Ancient Sumerian Tablets Found In Irak

Italian archeologists working in Iraq have found a trove of ancient stone tablets from the fabled civilisation of Ur. (Via Sploid)

French Constitutional Council: CPE Legal

Today the French Constitutional Council made its decision regarding the so-called first job contract (Contrat de Première Embauche) by declaring it legal.The CC decision leaves

the French President with an unenviable choice: either to accept the law championed by Dominic de Villepin, his beleaguered prime minister - at the risk of further strikes and demonstrations - or to seek a negotiated solution, perhaps by sending the law back to parliament or by proposing modifications.

( Via Times Online)

Cartoon Of The Day

(Via The Guardian)

Sabah Or The Sweaty-Summertime-Hijab Syndrome

Sabah is the title of a movie by Arab-Canadian writer-director Ruba Nadda, and which casts an informed eye upon the contradictions in a Muslim family living in non-Muslim jahiliyya. ( Via The Daily Star)

Benedict XVI: The Archetypal Introvert

A neat article in the Australian that looks at the nuances and changes in papal style from the extroverted John Paul II to the introverted Benedict XVI.

Cell Phones In The Grave

More people than ever are asking to be buried or cremated with their mobile phones when they die, say researchers. ( Via Sploid)

When Cats Go Bananas!

A reason why I don't have a cat:P And here is the video.

Quote Of The Day

" Marriage is like a bank account. You put it in, you take it out, you lose interest."

~Irwin Corey

Tancredo Worries About America's Becoming " A Tour Of Babel"

While thousands of immigrants marched in protest against the new legislation that will decide the future of about 11 millions immigrants in the USA, Congressman Tom Tancredo,

has positioned himself as the loudest, angriest voice against the estimated 11 million illegal aliens now living in the United States. They are "a scourge that threatens the very future of our nation," he says. He laments "the cult of multiculturalism," and worries about America's becoming a "Tower of Babel."

(Via Drudge)

I hope that Tom Tancredo, is aware of the fact that he himslef is the son of italian immigrants!

Beware When You Buy Underwear

Being someone who likes shopping, I got yesterday some new underwear. Well to this point nothing is unusual except for the fact that coming back home and before trying the new underwear I discovered that I just got by mistake the wrong size!

So I went back to the store and I asked the cashier guy for an exchange.To my surprise, the guy declined my request saying that "he was terribly sorry but underwear cannot be exchanged or returned". I was confused and I asked why? He answered " did you read the return policy on the receipt? ", "what?" I replied, "I rarely read what's written on the receipt except when there's a sale and I just double check if the discount was applied or not", I murmured.

After checking the receipt this is what I read " RETURNS MUST BE IN SELLABLE CONDITIONS.UNDERWEAR/SWIMWEAR CANNOT BE RETURNED DUE TO HEALTH CODES". Well I guess that's a reasonable and understandable condition. But I was somehow nervous, what am I going to do with a 25 bucks underwear that is not my size?.

The guy was again categorical and he refused to do the exchange and I can understand that but how am I going to convince him that I didn't wear the underwear but I just discovered back home that I grabbed the wrong size?.

Anyhow after a quite long discussion, I was able to convince the guy to do the exchange but he made me sign a form where I wrote down my name, my phone number and the reason of the exchange! Well that's today's story so when you decide to buy new underwear, make sure you get the right size and don't forget to read the return policy on the receipt :)

A Ne Pas Rater

Visitez le blog de Zyed et vous allez savoir pourquoi ceci, it's a must!

Old Stone House

Thanks to my good friend Don Jim, I visited yesterday, The Old Stone House, in Georgetown, Washington, DC. The Old Stone House, one of the oldest known structures remaining in Washington, DC, is a simple 18th century dwelling built and inhabited by common people. The Old Stone House was completed in 1765.




The following pics are those of the "colonial kitchen" at the first floor.













The Second floor, where we could find the dining room and bedroom and which are equally interesting to see, was closed to visitors, why? because I was told that the tourist guide or I don't know had the day off and that is why the second floor was closed.(couldn't they find another tourist guide??! Well I don't need a tourist guide!).

New Jersey Dems Dump Arab-American Candidate

TRENTON, N.J. - Democrats pulled an Arab-American candidate from their election ticket on Saturday amid a furor over comments he made four years ago that some interpreted as sympathetic to Palestinian suicide bombers.

The Lebanese-born Merhi made the comments at a September 2002 Democratic fundraiser U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, where he condemned the Sept. 11 terrorists "as cold-blooded murders" and "crazy fanatics."

When asked whether he would apply the same label to Palestinian suicide bombers who target Israelis, Merhi said, "I can't see the comparison."

(Via AP)

Cherry Blossom Festival

Today, Washington, DC, celebrates the 2006 National Cherry Blossom Festival (March 25-April 9), which marks the 94th celebration of the original gift of the 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, DC in 1912.

82 % Say US Govt Covered Up Real Events Of 9/11 Attacks

( Via Sploid)-Despite the best efforts of the now whimpering attack poodles of the mainstream media, an online CNN poll shows that over four-fifths, or 82 per cent, agree with actor Charlie Sheen that the U.S. government covered up the real events of the 9/11 attacks.

Check the CNN poll here.

Computer True-False Quiz

Here's a simple true-false quiz designed to help get to the bottom of common computer misconceptions. Finally, here's some information you can feel good about e-mailing to your friends. ( Via MSN.COM)

Quadhafi Speaks To A US-Libyan Audience at New York's Columbia University

No, the libyan leader was not invited to New York, but he answered questions via a live video feed from Libya during a live interchange with a mixed US-Libyan audience at New York's Columbia University.

Dlilek Mlak : Enfin Un Gagnant Décroche Les 300 MD

Enfin un jeune participant de la ville de Gabes au Sud Tunisien a décroché la somme de 300,000 D dans l'émission Dlilek Mlak diffusé hier sur Canal Tunis 7. Mabrouk à Mohamed Mabrouk :)

(Via Babnet)

Poll: 68% Of Jews Would Refuse To Live In Same Building As An Arab

According to the results of an annual poll released, today, by the Center for the Struggle Against Racism,

Sixty-eight percent of Israeli Jews would refuse to live in the same apartment building as an Israeli Arab.

Forty-six percent of Jews would refuse to allow an Arab to visit their home while 50 percent would welcome an Arab visitor. Forty-one percent of Jewish support the segregation of Jews and Arabs in places of recreation and 52 percent of such Jews would oppose such a move.

( Via Haaretz)

Italian Company Caters Jeans For Muslims

A new line of jeans designed by a small company in northern Italy caters to Muslims seeking to stay comfortable while they pray.

Shaari, who is originally from Libya, said Muslims in Tunisia and other North African countries generally wear established brands of jeans or imitations. He said ``normal jeans indeed can be slightly stiff to pray and kneel in.''

(Via The Miami Herlad)

Wouldn't it be even better if they catered food and medicine to the poor and the sick ?!

Quote of the Day

" A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets" ( and a man's heart too ;))

From Titanic by Rose Dawson (Gloria Stuart)

The Story Of The Tunisian Mutant Cat

In one of his recent posts, Gattuso at Chikha Blog mentioned the strange story of a tunisian house cat that has given birth to a litter of five adorable kittens ... and one freakish mutant.Finally we have the video clip of this strange cat although I am not convinced that it is a mutant one, I found the animal resembling more a little mouse than a cat. (via Sploid)

Tunisia: Golden Jubilee Of Independence

Today, Tunisia and Tunisians celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Independence from the French colonization which ended on March, 20, 1956. Half a century during which Tunisia achieved so much and steered its way through the post-colonial transition with confidence and determination to become an active and thriving democracy based on openness, moderation, modernity and tolerance.

إذا الشّعب يوما أراد الحياة فلابد أن يستجيب القدر
ولا بدّ لليل أن ينجلي ولا بدّ للقيد أن ينكسر

أبوالقاسم الشابّي

Spain's Biggest Botellón

Via Sploid-More than half a million youths are expected to take part in Spain's biggest botellón, a national drinking binge, as cities from Málaga to Madrid and Barcelona to Bilbao try to outdo one another by staging the largest gathering.

The botellón, or “big bottle”, began in Madrid in the 1980s. But in recent months the new and more worrying phenomenon of the macro-botellón has started to worry Spanish parents and authorities. Children as young as 12 gather on the streets to be at the biggest botellón.

Unfortunately in some cities, this outdoor big celebration ended in violence...

Bagpipes

A short video clip of a guy playing bagpipes.

Quote Of The Day

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.
Just walk beside me and be my friend."

~Albert Camus

"المارقون"

يستعدّ المخرج السّوري إسماعيل نجدت أنزور للبدء في تصوير فيلم "المارقون"،أضخم عمل درامي عربي بمشاركة نجوم من سوريا ومصر والأردن ودول المغرب العربي بالإضافة إلى عدد من الممثلين الأوروبيين، ويتحدث عن قضية "الإرهاب" التي باتت تعاني منها العديد من الدول العربية،عن موقع العربية

Maghreb Blog Review

Magharebia focuses its Maghreb Blog Review on algerian bloggers' reaction to the recent discontinuation of Samblog, a Radio Chaine 3's segment on blogs and bloggers.

Geologists: Africa Will Enventually Lose Its Horn!

The chain of volcanoes that runs along the roughly 6,000 kilometer (3,730 mile) long East African Rift System offers further testimony to the breaking apart of the continent and and scientists for the first time can witness the birth of a new ocean floor. ( Via Drudge)

Scary Movie 4

After Scary Movie 1,2 and 3,

on April 14th, the Scary Movie gang is back with the most hilarious and irreverent installment yet! Scary Movie 4 is set to invade a theatre near you with outrageous send-ups of "War of the Worlds," "The Grudge," "The Village," "Saw" and "Saw II," "Million Dollar Baby" and much more.

Jerusalem Post Cartoon Stirs Violent Protests Across Europe

A reintroduction of a controversial Danish cartoon by The Jerusalem Post, stirred violent protests across Europe.

The cartoon, created in 1937 by Danish film animator Henning Dahl Mikkelsen and drawn by him until his death in 1982,

features the adventures of Ferd'nand,a middle-aged man with a pointy hat and a moustache.

Tens of thousands of pudgy, middle-aged men with moustaches and pointy hats went on a rampage across Western Europe. Protesters marched toward the Israeli Embassy in Rome and riots broke as well in Paris where pointy-hatted men were threatening to topple the Eiffel Tower if their demands to block the republication of the cartoon strip were ignored.

(Via J.P.)

Fake Sexy Euro Notes

Fake porn euro notes being sold as a gimmick in Germany are being successfully passed off as real cash.The counterfeit euro notes come in 300, 600 and 1000 denominations. The fake euros feature a ring of hearts around sexy, half-naked men and women (WARNING- partial female nudity)instead of a ring of stars around landscapes or famous buildings. The word Euro has been replaced by Eros! ( Via Sploid)

After Earth, Google Mars

After planet Earth, Google turns towards Mars.The new map has three different views showing elevation, infrared and orbital views of the red planet. (Via Slpoid)

Racisme Mondain

Dans cet article, Cédric Housez, Spécialiste français en communication politique, essaie d'analyser à travers l'obsession identitaire des médias français,le fond raciste de la socièté française et l’agenda politique d’un « occident » qui voudrait diaboliser le monde arabe pour mieux le piller en toute bonne conscience.

( Via Voltairenet)

Quote of the Day

"Money's a horrid thing to follow, but a charming thing to meet."

~Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady

Mental Typewriter

A team of German scientists have developed a computer controlled by the power of thought alone...( Via Sploid)

A Look At The Lebanese Blogosphere

The Daily Star has a neat article on the growing Lebanese blogosphere and the change it underwent after the March 14, movement.The DS quotes a lebanese expatriate blogger who said "the chief irony of the Lebanese blogosphere: The majority of bloggers do not live in Lebanon but rather in the West."

Generally politically-oriented, the lebanese blogosphere is now engaging in political activism. The same blogger quoted by the DS,

says he hopes his blog will have real political impact. He and Badran are also organizing a meeting with other members of the Lebanese blogsphere in Washington later this year, to determine "what we can do from our positions here that can actually make a difference," he explains. They hope to draft a set of policy prescriptions to present to the Lebanese government.

Quote Of The Day

" Le désir c'est comme l'indice boursier: des fois en hausse et des fois en baisse"

( D'après la série TV canadienne "Catherine")

Brokeback Bunnies

A 30 seconds funny video clip. ( Via You Tube)

International Woman's Day

Be it a grandmother, a mother, a sister, a spouse, a daughter, a girlfriend... we wish all these wonderful women a happy International Day!

Oscars 2006

2006 Osacrs' Best & Worst moments. ( Via MSN)

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780 –1867)

Pauline Eleanore de Galard de Brassac de Bearn, Princesse de Broglie
1853; Oil on canvas,The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

From Birth To Death

A neat video clip to meditate. (warning some violent scenes)

Tonight: The 78th Annual Academy Awards

And the best motion picture for 2006 is: "Crash" by Paul Haggis

The Best Director: Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)

PS: "Paradise Now"? well, Paradise Lost!, "Tsotsi" from South Africa won the Oscar for best foreign language film.
"Munich" : no award!
Best documentary feature: "March of the Penguins" (French)

No Title

I am just not in the mood for blogging today.

California Students Supspended Over Website

COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) -- A middle school student faces expulsion for allegedly posting graphic threats against a classmate on the popular MySpace.com Web site, and 20 of his classmates were suspended for viewing the posting, school officials said.

(Via Drudge)

Dada Art Exhibit At The National Gallery

From February 19 to May 14, 2006, The National Gallery, in Washington, DC, hosts the most comprehensive museum exhibition of Dada art ever mounted in the United States, Dada features painting, sculpture, photography, film, collage, and readymades emerging in six cities: Zurich, Berlin, Hannover, Cologne, New York, and Paris. The exhibition presents many of the most influential figures in the history of modernism, as well as others less known, including Tristan Tzara, Hans Arp, Sophie Taeuber, Hans Richter, Hannah Höch, Raoul Hausmann, George Grosz, John Heartfield, Kurt Schwitters, Max Ernst, Francis Picabia, Man Ray, and Marcel Duchamp.

Paradise Now Update

In a previous post I mentioned the action led by the ADC to urge the Oscar organizing committee to label "Paradise Now" as a movie from Palestine and not the Palestinian Authority. Now and according to Reuters a group of Israelis who lost children to Palestinian suicide bombings appealed to organizers of next week's Academy Awards to disqualify a film that is exploring the reasoning behind such attacks. ( Via Drudge)

Quote of the Day

Anger as soon as fed is dead - 'Tis starving makes it fat.

~Emily Dickinson