Brrr: the tales of a red jacket

“Roobee! Why the hell are you wearing a ski jacket in May?” was the first thing my friend Nisreen yelled when she saw me today. I haven’t seen Nisreen in over 10 months, she dropped unexpectedly today after “escaping war in Beirut” for the second time in under two years.

And indeed it was very close to a ski jacket, I was wearing my much beloved faux-fur-lined, super-warm, bright-red winter jacket, because well, the weather is being very unpredictable these days, and whether it’s May or December, I really do not enjoy feeling cold.

My beloved red jacket:

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Plus, anyone who knows me will most definitely agree that I am a little more warm-blooded than most- I am almost always very cold.

In April, when we were hit by the heatwave, I refused to switch my winter clothing for summer clothing. After all, we were still in April, and there was no way in hell I was going to switch to t’s and skirts in spring.

The heatwave came and went… and May is here, and the next heatwave is no where in sight. I keep looking longingly into my closet at my gorgeous sandals and beautiful shorts, and just thinking how much I miss 35+ degree weather.

I guess I’m sticking to my red jacket, but perhaps it’s time to remove the detachable faux-fur-lining and
cap. Hmm… but then again it rained the other day, and I was the only one who didn’t get wet. Perhaps it’ll rain unexpectedly again?

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Trapped in the horizon

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Status updates special: Lubnan

  • Biesan (Jordan) is saqata al qena3 akheeran 3an wajh el sayed!!!!
  • Dana (Palestine) is God Bless Lebanon!
  • Eva (Lebanon) welcome to our f…ed up country.
  • Saria (Lebanon) To all those who still believe in their so called LEADERS, WAKE UP…
  • Sander (Holland) prays for Lubnan.
  • Roof (Syria) God help Lebanon.
  • Mohammad (Lebanon) I don’t need your civil war, It feeds the rich while it buries the poor.
  • Manal (Morocco) is hearing the shots in Beirut…
  • Oula (Jordan) hates “civil war 2008″ in Beirut…
  • Isam (Jordan) is لبنان : فلم أمريكي إيراني طويل.
  • Fouad (Lebanon) ’s heart is emptier than his city’s streets.
  • Nour (Lebanon) is stuck in Egypt w lazem terga3 delwa2ti!!
  • Yazan (Syria) Our heart go to Beirut.
  • Farah (Jordan) is going to stop reading the news. garaf.
  • Carmen (Lebanon) is speechless again.
  • Carole (Lebanon) A strike turns to chaos!!!
  • Ibrahim (Jordan) is من قلبي سلام لبيروت.
  • Nada (Jordan) [ prayers for Lebanon ].
  • Carole (Lebanon) لبنان يحترق.
  • Nada (Jordan) BEIRUUUUT.
  • Biesan (Jordan) is they are burning what Hariri tried to build!!!!
  • Iman (Palestine) Lebanon on my mind.
  • Saria (Jordan) To all those who still believe in their so called LEADERS, WAKE UP…
  • Ola (Jordan) is sad… want beirut back.
  • Mood (Egypt) thinks Sad Harriri should hire Blackwater immedietly!
  • Sarah (Lebanon) عمادنا عماد النصر ,ونصرنا نصرالله.
  • Omar (Jordan) is wailing Lebanon…
  • Marcy (US) is ketir worried about her friends in beirut.
  • Manal (Morocco) is witnessing a civil war :S.
  • Eva (Lebanon) STOP BEING PLAYED ON AND BLAMING EACH OTHER… ITS A GAME, WE LEBANESE R THE LOOSERS.

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Lebanon


(cartoon by Mazen Kerbage)

I haven’t watched a news channel in a very long time, I usually stick to reading the news online. But today my dad had the TV on Al-Jazeera, and I couldn’t believe how much more horrible the situation in Lebanon looked than it did in photographs.
Masked gunmen… Blockades in the middle of the streets… It’s really horrible.

I can’t believe that Lebanon is still heavily divided- “Sunni living quarters”, “Shia living quarters”, “Christian living quarters”, “Druze living quarters”… they seem to have a million divisions. And I cannot relate to that.

I was young when the Lebanese Civil War ended, but the thought of it still really scares me. Beirut still has bullet wounds in its buildings… it isn’t time again for another civil war. It’s never time again for that. Let’s hope this passes “3ala kheir”.

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It’s May

Where’s the summer?

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Somebody….

My Little Underground

[link to more images]

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Nablus, circa 1955

My cousin just added this vintage photograph of the family to Facebook. My father is the third one from the left on the bottom row, and my grandfather is the man holding the baby. Everyone else in the picture are my dad’s brothers and sisters.

This photograph was taken in Nablus, Palestine, and was probably taken around 1955.
For more vintage family pictures, go here.

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Why the Nine Inch Nails rock

After the brilliant Radiohead move, the Nine Inch Nails are following suite with their latest album “Ghosts.”

In March, the Nine Inch Nails released their album ‘Ghosts’ under a non-commercial Creative Commons license, meaning that it can be shared freely. The band confirmed that they had uploaded the album themselves to sites like The Pirate Bay, Waffles.fm and What.cd.

Even better yet, thanks to the Nine Inch Nails, the free music vibe is going to get a fresh boost today. A brand new track from the band entitled “Echoplex”, is now available for free download on Facebook. Yes, Facebook.

If that’s not cool…

[source]

Related links: The Pirate Migration

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Hahahaha

Powerttttt

That’s pretty funny, designed by artist Mark Jenkins and Evan Roth. Too bad there’s no color for Arab. [link via]

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Yahoo!

Microsoft walked away from a bid to acquire Yahoo when its increased, $45-plus billion offer was rebuffed by the pioneering Internet company as not enough by half.

The surprise Saturday announcement came after a week of tense negotiations and about three months after Microsoft informed Yahoo that it intended to buy it, the better to compete with internet ad behemoth Google.

“Despite our best efforts, including raising our bid by roughly $5 billion, Yahoo! has not moved toward accepting our offer. After careful consideration, we believe the economics demanded by Yahoo! do not make sense for us, and it is in the best interests of Microsoft stockholders, employees and other stakeholders to withdraw our proposal,” said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft in a prepared statement.

[source]

Apparently though, this is not the last we will here about this deal.

Related posts:
In your Face

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On April

And it’s just that summer is almost here, and that really makes me happy. There’s something about summer, about the summer shades of green, about the heat and the clothes and the sandals and the icecream, that really makes me happy.
First comes May… then comes June… the comes July…
And life is all about askimo, tanning, and walks.
Well, and other stuff this year too, but whatever.

Past Files:
On March
On April
On May
On June
On July
On August
On September
On October
On November
On December
On January
On February
On March

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Homer in CSS

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Geeks…


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It’s all in a tree

Remember the first way they ever taught us to draw a tree? A green bumpy circle with a brown rectangle stinking from the bottom… Well, this is really the same thing, except I wish someone considered trying to get kids to be as creative with stick figures and colors and these same bumpy-circle-brown-rectangle trees. For more really funny tree-related illustrations, go here. [via]


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Much Recommended: Perspolis

The image “http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41mk4Oh0v0L._SS500_.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.

I have to admit that although I’m an art major and although I really love images, I am not a graphic-novel sort of person. I find their flow rather confusing, and their fonts and styles hard to read. Which is why I at first I was very reluctant to read Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis.

But then, I managed to get my hands on it, and found myself unable to stop, until I finished Persepolis, Persepolis 2, and Embroideries in a few days.

The books are brilliant, beautiful, and absolutely hilarious. As an Arab, I found that they are very easy
to relate to, especially when they talk about the culture. Having lived in Saudi Arabia, I could also relate to some of the issues brushed upon in the books.

The image “http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/blog/satrapi2.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.

Anyway, I heard that the movie is banned here after Lebanon banned it (out of fear of inciting hate, boooo). I hope that’s not true.

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New Nike Ad


The first-person view technique on this Nike ad is pretty amazing.

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Bidding Jerash good bye

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Someone decided that the Jerash Festival, held yearly since 1981 in the Greeko-Roman ruins of Jerash, is no more. Instead, we’re having the “Jordan Festival”, which according to an announcement by the (boooooo) Ministry of Culture “a nationwide concept and a theme-oriented carnival to take place at the Kingdom’s various governates.”

Apparently, the Cabinet wants a festival “which not only includes an array of cultural and folklore activities, but helps promote the Kingdom’s archaeological sites”. A film festival will take place in Amman, while folklore and traditional dance and concerts will take place in Jerash. Poetry reciting events and literature debates will take place in the rose-red city of Petra.

I think this is an absolutely horrendous idea. The Jerash Festival has been a landmark of Jordan for the past half-century, and it is a crime to just kill it off. The Jordan Festival in actuality isn’t such a bad idea on its own, but why did they decide for a replacement rather than a complement?

What do you think, was it a good idea to kill off the Jerash Festival or as bad an idea as I think it is?

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Week Two: Practicing Forms

For Week One, go here.

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Foam fairytale


The Bravia ads are most definitely my favorite ads ever. They have the ability to make me feel brilliantly happy and light, as if for a few seconds, I’m still that little girl playing with my Foam’n Color Barbie.
Barbie - Foam 'n Color Bathtub Fun Playset - 1995 Arcotoys, Mattel
Previously:
Me, in heaven
More awesomeness by Sony

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The Dabkeh of America

Yesterday we got the chance to attend one of dance performances in the Zakharef in Motion event at Al-Hussein Theatre in Ras Al-Ain, namely, the tap dancing show by the New York Dance Ensemble. It was really awesome, in fact, it was one of the best events we’ve been to in a while. The show was interactive, fun to watch, funny, and different.


Moses suposes his toeses are roses
But Moses supposes erroneously
And Moses, he knowses his toeses aren’t roses
As Moses supposes his toeses to be

The best part is, although the NY Dance Ensemble will not perform again, there’s a dazzling array of other shows that you can watch (for free) for the rest of this week.

Today, the 24th of April at 5:00 - The New York Tap Ensemble with a “special performance for children and youth” (not sure what that entails) and a short performance by Ryuji Yamaguchi.

(All show below are at 7:30 PM, at the Al-Hussein Cultural Center, and for free!)

Saturday: ISH from Holland.

Sunday: Mal Pelo from Spain.

Monday: Dansgroep Krisztina Chatel from Holland.

Tuesday: Compagnie Trafic de Style from France

Wednesday: Folkwang Tanzstudio from Germany

Saturday: Compagnie Thor from Belgium.

For more details about each show check out this post on Khobbeizeh.

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A year on: Overheard at the gym

Lady 1: I’m trying to send her credit but I can’t for some reason.
Lady 2: Her network is Mobilcom. What’s your network?
Lady 1: Fastlink.

Yup. It’s still Fastlink, it’s still Mobilcom. I want to return the Zein prepaid credit card every time I get one, “I’m sorry, but I don’t like Zain, I’m actually a Fastlink…”

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Week One: Getting aquainted with letters

Truth is, I never really learned to write.

Although I always held words very highly, I was only taught to equip letters to suit my purpose, and that was usually to jot down information or fill out forms. All my other dealings with words was and continues to be through typing- ordained digital light.

When I joined the Syntax team, I was bombarded with type and calligraphy. Literally speaking. I discovered that there are more details, counters, and curves to letters than what meets the eye. I realized that there are a million ways to describe the way a letter looks. I also realized that I didn’t know much about this world. So when a colleague put up the opportunity to take a four week workshop on Arabic calligraphy with Syrian calligrapher Saleh Nasab, I found myself getting really excited.

I know that four sessions with reeds and ink will not even begin to scratch the surface of Arabic calligraphy, but hey, it’s a start. Watch this space for a weekly photographic recap of two hours spent learning to write.

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No options down this road

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Censorship Reports

According to the OpenNet Initiative:

“Access to Internet content in Jordan remains largely unfettered, with filtering selectively applied to only a small number of sites. However, media laws and regulations encourage some measure of self-censorship in cyberspace, and citizens have reportedly been questioned and arrested for Web content they have authored.”

The report also says that there isn’t much transparency. Personally, I think that there is a lot less internet freedom these days than when there was 5 years ago in Jordan. To me, it is not just the official channels though, it’s also society at large, which most Western-based reports do not take into consideration.

It’s an interesting report, although it seems to be slightly outdated when it comes to dates and figures, and you can read it all here.

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Boom boom ba


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What is cheap, healthy, and yummy?

Thanks to Y’s brilliant ideas, the whole office enjoyed a delicious, filling, and healthy meal for under 4 JDs (combined total).

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Contextual advertising gone wrong

This CNNSI article reads “Carmelo arrested on DUI suspicion”. Not such a great place for a Cornona ad… Contextual advertising is pretty funny sometimes.

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Highschool

Browsing through Facebook, I came upon pictures of those pink hallways taken by the sister of a friend from highschool. Ahh… Manarat. It has not changed a bit.


The same exact books we studied.


The same white board, the same markers, the same uniform, the same scribbles.


The same desks, the same chairs, the same way we used to sit and sleep. The same freaking window in the door that we all hated.


The same senior classroom, the same senior excitement, the same handwriting.


The same binders (we never used notebooks), the same doodles in the desk, the same highlighters, the same TIs.


The same patterns, the same flashcards, the same gum wrappers.

It’s been five years since I graduated from Manarat Al-Riyadh, the school I spent most of my life at, and I still can’t get myself to level my feelings towards that place.

You see, I hate Manarat with all my heart and all my soul. It was a twisted place, in all sense of the word. Yet, I really owe Manarat a very big part of who I am today, because Manarat taught me the most important thing in the world: Manarat taught me how to learn.

The teachers tried to turn us into well-rounded, strong women, who would benefit the “ummah” (in their own words). They gave us classes of creative writing, they taught us what to do at job interviews, and showed us how to write excellent research papers. I never appreciated all the little things I knew until I came to Jordan, where I discovered that I was one of 3 students to raise my hand when asked about whether anyone had heard of “MLA style” before.

But that’s not really why I’m grateful to that place. I’m grateful because it taught me a much more important thing. Manarat taught me how to learn. It taught me to associate, make flash cards, and get out-of-curricula books to really understand. It taught me to not care if people had power, that it’s not really very important to listen, that being creative is always a good thing. It taught me to doubt, to question, to debate. It taught me to depend on myself to get my own answers, that only kick-ass essays will get A’s, and that if you don’t want to stomach that ugly B, then you must work harder.

At this point in time, I can easily say that there isn’t any other place in the world that I’ve spent as much time at. I spent a very solid portion of my life sitting in those pink classrooms, sitting on that pink floor or on those red plastic chairs. I spent many years studying those books, walking around those hallways, and ditching in those corners.

My disdain for Manarat stems from the unbelievably orderly way that things were run. No hair was ever out of place, no uniform ever had a stain, no skirt was longer than the other. It was a universe of perfect, meticulous order, of complete and utter obedience.

But I guess things have changed, because in my day, no one would have ever been caught dead with a camera.

Looking at those pictures makes me feel weird. I can see myself in them, in that uniform, in that boredom, in that concentration, in that room, on that same desk, with that same binder. But I was a different person then.

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Lunchtime conversations

S: “What are we having for lunch today?”
R: “Can we have something cheap, healthy, and yummy?”
A: “Beeeeeeeep. No search results yielded.”

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Red is the Helvetica of colours

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Spotted in London by Spiekermann. Hattip Lina.

Of course, I strongly disagree. At least in our part of the world, we need more redness.

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Random excerpt from some random blog

وعلى عكس ماهو متوقع من - المدونين السعوديين - وبالأخص مناصري حرية الرأي و التعبير ، فقد كانت ردة الفعل ضعيفة للغاية إن لم تكن على استحياء ، وهو مشهد أعاد لي بعض الذكريات بخصوص ردود فعل المدونين الضعيفة ضد الأحداث التي تُهمنا أكثر كـ مسلمين ، مثل موضوع الرسوم الدنماركي و “باب” الفاتيكان وغيرها ، لاسيما عند مقارنتها بـ ردود الفعل التي نشاهدها عندما يدور الحديث حول اصلاح سياسي لا يحمل من الإصلاح سوى الإسم ، أو قيادة المرأة ، أو حقوق الإنسان، أو إنتقاد للسياسات الداخلية للبلد - هل غلاء الأسعار أهم ، أم الدفاع عن الإسلام ؟ -

Translation, referring to the dutch movie “Fitna”, which I hate to be mentioning, as in my humble opinion, it is not worth the mention:

“Contrary to what is expected from Saudi bloggers, especially those who are supporters of freedom of expression, the subtle reaction has brought back memories of similar subtle reactions from the bloggers when it came to events that matter the most to us as Muslims, such as the Danish cartoons and the Vatican “door” and other similar events. Especially when compared to the huge reactions that we see when it comes to discussions about political reform, women driving, human rights, and criticism of internal politics. What is more important- the rising cost of living, or defending Islam?”

Hattip: Saudi Jeans (who has an awesome blog, by the way).

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Shoes at a basketball final

Shoes at a basketball final

Shoes at a basketball final

Shoes at a basketball final

Shoes at a basketball final

Shoes at a basketball final

Shoes at a basketball final

Shoes at a basketball final

Shoes at a basketball final

Shoes at a basketball final

P.S. Zein won. Boo.

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Freakishness

http://cubo.cc/

It’s so freaky it’s mesmerizing.

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Vine Leaves

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Verdict: failed drastically in portraying the taste of wara2 3enab.

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April sentiments

Dubai Calling
Hamzeh is back to Hell, DUBAI.
Mohammed To Dubai ;).
Roof will be in Dubai on wed.
Hala needs someone in Dubai to get their act together and HIRE her already so she can GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE and start shopping at Ikea for home furnishings.
Firas Back to ABU DHABI.

Amman, Amman
Ahmad is back to Amman.. I miss NY :(.
Karl is going to Jordan this summer!
Cheryl is in Jordan and feels like she never left.
Nadia is AMMAN … Home sweet Home.
Manal going back home.

Work
Oula is fantasizing about a week off…
Farah needs a vacation!
Lulwa needs a month to recover from the past 4 days :S.
Aseel needs a baseball bat badly… some things gotta be taken care of!
Kloude is omg back to work tomorrow…not ready! AHHHhh.
Hala is sooooooooooooooo overloaded :(.

Negativity
Saned thinks April is the worst month of the Year!
Ibrahim I see stupid ppl …
Shaden is mish 6ay2a.
Saria Yi Chou Ma 2eleh Kheleeeeee2:(.
Hatem is not in the mood..

God
Sahl If we cannot love the person whom we see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?
Ghassan is waiting for God to forgive him.
Mohammed thinks of himself in the 3rd person, either his Deity complex has gone 2 far or I’m 2 obsessed about my status.Well, perhaps I/He am/ is a bit Schizophrenic.
Ghassan belongs to Jesus.

Related:
September and the summer is over
The end of August
Weekend Update
Beginning of January
Feelings going around this February

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Next Friday

Aseel: “The marathon is next Friday (il jom3a il jay)”.
Ibrahim: “No it’s not, it’s on Friday, as in two days away (hay il jom3a).”
Aseel: “That’s what I meant. Next Friday as in the first Friday coming as in two days away.”
Ibrahim: “It doesn’t work that way you idiot.”
Aseel: “Yes it does.”
Roba: “No it doesn’t, Ibrahim is right.”
Aseel: “How’s he right? Y, what do you think?”
Y: “I think this is always confusing.”

After a few minutes spent asking people around the office, we realize that some people believe that next Friday is this coming Friday while the other proportionate half of people believe that next Friday is the one after this Friday.

Zaki: “So the equation is pretty simple, if the problematic day is within three days from the current day, then it is “this Friday”, but when it’s more than three days, it’s “next Friday.”
Aseel: “La2! Mahoweh lessa MA EJA. Bas yeeji beseer eshi tani. Bas howeh lessah ma eja!”

I still believe that ‘next Friday’ is next week as in not this week. What do you think?

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Summer creeping back

This is my favorite time of the year, aside from all the bugs of course. I’ve really missed the summer. I’ve missed wearing flip-flops and leaving the office when there’s still light outside. I’ve missed sitting outside and enjoying the sun on my skin. I’ve missed my dresses and skirts, and all my gorgeous summer shoes. I’ve missed the kites in the horizon, the sun reflecting across the windows, the icecream and the popsicles.

It’s still not time yet to get the summer wardrobe out, but it feels like that’s only a few days away, and that’s refreshing.

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Nine things to stop worrying about right now

I came across a list of nine health myths from Health magazine, some that I’m already aware of, others that I’m not, but it’s worth a share anyway. For more details, check out this article.

Myth #1: Drink eight glasses of water a day. Water’s great, but you also whet your whistle with juice, tea, milk, fruits and vegetables — quite enough to keep you hydrated. Even coffee quenches thirst, despite its reputation as a diuretic; the caffeine makes you lose some liquid, but you’re still getting plenty.

Myth #2: Stress will turn your hair gray.

Myth #4: Reading in poor light ruins your eyes. “Reading in dim light can strain your eyes,” Snyderman explains. “You
tend to squint, and that can give you a headache. But you won’t do any
permanent damage, except maybe cause crow’s-feet.”

Myth #4: Coffee’s really bad for you. “Coffee comes from plants, which have helpful phytochemicals that act
as antioxidants,” says Stacy Beeson, RD. One set of antioxidants
appears to increase insulin sensitivity, which might explain a lowered
risk of type 2 diabetes in people who sip java. A Harvard study of more
than 125,000 coffee drinkers found that women cut their risk of type 2
diabetes by 30 percent. Other studies suggest that coffee cuts the risks of Parkinson’s
disease, colon cancer, cirrhosis and gallstones. Drinking joe gives
your brain a boost, too. And, despite the jolt of energy it provides,
coffee has no effect on heart disease.

Myth #5: Feed a cold, starve a fever.

Myth #6: Fresh is always better than frozen. Frozen can be just as good as fresh because the fruits and vegetables
are harvested at the peak of their nutritional content, taken to a
plant, and frozen on the spot, locking in nutrients.

Myth #7: Eggs raise your cholesterol.

Myth #8: Get cold, and you’ll catch a cold. “Chilling doesn’t hurt your immunity, unless you’re so cold that your
body defenses are destroyed — and that only occurs during hypothermia,”
Vreeman says. “And you can’t get a cold unless you’re exposed to a
virus that causes a cold.”

Myth #9: Your lipstick could make you sick.

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Office Conversations

Y: “You know the buckuks, the stuff that control something with the wheels in the car?”
R: “Yeah?”
Y: “Do you know where the word buckuks came from?”
R: “No clue…”
Y: “BACK AXIS.”
R: “Hahahaha. Buckuks, backaxis, buckaxis. Haha, that’s funny.”
Y: “No that’s not the funny part. The funny part is ‘buckaks amami.’ Get it? Front back axis?”
R: “Hahahaha.”

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Stupid Copyrights

Deutsche Telekom, owners of the global T-Mobile brand,
sent Engadget a letter directed
from their German legal department requesting the prompt
discontinuation of the use of the color magenta on Engadget Mobile, as T-Mobile actually has the color magenta patented.
The amazing folks at Engadget gave them a piece of their mind though:

There are many patented colors in the world these days, and it’s just freaking amazing that we got to a point where corporations OWN hexadecimal codes.

I <3 Engadget.

Hattip: Tim!

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Browser Battles

For some reason or another, I am actually really into browser wars. I guess I sort of feel like my browser is almost the most important part of my computer, making my journeys through the world wide web either really comfortable and fun or computer-smashing annoying.
I think one of the most important changes I ever did when it comes to my browsing habits is switch to Firefox back in 2004.
A huge part of me still can’t believe that most people still put themselves through the stupidity of Internet Explorer.

From Microsoft Watch:

Enterprises are holding onto IE 6 and giving Firefox some love. Enterprise IE adoption
dropped from 88.7 percent to 78.7 percent in 2007 with gains mainly
going to Firefox, according to a new report.

Browser Adoption 2007

Get Firefox.

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On March

It’s the second March in this series, and life is not even comparable to what it was last year.

http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v215/20/89/517138977/n517138977_430153_5175.jpg

On March
On April
On May
On June
On July
On August
On September
On October

On November
On December
On January
On February

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The pirate migration

Due to the new copyright legislation that are taking effect in Europe, torrent-site The Pirate Bay is moving to the desert of Sinai in Egypt. Besides local connectivity in Egypt, they also have connectivity to Saudi-Arabia and are planning to install a link to Jordan. This could be an April’s Fools joke, but it was enough to get me to want to give my 2 cents on copyrights.

Personally, I dislike copyrights, although I’m in the creative field. I feel like they are just another way to enforce cultural imperialism.

Anyway, cultural imperialism aside, when it comes to music, piracy is not all that bad for musicians. In fact, research has shown that less popular artists actually profit from piracy. A study found that the 75% of the artist actually profit from piracy, with the most popular artist (top 25%) selling less records, while the remaining 75% of all artists actually profit from filesharing.

In my personal opinion, the answer to moral creativity is copyleft.

Copyleft is a form of licensing used to modify copyrights for works such as computer software, documents, music, and art. Using copyleft, an author may, through a copyleft licensing scheme, give every person who receives a copy of a work permission to reproduce, adapt or distribute the work as long as any resulting copies or adaptations are also bound by the same copyleft licensing scheme.


(why let all your ideas die with you? Current copyright laws prevent anyone from building upon your creativity for 70 years after your death, live in collaboration with others. Make an intellectual property donation.)

They call this system “permission culture”.

This blog, for example, is licensed under a Creative Commons license. All the content I produce, the photographs I take, and the designs I design that I show on this space are