Year: 2004

Douz International Saharan Festival 2004

The city of Douz , in the Tunisian south, will host the 37th edition of its international festival, December 25-29, 2004.

The desert-city Douz, known as the gateway to the Saharan desert, is a small town in the country’s South, located some 450 kilometers south of the capital city, Tunis. The city’s exotic charm, rich fauna and flora, and typical bedouin lifestyle make it a great destination for desert lovers.

As it is the case each year, during the period from December 25-29, Douz will host the 2004 edition of its international festival. The 5-day festival, which was originally created in 1910, represents an important cultural and touristic event. It attracts annually a total of more than 100,000 visitors.

The Douz festival promotes the rich civilizational heritage of the people of the desert as well as their typical customs and traditions. During the festival, visitors attend camel and arab horse races as well as hunting scenes featuring the local hunting dog or ‘slougui’. Various colourful scenes of desert life are enacted

Many international dance and music bands perform during the festival . Poetry readings are also held . This year, an international conference on the theme: ” Creation and the Sahara” will be organized by Gabes University.

A friend of mine from Douz has a portal dedicated to the city which also provides real-time coverage of the festival (in French and Arabic). To check it out, go to Douz.org.

I’ve visited Douz twice and gone for great camel rides in it’s desert. It’s so beautiful and I can’t wait to visit it again.

Opera’s Talking Web Browser

Opera Software released a test version of a major update to its Web browser software.

The new software adds stronger support for RSS and technology that allows users to navigate through voice commands and have Web pages read to them.

The new Opera beta version also includes user interface improvements such as bigger browsing space, cleaner menus, and better printing support, the company says. The browser also now works with Google’s Gmail, correcting a problem that had led some Opera users to switch to Firefox.

The voice support is powered by IBM’s Embedded ViaVoice technology, which Opera licensed early in the year.

This is really cool.
Before moving to Firefox, Opera was my browser of choice.
And even though I’m really happy with Firefox, I still think Opera is faster.

It’s great to see Opera coming up with these new ideas and features. If only Opera had the extensions Firefox had, I think I’d certainly move back to it.

South Asia Earthquake And Tsunamis

The toll of the earthquake and tsunamis that hit South Asia yesterday has risen to over 14,000 dead, thousands injured, thousands missing and hundreds of thousands homeless in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other neighbouring countries.

The earthquake was the strongest in 40 years, and the 4th largest ever. The 9.0 magnitude quake originated 160 kilometers off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island at a depth of about 10 kilometers.

Watching the news yesterday and seeing all the destruction that followed this, hearing about all the loss of lives and homes was really sad.

Having visited and loved some of the places that were hit the worst in Thailand, Phuket and Phi Phi Island, and knowing the great and friendly Thai people, it truly saddens me to even imagine how much damage must have happened to these beautiful places and how many innocent lives were lost.

A dear friend of mine was also in the region just a couple of weeks ago. Thank God she and her family weren’t there when this happened, even though Malaysia wasn’t hit as bad as other places.

Our hearts and minds are with the people of these South Asian countries who lost their homes, their loved one, their jobs and more.
God help them all.

Top Ten Questions Not To Ask In A Job Interview

Just found this. It’s hilarious! LOL…

The Top Ten Questions Not To Ask In A Job Interview:

10. What’s your company’s policy on severance pay?
9. How long does it take your company’s bureaucracy to get around to firing somebody for poor performance?
8. Could I get an office that’s really close to the exit?
7. Does your company’s life insurance cover suicide?
6. Who’s the ugly bitch in that picture on your desk?
5. Does your company’s insurance consider genital herpes a pre-existing condition?
4. How many sick days do you allow each employee before you stop paying them for not being here?
3. Does your insurance cover sex-change operations?
2. Does your LAN have a firewall that blocks triple-X websites?
1. How frequently do your accountants audit petty cash?

Taking Decisions…

“The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.”
Ben Stein

And…

“It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
J. K. Rowling

But…

“If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.”
Robert Fritz

Tunisians Lead World In Optimism

According to an international survey conducted by the Gallup International public opinion and market research company, Tunisians are the most optimistic when it comes to believing that the coming year will be better than 2004.

Asked whether 2005 would be better than 2004, 72 percent of Tunisians replied in the positive.

Poll results show lower “optimism scores” in other countries of the world.

These include 71% in Georgia, 70% in Kuwait, 66% in Panama and 65% in the U.S. 61 % in Australia, 60% in Argentina and 60% in New Zealand.

Other nations score high on the “pessimism index”.

[Source: Gallup International]

Mahmoud Messaadi Dead

Mahmoud Messaadi, 93, a renowned Tunisian writer, a former minister and speaker of parliament, died Thursday in Tunis.

Born in 1911, editor of Al-Mabahith Review (1944-1947), secretary-general of UGTT (Tunisian Trade Union from 1948-1953), minister of national education (1958), he was also a general inspector of education.

Messaadi published in 1955 a play called ‘The Dam’ (Assadd), which was highly praised by the Egyptian Taha Hussein and was studied by the orientalists Massignon and Berque.

According to Taha Hussein, Messaadi succeeded to reconcile in this play Muslim philosophy with existentialism.

Messaadi is also known for his landmark literary work, “Haddatha Abu Hurayra” (Abu Hurayra said), also published in 1973. He is the author of a book in French about “Tempo in Arab rhyme,” published in 1981.

Under his watch, the University of Tunis was created in 1960.

He also served as minister of culture and speaker of parliament.

[Source: Tunisia Online, Middle East Online]

Key Results of the Tunisia 2004 Census

Data collected as part of the most recent Tunisian census show a slowdown in population growth and an improvement in the standard of living of the population. The census took place on April 28, 2004. The previous census took place ten years ago.

Demographics:
The total number of Tunisia’s population on April 2004 was slightly more than 9.9 million.
The ratio of the population that is 14 years or younger has decreased from 33.8 % to 26.7 % between 1994 and 2004, while the proportion of the population between 15 and 59 years of age increased from 56.9 % to 64% during the same period. The rate of urban population stands at near 65 %.

Literacy:
The overall rate of literacy is near 80% today. The rate of illiteracy has continued to decrease. From 84.7 % on independence in 1956, and then 46 % in 1984, it was lowered to 22.9% in 2004. For those in the population between 10 and 29 years of age, illiteracy has come down from 24.8 % in 1984 to 6 % in 2004.

Continue reading Key Results of the Tunisia 2004 Census