Author: Mohamed Marwen Meddah

Mohamed Marwen Meddah is a Tunisian-Canadian, web aficionado, software engineering leader, blogger, and amateur photographer.

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

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter’s creator J.K. Rowling said that she is ready to release the sixth installment of now famous ‘Harry Potter’ series of novel.

The sixth book in the series is entitled “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince“. Rowling has already revealed that the sixth book will see one of the characters killed, but she has given no hints as to who is doomed.

J.K. Rowling added more spice to the occasion by unveiling some excerpts from the novel:

1. Half-Blood Prince was neither Harry nor Voldemort.
2. She also told names of three of the chapter titles:
– Chapter two – Spinners End
– Chapter six – Draco’s Detour
– Chapter 14 – Felix Felicis
3. And there’ll be a new Minister for Magic.

The book is set to be published on July 16, 2005 in Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The retail price is $29.99 but if you order now from Amazon you get 40% off, so just $17.99. So Pre-order now.

Rowling has plans to release one more Harry Potter novel after Half-Blood Prince. She has already written the last chapter of the seventh book, where she describes what happens to the characters who survive until the end.

I haven’t really made time to read any of the novels yet, but I’ve truly enjoyed the movie adaptations of them up to now and can’t wait for the next one to come out.

[Sources: DCE Cinemas, Reuters]

Tunis Weblogger Meetup Group

Tunis Weblogger Meetup GroupSo, at last, I’ve started the Tunis Weblogger Meetup Group.

Lately, many cool blogs have been popping up by Tunisians in and out of Tunisia, as well as blogs by foreigners living in Tunisia, and I think it’s about time a meetup group was created to put all these bloggers together.

So, if you’re a Tunisian blogger or someone blogging from Tunisia, please do join the Tunis Weblogger Meetup Group.

I’ll be counting on you to tell your friends too 🙂

Discrimination Against British Muslims Rises

The number of British Muslims who say they experience discrimination has nearly doubled in the past four years, according to a survey.

Eighty percent of the country’s 1.8 million Muslims say they have been discriminated against because of their faith compared to 45% in 2000 and 35% in 1999, the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) said on Thursday.

Muslim men are now just as likely as women to experience prejudice – a significant change which the IHRC blamed on an increase in the number of police and security checks carried out on Muslim men since the September 11 attacks in 2001.

White British Muslims report more discrimination than any other ethnic group, suggesting Britons are intolerant of people who convert to Islam.

“The anti-terrorism laws are profiling and targeting Muslim men,” Arzu Merali, one of the authors of the report, said. “Our case studies suggest nearly every Muslim man living in an urban area, particularly in London, has either been stopped and searched or knows someone who has.”

Eight percent of the 1200 Muslims questioned in the survey said they experienced some sort of discrimination every day.

Another 8% said it was a weekly problem, 8% described it as monthly, and 55% said they had been discriminated against “on some occasions”.

[Source: Al Jazeera]