cold temperatures and wind. Once they’ve had a chance to warm up, they take their turns back on the circle’s edges, giving fellow penguins time in the warmer center.

Winter arrives in Antarctica in March. The continent is in the Southern Hemisphere and has seasons that are opposite those in the north. Nearly all creatures leave except for the emperor, the only animal that spends the winter on Antarctica’s open ice. These flightless birds breed in the winter (unlike most birds, which breed in the springtime).

After a courtship of several weeks, a female emperor penguin lays one single egg then leaves! Female emperors take off toward the open sea to feed, traveling up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) across the frozen surface. Where does that leave the eggs? At the feet, literally, of the male emperors.

Each penguin egg’s father balances it on his feet and covers it with his brood pouch, a very warm layer of feathered skin designed to keep the egg cozy. There the males stand, for about 65 days, through icy temperatures, cruel winds, and blinding storms. And they eat nothing that whole time. Finally, after about two months, the females return from the sea, bringing food they regurgitate, or bring up, to feed the now hatched chicks. The males eagerly leave for their own fishing session at sea, and the mothers take over care of the chicks for a while. The youngsters stay sheltered in their mother’s brood pouch for two months. If a young chick falls out of that warm spot, it can freeze to death in as little as two minutes.

As the young penguins grow, adults leave them in groups of chicks called crèches while they leave to fish. They return with food they regurgitate for their young.

There is a reason for the timing of emperor penguins’ hatching. By December, when the Antarctic weather has warmed somewhat, the ice the penguins occupy begins to break up, bringing open waters closer to the nesting sites. Now the chicks are at the age of independence—old enough to take to the seas and fish for their own food.

Emperor Penguins

Technorati Tags: , Penguins

Why English is so difficult to learn

2005-07-01T15:18:00.000+04:00

22 Reasons Why English is Hard to Learn

-The bandage was wound around the wound.
-The farm was used to produce produce.
-The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
-We must polish the Polish furniture.
-He could lead if he would get the lead out.
-The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
-Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
-A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
-When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
-I did not object to the object.
-The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
-There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
-They were too close to the door to close it.
-The buck does funny things when does are present.
-A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
-To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
-The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
-After a number of injections my jaw got number.
-Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
-I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
-How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
-The accountant at the music store records records of the records.

Let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant or ham in hamburger, neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins were not invented in England or french fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So, one moose, 2 meese? One index, two indices? Is cheese the plural of choose?
If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?
When a house burns up, it burns down. You fill in a form by filling it out and an alarm clock goes off by going on.
When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it?
Now I know why I flunked my English. It’s not my fault; the silly language doesn’t quite know whether it’s coming or going.

Crazy English(An Exerpt from the Introduction)

by Richard Lederer

Cool Wallpaper

2005-06-24T23:22:00.000+04:00

I don’t know about you, but I change my desktop wallpaper all the time. I always had trouble finding original wallpaper until I came across this website http://www.vladstudio.com/home/

Val, who runs the VladStudio design company, is a 24 year old graphics enthusiast and digital artist from Russia who designs amazing wallpaper, e-cards as well as other things. His works are very original and full of detail. And the quality is superb. He also includes some tutorials on how he used Photoshop to create some of the images.
The best thing about the site is that all the wallpaper and e-cards come for free!

Back in business

2005-06-24T23:09:00.000+04:00

Had my last exam yesterday, Hooray! Will be posting regularly once more :)

Blog Break

2005-06-07T23:25:00.000+04:00

Hey guys,

Things here are getting hectic before my exams, so I’m taking a break from Blogging.

But don’t worry, as Arnold would say: I’ll be back! :P

In the meantime enjoy this view of Ghouta :)

Syrian Sculptor

2005-06-04T11:34:00.000+04:00

Syrian Sculptor Mustafa Ali seems to be "in" these days, so when I had the chance to visit his workshop in Bab Sharki I couldn't say no. His workshop is actually an old Arabic house that has been converted into a workshop and gallery. The Ugarit born artist sculpts mostly in bronze. His workshop is taking part in the" Colors of Damascus" competition, aiming at promoting young Syrian artists. The competition is in collaboration with Ricerca e Cooperazione and the European Delegation. Although I am more of a traditional when it comes to art, I enjoyed my visit there. Here are some photos I took:

The Syrian Directory

2005-06-02T01:16:00.000+04:00

“Syrian Directory is an online venue for all Syrians to meet, catch up with old friends, classmates, colleagues, and family members, both within Syria and in the Diaspora.”

I first read about this on Rodwan's Blog, and I think it is a great idea to keep in touch with old friends and family members.

Take a look at it and register here: The Syrian Directory

Beit Al Mamlouka Hotel, Damascus

2005-05-28T02:31:00.000+04:00

On a recent tour of old Damascus, I happened to visit the “Beit Al Mamlouka” hotel, located in the heart of Old Damascus, Bab Touma. The hotel dates back to the 17th century and combines a mixture of Mamlouk and Ottoman influence.
“Al Mamlouka” in Arabic means “the possessed”.

The Liwan(Inner Patio)& Fountain

The hotel was previously a home to a Syrian family and was in a very bad shape. It’s current owner undertook the daunting task of restoring it to it’s previous glory, maintaining all of the house’s original design, and turned it to a 9 bedroom hotel.
There are 5 hotels such as this in Aleppo, but this is the only one of its kind in Damascus.

Each hotel room has a unique design as well as it’s own special name such as the “Suleiman the Magnificant” suite, the “ Antar&Abla” room, and the “Abu Firas Al Hamadani” restaurant and bar.

Suite Ibn Sina - living room&Suite Baybars - Bedroom

The Terrace& Abu Firas Al Hamadani restaurant

What I liked most about this hotel were the little touches displayed here and there and the attention to detail, such as the verses of poems written on the wall above the bar, the well in the courtyard, and the beautifully decorated ceilings.

Beautiful wooden ceiling, Poem verses by Hafez Al Shirazi located above the bar

Decorated ceiling of the Baybars suite, well in the courtyard(Ared Diyar)

I also learned a few interesting facts about old Arabic houses. Here are some:

-Apparently, people in old times used to turn on the Bahra(fountain) when they were discussing something private or of importance to drown out their voices so that no one could hear what they were actually saying.

-People in old times used to heat using charcoal stoves, and this emitted high levels of carbon dioxide, that’s why most rooms in Arabic houses had one wall built and layered in a special way with wood and other materials then covered with whitewash to absorb these toxic fumes.

Technorati Tags:Al Mamlouka, Hotel, Arabic House

The Google Guys

2005-05-24T23:17:00.000+04:00

The Guys behind Google

Larry Page and Sergey Brin are not your typical billionaires. In fact, if you type billionaire into Google, the picture that emerges — fancy cars, private jets, mansions, jewels, and supermodel girlfriends — isn't anything you'd find in the lifestyle of the Google guys. Page drives a Toyota Prius, which costs around $21,000. Brin gets around for the most part on in-line skates, and he still lives in a rented apartment.

These two young men are the brains behind Google, the world's most popular Internet search engine. It now answers over 200 million daily requests for information from people around the world.

Since taking Google public earlier this year, each is worth an estimated $6 billion. Even the way they took their company public was innovative. They let ordinary people bid on shares in their initial public offering, not just the big banks, because they thought it was fairer.

With the investment revenue, Google now has more money to spend on the future. The company is already working on ways to search and read full libraries worth of books via the Internet.

How it all began

Today both barely in their thirties, the two first met at Stanford University in the mid-1990s, where they were doing doctorates in computer sciences.

Apparently, they did not immediately hit it off, but they became friends while developing a new system of Internet search engine from their college dormitory.

Initially called BackRub, they created a software system whereby the search engine would list results according to the popularity of the pages, after realizing that more times than not the most popular result would also be the most useful.

So after changing its name to Google they dropped out of college (although Brin is officially still on leave) and the rest, as they say, is history.

Pulling together $1m from family, friends and other investors, on 7 September 1998 Google was commercially launched from a friend's garage.

Family influences

Both Page and Brin come from an academic and computer science or mathematical background.

Larry - or Lawrence - Page was born and raised in Michigan, the son of Carl Page, a pioneer in computer science and artificial intelligence.

Page Senior earned a doctoral degree in computer science in 1965, back when the subject was still in its infancy, and went on to become a computer science professor at Michigan State University.

His wife, and Larry Page's mother, also worked in computers, teaching computer programming.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Larry Page says he fell in love with computers at the tender age of six.

Mr Brin is a Muscovite by birth, the son of a Soviet mathematician economist.

His family immigrated to the US in 1979. And Mr. Brin went on to get a degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Maryland, before enrolling at Stanford University as a postgraduate.

Hippy mantra

Google today has its headquarters at Mountain View in the heart of California's famous Silicon Valley, where certain quirks are in place to keep staff happy.

These include weekly games of roller-hockey in the car park, an on-site masseuse and a piano.

And each member of the team is given one day a week to spend on their own pet projects.

In a nod to the county's former hippy past, the company's head chef is said to have formerly worked for the rock band Grateful Dead.

There is also something very 1960s California about what Page and Brin say is their philosophy.

As Page recently explained to ABC News: "We have a mantra: 'Don't be evil', which is to do the best things we know how for our users, for our customers, for everyone.

"So I think if we were known for that, it would be a wonderful thing."

BBC News Online Buisness
ABC News

Technorati Tags: Google guys, Google

The Fairy

2005-05-19T23:43:00.000+04:00

A married couple in their early 60s were out celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary in a quiet, romantic little restaurant. Suddenly, a tiny yet beautiful fairy appeared on their table and said, "For being such an exemplary married couple and for being faithful to each other for all this time, I will grant you each a wish." "Ooh, I want to travel around the world with my darling husband" said the wife. The fairy moved her magic stick and... Abracadabra... two tickets for the new Queen Mary2 luxury liner appeared in her hands. Now it was the husband's turn. He thought for a moment and said: "Well this is all very romantic, but an opportunity like this only occurs once in a lifetime, so I'm sorry my love, but my wish is to have a wife 30 years younger than me". The wife and the fairy were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a wish... So the fairy made a circle with her magic stick and.... Abracadabra...the husband became 92 years old.

The moral of this story: Men might be ungrateful idiots... But fairies are...female.

Did this woman write Shakespeare’s works?

2005-05-15T00:20:00.000+04:00

Was the Bard a Woman?
A new contender for authorship of Shakespeare's works

By Anne Underwood
Newsweek

June 28 issue - For more than 150 years, literary sleuths have questioned whether William Shakespeare—a man with a grammar-school education, at best—could possibly have penned some of the greatest works in the English language. "You can be born with intelligence, but you can't be born with book learning," says Mark Rylance, Shakespearean actor and artistic director of the Globe Theatre in London. But if Shakespeare didn't write the plays, who did? Dozens of candidates have been proposed, most of them men. But at a conference of the Shakespearean Authorship Trust in London next week, American writer Robin Williams will argue that the true bard was a woman—Mary Sidney Herbert, the Countess of Pembroke.

Sidney (as her biographers call her) is a logical suspect. Sister of the Elizabethan poet Sir Philip Sidney, she was a poet herself and one of the best-educated woman in England, along with Elizabeth I. Perhaps not surprisingly, her name has surfaced before as a possible collaborator on Shakespeare's plays, although never until now as a candidate in her own right. Scholars are unlikely to be persuaded. "The very fact that there are so many candidates is almost a proof that none of them is the author," says Stanley Wells, chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-Upon-Avon. But that doesn't deter Williams. "One homicide detective told me, 'You're using the same reasoning we use to track down murderers'," she says.

In short, Mary Sidney had the motive, means and opportunity to write the plays. At her home in Wiltshire, she fostered a literary circle whose mission was to elevate English literature—a strong motive. Gary Waller, a Sidney scholar at Purchase College in New York, has called her salon "a seedbed of literary revolution" and Sidney herself "the first major female literary figure in England." With her vast library, education and command of foreign languages, Sidney also had the means to create the works. And with her extensive connections in the literary world, she had opportunity to smuggle the plays to theater companies. Perhaps it's just coincidence, but the first eight Shakespeare plays were published anonymously—"and three of them," says Williams, "provocatively note on the title page that they were produced by Pembroke's Men, the acting company that Mary Sidney and her husband sponsored."

Sidney-as-Bard would solve a number of riddles, argues Williams. It would explain why Shakespeare wrote love sonnets to a younger man. (Sidney had a younger lover, Matthew Lister.) It could clarify why the first compilation of Shakespeare's plays, the First Folio of 1623, was dedicated to the earls of Pembroke and Montgomery (her sons). And it would explain Ben Jonson's First Folio eulogy to the "sweet swan of Avon." Sidney had an estate on the River Avon—and her personal symbol was the swan. "There are swans in the lace collar and cuffs of her last portrait," Williams notes.

Even her dates dovetail with Shakespeare's—which is more than one can say of some of the other candidates. Edward de Vere, widely regarded as the leading contender, died 12 years before Shakespeare, requiring a revisionist chronology of the plays. And to embrace Christopher Marlowe, one has to believe that he faked his murder in 1593 and escaped to the European continent. "But there is growing evidence for this," says Michael Frohnsdorff, head of the Marlowe Society, adding that a new commemorative window in Westminster Abbey gives Marlowe's dates as "1564-1593?" Sidney's are more straightforward. She was born three years before Shakespeare and died five years after. When she suffered a series of personal losses, the plays turned darker. "It all fits," says Williams.

Case closed? Not yet. As intriguing as Williams's argument is, her evidence is circumstantial. Proof, says Sidney biographer Margaret Hannay, "would require things like letters from contemporaries praising 'Mary Sidney's Hamlet'." Until that proof turns up, scholars will stand by the man from Stratford. But that won't stop mystery lovers from trying to unseat him. The intrigue could prove as immortal as the works of the Bard—whoever he or she really was.
© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.

Note: I know you may have found this long, but isn't it interesting?

King of Hobbies

2005-05-11T01:24:00.000+04:00

“King of Hobbies, Hobby of Kings” is how stamp collecting has often been described.
The endless panorama of world events and scenes which is opened to the viewer of a stamp collection is perhaps why stamp collecting fascinates so many people.

I started collecting stamps when I was 11 but unfortunately I rarely do that now because less and less people send me letters by ordinary mail and prefer to write emails instead.
But I can happily say that I own a humble collection of 2 albums.
And here are some of my favorites

Marketing Made Easy

2005-05-07T02:50:00.000+04:00

What is marketing?

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, "I am very rich. Marry me!"
That's Direct Marketing

You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a
gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, "He's very rich. Marry him."
That's Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and get her telephone number.
The next day you call and say, "Hi, I'm very rich.
Marry me."
That's Telemarketing.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her
and pour her a drink.
You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she
drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, "By the way, I'm very rich "Will you marry me?"
That's Public Relations.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
She walks up to you and says, "You are very rich...
That's Brand Recognition.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, "I'm rich. Marry me"
She gives you a nice hard slap on your face.
That's Customer Feedback

Wide Eyed Wonder

2005-05-06T01:12:00.000+04:00

He might look like ET’s midget cousin, but this is in fact a tarsier monkey from the Philippines. One of the world’ smallest primates, the little cutie comes out at night.

Hello magazine

Funny Link

2005-05-02T18:05:00.000+04:00

Bird singing Scorpions

A friend sent me this link. I found it quite funny and thought I would share it with you all :)

Karawia

2005-04-29T13:32:00.000+04:00

When a baby is born in Syria, the ceremonial Karawia pudding is served to all the family's friends and relatives. The pudding is made of crushed caraway seeds boiled with water, sugar and powdered rice. It is then served hot, topped with shredded cocoanut and sprinkled with pine nuts, walnuts, pistachios, and almonds. This delicious pudding is especially good during the cold winter days. It is said that the pudding is especially good for the new mother to eat as it is nourishing. But weight watchers beware! This pudding can be quite high on calories.

The interesting thing is that in Lebanon, the very same pudding is also served in celebration of a baby’s birth, except it is called Moghli. It is made the same way with some differences and it is served cold.

Note: Unfortunately, the above image (taken from the Chef Ramzy cookbook) is a picture of the Lebanese version of Karawia as I couldn’t find one of the Syrian version.

Technorati Tags:Karawia

23 April-World Book and Copyright Day

2005-04-23T01:55:00.000+04:00

"The Librarian" by Giuseppe Arcimboldo.

23 April is a symbolic date for world literature, for on this date and in the same year of 1616, Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors such as Maurice Druon, K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. It was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity. The idea for this celebration originated in Catalonia where on 23 April, Saint George's Day, a rose is traditionally given as a gift for each book sold.

My favorite books are J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series and Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, what’s your favorite book?

Pun Fun

2005-04-22T00:12:00.000+04:00

A pun is defined by Webster as "the humorous use of a word, or of words which are formed or sounded alike but have different meanings, in such a way as to play on two or more of the possible applications; a play on words."

Here’s a list of some funny puns I found:

To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
Talking to her about computer hardware I make my mother board.
He drove his expensive car into a tree and found out how the Mercedes bends.
I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two-tired.
When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
Buying a cheap mouse could leave you with a squeak and a sad tale.
Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine.
A student limped into class with a lame excuse.
The couple who met in a revolving door are still going round together.
She was given a violin lesson for free, with no strings attached.
He was a restaurant critic but had no taste.
Thirsty jokers can be seen waiting in the punch line.

To read more funny puns go to: http://www.punoftheday.com/

Prophet Muhammad's Birthday(pbuh)

2005-04-21T01:48:00.000+04:00

Masjid al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet), Medina, KSA

Hundreds of years after his death, over one billion Muslims across the globe celebrate today the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday(pbuh). He has inspired people from all walks of life, and much has been written about him such as the following:

I wanted to know the best of the life of one who holds today an undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind…I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place form Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the second volume (of the Prophet’s biography), I was sorry there was no more to read of that great life.
Mahatma Gandhi, statement published in young India, 1924.

“If any religion had the chance of ruling over England, nay Europe within the next hundred years, it could be Islam.”
“I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion, which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence, which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him-the wonderful man and in my opinion for from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Savior of Humanity.”
Sir George Bernard Shaw in ‘The Genuine Islam,’ Vol.1, No.8, 1936.

For additional info, go to:http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/prophet/

Sparky

2005-04-17T01:53:00.000+04:00

Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Friends

For Sparky, school was all but impossible. He failed every subject in eighth grade. He flunked physics in high school, getting a grade of zero. Sparky also flunked Latin, algebra and English. He didn’t do much better in sports. Although he did manage to make the school’s golf team, he promptly lost the only important match of the season. There was a consolation match; he lost that, too.
Throughout his youth Sparky was awkward socially. He was not actually disliked by the other students; no one cared that much. He was astonished if a classmate ever said hello to him outside of school hours. There’s no way to tell how he might have done at dating. Sparky never once asked a girl to go out in high school. He was too afraid of being turned down.
Sparky was a loser. He, his classmates…everyone knew it. So he rolled with it. Sparky made up his mind early in life that if things were meant to work out, they would. Otherwise he would content himself with what appeared to be his inevitable mediocrity.
However, one thing was important to Sparky-drawing. He was proud of his artwork. Of course, no one else appreciated it. In his senior year of high school, he submitted some cartoons to the editors of the yearbook. The cartoons were turned down. Despite this particular rejection, Sparky was so convinced of his ability that he decided to become a professional artist.
After completing high school, he wrote a letter to Walt Disney Studios. He was told to send some samples of his artwork, and the subject for a cartoon was suggested.
Sparky drew the proposed cartoon. He spent a great deal of time on it and on all other drawings he submitted. Finally, the reply came from Disney Studios. He had been rejected once again. Another loss for the loser.
So Sparky decided to write his own autobiography in cartoons. He described his childhood self-a little boy loser and chronic underachiever. The carton character would soon become famous worldwide. For Sparky, the boy who had such lack of success in school and whose work was rejected again and again, was Charles Schultz.
He created the “Peanuts” comic strip and the little cartoon character whose kite would never fly and who never succeeded in kicking a football, Charlie Brown.

Bits& Pieces
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/peanuts/

Baron Hotel, Aleppo

2005-04-13T00:59:00.000+04:00

Located in Aleppo, northern Syria, the Baron Hotel was originally built in 1909 as a select staging post for grand tourists and pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. It was at that time the premier hotel in the Middle East,

The Baron Hotel has seen the likes of Kamal Attaturk (founder of Turkey), Lady Louis Mountbatten, archaeologist Sir Max Mallowan(Agatha Christie’s husband). None more famous than T.E. Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence stayed here regularly 1911-1914 when working as an archaeologist in nearby Carchemish.

The hotel still proudly displays T.E.'s unpaid bar bill and a leather-bound guest book sporting such names as author Agatha Christie, US president Theodore Roosevelt and Aviator Charles Lindbergh.
The 40-room Baron may not be the swankiest place in town, but what it lacks in modern sophistication, it more than makes up for with charisma.
A double room including bathroom and breakfast costs around 45$.

Today in History

2005-04-12T01:44:00.000+04:00

FIRST MAN IN SPACE:
April 12, 1961
On April 12, 1961, aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin becomes the first human being to travel into space. During the flight, the 27-year-old test pilot and industrial technician also became the first man to orbit the planet, a feat accomplished by his space capsule in 89 minutes. Vostok 1 orbited Earth at a maximum altitude of 187 miles and was guided entirely by an automatic control system. The only statement attributed to Gagarin during his one hour and 48 minutes in space was, "Flight is proceeding normally; I am well."

http://www.historychannel.com

You know you blog way too much when…

2005-04-06T02:53:00.000+04:00

you post the wrong article on the wrong blog
your family prefers to interact with you through your blogs
you met your girlfriend/boyfriend through a blog
your “blog community” is much, much larger than the number of people you know in real life
you consider yourself an “alternative journalist”
you start your day by checking your blog stats
a day without blogging seems like a month without food
your feedreader is open all day
you get more “approve this comment” email messages than spam
you know what RSS stands for and you know how weak the medium is
people worry about you when you do not post anything for a day
work is the little time you spend in between writing on your blog and IRC
my pagerank is bigger than yours!
invalid XHTML is a bad word to you
you check your blogshares weekly, more than you check your savings account
you’ve gotten your parents to blog
your dog has her own page on Dogster and it gets updated!
Kubrick is no longer just the legendary filmmaker
you have to switch hosts to keep up with your bandwidth needs
you make more money from blogging than you do at your day job.

Taken from: http://weblogtoolscollection.com/archives/2004/08/11/you-know-you-blog-wayyyy-too-much-when/

Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

2005-04-04T03:39:00.000+04:00

Born Karol Józef Wojtyła, in Wadowice, Poland on May 18, 1920,
Made a cardinal in 1967.
Became Pope on October 16, 1978.
Survived assasignation attempt in 1981.
Was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first of Slavic origin in the history of the Church.
Made over 100 trips abroad, travelling a distance far greater than that travelled by all other popes combined.
Visited in 2001, Syria, Greece, and Malta to retract St. Paul's missionary journeys.
First Pope ever to enter a mosque.
Note: Out of the 264 popes in history there were 7 Syrian Popes. They were: Evaristus (107), Anicetus (168), John V (687), Serguis I (701), Sisinnius (708), Constantine I (715), and Gregory III (732)
For more info on this go to: www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=2741

Many thanks to Firas for supplying this additional information.

Potatoes

2005-04-01T00:47:00.000+03:00

An old Arab man who has been living for 40 years in Idaho wanted to cultivate potatoes in his garden, but digging up the earth was getting to be too hard at his age. His only son, Ali, was studying in France, so he decided to send him an e-mail explaining the situation:
Dear Ali: I feel very disappointed because this year I'll be unable to plant my potatoes in my garden. I am too old to plow the ground. I wish you were here, then my problems would be solved, because you would remove the soil for me. I love you, Dad.
Ali replied, Dad: For God's sake, DO NOT remove the ground of that garden. It's there that I have hidden the "thing". I love you, Ali. At 4 a.m. the next day the local police, plus FBI and CIA agents, along with Pentagon delegates, came in and turn the garden upside down looking for the "thing". They found nothing and they left. The same day the old man received another e-mail from his son: Dear Dad: I am sure you can plant your potatoes now. It was the best I could do in the current circumstances. I love you, Ali.

Sent to me by Rheem.T

Ice Cream Cone...a Syrian Invention?

2005-03-30T22:28:00.000+03:00

An ice cream cone is a cone-shaped pastry, usually made of a wafer similar in texture to a waffle, in which ice cream is served, permitting it to be eaten without a bowl or spoon.
The edible ice cream cone is popularly believed to have been invented at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, where Mr. Ernest Hamwi was selling Zalabia, crisp wafer-like pastries baked on a waffle iron. Because of the high demand, the ice cream booth next to Hamwi's stand ran out of dishes. Mr. Hamwi quickly rolled one of his pastries into a cone shape to assist his neighboring vendor. Within a few seconds, the cone cooled and hardened and THE FIRST ICE CREAM CONE WAS SERVED
There were several claims to the invention of the ice-cream cone at the fair; all made many years after the fact. Cookbooks generally credit Hamwi. The International Association of Ice Cream Manufacturers recognizes him as the inventor of the ice cream cone

You Know You've Adapted To Syria When...

2005-03-29T01:23:00.000+03:00

.You think that all coffee comes in tiny cups with mud in the bottom.
.You're the one honking your horn at the stop lights.
.You line up your car up on the white lines on the Autostrade.
.You think that $25 is an expensive restaurant meal.
.You park your car on the sidewalk and walk on the street.
.You realize that you don't need a prescription to get Prozac.
.You think it's normal to get cooking gas out of a bottle.
.You know at least 10 people who have had a baby.
.You think 60 hours is a normal workweek.
.You're not bothered when a car in the left lane turns right.
.Your everyday speech includes "Maelesh", "Bukra" and "Inshallah".
.You don't want to leave but it's time to go.

Want some Ozone?

2005-03-29T01:21:00.000+03:00

A local advertisement paper ran this ad for chewing gum. Although there are some syrian food products with unusual names such as "Hum Hum", "Touch me", but this is the most unusual I've come across so far...Maybe part of the profits of this gum goes to the "Save the ozone layer" foundation...

Syrian Brocade

2005-03-24T02:44:00.000+03:00

Design used for H.M Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth II wore it on her Wedding in November 1947(given to her as a gift by the Syrian Government). The famous, hand-woven Syrian silk brocade has been known for centuries, and is perhaps the finest silk ever. Called by Arabs "brokard", it has the name generating from the old language, where "brokard" meant "the work of Brahim", as it is believed that the saint Brahim developed the fine silk many years b.c

In the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, Damascus, weavers continue to produce this beautiful fabric.

The whole craft is bound to the past. The looms do not differ much from the types first used. Nonetheless, the weavers continue to sit before looms following the intricacies of the cardboard master-pattern or, with a show of bravura, working from memory. They can be seen in Damascus weaving a variety of patterns, some of which have been in use for centuries. Each shop tries to maintain its own designs, but they are modified and copied from studio to studio. The merchant will guide visitors through the workshops and explain how the fabrics are woven. Then, at a counter, as though casually illustrating some point in his description, he will display two or three bolts and the visitor's will-power is weakened by the dazzling fabric

Note: Maamal Naassan(or Naassan factory), the shop where the queen got her wedding dress fabric is still in existence. It is located at the end of Bab Sharqui in Damascus.

Technorati Tags: Syrian Brocade

Silent Treatment

2005-03-24T02:41:00.000+03:00

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment.

Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.

Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM." He left it where he knew she would find it.

The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight.

Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.

The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up."

Men are just not equipped for these kinds of contests.

Mama's Hands

2005-03-22T00:44:00.000+03:00

I saw you hide your hands in line,
Behind that lady fair,
I noticed too, hers soft and white-
Immaculate from care.
But Ma, I say, it’s no disgrace
To have workin’ hands like you,
And had she lived the life you have,
She’d have hands just like it too.

But her hands have never hauled in wood,
Or worked in God’s good earth.
They’ve never felt the bitter cold,
Or chopped ice for waitin’ stock,
They’ve never doctored sick ones,
Or dressed a horse’s hock.
They’ve never pulled a hip-locked calf,
Or packed water to the barn.
They’ve probably never patched blue jeans,
Or had worn ol’socks to darn.

They’ve never touched a young’n,
Or caressed a fevered head,
With hands so gently folded,
All night beside his bed.

They’ve never scrubbed a kitchen floor,
Or done dishes every day.
They’ve never guided with those hands,
A child who’s lost the way.

They’ve never made a Christmas gift,
Shaped by a lovin’hand.
They’ve never peeled apples,
Nor vegetables they’ve canned.
They’ve never worn a blister,
Or had calluses to show,
For all they’ve done for others,
And the kindnesses I know.

So you see, my dearest Mama-
Yours are hands of love.
And I bet the Lord will notice
When he greets you from above.

Tommi Jo Casteel

Taken from "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul"

High Muckymuck, and more

2005-03-19T01:01:00.000+03:00

We use them every day, but where in the world and in time did some of our more colorful descriptive phrases originate?
by Eric Blair

A mountain man stood in the longhouse of a Pacific NW Indian tribe, staring at the banquet site. Noticing that all the food was piled up in front of one of the attendees, he pointed at the man and asked who he was. At least, that's what he thought he asked. The mountain man's native companion heard a different question. Supposing the white man was asking about the comestibles, he answered, "Hiyu mukamuk," which in Chinookan trade jargon means, "lots of food."

It was a simple mistake. The frontiersman asked about the man and the Indian described what was in front of the man. That mistake has circled the globe, since then. Refer to anybody as a "high muckymuck," these days, and people will know you are calling somebody a big shot. And, in a sense, you are, since that big pile of food was put in front of the tribal leader, and then distributed to the diners, as a symbol that all good things originate from the leader.
Here are some other phrases you've heard - and probably used. You may be surprised at what they actually mean. Like "high muckymuck," they date back many centuries. Judge for yourself if they make sense or are simply colorful stories.

During the 1500's, most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath late in May, and the weather was not yet warm enough to generate a serious sweat. Nevertheless, the church was filled with flowers, and brides carried a bouquet to hide the body odors.
Baths equaled a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all came the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."
Houses were often single rooms dug out of hillsides, and had thatched roofs - thick straw, piled high, with little in the way of rafters underneath - that reached all the way to the ground. There were no barns in those days. Animals and people lived together. All the small farm birds and mammals burrowed into the thatch to keep warm. They lived in the roof. When it rained, the thatch became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall through. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."
This might also explain the origination of canopy beds -- as protection against drips, the animals, or both.
The floor of these ancient dwellings was normally just dirt. Only the wealthy had something better - hence the saying: "dirt poor".
The wealthy had wood or slate floors which would get slippery in the winter when wet. Thresh (grain stalks) was spread on the floor to warm it, and improve the footing. A piece of wood or stone was placed at the entry way to keep the stalks from spreading out to the porch, hence the term "thresh hold".
Cooking was done in a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Refrigeration didn't exist. Every day they added things to the pot. Meat was expensive, so the pot contained mostly vegetables. Dry wood was not always available during the winter, so the fire was started only once a day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been in there for more than a week.. Hence the rhyme: "peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."
When company came over, people would bring out some bacon and hang it to show it off. It was a sign of success that a man "could bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the "upper crust".
And now the most colorful, and ghoulish, of them all.
Grave robbing was a common crime. Late at night, the poor would dig up the rich to see if they were wearing anything that could be sold. Guards were set in cemetaries -- thus we have the term "graveyard shift."
Legend has it that the term "dead ringer" refers to cord tied to the wrist of the deceased, and run up to a bell above the grave. This custom is said to have originated when, after a grave robbery, scratch marks were found on the inside of a coffin lid. A bell ringing meant a living person had been unintentionally buried and should be dug up. "Saved by the bell," is also connected to this tale, but more likely refers to the communications system in early hospitals, which actually did involve strings and bells.

Golan Apples

2005-03-17T00:04:00.000+03:00

Syria was to receive on Monday the 14th of March its first shipment of Apples from the Israel-occupied Golan Heights. The arrival of the 15000 tons of Apples comes after months of delays and obstructions caused by Israel.

Syria had decided to buy the apples because of the difficult economic circumstances of Syrian citizens in the occupied Golan Heights.

9 things to get over once and for all this year

2005-03-14T22:56:00.000+03:00

1. Drinking 5 cups of coffee per day.
2. Feeling squeamish about going to the dentist.
3. At least two thirds of your self-consciousness about your wide feet, big stomach, out-of-control hair and lack of singing ability. Your flaws make you you.
4. At least half of your two-pack-a-day M&M habit.
5. Being guilted into things (except charitable ones, and even then only if you genuinely believe in the cause).
6. Allowing your straight-out-of-Dilbert evil coworker to get to you.
7. Asking everyone with eyes whether you look fat...
8. ...and expecting they'll actually tell you if you do.
9. Saying you're sorry for stuff that isn't your fault, damn it!

Forbes World's Richest People 2005

2005-03-14T22:20:00.000+03:00

The ranking of the world's 20 richest people as estimated by Forbes magazine. Listings include rank, name, home country or state; age where known, wealth in billions of dollars and source of the money.

1. William (Bill) Gates III, Washington, 49, $46.5, Microsoft
2. Warren Buffett, Nebraska, 74, $44, Berkshire Hathaway
3. Lakshmi Mittal, India, 54, $25, steel
4. Carlos Slim Helu, Mexico, 65, $23.8, telecom (he's of Lebanese decent)
5. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud, Saudi Arabia, 48, $23.7, investments
6. Ingvar Kamprad, Sweden, 78, $23, Ikea
7. Paul Allen, Washington, 52, $21, Microsoft, investments
8. Karl Albrecht, Germany, 85, $18.5, supermarkets
9. Lawrence Ellison, California, 60, $18.4, Oracle
10. S. Robson Walton, Arkansas, 61, $18.3, Wal-Mart
11. Jim Walton, Arkansas, 57, $18.2, Wal-Mart
12. John Walton, Arkansas, 59, $18.2, Wal-Mart
13. Alice Walton, Texas, 56, $18, Wal-Mart
14. Helen Walton, Arkansas, 85, $18, Wal-Mart
15. Kenneth Thomson and family, Canada, 81, $17.9, publishing
16. Liliane Bettencourt, France, 82, $17.2, L'Oreal
17. Bernard Arnault, France, 56, $17, LVMH
18. Michael Dell, Texas, 40, $16, Dell
19. Sheldon Adelson, Nevada, 71, $15.6, casinos, hotels
20. Theo Albrecht, Germany, 83, $15.5, supermarkets

Note:
.For the eleventh year in a row, Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates toped the latest Forbes' Billionaires List with a net worth of $46.5 billion, slightly less than his $46.6 billion last year.

.The number of billionaires grew to a record 691 from the last year's 587, and their total net worth rose by $300 billion to $2.2 trillion.

.The United States, with 341 billionaires, still ranked No. 1 in the world.

.Saad Al-Harriri, 33, son of the late Rafik Al-Harriri ranked 548 with a net worth of $ 1.2 billion dollars. His late father ranked 108 on last year's list.

For more info, go to www.forbes.com

Internet Speeds

2005-03-13T11:36:00.000+03:00

Time it takes to download the Encyclopedia Britannica with these modems:

56K 27 hr.50 min.

Satellite 3 hr. 40 min.

DSL 1 hr.

Cable 30 min.

Time magazine, November 30, 1998

Fulla

2005-03-12T01:16:00.000+03:00

Meet Fulla, the first Arabic Barbie-like doll. She was made to look more like Arabic women with her lovely dark skin and hair and less like her blond Western counterpart.

At a well-known toy store in the middle of Abu-Rummaneh Street in Damascus, a prominent display is devoted to the Barbie-sized Fulla and six separately packaged outfits. The basic doll comes in modest clothes to respect Arab culture and traditions.

For more info on Fulla go to:

http://www.new-boy.com/index800.asp

Technorati Tags: Fulla Doll

The Ten Cat Commandments

2005-03-12T01:14:00.000+03:00

I am the lord of the house.
Thou shalt have no other pets than me.
Thou shalt never ignore me.
I shall ignore thee whenever I feel like it.
Thou shalt be grateful that I even give thee the time of day.
Remember my cat dish to keep it full.
Thou shalt spend most of your money on toys and gifts for me.
Thou shalt always have your lap ready for me to curl up on.
Thou shalt shower me with love and attention upon demand.
Thou shalt do anything and everything it takes to keep me happy.

Photo featuring Jibneh and Soda

Checkmate or Shah mat?

2005-03-11T01:13:00.000+03:00

Many of us may not be aware that we use numerous words in English that actually originate from Arabic. Here are a few examples of words with interesting origins:

Checkmate: from Shah mat "the king is dead", from the Persian shah for "king" and the Arabic mat for "died"

Assassin (which means Murderer, generally somewhat professional; esp. one who murders a prominent figure): During the time of the Crusades the members of a certain secret Muslim sect engaged people to terrorize their Christian enemies by performing murders as a religious duty. These acts were carried out under the influence of hashish, and so the killers became known as hashshashin, meaning eaters or smokers of hashish. Hashshashin evolved into the word assassin.

Algebra: from al-jabr (literally "repairing")

Mocha (as in coffee): from al-mukhaa, a port in Yemen, noted for its export of the coffee to which it gave its name.

Gibraltar: from Jibal Tarique, the "mountain of Tarique" after the general who led the Muslim conquest of Spain.

Tariff: from ta`riifa "notification, price list"

Blooming Apples

2005-03-09T15:22:00.000+03:00

Even though it isn't spring yet, some apple trees of the Ghouta orchards in Damascus have blossomed. This was due to the warm weather we were experiencing. Later on these beautiful blooms will turn into delicious apples. Until these flowers turn into little apples, there is always a fear of the freeze that might destroy the whole crop.

Elephant Stew (just for fun)

2005-03-09T13:55:00.000+03:00

Ingredients

1 Elephant
Salt and pepper to taste
2 rabbits (optional)

Cut elephant into small bite-size pieces. This should take about 2 months. Add enough brown gravy to cover. Cook over kerosene fire at 465 F. for 4 weeks. This will serve 3800 people. If more are expected, 2 rabbits may be added, but do this only if necessary. Most people do not like to find" hare" in their stew.

Written by Regina Hill for Almost Hommos

Speaker's Corner, Hyde Park

2005-03-09T13:53:00.000+03:00

For over 150 years. Speaker's Corner has been one of London's most unique and eccentric attractions. Speaker's Corner was established to create a venue where people would be allowed to speak freely. Here, every Sunday people stand on a soap box and proclaim their views on political, religious or other items, sometimes interrupted and challenged by their audience.