one more time!

In the hopes of reviving my blogging life, I've separated my Blog from my facebook notes. This way I can write more freely.

Let's see if this makes me blog more....

Found it!!

It = a solution that would stop the western world from perceiving Muslims as a bunch of barbaric lunatics who go crazy once someone depicts the Prophet....

A day should be picked where every single magazine, newspaper and cartoon in the world draws a cartoon of the Prophet Mohamed.

The next day, all those extremist Muslims will be going crazy, not knowing who to threaten or who to kill - there will be soooo many to choose from.

Alas, they will decide it's too time consuming to threaten and/or kill all those people and they'll retreat to their mosques and start thinking about other things - like how bad it is to hold your fork with your left hand or something that pivotal.

Everyone gets to draw the cartoon they like, no one dies in the process, problem solved :)

Now i'm going to go watch me some southpark ....

uhhh you want, what now?

The hot topic these days is ElBaradei's interest in being the next Egyptian President. A lot of people are for it. Much more than i thought, and it's turned into you're either with the government or with ElBaradei.

So when I say i don't really think he should be allowed to run for president, people think i'm pro-NDP as if the two are mutually exclusive.

The thing i find absurd about this whole thing is that from the get-go El-Baradei has put "conditions" for him to run for Presidency. Last time i checked, in an election, he's the one who has to convince us - not the other way around.

Yes, current laws will not allow him to run for presidency, hence his statement should be "I would have loved to run for President, but the law doesn't allow. Should the law change i would gladly step forward". His statement however goes more like this "Change the law for me, so i can run for President"

And my response would be: howa meen enta ya3nee? (i,e, who the hell are you?)

So say for the sake of argument that he is God's Gift on Earth and the solution to all of Egypt's problems, and that we are dying to have him on as our savior.

My next thought would be: What exactly is he trying to achieve by the interviews and statements? Motivate people to change the law so you could run? Newsflash, we - the people - cannot change the law - only the government can because last time i checked, this is not a democracy. Sucks I know, but let's be realistic.

So will the government change the law so you can run? Nope they won't - they've carefully orchestrated a constitutional amendment that fools the average Egyptian into thinking it's an improvement over the previous law, when it's a really bad amendment of the constitution.

Personally I would back a constitutional amendment that relaxes the requirements for independent candidates to run for office. This is a huge deficiency in the current constitution. However, it pisses me off that the people who are so vehemently advocating ElBaradei now, didn't all go vote when the very same amendment that is stopping him from running was presented!! How dare they come and speak now?!! When they couldn't be bothered to get that voting card and get off their butts and VOTE!! Yes, their vote would have probably not made a difference, but then they would have had a right to complain now. Their voices were not heard. People who do not vote have no right to complain!! Speak, get ignored, then get pissed - normal flow of events. But don't speak and then complain coz you knew you wouldn't have been heard if you had spoken? Now that's a load of crap.

I would, however, not accept a constitutional amendment that allows people who have or have had dual citizenship to run for president. A president's loyalty should be 100% to the country he (or she) runs, and only to that country. And no matter the circumstances, having a dual citizenship will definitely mean that at least the slightest degree of allegiance will exist to the second nationality. And I personally don't think that's right.

So ElBaradei's statements are all kinda moot points! it's just not gonna happen, so give it a rest.

Which is why i think ElBaradei needs to get himself a job and shut up! He's wasting his breath.

Finally, i'd love to see if he himself has in fact voted in the constitutional amendment that he now wishes to undo. I am safely assuming that he was busy doing other things in a different country!

2009 Revisited

2009 is wrapping up, and it wasn't a bad year at all. Odd years are always better for me, so here goes:

- Favorite Film of 2009: The Hangover

- Favorite Album of 2009: The Fray

- Favorite Song of 2009: I told you so - Carrie Underwood

- Favorite new artist 2009: ADAM LAMBERT BABY!!

- Favorite Book of 2009: The Moneypenny Diaries by Kate Westbrook - Female James Bond? Awesome!

- Least favorite book of 2009: Salman Rushdie's Midnigfht's Children - I like the idea but the dude is seriously overrated - i could not get past the first hundred pages. Perhaps if it's a movie i'd enjoy it more.

- Favorite TV Show of 2009: Glee!! I just love everyone on the show - especially Kurt! Also I loved Drop Dead Diva - it hits a nerve

- Favorite Moment of 2009: getting a piano, I've dreamt of this moment since i was 5!

- Favorite Holiday of 2009: despite all our bickering, Hurghada with Lara :P

- Favorite new discovery of 2009: The Osiris Singers :)

- Best Decision of 2009: to find a hobby that makes me happy

- Biggest Achievement of 2009: 10 Kilos bay-bee! .. and counting

- Favorite Food of 2009: Mori Sushi's philadelphia rolls, pink panthers and crisp shrimp roll

- Favorite Drink of 2009: LATTE!! Who knew coffee was so good!

- New Habit picked up in 2009: snacking on Apples, Yogurt and popcorn made with PAM.

- New Celebrity crush in 2009: Alec Baldwin - I guess he ages well, like wine i guess.

- Favorite Celebrity in 2009: Neil Patrick Harris - his song at the Tony's was great!

- Favorite new outfit/clothing in 2009: My rocker-chique black jacket

- Favorite new accessory in 2009: My pearl necklace

- Favorite new person in 2009: My boss, who has reminded me that female managers can be awesome!

- Favorite Website of 2009: Entertainment Weekly - it provided good entertainment during those long work days

2010 be kind!

The future of aviation!

So I was checking out some Have Your Say on BBC News and came across this. BBC was asking readers whether they believe tougher Airport Security. When i had them sorted by how many recommendations a comment has received i found the first three pages bitching about how Muslims are just ruining it for everyone and should basically dig a hole and lie in it. And wow, the number of people who are for racial profiling is like A LOT!

See people have suggested we run flights that are tied with religious affiliation. Muslims fly one plane, the rest of the world flies another? Or does each religion run their own thing?

So how bout we hand over the management of airplanes to religious authorities. So we have the Cross Airlines, the Crescent Airlines and the David Star Airlines.

As for the atheists i think we hand them over to the Church of Scientology, where in flight movies will all be Tom Cruise movies! Man they got the short stick didn't they?

We could have lie detector tests for each passenger to check his/her religious affiliation. The results would be valid for like 2 years and then need to be refreshed. Or if they stay in a different place for longer than 6 months it can also trigger some changes in affiliation.

Then we can hand out stickers that people can stick on their chests while in airports, that way each group can stick together, so that if one person explodes he only takes down his own people. Each groups will carry their symbol - atheists will have a pic of Tom Cruise :P lol!

And in 10 years time we can just compare the numbers of explosions and see.

Wouldn't planes then be a great way to meet prospective husbands/wives ?

I think the people on this Have your Say are on to something...

Protest Signs - an art!

So I saw this page which had the 50 Best Protest Signs and I decided to waste some time and put the ones I thought were funny and then type what i thought in my head as I scrolled down.

and with color combinations that good, there's no wonder you would say that :P
Yes, I get you man, i really get you!
Ok, Kanye's annoying but really - Kudos for coming up with the best phrase of 2009!
Ehh, now seriously people - if you're gona bitch and moan about protesting, then just do it from facebook like all the lazy suckers do!
I agree Juice is very bad for you! The amout of sugar in there, seriously, no wonder shows like the Biggest Loser exist!
I actually really like this! Memorable, makes a point - me liky!
Ok, i'm trying to figure out what exactly that person is protesting? Is there like a company that issues secret codes to games and they ruin it for the rest of the players? Is that it? Sort of like a spoiler without any preceding spoiler alert?
You should be looking at the man in the middle with the stripped shirt with the sign saying "We have NO idea what we're talking about". You gotta admire his honesty, and the way he doesn't mind standing there to point this out. I'm guessing his Bingo playing group was cancelled that day?
Uhh, bring on the Beyonce! You really think an old white haired republican and/or conservative religious person is really up to date on the Billboard 100 Chart? Really dude?
I like this one too - it's like hello, are we still talking about this? Do I really need to protest this? me liky
Yes, he does suck - lamest Batman ever!!
Look at how he colored only the first letter of every word. He hates protesters so much he can't be bothered to complete his sign to protest protesters!
I don't get the fuss about Arrested Development, really! It wasn't that good!
I know!!! mr. with the pink sign! Although i'm sure it's not you, coz wearing red while sporting a pink sign? talk about fashion faux-pas!

Yes, those youth in asia - they're a real killer - lol

ahh i'm so easily amused :)

World Domination is far from your reach

when you struggle to understand the best idea that Mr. Mohamed El-Erian - No 16 of the Foreign Policy 100 Global Thinkers - has come up with.

"Best idea: To analyze the longer-term impact of the economic crisis in the context of the old-fashioned core-periphery characterization, including the extent to which a shock to the core weakens adhesive links and overwhelms asymmetrical circuit breakers."

Say What?

It looks like reading all the Shopoholic Series does not mean you're all that well read...

Integration Contract, Really?

Quoted from the BBC Article: Europe's identity crisis

"In future an immigrant arriving in Germany and wishing to stay may have to sign an "integration contract". That is the idea of the Integration Minister, Maria Boehmer.

The contract would set out basic German "values," including "freedom of speech" and "equal rights for women". The idea behind this is the club: if you join you have to accept the rules. "Anyone who wants to live here for a long time," says the minister, "and who wants to work has to say 'yes' to our country"."

I was very surprised when I read this today. It came as a bit of a shock to me to see how clueless people can be especially when they are in positions of power.
The mere 3 people that commented on the Article all seemed to disagree with this, and so do I.

I think that idea is so off point it's ridiculous! The idea that a contract is the thing that will govern the way immigrants choose to live their life shows how weak of a grip Europe really has on its integration problems. You cannot sit on the outside and watch a hot mess and think you can solve it. The people thinking of solutions need to understand how those immigrant communities think, understand without passing judgement. Once you understand a problem, then you can start to fix it, and it's obvious that some countries are no where near understanding things.

I think if they take a few examples of well integrated immigrants and compare their characteristics with those who are not well integrated they might get some idea as to why people behave the way they do. My feel is that they will find that the reasons are closely tied with the goal one has for immigration. There are those who seek immigration for financial reasons and those who seek immigration to improve their quality of life. Those who cannot survive in their countries seek immigration to the EU since they will be able to survive off of the minimum wage and will reap the benefits of a good social welfare system. Then there are those who seek immigration in order to fulfill career aspirations, better quality of life and a good future for their children. The main things that differentiates those two groups are money and education.
Generally, well educated and well off people are more respecting of women's rights and freedom of speech.
I'm not saying a clear cut solution is obvious, but I think some understanding of the realities of immigrants is necessary before jumping into actions that will not add any value.

Another problem I see is that - to Europeans - the sight of a veiled women, more often than not, represents female oppression, devout religiousness - sometimes even fundamentalism - and inequality. This is not always the case, some women are open minded and independent and choose to wear the veil. The problem is that a person's looks already alienate him/her when they are different from the main stream, add to that all the social factors and religious ones too and you find that people on both sides prefer this separation, and would much rather stick to their own world than be open to challenging their own views and perhaps changing or adjusting their convictions.

Finally, I think we need to acknowledge how difficult is it for human beings to change. Expecting a middle aged man/woman to change his/her ways is not realistic. Change is gradual. For immigrants to develop ownership to their new country and integrate with them and adjust their values and belief systems takes generations not years. Which can also indicate that maybe a big part of the problem may be resolved in time.

I think it's sad, how little progress has been made to understanding - not even solving - a problem that has been out there since as long as I can remember. You'd think the developed world would do a better job at handling their problems.

Love and Pride - two different things

I've finally been able to pin down exactly how I feel towards Egypt - given recent events.

I've realized that one does not have to be proud of something to love it. You can love something and still be very ashamed of it.

And while I love my country dearly and i feel frustration over its wasted potential, i am not very proud of it.

They say your true character shows only in difficult times. Time and time again we're faces with difficult situations, and we just throw it out of the park.

Historically, there are things that I am proud of, things that Egyptians a very very long time achieved, but since then have rotted in ignorance and apathy. Many of the great things we see today that bring national pride are works of non-Egyptians.
The Rosetta Stone may have been written by Egyptians, but was discovered by the French. The Metro system that has so far been sufficiently consistent is done by the French. The streets and squares of down town Cairo were mapped by the French. The railway system that is slowly decaying was done by the British - the 2nd railway built in the world! Even the Suez Canal was not built by us.

But if we put the past aside, what in today's modern word do I have to be proud of? Not much.
When Egyptians go on a mad riot frenzy and claim they want to declare a war on a country, because a bunch of hooligans allegedly attacked 20-something fans - i feel appalled, not proud. When the President of the country takes time from his schedule to mention it in his public televised speech, I feel sad, not happy.

More often than not, I am left ashamed at how we - Egyptians - handle ourselves.

Jimmy rolls up his sleeve, Mobi won't back down

Hold on to your seats everyone, it's about to get interesting!

The Ahram Newspaper is Egypt's leading newspaper, even though it's full of absolute Bullshit! It reports growth, when no body else does, it omits news that everyone should hear, and if you were on a deserted island and didn't know the state of the world today and only got Al Ahram Newspaper dropped from the sky every day, you'd think Egypt was in the G8.

Despite all of that you can get a lot of insight into what's happening in Egypt, even if you admittedly only read the headlines, & look at the pictures like yours truly.

Being mentioned in the Ahram newspaper is good - but where you're mentioned is what says a lot! You can be mentioned in the front page (Mubarak related news), page 3 (other worthy news), the middle pages (Egypt related news) or in the last page (a.k.a the seen and heard page)

Gamal Mubarak (aka Jimmy) was mentioned in the Ahram a lot over the past few years. Early on it was in the seen and heard page, then he jumped up to the middle section pages - news about his Party, the decisions he makes etc.

This week he has consistently been on Page 3! A nice upgrade for little Jim! He's made headlines on plenty of other places too - and has therefore become the latest topic by the watercooler! Jimmy is rolling up his sleeves and getting ready to take in the limelight.

Everyone thinks it's with the support of his loving father (aka Moby) but a look at the Ahram newspaper would show that Mr. Moby is none too happy about Jimmy's rise up the Ahram-page ladder. Every time there's an article about Gamal Mubarak's vision for the future, right next to him and even bigger one is showing Moby in full swing 'running' the country. Moby, whose news generally fill the first page, now fill the first and 3rd page as well.

Now, if you were trying to support your offspring's rise to the throne, wouldn't you take a step backward and let you boy take in some of the limelight?

If Moby truly wanted to pass down his throne to Jimmy, shouldn't he be sorting him out while he's still in power? Why leave it up in the air when Moby's number could be up any minute now? So he tested fate and tried for 5 more years - a risk i would call stupid when you're eighty something - you'd think he'd get wise and start easing Jimmy in before it's too late!

Based on the news coverage, this is not happening - and it looks like Jimmy's patience with his father has ran out and he's taken matters into his own hands.

It seems as though things are in fact going to get interesting...Moby vs. Jimmy is not what everyone expects, but it might just happen!

P.S. I found this on Masrawy just as i published this post - if you read Arabic check it out.

Summer hibernation - over!

Summer is finally O-V-E-R! I know it's still like 30-something degrees out there and the electricity bill is still triple its usual amount but it's Autumn now - move over summer!

It's also the end of Ramadan...

Now, let me take a moment and do a little happy dance...

Ok, i'm back!

Over the weekend I made some purchases: Pink Reebok's, Membership at club next to the office, cheap-but-funky-looking squash racket

Sunday I finished work and headed over to the Gym then hit the Squash courts. Monday morning I realized I have muscles in places i never knew. Tuesday morning did not feel any different. Today I was able to laugh without wincing with pain - and like the diligent person i pretend to be i'm heading over the gym & squash court again today.

TV has started again so my couch potato blog should be showing signs of life as soon as I finish my Lost marathon (man, Season 5 is good!)

Game on!

Scrabble nights have been happening for a while, even though they're not as frequent as they once were.

Lately Nis and I have had our asses handed to us by Adrian - who, much to Nisrin's dismay, happens to be Canadian!

So Adrian decided to help us and sent us this to help us beat him - it's funny:

Captain Jack is back!!

* happy dance

Great news from EW.com! Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On stranger tides

Now we have to wait till Summer 2011 - :(

AIESEC influence reaches the Oscars!

Apparently the Academy Awards have decided to rely on AIESECers to help them vote for the Best Motion Picture.

If you've ever been in a PAI election or a National election in AIESEC you'd instantly understand the system they've derived - in fact you'll think it makes complete sense. For others, it seems a little complex.

And given the fact that PWC is a big AIESEC Partner, and also the company that counts the ballots for the Academy Awards, i'm thinking my theory is not too far fetched.

Here's the new procedure according to ew.com:

"In the past, once the nominees were announced, Academy members voted only for the one film they thought should win the award, and the film with the most votes won. But with so many nominees next year, it’s feasible that a movie could have won Best Picture with only 11 percent of the vote, which seems crazy. So now, once the 10 nominees are named, voters will rank the films from 1 to 10. All the No. 1 votes will be counted, and if no film has more than 50 percent of the vote (which will certainly be the case), the last-place film will be eliminated and the voters who voted for that film will have their No. 2 votes counted instead. That process will continue until one film has a majority of the votes. As Pond points out, there is a chance that the film that ends up winning won’t actually have the most No. 1 votes, but will instead emerge the victor in the second, third, or fourth rounds. "

Now tell me that it's not an AIESECer who came up with this!

CNN likes juice!

No body likes to twist the facts a little to get some juice like CNN does! Especially when it comes to Muslims and Arabs. It's like a big lucrative punching bag right there in your face, and of course they'll want to take a swing.

So the article was discussing some Nigerian player in Italy who was fasting because it's ramadan, and didn't perform well in the match. The Coach was not happy. This is of course a valid discussion - I understand the Coach's concerns. Personally I think the player should fast on his days off to make up for his Ramadan, he needs to eat to be able to earn his living. This, however, is not what ticked me off.

At the end of the Article CNN says:

"Meanwhile, the Egyptian team preparing for the under-20 World Cup in their home country have turned down the chance to break their fast. The country's religious authorities gave the squad members permission to avoid fasting during Ramadan, but the team ignored the instruction.

The competition starts just a few days after the end of Ramadan, but the team is in strict training in a bid to claim the prestigious title."

Religious authorities don't have a say in whether you're allowed to break your fast or not. This, much like daily prayers, is up to each person. So the team does not need "permission" to not fast.

Why throw something like that in there that would just send the message that this mean evil religion is starving its people and they need permission from religious authorities to let them eat? The truth is that religious authorities give their opinion - not an instruction or permission!

But hey, this sells more doesn't it?

blame it on the

HEAT!

Life's been quiet, and a little boring if you ask me. I blame it fully on heat...

I'd like to start walking and maybe potentially move to Racewalking coz it's got this cool hip shaking action. However I hate sports, and I hate heat. So it's hard to start something you hate in conditions you hate. I'm claiming that if it were fall/winter I'd have happily hopped off my ass and gone Racewalking...

So far I've bought a stop watch and i'm looking for new running shoes and sports clothes - all in preparation for when the weather is a bit more bearable.

Another thing I'm blaming on the weather is how i've ignored the Piano sitting in my living room for the past month. My un-air-conditioned living room is just too hot. Adding a new A/C is not an option, and the Piano won't fit in my room. Yesterday I tried playing and turns out I've forgotten the little piece i'd busted my ass in learning earlier in the summer.

I blame it on the heat

Mysteries i'm dying to un-ravel

1) Did man really step on the moon when they said he did
2) Was there a plot to kill Diana and Dody
3) Did JFK and Marilyn Monroe have a thing (although i can guess!)
4) Was Darwin right

and finally
5) And how the HELL is Windows so successful?!

ahhh, a little bundle (read: attachment) of joy was left in my email today

Seems like someone's been listening to my advice about CVs!

Kudos for adding a few crativity points:

- Colors! Yes, pink, red, green and blue are the new Arial & Bookman Old Style of professionalism

- Kiss ass comments - Yikes! Coz we all love to get our asses kissed by potential applicants - ahh my self-actualization needs have been fulfilled - eat that Maslow!
- Not leaving out important details: Just coz you took an ICDL and Introduction to Computers course doesn't mean you know how to use windows and internet! It is, therefore, necessary - even mandatory - to list down the sophisticated applications you can use, like word, excel, windows and internet!

Finally, I'd like to give double Kudos for the currage this dude has in showing how he's moved jobs every year! Seriously, nothing makes an HR manager happier than hiring someone who will leave after one year - talk about Return on Investment!!

I will print screen and post below because what's a good laugh if it's not shared among loved ones (read: the few people who actually read this)

Enjoy :)

The Clinton's still got it goin'

Even more evidence has risen that proves just how much of the "it" factor the Clintons have:

While in Kenya, Hilary received a renewed offer from Godwin Kipkemoi to marry her daughter. The lucky girl would receive 40 goats and 20 cows as dowry. That's apparently the second time he's offered to marry her.
So fret not Chelsea, you'll never become a spinster - there will always be some takers. And you'd get a handsome dowry out of it too!

Hilary has promised to convey his kind offer to her daughter, and the hopeful suitor is now waiting for his answer:
"She promised that she will take the proposal to the daughter and I am now waiting," he said.

Read the BBC Article here

Wouldn't it be cool if a whole bidding war started between us African countries? I can see an Egyptian camel herder going: I see your 40 goats and 20 cows and raise you 20 camels; then a Congolese going: I see your 40 goats, 20 cows, 20 camels and raise you 15 Elephants!

Now there's some Emmy-worthy reality show material in there!

not even enough time for prayers

If your name is Nora Hamdy please do not – I REPEAT DO NOT – read this. If you do, don’t worry – flying is a safe and a fun and amazing experience only a fraction of the world population experiences – so savor these few hours and enjoy your reclining chair, posh menu and in-flight movie (pick the Hangover, it’s hilarious and Bradley Cooper – YUM!)

Nora, I’m serious, stop reading…

Someone mentioned the Egyptair Flight 990 that crashed into the Atlantic 10 years ago and started a discussion about whether the co-pilot actually crashed the plane or not; which I found out later was quite a big deal in the investigation. I haven’t exactly followed that accident at all. So I put my googeling to task and found out all about the investigation.
So yeah, it seems like the dude did in fact crash the thing,,, I’m not big on conspiracy theories, and yes, we’ll never know, but evidence point to where evidence point.
I ended up reading the transcript of the audio tapes of the cockpit; and I found them quite haunting.
The last minute the audio tapes shows the co-pilot repeating something you’d typically say when you start doing something. The captain’s last words were him basically asking what was happening and saying repeatedly “pull with me”.
I have no idea what brought me to read such a disturbing document, and now I can’t get it out of my head.
I don’t really think about the co-pilot, or the passengers; it’s that captain trying to pull the plane up that is stuck in my head. While the passengers were saying their prayers, that captain had no time to say his prayers – his mind was probably racing trying to find out what the hell went wrong while he was in the toilet, wondering if he should have just held it in, hoping his pulling efforts would work. He didn’t even have time to say his prayers!

I should stop googeling things…..