Year: 2007

Enhance Your Productivity: 9 Things & Habits To Quit Now

Tim Ferriss, writer of the book “The 4-Hour Workweek“, has published a list of the 9 habits you have to stop now to become more productive.

I totally agree with his list, and have more or less been applying this in my everyday life for a while now. The list goes as follows (with my comments):

1. Do not answer calls from unrecognized phone numbers: I rarely ever answer a phone call by a number I don’t recognize, some people think it’s wrong of me to do so, but personally I think that if that someone is a person I want to hear from I’d surely have his number saved. Of course out of the times I do reply, there is a small percentage of times it turns out the person is someone I want to hear from, but well I’m comfortable with the odds.

2. Do not e-mail first thing in the morning or last thing at night: I always try to avoid early-morning or late-evening emails, unless it’s something I’ve already thought out well and only the actual writing of the email is left.

3. Do not agree to meetings or calls with no clear agenda or end time: I do my best to avoid these, they’re such a waste of time, but well sometimes you can’t but help get dragged into one, and that’s when I try to apply the next point…

4. Do not let people ramble: Sometimes you just have to step in, take hold of the conversation and take it straight to the point; or else people will just keep on rambling and wasting time with no end in sight.

5. Do not check e-mail constantly

My Corner Of The Earth

Like every humming bird and bumblebee
Every sunflower, cloud and every tree
I feel so much a part of this
Nature’s got me high and it’s beautiful
I’m with this deep eternal universe
From death until rebirth

This corner of the earth is like me in many ways
I can sit for hours here and watch the emerald feathers play
On the face of it I’m blessed
When the sunlight comes for free
I know this corner of the earth it smiles at me

My corner of the earth, the corner that I know so well, that I feel knows me and smiles at me, where I feel in perfect balance with nature is in Bizerte, my hometown, at La Grotte, Corniche; a point where the mountain meets the sea, creating the best place to have a refreshing swim or watch the most romantic sunset; simple perfect bliss.

Where’s your special corner of the earth?

[Lyrics from the song Corner Of The Earth by Jamiroquai]

US To Provide Israel With $30 Billion Of Military Aid

More and more money for weapons…

US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns has signed a deal that will provide Israel with $30bn of military aid over the next 10 years.

The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has said the aid will preserve his country’s military advantage over other countries in the Middle East.

The new military aid package represents a 25% increase from present levels.

[…]

Mr Burns called the aid package an “investment in peace”, saying “peace cannot be made without strength”.

[Source: BBC News]

Now, this isn’t really something unexpected, the US has been pouring billions upon billions of dollars to support Israel militarily over the past decades, and this represents but a 25% increase to “preserve Israel’s military advantage over other countries in the Middle East” as Ehud Olmert gently put it.

Last month the US announced multi-billion-dollar arms deals with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other Gulf states too; all in an attempt to counter the “rising Iranian power” in the region. And well if it’s going to give money to the Arabs and Muslims, then it has to give even more to Israel to keep the balance tilted to Israel’s side; Only normal given the US policy we know.

What I find incredible though about this bit of news is this claim: “the aid package is an investment in peace… peace cannot be made without strength”.

So, let me get this right? Billions of dollars worth of weapons poured into the most volatile and explosive region on Earth are supposed to bring peace? Isn’t it more like pouring fuel on the flame? Isn’t this just a recipe for more disasters, more war, more death?

And don’t give me the whole “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” style crap; of course people kill people, but they kill a lot many more people when they have guns, bombs, rockets, tanks, planes and whatnot to do it with.

Peace simply doesn’t come through the barrel of a rifle; it’s about time everyone realized that.

Ajaaj: The First UAE Superhero Comic Book

AjaajAjaaj – “Legends of the past, protecting the future”. That’s the tagline for the new comic book by Watani featuring the first UAE superhero called Ajaaj.

The comic book series is set in the year 2020; the UAE is leading the way in world trade, industry and tourism. However, the media is filled with reports of a natural disaster, a sand storm which has hit towns and shores leaving substantial damage in its aftermath.

These reports are interrupted by kids who refute them, declaring the force behind the storm is Ajaaj. They say he can morph into a well-built young UAE man, a wall or even a bridge. He can fly and solidify, turn into fine dust, infiltrate tightly locked areas and even transform into structures strong enough to stop the fastest bullet train.

And the rest as you can imagine should be a selection of superhero fun and adventures.

The comic books are produced monthly in hard cover version making it a collector item as well. The 44-page first issue of Ajaaj is available online for viewing and download in both Arabic & English.

[More: Ajaaj]
[Via: Fahad]

Canadian Team Discovers Gene That Turns Cancers Off

Some good health news from Canada…

A unique gene that can stop cancerous cells from multiplying into tumours has been discovered by a team of scientists at the B.C. Cancer Agency in Vancouver.

The team, led by Dr. Poul Sorensen, says the gene has the power to suppress the growth of human tumours in multiple cancers, including breast, lung and liver.

The gene, HACE 1, helps cells fight off stress that, left unchecked, opens the door to formation of multiple tumours.

[Source: Globe And Mail]

In a world where everything seems to cause cancer now because of the big mess we’ve made of nature and a bunch of unsafe technological inventions surrounding us everyday; this can only be a great piece of news.

Bike Dispenser

Bike Dispenser

Springtime’s Bike Dispenser is a sort of vending machine that allows you to rent an RFID-tracked bike from one stand, ride it to your destination, drop it off at another stand, and then walk away.

The Dutch company won an award at the 2007 Spark Design & Architecture Awards for their idea, which works perfectly for an urban environment.

Very cool and practical idea… I love it…

[Via: Gizmodo, Trendhunter]

The Message of the Georgia Guidestones

Georgia GuidestonesThe Georgia Guidestones are a huge granite monument located on a hilltop in Elbert County, Georgia, USA.
A message comprised of ten guides is inscribed on the monument in eight modern languages, and a shorter message is inscribed at the top of the structure in four ancient scripts: Babylonian, Classical Greek, Sanskrit, and Egyptian Hieroglyphs. The monument was meant to “offer direction to humanity”

The message in English reads:

1. Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
2. Guide reproduction wisely – improving fitness and diversity.
3. Unite humanity with a living new language.
4. Rule passion – faith – tradition – and all things with tempered reason.
5. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
6. Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
8. Balance personal rights with social duties.
9. Prize truth – beauty – love – seeking harmony with the infinite.
10. Be not a cancer on the earth – Leave room for nature – Leave room for nature.

Wise words and directions…
Unfortunately, we’ve pretty much screwed up on every single point…

[More: Georgia Guidestones (Wikipedia)]

Green Tea Could Help Avoid Cancer

Hmmm, it seems there’s more to Green Tea than meets the “tongue”…

Concentrated chemicals derived from green tea dramatically boosted production of a group of key detoxification enzymes in people with low levels of these beneficial proteins, according to researchers at Arizona Cancer Center.

These findings, published in the August issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggest that a green tea concentrate might help some people strengthen their metabolic defense against toxins capable of causing cancer.

[Source: Biosingularity]

I’m not much of a tea person, although my wife loves the stuff, and I have a friend who worships it; I only occasionally drink it. But from now on, I think I’ll be working more of it into my drinking habits; some green tea, with mint and pine nuts is always great.